ASUS today announced the 2025 TUF Gaming laptop lineup, including the first 18-inch member of the family. Featuring the latest processors from AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA, the TUF Gaming A16, F16, and A18 aim to deliver incredible performance without breaking the bank.

The first TUF Gaming 18-inch laptop
The TUF Gaming Alliance is proud to introduce the A18, the first 18-inch laptop in the TUF Gaming lineup. Equipped with up to an AMD Ryzen 7 260 processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU, the TUF Gaming A18 can easily handle the latest games. Also featuring up to 32 GB of DDR5 5600 MHz memory and up to 2 TB of PCIe Gen 4 storage, gamers can easily game, stream, and store their entire library. The A18 also boasts a gorgeous 2.5K resolution 240 Hz display, with an extra-tall 16:10 aspect ratio, 500 nits of peak brightness, and 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 colors space for incredibly immersive gameplay.

Micron Technology, Inc., today announced expansions across its Crucial consumer memory and storage portfolio, including unveiling the high-speed Crucial P510 SSD, and expanding density and form factor options across its existing DRAM portfolio to enable broader choice and flexibility for consumers. The P510 features read and write speeds of up to 11,000/9,550 megabytes per second (MB/s), bringing blazing fast Gen 5 performance to the masses.

"With the exciting memory and storage offerings we're debuting today, Crucial's portfolio is now broader and stronger than ever before," said Dinesh Bahal, corporate vice president and general manager of Micron's Commercial Products Group. "These updates - from making fast Gen 5 SSDs available to the mainstream to launching high-density memory options - illustrate our commitment to driving innovation, performance and value for every consumer from casual gamers to creatives and students to hardcore enthusiasts."

GIGABYTE has unveiled two cutting-edge QD-OLED gaming monitors at CES 2025, offering up to 500 Hz refresh rate. The new AORUS FO27Q5P is designed for competitive gaming with an industry-first 500 Hz refresh rate, the fastest in the QD-OLED market. It is a Samsung QD-OLED panel. Featuring 4K resolution and support for DP2.1 UHBR20 bandwidth, delivering a massive 80 Gbps, it ensures seamless compatibility with next-generation GPUs and 500 Hz gaming. This monitor also surpasses the VESA ClearMR 13000 threshold and aims to achieve the upcoming ClearMR 21000 standard for visual fidelity. With VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification, the FO27Q5P delivers vivid contrast, precise shadow detail, and rich blacks.

Next in line is the MO27U2 27-inch monitor, offering 4K resolution, a 240 Hz refresh rate, and a 166 PPI resolution. With delta E≤2 color accuracy and Pantone Validated certification, this monitor is ideal for hybrid users who game, stream, and create. Both monitors feature OLED Care, an AI-based panel protection system designed to prevent burn-in and enhance longevity. Enhanced tactical features like Tactical Switch 2.0, Night Vision, and Black Equalizer 2.0 provide gamers with additional visual control and visibility, optimizing gameplay precision.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today introduces a breathtaking lineup of high-performance gaming solutions and visionary technological concepts at CES 2025.

This year's highlights include the innovative Razer Blade 16 - the thinnest and most powerful in its lineage, alongside revolutionary projects like Project Arielle, the first gaming chair with integrated heating and cooling, and Project AVA, an AI esports coach that personalizes gaming strategies. Today's announcement also includes the immersive Razer Aether Standing Light Bars, the sleek Razer Monitor Stand Chroma, Razer Handheld Dock Chroma, a new Razer HyperBoost feature for the Razer Laptop Cooling Pad, and the intuitive new Razer PC Remote Play feature for the Razer Kishi Ultra. Further enhancing the lineup, the ergonomic Razer Iskur V2 X chair underscores Razer's commitment to comfort gaming.

At CES 2025, CHERRY XTRFY showcased a wide range of products, including the MX 8.3 TKL Wireless and MX 10.1 Wireless keyboards, the H3 Wireless headset, and the GP6 and GP7 mousepads. In the office segment, CHERRY unveiled its first hot-swappable mechanical keyboard, the KW 300 MX, along with the low-profile KC 500 MX LP series and the wireless KW 550 MX LP. The H3 Wireless headset launches in early 2025, with other products following in the second quarter.

CHERRY XTRFY, founded in 1953, is a company with a long and impressive history in the industry, known to many as synonymous with high-end mechanical keyboard switches and peripherals such as keyboards, mice, and headsets designed for passionate gamers, e-sports players, and office environments. Now, let's take a closer look at their latest products showcased at CES 2025.

Creative Technology and TGIF have teamed up to offer gamers the perfect balance of immersive audio and ergonomic comfort. By merging Creative's industry-leading audio technology with TGIF's expertise in designing high-performance ergonomic gaming chairs, this partnership kicks off with the launch of the T0 Aurena gaming chair speaker system - engineered to deliver superior audio and comfort for users during extended gaming and entertainment sessions.

Debuting at CES 2025, the innovative speaker system features Creative's SoundBlaster CMSS3D+ technology, delivering rich, multi-dimensional audio that brings games and movies to life. This pioneering technology can create a surround sound experience within a compact desktop setup, offering a wider, more immersive soundstage for a lifelike audio experience. Gamers can expect to feel every moment in vivid detail—from the precision of footsteps in first-person shooter games to the cinematic depth of movie soundtracks—all while relaxing in the comfort of TGIF's expertly designed ergonomic gaming chairs.

Today at CES 2025, gamers can now elevate their gameplay like never before with the newest OMEN and HyperX PCs and solutions from HP Inc. PC gamers demand the best when it comes to powerful and personalized gaming technology. Three-quarters of them are purchasing new devices for better performance and features while more than half want customization options to represent their individuality. With the newest OMEN Max 16 Laptop paired with OMEN AI technology, gamers can play with confidence knowing that their device is designed to automatically and continually adjust performance and thermals for the best in uninterrupted gameplay.

OMEN AI: Revolutionizing the Gaming Experience
Introducing OMEN AI Beta, a groundbreaking software innovation redefining gaming performance optimization. Gamers often spend countless hours searching forums and using trial and error to achieve optimal frames per second (FPS). With 85% of gamers prioritizing high FPS, a simpler solution is essential. OMEN AI offers a personalized, one-click solution tailored to each game, recommending OS, hardware, and game settings based on each unique rig and game - eliminating endless troubleshooting. As the first AI-powered game learning application that continually adjusts for optimized performance, OMEN AI adapts and improves settings over time. Launching with support for Counter-Strike 2, the application will expand to more popular titles. OMEN AI simplifies and elevates gaming experiences by taking the guesswork out of optimization.

MSI has unveiled its groundbreaking NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards, featuring cutting-edge designs including Suprim Liquid, Suprim, Vanguard, Gaming Trio, Ventus, and Inspire. Engineered with enhanced thermal solutions, the cards are crafted to meet the high-performance demands of next-gen GPUs, delivering advanced cooling and peak performance.

Powered by NVIDIA Blackwell, GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs bring game-changing capabilities to gamers and creators. Equipped with a massive level of AI horsepower, the RTX 50 Series enables new experiences and next-level graphics fidelity. Multiply performance with NVIDIA DLSS 4, generate images at unprecedented speed, and unleash creativity with NVIDIA Studio. Plus, access NVIDIA NIM microservices - state-of-the-art AI models that let enthusiasts and developers build AI assistants, agents, and workflows with peak performance on NIM-ready systems.

MSI officially unveiled the MEG VISION X AI 2nd gaming desktop, featuring the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards and Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2), delivering cutting-edge computing performance. The system incorporates advanced Silent Storm Cooling AI technology and is equipped with the Glacier Armor cooling module, ensuring gamers enjoy exceptional performance during intense gaming sessions. Another standout feature is its 13-inch AI HMI touchscreen, which integrates the MSI AI app and voice interaction to provide an intuitive and seamless control experience. Recognized for its cutting-edge design and exceptional performance, the MEG VISION X AI 2nd gaming desktop proudly earned dual honors at the CES Innovation Awards 2025, cementing its place as one of the event's most exciting highlights.

AI HMI: A New Way to Control Your PC
MSI's newly introduced AI HMI redefines smart interaction by combining a 13-inch FHD touchscreen with a dedicated app, MSI AI applications, built-in speakers, and a microphone. The AI HMI intelligently recognizes user scenarios, automatically adjusting performance settings and offering practical AI-driven widgets. When used as a secondary screen, it significantly enhances productivity and creative efficiency. Additionally, it features an integrated system monitoring function, enabling users to stay informed about their system's status and directly manage MSI gaming monitor settings. This innovation delivers gamers an intelligent and intuitive control experience.

Acer today announced significant performance and feature updates to its line of powerful Predator gaming laptops, including its flagship Predator Helios 16 AI and Predator Helios 18 AI. Acer has also expanded its Helios Neo portfolio of midrange gaming laptops with the launch of the all-new Predator Helios Neo 16S AI, bringing a slimmer chassis to the mix without sacrificing performance.

All the devices are powered by up to Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 275HX and next-gen NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series Laptop GPUs, built to deliver next-level gaming and AI performance. Powered by NVIDIA Blackwell, GeForce RTX 50 Series Laptop GPUs bring game-changing capabilities to gamers and creators. Equipped with a massive level of AI horsepower, the RTX 50 Series enables new experiences and next-level graphics fidelity. Multiple performance with NVIDIA DLSS 4, generate images at unprecedented speed, and unleash creativity with NVIDIA Studio. Plus access NVIDIA NIM Microservices - state-of-the-art AI models that let enthusiasts and developers build AI assistants, agents, and workflows with peak performance on NIM-ready systems.

As a leading innovator in graphics card technology, Palit Microsystems Ltd. today proudly announces the launch of the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards, featuring the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070 GPUs.

Powered by NVIDIA Blackwell, GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs bring game-changing capabilities to gamers and creators. Equipped with a massive level of AI horsepower, the RTX 50 Series enables new experiences and next-level graphics fidelity. Multiply performance with NVIDIA DLSS 4, generate images at unprecedented speed, and unleash creativity with NVIDIA Studio. Plus, access NVIDIA NIM microservices - state-of-the-art AI models that let enthusiasts and developers build AI assistants, agents, and workflows with peak performance on NIM-ready systems.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the new Razer Blade 16, redesigned to be thinner and more mobile for on-the-go gamers but packed with the performance expected from a Razer Blade. Featuring the all-new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series laptop GPUs and, for the first time ever, AMD Ryzen AI 9 processors, Blade 16 offers incredible levels of raw power and maximum AI performance. Equipped with a fast and vibrant QHD+ 240 Hz OLED display, a new keyboard and more speakers, the Blade 16 is more fun to play on that ever before.

Travis Furst, Head of the Notebook & Accessories Division at Razer, stated, "The new Razer Blade 16 is a game-changer, blending ultra-portable design with powerhouse performance. It's tailored for gamers who demand the best in mobility without compromising on power or features, truly embodying what the future of gaming laptops looks like."

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the arrival of the 2025 ROG Flow Z13, a powerful gaming tablet. This versatile 2-in-1 gaming machine now features the brand new ultra-powerful AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with Radeon 8060S Graphics and a unified memory structure, allowing for incredible performance and power efficiency. A new stainless steel and copper vapor chamber, larger intake vents and 2nd Gen Arc Flow Fans offer 70% more airflow for quiet and efficient cooling.

This 13-inch tablet boasts a stunning ROG Nebula Display, a 2.5K resolution 180 Hz touchscreen with 500 nits of peak brightness, and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The Flow Z13 now also features a larger 70Wh battery, a larger touchpad and keycaps, and a convenient Command Center button for quick access to vital system functions. With dual USB-C ports, both of which support USB4 and power delivery, as well as a dedicated HDMI 2.1 port, the Flow Z13 lets gamers leave their dongles at home.

GeForce NOW turns any device into a GeForce RTX gaming PC, and is bringing cloud gaming and AAA titles to more devices and regions. Announced today at the CES trade show, gamers will soon be able to play titles from their Steam library at GeForce RTX quality with the launch of a native GeForce NOW app for the Steam Deck. NVIDIA is working to bring cloud gaming to the popular PC gaming handheld device later this year.

In collaboration with Apple, Meta and ByteDance, NVIDIA is expanding GeForce NOW cloud gaming to Apple Vision Pro spatial computers, Meta Quest 3 and 3S and Pico virtual- and mixed-reality devices - with all the bells and whistles of NVIDIA technologies, including ray tracing and NVIDIA DLSS. In addition, NVIDIA is launching the first GeForce RTX-powered data center in India, making gaming more accessible around the world. Plus, GeForce NOW's extensive library of over 2,100 supported titles is expanding with highly anticipated AAA titles. DOOM: The Dark Ages and Avowed will join the cloud when they launch on PC this year.

Alienware continues to lead in gaming monitor technology with QD-OLED advancements. After captivating gamers first with our 34-inch ultrawide QD-OLED model, we pushed boundaries even further by introducing a 32-inch model with 4K resolution, and a 27-inch model with a 360hz refresh rate last year. Now, in 2025, Alienware is back with yet another groundbreaking innovation - our latest QD-OLED innovation features the world's highest pixels per inch in any
OLED or QD-OLED monitor, providing gamers with unparalleled visual clarity, speed and immersion.

With the new Alienware 27 4K QD-OLED Gaming Monitor, a CES 2025 Innovation Award Honoree, gamers and game developers alike have a multitude of reasons to be excited. Our latest innovation promises to redefine gaming experiences by combining cutting-edge technology that's ready for the advanced graphics of today and tomorrow.

ASRock announces a full line-up of motherboards using the AMD B850 chipset. New products include high-end Phantom Gaming series line up covering Mini-ITX to ATX form factor, mainstream Steel Legend which features white PCB design and also Pro RS series for budget friendly users.

Ready to Power Everything!
The new ASRock B850 motherboards are designed with 14+2+1 power phase, 8-layer PCBs enabling excellent memory overclocking and exclusive low-ripple 1000μf 20K black capacitors that guarantee stable and superior performance for the CPU. The boards also support the latest PCI-Express Gen-5 Graphics card and equipped with Blazing M.2 (Gen5x4) SSD ports.

LG Electronics (LG) has announced a partnership with Xbox, providing players access to hundreds of games with the Xbox app on LG Smart TVs. Owners of LG's latest Smart TVs will be able to effortlessly discover and play a wide selection of PC and console games from industry-leading partners, and soon Xbox, through the new Gaming Portal. This versatile, gaming centric hub is designed as an all-in-one solution for seamless navigation and personalized gaming, both for the latest AAA games and casual webOS app games.

For gaming enthusiasts, LG Smart TV users can soon explore the Gaming Portal for direct access to hundreds of games with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, including popular titles like Call of Duty: BlackOps 6, and highly anticipated releases like Avowed. With Game Pass Ultimate, players will also be able to stream a catalog of select Xbox games they own such as NBA 2K25 or Hogwarts Legacy.

GIGABYTE Technology, one of the top global manufacturers of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, today unveils its groundbreaking B850 and B840 series motherboards, introducing a new era of performance optimization and EZ-friendly design for the latest AMD Ryzen processors with full-line PCIe Gen 5 x16 graphics cards support.⁠

D5 Bionic Corsa: Redefining Memory Overclocking
At the heart of GIGABYTE's new B850/ B840 motherboard series lies the innovative D5 Bionic Corsa technology, a game-changing approach to memory performance. This breakthrough technology has achieved remarkable up to 8600 MT/s DDR5 speeds, setting a new standard for memory overclocking. Through the intelligent AORUS AI SNATCH software, users can now effortlessly enhance their system's performance with unprecedented ease. The AI-powered EXPO AI BOOST feature eliminates the traditional time-consuming trial and error process, delivering optimized memory profiles that balance performance and stability with just a few clicks.

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual and edtech solutions, introduces new display products at the Pepcom Digital Experience, Jan. 6th, 2025, in Las Vegas. The company will debut and showcase the latest line-up of desktop monitors that will be available in the first half of 2025. The new monitors include the ViewSonic VG2748N, a 1080p, 27-inch monitor with wireless casting, and the XG275D-4K, a 4K gaming monitor that offers switchable refresh rates and resolutions settings allowing gamers to play with a variety of gaming devices with a single monitor.

Along with the new VG2748N and XG275D-4K desktop monitors, which offer exceptional functionality and performance, the company will highlight its award-winning line of portable monitors, as well as its latest portable projector. "ViewSonic is excited about its new line of product offerings in 2025," said Jeff Muto, Business Line Director at ViewSonic. "Our new desktop monitors, along with our current slate of portable display devices, showcase how ViewSonic continues to expand its display solutions to offer more choices, features, and functionality to any type of work or play lifestyle."

Sansui is thrilled to announce its presence at CES 2025, where it will showcase the award winning AI Gaming Monitor, recently named a CES Innovation Awards 2025 Honoree. This cutting-edge gaming monitor highlights Sansui's dedication to redefining the gaming experience with advanced AI technology and user-focused innovation.

"CES is the ultimate stage for innovation, and we're excited to showcase a product that represents the future of gaming," said Victor, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sansui. "Our AI Gaming Monitor combines top-tier performance with features that enhance health and energy efficiency, delivering a truly next-level experience for gamers." Attendees can experience this innovation firsthand at Booth 19840, Central Hall, LVCC, in Las Vegas from January 7-10, 2025.

Welcome to the first full week of the new year and the month of January. This week's major release involves building pointy buildings in the desert, just south of the Mediterranean. The rest of this week's new releases involves getting imprisoned by aliens, making steampunk chocolate, work as a robot assassin, purging the land and doing hard time in a futuristic version of Japan.

Builders of Egypt / This week's major release / Wednesday 8 January
In Builders of Egypt, you can explore the land of the pharaohs through the ages, from the Nile Delta to Nubia. Build cities, manage trade, economy, and resources, make strategic decisions, control armies and engage in battles, foster religious development, and ensure the well-being of your citizens. Play through a complete campaign or unleash your creativity in Sandbox mode. Steam link

HAVIT, a leader in consumer technology, will unveil groundbreaking audio products at CES 2025, tackling key challenges in audio solutions. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies, HAVIT is advancing the industry and delivering a more immersive and realistic audio experience for users.

In 2024, HAVIT's global audio device sales surpassed 10 million units, reinforcing its market leadership. Several products have become favorites among consumers, highlighting HAVIT's innovation and user experience. At CES 2025, HAVIT will unveil a range of groundbreaking audio products, set to be event highlights.

Samsung Electronics today unveiled its 2025 Smart Monitor, Odyssey Gaming Monitor and ViewFinity Monitor lineups, all of which will be on display at Samsung's First Look at CES on January 5. The 2025 models raise the bar for monitors by bringing AI features, industry-first sizes in the OLED market and new form factors that ignite the passions of users worldwide—whether they're working, gaming or creating.

"With the new monitors in our industry-leading lineups, we're giving people more ways to explore the content and connections that they love in new ways," said Hoon Chung, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. "Because of our new AI capabilities and size options, 2025 will see users across the world find the right monitor that fits them."

ASUS has published the product page for its upcoming ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM gaming monitor, which will go head to head with the MSI MPG272URX on which will hit retail as the first 27-inch 4K 240 Hz display. The PG27UCDM sports a 26.5-inch panel using what ASUS refers to as 4th gen QD-OLED technology, which the company claims offer longer lifespan compared to previous generations of OLED panels. The panel sports typical OLED features such as a 0.03 ms response time, a peak brightness of 1,000 cd/m², 99 percent DCI-P3 colour space coverage and VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black. The display also supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-Sync compatible, as well as a host of ASUS specific gaming features such as ELMB, GameFast Input Technology, Shadow Bost and a DisplayWidget.

Inputs consist of a DisplayPort 2.1 port with UHBR20 (80 Gbps) support, a USB Type-C with DP-Alt mode and USB PD up to 90 W and a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports. There's also a three port USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) USB hub with what we presume is a USB Type-B input and a headphone jack. The reason for the presumed USB Type-B input, is that the specs claim KVM support and this would only be possible if there was a USB input of some kind, but this isn't mentioned in the tech specs. The stand is your typical higher-end model with tilt, swivel, pivot and height adjustment, as well as ASUS' Aura Sync lighting and a tripod mount at the top. ASUS claims a power consumption of around 80 Watts, although this doesn't include USB PD. A big plus is that ASUS will bundle a DisplayPort 2.1 DP80 cable in the box, something for example Sony decided not to include with their INZONE M9 II which launched in September last year. There's no word on pricing for the ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM, but expect it to be on the expensive side of US$1,000.

Every year, Valve holds The Steam Game Awards, a community-driven initiative to recognize the best games that were launched in that year. Valve has just released the results for the 2024 Steam Game Awards, which are determined by community vote—as opposed to events like The Game Awards, which feature a jury selection—and split into individual categories. This year, though, the overall winner for Game of the Year was Black Myth Wukong, which beat out other finalists: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, Balatro, and Helldivers 2 for top spot. Game of the Year wasn't Wukong's only victory, either, with the game also taking home the "Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award," which seems logical given its overall victory, and the cleverly named "Best Game You Suck At Award," which is meant to highlight the best difficult game of the year. In this category, Black Myth Wukong was up against Dragon Ball Z Sparkling Zero, The Finals, Ghost of Tsushima, and Tekken 8, which is again a very diverse mix of games and genres, so it's somewhat interesting to see a narrative-driven game like Wukong come out ahead here.

The rest of the Steam Game Awards 2024 was less of a one-man show, with Metro Awakening VR taking Best VR Game of the Year, Elden Ring nabbing the Labor of Love Award, and God of War Ragnarök taking the Best Game on Steam Deck Award. Helldivers 2 won Better with Friends, while Silent Hill 2 took home the Outstanding Visual Style Award, Liar's Bar won Most Innovative Gameplay, Red Dead Redemption won Best Soundtrack Award, and Farming Simulator 25 was crowned with the Sit Back and Relax award, beating out the likes or Webfishing, House Flipper 2, and Tiny Glade. One of the more surprising "minor" awards winners here is God of War Ragnarök taking home Best Game on Steam Deck, since you often hear in discourse around the Steam Deck that it's not suitable for AAA gaming, and God of War is only two years old at the time of writing, meaning it is still very demanding, with an NVIDIA GTX 1060 6 GB quoted as the minimum recommended GPU to play the game.