Hardware News

Gaming continues to get more expensive, and Microsoft is the latest company to announce a major hardware price increase. Following Sony's PlayStation 5 price hikes earlier this year, Xbox consoles are now becoming significantly more expensive worldwide, with increases of up to $250 depending on the model. Microsoft confirmed that the new pricing will take effect on August 1, 2026, while also announcing that the 2TB Xbox Series X Galaxy Black Edition is being discontinued. The updated US pricing...

AMD has released version 2.3 of its FSR SDK, giving developers access to the latest iterations of its upscaling and ray-tracing technologies, including FSR Upscaling 4.1.1 and FSR Ray Regeneration 1.2. The updated SDK allows developers to integrate AMD’s newest FSR features directly into their games rather than relying on the company’s driver-level “FSR Upgrade” functionality. This should make implementation more seamless while enabling studios to take fuller advantage of AMD’s latest FSR Redstone technologies. One of the most notable...

Valve’s newly launched Steam Machine is an intriguing piece of hardware, but several factors may limit its impact on the gaming market. Chief among them is the ongoing memory shortage driven by the AI industry and expanding datacenter infrastructure, which has pushed DRAM and NAND prices significantly higher. As a result, Valve’s compact gaming system is more expensive than many expected and has also been affected from a performance standpoint. According to Digital Foundry, and in an interview with...

AMD has released a new Radeon driver update, bringing support for upcoming games while also expanding availability of its latest FSR 4.1 upscaling technology to an entire generation of graphics cards. The new AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 26.6.2 driver marks an important milestone in AMD’s plan to bring FSR 4.1 to older hardware. Support for Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs has arrived ahead of schedule, with AMD previously targeting a July rollout. Support for even older RX 6000 series...

After months of rumors and speculation, Valve has finally revealed pricing for its upcoming Steam Machine, and registrations are now open for both available models. With the review embargo also lifting today, plenty of hands-on impressions and performance analyses are expected to surface over the coming hours. Rather than opening direct sales, Valve is using a reservation-based system designed to prevent bots and scalpers from dominating launch stock. Anyone interested in purchasing a Steam Machine must first join a registration...

Microsoft appears to be preparing a dedicated Xbox Handheld category as part of its growing gaming ecosystem. While the Xbox brand has expanded far beyond traditional consoles in recent years, now encompassing Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Game Pass, and Cloud Gaming, a newly discovered logo suggests handheld gaming could soon become an official pillar of the platform. The discovery was first spotted by NeoGAF user memoryman3, who noticed an Xbox Handheld logo on the...

Valve’s new Steam Controller has proven to be far more popular than expected. When it launched on May 4 for $99 / £85 / €99, available stock sold out in under 30 minutes. Heavy traffic quickly overwhelmed Valve’s payment systems, and scalpers almost immediately began listing controllers on resale sites for $300+, with some listings reportedly exceeding $550. In response to the chaotic launch, Valve introduced a reservation system similar to the one used for the Steam Deck....

Momentum appears to be building around Valve’s highly anticipated Steam Machine, with a new rumor suggesting that official launch details could arrive very soon. According to X user @HardwareSteam, who claims to have sources familiar with Valve’s plans, the review embargo for the Steam Machine is expected to lift on June 23. If accurate, Valve could use that date to reveal the system’s pricing and release date. The speculation is based on Valve’s previous hardware launches. When the...

Excitement surrounding Valve’s upcoming Steam Machine continues to grow, with fresh benchmark listings suggesting the device may be approaching launch. While Valve has only confirmed that the system will arrive sometime during summer 2026, new evidence points to development being in its final stages. Recent reports claimed that Valve had begun distributing Steam Machine units to reviewers ahead of release. Adding weight to those rumors, two new Geekbench entries have now surfaced for a device listed under the codename “Fremont,”...

Nintendo is stepping up its efforts to combat Switch 2 scalping by introducing stricter purchasing requirements through its official Japanese online store. The company has been dealing with resellers who buy consoles in bulk and flip them at inflated prices, often taking advantage of Japan’s weaker yen to secure units at lower costs before exporting them to other regions. Under the new policy, customers hoping to purchase the multi-language Nintendo Switch 2 from Nintendo’s Japanese online...

MSI has officially revealed the price of its upcoming Claw 8 EX AI+, and it sits firmly in the premium category. The new gaming handheld is listed at $1,799 (around €1,565 / £1,349), making it one of the most expensive handheld gaming PCs on the market and more than three times the price of the Nintendo Switch 2. The specifications remain unchanged from the model showcased at Computex 2026. The device features Intel’s new ARC G3 Extreme-powered SoC, paired with...

According to a new report from Moore’s Law Is Dead, Nvidia is preparing a refresh of its GeForce RTX 50-series lineup with several RTX 50 Super graphics cards. The rumored lineup includes the RTX 5080 Super, RTX 5070 Ti Super, RTX 5070 Super, and RTX 5060 Super (or RTX 5060 12GB), with launches currently expected in Q4 2026 or Q1 2027. The most significant change across the lineup appears to be increased memory capacity....