Capcom today gave gamers a sneak peek at Monster Hunter Wilds, the sequel to the wildly popular Monster Hunter Rise and Worlds, showing off some in-game footage and divulging details about the new ARPG. Monster Hunter Wilds is slated to launch on February 28, 2025, but eager gamers can try out the latest installment in the Monster Hunter franchise a whole three months early thanks to an open beta starting at the end of October. The open beta will be available to PS5, PC via Steam, and Xbox Series S/X, although the PS5 open beta will be available to PlayStation Plus subscribers from October 29, while everyone else will have to wait until November 1 at 3:00 AM (GMT) to participate. The open beta ends on November 4 at 2:59 AM (GMT).

The Monster Hunter Wilds showcase introduces players to another new playable area, called the Oilwell Basin, and a new base, called Azuz, the Everforge, and it looks like the new environment will be mostly in underground caves, shrouded in darkness and the occasional lava vein. Along with the new environment, of course, Wilds will also introduce new monsters, which complement their cavernous surroundings. The showcase also gave us some more information on some of the monsters we can expect to see in the Oilwell Basin, like the oil-silt-lurking Rompopolo, the highly mobile Ajarakan, and what appears to be the area's main monster, called the Black Flame, which will seemingly have a significant role to play in the game's story quest. Of course, the Oilwell Basin is only one new area in Monster Hunter Wilds, and previous promotional images from the new game have shown off plenty of wide-open spaces and grassy plains with rock outcroppings, meaning there will be a degree of diversity for players to explore in the game when it eventually launches.

Publisher Dotemu (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, Streets of Rage 4) and developer Leikir Studio (Rogue Lords, Synergy) today announced Metal Slug Tactics (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1590760/Metal_Slug_Tactics/), the grid-based tactical adaptation of the iconic run-and-gun METAL SLUG series, will launch Nov. 5 on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.

The release date trailer debuts three additional playable characters in hard-hitting gameplay, each bringing a unique set of abilities into battle:

• Clark Still: Originally hailing from the Ikari Warriors series and previously playable in Metal Slug 6, Clark's immense strength and wrestling experience allows this tanklike ally to relocate enemies on the map and dish out wide-reaching, status-inflicting damage.
• Ralf Jones: Also returning for battle from the Ikari Warriors series and Metal Slug 6, Ralf is a master of short-range combat, packing devastating punches and the ability to charge at enemies head-on like a raging bull.
• Leona Heidern: A newer addition to the Ikari Warriors, Leona is a revered fighter capable of replacing fallen enemies with decoy allies; she can distract and overwhelm enemy forces in her distinct approach to dominating the combat zone.

TrendForce's latest investigations reveal that the combined market share of the top five SSD module makers in the retail sector has surged from 59% in 2022 to 72% in 2023, reinforcing a trend of larger companies expanding their dominance. These major players are leveraging their scale to negotiate more favorable prices for NAND Flash, boosting their competitive edge and ensuring they have sufficient resources to stock up in preparation for market shifts.

TrendForce reports that shipments of branded SSDs in the retail market reached 180 million units in 2023, marking a YoY growth of 3.7%. Reflecting on the SSD market for that year, it appeared that many PCs purchased during the pandemic had entered their typical replacement cycle.

According to Bloomberg, Arm Holding PLC, the holding company behind the Arm instruction set and Arm chip designs, just issued a 60-day notice period of license retirement to Qualcomm, its long-time partner. The UK-based ISA provider has notified Qualcomm that it will cancel the Arm ISA architectural license agreement after the contract-mandated 60-day notice. The issues between the two arose in 2022, just a year after Qualcomm acquired Nuvia and its IP. Arm filed a lawsuit claiming that the reason was "Qualcomm attempted to transfer Nuvia licenses without Arm's consent, which is a standard restriction under Arm's license agreements." To transfer Nuvia core licensing, Qualcomm would need to ask Arm first and create a new licensing deal.

The licensing reworking came just in time when Qualcomm experienced its biggest expansion. The new Snapdragon 8 Elite is being used in the mobile sector, the Snapdragon X Elite/Plus is being used in Copilot+ PCs, and the automotive sector is also getting the new Snapdragon Cockpit/Ride Elite chipsets. Most of that is centered around Nuvia Oryon core IP, a high-performance, low-power design. Arm's representatives declined to comment on this move for Bloomberg, while a Qualcomm spokesman noted that the British company was trying to "strong-arm a longtime partner."

Assassin's Creed Shadows has had a bit of a rough time of late, with Ubisoft initially pulling out of the Tokyo Game Show entirely and delaying the launch of Shadows to February 2025, attributing its absence at the show to the buggy, incomplete nature of the 2025 entry into the Assassin's franchise. In the announcement confirming the launch delay and the Tokyo Game Show Absence, Ubisoft also communicated that it would be shaking up the Assassin's Creed launch and monetization strategy significantly. Apparently as part of that monetization switch-up, Ubisoft has also changed the price of the Assassin's Creed Shadows Collector's Edition, cutting it by a whopping $50.

Ubisoft confirmed the price change on Discord in an official Q&A, announcing that, due to dropping the three-day early access that Collector's Edition buyers would originally have received, the Collector's Edition would now cost $229.99 instead of the previous price of $279.99. Meanwhile, the Collector's Edition will still include all the other paraphernalia and real-world loot that it originally bundled. The aforementioned delay and changes to the monetization strategy not only saw the cancellation of the Season Pass model previously used by Ubisoft, but it also meant that all Assassin's Creed Shadows players would also get the game's first expansion for free along with the base game.

Stacy—David's beloved daughter—is lost amidst the city, crumbling under the weight of the Titans' showdown. Utilize the surrounding technology, to manipulate the Titans' movements and use their destructive force to your advantage. Navigate through this metroidvania-inspired world swarmed with collapsing buildings, toxic leaks, raging fires, and pure chaos.

Face off against both iconic and brand-new Titan species, including the awaited and teased Abaddon—created by the 7LEVELS team in conjunction with Legendary Entertainment. Reunite with the mighty Kong and confront other ferocious Titans together. Use the innovative Monarch ORCA Σ device being your only hope to influence the beasts and survive.

Sound shapes the way we experience games, adding dimension and depth to every action, interaction, and atmosphere. From the epic swell of a battle soundtrack to the quiet tension of a stealth mission, audio plays a crucial role in creating unforgettable gaming moments. That's why we've refreshed the Xbox Wireless Headset, introducing key enhancements to elevate your audio experience to new heights.

Now featuring Dolby Atmos at no additional cost, this updated headset delivers immersive, spatial audio that brings games to life in vivid detail. We've also improved battery life, offering up to 20 hours of playtime, upgraded the microphone with enhanced auto-mute and voice isolation for crystal-clear communication, and now feature Bluetooth 5.3. Combined with its sleek, all-black design, the new Xbox Wireless Headset remains an essential addition to any gaming setup.

In an interview with Reviews.org, Valve's designers Lawrence Yang and Yazan Aldehayyat discussed the Steam Deck. They talked about the console's future and confirmed that it will not have a yearly release schedule like most handheld console makers. Usually, makers of handheld PCs and gaming consoles like ASUS with its ROG Ally, GPD with its Pocket, Lenovo with Legion GO, and many others follow a yearly update structure of its products to put the latest and greatest chipsets into their products. However, Valve is taking a more conservative approach to updating its famous Steam Deck console.

"We're not going to do a bump every year," said Lawrence Yang, adding that "There's no reason to do that. And, honestly, from our perspective, that's kind of not really fair to your customers to come out with something so soon that's only incrementally better. So we really do want to wait for a generational leap in compute without sacrificing battery life before we ship the real second generation of Steam Deck. But it is something that we're excited about and we're working on." The infamous successor to the original Steam Deck, Steam Deck 2, is currently shrouded in mystery. We don't have much information about the hardware that will power it, nor is there a release date. However, as Valve notes, it will be a "generational leap in compute" bringing more gaming capability to the platform. With many competitors releasing handheld gaming consoles, we are expecting Valve to come out with a new console soon.

Unknown Worlds has finally announced the next sequel to its popular indie survival game franchise, Subnautica, and released a teaser trailer alongside the reveal. While details are still scant, the first trailer divulges some key information about the upcoming game. For starters, and likely the biggest divergence from Subnautica and the Subnautica: Below Zero expansion, is the addition of multiplayer gameplay, supporting teams of up to four players. For now, it looks like gameplay will either be single-player or online co-op, although it's unclear whether teams will be able to mix the two, popping into four-player sessions alone or with one or two players sitting it out.

Just judging from the trailer and Steam Store page, it looks like Subnautica 2 will take many of the same game mechanics—crafting, resource management, and an open-world sandbox—as the other games in the franchise, and build on them, instead of trying to rewrite the story. Likewise, it looks to be leaning into the Lovecraftian horror themes earlier on in the game. There also seems to be a new upgrade mechanic that will allow players to augment the biology of their characters, which should add an extra layer of depth to the game. Unknown Worlds has not yet published the full retail price for Subnautica 2 or pinned an exact release date, but it will release as an Early Access game sometime in 2025. Fans of the genre and franchise can wishlist and follow the game on Steam, Epic Games, or Xbox or join the Discord community.

Tap into the powers of the Fold to right the wrongs of Haroona's past and stop a secret society from taking control of powerful knowledge in the narrative-driven action-adventure game, Unknown 9: Awakening, out now for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.

Published by Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe and developed by Reflector Entertainment, the game is set at the turn of the 20th century and takes players on a globetrotting mission to prevent the world's best-kept secrets from falling into the wrong hands. The game's heroine, Haroona, is portrayed by the talented actress Anya Chalotra in her first video game role.

Today, Remedy Entertainment has unveiled FBC: Firebreak (formerly known as Project Condor), with players joining the enigmatic Federal Bureau of Control (FBC) in a three-player cooperative first-person shooter. As the Bureau's headquarters faces a deadly and prolonged siege by otherworldly forces, only Firebreak—its most adaptable response unit—has the skills and courage to restore order.

The mid-priced FBC: Firebreak will be the first self-published game from Remedy Entertainment and is scheduled to release in 2025 for PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. FBC: Firebreak will launch day one on PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate. It also launches day one onto the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, available for all Extra and Premium members.

NEXiCONN Technology Corp. has launched an advanced game capture device—the AI Pixel-Plus CaptureX NV601/NV501, now available for purchase on Amazon in the U.S. This product utilizes the company's proprietary deep learning AI technology, which enhances game visuals to 4K ultra-high-definition resolution, delivering significantly improved image quality. It offers next-gen support for streamers and content creators. One of the standout features of the AI Pixel-Plus CaptureX NV601/NV501 is its capability to stream on four platforms simultaneously, a breakthrough that is revolutionizing the live streaming industry.

Feature 1: Supports Up to 4K144 Capturing & Pass-through
The AI Pixel-Plus CaptureX NV601/NV501 not only enhances resolution to 4K and boosts image quality but also features powerful capture functionality. It seamlessly integrates gaming devices like PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch with software such as OBS and Streamlabs OBS, making content creation easier than ever. Additionally, the NV601 supports pass-through and capturing in up to 4K144, ensuring high-frame-rate video while capturing through external monitors connected via HDMI.

After recently announcing PS5 and PC cross-play, Airship Syndicate announced that its co-op, indie, ARPG dungeon crawler, Wayfinder, will officially exit early access on October 21. Along with the full version 1.0 release, Wayfinder will introduce both a new playable area, called The Crucible, and a new vertical traversal tool, called a Hookshot, specifically designed to explore the ruins of the ancient city. The announcement comes with gameplay footage (see on the PlayStation Blog) of the overgrown, gloomy mega-mech that was built by the ancients to fight a war but has since been reclaimed by nature. The new map adds an extra degree of verticality to the game, giving the developers an opportunity to expand the player experience and arsenal.

In addition to the new region and extended mobility options, Airship Syndicate is teaming up with Critical Role for a paid DLC that will add The Legend of Vox Machina characters to Wayfinder as playable characters. Although exact pricing of the DLC is unknown both the Critical Role DLC Supporter Pack and The Crucible will be available on October 21. After the update, players will still be able to play in both single-player and co-op modes, just like before.

Thrustmaster is thrilled to reveal its new sim racing base/wheel rim/pedal set ensemble, ushering in a new Direct Drive motor technology: Direct Axial Drive. With its slogan "DRIVE INTO A NEW ERA", at Gamescom 2024 Thrustmaster had announced a new era to come in its range and, more broadly, in the sim racing market. After publishing an article explaining the limitations of the current generation of Direct Drive motors (available here), followed by a second article unveiling Direct Axial Drive, the new Axial flux motor technology (available here), Thrustmaster is now making available the world's first racing wheel to incorporate this brand-new technology. Its main feature: XXL performance for a particularly low price. T598 is a complete base/wheel rim/pedal set ensemble, officially licensed for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, and compatible with PC.

DRIVE INTO A NEW ERA
A new era has dawned in the world of sim racing. After the advent of Direct Drive motors, the Direct Axial Drive technology designed by Thrustmaster is ushering in new standards. More efficient and less expensive, this Axial flux motor represents the future for tomorrow's racing wheels. T598 is the first to feature it.

MONTECH a leading PC components and peripherals brand is excited to announce the launch of the KING 65 PRO, the newest addition to the premium lineup of PC cases. This latest model epitomizes the commitment to quality, innovation, and user-friendly design, making it an ideal choice for both novice builders and experienced enthusiasts.

Build with Ease: Quick Release Mechanism for Hassle-Free Setup
The KING 65 PRO features a revolutionary tool-less quick-release mechanism for all outer panels, ensuring seamless access to your components. Whether you're adding new hardware, performing routine cleaning, or making adjustments, this innovative design allows you to do so quickly and effortlessly, eliminating the need for additional tools.

[Editor's note: Our in-depth review of the MONTECH KING 65 PRO is now live]

According to a study by William M. Volckmann II from the University of North Carolina, we have received an insight into the financial consequences of digital rights management (DRM) breaches in the PC gaming industry. The research, titled "The Revenue Effects of Denuvo Digital Rights Management on PC Video Games," offers valuable insights into the relationship between piracy and game sales. The study's most striking finding reveals that when Denuvo, a popular anti-piracy technology, is quickly compromised, game publishers face an average revenue decline of 20%. Interestingly, the research suggests that long-term DRM implementation may be unnecessary. Volckmann's analysis indicates that games cracked after the first three months of release or those from which publishers voluntarily removed DRM protection after this period experienced negligible revenue loss.

The study also explored potential predictors for quick DRM breaches but found no conclusive indicators based on game characteristics. This unpredictability poses a challenge for publishers in assessing the risk of piracy for individual titles. Volckmann acknowledges gamers' concerns about DRM's technical drawbacks, recommending that publishers consider removing such protections after the critical initial three-month window. This approach could balance piracy prevention with user experience optimization. The findings present a compelling case for publishers to reconsider their DRM strategies. While protecting games during the launch period remains crucial, extended DRM usage may offer diminishing returns.

While Apple laptops have never really been the first stop for PC gaming, Linux is slowly shaping up to be an excellent gaming platform, largely thanks to open-source development efforts as well as work from the likes of AMD and NVIDIA, who have both put significant work into their respective Linux drivers in recent years. This makes efforts like the Asahi Linux Project all the more intriguing. Asahi Linux is a project that aims to bring Linux to Apple Silicon Macs—a task that has proven rather difficult, thanks to the intricacies of developing a bespoke GPU driver for Apple's custom ARM GPUs. In a recent blog post, the graphics developer behind the Asahi Linux Project showed off a number of AAA games, albeit older titles, running on an Apple M1 processor on the latest Asahi Linux build.

To run the games on Apple Silicon, Asahi Linux uses a "game playing toolkit," which relies on a number of custom graphics drivers and emulators, including tools from Valve's Proton translation layer, which ironically was also the foundation for Apple's Game Porting Toolkit. Asahi uses FEX to emulate x86 on ARM, Wine as a translation layer for Windows apps, and DXVK and vkd3d-proton for DirectX-Vulkan translation. In the blog post, the Asahi developer claims that the alpha is capable of running games like Control, The Witcher 3, and Cyberpunk 2077 at playable frame rates. Unfortunately, 60 FPS is not yet attainable in the majority of new high-fidelity games, there are a number of indie titles that run quite well on Asahi Linux, including Hollow Knight, Ghostrunner, and Portal 2.

LIAN LI Industrial Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of chassis and PC accessories, has introduced the latest model to its O11 series of PC cases with the O11 Vision Compact. Developed in collaboration with PC Master Race (PCMR), the O11 Vision Compact is a refinement of the previous O11 Vision. It maintains the 3-sided tempered glass showcase style while adding a top mesh panel and bracket for top cooling options. With a fixed motherboard tray and a more compact design, the O11 Vision Compact can support back-connect ATX motherboards. It features a large grommet passthrough for AIO radiators to connect to a side-mounted radiator in the second chamber. The O11 Vision Compact even integrates a rear passthrough for an internal IPS display, which can be easily mounted above the motherboard. The O11 Vision Compact is available in black and white at an MSRP of $119.99.

Two Configurations
The O11 Vision Compact now includes a top mesh option for excellent airflow in addition to the top glass configuration. The top glass mode provides a completely unobstructed view of the system with top, front, and left-side tempered glass panels. The magnetic mounting key in the top left corner performs double duty, securing the mesh configuration top bracket to the front glass, and with top glass, holding the three glass panels together with 35 kg of supporting force.

[Editor's note: Our in-depth review of the Lian Li O11 Vision Compact is now live]

Valve has merged a new script into the master branch of its SteamOS Gamescope compositor on GitHub. This update introduces display configuration support for the Asus ROG Ally and ROG Ally X, notably enabling Gamescope to utilize the full 48-120 Hz Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) range on the 1920x1080p panels of these devices. Having a wide VRR range is especially worth considering the challenges of maintaining high frame rates on portable devices due to limited computational power. So with VRR being present at 48 Hz, handheld consoles reach tear-free gaming even demanding titles. This update follows a series of recent Steam-related improvements, including an August update that added support for Asus ROG Ally and ROG Ally X buttons to the SteamOS input layer.

With VRR support being added now, we may see future Steam Deck iterations with VRR display support, as the current Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED don't support this feature. This VRR update shows Valve's continued progress towards a broader release of SteamOS for various PC platforms. It confirms the company's focus on optimizing the operating system for handheld devices as the future of SteamOS. What used to be mini PCs, Valve now sees as handheld gaming consoles, which are the target area of SteamOS. Despite the growing anticipation, the exact release date for a broader SteamOS rollout remains uncertain, given Valve's notorious "Valve Time" approach to product launches. However, with community-driven SteamOS 3 ports like Bazzite and HoloISO already available, enthusiasts have alternative options to explore in the meantime.

Even though the global economy shows signs of recovery, worldwide shipments of traditional PCs dipped 2.4% year-over-year (YoY) to 68.8 million units, during the third quarter of 2024 (3Q24), according to preliminary results from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. Factors including rising costs and inventory replenishment led to a surge in shipments in the previous quarter, resulting in a slightly slower sales cycle.

"Demand, without a doubt, has returned for PCs amongst consumers and commercial buyers," said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers. "However, much of the demand was still concentrated at the entry-level thanks to a recovering economy and the back-to-school season in North America. That said, newer AI PCs such as Copilot+ PCs from Qualcomm along with Intel and AMD's equivalent chips as well as Apple's expected M4-based Macs are expected to drive the premium segment in coming months."

For the first time in its storied legacy, John Marston's beloved journey can be experienced on PC in stunning, new detail, with both Red Dead Redemption and its iconic zombie-horror companion story, Undead Nightmare, arriving to PC on October 29. In collaboration with Double Eleven, this new version adds PC-specific enhancements including native 4K resolution at up to 144hz on compatible hardware, monitor support for both Ultrawide (21:9) and Super Ultrawide (32:9), HDR10 support, and full keyboard and mouse functionality.

There's also support for NVIDIA DLSS 3.7 and AMD FSR 3.0 upscaling technologies, NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation, adjustable draw distances, shadow quality settings, and more. Check out the new trailer above and stay tuned for more details, including information later this week on how to pre-purchase Red Dead Redemption and Undead Nightmare at the Rockstar Store, Steam, or the Epic Games Store.

AMI, the global leader in Dynamic Firmware for worldwide computing, has partnered with Samsung Electronics, the global leader in consumer technology, to create an enhanced joint security solution available in Samsung's Galaxy Book PCs. Alongside Samsung's multi-layer security platform Samsung Knox, AMI's Tektagon - the industry-leading Platform Root of Trust firmware security solution - is now integrated into Samsung PCs including the Galaxy Book5 Pro 360, Galaxy Book4 Pro, Galaxy Book4 Pro 360, and Galaxy Book4 Ultra.

Through this collaborative partnership, AMI's Tektagon seamlessly integrates with Samsung Knox to ensure that confidential and sensitive data stays safe at every layer of the device through real-time threat detection and collaborative protection, while providing the highest level of security against firmware-injected malware to help prevent ransomware and denial of service attacks.

Leading IPC provider AAEON today announced the release of two new Panel PCs: the ACP-2106, which features a 10" WXGA screen, and the ACP-2076, equipped with a 7" WSVGA Projected Capacitive Multi-Touch screen. Compared to its previous Panel PC offerings, both the ACP-2106 and ACP-2076 offer substantial improvements in processing power, with a choice of either the Intel Processor N50 or Intel Processor N97 CPU. Moreover, both new additions to the range support up to 32 GB of DDR5, compared to the 8 GB of DDR3L offered by the previous generation. With these improvements, the ACP-2106 and ACP-2076 are clearly designed for use in more advanced and taxing industrial and commercial applications, with retail and industrial automation thought to be primary target markets.

The ACP-2076 grants users a 7" display with 1024 x 600 resolution, while the ACP-2106's 10" screen offers a slightly higher resolution of 1280 x 800. Both PCs are also equipped with an HDMI 1.4b port, making them suitable for applications that require dual-display capabilities, such as smart kiosks. Both models also provide wide viewing angles and high brightness levels, with the ACP-2076 achieving 320 cd/m² and the ACP-2106 reaching 300 cd/m², ensuring consistent visibility in a variety of environments.

Metal: Hellsinger is a first-person rhythm shooter featuring roguelike and boomer shooter elements and set to a heavy metal soundtrack with some of the metal world's biggest names. The game follows a mysterious protagonist, known simply as The Unknown, as she battles her way through the various levels of hell on a quest to regain her voice. Today, the rhythm shooter launches an additional VR version, with some interesting new VR-specific rhythm mechanics to spice things up.

Being a rhythm game, Metal: Hellsinger gives players bonuses for performing actions on-beat with the background music—which often gets quite challenging due to the fast pace and swarming enemies—but the VR version steps things up a notch, allowing you to aim the game's dual pistols individually, physically draw and release the crossbow, and actively reload the shotgun to the beat.

Epic Games kicked off the Unreal Fest in Seattle earlier this week with a keynote that revealed some interesting details about the company's marketing and publication strategies going forward. Also during that same keynote, Riot Games executive producer, Anna Donlon, teased that there will be more "playable experiences" coming to the "Valorant universe."

While Donlon was deliberately vague about any upcoming Valorant-adjacent games currently in development, she was a little more candid about Valorant's Unreal Engine 5 update, admitting that limitations in Unreal Engine 4.27—Valorant's current underpinnings—were what prompted the move to UE5 in the first place. However, a shift to Unreal Engine 5 will not immediately change how the game performs, feels, or looks.