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The best PC racing wheel is all about channeling your inner Lewis Hamilton or Dale Earnhardt Jr, not just spending cash on a wheel and pedal setup. With the best racing wheel strapped to your desk, you'll have that extra level of immersion in your favorite racing games, like Forza Motorsport or F1 22. Whether it's that all-important force feedback feel or the responsiveness of the shift paddles, there's so much about a good steering wheel that a controller can't emulate.
A racing wheel is one of the best PC gaming buys, and I've tried out tons of racing wheels to get a handle on which ones that are worth your hard-earned cash. Racing wheels aren't cheap; the options are daunting. Hitting the digital road with a dozen or so wheels helped me narrow some of those down so you can make the most of your racing cockpit.
There are tons of really good steering wheels, so picking out just a few of my favorites is a near-impossible task. But alas, I still managed to pick out the best steering wheels with the most realistic pedal interactions, satisfying, clicky gear shift, and superb force feedback.
The best PC racing wheels come in a wide range of prices, from enthusiasts to amateur race car drivers. But don't worry; I've chosen several affordable options to go with it, all of which deliver stellar force feedback and an all-around great driving experience no matter your budget.
Best PC racing wheel in 2022
Image 1 of 6(Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 6(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 6(Image credit: Future)Image 4 of 6(Image credit: Future)Image 5 of 6(Image credit: Future)Image 6 of 6(Image credit: Fanatec)1. Fanatec GT DD Pro
The best racing wheel
Connection type: USB | Weight: 10.1kg | Force Feedback: Yes | Drive: Direct | Maximum rotation angle: 2520 degrees | Pedals included: Yes | Clutch pedal: No | Expandable: Yes
Accurate, powerful force feedbackExcellent build qualityRelatively affordable direct-driveYou have to spend more to get the complete packageThe Fanatec GT DD Pro sets a high standard for all racing wheels. A direct-drive motor can throw the wheel around with so much force you're holding on for dear life. Trust me; you want that. You feel every bump or loss of traction with the GT DD. I noticed my lap times started improving once I could hone in on where I was losing grip and speed during a lap. Granted, I had a few meetings with the barriers along the way, but I felt like I was able to develop my race as a result.
The GT DD's construction is pretty much immaculate. The wheelbase is this solid metal, passively-cooled monster, and into that slots a sturdy and straightforward clamp. The wheel itself is one of my favorite of all those I've tested, delivering a glutton of buttons that are easy to get familiar with. The included CSL Pedals don't come with a clutch or a load-cell brake. However, you can upgrade to a load-cell kit sold by Fanatec, which replaces the brake and leaves the spare brake to become a clutch pedal.
This wheelbase's feedback ensures you're painfully aware when you take a little too much curb and helps inform you of your traction throughout a corner. A fast rotation back to the center also means you can throw the wheel around and never feel like losing control over your steering in tight chicanes.
The finely-tuned vibration and rotation through the wheel transmit so much information from the game's engine into your hands
When you set it up just right, the GT DD Pro sings. The finely-tuned vibration and rotation through the wheel transmit so much information from the game's engine into your hands—with the right racing game, one that has simulation-grade feedback, it's an absolute joy to throw the GT DD around the track. While technically built for Gran Turismo 7, it's no worse off on the PC across a range of sim racing and sim-light games, such as Assetto Corsa and F1 2022.
What I enjoy about this kit is its versatility. I jumped into Forza Horizon and felt no less comfortable throwing this wheel around than in F1 2021 with tighter force feedback settings. That's not something I've necessarily felt with cheaper models. While that's partially down to the direct-drive technology at the heart of the GT DD Pro, it's also how simple this wheel is to set up for each game, even those it doesn't necessarily play nicely with.
With or without extras, this is truly one of the best ways to get into sim racing today and the best racing wheel we've tested.
Read our full Fanatec GT DD Pro review.
Image 1 of 5(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 5(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 5(Image credit: Future)Image 4 of 5(Image credit: Future)Image 5 of 5(Image credit: Thrustmaster)2. Thrustmaster T248
The best affordable racing wheel
Connection type: USB | Weight: 2.7kg | Force Feedback: Yes | Drive: Belt + gear hybrid | Maximum rotation angle: 900 degrees | Pedals included: Yes | Clutch pedal: Yes | Expandable: No
Technically impressiveSurprisingly powerful force feedbackHybrid design feels great to useGood on-wheel interfaceMagnetic T3PM pedal setBest paddle shifters going on an affordable wheelFeels and sounds cheapT300RS remains a solid option for a little more cashShifters are hella loudThe Thrustmaster T248 is a far more budget-friendly option than the Fanatec GT DD, but it doesn't let up where it counts. The force feedback it delivers is a lot more impressive than you might expect, and it's exceptionally accurate. Inside the T248, you'll find a hybrid force feedback system that utilizes a gear alongside a belt. That covers the downsides of the geared system, which has been known to feel clunky at times but still has all the benefits of a belt system. Plus, that keeps it cheap.
However, the T248's hybrid system has appeared to come at the expense of some of the finer touches. The build looks and feels cheap. Similarly, it's awfully loud, especially the shifter paddles. These are, however, incredibly responsive, like nothing I've used before. A worthy trade-off? So long as you don't need to keep the noise down too much.
What Thrustmaster is delivering with the T248 is the Thrustmaster Hybrid Drive. It's not precisely gear- or belt-driven, but there is a belt to maximize the internal motor's potential in-game. The Hybrid Drive feels like a smart move on Thrustmaster's behalf once you get this wheel setup, too; as compared to a purely gear-driven motor, there's a lot of power and response delivered through the wheel while racing.
It is a heavy-feeling wheel, though. You have to throw it around with some force to make a sharp corner at speed. That's both a blessing and a curse: If you don't have it set up right for a game like F1 2021 or some cars in Assetto Corsa: Competizione—where the wheel rotation is far from the maximum 1080° offered—it can be quite a struggle to turn the T248 as needed. Though that's mostly easily rectified by spending a little more time in the settings menu.
Next to a direct-drive unit like the Fanatec GT DD Pro, you're looking at a much weaker response in the T248, however. It can come across a little muted when you're throwing it around rocky terrain. Yet, there's not much more out there at this price that will appeal to more casual gamers and more experienced racers than the T248. Perhaps the fan-favorite T300RS—with its hot-swappable wheel and belt-driven force feedback—but then you're missing out on the mod cons of the T248.The T248 gets a lot technically correct, and when it comes down to it, I'd take technical precision over aesthetics any day. This is the best wheel to do on a tighter budget if you want to develop your racing ability and learn to corner consistently.
Read our full Thrustmaster T248 review.
Image 1 of 3(Image credit: Thrustmaster)Image 2 of 3(Image credit: Thrustmaster)Image 3 of 3(Image credit: Thrustmaster)3. Thrustmaster T300 RS GT Edition
A step-up from the T248 in most ways
Connection type: USB | Weight: 3kg | Force Feedback: Yes | Drive: Belt | Maximum rotation angle: 1080 degrees | Pedals included: Yes | Clutch pedal: Yes | Expandable: Yes
Wonderfully responsivePowerful force feedbackBelt-drive is impressiveRemoveable wheelThe GT Edition is a little pricier than the T300 RSSlightly old-school designT3PA pedal set isn't as good as T3PM pedal set on T248The Thrustmaster T300 RS sat as our #1 pick for the best racing wheel for a few years. It's a little older now, having originally been released in 2014, but it's still plenty deserving of consideration in 2022. The T300 RS has aged better than a lot of modern tech, with mods and support aplenty.
Though with the arrival of the T248, we felt it hit a cheaper price point that would appeal to a wider audience than the standard T300 RS. The T248 also comes with a a far superior pedal set in the T3PM. That's why we've updated our recommendation to the T300 RS GT Edition, which has all the best bits of the T300 RS plus an improved 3-pedal set (T3PA) that makes it sing.
You will have to drop a little more cash on the T300 RS GT Edition, but we felt the T3PA pedals make that leap more worthwhile. They're still not quite up to the T3PM set on the T248, but they're a much improved set than on the T300 RS as standard, which also lacks a clutch pedal.
You'd also be buying a dual belt-driven design for highly responsive force feedback on the T300 RS that remains impressive to this day. It delivers smooth response from the track with the benefits of the extra power that only a belt-drive system can deliver in lieu of a bigger motor. The wheel on the T300RS can also be removed and replaced, which isn't something you can do on the T248.
It's a pretty close call between this and the newer Thrustmaster T248. There's a good case to be made either way, but we recommend you splash out for the T300RS GT Edition if you want something akin to the best of both.
Image 1 of 7(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 7(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 7(Image credit: Future)Image 4 of 7(Image credit: Future)Image 5 of 7(Image credit: Logitech G)Image 6 of 7(Image credit: Logitech G)Image 7 of 7(Image credit: Logitech G)4. Logitech G923 Trueforce
A great all-in-one racing wheel package
Connection type: USB | Weight: 3.1kg | Force Feedback: Yes | Drive: Gear | Maximum rotation angle: 900 degrees | Pedals included: Yes | Clutch pedal: Yes | Expandable: Yes
Detailed and driven force feedbackQuality pedal setHigh quality constructionG29 and G920 very similar and often cheaperGear-drive can feel clunkyWe've extensively tested the Logitech G923 Trueforce racing wheel and found it to offer a desirable mixture of control, feedback, and response. For that reason, it is decently suited to most racing games out there—it's the racing wheel we'd recommend to rookie drivers and those looking for thrills and find themselves often hopping between different and varied sims.
We've spent most of our time using the G923 with F1 2021 and F1 2019, and it works excellently with only a few tweaks to steering saturation and throttle linearity (72, 20—if you're wondering). Similarly, it's as simple as booting Assetto Corsa Competizione to switch to GT Series racing. Or any other driving game for that matter, even SnowRunner.
The G923 relies on a gear-driven motor to feed the force feedback, which is enjoyable in use but a little less powerful and accurate-feeling than those belt-driven or direct-driven designs above.
The best bit about the G923 package is that it's more than a racing wheel and wheelbase. It's a set of three pedals, too, and excellent ones at that. I was pretty taken aback at the quality of these pedals the first time I used them; they have all the makings of higher-end pedals where it counts.The accelerator delivers a decent linear press with a quick return to keep it glued to your foot, while the clutch brings a similarly swift response with increasing tension as you depress the pedal—enough to create a faux bite point. The brake pedal, however, is the highlight of the three.
Slightly tweaked from the G920 and G29 design, a progressive spring design requires serious stomp power. So much so that the unit's carpet grip system is something of a necessity for serious racing, and you'll want to consider a chair with lockable castors to keep you firmly in place and gunning for position in-game.
The G923 enjoys wide support and high-quality construction, and it certainly trumps the Thrustmaster kit for how premium it feels. The G920 is a similar wheel and available for a lot less money nowadays, so that's also worth checking out if it's available for less in your area.
Read our full Logitech G923 Trueforce review.
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Image 1 of 3(Image credit: Thrustmaster)Image 2 of 3(Image credit: Thrustmaster)Image 3 of 3(Image credit: Thrustmaster)5. Thrustmaster TMX Force Feedback
The best cheap racing wheel
Connection type: USB | Weight: 5.4kg | Force Feedback: Yes | Drive: Belt-pulley | Maximum rotation angle: 900 degrees | Pedals included: Yes | Clutch pedal: No | Expandable: Yes
Decent valueGenuine force feedbackGreat way into sim racing...... without spending too much moneyNot the best pedalsCheap constructionCheap racing wheels are easy to come by; cheap racing wheels worth your money are not. Thankfully, we once again can turn to Thrustmaster for an option here. The TMX isn't as flashy as most—you're really trimming back to basics. The pedal set is pretty slim with just two unexciting levers on a plastic base, and the wheel itself features only the absolute basic buttons you'll need to operate it in-game and nothing more. It's slimmed to the bare essentials, but really that's what we want at this price.
That's because what really matters is the force feedback within, and the TMX shares its belt-pulley system with the popular T150. It's definitely a less powerful system than the other Thrustmaster and non-Thrustmaster systems on this list, but it's present enough that you'll be thankful it's there.
With the TMX you can be sure you're making a good start in your sim racing career, and if it ends up in a cupboard most of the year, you won't feel too much regret thanks to its bank-friendly price tag.
Best racing wheel FAQ
What type of force feedback is best for sim racing?
There are a few different types of force feedback commonly found in racing wheels: gear-driven, belt-driven, and direct drive. By far the most accurate and powerful is direct drive, but these also come with a high associated cost.
Direct drive is the best for because it's relatively simple. Every force feedback racing wheel uses a motor to generate resistance and feedback through the wheel, and in a direct drive system the wheel is directly mounted to this motor for maximum response.
Don't rule out gear-driven or belt-driven designs, though. Belt-driven is an exceptional force feedback system that uses a belt to connect the motor to the wheel. That setup offers excellent response with little compromise.
Gear-driven systems are the most popular for cheaper racing wheels, and there's a lot of variance in how these can perform depending on their design. A wheel such as the Logitech G923 uses a dual-motor gear-driven system, and we've found that to be really impressive and quite powerful under hand. That said, some less well designed gear-driven PC steering wheels may leave you wanting more power and response from your drive.
What parts do I need for a sim racing setup?
If you really want to go all out with your sim racing setup, a simple wheel might not suffice. That's when you'll want to look to more discrete parts and building up a sim racing rig in your own style and to your preference.
For that, you'll want to start with the base. This is essentially an axis that translates your movements on the wheel into a digital signal for your game, all the while being the driving factor of the feedback you'll feel from the game. It's important to make the right choice for your base, and that means deciding between a direct drive or belt-driven design.
For the most part, you'll find compatibility for bases varies between Xbox/PC and PlayStation/PC. You'll rarely find support for both consoles in one, but almost always PC either way.
Then you'll need a steering wheel to mount onto your base, usually through some sort of wheel to base hub or adapter. This can be a more bespoke wheel for a specific motorsport, such as F1, or something more general for GT racing or a bit of everything.
You may need to look for separate button and shifter add-ons alongside your wheel or they may be included in one package.
Moving on to the pedals and we generally recommend picking up a set with accelerator, brake, and clutch pedals all-in-one. You might not be much of a manual driver now, or even need the clutch at your feet for an F1 setup, but it's useful to have for the full range of racing games. We've even set the clutch pedal to apply the handbrake in lieu of a formal handbrake accessory.
You will also want to consider how you mount this sim racing setup to your desk or sim racing frame (if you're really serious). Most of the time that's a fairly easy process of simply buying the clamp that goes with your base from the same manufacturer, but perhaps you'll want to consider a more exciting setup before hitting the checkout.
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The best gaming headset is not only about giving you great sound but also a host of other features you'll need for a superior aural experience. What features exactly? Well, it depends. Competitive gamers need an excellent microphone for comms, while marathon gamers will prioritize comfort above any things else. Hell, maybe you need a wireless headset that sounds good and doesn't cost a fortune. Whatever the need, I've put together a list (as well as the rest of the PC Gamer hardware team) of some of the best headsets around for 2022.
The best gaming headsets on this list are chosen from the dozens I've tested and the rest of the hardware team here in the PC Gamer offices. These headsets offer the best sound for gamers at each end of the budget spectrum. Quality drivers ensure you get the best audio, and we're pushing the movement to break the traditional stereotype of overdoing low frequencies, which provide terrible bass in most cases. The best gaming headsets offer more balance drivers that require minimal tweaking on your end.
Don't worry; you won't need to spend hundreds of dollars on a good headset. Some of the best gaming headsets out there cost less than $100, like the Razer Blackshark V2 and the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless. Of course, if you want to spend some cash, we've got some premium options that won't disappoint that sound pretty incredible.
Check our guide to the best wireless gaming headsets if you're looking for more expansive, untethered options. For now, take a gander at the best gaming headsets we've tested this year.
Best gaming headset
Image 1 of 5(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 5(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 5(Image credit: Future)Image 4 of 5(Image credit: Future)Image 5 of 5(Image credit: Razer)1. Razer BlackShark V2
The best wired gaming headset
Wireless: No | Drivers: 50mm, Razer TriForce, Titanium | Connectivity: 3.5mm, USB soundcard | Frequency response: 12Hz – 28,000Hz | Features: Detachable noise-cancelling mic, in-line cable controls
Restrained stylingComfortableGreat audioOften under $100Cable hardwired into headsetDethroning the HyperX Cloud Alpha from the top spot was no easy feat. Razer's BlackShark V2 gaming headset manages to do just that by offering killer audio quality, great price, and easy-to-use software. From the moment Razer first started talking about the BlackShark V2, it was clear this was main focus of the headset, and the design of the drivers themselves is effectively doing what the impressive Cloud Alphas do.
The 50mm TriForce Titanium drivers are designed with discrete ports to separate bass, mid, tremble tones from interfering with each other. The result is a richer sound than a standard set, and keeps it on par with HyperX's 50mm dual-chamber neodymium driver headset. They're like a tribute to HyperX's own design, and no worse for it.
For me, the sound is one of the stand-out features of the BlackShark V2, and is far and above what you will get with most other sets in this price point. I'm also a big fan of the restrained design of the headset, and I've found them to comfortable enough to wear for marathon gaming sessions.
There's only one reason I no longer use them as my daily drivers, and that's the arrival of the wireless version, the rather more expensive BlackShark V2 Pro. They use the same drivers, but use a lag-free wireless connection, with a great battery life... but they are pricey. Though it has to be said that we've seen deals as low as $130 so it is worth looking at.
But overall price is the other stand-out feature of the wired BlackShark V2 headset; you'll often find them for under $100 and that makes them an absolute bargain.
Read our full Razer Blackshark V2 review.
Image 1 of 2(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2(Image credit: Future)2. HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless
The best wireless gaming headset
Wireless: Yes | Drivers: Dynamic, 50mm with neodymium magnets | Connectivity: 2.4GHz wireless dongle | Frequency response: 15–21,000Hz | Features: Bi directional detachable mic
Battery life that can only be described as witchcraftExcellent for listening to musicPrecise, powerful audio is great for gamingVery comfortableMicrophone isn't up to par with the rest of the headsetThey aren't the loudest headphonesThe HyperX Cloud Alpha is perhaps the most praised thing to exist on this site. We all love it on the team and now HyperX has cut the cord on its best pair of cans. The biggest drawcard for this headset is the new huge battery. You're looking at up to 300 hours of battery life in wireless mode while still keeping the headset relatively light and comfortable. It's a pretty massive feat and I feel HyperX has pulled it off.
Out of the box, this unit was reporting having about 80% charge, so I decided to leave it there to see how well that held. I spent a workday listening to music and checked the battery again: I swear it still said 80%. I have been using this thing for gaming and music listening pretty consistently for the past week and we aren't even at 50% battery yet.
That impressive battery life is, of course, a best-case scenario. A lot of that has to do with the volume you're running the headset at, and volume is probably my only real complaint. It's absolutely loud enough but I can listen to it at full volume and still be fairly comfortable.
Definitely one of the better gaming headsets I've used to listen to music.
But the sound quality truly is incredible. Music sounds amazing. It's always fun to listen to some of my favorite sound-heavy songs on a good pair of cans and try to pick the different instruments or bites used. These do an excellent job and are definitely one of the better gaming headsets I've used to listen to music on.
When playing games the directional sound is also very nice. I was able to easily locate hidden batteries by directional beeps in Deep Rock Galactic and had a wonderful time bouncing along to the tight beats of Shadow Warrior 3. I loaded up some Doom Eternal and promptly terrified myself. If you've ever wanted to know what it sounds like having a Cacodemon suddenly show up and whisper sweet blah-things into very specifically your left ear then these can absolutely deliver.
The Cloud line is always touted for comfort and despite the hefty battery this still definitely fits the bill. I'm someone who struggles with too much weight or tightness on my head, and I have a real sensitivity to uncomfortable headsets. The top band is thick and has soft padding underneath. This coupled with the equally soft ear cups makes for a very cozy experience, and does an excellent job of blocking out noise.
Sadly, the mic is your fairly standard affair and while it will work just fine for chat in games, it's very basic and uninspired when it comes to sound quality.
Though all things considered, I struggle to imagine a customer who wouldn't be happy with these as a wireless gaming headset. They're pricey, but within reason for their specs, and they certainly deliver on everything you could want for gaming, and listening to music, on your PC.
Read our full HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless review.
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Best VR headset | Best wireless gaming mouse | Best graphics cardsImage 1 of 4(Image credit: Razer)Image 2 of 4(Image credit: Razer)Image 3 of 4(Image credit: Razer)Image 4 of 4(Image credit: Razer)3. Razer Kraken X
The best cheap gaming headset
Wireless: No | Drivers: 40mm, Neodymium magnets | Connectivity: 3.5mm | Frequency response: 12Hz – 8,000Hz | Features: 7.1 surround sound, ultra lightweight
Can find under $40Excellent 7.1 virtual surround soundComfortable leatherette head cushionLightweightNon-detachable micBase audio is a little clunkyAs a cheap alternative to the tricked-out Razer Kraken, the Kraken X is a budget-friendly option that excels on PC for one simple reason—virtual 7.1 surround sound. Available via an app, this elevates the headset's already good audio thanks to superior depth, clarity, and definition. It also makes going back to the X's standard audio mode difficult.
In our testing, it's clear the Kraken X isn't going to be able to stand toe-to-toe with the best of HyperX's Cloud range, or even with its fellow Razer stablemates, but for the money, the Kraken X delivers the goods.
When you throw in enviable comfort and a lightweight, stylish and understated design, this version of the Kraken offers tremendous value for money. There are niggles to dampen the party, of course (a non-detachable mic being chief among them), but you can't complain when you're getting good 7.1 sound for such a low cost.
When you've only got $50 to spend on a gaming headset, we don't think you'll do much better than these Razer cans.
Read our full Razer Kraken X review.
Image 1 of 3(Image credit: Beyerdynamic)Image 2 of 3(Image credit: Beyerdynamic)Image 3 of 3(Image credit: Beyerdynamic)4. Beyerdynamic MMX 100
The best headset for long gaming sessions
Wireless: No | Drivers: 40mm Beryllium, Dynamic | Frequency response: 5Hz – 30,000Hz | Features: Detachable mic
Excellent audio performanceComfortable for all-day useBeautiful design and build qualityVery good microphoneFiddly volume dialThis isn't the first gaming headset from Beyerdynamic but the MMX 100 is absolutely its most rounded offering so far. Offering excellent audio and a good microphone in a comfortable and well-designed headset makes for an easy entry into our best headset list, especially when you can pick these impressively made cans up for under $100.
Despite using a closed-back design we've found the MMX 100s produce a surprisingly wide sound stage, without any of the muddiness or over-eager bass that often plagues gaming headsets. The bass is so finely tuned without any distortion or boominess that you typically get on most gaming headsets. The mids and highs are crystal sharp bringing out all the tiny details and audio cues like footsteps or reloads.
At $99, it’s an incredible bargain.
Add in the fact that Beyerdynamics has gone for lightweight materials, with plush memory foam on the earcups and headband, making them supremely comfortable for long sessions too.
The overall build is quite exceptional except for one really annoying issue—the volume dial. On my unit, it had quite a bit of play where it could rock back or forth without changing the volume while causing static in the right ear cup when adjusting volume and oftentimes, completely cutting out the audio on the right side. This is mostly around the max volume position. Minute adjustments of volume would fix the audio but it's most disturbing for such a well-built headset that I'm honestly inclined to believe it was just my particular sample and not systemic.
There’s simply no denying that Beyerdynamic has totally knocked it out of the park with the MMX 100. At $99, it’s an incredible bargain and I’d be hard-pressed to point out a more comfortable, better-sounding one than this. The Steelseries Arctis Prime(opens in new tab) comes close in comfort but not for sound. Putting aside the volume dial issue on my particular unit, this is easily one of the best gaming headsets money can buy right now.
Read our full Beyerdynamics MMX 100 review.
Image 1 of 4(Image credit: Epos)Image 2 of 4(Image credit: Epos)Image 3 of 4(Image credit: Epos)Image 4 of 4(Image credit: Epos)5. Epos H6PRO
Sporting both open and closed back designs
Wireless: No | Drivers: 42mm, Dynamic | Frequency response: 20Hz – 20,000Hz | Features: Removable mic, open/closed-back options
Excellent sound qualityRemoveable and flip-to-mute micClosed- and open-back designsComfortableBraided cable can be a little loudEarcup coverage might be small for someFlagship-level pricingEpos is gradually shifting away from its Sennheiser past and beginning to collect its own lineup of great gaming headsets. The H6PRO is a big part of that, as the company's first go at a true flagship product without Sennheiser's stamp all over it.
The H6PRO offers a really high-grade headset experience. There are fancy new 42mm drivers to keep them sounding great, which have been tuned to offer a more balanced and easy on the bass profile than your usual gaming headset. It also offers a great-sounding microphone that delivers the benefits of both flip-to-mute and removable designs.
Epos has put together something really competitive and impressive in the H6PRO.
The H6PRO is available as either open-back or closed-back. The difference will have an impact on the noise isolation, audio response, and how the headset feels on your head. So you could say it's a pretty big decision, as far as gaming headset features go.
I've had experience with both open-back and closed-back designs and, essentially, if you desire noise isolation (blocking outside noise from reaching your ear holes) you'll want the closed-back H6PRO headset. If that's not important then it's the open-back H6PRO headset that will be the better choice for a superior gaming sound stage.
In terms of a new flagship, Epos has put together something really competitive and impressive in the H6PRO. The downside is that these also come with a flagship price tag of $179 (£149, €179) and one that you really need to debate whether you are happy with a wire or might instead consider going wireless—if there's one peripheral that's worth cutting the cord with, it's your headset.
That said, should you be happy to spend that amount of cash, you can be safe in the knowledge that the Epos H6PRO is built to a standard worthy of that price tag.
Read our full Epos H6PRO review.
Image 1 of 4(Image credit: Corsair)Image 2 of 4(Image credit: Corsair)Image 3 of 4(Image credit: Corsair)Image 4 of 4(Image credit: Corsair)6. Corsair HS80 RGB
The best gaming headset for spatial audio
Wireless: Yes | Drivers: 50mm, Neodymium drivers | Connectivity: Slipstream Wireless Dongle, USB Cable | Frequency response: 20Hz – 30,000Hz | Features: Omnidirectional Broadcast grade mic
Floating headband designExcellent Hi-Res Audio + Dolby AtmosExcellent microphoneFeels bulkyMic isn't detachableNo Bluetooth or 3.5mmCut the cord...(Image credit: Steelseries)Best wireless gaming mouse: ideal cable-free rodents
Best wireless gaming keyboard: no wires, no worries
Best wireless gaming headset: top untethered audioCorsair's new HS80 RGB Wireless Gaming Headset is easily one of the best headsets the company has ever made and also one of the best wireless headsets around. It takes some of the best headset features available and executes them really well. At $150, it boasts the latest and greatest lag-free Slipstream Wireless tech, high fidelity audio, and Dolby Atmos. The microphone is outstanding and the new design lets you wear them for ages without fatigue.
It's said that imitation is the highest form of flattery and the new HS80 imitates some of the best headsets from Steelseries. Corsair has finally adopted the same floating headband design that uses an adjustable strap to evenly distribute the weight across your noggin. Furthermore, the HS80 feels bulkier on my head than any Steelseries headset but at 370g, it's not much heavier.
Halo Infinite, which supports Dolby Atmos, sounds amazing on these cans.
The HS80s sound fantastic with rich, full-bodied audio and a well-balanced bass. The sub-bass can be a little lacking at times and I noticed some distortion even at low volumes. This holds the HS80 back from true greatness but there's an EQ in iCUE that you can play with to fine-tune the audio to your liking.
However, it's the spatial audio where the HS80 surprises, with impressive 3D audio and accurate positioning. This, as you can imagine, is great for games like first-person shooters or large open-world environments. This is made even better with support for Dolby Atmos and Corsair provides an automatic license with the headset. I've been playing a lot of Halo Infinite which supports Dolby Atmos and it has sounded amazing on these cans.
Battery life on the HS80 was consistent with the marketing claims of 20 hours. For me, this meant charging the headset every two days—with 10 hours of work and play each day. I didn't test to see if turning off the RGB lighting made a significant difference but given how small the lights are, I doubt it. Charging the HS80 is easy thanks to a Type-C connection that also allows you to listen to them while it charges.
The Corsair HS80 is a great headset. It sounds great in both games and other media with a wonderful implementation of Dolby Atmos. If you do a lot of chat, the microphone is one of the best we've tested.
Read our full Corsair HS80 RGB review.
Best gaming headset FAQ
What does a gaming headset need?
There are a few things to consider when choosing a gaming headset. A good price and sound quality are foremost, but comfort is up there, too. Also, noise-cancelling mics are crucial for coms, so most of the headsets we've listed here include this feature. You want decent voice quality and a microphone that won't pick up every single keypress on your mechanical keyboard.
How do we test gaming headsets?
Each headset that we test we use daily for at least a week. We record a sample of our voice in Audacity and compare it to previous recordings from other models, then head to Discord to get some feedback from our friends on how we're sounding.
During that week, we aim to test each headset in a number of different game genres—shooters, battle royales, and racing games make for particularly good testing scenarios since the former tends to test the low-end and reveal muddiness and distortion, while PUBG et al are great for positional audio tracking. Finally, good racing sims feature a very particular mix designed to help you hear brake lock-up and tires losing traction. It's often in Project CARS 2 (seriously!) where great headsets are separated from merely good. Oh, and we listen to a lot of music, obviously.
Are wired or wireless headsets better for gaming?
This really comes to down to preference, but if you're going the wireless route what you want to look for is for decent battery life (20 hours or higher). The last thing you want to have a headset that's constantly needing to be plugged in because the battery life is bad. It kind of defeats the purpose of being wireless. For wired headsets you want to make sure you the cable is long enough to reach your PC without feeling like it's tugging on your head.
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Hello Empro,
Welcome to UnityHQ Nolfseries Community. Please feel free to browse around and get to know the others. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.
Empro joined on the 09/06/2022.
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Gundam Evolution, Bandai Namco's free-to-play hero shooter set in the world of the wildly popular mecha anime, is set for a Steam release on September 22. The game will feature 12 playable mobile suits (those are the mechs, if you're a philistine like me), 6v6 combat, and three "objective-based" game modes. Also, one of the mechs has a glowing war axe and pteruges for some reason.
The game will be replete with all the various equippable bells and whistles we've come to expect from free-to-play shooters. You'll be able to acquire skins for your mobile suits and weapons, pick up emotes, and deck yourself out with ornaments as you proceed through the seasonal battle passes. The game will launch in its season 1 state, but more things will be added as the seasons progress.
Those things include new mobile suits. The original roster of 12 will eventually be expanded as time goes on, and you'll be able to buy new ones using either "capital points" (which you acquire through gameplay) or "EVO coins" (which you acquire with real-world cash). Each season is meant to last around two months, so it shouldn't be too long before a few new suits roll out.
From my limited perspective, it sometimes feels like we've hit the limit on hero shooters in this vein, but Gundam is mind-bogglingly popular, especially in Japan. Perhaps the ability to pilot your own rock-em-sock-em robot will lure over players who might otherwise be uninterested and see the game join the hallowed ranks of our favourite free games. And hey, isn't piloting a mobile suit in a hero shooter kind of like finally putting titans into Apex Legends, if you squint?
Fine, it's not, but if you're still interested in seeing what Gundam Evolution has to offer, you can check it out when it unlocks on Steam at 3AM UK time, 10PM EDT, 7PM PST on September 22.
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The best PCIe 4.0 SSD also happens to be the best SSD in general. They're wildly fast, relatively cheap, and ready for future technologies like DirectStorage. For gaming, expect loading screens for some of your favorite games to zip by in mere moments. A speedy PCIe 4.0 SSD won't let you down until PCIe 5.0 drives start hitting the market soon.
We recommend 1TB as a bare minimum of storage capacity these days. Game sizes are only getting bigger, meaning you shouldn't even consider picking up 256GB and 512GB SSDs. It's better to have more storage than you need instead of constantly needing to prune your gaming library. Write performance improves with capacity, too, so that's another reason to go for a bigger drive.
To take advantage of these PCIe 4.0 SSDs, you'll need a PCIe 4.0 platform. That means having an AMD Ryzen 3000- or 5000-series CPU and X570 or B550 motherboard. Likewise, Intel CPUs have support for these SSDs with the Z690, H670, and B660 motherboards, as well as older 500-series motherboards. These SSDs will still work in the PCIe 3.0 platform but expect performance to take a hit due to interface limitations.
I've exhaustedly tested all the PCIe 4.0 SSDs listed below. I do this to ensure they're up to our standards and worthy of recommendation. Everything on this list is something I'd happily put into my gaming rig.
Best PCIe 4.0 SSD for gaming
(Image credit: Western Digital)1. WD Black SN850
The fastest PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD today
Capacity: 500 GB, 1 TB, or 2 TB | Controller: WD Black_G2 | Flash: BiCS4 96-layer TLC | Interface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 | Seq. read: 7,000 MB/s | Seq. write: 5,300 MB/s
Blistering PCIe 4.0 throughputExcellent real-world performanceSolid warrantyRuns hot at full speedsOur favorite WD Black SN850 config:
WD Black SN850 1TB | 7,000MB/s read | 5,300MB/s write
The 1TB version that would be our pick from the SN850 range. The 500GB drive lacks the full punchy pace that is the signature of 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSDs, and is pricier than most similarly capacious PCIe 3.0 drives, but the 1TB SN850 has a decent sticker price and stellar speed. And is just about the best you can buy today.View DealThe WD Black SN850 1TB drive is the fastest PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD you can buy right now. It may not top every test in every benchmark, but when it comes to real-world benchmarking, there's nothing else that can touch it. Don't get me wrong, it does well across the synthetic benchmarks, topping plenty of them, but there are a few places where the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus or the Samsung 980 Pro have the edge, but overall that doesn't take away from the fact that this is the pinnacle of storage right now.
Any SSD is ultimately defined by its performance and it's here that the WD SN850 really stands out from the crowd. The synthetic benchmarks, spearheaded by ATTO and AS SSD, show that this is very much a second-generation PCIe 4.0 drive, with peak sequential read speeds knocking on 6,750MB/s and 5,920MB/s respectively. Writes are lower than the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus, but still healthy, at either side of 5GB/s. The 4K write performance in AS SSD manage to flip this over as well, with the WD SN850 managing to outpace the Sabrent drive.
It's the real-world performance tests that impress the most though, with PCMark 10's Quick and Full storage tests putting the SN850 way ahead of the field. With an overall throughput of nearly 495MB/s in the Quick test and 550MB/s in the Full benchmark, this is a drive that just keeps powering on in day to day use.
The fact that this performance is echoed in the Final Fantasy XIV benchmark, which has the SN850 loading the five different scenes in a shade under seven seconds for the first time, impresses no end. When plenty of 'fast' SSDs still take 12 seconds to complete the same task, that proves what difference the latest technology can have on gaming performance.
The SN850 builds on Western Digital's previous SSDs to stand head and shoulders above the others to be the performance drive you want in your gaming PC. The Samsung 980 Pro, which had the edge for a few months, is left out in the cold, especially as it costs the same as the SN850, but loses out to the newer drive in every metric (apart from operating temperatures). Neither is a bad drive, obviously, but if we had to recommend a next-gen SSD right now, there's only one clear option, and that's the WD SN850. It's simply the best drive you can buy today.
Read our full Western Digital WD SN850 review.
(Image credit: Future)2. WD Black SN770
The best value for money PCIe 4.0 SSD
Capacity: 1TB | Controller: Sandisk PCIe 4.0 | Flash: Kioxia BiCS5 112-layer TLC | Interface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 | Seq. read: 5,150MB/s | Seq. write: 4,900MB/s
Solid performanceIn-house controller and flashFive-year warrantyRelatively small SLC cache......slow when you go over itCan get toastyOur favorite WD Black SN770 config:
WD Black SN770 | 1TB | 5,150MB/s read | 4,900MB/s write
This DRAM-less drive may not offer the fastest throughput, but it isn't far off, and in terms of value for money it's in a class of its own. 1TB for just over $100 is definitely worth picking up.View DealWe've seen some incredible NVMe SSD releases recently, but they've tended to focus on top-end performance and come with prices to match. The WD_Black SN770 bucks this trend and like its predecessor, the SN750, is aimed at offering better value for money than outright performance.
The main way it achieves this is by being a DRAM-less SSD drive. This saves a big chunk of the manufacturer's bill of materials, and thanks to advances in the latest controllers, it can be surprising how little impact this has on performance. Such drives are slower, don't get me wrong, but this new SN770 still quotes read and writes of 5,150MB/s and 4,900MB/s respectively. Not bad.
The drive itself is a low-profile affair, with this 1TB model boasting a single NAND flash module at the back (actually a rebranded Kioxia BiCS5 112-Layer TLC chip) and the SanDisk controller towards the connector. Western Digital rarely reveals much about its controllers, and that's the case once again here.
The SN770 is available in four sizes—250GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB, although there's no 4TB option, which is a bit of a shame. If you want a seriously capacious drive, you're going to want to track down the Sabrent Rocket offerings, which go all the way up to 8TB.
The synthetic performance shows the SN770 trails more expensive drives in terms of reads, although the writes are much closer. The 4K performance is relatively impressive and shows that the SN770 has something to offer in this crowded marketplace. It's not too surprising that this drive outperforms Samsung's DRAM-less offering, as that is a PCIe 3.0 drive, after all, but the extent to which it does is impressive.
It's worth noting that this drive can get hot when pushed, just like the SN850 in fact. It hit 76°C after a long day of testing, although that was without any direct cooling on it at all, not even a heatsink. It should be fine in most systems, especially if your motherboard does come with some cooling solution.
It's in the real-world tests where the SN770 really struts its stuff. Basically, you'd be hard pushed to tell the difference between this drive and much faster offerings in most day-to-day operations. Given this is the cheaper drive right now, that counts for a lot. If you need better performance, then the SN850 is clearly the better drive, but you will pay considerably more for it.
The only problem issue for this drive is that we don't know for sure how fast a drive needs to be for Microsoft's DirectStorage. We know some developers have been targeting 5,000MB/s, which is where the SN770 sits in our testing. So it should be good, and for the money, it's very tempting. If you're a serious gamer though, we'd recommend going a little bit higher up the product stack, and grabbing that WD_Black SN850.
Read our full WD Black SN770 1TB review.
(Image credit: Seagate`)3. Seagate Firecuda 530
A speedy PCIe 4.0 SSD that will last and last
Capacity : 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB | Controller: Phison PS5018-E18 controller | Memory: Micron 176L TLC NAND | Interface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 | Seq. read: 7,300 MB/s | Seq. write: 6,900 MB/s
All round great performanceExcellent endurance ratingsOne of the more expensive PCIe 4.0 drivesLacks AES 256-bit encryptionOur favorite Seagate Firecuda 530 config:
Seagate Firecuda 530 2TB | 7,300 MB/s read | 6,900 MB/s write
The 2TB version is the version to go for; it gives you the highest straight performance and an astounding endurance level. The version with the gorgeous EKWB heatsink is a little more expensive, but if you don't have integrated SSD cooling on your motherboard it's worth going for.View DealWe’ve been waiting in anticipation for the release of Seagate's FireCuda 530 series of PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives. And we can happily state that It's definitely time to add Seagate to the list of manufacturers capable of making top tier SSDs. The Seagate FireCuda 530 is at least the equal of any SSD on the market.
The Seagate FireCuda 530 2TB is a 2280 (80mm length) M.2 drive. It combines brand-new Micron 176-Layer TLC NAND with a Phison PS5018-E18 controller. Micron claims that its 176L TLC NAND is the best in the industry with a 30% smaller die size and a 35% improvement in read and write latency over its previous generation 96L NAND.The 2TB FireCuda 530's rated sequential read and write speed is 7300/6900 MB/s, and that’s pushing the limits of a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface. For users looking at the other capacities, the 4TB drive has the same rating while the smaller 1TB and 500GB drives are rated for 7300/6000 MB/s and 7000/3000 MB/s respectively.
So, how does it perform? If Seagate hopes to sell a drive that costs more than the established SN850 and 980 Pro then it has to deliver, and it does. The latest Phison E18 drives typically excel at sequential read and write tasks, but tend to trail in random performance, and particularly random read tasks and IOPS, which is important for gaming performance.Apart from the PCMark 10 storage tests, the FireCuda 530 either matches or beats the big bois of the storage world, and when you add its leading sequential performance and endurance rating, the Seagate 530 is at least the equal of any consumer SSD on the market.
We record temperatures throughout our testing making note of the peaks. The drive is left to run ‘naked’ with a Noctua fan over the area to keep things cool. The 2TB FireCuda 530 reached a peak of 71C, which makes it a pretty toasty drive, though we never saw any throttling during our extended testing. Though you will either want good airflow or an effective motherboard heatsink to keep things in check.
As a major player in the storage industry, I expect Seagate likely wrestled with the decision to hold back on releasing its best SSDs until it could include 176L NAND and steal the headlines. For me, the decision was absolutely worth it. Class leading sequential performance and a stunning endurance rating is joined by excellent random read and write performance.All up this elevates the Seagate FireCuda 530 to the head of the pack. It will make a great C drive, it will hold a substantial game library or you could use it as a scratch disk for large data sets that need to be moved frequently. Feel free to thrash it with any kind of workload.
Read our full Seagate Firecuda 530 2TB review.
(Image credit: Sabrent)4. Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus
The best value second-gen PCIe 4.0 SSD you can buy
Capacity: 1 TB, 2 TB, or 4 TB | Controller: Phison PS5018-E18 | Flash: Micron B27 96-layer TLC | Interface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 | Seq. read: 7,100 MB/s | Seq. write: 6,600 MB/s
Strong synthetic throughputSpeedy real-world performanceRuns coolNo the fastest aroundSabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2TB | 7,100MB/s read | 6,600MB/s write
High capacity SSDs are expensive, particularly the latest PCIe 4.0 drives. But the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus is one of the fastest around, and yet is still not a huge amount more expensive than an equivalent PCIe 3.0 2TB SSD.View DealThe Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus is the first drive to use the new Phison E18 controller. This is the follow up to the immensely popular Phison E16 controller found in basically every first-gen PCIe 4.0 drive. No, seriously, that's the controller you'll find in everything from the Corsair MP600 to the Gigabyte Aorus to the Addlink S90 as well as plenty of Sabrent's drives.
This new Phison E18 controller ups the ante significantly, offering sequential throughput of up to 7,100MB/s reads and 6,600MB/s writes. The theoretical limits of the interface are 8GB/s for both, so those figures aren't far off how fast you can expect PCIe 4.0 to go. It's incredibly fast basically, and on paper at least, the fastest drive to be released so far.
Sabrent's latest drive impresses almost effortlessly, especially when it comes to the synthetic throughput. The sequential read and write figures in both benchmarks are impressive, but it's the write performance that stands out most, leaving the competition eating dust. The Samsung 980 Pro in particular really struggles to keep up with the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus.As we've seen with previous drives, this synthetic throughput doesn't always translate to the real world, and this is partly the case here. While the copying of 30GB of files (a Steam game install made up of lots of tiny files as well as a few chunky ones), comes in competitively at 2 minutes and 16 seconds (equating to 225MB/s).
The PCMark 10 storage tests are a bit more off the pace though, with both the Full and Quick benchmarks showing the Sabrent lagging behind the Samsung 980 Pro and the WD Black SN850. The Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers benchmark loaded the levels in just over seven and a half seconds, which is notably quicker than the first generation drives, although behind the WD Black SN850.
This is still a fast drive, make no mistake, but the promise of those class-leading synthetic read and write speeds don't quite translate to class-leading real-world performance. It's not far off the pace, and your own usage cases may have this in the lead—especially if you need to write out a lot of large files—but for day-to-day gaming, it has to make do with fifth place.Read our full Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus review.
Best gaming keyboard | Best gaming mouse | Best SSD for gaming
Best VR headset | Best graphics cards | Best CPU for gaming(Image credit: Kingston)5. Kingston Fury Renegade
Awesome PCIe Gen 4 performance but at a serious price
Capacity: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Controller: Phison PS5018-E18 | Flash: Micron 176-Layer 3D TLC | Interface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 | Seq. read: 7,300MB/s | Seq. write: 7,000MB/s
Killer PCIe 4.0 performanceExcellent write enduranceLow operating tempsPainfully pricey4K performance merely competitiveOur favorite Kingston Fury Renegade config:
Kingston Fury Renegade | 2TB | 7,300 MB/s read | 7,000 MB/s write
High-capacity SSDs are expensive, particularly the latest PCIe 4.0 drives. But if you're after a seriously speedy drive that will last you for years, then this Kingston drive is impressive. View DealIt would be easy to look at the Kingston Fury Renegade SSD as just another Phison E18-based drive with another stupid name, but that would mean missing out on one of the outright fastest PCIe 4.0 SSDs in the business. The Renegade certainly cranks out the numbers. It also runs cool, has excellent rated write endurance, and a long warranty. But all that good stuff comes at a painful price.
Phison's PS5018-E18 is an eight-channel controller knocked out on none other than TSMC’s 12nm process. It’s loaded with five CPU cores in total, three based on generic ARM Cortex R5 IP and two cores with proprietary Phison designs. Phison claims the E18 can crank out 7.4GB/s read and 7GB/s write speeds, not to mention one million IOPS. We’ve previously seen the E18 classified as an NVMe 1.4 chip, but Kingston claims NVMe 2.0 support for the Fury Renegade.
We believe Kingston is using the same Micron 176-Layer 3D TLC chips as seen in the KC3000 sibling drive. All of which means you’re looking at a thoroughly up-to-date drive. Obviously, the PCIe 5.0 standard is notionally upon us with the arrival of Intel’s Alder Lake CPUs. But we’re some way from PCIe 5.0 drives and platforms being mainstream and compatible drives being available in volume.
In terms of the subjective computing experience, we doubt you’d be able to pick it from the rest of the high-performance PCIe Gen 4 crop. This means the broader package and pricing are key differentiators. We feel good about this drive’s long-term reliability thanks to those cool running temps and epic write endurance rating.
The value for money proposition is a lot less appealing. This is currently one of the most expensive PCIe Gen 4 drives out there right now, rolling in at $425 at the time of review. The Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus, WD Black SN850, and Samsung 980 Pro can all be had for considerably less money. So, as undeniably good as this is, we find the Kingston Fury Renegade a little tough to justify at this lofty price point.Read our full Kingston Fury Renegade review.
Best PCIe 4.0 SSD FAQ
What's the difference between PCIe 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 SSD?
Bandwidth, essentially. A PCIe 4.0 SSD can theoretically offer double the bandwidth that a PCIe 3.0 SSD can, and a PCIe 5.0 SSD double a PCIe 4.0 SSD.
Here's a comparison of bandwidth for a single lane (connection):
PCIe 3.0: ~1GB/s
PCIe 4.0: ~2GB/s
PCIe 5.0: ~4GB/sMost motherboards run an SSD in a 4 lane slot, meaning a PCIe 4.0 drive would be theoretically able to run up to ~8GB/s.
In real-world terms, the exact read/write speed of an SSD is not exactly double a previous generation one, but that's down to the speed of the controller and NAND on the SSD itself. We tend to see later drives in the release cycle really max out the full capability of a PCIe x4 connection.
For gaming, some of that speed is wasted. The difference in loading times between top M.2 speeds on different PCIe generations isn't all that great. However, technologies such as DirectStorage could change that, making better use of speedy SSDs. A faster drive will be better for other non-gaming operations, for sure, like moving massive files.
Is PCIe 4.0 worth it for SSDs?
If you want the absolute fastest drives available, then PCIe 4.0 SSDs are the way to go. They're quicker than any PCIe 3.0 drive and will make large file transfers for such things as video editing lightning fast. They will also be prepared for the future of gaming. The DirectStorage feature is used to take the load off the CPU and fire data directly at the graphics card to improve performance and shorten, or even remove, load times in tomorrow's open-world games.
Which CPU/chipsets support PCIe 4.0 SSDs?
For AMD-based systems, you can plug in a PCIe 4.0 drive and have it run at top speeds on Ryzen 5000/3000 processors. Same goes for AMD's Ryzen Threadripper 3000-series.
For Intel-based systems, PCIe 4.0 support is included on 11th Gen Rocket Lake processors and 12th Gen Alder Lake processors. Just make sure to double check your chip and motherboard online to be sure, as there are always exceptions.
Can you put a PCIe 4.0 SSD in a PCIe 3.0 slot?
Yes, you can. The M.2 socket is identical between the two generations of interface, and so a PCIe 4.0 SSD will fit comfortably inside a PCIe 3.0 slot. They will also function perfectly well, except the Gen4 drive will be limited by the speed of the older interface.
That is is theoretically 4GB/s, but it is closer to 3,500MB/s due to various overheads. PCIe 4.0 SSDs do cost more than their PCIe 3.0 counterparts, though, so unless you're planning to upgrade to a supporting platform soon, it's probably worth sticking with a more affordable PCIe 3.0 drive.
How do we test PCIe 4.0 SSDs?
We put every SSD we get in the PC Gamer labs through their paces in various benchmarks made up of a mix of synthetic tests and real-world applications. To ascertain a drives sequential throughput, we use ATTO SSD Benchmark for compressible data (a best-case scenario) and AS SSD for incompressible data (more realistic). We also test random throughput with AS SSD and a combination of CrystalDiskMark 7.0 and Anvil Pro.
When it comes to real-world tests, we time how long it takes to copy a 30GB game install across the drive and use PCMark10 and Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, which includes a level load test. We also check operating temperatures to ensure that the drive isn't getting too hot and throttling.
How big a PCIe 4.0 SSD should I buy?
As big as you can afford. At the very least, you want the room to install Windows 10 and a few of your most played games. As games get bigger, we increasingly see 500GB as being a bit cramped, and if you're buying for the long term, then a 1TB makes more sense. Newer models appear to start at 500GB, so there are not many options below that much of the time anyway.
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It's almost a little too easy to become comfortable with Dredge. I've been sailing all night long in my wee fishing boat, Tetrissing all manner of fish inside my inventory Resident Evil-style. I'm so engrossed I've failed to notice the rocks that are desperate for me to crash and the mysterious critters that are slithering their way into my meticulously organised vessel.
Dredge isn't the usual fish-and-chill game I've become so accustomed to playing. It's a mysterious, sinister survival game dressed up in wellies. The premise is simple enough: after totalling your old boat and ending up on a strange island, the mayor generously gifts you a rickety hand-me-down craft and a small debt. That debt, of course, is repaid in sea creatures. There's not much I'm able to grab at first—maybe a flounder, mostly carp, easy enough to slot into my inventory and go about my day. But after paying off my initial debt and performing some nice upgrades, my fishing horizons broaden massively.
Larger fish start appearing, along with more complex shapes to slot into the cargo hold. While eels are simple three-tile straight lines, fish like the bronze whaler are annoying bastards with one-tile prongs sticking out at diagonally opposite ends of its long body. Couple that with the fact that fishing rods, engines, reels and other trawling tools also take up space and it becomes a game of strategy. Instead of diving in head-first, I was having to take the time to think about which tools were right for the job. I'm not usually great at planning ahead, but quests handed out by NPCs generally help steer me in the right direction of what to bring out with me.
(Image credit: Black Salt Games)As I set out to sail, the mayor warns me to come back as the sun sets and the fog thickens. Pfft, I'm a fishing pro. I have a lantern, a rod and my wits about me. A little bit of darkness isn't going to scare me. Except it absolutely is. The Black Salt Games team lets me know that while I've been happily fishing away without a care in the world, my poor little fisherman has been in a deep-set panic for a hot minute. Those rocks I've been dodging, seemingly appearing out of nowhere? I've been hallucinating them, my anxiety willing them into existence.
A sinister plaice
An eye indicator at the top of the screen dictates the panic meter—now staring at me, fiery red, its pupil moving erratically. Certain things, like not sleeping or fishing too long in the thick night fog, will propel the panic meter to the top. Small solutions like keeping a lantern on or getting some shuteye can alleviate the problem somewhat, with even more options to save your sanity unlocking later on.
I quickly hurry back to my home island, helpfully directed by an ever-present lighthouse. It's a small touch my directionally challenged self is grateful for. I haven't ventured out very far, but sailing further out will open up all manner of biomes. Ancient ruins and twisting, dense submerged forests await me beyond the horizon as I unravel the stories each area has to offer.
(Image credit: Black Salt Games)My little fisherman friend awakes, the panic meter's eye finally soothed and my screen no longer tinged red. As is usually the case, though, the problems aren't over. I open my cargo to find one of my catches covered in purple blotches, infected from whatever slimy evildoer my brain conjured up the night before. It seems imagination is a pretty powerful thing because here I am, faced with a sickly sea critter that's about to infect all my other goods.
I should discard it, but curiosity gets the better of me. I leave it, along with one other fish and get ready to set sail. This is when I discover another one of Dredge's quirks. Most of this game's sea creatures are real, with a nice little encyclopaedia recording each catch. But underneath each log lies a few variants, and while their shapes are currently cloaked behind shadow it's clear they're out of the ordinary.
As I'm fishing along the same waters I've frequented the past few in-game days, I'm grabbing a few L-shaped carp. But I reel one in that's not like the others, as a three-eyed bright yellow creature stares back at me. Not long after that, my infected fish has latched onto the other regular catch I'd left next to it. That one too has become a three-eyed monstrosity. The team tells me it's actually quite rare to have a newly-infected fish mutate, and yet here we are.
(Image credit: Black Salt Games)I'm already gearing up to discover more weird and wonderful variations, but my time with Dredge is up. I wasn't sure what to expect when I walked in—"fishing horror" seems to be solidifying itself as an actual genre, which is wild, but Dredge proves how damn well it works. An hour in and I feel like I've only entered the shallow end of what the game has to offer. At risk of being fired for another fishing pun, Dredge really does have me hook, line and sinker. I can't wait to discover what lies in its depths.
Dredge is set to release on Steam in 2023.
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The greatest competitive FPS of this generation began its life as a console port. Envisioned as a new era for the iconic franchise, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was meant to bring together the fractured communities of 1.6 and Source, and finally bring Counter-Strike to consoles where the FPS genre was growing rapidly.
A full decade old, CS:GO still draws 21 million players a month and sells out massive esports stadiums for major tournaments, although the dream of succeeding on console never did materialise. Few games will ever be able to reach the heights CS:GO has, and its journey isn’t over yet.But the 10 year anniversary presents a great time to look back at the moments that made CS:GO what it is today. There’s been major controversies that led to new internet regulation, updates that influenced hundreds of future games, and the journey to become one of the biggest esports in the world. It’s been quite the rollercoaster for fans, and even kept distant onlookers entertained at times.
A divisive launch
Pitched as the game to unite the fractured Counter-Strike community, hopes were certainly high for CS:GO when it was announced, but as soon as it launched it was clear this was not what either side wanted.
"As a 1.6 player who didn’t move to Source and someone who wanted to see our great game thrive, I was incredibly disappointed," says James Banks, a former 1.6 pro who is now a top broadcast talent at CS:GO events. "It looked great but it felt like they were trying to be like Call of Duty and I thought my great game was never going to go back to its glory."
"I was friends with a lot of the UK scene’s Source players at the time and the collective opinion was that the game was terrible," says Jack "Jacky" Peters, a top CS:GO caster. "[It was] a poorly made game designed to be a port of Source to the current consoles at the time, the gameplay wasn't tight, the game was smeared in a thick layer of fog and blur and had none of the creature comforts players know and love about CS:GO today."
Trying to unite the players of both 1.6 and Source was always going to be a tough challenge, but initially CS:GO was just straight-up bad. In those early months of CS:GO’s life, and throughout the beta that preceded it, there was a lot of talk of players just sticking with the old versions of Counter-Strike, especially Source, and it felt like there was a very real chance that CS:GO wouldn’t live on for long.
(Image credit: Valve)Skin in the game
"Skins allowed the community to be collectors and allowed a form of self-expression we had not seen before."
James BardolphThe addition of skins a year after CS:GO launched was the most important update the game has ever seen. Without them it’s likely the game wouldn’t be anywhere near as popular as it is today, even though skins were nowhere near as prevalent as they are today. Over the years to come CS:GO would popularise the practice by showing how skins created their own mini-economy that both brought more eyes to the game and more money to the scene in general.
"The skins ecosystem for CS:GO was very important; it set a lot of benchmarks beyond just the game itself for what items can mean to this generation of games, but it also expanded the ecosystem of Counter-Strike for users in a very important way," says James Bardolph, a top CS:GO caster.
"Counter-Strike is one of those titles that comes along very few times in a generation that spawns a grassroots community of contributors to the game and has its own culture—the maps people make, the timeless moments the game has made (door stuck, anyone?) and many other things. Skins allowed the community to be collectors and allowed a form of self-expression we had not seen before."
As skins grew in popularity an economy grew around trading them and, while there were a lot of issues (more on that soon), the money they brought in helped the game’s pro scene significantly. Without the money that third party skin trading and gambling sites made through taking commissions on trades, or just being a straight-up casino, as well as the sticker money directly made by pro teams through in game sales, it’s likely the pro scene would be considerably smaller than it is today, as skin-related sites funded a significant amount of teams and tournaments for many years, even to this day, the current number one ranked team in the world, NAVI, are sponsored by trading site CS.Money.
"The addition of skins was fundamental to the growth of the game," says Max "MiGHTYMAX" Heath, a pro player for Team Endpoint who has been at the top level for over seven years. "It introduced cosmetics to the game which attracted lots of new players, as well as creating sponsorships for tournaments and teams. I think the growth of the game would have been massively hurt without the introduction of skins, all you have to do is look at the trend of other games implementing the same or similar cosmetics."
(Image credit: Snail Juice)Skin gambling
"Skin gambling was a blessing and a curse for CS:GO."
MiGHTYMAXThe dark side of the addition of tradable skins to CS:GO was the third party gambling sites that were built on them, cleverly using the Steam API to facilitate trading of skins while bypassing the limitations of the Steam Marketplace. From simply using them to bet on pro matches through to fully fledged casinos and everything you can think of in-between, skin betting became a massive business with some reports stating that billions of dollars worth of skins were going through these unregulated businesses every year.
"Skin gambling started out for some as a relatively innocent way to get rid of cheapo skins by staking them on matches—for others it was a profit-making exercise," says Bardolph. "The big turning point was went the first jackpot site turned up—it had nothing to do with CS:GO matches or anything else, just relatively instant gratification with user against user, hoping the site would not steal the better skins in the pot or rig the thing entirely, which of course, was inevitable in an unregulated space."
As you would expect with a completely unregulated gambling space it created a lot of issues, from match fixing in the pro scene, to underage gambling, scams and money laundering. There was the infamous case that made mainstream news of influencers Trevor "TmarTn" Martin and Thomas "Syndicate" Cassell advertising a CS:GO gambling site, which it later transpired they were part owners of, by making videos showing off the money they had made gambling, without disclosing their ownership role or the fact they were given free skins to gamble with. This eventually resulted in a settlement with the FTC, and warnings to over 20 other influencers for similar infringements. The FTC also updated its social media disclosure guidance as a result of the case.
"It was all very unregulated and left a lot of people having skins stolen, scammed, or just lost through a form of betting that they shouldn't have been exposed to whilst playing an online video game," says Jacky. "Then there was the greed that meant we lost key players from Counter-Strike history like Joshua "steel" Nissan [one of the first pro players to get a lifetime ban], due to the throwing scandals that forever shaped the CS:GO scene."
The Washington State Gambling Commission told Valve to stop all skin transfers that were related to betting in October 2016, and Valve sent cease and desist orders to the biggest sites out there, as well as adding more restrictions to skin transfers. It didn’t entirely stop the problem, as there are still places where you can wager your CS:GO skins today, but the prevalence of skin betting has dropped off significantly.
Image 1 of 4(Image credit: Valve)Image 2 of 4(Image credit: Valve)Image 3 of 4(Image credit: Valve)Image 4 of 4(Image credit: Valve)The unfortunate truth of the entire skin economy, including the gambling side of it, is that without it there is a good chance that, at best, the pro scene would not be as large as it is today, and at worst CS:GO would never have hit the heights it has. Skins added a way to express yourself in-game. One of your teammates commenting "nice AK bro" never gets old, and the option to further customise them with nameplates and stickers mean that you can have a loadout that really feels like 'yours', in a game where loadouts are at the core of the action.
Skins are also something to collect, with the appeal of a lucky rare drops that may be worth serious cash, all of which are reasons I and others have bought too many keys to count. Put this next to the money that the skin trading and gambling sites pumped into the pro scene and content creators, and you can argue that they were effectively advertising the game when Valve notoriously doesn’t.
The legacy of CS:GO skins has two sides. They were a key part in the success of the game, with many others trying to replicate the feature. But the negatives included people losing a lot of money, mainstream controversies that certainly didn’t help the perception of CS:GO and games in general, and incidents where government agencies had to step in to regulate behaviour that crossed from exploitative into criminal territory.
"Skin gambling was a blessing and a curse for CS:GO," says MiGHTYMAX. "There is no argument that skin-betting sponsorships drove massive player growth and enabled players to be salaried—as well as higher prize pools for tournaments. However the darker side of skin gambling facilitated underage gambling, rigged gambling websites and match-fixing."
The first major
Counter-Strike was one of the biggest esports in the West for many years during the early and mid '00s. Both 1.6 and Source had big, for the time, pro scenes and it was one of the first titles to offer up big money, with prize pools in excess of $100,000, to its players. But by the time CS:GO came around in 2012 the landscape looked very different: League of Legends, StarCraft II and Dota 2 now loomed over the CS 1.6 and Source pro scenes, offering massive prize pools for the biggest events and attracting the best pro teams around.
The unpopular launch of CS:GO among pros and the reluctance of some players to make the switch to the newest game meant that the competitive scene got off to a slow start. Then Valve announced the first ever CS:GO Major, a $250,000 tournament to take place at the large esports event DreamHack Winter 2013, and opinions on the potential of CS:GO as a top level esport quickly changed.
"For me this was mind-blowing, this was us going to the next level," says Banks. "CS:GO was doing well but getting the Major, having it with Dreamhack, in Sweden, it was perfectly put together, it was iconic. Back then I was not working at this level of events, I was still finding my way but I was in the crowd, I watched it all. It is forever a moment in my life that I won’t ever forget, I just remember knowing I wanted to work this kind of event."
"It began to feel like we were part of something bigger by sticking by CS:GO from its rocky release to reaching the first Major," says Jacky. "After seeing Fnatic crowned the champions at DreamHack Winter I knew that Counter-Strike truly was my passion and in some way, as a player, an admin, or a commentator, that I would be on a stage like that one day. It gave me a passion outside of just being a player, and a craving to be more involved in the culture of the game, in any capacity."
After the success of the first Major it was nailed-on that CS:GO would become the definitive version of Counter-Strike played at the top level. More Majors quickly followed, with third party tournaments also upping their game and offering bigger prizes and scale of events. It took a few years for CS:GO to really match the money and size of events that League of Legends and Dota 2 were offering, but now it is in the top tier of esports, and some will argue the very best out there thanks to how easy it is to watch and enjoy.
(Image credit: Jonathan Nackstrand via Getty images.)Counter-Strike GOes free-to-play
CS:GO hasn't just moved with the competitive times, but in important ways has shaped them in its own image.
CS:GO didn’t go free-to-play until 2018, which is easy to forget given how popular the game was prior to that With Steam sales regularly knocking the price down below $5, the barrier to entry wasn’t exactly high but Valve decided to take the plunge and open the floodgates. It also coincided with the release of Danger Zone, CS:GO’s battle royale offering, which felt a little like the game was following the crowd: initial reaction from long-term players wasn’t great.
"The initial backlash at the time from myself and friends around me was the frustration that you paid for the game, and got nothing more for your early investment," says Jacky. "And the fear that the game would be overrun by even more cheaters, a problem that was already happening at the time. But making the game F2P did help CS:GO grow bigger and reach more players, and Valve has kept increasing security and factors to hold back the cheaters. So I think the move was the second most important update to CS:GO alongside adding skins."
There was certainly a lot of backlash from the established CS:GO community at the time, but the free-to-play switch was never going to please them. It opened the game up to millions more players, especially those outside of the Western community that for years dominated the conversation around the CS franchise. Without the switch to free-to-play CS:GO would likely be facing a dwindling player base right now, instead, the number of peak concurrent players has doubled compared to what it was before the switch.
"Part of Counter-Strike's long term success is because it has been playable on poor spec computers and very affordable—free-to-play continues this trend in the modern era of the game," says Bardolph. "We did see an explosion of users when it became free to play—there are some significant issues caused by free to play in a popular genre such as cheating, smurf accounts but the pros outweigh the cons by far. Free-to-play is one of the signs of the game evolving over time."
Outside of some lockdown related spikes, CS:GO is currently enjoying its highest player counts ever (averaging around six hundred thousand users on Steam at any one time) and the game's future among both players and pros seems secure. With the heavily rumoured switch to the Source 2 engine finally expected to hit soon, although fans have been saying that for a while at this point, it’s very likely the game will continue to grow for the foreseeable future.
On such an anniversary, perhaps we should challenge a bit of received wisdom about Counter-Strike more generally: that it's 'always been the same game' in some sense. You can understand what it's driving at. The core of this experience always has and will always be a CT team and a T team with a bomb, and yes people will be playing that on Dust 2 for as long as they're playing Counter-Strike.
But CS:GO's arc shows what a chameleon the series has always been, thanks in large part to its community and then—credit where credit's due—Valve working out how it could best harness and reward that creativity. CS:GO hasn't just moved with the competitive times, but in important ways has shaped them in its own image. It reinvents itself: maybe not all at once, and maybe at a glacial pace, but the game now is unrecognisable from what it was at launch.
As any long-term player will tell you, there are some fundamental rules to Counter-Strike. And one of those is that when the competition know where you are, you better work out some way to keep moving.
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Returnal coming to PC has to be one of PlayStation's worst-kept secrets, and here's the latest slip. Back in May a Steam listing appeared with the codename 'Oregon', accompanied by tags and text that lined-up with Returnal's contents, and shortly afterwards some screens leaked. In July the 'Oregon' listing was updated with Steam Deck support, and now some of the game's developers have gone and given a talk containing what looks very much like footage and screens of a PC version.
Risto Jankkila and Sharman Jagadeesan, both of Returnal developer Housemarque, gave a GDC talk on VFX, during which they used clips and screens of the game. The game is running on a PC using a debug readout, first noticed by Digital Foundry's Alex Battaglia, which is not a smoking gun in itself but includes some eyebrow-raising details.
Returnal's presentation from GDC on its VFX and particle work is really cool - but I enjoy the bonus it has of once again confirming the PC version. Debug, readout!Link to presentation:https://t.co/slu0GIEu12 pic.twitter.com/xz4CUxqqU3September 5, 2022
See moreThe obvious point to be made is that Returnal was developed on Unreal, so of course the debug version is a PC version, and this in and of itself doesn't mean a PC version is imminent. However, the debug menu references features that do suggest this: dynamic resolution, which is not in the PS5 version, as well as references to mouse and keyboard controls.
Returnal would be something of a milestone for PlayStation on PC, inasmuch as Sony has yet to bring any PS5 exclusives to the platform (though it has promised The Last Of Us Remastered at some point). That was inevitable of course: Sony's games have met with great commercial success on PC and the platform-holder is pivoting towards giving the gaming public what they want. When that means we get games like God of War and Spider-Man, you won't catch us complaining.
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CD Projekt dropped a new teaser during today's Cyberpunk 2077 livestream, giving us our first look at the upcoming expansion and a title too: Phantom Liberty.
Phantom Liberty will be set in a new area of Night City, and feature "a new style of plot" with an all-new cast of characters. The trailer stayed vague on details, not surprising really, but it seems as though V is signing up for some new kind of venture on behalf of the New United States of America, the country that arose in the wake of the Collapse—and not everyone is entirely pleased about it.
Keanu Reeves also appeared during the livestream to announce that dead cyber-rocker Johnny Silverhand will be returning for the expansion. Sadly, he's not in the teaser, but you can see him in the full show embedded below—cued up to his big moment, for your viewing convenience.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is slated to come out sometime in 2023.
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At the turn of the millennium many needlessly fretted over what might happen with the so-called Y2K 'bug.' Would the world, now dependent on computers for so much, come to a crunching halt due to a slightly modified date format? It wouldn't, of course. The clock struck midnight on January 1st, 2000, and the 'bug' that was never truly a threat to anyone was proven to be little more than a sprinkle of scaremongering.
But it wouldn't be long before a very real threat to computers surfaced: that which has since been dubbed the capacitor plague.
Such effusive language is sure to frighten even the sternest of PC gamers, though this isn't just some tall tale told to scare budding builders into cleaning their chassis every once in a while. There really was an event by such a name in the early 2000s, though unlike Y2K's unwarranted panic, the capacitor plague would genuinely threaten catastrophic consequences for millions of PCs.
The events leading up to the so-called capacitor plague may have begun as early as 2001, where capacitors that were used in a range of electrical appliances and equipment—most famously of all, Dell PCs—were said to be fundamentally flawed.
I don't imagine many PC gamers today will have any memory of the capacitor plague. I certainly didn't until 2018. In a strange turn of events, I first heard of the event during a visit to Dell's testing facilities in Texas. I wasn't there to report on capacitor failure rates, yet during a test facility tour those fated capacitors were mentioned, serving as prime example of why Dell now doubles down on ensuring its suppliers' products match its own standards.
Dell certainly hasn't forgotten about the capacitor plague—I suppose one brush-in with mass component failure will do that to a company. Yet for me it became a bit more of a techie morbid fascination: a tech plague sounds like something out of a Warhammer 40,000 novel.
The electrolyte within these doomed caps was prone to deteriorating at a rapid rate.
It should come as no surprise that this all stems from one of the smallest discrete electrical components inside your PC. Storing a small amount of electrical charge, a capacitor, or cap, is a key component in any piece of electrical equipment, and there's no escaping the hundreds of them required for your gaming PC to function. Most among us would probably recognise the coiled electrolytic cap—made up of a dielectric material separating metal plates wound tightly together within a single insulated cell. Though there are also capacitors made from ceramic, polystyrene, paper, film, and a whole lot else.
You'll absolutely recognise the ceramic cap as those littering the space around or overleaf from your GPU or CPU. Though the caps we're talking about today are the coiled electrolytic kind—and pretty dodgy ones at that—many of which would be fitted in millions of PCs and electronic devices for the first half decade of the 2000s.
With capacitors today being produced in their trillions annually, and respectively in very high demand of the 2000s, there have to be certain accepted rates of failure. However, this issue was much, much worse than expected, and perhaps even endemic to an industry.
Each component in your PC could host many discrete capacitors. (Image credit: Elizabeth Fernandez via Getty Images)The electrolyte within these doomed caps was prone to deteriorating at a rapid rate, meaning the cap could swell or even burst as the electrolyte changed from a liquid into a gas. Once a cap fails like this, it is no longer building charge and discharging, which will lead to subsequent failures of the attached component, such as a PC motherboard.
But it's not just that dodgy capacitors were being manufactured and installed into heaps of machines. The wildest part is how that is alleged to have come to pass. According to one report by The Independent published in 2003 (no longer available on its website but accessible via the Wayback Machine archive), the reason for these particular capacitors' tendency to fail was down to an act of industrial espionage.
"A scientist steals a secret formula for an electrical product from his Japanese employer and takes it to China. Then it is stolen again and turns up in Taiwan. But something goes wrong—and thousands, perhaps millions, of computers and electrical goods in the West begin to burn out or explode."
The Japanese employer said to have had its secret blend of electrolytes stolen is a company called Rubycon, which was at the bleeding edge for electrolytic capacitors at the time of the alleged theft. The company that ultimately made off with the supposedly functional formula is said to have got something wrong, however, which led to the capacitors tendency to, uh, burst.
"After a few hours of operation, the electrolyte would leak hydrogen gas, before bursting the metal body of the capacitor. The electrolyte would then leak its brownish filling and could cause a fire."
Here are some old capacitors that have begun expanding and leaking. (Image credit: ermingut via Getty Images)That's the popular theory as to how these caps came to be manufactured and why they were flawed, though admittedly the exact details are muddier than I'd prefer. The Independent report is most often the only source for the matter of corporate espionage, and even that article no longer exists on The Independent's website—scrubbed from the internet over time. A recount of the story was published in The Guardian by the same journalist, Charles Arthur, in 2010, however.
I also can't find any reports of fires being started this way, but at the very least I'd guess a few affected capacitors popped in a moderately dramatic style.
Though there are other reports of the issue as it came to be. A marketing manager from at least one company affected by the failing caps told Passive Component Industry Magazine in its Nov/Dec 2002 issue (PDF warning) that it had sourced caps from Taiwan that were affected by the issue. Though they failed to mention any specific company was responsible. The same report goes on to cite the owner of a PC building business who states just how widespread the issue may have been at one point.
"ABIT PC motherboards were the most problematic, although he has seen several other Taiwanese-made motherboards with seeping capacitors, including ASUSTek Computer Inc., Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd., PC Chips Manufacturing Ltd., and Microstar International Co. Ltd."
You'll likely recognise many of those same brands making PC gaming gear today. Though this was a long time ago—you'd have to be dusting off some very old gaming gear to get anywhere close to these capacitors today, and at this point they're most likely dead anyways.
Motherboards are loaded with capacitors of all types. (Image credit: Narumon Bowonkitwanchai via Getty Images)Bad caps were causing a very real and widespread issue. Most of all, or so it appeared, for US PC goliath Dell.
Court documents from a lawsuit between Dell and Advanced Internet Technologies, reported on by the New York Times (paywall) in 2010, would reveal the full extent of the issue for the company. Dell was sued for high rates of failure in the computers AIT leased from the company in 2003 to 2004, but the two companies would later settle out of court.
"A judge in the Federal District Court in North Carolina unsealed hundreds of documents linked to a lawsuit filed by Advanced Internet Technologies that had accused Dell of trying to hide defects in its desktop computers from customers," the NYT report said.
Defect rates for Dell machines at the time were noted in the court documents to be as high as 20.2% of machines in a batch of 5,000 purchased by the city of New York. Microsoft had an issue with 11% of its machines during the same period, and other companies are noted with similar failure rates.
A document noted by the NYT expected a minimum of 12% of Dell's SX270 Optiplex computers to result in an "incident report" over the course of three years, though later revised that number to 45% and noted it could get as high as 97%.
Crikey.
The fact this is the highest quality image of the Optiplex SX270 I could find on the Dell website should say a lot about the time. (Image credit: Dell)A company spokesperson later said that Dell's actual failure rates were much lower than those it forecast, confirming it repaired 22% of the 21 million Optiplex computers it shipped during 2003 to 2005. That's still 4.62 million PCs with potentially faulty capacitors, and a lot of repair work for perhaps a handful of dodgy caps in any given machine.
This was an industry-wide problem.
DellDell pointed to capacitors manufactured by Japanese company Nichicon as the primary cause for concern in its products. The company mentioned Nichicon by name quite a lot in a blog post published in 2010, in fact.
"As noted in a New York Times article about the lawsuit, faulty capacitors were manufactured by Nichicon, a respected, long-term supplier to many industries. These capacitors were used by Dell suppliers at certain times from 2003 to 2005. The faulty Nichicon capacitors affected many manufacturers, including Hewlett-Packard, Apple and others, as discussed in the initial story and several blog posts afterward. Again, this was an industry-wide problem," Dell said.
"Dell suspended use of Nichicon capacitors after we discovered a problem in its manufacturing process. As we routinely do with product issues, we actively investigated the failures, audited the Nichicon plants and worked with customers to fix OptiPlex computers on a case-by-case basis. Beyond that, Dell voluntarily extended the warranties on all potentially affected OptiPlex motherboards up to January 2008 to address the Nichicon capacitor problem. The capacitor failure rates varied depending on customers’ environments and the number of Nichicon capacitors in the customer’s motherboards."
This is where things get a little confusing. Some attribute the Nichicon issue as a separate capacitor issue, unrelated to the aforementioned Taiwanese caps, yet occuring at near enough the same time. There was certainly a large level of overlap between these incidents, whether related or not, and that is probably justification enough to constitute that entire period as the so-called capacitor plague, anyways.
(Image credit: Kerrick via Getty Images)What's clear is that the entire period would be disastrous for the lifespan of electronics built during it. Though not everyone was running scared. If you knew what you were doing, there was also an opportunity to buy up mountains of faulty hardware, replace the caps, and get some good use out of them or sell them on for profit. There were even bespoke repair businesses set up during this time to help with this process, such as badcaps.net, which is still going today.
Thankfully, if we think back over the previous decades since the capacitor plague, no one has suffered from such an issue on anywhere near a scale like some did at that time. At least none we know about yet, anyways. Though there have been a few run-ins with other sorts of capacitor-related issues. Capacitor supply did take a big knock during recent shortages, which only worsened the chip deficit for PC gamers and further afield, and you might also remember the MLCC versus POS-CAP (SP-CAP) capacitor debacle from 2020 involving Nvidia's RTX 3080 graphics card. That was later mitigated to some extent by a new driver version, however, so you couldn't pinpoint capacitors exclusively at fault there.
Perhaps PC gamers are never too far from a dodgy capacitor or two, but let's hope a plague the scale of the one seen in the early 2000s won't come our way ever again.
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The best NVMe SSD for gaming will blaze through loading screens so fast you'll ask yourself why you didn't toss your old hard drive out any sooner. A reliable NVMe SSD makes your day-to-day PC usage much easier, from quickly booting into Windows to loading massive open-world games like Saints Row in mere moments. Next to a GPU, an NVMe SSD is the best, most affordable upgrade you can make to your PC.
Just look at how the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 have benefitted from having some of the best NVMe SSDs inside them. The technology that makes the most of the Xbox's storage (DirectStorage) will soon find its way onto our systems. That means storage is about to get a lot more important for gaming PCs.
The best thing about the SSD market is that it's super competitive. Every other day, you can find fantastic deals and savings on these speedy drives, particularly 1TB NVMe SSDs, which you can score for about $120. As long as your motherboard has an M.2 slot, picking up, an NVMe SSD should be a no-brainer.
We've tested loads of NVMe SSDs recently to find the best options. Each drive we've looked at is available in various capacities with prices to match. And remember, larger drives perform better thanks to more controller channels being used at higher capacities, so buy a big drive if you can on sale. It'll be worth it.
Best NVMe SSD
(Image credit: Western Digital)1. WD Black SN850
The fastest PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD today
Capacity: 500 GB, 1 TB, or 2 TB | Controller: WD Black_G2 | Flash: BiCS4 96-layer TLC | Interface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 | Seq. read: 7,000 MB/s | Seq. write: 5,300 MB/s
Blistering PCIe 4.0 throughputExcellent real-world performanceSolid warrantyRuns hot at full speedsOur favorite WD Black SN850 config:
WD Black SN850 1TB | 7,000MB/s read | 5,300MB/s write
The 1TB version that would be our pick from the SN850 range. The 500GB drive lacks the full punchy pace that is the signature of 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSDs, and is pricier than most similarly capacious PCIe 3.0 drives, but the 1TB SN850 has a decent sticker price and stellar speed. And is just about the best you can buy today.View DealThe WD Black SN850 1TB drive is the fastest PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD you can buy right now. It may not top every test in every benchmark, but when it comes to real-world benchmarking, there's nothing else that can touch it. Don't get me wrong, it does well across the synthetic benchmarks, topping plenty of them, but there are a few places where the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus or the Samsung 980 Pro have the edge, but overall that doesn't take away from the fact that this is the pinnacle of storage right now.
Any SSD is ultimately defined by its performance and it's here that the WD SN850 really stands out from the crowd. The synthetic benchmarks, spearheaded by ATTO and AS SSD, show that this is very much a second-generation PCIe 4.0 drive, with peak sequential read speeds knocking on 6,750MB/s and 5,920MB/s respectively. Writes are lower than the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus, but still healthy, at either side of 5GB/s. The 4K write performance in AS SSD manage to flip this over as well, with the WD SN850 managing to outpace the Sabrent drive.
It's the real-world performance tests that impress the most though, with PCMark 10's Quick and Full storage tests putting the SN850 way ahead of the field. With an overall throughput of nearly 495MB/s in the Quick test and 550MB/s in the Full benchmark, this is a drive that just keeps powering on in day to day use.
The fact that this performance is echoed in the Final Fantasy XIV benchmark, which has the SN850 loading the five different scenes in a shade under seven seconds for the first time, impresses no end. When plenty of 'fast' SSDs still take 12 seconds to complete the same task, that proves what difference the latest technology can have on gaming performance.
The SN850 builds on Western Digital's previous SSDs to stand head and shoulders above the others to be the performance drive you want in your gaming PC. The Samsung 980 Pro, which had the edge for a few months, is left out in the cold, especially as it costs the same as the SN850, but loses out to the newer drive in every metric (apart from operating temperatures). Neither is a bad drive, obviously, but if we had to recommend a next-gen SSD right now, there's only one clear option, and that's the WD SN850. It's simply the best drive you can buy today.
Read our full Western Digital WD SN850 review.
(Image credit: Future)2. WD Black SN770
The best value for money PCIe 4.0 SSD
Capacity: 1TB | Controller: Sandisk PCIe 4.0 | Flash: Kioxia BiCS5 112-layer TLC | Interface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 | Seq. read: 5,150MB/s | Seq. write: 4,900MB/s
Solid performanceIn-house controller and flashFive-year warrantyRelatively small SLC cache......slow when you go over itCan get toastyOur favorite WD Black SN770 config:
WD Black SN770 | 1TB | 5,150MB/s read | 4,900MB/s write
This DRAM-less drive may not offer the fastest throughput, but it isn't far off, and in terms of value for money it's in a class of its own. 1TB for just over $100 is definitely worth picking up.View DealWe've seen some incredible NVMe SSD releases recently, but they've tended to focus on top-end performance and come with prices to match. The WD_Black SN770 bucks this trend and like its predecessor, the SN750, is aimed at offering better value for money than outright performance.
The main way it achieves this is by being a DRAM-less SSD drive. This saves a big chunk of the manufacturer's bill of materials, and thanks to advances in the latest controllers, it can be surprising how little impact this has on performance. Such drives are slower, don't get me wrong, but this new SN770 still quotes read and writes of 5,150MB/s and 4,900MB/s respectively. Not bad.
The drive itself is a low-profile affair, with this 1TB model boasting a single NAND flash module at the back (actually a rebranded Kioxia BiCS5 112-Layer TLC chip) and the SanDisk controller towards the connector. Western Digital rarely reveals much about its controllers, and that's the case once again here.
The SN770 is available in four sizes—250GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB, although there's no 4TB option, which is a bit of a shame. If you want a seriously capacious drive, you're going to want to track down the Sabrent Rocket offerings, which go all the way up to 8TB.
The synthetic performance shows the SN770 trails more expensive drives in terms of reads, although the writes are much closer. The 4K performance is relatively impressive and shows that the SN770 has something to offer in this crowded marketplace. It's not too surprising that this drive outperforms Samsung's DRAM-less offering, as that is a PCIe 3.0 drive, after all, but the extent to which it does is impressive.
It's worth noting that this drive can get hot when pushed, just like the SN850 in fact. It hit 76°C after a long day of testing, although that was without any direct cooling on it at all, not even a heatsink. It should be fine in most systems, especially if your motherboard does come with some cooling solution.
It's in the real-world tests where the SN770 really struts its stuff. Basically, you'd be hard pushed to tell the difference between this drive and much faster offerings in most day-to-day operations. Given this is the cheaper drive right now, that counts for a lot. If you need better performance, then the SN850 is clearly the better drive, but you will pay considerably more for it.
The only problem issue for this drive is that we don't know for sure how fast a drive needs to be for Microsoft's DirectStorage. We know some developers have been targeting 5,000MB/s, which is where the SN770 sits in our testing. So it should be good, and for the money, it's very tempting. If you're a serious gamer though, we'd recommend going a little bit higher up the product stack, and grabbing that WD_Black SN850.
Read our full WD Black SN770 1TB review.
(Image credit: Seagate`)3. Seagate Firecuda 530
A speedy PCIe 4.0 SSD that will last and last
Capacity : 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB | Controller: Phison PS5018-E18 controller | Memory: Micron 176L TLC NAND | Interface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 | Seq. read: 7,300 MB/s | Seq. write: 6,900 MB/s
All round great performanceExcellent endurance ratingsOne of the more expensive PCIe 4.0 drivesLacks AES 256-bit encryptionOur favorite Seagate Firecuda 530 config:
Seagate Firecuda 530 2TB | 7,300 MB/s read | 6,900 MB/s write
The 2TB version is the version to go for; it gives you the highest straight performance and an astounding endurance level. The version with the gorgeous EKWB heatsink is a little more expensive, but if you don't have integrated SSD cooling on your motherboard it's worth going for.View DealWe’ve been waiting in anticipation for the release of Seagate's FireCuda 530 series of PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives. And we can happily state that It's definitely time to add Seagate to the list of manufacturers capable of making top tier SSDs. The Seagate FireCuda 530 is at least the equal of any SSD on the market.
The Seagate FireCuda 530 2TB is a 2280 (80mm length) M.2 drive. It combines brand-new Micron 176-Layer TLC NAND with a Phison PS5018-E18 controller. Micron claims that its 176L TLC NAND is the best in the industry with a 30% smaller die size and a 35% improvement in read and write latency over its previous generation 96L NAND.The 2TB FireCuda 530's rated sequential read and write speed is 7300/6900 MB/s, and that’s pushing the limits of a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface. For users looking at the other capacities, the 4TB drive has the same rating while the smaller 1TB and 500GB drives are rated for 7300/6000 MB/s and 7000/3000 MB/s respectively.
So, how does it perform? If Seagate hopes to sell a drive that costs more than the established SN850 and 980 Pro then it has to deliver, and it does. The latest Phison E18 drives typically excel at sequential read and write tasks, but tend to trail in random performance, and particularly random read tasks and IOPS, which is important for gaming performance.Apart from the PCMark 10 storage tests, the FireCuda 530 either matches or beats the big bois of the storage world, and when you add its leading sequential performance and endurance rating, the Seagate 530 is at least the equal of any consumer SSD on the market.
We record temperatures throughout our testing making note of the peaks. The drive is left to run ‘naked’ with a Noctua fan over the area to keep things cool. The 2TB FireCuda 530 reached a peak of 71C, which makes it a pretty toasty drive, though we never saw any throttling during our extended testing. Though you will either want good airflow or an effective motherboard heatsink to keep things in check.
As a major player in the storage industry, I expect Seagate likely wrestled with the decision to hold back on releasing its best SSDs until it could include 176L NAND and steal the headlines. For me, the decision was absolutely worth it. Class leading sequential performance and a stunning endurance rating is joined by excellent random read and write performance.All up this elevates the Seagate FireCuda 530 to the head of the pack. It will make a great C drive, it will hold a substantial game library or you could use it as a scratch disk for large data sets that need to be moved frequently. Feel free to thrash it with any kind of workload.
Read our full Seagate Firecuda 530 2TB review.
(Image credit: Sabrent)4. Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus
The best value second-gen PCIe 4.0 SSD you can buy
Capacity: 1 TB, 2 TB, or 4 TB | Controller: Phison PS5018-E18 | Flash: Micron B27 96-layer TLC | Interface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 | Seq. read: 7,100 MB/s | Seq. write: 6,600 MB/s
Strong synthetic throughputSpeedy real-world performanceRuns coolNo the fastest aroundOur favorite Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus config:
Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2TB | 7,100MB/s read | 6,600MB/s write
High capacity SSDs are expensive, particularly the latest PCIe 4.0 drives. But the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus is one of the fastest around, and yet is still not a huge amount more expensive than an equivalent PCIe 3.0 2TB SSD.View DealThe Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus is the first drive to use the new Phison E18 controller. This is the follow up to the immensely popular Phison E16 controller found in basically every first-gen PCIe 4.0 drive. No, seriously, that's the controller you'll find in everything from the Corsair MP600 to the Gigabyte Aorus to the Addlink S90 as well as plenty of Sabrent's drives.
This new Phison E18 controller ups the ante significantly, offering sequential throughput of up to 7,100MB/s reads and 6,600MB/s writes. The theoretical limits of the interface are 8GB/s for both, so those figures aren't far off how fast you can expect PCIe 4.0 to go. It's incredibly fast basically, and on paper at least, the fastest drive to be released so far.
Sabrent's latest drive impresses almost effortlessly, especially when it comes to the synthetic throughput. The sequential read and write figures in both benchmarks are impressive, but it's the write performance that stands out most, leaving the competition eating dust. The Samsung 980 Pro in particular really struggles to keep up with the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus.As we've seen with previous drives, this synthetic throughput doesn't always translate to the real world, and this is partly the case here. While the copying of 30GB of files (a Steam game install made up of lots of tiny files as well as a few chunky ones), comes in competitively at 2 minutes and 16 seconds (equating to 225MB/s).
The PCMark 10 storage tests are a bit more off the pace though, with both the Full and Quick benchmarks showing the Sabrent lagging behind the Samsung 980 Pro and the WD Black SN850. The Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers benchmark loaded the levels in just over seven and a half seconds, which is notably quicker than the first generation drives, although behind the WD Black SN850.
This is still a fast drive, make no mistake, but the promise of those class-leading synthetic read and write speeds don't quite translate to class-leading real-world performance. It's not far off the pace, and your own usage cases may have this in the lead—especially if you need to write out a lot of large files—but for day-to-day gaming, it has to make do with fifth place.Read our full Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus review.
Best gaming keyboard | Best gaming mouse | Best SSD for gaming
Best VR headset | Best graphics cards | Best CPU for gaming(Image credit: Kingston)5. Kingston Fury Renegade
Awesome PCIe Gen 4 performance but at a serious price
Capacity: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Controller: Phison PS5018-E18 | Flash: Micron 176-Layer 3D TLC | Interface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 | Seq. read: 7,300MB/s | Seq. write: 7,000MB/s
Killer PCIe 4.0 performanceExcellent write enduranceLow operating tempsPainfully pricey4K performance merely competitiveOur favorite Kingston Fury Renegade config:
Kingston Fury Renegade | 2TB | 7,300 MB/s read | 7,000 MB/s write
High-capacity SSDs are expensive, particularly the latest PCIe 4.0 drives. But if you're after a seriously speedy drive that will last you for years, then this Kingston drive is impressive. View DealIt would be easy to look at the Kingston Fury Renegade SSD as just another Phison E18-based drive with another stupid name, but that would mean missing out on one of the outright fastest PCIe 4.0 SSDs in the business. The Renegade certainly cranks out the numbers. It also runs cool, has excellent rated write endurance, and a long warranty. But all that good stuff comes at a painful price.
Phison's PS5018-E18 is an eight-channel controller knocked out on none other than TSMC’s 12nm process. It’s loaded with five CPU cores in total, three based on generic ARM Cortex R5 IP and two cores with proprietary Phison designs. Phison claims the E18 can crank out 7.4GB/s read and 7GB/s write speeds, not to mention one million IOPS. We’ve previously seen the E18 classified as an NVMe 1.4 chip, but Kingston claims NVMe 2.0 support for the Fury Renegade.
We believe Kingston is using the same Micron 176-Layer 3D TLC chips as seen in the KC3000 sibling drive. All of which means you’re looking at a thoroughly up-to-date drive. Obviously, the PCIe 5.0 standard is notionally upon us with the arrival of Intel’s Alder Lake CPUs. But we’re some way from PCIe 5.0 drives and platforms being mainstream and compatible drives being available in volume.
In terms of the subjective computing experience, we doubt you’d be able to pick it from the rest of the high-performance PCIe Gen 4 crop. This means the broader package and pricing are key differentiators. We feel good about this drive’s long-term reliability thanks to those cool running temps and epic write endurance rating.
The value for money proposition is a lot less appealing. This is currently one of the most expensive PCIe Gen 4 drives out there right now, rolling in at $425 at the time of review. The Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus, WD Black SN850, and Samsung 980 Pro can all be had for considerably less money. So, as undeniably good as this is, we find the Kingston Fury Renegade a little tough to justify at this lofty price point.Read our full Kingston Fury Renegade review.
Best NVMe SSD FAQ
How do we test NVMe SSDs?
We put every SSD we get in the PC Gamer labs through their paces in various benchmarks made up of a mix of synthetic tests and real-world applications. To ascertain a drives sequential throughput, we use ATTO SSD Benchmark for compressible data (a best-case scenario) and AS SSD for incompressible data (more realistic). We also test random throughput with AS SSD and a combination of CrystalDiskMark 7.0 and Anvil Pro.
When it comes to the real-world tests, we time how long it takes to copy a 30GB game install across the drive and use PCMark10 and Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, which includes a level load test. We also check operating temperatures to ensure that the drive isn't getting too hot and throttling.
Can I fit an NVMe SSD on my motherboard?
The M.2 socket has been included on motherboards of all kinds for many years now, so the chances are that there's a spare slot sitting inside your existing gaming PC. Check out your motherboard's specs page online before pulling the trigger on an NVMe SSD purchase, though, to be sure. Those harboring a board that's a few years old now, do yourself a favor and make sure it supports booting from an NVMe drive first. Not all older motherboards do, especially if you're going back multiple CPU generations (maybe a full upgrade's due, if so).
What is NVMe, exactly?
The NVMe, or Non-Volatile Memory Express interface, has been designed specifically with solid state drives in mind. In contrast, SATA, the previous interface in charge, was built to cater to most HDDs. The thought is, at the time, that no storage would ever need to exceed its lofty max bandwidth. To the surprise of a few, new storage mediums such as solid state absolutely blaze past SATA's max bandwidth, and so a new protocol in NVMe was born.
That makes NVMe SSDs the perfect storage tech for gaming.
Running on the same basic interface as your graphics card, NVMe SSDs deliver more raw bandwidth and performance than any SATA-based SSD could ever offer. They're also a lot smaller than any other hard drive or SSD too, which all means that the best NVMe SSDs are perfect for either that small form factor build you always wanted or a monstrous high-end gaming PC build.
What's so special about NVMe?
The old storage paradigm was built on the idea of spinning disks. When SSDs hit the mainstream consumer market back in 2007, they reset our expectations for storage. Moving from the mechanical world of hard drives to the silicon world of SSDs brought rapid improvements in performance, technology, capacities, and reliability. SSDs quickly saturated the various SATA connections, and so faster alternatives were needed, but the interface was only part of the problem.
The AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) command protocol was designed for much slower media (i.e., spinning magnetic disks). AHCI is inefficient with modern SSDs, so a new standard was developed: NVMHCI (Non-Volatile Memory Host Controller Interface). Combine NVMHCI with a fast PCIe interface, and you have NVMe, Non-Volatile Memory Express. It's a much-improved interface developed around the needs of flash memory rather than spinning disks.
What's NVMe performance like in the real world?
If you're copying a game from one drive to another or validating game files in Steam, faster NVMe drives make a difference. They can also shave off a second or two when it comes time to load a game level, but the more significant difference is against hard drives, where even a slower SATA SSD is much faster. Go beyond a certain point, and all SSDs start to feel similar.
In other words, while the speed freak in me loves what NVMe brings to the table, I recognize that in practice, it's usually not that noticeable. If you're looking to get the most from your money when it comes time to build a gaming PC, good SATA SSDs remain an excellent option, with prices now falling below 10 cents per GB.
NVMe drives are becoming increasingly commonplace, and prices continue to drop. In the past year, I've tested far more NVMe drives than SATA drives, mainly because SATA drives are all starting to look the same. Most hit the same ~550MB/s limit of the SATA interface for sequential IO, though random IO can still be a bit problematic on some models. With budget NVMe prices now matching SATA drives, most new builds should seriously consider whether the extra power and data cables of SATA are necessary.
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The new Sony WH-1000XM5 Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth headphones aren't your typical cans to grace the hallowed pages of PC Gamer. They aren't gaming headphones, they don't have 2.4Ghz wireless, or offer any form of RGB bling. But for most, there are few headphones as comprehensive and capable as the XM5’s.
They are very comfy, sound amazing, and have best-in-class noise cancellation which no gaming headset can match. At $400, they aren't cheap, but they do provide a surprising amount of utility and versatility that many a gamer would appreciate. As a sequel to the universally praised WH-1000XM4s, which are the gold standard for ANC headphones, the XM5 improves on the XM4 in many ways but also stumbles in others.
For starters, there's the design—Sony has got rid of the classic, folding headband design which allowed the XM4s to shrink into a travel-friendly pouch. Instead, the XM5 gets a thinner, fixed headband with rotating ear cups that stop at a 90-degree turn. This means the XM5 has a larger (albeit flatter) case which isn’t as travel-friendly.
Additionally, Sony has dialed back the aesthetic of the XM5 to the point where it's devoid of character. If not for the Sony logo on the earcup arms, this is essentially a bland and generic-looking headset. That's a surprising move when headsets like the Master & Dynamic MW75 or the Bowers & Wilkins P7X are so damn stylish and easily identifiable.
Looks aside, I can’t deny how comfortable and sturdy the XM5s are. The plush memory foam ear cups completely cover my ears and the headband has the right clamping force. Even with glasses, I never felt uncomfortable. The headband, while thinner isn’t any less comfortable than the XM4’s either.
Sony WH-1000XM5 Specs(Image credit: Future)Drivers: 40mm neodymium
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2, 3.5mm wired
Style: Over-ear
Frequency response: 4Hz–40,000Hz
Features: Adaptive ANC, DSEE Extreme, LDAC, Beam Forming Microphone, touch-sensitive controls
Supported Audio Formats: SBC, AAC, LDAC
Weight: 250g
Battery life: Max 30hrs (ANC ON), 40hrs (ANC OFF)
Price: $399 | £379The XM5 has upgraded 30mm drivers which sound far more powerful than larger drivers found in many gaming headsets. Sony has also added an LDAC and its own DSEE Extreme smart processing, which gives you upscaled audio, Hi-Res audio, and 360 spatial audio; all over Bluetooth. So the XM5s produce a luxurious, rich sound with powerful bass and crystal clear mids and highs. So whether I was listening to classical opera, watching Netflix, or blasting hordes of aliens in Destiny 2, the XM5s sound positively fantastic.
Then of course there's the ability to completely negate any annoying background noise that would otherwise interfere with your listening pleasure. The XM5s comfortably retain their crown as the ANC kings. It’s disturbing how well they negate common white noise around us like our PCs, air conditioning, road traffic, and airplane cabin noise.
Sony has doubled the number of ANC microphones to eight and has two audio processors that constantly monitor and adjust to the ambient noise. It works wonderfully and you can quickly hear what a difference it makes, say from when you’re in your house to stepping outside into traffic. The smarts continue with the four beamforming microphones which do an excellent job for phone calls and chat. I sounded perfectly clear to callers even while on noisy roadsides.
(Image credit: Future)Sony includes a handy Android and IOS app that lets you change your ANC settings, EQ profiles, touch controls, and more. The touch controls are really intuitive too, using a combination of swipe gestures and taps to manage your media. My favorite is cupping the right earcup to enable temporary transparency mode so you can hear what’s going on around without taking off the headset. Even better is the speak-to-chat function which does the same with no hands required but does get problematic if you like singing along or talking to yourself a lot.
The XM5s use multi-point Bluetooth 5.2 to connect to two devices simultaneously. This means you can game on your PC and still make phone calls. Pairing is a breeze thanks to them supporting Google Fast Pair and Windows Swift Pair. And if you misplace them, Google Find My Device app will point you to them.
The XM5's battery life is an acceptable 30 hours with ANC and 40 without it but competitors like Sennheiser's new Momentum 4's double that. It's enough to get you through a transatlantic flight or day and a half streaming marathon though. Sony has thrown in fast charging that can deliver 3 hours of use in just three minutes of charging over USB Type-C.
Image 1 of 6(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 6(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 6(Image credit: Future)Image 4 of 6(Image credit: Future)Image 5 of 6(Image credit: Future)Image 6 of 6(Image credit: Future)In any case, you can still use the headphones with a 3.5mm cable connection when they're flat. This is also the preferred way for gamers to use the XM5s. You lose out on all the smart features and noise cancellation, but the XM5 sounds just as fantastic. So plugging into your console controller or audio jack on your PC still produces a premier audio experience.
The Sony WH-1000XM5s are the total package and one of the best Bluetooth headphones for most people. Though its updated aesthetic is not appealing to me, I am pleased with its overall performance. However, it's seriously worth considering the WH-1000XM4s which are very close in performance but are notably cheaper.
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Now that Disney Dreamlight Valley is out in the wild, you'll be able to access the Star Path. The Star Path is Dreamlight Valley's answer to a battle pass, where completing specific challenges will net you some cool rewards. A Star Path will last a full season, with the first season starting on September 6. With that in mind, let's take a look at your first Star Path.
Disney Dreamlight Valley: Season 1 Star Path
As Disney Dreamlight Valley is still in early access, season lengths haven't been firmly decided yet. However, Gameloft has stated that the current season will run from September 6 until October 11. A free version of the Star Path will be available for all players, and a premium Star Path will be available for 2500 or 4100 Moonstones—the in-game currency—depending on whether you want extra Star Path balls.
Image 1 of 3(Image credit: Gameloft)Image 2 of 3(Image credit: Gameloft)Image 3 of 3(Image credit: Gameloft)They look like the balls from Toy Story and you can exchange them for rewards, such as the IncrediSquirrel pal and motifs, clothing and furniture. You can earn Moonstones to buy the Star Path balls by completing challenges such as mining resources or selling cooked meals, then exchanging those Moonstones for Star Path balls.
You can also purchase Moonstones with real-life money, but they can only be used to buy extra cosmetics—there are no pay-to-win features here. You can check your Star Path progress via the Event tab in the settings menu.
If you're just getting started with Disney Dreamlight Valley, be sure to check out our guides on how to import your avatar and where to find all the Royal Tools.
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The Quest 2's 120Hz refresh rate has been an experimental feature for over a year now, meaning you had to dive into the settings to enable it at your own risk. Once enabled, it has allowed some apps to take advantage of the VR headset's secretly speedy refresh rate. However, with various hoops to jump through for users to utilise the faster refresh rate, not all have done so.
That might change with the imminent introduction of the 120Hz refresh rate as default for the VR headset. Consulting CTO of Meta's VR team and founder of Id Software, John Carmack, has confirmed that the 120Hz experimental feature will soon be made "default-on."
120 fps has been an "experimental feature" on Quest 2 for a long time, and we are finally going to make it default-on. Any app that plays 60 fps video should consider 120 fps display -- it avoids the flicker of 60 fps display, and makes imperfect release tempo less harsh.September 5, 2022
See moreOnce enabled by default, apps that support 120Hz display won't have to worry about telling users how to switch it on, and here's hoping the headset's rapid refresh rate will be taken advantage of a whole lot more often for games, apps, and video.
The higher refresh rate will require some extra horsepower, however, so I expect some games may struggle to make the switch while running on the Quest 2's integrated processor.
When asked about the refresh rate's impact on battery life, Carmack said "It only gets used when apps explicitly ask for it, and only a modest handful take advantage of it -- most apps can't run at those high rates."
This isn't the first time owners of the Quest 2 have enjoyed a bump to its refresh rate. The Quest 2 launched with a steady 72Hz refresh rate advertised, with the promise of an experimental 90Hz mode. The 90Hz mode was rolled out across the board late in 2020, and in my experience most apps support the higher refresh rate relatively well.
Virtual reality(Image credit: Valve)Best VR headset: which kit should you choose?
Best graphics card: you need serious GPU power for VR
Best gaming laptop: don't get tied to your desktop in VRWith this pending update, which doesn't have a firm date as of yet, 120Hz refresh rates will become the new norm. Thus bringing the Quest 2 up to speed with the Valve Index. In the Index's defence, however, it does offer an experimental 144Hz mode.
If you haven't purchased a Quest 2 as of yet, unfortunately you have missed the boat for buying one at its original price of $299/$399. Meta increased the price for the headset by $100 earlier this year, and that change in price has largely been reflected in what retailers are now charging for it.
It's still a decent price for a headset that keeps getting better with age (you no longer need a Facebook account to use the Quest 2, either), but it's a shame to see some of its shine lost with a price increase.
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Long time PlayStation hardware architect and current executive vice president Masayasu Ito is set to retire from Sony Interactive Entertainment at the end of September, after 36 years working with the company. It's been a good run. From mechanical engineering lead for the PSP, to hardware engineering lead for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, Ito has seen Sony grow into the console giant it is today.
This is a man who oversaw the rise of consoles as they transformed into something much more akin to desktop PCs. A man whose work helped to set a trajectory for greatness, and push Sony technology into the ever watchful eye of PC Gamer's tech team. Look, you're right, we're not a console site. But I'll be damned if there's much difference to speak of nowadays. That's in great part thanks to Ito and the work of his diligent engineering teams over the years (via Bloomberg).
I was surprised to learn that Ito actually cut his teeth on audio equipment for cars back in 1986, and only began working with Sony's console division 14 years into his career, when the millennium hit. Once there he began working on peripherals for the PlayStation 2, such as network adapters and LCD monitors.
When it came to the PSP, Ito was a big player in improving the thermals so you could actually hold the PlayStation Portable while under full load.
"As our products cling to image quality, heat is inevitably a problem. If it is a stationary machine, still some heat can be tolerated," Ito told Famitsu when asked about some of the difficulties faced (machine translated). "However, since the portable unit can not hold it when it is hot, it is a part that uses the mind of a stationary machine, but it is very difficult to suppress the heat generation. I've done it."
Your next upgrade(Image credit: Future)Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and AMD
Best gaming motherboard: The right boards
Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits
Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the rest"For the PlayStation 4, I was in charge of everything from the system software to the hardware," he recalls.
It was Ito's work on the PS4 Pro that saw its hardware so fiercely improved from the standard PS4's spec. Under his leadership, the PS4 Pro saw a 30% uptick from the PS4's 8-core AMD Jaguar x86-64 CPU's clock speeds of 1.6GHz to 2.1GHz. Ito also influenced the decision to upgrade the PS4 Pro's AMD Radeon graphics chip from 1.84 TFLOP to a whopping 4.2 TFLOP, and paved the way for its 4K gaming capability.
Not only that, he helped shake up the software side of things in order for the PS4 to become the raging success it was with creators.
"With the PlayStation 4, we made things from the perspective of what would be easy for users to use, what they would want, and what would make it easier for creators to make games. The method is completely different from before."
Now, his work on the PlayStation 5 has given us a lot to think about as PC gamers. With its impressive spec matching a fair few desktop machines of today, it did give us a mini existential crisis. Seriously, what even is a PC?
Essentially, Ito is a veritable console hero, and it's sure to be an emotional month for Sony. Come October Ito's impressive career will come to a close, and he can get on with his well-earned retirement. So, cheers to the man who basically made consoles worth writing about on the PC gaming site.
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Players trying to get into World of Warcraft Classic's more popular servers have found themselves faced with queues of tens of thousands and wait times measured in hours, as Blizzard's classic MMO gears up for the release of Wrath Of The Lich King on September 26. Yes: it's just like the good old days.
The queues, VG247 reports, are primarily affecting WoW's so-called "megaservers," high-population servers that have a tendency to snowball as they accumulate more and more players. More players means more PvP opportunities, more roleplaying, more community and social aspects, so their high population begets more population which begets, well, very long queues.
Players on the subreddit for Grobbulus—the North American PvPRP server—have been amusing themselves by one-upping each other with their queue times while they wait to gain access to the game. When you're faced with the necessity of waiting nearly six hours to actually get into the game, I suppose it becomes necessary to find some way to keep yourself occupied.
It's not just megaservers like Grobbulus that have run into problems, though. Fresh servers—which give everyone the opportunity to start, ahem, afresh without bringing their pre-existing equipment and wealth into the game—have also been throwing up agonisingly long queues in the run-up to Lich King's release.
It's not all on Blizzard. As one person waiting in line for Grobbulus pointed out, if everyone currently in the same queue transferred over to a different, emptier server, that server would instantly have a healthy community all by itself. Many players have an option to freely transfer over to different servers if the waiting gets too much, but elect to grit their teeth and endure the wait regardless.
The problem is also compounded by the fact that, once they're in, players don't want to leave again. If you quit, you'll have to queue again to get in, so some players have taken to idling their characters in-game once they make it into their servers, only adding to the problem.
There are all sorts of individual reasons for that behaviour, but the key to understanding why is server balance. Servers like Grobbulus have a healthy split between Horde and Alliance players, which means you can pretty much always find someone of your faction to raid with and do other co-op stuff, and you can always find opponents to pick a fight with. Plenty of players would rather stick to a balanced server, even if they have to wait an age to get in, than migrate to an imbalanced one.
An even bigger factor may be that players want to be on the same server as their mates. Having a healthy number of randoms around is great but, if you've agreed a server in advance with the people you'll be spending most of your time in-game with, there's little option but to suck up the wait time.
This has all happened before. Back when WoW Classic launched, players ran into multi-hour queues to get into the game, and Blizzard ended up having to gradually add more servers to ease the glut. Maybe this is just an inevitability of the upsurge in popularity and curiosity that accompanies an expansion launch, maybe it's that Wrath of the Lich King is arguably the most popular expansion WoW's ever had. Six hours though… by the time they get in, some players will certainly feel like death knights.
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To get the most out of Disney Dreamlight Valley, you'll need to find a set of Royal Tools. These tools will help you fish, garden, smash rocks and even take a cheeky selfie. The majority of these tools will be gathered as you begin the main story, with the camera coming later.
In this guide, I'll be talking you through each of the available tools and what they can be used for. Some of the tools can be upgraded as you progress through friendship levels with certain characters, so let's get started.
Disney Dreamlight Valley: Where to find the Royal Tools
There are four Royal Tools to get your hands on, plus the camera. These tools are:
- Watering can
- Shovel
- Pickaxe
- Fishing rod
- Camera
The watering can and pickaxe will be the first tools you'll unlock as you begin the game with Merlin and Mickey. The pickaxe can be found in the bottom right of the Plaza, and the watering can be found at the back of your little house.
The shovel can be found at the Chez Remy bistro in the northeast of the Plaza, and the fishing rod is in the Peaceful Meadow. It's in a sorry state when you find it at the largest pond, but take it to Goofy and he'll fix it up for you. The camera unlocks almost right away, so get snapping.
Image 1 of 4(Image credit: Gameloft)Image 2 of 4(Image credit: Gameloft)Image 3 of 4(Image credit: Gameloft)Image 4 of 4(Image credit: Gameloft)As for what you can do with the tools, it's pretty simple. Watch for a pale-cloured circle appearing around the area you want to interact with, such as a rock you want to use the pickaxe on. You can then use the right-click button to use the tool.
You can use the watering can on freshly planted and dying plants, and the shovel can be used to dig up golden glitter spots to find minerals and treasure, as well as dig holes to plant seeds in. The pickaxe can break rocks on the ground and black rocks on walls. Smashing these rocks often reveals special gems, like garnets and emeralds which you can sell or use for quests.
(Image credit: Gameloft)How to use the fishing rod in Disney Dreamlight Valley
The fishing rod is the trickiest tool to use. In a body of water, you'll see circles of different colours with bubbles that indicate fish are nearby. They can be white, red or blue coloured depending on the difficulty of the catch.
To cast your rod, you need to hold the spacebar or the right mouse button until the small circle moves into the fishing circle. Then, you need to wait for the prompt and left-click to "catch" the fish, before waiting for the circle to move inwards.
You want to time your left-click with the outer circle meeting the inner circle. If you get a green circle, you've clicked on time; if it's red, you'll need to start again. You'll need to do this two or three more times to catch the fish.
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Hello gazno,
Welcome to UnityHQ Nolfseries Community. Please feel free to browse around and get to know the others. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.
gazno joined on the 09/06/2022.
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So you spent hours deciding on the perfect custom outfit in Disney Dreamlight Valley and now you need to import your avatar into the full game. Luckily, it's pretty quick and easy. You want to be sure you definitely have your outfit exactly how you like it though, because as the game itself warns you "this will be your very first clothing set and it can only be done once." No pressure or anything.
As a note, you don't need to create a character in the Avatar Designer Tool. This just applies to those of us who downloaded the free character creation tool to start playing dress up early. If you did nail your look preemptively, here's how to get all that hard work transitioned over to the game.
How do you import your avatar into Disney Dreamlight Valley?
To import your avatar into the full version of Disney Dreamlight Valley, you'll need to copy your avatar code from the Avatar Designer Tool. You can find it right in the main menu of the avatar designer. Press "show Avatar Code" to see the 10-character code. When you access Disney Dreamlight Valley for the first time, head to Settings and you'll see the option to Import Avatar. Paste or type your code in and your avatar will be added instantly. It's almost just that easy, apart from a couple of caveats.
Here's the fine print on character importing:
- The code only lasts 24 hours, so if you don't use it in time you'll need to generate a new one in the Avatar Designer Tool.
- The code will import the most recent avatar settings and outfit that you had equipped. Double check what you're wearing before you generate that code.
- You can only import a character using an Avatar Code one time so let's say triple check, just to be safe.
(Image credit: Gameloft)Don't fret too much though. You can change your character's appearance almost immediately after starting Dreamlight Valley—including details like hairstyles, features, and skin color. You can change what you're wearing too, but you'll be restricted to what's in your inventory, which won't include all the many options from character creation. For instance, I had a couple of extra pairs of jeans, glasses and other basics in my inventory, but not items like jewelry.
As a tip, don't be afraid to layer up. Even if you don't want a coat or backpack or Mickey Mouse ears with the outfit you've created, it couldn't hurt to put one on before starting the game. You can always take it off and save it for later. That's what I call prepared.
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Has there been a GPU generation with such fiercely debated and rumoured specifications as Nvidia's RTX 40-series? I'd say no, there hasn't been. The upcoming lineup of graphics cards has shapeshifted far too many times to count over the past year. However, with a potential launch window coming up fast, we're beginning to see these cards' final form—and there could be a few different memory configurations on the way.
We're expecting the RTX 4090 to lead the charge for the RTX 40-series, which is likely to feature 24GB of GDDR6X memory as standard. That's not particularly groundbreaking information as the current generation RTX 3090/Ti also come with as much.
However, it's the RTX 4080 that could be a more interesting sight at its release, though when that might come is not entirely clear. According to leaker MEGAsizeGPU (via Videocardz), where we'd expect a single graphics card, we may find two. The RTX 4080 is rumoured to arrive with two different memory configurations: either 12GB GDDR6X or 16GB GDDR6X.
Even more surprising is that these are said to be fundamentally different graphics cards. The 16GB variant is reported to be using a 12-layer PCB and the 12GB variant a 10-layer PCB. And both are said to be arriving at the same time.
Nvidia has offered such a split in the past, though arguably where it made more sense in the more entry-level market with the GTX 1060 6GB/3GB. At the higher end of the performance spectrum, you'd suspect Nvidia to be a little more sure of what's required of its high-end cards.
Though competition will do things to a graphics card company, and it wouldn't be entirely unlike Nvidia to float the idea of multiple memory configurations and power limits to ensure that it has all bases covered. AMD is coming in hot with its RDNA 3 GPUs this year, and Nvidia will be keen to see it has an answer to the RX 7000-series at every performance level.
4080 12G GD6X 10layer PCB aic reference design4080 16G GD6X 12layer PCB aicreference design4090 24G GD6X 14layer PCB aic reference designnote：4080 12G has a completely different pcb design from 4080 16GSeptember 5, 2022
See moreNvidia is not afraid of testing the waters with multiple memory configurations for its GPUs and then ditching them at a moment's notice. Remember how many RTX 3080/Ti memory configurations were rumoured before and even after its release? It was a lot, and I heard from one GPU manufacturer at the time of that they were excruciatingly close to finalising their own design for one of these unreleased configurations before it was canned.
Your next upgrade(Image credit: Future)Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and AMD
Best gaming motherboard: The right boards
Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits
Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the restWe did end up seeing one such memory configuration later in the RTX 3080's life with the 12GB variant, so such a release for the RTX 40-series is also absolutely possible.
I'd say the chances of these two RTX 4080 variants coming to the market at launch are about as good as any other rumoured RTX 40-series specification seeing the light of day. Which is to say: we're going to have to wait and see.
We shouldn't have to wait too long for at least some mention of the next-generation GeForce GPUs, however—Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang is hosting the keynote of the company's September GTC conference and the next-gen has already been tipped to make an appearance at that event.
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Back in May, ByteDance—the Chinese company that owns TikTok—was trying to leverage its one billion users to make a foray into gaming. In tests carried out in Vietnam, the company was experimenting with a system that saw users launch short, "bitesize" games that could be enjoyed for minutes, rather than hours, at a time. ByteDance also had plans for "mid- and hardcore" game development through its subsidiary Nuverse.
The plan was meant to be a major part of ByteDance's strategy for expansion: the company went so far as to acquire Shanghai-based developer Moonton Technologies to kickstart its game creation efforts, but recent news has put those plans on shaky ground. As reported by SCMP, ByteDance has begun "aggressively downsizing" its gaming operations. Wushuang Studio, another ByteDance-owned developer in Shanghai, is said to have lost most of its staff through a combination of lay-offs and internal restructuring. There have been similar job cuts at Jiangnan Studio in Hangzhou.
ByteDance is maintaining staff for games that have already launched, but the news makes it pretty clear which way the wind is blowing when it comes to the company's gaming ambitions. Efforts to turn TikTok into a gaming app are running into the same issues that every other games company in China has encountered in recent years: navigating the process of getting games approved for release by the government.
In July, the Chinese government had only approved 172 games for release since the start of 2022, almost 600 fewer than the 755 it had approved in that same time period in 2021. Total revenue from gaming declined this year, the first time since 2008 (when data became available). It's not an atmosphere conducive to big moves in the gaming industry, and it's a big reason ByteDance has adopted a new stance of “adding muscle and reducing fat” with regard to its gaming efforts.
Of course, ByteDance is still an incomprehensibly large company, and TikTok is still inescapable. It could be that the company is just reefing the sails to endure a stormy period in Chinese tech, and will dedicate itself to other ventures until the Chinese state relaxes its grip on the industry. That day might not ever come to pass though, and either way ByteDance's gaming plans—which once seemed like an area of intense focus for the company—are taking a back seat for now.
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With Disney Dreamlight Valley's release almost upon us, you might be wondering exactly when you can jump into this magical sim. In a world shared by both Pixar and traditional Disney characters, you'll need to complete quests and overcome challenges and puzzles as you unlock different Realms in a bid to save the valley.
If you've already sunk some time into the character creator and you're itching to get started, here is a list of the Disney Dreamlight Valley release times broken down by region.
Are you ready for game day? Purchase, Preload.... and LAUNCH times are now available for all platforms!If there is no purchase time listed, that means that platform currently supports Pre-Ordering.We'll see you in the Valley SOON! pic.twitter.com/rbksdUYVS4September 2, 2022
See moreDisney Dreamlight Valley release times
Disney Dreamlight Valley releases on September 6. The tweet above shows a list of unlock times for every platform, but we've broken down the relevant ones into an easy-to-read list below:
Steam / Epic Games Store / Microsoft Store release times:
- Los Angeles: 6 am PST
- New York: 9 am EST
- London: 2 pm BST
- Paris: 3 pm CEST
- Sydney: 11 pm AEST
You'll need around 10GB of free space to download and install Disney Dreamlight Valley. If you've already bought the game from the Microsoft Store, you can start pre-loading now. Steam and Epic users will need to wait until the times listed above.
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Mitsuhiro Yoshida, a Japanese designer best-known in the west for River City Ransom, has died at the age of 61. Yoshida's career will always be associated with the titles he worked on at Technōs Japan in the '80s and '90s, directing games like as Nekketsu Super Dodge Ball (Kōkō Dodgeball-Bu) and River City Ransom (Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari). He also worked on titles including Double Dragon and Nintendo World Cup (his softography is here)
In more recent times Yoshida founded and worked as president of the studio Miracle Kids!, which continued to work on Downtown / River City Dodgeball games, and which announced the news.
ご遺族の了承を得て代理でご報告します。ミラクルキッズ！代表 吉田晄浩が8月30日急逝しました。ダウンタウン熱血シリーズの生みの親であり、皆様に最高の新作をお届けしようと努力していた矢先の事で、大変残念です。故人に代わり、皆様の熱い応援に深く感謝いたします。スタッフ一同 pic.twitter.com/5pIwn1M9dtSeptember 3, 2022
See moreThe tweet's text says, machine translated and edited for clarity:
"We are writing on behalf of the bereaved family and with their consent.
Akihiro Yoshida, president of Miracle Kids!, passed away suddenly on August 30th."
[...] On behalf of the deceased, we would like to express our deepest gratitude for everyone's passionate support."
"All the staff."
Yoshida was apparently working on new titles right up until his death. His friend and colleague Hiroaki Ishida said, via an edited machine translation:
"I received the news of Yoshida's passing. It's a pity that the design of a new fighting action, which had been under the surface until about the year before last, has been left unfinished. If you are not healthy, you will not be able to make what you want to make, so everyone's health comes first."
Yoshida founded Miracle Kids! (sometimes stylised 'Kidz') in 2008, which released contemporary versions of some of the titles he was best-known for, including River City Dodge Ball All Stars!! and Downtown Smash Dodgeball.
But it's arguably River City Ransom that cements his legacy, a unique style of action-RPG that blended coherent locations and characters with a bit of good old 'donkey'-whooping. The series never quite acquired the traction overseas it had in Yoshida's home country, but this title was the biggest exception to the rule and remains a worthy cult classic.
Anyone with a particular interest in Yoshida's work may enjoy this treasure trove of design sketchbooks, where even from the first the series has that distinctly charming squat-grumpyman look.
Reminiscing about the games' origins back in 2016, Yoshida felt part of the design had come from his sense that a home game had to offer a different pleasure from the experience expected in arcades.
"I had a lot of doubts about the game's difficulty," recalled Yoshida. "I understand that arcade games increase the difficulty to increase the turnover rate of players, but aren't NES games bought with [childrens'] New Year's money? I wondered why even a game bought with precious New Year's money is an immediate death parade."
If you make such games double the difficulty, theorised Yoshida, then they become half as good.
"You can play for a long time... I wanted to create a balance with content, one that would allow a child who bought it with New Year's money to play until the New Year of the following year."
As any child who had River City Ransom might tell you: Yoshida achieved that, and then some.
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You'll find the answer to today's Wordle as well as a whole range of tips and tricks to help you solve the September 6 (444) online challenge on this very page. Only here for a quick hint? No problem. That's waiting just below.
Having to build a word up backwards is a pretty unusual situation to be in, but that's what happened to me today after landing on the final two greens on my opening guess. A pad of paper helps me a lot in times like this, allowing me to visually build up a few possibilities before I take the plunge.
Wordle hint
Today's Wordle: A hint for Tuesday, September 6
The word you're after today isn't a pleasant one—this is something said to deliberately upset or provoke another person, a nasty comment designed to cause emotional damage. One of today's consonants is used twice.
Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day
If there's one thing better than playing Wordle, it's playing Wordle well, which is why I'm going to share a few quick tips to help set you on the path to success:
- A good opener contains a balanced mix of unique vowels and consonants.
- A tactical second guess helps to narrow down the pool of letters quickly.
- The solution may contain repeat letters.
There's no time pressure beyond making sure it's done by midnight. So there's no reason to not treat the game like a casual newspaper crossword and come back to it later if you're coming up blank.
Wordle answer
(Image credit: Josh Wardle)What is the Wordle 444 answer?
Let's save your win streak. The answer to the September 6 (444) Wordle is TAUNT.
Previous answers
Wordle archive: Which words have been used
The more past Wordle answers you can cram into your memory banks, the better your chances of guessing today's Wordle answer without accidentally picking a solution that's already been used. Past Wordle answers can also give you some excellent ideas for fun starting words that keep your daily puzzle solving fresh.
Here are some recent Wordle solutions:
- September 5: WHOOP
- September 4: INTER
- September 3: GULLY
- September 2: CHARM
- September 1: FUNGI
- August 31: PRIZE
- August 30: ONSET
- August 29: CHIEF
- August 28: GAUZE
- August 27: RUDER
Learn more about Wordle
Every day Wordle presents you with six rows of five boxes, and it's up to you to work out which secret five-letter word is hiding inside them.
You'll want to start with a strong word like ALERT—something containing multiple vowels, common consonants, and no repeat letters. Hit Enter and the boxes will show you which letters you've got right or wrong. If a box turns
️, it means that letter isn't in the secret word at all. 
means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. 
means you've got the right letter in the right spot.You'll want your second go to compliment the first, using another "good" word to cover any common letters you missed last time while also trying to avoid any letter you now know for a fact isn't present in today's answer.
After that it's just a case of using what you've learned to narrow your guesses down to the right word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words (so no filling the boxes with EEEEE to see if there's an E). Don't forget letters can repeat too (ex: BOOKS).
If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips, and if you'd like to find out which words have already been used you'll find those below.
Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle, refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn't long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures. Surely it's only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes.
Cyberpunk 2077 update adds transmog and cat pictures
in Gaming News
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The Cyberpunk 2077 transmog system we first glimpsed in February is now fully live thanks to today's 1.6 "Edgerunners" update, which also includes new gigs, weapons, cross-platform progression, and—most important of all—the ability to take pictures of your cat Nibbles.
Okay, that's not actually the most important part of the update. That honor clearly belongs to the new transmog system, known in-game as your wardrobe, which enables players to change their style—in the game, to be clear—without having to change their armor stats. Up to six outfits can be created using the wardrobe, which is accessible in any of V's apartments and safehouses. The update also adds the long-overdue option to modify V's face and body when visiting Ripperdoc clinics, so you're no longer stuck forever with the character you designed at the start of the game.
The update also adds a new arcade game to Cyberpunk 2077 called Roach Race, which is not about bugs but about horses-specifically, Geralt's faithful steed from The Witcher. Roach Race is available in arcade machines scattered throughout the game, and if you really dig it you can also play a standalone version on Android or iOS devices.
Nearly a dozen new weapons are included in the update, six firearms:
And five melee:
The update also adds some new "secrets" tied to the upcoming Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime to the game—it's called the Edgerunners Update, after all—and new equipment, including the jacket worn by David Martinez, the lead character in the show.
And yes, while I may have goofed a bit on its importance, you can actually take pictures of your cat now: In photo mode, go to the Pose Tab and select Nibbles in the character option. If only taking pictures of your cat was that simple in real life, eh? Do note that this option only becomes available after V invites Nibbles into their apartment.
CD Projekt also announced today that this will be the final major update for Cyberpunk 2077 on previous-gen consoles, those being the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, which have always struggled with the game—in fact the Cyberpunk 2077 page on the PlayStation Store carries a warning against trying to run it on a PS4. Future updates are going to make even further changes to in-game systems that older consoles won't be able to handle at all, so this is it, folks—although CD Projekt said that "smaller updates, primarily focused on tech support to keep it all running smooth" will continue to be released.
Naturally, the Cyberpunk 2077 1.6 "Edgerunners" update also makes a pile of fixes, tweaks, and changes—you can find the full list below.
Gameplay
Weapons
Perks
Quests
Open World
UI
Visual
Audio
PC Specific
Miscellaneous
REDmod Modding Tools
Users
Creators
View the full article