Welcome to the second week of March, which takes us to the end of feudal Japan for this week's major release. This is followed by what can only be called a Minecraft wannabe, but with slightly less blocky graphics, a cozy game about tea, a PvP action roguelike, some H. P. Lovecraft inspired horror and finally some big guys and gals in tights pretending to wrestle. The rest of this week was pretty slim pickings, so there are no additional new releases this week.

Rise of the Ronin / This week's major release / Tuesday 11 March
An open-world RPG set in the Bakumatsu period, where players take on the role of a ronin forging their own destiny. The game features multiple possible endings, allowing players to choose which faction to support—such as the anti-shogunate faction, pro-shogunate faction, or Western forces—which significantly alters the story's outcome. Steam link

Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com, Inc. company, today announced Amazon GameLift Streams, a fully managed capability that enables developers to deliver high-fidelity, low-latency game experiences to players using virtually any device with a browser. Game developers no longer need to spend time and resources modifying their games for streaming or building their own streaming infrastructure. Players around the world can begin playing games in seconds instead of waiting minutes for streams or hours for downloads. Amazon GameLift Streams is a new capability of Amazon GameLift, the AWS service that empowers developers to build and deliver the world's most demanding games. The new streaming capability opens opportunities for developers to deliver new experiences to more players, helping them grow engagement and sales of their games.

"With more than 750 million people playing games running on AWS every month, we have a long history of supporting the industry's game development, content creation, player acquisition, personalization, and more," said Chris Lee, general manager and head of Immersive Technology at AWS. "Amazon GameLift Streams can help the game industry transform billions of everyday devices around the world into gaming machines without rebuilding game code or managing your own infrastructure. For game developers, this creates exciting new revenue and monetization opportunities that weren't possible before."

Minisforum is proud to unveil AI X1 Pro, the world's first Copilot-empowered AI mini PC, setting a new standard in low power efficiency and redefining performance. Powered by the cutting-edge AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, the AI X1 Pro delivers next-level AI technology, supercharging multitasking, boosting productivity, and enhancing teamwork like never before. With performance up to 45% faster than competitors, this mini PC is designed to meet the demands of professionals, creators, and gamers alike.

Unmatched Gaming and Creativity
Equipped with the powerful AMD Radeon 890M processor, AI X1 Pro transforms your gaming experience. Dive into AAA titles with smooth, breathtaking visuals and zero lag. Every battle and adventure comes to life in stunning detail, delivering pure excitement. For creators, the AI X1 Pro is optimized for AI workloads, featuring total 80 TOPS NPU for all-local AI processing. Streamline your daily tasks, enhance creativity, and save valuable time with unparalleled convenience.

Cooler Master, a global leader in PC components and tech lifestyle solutions, today announced the launch of the Hybrid M, a revolutionary gaming chair engineered to redefine comfort for gamers, creators, and professionals. Integrating advanced massage technology, cordless power, and premium ergonomic design, the Hybrid M transforms long hours at the desk into a seamless experience of performance, relaxation, and rejuvenation.

A Chair That Works as Hard as You Do
Imagine this: You're deep in a high-stakes gaming session, pushing your skills to the limit, or perhaps you're finalizing an intricate video edit after hours of meticulous work. The clock keeps ticking, but your body begins to protest—muscles tense, posture slouches, and fatigue takes hold. What if your chair could do more than just support you? What if it could help you stay focused, relaxed, and at peak performance? Cooler Master saw an opportunity to revolutionize the way we experience seating. Enter the Hybrid M—a chair designed to multitask as effectively as the users who rely on it.

Gaming on Mac has been in somewhat of a weird situation lately. On one hand, there seems to be a ton of true AAA titles making their debut on macOS, but on the other hand, sales on the platform have been extremely disheartening in many of the cases. Now, it has been revealed that Assassin's Creed: Shadows, which is set to debut on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation on the 20th of March, will also be available for Mac users on the same day. While that may sound like great news for interested folks, there is a catch - like many of the titles, AC Shadows will be available exclusively on the Mac App Store for a cool $70.

And this is exactly where we hit a major roadblock. For whatever reason, Steam will not include binaries for both Mac and Windows platforms, forcing people with both Mac and Windows PCs to buy the expensive game for both the systems - and this, in my opinion, is the major reason why adoption has been poor. There are plenty of folks with both Macs and PCs - but getting them to pull the trigger for the same game two times is a hard sell. According to the App Store, the game will be playable on Macs powered by the M1 and higher SoCs, and needless to say, support for modern ray tracing goodness will be limited to M3 onwards. It is unclear, as of this writing how the performance is going to be, but there is no denying that the GPUs found on the Pro, Max, and Ultra SoCs in recent years are more than capable of handling even the most demanding of titles with playable framerates.

Back in January, Dell/Alienware announced the 27-inch 4K AW2725Q QD-OLED monitor, which is now being joined by the 27-inch 2560 x 1440 resolution AW2725D and the 34-inch 3440 x 1440 resolution AW3425DW, both also sporting a QD-OLED panel. The AW3425DW offers a 240 Hz refresh rate, a 0.03 ms grey to grey response time and a peak brightness of 1000 cd/m². The monitor is NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible, as well as AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and VESA AdaptiveSync certified and it supports HDMI VRR for console gamers. Dell has equipped it with one DP 1.4 port, two HDMI 2.1 ports—there's support for both picture by picture and picture in picture, something normally only seen on more business savvy monitors—one USB Type-B upstreams and one USB Type-A as well as one Type-C downstream ports, all being limited to a 5 Gbps data rate, although the Type-C port supports 15 W device charging.

As for the AW2725D, we're looking at a 280 Hz refresh rate, but Dell didn't provide much else in terms of specifications, as this model isn't expected to be available until sometime this summer. However, it will be the cheapest QD-OLED monitor from Dell's Alienware brand at US$549.99. The AW3425DW will have an MSRP of US$799.99 which it launches on April 29th. Finally, the AW2725Q which launches today, will retail at the announced US$899.99. All three models will come with a three year OLED burn-in warranty.

Welcome to the month of March and a week when almost every single new game launches on a Thursday. This week's major release is a new 5v5 FPS shooter set in a Sci-Fi world. This is followed by alien planet colony management, a spot of museum curation, working as a car mechanic, doing battle with your best buddy in multiple imaginary worlds, with the week finally ending with some more co-op action, but puppet sized. We have four more games included at the end, but that's only a few of the games launching this Thursday.

FragPunk / This week's major release / Thursday 6 March
FragPunk is a fast-paced 5v5 hero shooter with powerup cards that change the rules of each round. Choose your hero, your weapons, and pick from a selection of cards that dramatically change the rules of engagement. Steam link

Judging by the current state of gaming GPUs, it might appear to some that true budget-class cards are a thing of the past. That said, it is almost certain that both NVIDIA and AMD are cooking entry-level GPUs to cater to folks who can't shell out the astoundingly high prices that modern mid-range and high-end GPUs command, with AMD having already confirmed the launch for RX 9060 class cards sometime in Q2 of this year. Previous leaks have indicated that the RX 9060 will likely hit the scene with 12 GB of GDDR6 VRAM, whereas its XT sibling will boast an additional 4 GB. NVIDIA is also expected to drop the RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti cards sometime towards the end of this month, likely in 8 GB and 16 GB flavors of the shinier GDDR7 spec.

Now, a fresh leak by Moore's Law Is Dead (MLID) has claimed that the Radeon RX 9060 XT will outperform the RTX 4060 Ti in performance, slotting in between the RTX 4060 Ti and the Radeon RX 7700 XT. Moreover, he added that AMD may even push clocks to bring the card closer to the RTX 4070 territory - a sweet position to hold indeed. Regarding launch date, MLID expects the card to hit the arena sometime in April. Of course, as with all leaks and rumors, accept this information with a grain of salt, especially considering that MLID's assertions are sourced from a single party. The RTX 5060/Ti is expected to be priced in the $400-$500 range, which means the RX 9060 XT will likely have to be priced in the lower-end of that in order to make for a compelling value proposition.

Today Capcom, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, released the highly anticipated co-op action RPG Monster Hunter Wilds on PlayStation 5 with PS5 Pro Enhanced support, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam (starting at MSRP $69.99). Join the Expedition Team as they journey to the Forbidden Lands in search of the mysterious "White Wraith" and unravel the mystery of this unrelenting frontier. Wield 14 iconic weapon types ranging from Great Swords to Gunlances and battle larger than life monsters uniquely adapted to their ever-changing environments. Then gather resources to craft an expansive arsenal of more powerful gear to take on even bigger challenges in your search for answers.

Venture to the Forbidden Lands
After rescuing the young boy Nata on the border of the reportedly uninhabited Forbidden Lands, the Hunter's Guild gathers its resources and forms the Forbidden Lands Expedition Team to investigate Arkveld, the mysterious "White Wraith," that attacked Nata's village. Fully voiced for the first time in the series, the player's Hunter is joined in the Expedition Team's Avis unit by Alma the Guild-appointed Handler, Gemma the reliable Smithy, and the Hunter's trusty Palico.

MSI, the world-leading gaming & creator laptop brand, today announced its groundbreaking RTX 50 Series laptops at MSIology: Dragonforged Dominance Launch Event - a new lineup inspired by the ancient Norse myth of Yggdrasil. Embracing the themes of renewal and resilience, MSI's innovative devices integrate three core principles: innovative technology, luxurious aesthetics, and extreme performance.

Dragonforged Dominance Launch Event
"Much like the mythic World Tree that connects the nine realms, our new laptops are designed to meet diverse user expectations—from immersive gaming to high-end professional work" said Steven Yang, MSI Notebook Regional Sales & Marketing Manager.

Today, we introduced the Framework Desktop, a tiny 4.5L Mini-ITX desktop powered by AMD's massive new Ryzen AI Max processors. Pre-orders are open now, with first shipments in early Q3 2025. When AMD shared the Ryzen AI Max with us, we immediately knew we had to use it. It has up to 16 CPU cores at 5.1 GHz boost clock, discrete-level Radeon 8060S graphics, and support for up to an insane 128 GB of unified LPDDR5x. That enables 1440p or higher gaming on the heaviest titles, big creative and workstation workloads, and true local AI use cases. This is an absolute monster of a processor, and we shifted our roadmap a year ago to make space for it. In a desktop form factor, we get to unlock every bit of its performance with 120 W sustained power and 140 W boost while staying quiet and cool.

You may still be wondering, why does Framework need to build a desktop? Aren't desktops already modular and upgradeable? They are. In fact, the desktop PC ethos is part of what inspired the Framework Laptop to begin with. The desktop world is amazing. There is a broad, long-lived, interoperable ecosystem with hundreds of brands and hundreds of millions of consumers participating. You can build, upgrade, repair, and personalize to the limits of your imagination (and budget, and desk space), and share your amazing creations with all of the other true believers. We want to make this space as accessible as we possibly can by building a desktop that is simultaneously small and simple and incredibly powerful and customizable. Everyone should have the opportunity to experience the culture around PCs and PC gaming first-hand.

Welcome to the last week of February and this week we have a massive AAA release from a popular Capcom franchise that involves a lot of monsters in the wild. The rest of this week is a lot more low-key, with a rhythm platformer, a 2D scroller action ninja game, a co-op horror game, a retro collection which includes no less than 14 games and finally some greens and bunkers.

Monster Hunter Wilds / This week's AAA release / Friday 28 February
Fulfill your duty as a Hunter by tracking and defeating powerful monsters and forging strong new weapons and armor from the materials you harvest from your hunt as you uncover the connection between the people of the Forbidden Lands and the locales they inhabit. The ultimate hunting experience awaits you in Monster Hunter Wilds. Steam link

LG Electronics (LG) is bringing its Gaming Portal to a wide range of screens and platforms in 2025. Currently available on LG Smart TVs running webOS 23 and above in 19 markets, the service will extend to additional markets, platforms and devices - including LG Smart Monitors and StanbyME lifestyle screens - by the second quarter of the year. This expansion aims to enhance the overall game streaming experience by providing seamless access to popular and new titles.

The Gaming Portal serves as a central hub for gameplay options, offering an effortless way to discover new titles and enjoy the ones gamers already love. Through partnerships with leading cloud gaming services like NVIDIA GeForce NOW, Amazon Luna, Boosteroid, Blacknut and soon Xbox Cloud, along with many native webOS app games, LG delivers a wide variety of games across different genres.

Moore Threads has released version 290.100 of its MTT S Series Windows desktop driver; today's freshly published patch notes describe "performance and experience optimizations" for multiple modern games titles. Press coverage of the Chinese graphics card manufacturer's hardware portfolio has concentrated mostly on deficiencies, relative to Western offerings. Despite being the first desktop gaming graphics card to arrive with a PCI Express Gen 5 bus interface, Moore Threads' MTT S80 model has consistently struggled to keep up with mainstream competition. Most notably, their current 200 W TDP-rated flagship—packing 4096 "MUSA" cores—trailed behind AMD Radeon iGPUs, according to March 2024 benchmarks.

The latest Moore Threads driver improvements were tested out internally, prior to public release. Patch notes claim that Infinity Nikki (DirectX 12-only) average frame rates "increased by more than 40%." Another DX12 title was benched—Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding: "average frame rate has increased by more than 50%." The largest upgrade was observed when playing A Plague Tale: Requiem; the MTT engineering team claims that average in-game frame rates climbed by more than 120%. We hope that independent outlets will publish results based on their own testing methodologies, in the near future. Going back to September 2023, Moore Threads boasted about driver update 230.40.0.1 producing a 40% gaming performance uplift for MTT S80 and S70 cards. Outside the gaming sphere, Moore Threads has hinted about its MTT S80 GPU being a high achiever with DeepSeek's R1-Distill-Qwen-7B distilled model.

SCUF Gaming, creator of the high-performance gaming controller category and part of the Corsair family of brands, today announced the SCUF Valor Pro Wired Performance Controller for Xbox and PC, available now starting at $99.99. The SCUF Valor Pro Wired embodies over a decade of collaboration with esports pros and creators, refining every feature for peak performance. Built on SCUF's legacy of innovation, this pro controller empowers gamers with unmatched precision and control to dominate the competition.

Offering an unprecedented level of speed and control, the SCUF Valor Pro Wired gives Xbox and PC gamers a decisive competitive advantage, with every aspect of the controller built to the highest SCUF standards. With remappable paddles, a dedicated wired connection with ultra-fast 1000 Hz polling rate response time on PC, a compact and ergonomic shape, and all of the game changing features SCUF is known for, including longer lasting anti-drift Hall Effect thumbsticks, the SCUF Valor Pro Wired will improve any dedicated gamers performance.

Out of all the screens that I have on hand for gaming—monitors, televisions, tablets, smartphones, even a portable projector—none feel quite as decadent as the ASUS AirVision M1. When I lean back into the overstuffed pillows of my couch, put my feet up on the chaise longue, and plug these smart glasses into my ROG Ally, I feel like I'm enjoying a luxury that would make Hedonismbot blush. These smart glasses put my game up on a giant virtual screen, right in front of my eyes at the perfect viewing angle. Watching a television from such a position would either involve a ceiling mount or crick in my neck, but the AirVision M1 gives me a big-screen gaming experience in a lightweight package that works whether I'm lounging on the couch, lying in bed, or leaning back in my gaming chair.

Gaming isn't the only trick up the AirVision M1's sleeve. It's a productivity champ, too, adding multiple virtual screens to my on-the-go setup and keeping prying eyes from looking over my shoulder as I get some work done at the coffee shop. It's the lie-in-bed-and-binge-watch-Parks-and-Recreation device of my dreams. It even makes it tolerable to stay entertained and productive during long flights. Versatile, lightweight, and easy to use, the AirVision M1 slipped into my digital life as easily as it slips into my laptop bag.

TrendForce's latest investigations reveal that global LCD gaming monitor panel shipments (>144 Hz) reached 32.42 million units in 2024, marking a 12% YoY increase. However, due to a lack of major demand catalysts and struggling profitability in mainstream gaming monitors, 2025 shipments are expected to grow at a slower rate of 5%, reaching approximately 34 million units.

TrendForce notes that Chinese panel makers were the primary force behind LCD gaming monitor panel growth in 2024. In a bid to improve profitability, many have aggressively expanded into the gaming monitor segment and increased production capacity. Additionally, the release of the highly anticipated game Black Myth: Wukong in late 2024 further boosted demand in China, driving YoY shipment increases of nearly 50% for HKC, 40% for CSOT, and over 20% for BOE.

LG Display, the world's leading innovator of display technologies, announced today that it has officially begun mass production of a 45-inch Gaming OLED monitor panel with ultra-high 5K2K resolution. By producing the world's highest-resolution Gaming OLED panel, the company is seeking to seize the growth potential of the high-end gaming display market.

This product not only features key gaming monitor specifications such as top-tier resolution, refresh rate, and response time, but it also delivers perfect black levels in any environment, providing the ultimate gaming experience.

PowerColor, a trusted name in high-performance gaming hardware, is proud to introduce the ALPHYN AM10 Wireless Gaming Mouse, the latest addition to the ALPHYN series. Designed for gamers and content creators seeking the perfect balance of comfort and high-end specifications, the ALPHYN AM10 delivers cutting-edge technology in an ergonomic, lightweight form. With a powerful 26,000 DPI sensor, an 8,000 Hz polling rate in wired mode, Omron optical switches, and hybrid wireless connectivity, the AM10 is built to provide an exceptional user experience without compromise.

Designed for Performance & Comfort
The ALPHYN AM10 is built to offer precision tracking and responsive control, making every task—from intense gaming sessions to detailed creative work—effortless and fluid. Equipped with a PAW3395 sensor, it provides a DPI range from 100 to 26,000, allowing users to fine-tune sensitivity to their exact needs. With an 8,000 Hz polling rate in wired mode and 1,000 Hz in wireless mode, every movement is accurately registered, ensuring smooth and natural cursor motion. The Omron optical switches (rated for 70 million clicks) provide instant actuation and long-lasting durability, making every click crisp and reliable while reducing fatigue during extended use.

Welcome to another week of new game releases and this week's AAA title takes place in the same world as Pillars of Eternity, for those that were a fan of that game from a decade ago. If RPG games aren't your cup of tea, how about a face full of Norwegian snow, or maybe the summer of 1995? How about some equestrian challenges, some pirate ninjas or maybe something a bit more dystopian? If so, we got the games for you this week.

Avowed / This week's AAA title / Tuesday 18 February
Avowed is a first-person fantasy RPG set in the world of Eora, where your choices carve a path through war, intrigue, and ancient mysteries. Navigate a land in turmoil, forge powerful alliances or deadly rivalries, and wield magic and steel to shape the fate of the Living Lands—and your own destiny. Steam link

Retro tech lovers who have a knack for gaming handhelds will likely be rather pleased with Sugar Cubes' latest creation - the N97 Elite gaming handheld. As the name suggests, the handheld draws inspiration from the Nokia N97 of '09, and all of its sliding glory. The company has already started shipping out the device to customers, although it is China-only for the foreseeable future. Despite that, there is no denying that the N97 Elite handheld is an incredibly exciting looking gadget for those who miss the good old days of smartphones - that is, before the glass-slab trend took off.

At its core, the N97 Elite handheld packs a decent amount of computing horsepower. Powered by the Snapdragon 855 Plus - an SoC once found in Android flagships - paired with 12 GB of memory, the N97 Elite should be able to breeze through most emulation workloads. The compact handheld comes equipped with a 4.7-inch touch-enabled display, which slides out to reveal the controls. Speaking of which, the controls look pretty disappointing at first sight, although that would be hard to judge without trying the thing in real life. However, given the compact nature, the experience is unlikely to be a comfortable one, and the lack of an analog stick is understandable, but disappointing regardless. The system does have a built-in fan, which should help with sustained workloads.

Leading gaming accessories maker Turtle Beach Corporation today unveiled two new striking colorways for the latest Stealth 600 and Stealth 500 wireless headsets - two top-rated models in the brand's critically acclaimed wireless gaming headset range.

The new Stealth 600 purple and Stealth 500 arctic camo colorways are available for pre-order today from Turtle Beach and will launch this spring. The Designed for Xbox Stealth 600 purple will be available exclusively at Target in the U.S., as well as at participating retailers globally. The Stealth 500 arctic camo for PlayStation will be available exclusively at Walmart in the U.S. and at participating retailers globally, while the Designed for Xbox Stealth 500 arctic camo will be available at participating retailers globally.

The lead-up to the release of Borderlands 4 has been rife with release date speculation, feature wish lists, and no shortage of complaints about visuals and character design. Today, however, at PlayStation State of Play, Take Two released a new trailer for Borderlands 4 and finally confirmed a September 23 release date for the upcoming looter shooter.

As is to be expected from any trailer dropping months ahead of the official game launch, gameplay details are slyly hinted at instead of directly advertised, but there is a lot of information hidden in the latest Borderlands 4 trailer. For starters, the trailer confirmed that Borderlands 4 appears to be getting some serious mobility enhancements, including a new double jump mechanic—which would be the first time since Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel that a Borderlands game allows players to properly redirect in the air. Alongside with double jumping, the new trailer gives us a hint at what to expect from new weapons and character abilities.

The NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti gaming GPU is expected to be available starting February 20, although whether gamers are going to be able to purchase one anytime soon is a different story entirely. That said, a recent listing on an Austrian retailer's website has revealed the pricing details for the MSI RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio card - a cool €1169 (inclusive of 19% VAT), roughly equivalent to $1212. Compared to NVIDIA's official pricing for the RTX 5070 Ti in most parts of the EU, a 33% increase in price can be observed. Of course, the MSI GAMING TRIO is quite a high-end card, but the price delta is quite surprising regardless. Depending on supply, the prices may further inflate, if the events of the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 launch are repeated.

The RTX 5070 Ti is expected to boast 8690 CUDA cores paired with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus. Recent leaks have hinted at very mediocre performance improvements, similar to what we witnessed with the RTX 5080. As of this writing, there seems to be a decent possibility that the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT will beat the RTX 5070 family, not just in raster performance, but also in value. Of course, since NVIDIA is clearly going to fire first, gamers will not have much of a choice before RDNA 4 hits the scene. That said if the RTX 5070 series witnesses similarly atrocious availability at launch as its siblings, a lot of folks will have no option but to wait.

Welcome to week two of February, during which one of the oldest game franchises is launching its seventh iteration, although this time around it steps away quite a bit from its past versions, for better or worse. This is followed by some mayhem, Hollywood drama, an action co-op RPG, some classic side scrolling action with a lot of big guns and the week is rounded off with a JRPG.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII / This week's AAA release / Tuesday 11 February
In Civilization VII, your strategic decisions shape the unique cultural lineage of your evolving empire. Rule as one of many legendary leaders from throughout history and steer the course of your story by choosing a new civilization to represent your empire in each Age of human advancement. Steam link