Hardware News

Sony has confirmed what many gamers feared was only a matter of time: new PlayStation games will no longer be released on disc starting in January 2028. While that date is still a couple of years away, it marks the beginning of the end for physical PlayStation media - and it's a milestone that won't sit well with collectors. The announcement came via a brief PlayStation Blog post from Sony Interactive Entertainment's Senior Director of Content Communications, Sid Shuman, who...

ASUS has officially unveiled one of its most extravagant graphics cards to date: the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 Edition 20, a limited-edition model celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand. First shown at Computex 2026, the card builds on the flagship ROG Astral RTX 5090 while adding exclusive styling, premium materials, and several collector-focused features. Powered by NVIDIA's Blackwell-based GeForce RTX 5090, the card packs 21,760 CUDA cores, 32GB of 28 Gbps GDDR7...

Hype surrounding Valve's Steam Machine inspired plenty of creative ideas, but one of the most eye-catching accessories has now been canceled before it ever reached customers. Accessory maker dbrand spent seven months developing a replacement shell that transformed Valve's compact gaming system into Portal's iconic Companion Cube, only for Valve to shut the project down over intellectual property concerns. Following the Steam Machine's reveal, fans jokingly dubbed the console the "Gabecube." dbrand leaned into the joke by...

Following Valve's announcement of the  $1,049 / 1,039€ / £879 Steam Machine featuring semi-custom RDNA 3 graphics, many wondered if a superior system could be built within the same compact dimensions. AMD engineer Jacob Terkelsen investigated this possibility, confirming that it is indeed achievable. A creator on Printables, known as 3DCatt, has designed a 3D-printable Steam Machine-inspired PC case that supports Mini-ITX motherboards and low-profile graphics cards, allowing enthusiasts to assemble their own compact gaming PC. AMD engineer...

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...