Leading gaming accessories maker Turtle Beach Corporation (Nasdaq: HEAR) today announced the global availability of its new premium wireless multiplatform gaming headset, the redesigned Turtle Beach Stealth 700. This third iteration of Turtle Beach's best-selling premium wireless gaming headset brings massive upgrades to the series, with new features like CrossPlay dual wireless transmitters that make switching between devices quick and easy, plus simultaneous Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. Massive 60 mm Eclipse dual drivers delivering powerful, unparalleled sound, and a long-lasting 80-hour rechargeable battery life are also significant upgrades. The Designed for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC editions of the Stealth 700 are all available for purchase at www.turtlebeach.com and participating retailers worldwide for $199.99/£179.99/€199.99 MSRP.

"Elevating a fan-favorite gaming headset like our Stealth 700 is always a balance between true innovation and continuing to deliver the performance that's made this such a popular model generation after generation," said Cris Keirn, CEO, Turtle Beach Corporation. "Our new Stealth 700 delivers significant feature upgrades over earlier versions and the competition, all while retaining the original $199.99 MSRP that's made this a best-selling premium wireless gaming headset for years."

Starfield's next DLC will be called Shattered Space, and it is set to launch on 30 September 2024 at $29.99 on PC, and Xbox. However, if you're a gamer that wants to know more about what you're getting into before you spend your money, you will seemingly need to wait, since gaming media won't have access to the expansion ahead of its launch.

The news was revealed by IGN journalist Dan Stapleton in a post on Bluesky that reads: "Aw dang, I'm told no Starfield: Shattered Space review copies are going out ahead of launch. We'll have something up on it ASAP but I imagine that's gonna be a few days at least." Stapleton doesn't seem to have been told why Bethesda won't be sending out review samples, but he does note that it will make reviewing the expansion while it is relevant more challenging.

After much anticipation, Frostpunk 2 launched last week to near-universal praise. The strategic city-builder's success is underlined by the fact that the game has seemingly even exceeded its developer's expectations, with game sales for PC and macOS alone already surpassing the game's development and marketing cost just three days after launch.

In a post to the official Frostpunk 2 account on X, the developer celebrated that the game had officially sold over 350,000 copies. At $44.99 in the US, the new game costs $15 more than the original, which launched in 2018 and has generated an estimated total revenue of $53 million—since its launch. In contrast, Frostpunk 2 has supposedly already earned an estimated revenue of $3.5 million, according to Game-Stats.com, although estimates from Gamalytic put that closer to $10 million.

Gaming peripheral experts, Manba, today proudly introduces the Manba One Series Wireless Gaming Controller with interactive screen, designed for seamless gaming across multiple platforms, including PC, Switch, iOS and Android. Featuring cutting-edge technology, the Manba One sets a new standard in gaming controllers.

The Manba One stands out with its exclusive 2-inch interactive screen, eliminating the need for additional apps or software. Gamers can customize settings directly through the screen, immersing themselves fully in the gaming experience. Available in sleek black and white, this controller caters to every style.

Optoma, the No. 1 4K UHD projection and DLP Laser brand in the Americas, today introduced the UHZ35, a true 4K UHD laser projector for optimal gaming experiences, movies, and home entertainment viewing that joins the company's line of award-winning true 4K projectors and its short throw model, the UHZ35ST. Immerse yourself in cinematic brilliance and gaming excitement with the new Optoma UHZ35 and experience your favorite movies coming to life with breathtaking 4K UHD detail and vibrant colors.

Delivering superior color, 3,500 lumens, and a 500,000:1 contrast ratio, the new projector provides vibrant, true-to-life visuals for watching movies, TV shows, live sports, and gaming and can display up to 100-inch images from less than one foot away (120-inch maximum) from the screen or projection surface for convenient use in any room, no matter the location. This projector is also WiSA SoundSend certified to deliver wireless audio excellence and work seamlessly with other WiSA-certified products, right out of the box. WiSA technologies enable ultra-high-quality audio to be transmitted and received wirelessly, with perfect synchronization and no perceivable latency.

Gaming giant Valve appears to be venturing into uncharted territory. Recent findings on SteamDB have revealed that the company may be working on integrating ARM architecture and Android app support into its ecosystem. A mysterious application, codenamed "ValveTestApp3043620," has been spotted with an update that includes interesting changes. The update features new tags for several popular games, including Left 4 Dead 2, Garry's Mod, and Kerbal Space Program. These tags, such as "proton-arm64" and "proton-arm64e," indicate that Valve is testing a version of Proton specifically designed for ARM64-based systems. Proton, Valve's brainchild developed in partnership with CodeWeavers, is the magic behind running Windows games on Linux systems. By extending this technology to ARM64, Valve could be paving the way for PC gaming on portable Arm-based devices, potentially signaling a new hardware strategy.

The plot thickens with mentions of "proton_experimental" and "proton-arm64ec-vanguard" in the changelog, hinting at ongoing tests and experimental builds. Additionally, references to Waydroid, a tool enabling Android apps on Linux, suggest that Valve's ambitions may extend beyond gaming, possibly aiming to broaden software accessibility of its platform. This development has sparked speculation about the possibility of Steam games running on Android smartphones and tablets or even a possible Arm-powered version of the Steam Deck. However, a more likely scenario could be testing for Windows support on Arm-based chips. The timing of these experiments aligns with recent announcements of laptops featuring Qualcomm's ARM64-based Snapdragon X CPUs. These devices can run Windows-based games through Microsoft and Qualcomm's emulation layer, Prism. If Valve's Proton can provide superior performance or more stable emulation for Windows-based games on Arm devices, it could position itself as a strong competitor to Prism.

LG Electronics (LG) announces that its webOS Hub platform is now available for third-party gaming monitors. This expansion follows the company's previous rollout of the webOS Hub platform to third-party smart TVs and smart monitors, addressing the increasing trend of gaming monitors and smart monitors being equipped with OTT streaming services.

The new platform features, customized for gaming monitors, include VRR 180 Hz, providing gamers with an optimal environment free from stuttering or tearing. The platform also maximizes user convenience with various connectivity options, including wired and wireless keyboards and mouse, DisplayPort and USB-C type. Additionally, the Game Dashboard and Game Optimizer allow users to easily configure the optimal settings for each game. The Game card app provides easy access to content, including cloud games.

As we enter the last full week of September, we have another packed week of new game releases to look forward to, although we're not likely to beat last week's lineup of games. This week's major release is a grand strategy game that might just rival the classic Civilization games. This is followed by a chill sandbox construction game set in an era of castles and cottage, a dystopian sci-fi horror looter shooter with a local co-op mode, a sequel to 2019 RPG title, a crafting survival game, but you're a duck, a sci-fi space game combined with a deck builder and finally, some football, of the global kind.

Ara: History Untold / This week's major release / Tuesday 24 September
Ara: History Untold is an evolution in historical grand strategy, featuring beloved classic PC strategy mechanics alongside innovative gameplay like a national crafting economy, true simultaneous turn resolution, a non-linear technology tree, and cloud-backed synchronous/asynchronous multiplayer - all with an expansive and vibrant presentation where you can zoom out from surveying the very edges of your empire all the way down to your citizens living their daily lives. In Ara, there are no pre-set paths to victory, leading to endless possibilities. Your choices will define the world you create, your experience, and your legacy. Steam link

Microsoft's Direct3D and HLSL teams have unveiled plans to integrate SPIR-V support into DirectX 12 with the upcoming release of Shader Model 7. This significant transition marks a new era in GPU programmability, as it aims to unify the intermediate representation for graphical-shader stages and compute kernels. SPIR-V, an open standard intermediate representation for graphics and compute shaders, will replace the proprietary DirectX Intermediate Language (DXIL) as the shader interchange format for DirectX 12. The adoption of SPIR-V is expected to ease development processes across multiple GPU runtime environments. By embracing this open standard, Microsoft aims to enhance HLSL's position as the premier language for compiling graphics and compute shaders across various devices and APIs. This transition is part of a multi-year development process, during which Microsoft will work closely with The Khronos Group and the LLVM Project. The company has joined Khronos' SPIR and Vulkan working groups to ensure smooth collaboration and rapid feature adoption.

While the transition will take several years, Microsoft is providing early notice to allow developers and partners to plan accordingly. The company will offer translation tools between SPIR-V and DXIL to facilitate a gradual transition for both application and driver developers. For those not familiar with graphics development, graphics APIs ship with virtual instruction set architectures (ISA) that abstracts standard hardware features at a higher level. As GPUs don't follow the same ISA as CPUs (x86, Arm, RISC-V), this virtual ISA is needed to define some generics in the GPU architecture and allow various APIs like DirectX and Vulkan to run. Instead of focusing support on several formats like DXIL, Microsoft is embracing the open SPIR-V standard, which will become de facto for API developers in the future, allowing focus on more features instead of constantly replicating each other's functions. While DXIL is used mainly for gaming environments, SPIR-V has adoption in high-performance computing as well, with OpenCL and SYCL. Gaming presence is also there with Vulkan API, and we expect to see SPIR-V join DirectX 12 games.

HTC VIVE, the global leader in premium XR solutions, today launches its new cutting-edge headset VIVE Focus Vision. The new Extended Reality (XR) headset is the latest in HTC VIVE's highly popular VIVE Focus Series, with a wealth of improvements and new features to give gamers and enterprise users alike the best possible immersive experience for PCVR and standalone gaming, as well as Location-Based Experiences (LBE), industrial training, collaboration, and mixed reality applications.

"VIVE Focus Vision gives you the best of both worlds, with outstanding standalone capabilities, and DisplayPort mode support for visually lossless PCVR experiences," said Shen Ye, Global Head of Product at HTC VIVE. "Now, PC gamers can bring the same high-end headsets used in VR arcades into their homes. We're taking everything to the next level with built-in eye-tracking, stereo color passthrough cameras for depth-correct Mixed Reality, and even an infra-red sensor for enhanced hand tracking in low-light conditions."

Diablo IV received some severe backlash over microtransactions when it launched back in 2023, with some bundles even costing more than the $69.99 base game. It appears, however, that its microtransaction-laden monetization strategy has paid off, according to an accidental leak on LinkedIn from senior product manager, Harrison Froeschke.

According to the now-deleted LinkedIn profile update, Diablo IV has managed to generate a total of $1 billion in total revenue since it launched, with $150 million of that coming from microtransactions and in-game purchases. Perhaps more interestingly, though, is the fact that this is unusually low for an Activision-Blizzard game.

Logitech G, a brand of Logitech and leading innovator of gaming technologies and gear, announced today at Logi Play the Logitech G915 X Gaming Keyboard. Standing at an incredible 23 mm high, this is one of the Company's thinnest low-profile wireless gaming keyboards. Combining the latest gaming technology with a meticulously crafted design and premium materials, the new G915 X is a flagship gaming keyboard with a sleek and modern aesthetic and a premium gaming experience for the most discerning gamers and high-end users.

"When the G915 LIGHTSPEED keyboard was released in 2019, it was a revolutionary and award-winning gaming keyboard that introduced many players to the joys of low-profile gaming. Since then, we have listened carefully to our G915 customers on what enhancements they would like to see in the next generation, and today we're excited to announce G915 X, with the features players love and the improvements most requested," said Arnaud Perret-Gentil, Head of PC Gaming, Logitech G.

Logitech G, a brand of Logitech, announced at Logi PLAY the launch of its latest PRO Series gear, designed to meet the demands of elite esports athletes and competitive gamers. The new lineup includes the PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2 DEX Gaming Mouse, the PRO 2 LIGHTSPEED Gaming Mouse, and the PRO X TKL RAPID Gaming Keyboard.

"We pour a lot into our PRO Series products, focusing on innovations that deliver immediate performance gains by forming deep partnerships with pros to meet their exacting needs. This research and design practice not only allows us to identify and create product breakthroughs but also serves as a performance test bed that ultimately serves the entire gaming community," said Chris Pate, Head of PRO Series Product Development at Logitech G. "With our new PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2 DEX, our new ambidextrous PRO 2 LIGHTSPEED, and our first magnetic analog rapid trigger keyboard, the PRO X TKL RAPID, we're meeting gamers' needs for the highest performance gear possible."

Logitech G, a brand of Logitech and leading innovator of gaming technologies and gear, introduced today at Logi Play the Logitech G ASTRO A50 5th Generation Wireless Gaming Headset and Base Station. It joins its bigger brother, the A50 X, to form the new A50 family of high-performance gaming headsets with advanced feature sets for multi-platform gamers.

The A50 Generation 5, now with PLAYSYNC AUDIO, is based on the same architecture as our award-winning A50 X, offering a streamlined and versatile feature set tailored for multiplatform gamers. The new PLAYSYNC AUDIO feature is designed specifically for players who want to use USB for seamless audio switching between console and PC platforms and don't require HDMI video switching.

AGON by AOC, North America's premier gaming monitor brand and display specialist, is excited to unveil its latest innovation, the AOC G4 series of gaming monitors. Experience next-level performance, stunning visuals, and immersive gameplay with this state-of-the-art collection. The G4 series includes several standout models with more on the horizon.

AOC C27G4H
The AOC C27G4H is a 27-inch curved gaming monitor designed to elevate the gaming experience with its 1500R curvature, enhancing the field of vision and reducing eye strain. Boasting a high-performance 180 Hz refresh rate and a lightning-fast 0.5 ms (MPRT) response time, this monitor ensures ultra-smooth visuals ideal for competitive gaming and fast-paced action. The VA panel delivers vibrant images with a dynamic contrast ratio of 3000:1, providing deep blacks and bright whites for stunning visuals. Equipped with AdaptiveSync technology, the AOC C27G4H offers seamless gameplay with no tearing or stuttering. Its ergonomic design features tilt, swivel, and height adjustment options, and VESA compatibility for versatile mounting solutions. This monitor is perfect for gamers seeking superior performance and immersive visuals.

PowerA, a division of ACCO Brands and a global leader in enhancing interactive entertainment with officially licensed gaming accessories, proudly announces the expansion of its renowned FUSION Line with two new controllers designed for gamers seeking an edge: the FUSION Pro Wireless Controller for Xbox Series X|S with Lumectra and the FUSION Pro 4 Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S. These controllers offer pro-level gameplay, combining cutting-edge features with PowerA's signature design and functionality, starting at just $69.99.

The first ever FUSION Pro Wireless Controller for Xbox and PC delivers an unparalleled gaming experience, featuring stunning Ghost RGB LED lighting, intuitive customization options, and pro-grade enhancements like Hall Effect thumbsticks and triggers, low-latency wireless connectivity, and four advanced mappable buttons. Meanwhile, the FUSION Pro 4 Wired Controller offers a premium build with highly anticipated features such as Hall Effect thumbsticks and triggers, and Dual Rumble Motors, all at a budget-friendly price. Both controllers include the new patent pending Quick-Twist adjustable height thumbsticks allowing gamers to adjust the height of either thumbstick with a simple twist. No need to manage removable parts. Both controllers are available now at PowerA.com, Amazon, and major retailers where gaming accessories are sold, with MSRPs of $149.99 and $69.99, respectively.

Cyberpunk 2077 has historically been a challenging game to run, although a number of optimizations and updates throughout the game's life cycle have improved quality of life and visuals greatly. The latest Cyberpunk PC patch 2.13, released on September 12, aims to improve both the base game and the Phantom Liberty expansion with the introduction of AMD's Fidelity FX Super Resolution with Frame Generation.

The addition of FSR 3 comes almost a year after the game gained support for NVIDIA's competing DLSS 3.5 and AMD claims that Frame Generation and FSR 3 can boost frame rates by upwards of 300% at higher resolutions with less of a quality penalty than previous versions. Cyberpunk's performance gains are likely less drastic, though, since even AMD says its Fluid Motion Frames 2 only achieves a 78% performance boost. Performance claims aside, FSR 3 and frame generation should make playing Cyberpunk 2077 on devices like the Steam Deck more viable, since the Steam Deck doesn't have the benefit of AMD Fluid Motion Frames built into the AMD drivers like Windows devices do.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today unveils the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% empowering gamers with ultimate control and personalization, shattering the boundaries of the traditional keyboard experience. Building on the success of the award-winning BlackWidow V4 75%, this new wireless, hot-swappable gaming keyboard combines Razer HyperSpeed and 4K Hz Razer HyperPolling technology with an onboard OLED display for ultimate customizability. Along with its immersive features, this ensures that the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% offers an unparalleled gaming keyboard experience.

"The BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% is the result of our relentless pursuit of gaming excellence," said Barrie Ooi, Head of Razer's PC Gaming Division. "With its hot-swappable design, Razer HyperSpeed wireless technology, and a built-in OLED display, this keyboard empowers gamers to create a setup that truly reflects their style and gain more control than ever before."

EasySMX, the leading manufacturer of gaming peripherals, is proud to announce the launch of the EasySMX X20 Gaming Controller, designed to meet the demands of both casual and competitive gamers. Packed with industry-leading features, the X20 delivers unparalleled precision, customization, and speed across multiple platforms, ensuring every gamer has the competitive edge needed to excel. The EasySMX X20 brings a new level of precision and control, offering features that cater to a wide range of playstyles and game genres. Whether it's the rapid action required in FPS titles or the precise control needed in racing games, the X20 ensures you stay ahead of the competition.

Stephen, CEO of EasySMX, emphasized the company's vision for the X20, stating:"The X20 represents our commitment to meeting the needs of today's gamers. With unparalleled customization, speed, and comfort, we're providing a controller that can be adapted to every playstyle. Whether you're looking for quick trigger responses or full control over your thumbstick angles, the X20 delivers the flexibility you need to dominate any game."

Valve's latest arena shooter Deadlock has been generating hype for a long time, with recent concurrent player counts exceeding 170,000 at one point, according to SteamDB. More recently, however, reports indicate that cheaters are already invading Deadlock, despite the fact that the game is still in invite-only public alpha testing.

As shown in a recent Reddit post containing a kill-cam video from Deadlock, a supposed cheater very brazenly appears to use a wall hack to track an enemy through a wall and pre-emptively dodge an attack. In the clip, the gamer who spotted the alleged infraction, this isn't even the first time they have encountered the same cheater in-game, and there are countless reports on both Reddit and the Deadlock forum reporting similar experiences.

According to new information from Tom's Hardware, AMD has announced plans to unify its consumer-focused gaming RDNA and data center CDNA graphics architectures into a single, unified design called "UDNA." The announcement was made by AMD's Jack Huynh, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Computing and Graphics Business Group, at IFA 2024 in Berlin. The goal of the new UDNA architecture is to provide a single focus point for developers so that each optimized application can run on consumer-grade GPU like Radeon RX 7900XTX as well as high-end data center GPU like Instinct MI300. This will create a unification similar to NVIDIA's CUDA, which enables CUDA-focused developers to run applications on everything ranging from laptops to data centers.

Jack HuynhSo, part of a big change at AMD is today we have a CDNA architecture for our Instinct data center GPUs and RDNA for the consumer stuff. It's forked. Going forward, we will call it UDNA. There'll be one unified architecture, both Instinct and client [consumer]. We'll unify it so that it will be so much easier for developers versus today, where they have to choose and value is not improving.

Welcome to another week of September and more new game releases. This week, we have a massive AAA release, well, at least for those that are into hammers of war and marines in space. For those that are not, we still have a busy week of new releases that starts with a very different take on what a car is, a new version of an Atari classic, an RPG farming sim, a normal take on what a car is and finally some eldritch horrors, because it's Friday the 13th.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 / This week's AAA release / Monday 9 September
Embody the superhuman skill and brutality of a Space Marine. Unleash deadly abilities and devastating weaponry to obliterate the relentless Tyranid swarms. Defend the Imperium in spectacular third-person action in solo or multiplayer modes. Steam Link

MSI is proud to announce the MAESTRO 300 gaming headset. Designed to set a new benchmark in MSI's headset lineup, the MAESTRO 300 features high-resolution 40 mm drivers fine-tuned by MSI with a lightweight, sturdy build quality designed for comfort with high-density memory foam earpads available in breathable mesh or protein leather for extended use. Combined with a detachable unidirectional cardioid microphone for maximum voice clarity without environmental noise, the MAESTRO 300 offers a well-balanced package.

MAESTRO 300: A Versatile Gaming Headset for Detailed Sound and Comfort.
The MAESTRO 300 is equipped with high-resolution 40 mm neodymium drivers, delivering a vivid soundscape that captures every detail in games, music, and movies. These drivers have been meticulously fine-tuned by MSI Audio Engineering to balance treble and bass, ensuring a rich, lifelike audio experience that enhances every moment of your entertainment.

Acer today announced its entry into the handheld gaming space with the launch of the new Acer Nitro Blaze 7 (GN771). The device combines cutting-edge technology and a compact design to always bring next-level gaming and entertainment within reach. Acer's first-generation handheld AI gaming PC features an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor, with Ryzen AI that optimizes performance and responsiveness across a wide range of games and applications.

The design allows users to easily slip the device into their bags or pockets for instant playing time on the go. It features a 7-inch Full HD (FHD) IPS display with a touch interface, plus AMD FreeSync Premium technology, and a blazing-fast 144 Hz refresh rate. This allows players to experience enhanced visuals and responsive controls while playing their favorite AAA titles. The system runs on Windows 11 and features the new Acer Game Space application which supports the addition of games from multiple platforms.

Acer today announced the expansion of its Predator gaming monitor line with two new 27-inch models that promise to deliver exceptional speed and stunning visuals for enjoying the latest titles in their full glory. Both monitors bring cutting-edge technology and innovation to the forefront, catering to the needs of gamers who demand only the best performance.

Equipped with a WQHD, 360 Hz panel, and the new NVIDIA G-SYNC Pulsar technology, the Predator XB273U F5 is a gaming powerhouse and is certain to awe even the most demanding players with smooth and dynamic frames. The Predator XB273K V5 comes with a 4K UHD resolution display with 160 Hz refresh rate, and AMD FreeSync Premium technology to showcase crisp details and motion for enjoying games in stunning clarity. With Dynamic Frequency and Resolution (DFR) technology, users can opt to switch to FHD resolution at 320 Hz to tailor the gaming experience based on their preference.