Custom Copper 9070xt, 9800x3d Build from r/pcmasterrace There’s being into PC hardware and then there’s crafting a glorious custom loop. Every time I see the latter I’m hit with a pang of jealousy, and it’s no different here with Old-Mate-Fetus’ custom copper build on Reddit. We highlighted a similarly impressive different custom copper PC a few months […]
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If you’re shopping around to get ready for the new school year and looking for a gaming laptop to cover a broad range of performance needs, you’ll find plenty of hardware claiming it’s for “gaming,” but just what kind of gaming experience you’ll get is still a huge question. Plenty of brands are happy to […]
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Every time I use my laptop I get that pins and needles feeling in my hands. It’s like a cactus constantly pricking me. Turns out it’s this Dell XPS 9370 I’ve worn through the palm rests, and now I’m just being stabbed by carbon fibers. In hindsight, it is perhaps a bad… pic.twitter.com/cA30b2Tr1ASeptember 1, 2026 […]
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While I’ve bemoaned the expensive state of handheld gaming PCs at length, that doesn’t mean I find a cool concept model any less head-turning. Enter Acer’s latest Project DualPlay creation: a handheld gaming PC with a flippable screen that can turn into a laptop. The Project DualPlay Mini was shown off on-stage at IFA 2026, […]
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Valve’s handheld launched in February 2022, opening the door to playing your Steam library on the go. Now, almost half a decade later, 30,000 games either enjoy the green stamp of being Steam Deck verified, or are at least considered ‘playable.’ According to the latest numbers from SteamDB that breaks down to 8,964 Steam Deck […]
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Jacob Fox, hardware writer (Image credit: Future) This week I’ve been: Testing a new mouse that I am enjoying greatly but cannot yet speak about 🤐 Welcome to your daily dose of doomcore, and no, I don’t mean that peculiar genre of music. I mean the state of the PC gaming market. Not to be […]
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Blade 18 2026 – steal turns into steal of the century from r/GamingLaptops One Redditor has seemingly got the PC hardware deal of the year by paying €2,433 (around $2,800) for a Razer laptop that currently sells for €6,600 (just under $7,700). Gaming laptops may be pricey right now, thanks to the memory crisis, but that would […]
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Hello from Gamescom 2026, where yours truly has been trying out some of the latest laptops at the Nvidia booth. The machines I was shown are made by various manufacturers, but all of them have the same core internal hardware, in the form of Nvidia’s RTX Spark SOC. Which means that, alongside 20 Grace CPU […]
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Framework has just announced a new version of its Framework 12 laptop that apparently gets a bunch more battery life. That’s despite it keeping the same 50 Wh battery and thanks to Intel’s Wildcat Lake processors. The Framework 12 is the company’s two-in-one (touch-and-type), low-power, entry-level offering, mainly used for study and light work. Previously […]
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Handhelds aren’t exactly the most exciting devices right now given just how prohibitively expensive they’ve become, but you’d better bet my ears perk up a little when I hear of more possible budget-oriented hardware. That’s what we could soon have from Intel, if prolific hardware leaker Jaykihn’s recent X post is correct. Decoding the string […]
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While I have my issues with the Steam Machine (mostly surrounding its price tag), I really do love the way it looks. It’s a classy device, particularly as you can swap out the magnetic faceplates to your taste. I’ve seen some fairly tasteful designs so far, but none more OTT than this marble version from […]
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I love my Steam Deck. Although the internals are starting to look a bit long in the tooth these days, it still feels like the archetype of what a handheld gaming PC should be. It’s a bit large and in charge though, which is why my ears pricked up when I heard of the Steam […]
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Achoo! Sorry, my hayfever’s been playing up again. Let me just grab a tissue from my Steam Machine… is something you could be saying if you’re willing to 3D print the replica this generous individual over on Reddit designed and shared. The Steam Machine Style Tissue Box Cover (or ‘Enclosure’) is, practically speaking, just a […]
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What if a faceplate wasn’t just for looks? I am working on a new kind of faceplate from r/steammachine The Steam Machine may be hard to get a hold of and prohibitively expensive, but as is ever the case with Valve, its community is very creative. It’s not even been two months since its launch, yet someone […]
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Earlier this year, Microsoft posted a support document titled “How to optimize your gaming PC setup” where it said that 16 GB of memory is “plenty for most gamers” but “32 GB is ideal for serious players who run the most demanding titles or use heavy mods”. That document has since been deleted. That’s as […]
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Though it’s a chunky handheld gaming PC, we highly rated the original Lenovo Legion Go (though we liked the Legion Go S SteamOS a fair bit more). Unfortunately, owners of the two-year old hardware are now reporting that a recent BIOS update is bricking their handhelds. The BIOS update in question is version N3CN42WW for […]
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Remember those ‘I’m a Mac, and I’m a PC’ ad spots from years ago? Such platform rivalry feels like old, mouldering hat these days (especially to a console-gaming interloper like me). That said, we live in a world where both the MacBook Neo and the Dell XPS 13, two notebooks alike in dignity, are vying […]
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Last month I reported that replacement batteries for the original LCD version of the Steam Deck would return to the iFixIt store after a brief absence. Well, Valve sent more batteries, and you can purchase these replacements from iFixIt right now. Unfortunately, the replacement battery alone now costs $130. Purchasing a new L-shaped battery without […]
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In a new update on Steam Machine sales, Valve says it’s “fulfilling orders on a daily basis,” and that it expects that everyone currently in the reservation queue will have an opportunity to purchase the machine they’ve been waiting for—by, uh, the end of the year. Announced in June, Valve’s system for determining who gets […]
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The moment you touch the new Framework 13 Pro laptop you know it’s different to what’s come before. Despite the bubblegum pink USB Type-C ports I’ve jammed in either side of the machine, this is a serious laptop for serious work. But it’s also still instantly recognisable as one of the company’s eminently upgradeable and […]
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Have you ever been sick of your family using your electronics without asking, and thought ‘boy, I should put spikes and a taser on this thing’? If the answer is yes, then you’re like Redditor ConroyyJenkinss (presumably no relation to Leroy), who has done just that. Taking to the Steam Deck subreddit, they recently announced […]
Read MoreMy favourite hardware news stories lately have all followed a similar line of logic: ‘Why? Well, why not?’ But when it comes to the laptop MSI just unveiled as part of its 40th anniversary, I can’t move past ‘But why though?’ The sticking point for me is the Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition’s ludicrous $7,000 […]
Read MoreNvidia’s Arm-based processor for laptops was unveiled after much waiting at Computex back in June. RTX Spark is Nvidia’s first proper go at a consumer chip, combining CPU and GPU, and while it is of course targeted at AI workloads, it’s also targeted at gaming. Now, Nvidia has confirmed which will be the first brands […]
Read MoreThe Steam Deck was once a budget champion, but no longer. Ever since the price hikes earlier this year, Valve’s handheld has become difficult to argue for as a value proposition—and according to recent sales estimates by Boiling Steam, it appears that consumers may agree. The site has attempted to estimate the number of Steam […]
Read MoreThe Steam Machine is a pricey piece of hardware. Which is why UK redditor mdumtshali must have been heartbroken (or very annoyed) when theirs was stolen from their doorstep after the Royal Mail dropped it off while they were at work. The delivery driver sent a picture of the Steam Machine box to prove it […]
Read MoreAyaneo said it was suspending pre-orders for its Next 2 gaming handheld earlier this year, after rising storage costs and the ongoing memory crisis made it “no longer sustainable.” Well, it’s now listed on Ayaneo’s website—with an asking price for the top model of $5,299. I’ll wait for you to pick up your jaw. Back […]
Read MoreGames on Steam have already been enjoying the various shades of the Steam Deck Compatibility check mark for some time now. Well, now you can check a title’s compatibility on both the Steam Machine and SteamOS right there on its store page. A few beats after the Steam Machine‘s June release, you can now check […]
Read MoreYou saw it in the Steam Machine reveal, and now it’s finally happening: E-Ink faceplates. The twist in this tale though is that Valve isn’t the one making it. Instead, that honour goes to Shenzhen-based peripherals and accessories brand Jsaux. If you want to be near the front of the queue for Color E-Ink, Mono […]
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Andy Edser, hardware writer (Image credit: Future) This month I’ve been: Testing the Steam Machine, and trying to get my head around its price tag. Also, I’ve suddenly found myself surrounded by refreshed gaming laptops. A nice problem to have, ey? I like handheld gaming PCs. Note that I’ve carefully used the word “like,” rather […]
Read MorePreviously serving as the president of SIE Worldwide Studios for Sony and then becoming the head of PlayStation Indies in 2019, Shuhei Yoshida retired last year. He has since taken to giving industry analysis over on X. With the Steam Machine and its mighty price tag serving as a big discussion point, Yoshida has had […]
Read MoreCategorically, I cannot afford to buy my own Steam Machine. Much to my chagrin, the most basic 512 GB model still costs $1,049. Even Valve’s own engineers wish their game box was cheaper. Thankfully, a French retailer is stepping in to try and do what even Valve could not: offer a compact PC for very […]
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