Due to the growth of confirmed Omicron cases in the United States, the global leading gaming brand, MSI, officially announced that its on-site CES physical presence in Las Vegas will be canceled for the safety of all employees, customers and fans. The new products for 2022 will be showcased through online events virtually.

"Since December, the rapidly spreading Omicron variant has brought the USA a surge of COVID-19 cases. The health and well-being of our employees, customers and fans are our top priority. Hence, we have decided not to participate in-person at CES 2022 and will join the show virtually with our online product launch," said Sam Chern, MSI Marketing Vice President.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announces the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 Gaming Platform, a purpose-built platform that allows gamers the best place to play their favorite games. The platform delivers cutting-edge performance to run all Android games, play content from cloud gaming libraries, stream games from your home console or PC, and enjoy entertainment from your favorite Android apps. Amassing the entire arsenal of Snapdragon Elite Gaming technologies together to create a premium category of dedicated consumer gaming products, the platform is designed to power incredible experiences for gamers on-the-go.

To showcase the platform, Qualcomm Technologies partnered with Razer to build the first Snapdragon G3x Handheld Gaming Developer Kit, which is available exclusively for developers starting today. Razer is a global leader in gaming hardware and has already constructed one of the world's largest gamer-focused ecosystems of hardware, software, and services.

Jon Peddie Research reports the growth of the global PC-based Graphics Processor Units (GPU) market reached 101 million units in Q3'21 and PC CPUs shipments increased by 9% year over year. Overall, GPUs will have a compound annual growth rate of -1.1% during 2020-2025 and reach an installed base of 3,249 million units at the end of the forecast period. Over the next five years, the penetration of discrete GPUs (dGPU) in the PC will grow to reach a level of 31%.

AMD's overall market share percentage from last quarter increased 1.4%, Intel's market share decreased by -6.2%, and Nvidia's market share increased 4.86%, as indicated in the following chart.

HyperX, the gaming peripherals team at HP Inc. and brand leader in gaming and esports, today announced the release of HyperX Cloud Flight wireless gaming headset addition boasting expanded PlayStation console compatibility. Adding compatibility with PlayStation 5 along with PlayStation 4, the new headset offers console gamers a 2.4 GHz wireless connection and signature HyperX comfort with up to 30 hours of battery life for extended wireless gaming on one charge. A new mic mute LED has been added to the design for more visible mic control.

The HyperX Cloud Flight headset takes comfort to the next level, utilizing durable adjustable steel sliders on its headband and HyperX signature memory foam for extended gameplay. Cloud Flight offers a closed cup design, 50 mm drivers for immersive in-game audio, and 90-degree rotating ear cups to allow gamers to rest the headset on their neck or shoulders in between games.

The Alphacool Eisblock Aurora acrylic GPX water cooler with backplate is now also available for MSI Radeon RX 6700 XT Gaming X graphics cards.

More performance! Voltage converters and V-RAM is now cooled much better and more effectively with liquid cooling. This is due to the components being brought closer to the cooler through the use of thinner, yet more powerful Thermal pads. The reduction of the thickness of the nickel-plated copper block to 5.5mm and the constant optimisation of the water flow within the heat sink promise a significant increase in performance. In addition to performance, design also plays an important role. The addressable digital RGB LEDs are embedded directly in the cooling block and give the cooler its very own visual touch.

Acer today announced the expansion of its Predator gaming portfolio with new Predator Orion 7000 series desktops, featuring powerful performance in a stunning design, and two smart 4K gaming projectors. Further enhancing the gaming experience is the Predator gaming desk, which offers two practical surface options and a convenient storage rack.

"Predator Orion 7000-series desktops are premium, powerful rigs for serious players who demand incredible performance from even the most demanding titles," said Jeff Lee, General Manager, Stationary Computing, IT Product Business, Acer Inc. "In order to offer that next-level performance, we're excited to be among the first companies bringing the new 12th Gen Intel Core CPUs to our product portfolio."

Antec Inc., a Californian supplier of high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself market, presents the NX250, the new model in the NX series. The mid-tower is now available at a very affordable price of € 54,99 (recommended retail price including VAT).

The NX series from Antec offers a large selection of gaming cases with LED lighting and eye-catching front panel designs. The new NX250 case rocks a futuristic front panel design featuring a brushed-aluminium looks as well as mesh air intake slots for idea airflow and optimized cooling performance fort he components.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers (Hong Kong Stock Code: 1337), today announced the launch of new Razer Book and Razer Blade 15 Advanced models, pre-loaded with Windows 11. Additionally, compatibility with Windows 11 will extend across all Razer laptop product lines with free upgrades offered to current Razer laptop owners when available. Rollout of Windows 11 upgrades will begin on October 5th, and will continue throughout 20221.

"Razer laptops like the Razer Book are built to use the highest quality tools available, so that any user can accomplish their tasks efficiently without hardware or software limitations," says Brad Wildes, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Razer's Systems Business Unit. "Windows 11 helps us do exactly that as we quickly adapt to a more powerful operating system for work and gaming."

According to the latest forecast from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Gaming Tracker, worldwide shipments of gaming PCs and monitors continue to grow at rates faster than their parent markets. For gaming PCs, which includes both desktop and notebook PCs, unit shipments are expected to grow from 41.3 million in 2020 and to 52.3 million in 2025. Similarly, the gaming monitor market is expected to jump from 14.2 million units shipped to 26.4 million during the same time frame. This equates to the two product categories having five-year compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) of 4.8% and 13.2% respectively.

The solid growth projection is based on strong recent trends. Despite high logistics costs as well as shortages of components affecting both PCs and displays, shipments in 2021 have remained brisk. The second quarter of 2021 (2Q21) ended with combined shipments of 15.6 million gaming monitors and PCs, an increase of 19.3% compared to the same quarter in 2020.

Not everyone likes using a mouse and a trackball can be a viable option, depending on your preference. However, most trackballs aren't suitable for gaming and a company called Blue Sun Innovations (BSI) set out to design a trackball to meet the demands of gamers. The product is simply called the GameBall and has been five years in the making. The company launched a limited edition back in June, but now BSI has launched what it refers to as the Standard Edition.

The GameBall features a PixArt sensor that supports resolutions from 400 to 3,00 DPI/CPI and it features button switches from Omron. As it's a trackball and won't be moved around the desk, BSI went for a wired design using a standard USB interface with a supported polling rate of up to 1,000 Hz. Other niceties include ceramic bearings, an "innovative touch scroll pad", six buttons and an ambidextrous design. As this is a gaming mouse, it does of course also feature some RGB lighting. The GameBall is compatible with all recent operating systems and can be ordered directly from GameBall's website for US$148.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced an all-new gaming peripherals lineup that channels the minimalist feel of monochrome through a striking Moonlight White color scheme. The ROG Strix Scope NX TKL 80%, tenkeyless mechanical RGB gaming keyboard, ROG Strix Impact II ambidextrous gaming mouse, ROG Strix Go Core gaming headset and ROG Cetra II Core in-ear gaming headphones are all now available in North America in this stunning colorway.

ROG has a long history of weaving Aura Sync into a huge ecosystem of devices to let gamers shine a light on their personalities through their gear - but many players also seek a minimalist look. That's why the ROG color palette is expanding to include the Moonlight White series, providing a commanding counterpart to the signature red-and-black color scheme.

The Genesis Krypton 290 is the model from the 200 series. In its ergonomic case you will find a 6400 DPI sensor, in-built memory for storing settings, as well as switches which provide effortless work for a long time. The set is complete with LED illumination with the signature PRISMO effect.

The Genesis Krypton 290 gaming mouse is a light (99 g) design with a symmetrical shape. The model is equipped with seven programmable buttons which can be configured with the use of the manufacturer's software. It also allows for recording of macros as well as changing the illumination settings and saving those options in the in-built memory. There are 16 million colors to choose from. The roller, logo on the top, as well as a LEDs running along the base are illuminated.

CORSAIR, a world leader in high-performance gear for gamers and content creators, today announced the newest entries in its world-renowned M65 lineup of high-performance gaming mice: the M65 RGB ULTRA and, for the first time, the M65 RGB ULTRA WIRELESS. Combining the iconic shape and aluminium construction that has seen the M65 trusted by gamers for over a decade, these new mice add the latest in performance gaming technology to ensure you're ready to take on the highest level of competition.

Within their familiar frame, the M65 RGB ULTRA and M65 RGB ULTRA WIRELESS pack the most cutting-edge technology in a CORSAIR mouse to date. The 26,000 DPI CORSAIR MARKSMAN optical sensor offers incredible precision, customizable in single DPI steps. This is complemented by CORSAIR QUICKSTRIKE primary buttons, spring-loaded for zero gap between the left and right clicks and their optical OMRON switches for instantly responsive gaming. Those clicks are then transmitted to your PC with CORSAIR AXON 8,000 Hz hyper-processing in the M65 RGB ULTRA, or 2,000 Hz SLIPSTREAM WIRELESS in the M65 RGB ULTRA WIRELESS. The result is a mouse that registers and transmits your actions unbelievably fast, whether you opt for the wired or wireless version.

If you're a fan of the spider/octopus router design that we've seen from several companies since 802.11ax/Wi-Fi 6 was introduced, then the new TP-Link Archer GX90 might be for you. Jokes aside, this router takes a different approach to the usual tri-band routers, by dedicating the 4x4 5 GHz radio for gaming, while leaving the other 5 GHz radio for your family to share.

The Archer GX90 is sold as an AX6600 router and it appears to be based on the same hardware as TP-Link's Archer AX90, just in a more gamer focused package. TP-Link has incorporated what they call a Game Accelerator, Game Statistics and Game Protector, with the Game Accelerator being limited to less than 50 games at the moment, of which some appear to be specific to the Chinese market. The Game Statistics feature is actually a real time latency monitor, that also shows how long you've been playing a specific game for and the router load, whereas Game Protector appears to simply be some router based antivirus and parental control software.

The Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) market for gaming PCs posted another quarter of solid growth in 2021Q2, growing 10.8% YoY and recording 2.5 million units shipped, according to International Data Corporation (IDC). Approaching the end of 2021, growth is expected to continue, albeit at a lower rate than in recent quarters. 2021Q3 is predicted to grow at 6.1% YoY, while 2021Q4 has an anticipated rise of 4.8% YoY. While the momentum is stabilizing, long-term growth is still expected. In 2025, the PC gaming market is forecast to rise to 11.4 million units, with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.5%.

In Western Europe, 2021H1 saw demand in the market driven by consumers working from home, despite the loosening of lockdowns. With upcoming game releases in 2021H2 expected to increase graphical requirements, more gamers will be looking to refresh their PCs to game at the highest level. Therefore, acceleration of new/returning gamers is expected to continue in 2021. However, with component supply and logistics problems continuing, gaming PC production will be impacted too.

CORSAIR, a world leader in high-performance gear for gamers, is delighted to announce the continuation of its partnership with leading video game publisher Ubisoft, bringing immersive in-game RGB lighting integration for all CORSAIR iCUE RGB devices to the latest installment of the popular Far Cry franchise: Far Cry 6. Players can experience exclusive dynamic lighting effects that convey the action not just through the screen, but across their entire iCUE setup as well.

Far Cry 6 welcomes you to Yara, a tropical paradise frozen in time. Far Cry 6 immerses players into the adrenaline-filled world of a modern-day guerrilla revolution. As dictator of Yara, Antón Castillo is intent on restoring his nation back to its former glory by any means, with his son, Diego, following in his bloody footsteps. Playing as local Yaran Dani Rojas, join revolutionary group Libertad and fight your way to Esperanza to take down Antón Castillo and his oppressive regime.

Immerse in the action like never before, without wires to get in the way. Meet the JBL Quantum 350 wireless gaming headset, the latest addition to the JBL Quantum Series. Designed to bring together the most accurate audio experience with gamer-grade lossless connectivity and comfort for epic gaming sessions, this headset is a must-have for gamers looking for an upgraded set-up.

When every sound matters and split-second timing is key, never miss a moment with lossless 2.4G wireless connectivity. Optimized for PC or PlayStation gamers via a wireless USB dongle, the JBL Quantum 350 delivers the ultimate competitive advantage during gameplay. From the quietest footsteps to the loudest laser blasts, JBL's QuantumSOUND Signature provides cinematic-quality audio from 40 mm drivers, and the immersive JBL QuantumSURROUND puts the player in the center of the game. The headset is also compatible with the JBL QuantumENGINE PC software, letting gamers customize the EQ, sidetone, mic and more.

Jon Peddie Research reports the growth of the global PC-based Graphics Processor Units (GPU) market reached 123 million units in Q2'21 and PC CPU shipments increased by 42% year-over-year. Overall, the installed base of GPUs will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3.5% during 2020-2025 to reach a total of 3,318 million units at the end of the forecast period. Over the next five years, the penetration of discrete GPUs (dGPU) in the PC will grow to reach a level of 25%.

AMD's overall market share percentage from last quarter decreased by -0.2%, Intel's market share increased 0.1%, and Nvidia's market share increased 0.06%, as indicated in the following chart. Overall GPU unit shipments increased by 3.4% from last quarter, AMD shipments increased 2.3%, Intel's shipments rose 3.6%, and Nvidia's shipments increased 3.8%.

[Editor's note: Our review can be found here for those interested.]

CORSAIR, a world leader in high-performance gear for gamers and content creators, today launched the new CORSAIR HS80 RGB WIRELESS Gaming Headset, offering gamers industry-leading SLIPSTREAM WIRELESS technology, an exceedingly comfortable new design, durable construction, and refined style. Multiple connection options make the HS80 RGB WIRELESS a great choice for both PC and console gamers. Connecting to your PC using CORSAIR SLIPSTREAM WIRELESS technology, the HS80 RGB WIRELESS boasts 24bit audio along with a strong, unwavering signal that lets you play completely untethered from anywhere in the room with a range of up to 60ft. For unrivaled convenience, connect up to three SLIPSTREAM WIRELESS-compatible CORSAIR devices - headset, keyboard, and mouse - with a single USB receiver, making a full wireless setup easy, simple, and hassle-free.

If you're looking for the highest quality sound, plug in via USB to enable true high-fidelity 24bit/96kHz audio and hear the minute details in games, films, or music that you've been missing. The HS80 RGB WIRELESS also connects to PS5 / PS4 consoles with the included USB wireless adapter, and is fully compatible with PS5's Tempest 3D AudioTech for couch-ready high-quality gaming audio. A new floating headband design offers a stress-free listening experience, paired with memory foam ear pads for comfort that lasts all day - with 20 hours of wireless battery life to match. The HS80 RGB WIRELESS is durably constructed, featuring a modern new design that's reinforced by lightweight aluminium.

NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) today reported record revenue for the second quarter ended August 1, 2021, of $6.51 billion, up 68 percent from a year earlier and up 15 percent from the previous quarter, with record revenue from the company's Gaming, Data Center and Professional Visualization platforms. GAAP earnings per diluted share for the quarter were $0.94, up 276 percent from a year ago and up 24 percent from the previous quarter. Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share were $1.04, up 89 percent from a year ago and up 14 percent from the previous quarter.

"NVIDIA's pioneering work in accelerated computing continues to advance graphics, scientific computing and AI," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. "Enabled by the NVIDIA platform, developers are creating the most impactful technologies of our time - from natural language understanding and recommender systems, to autonomous vehicles and logistic centers, to digital biology and climate science, to metaverse worlds that obey the laws of physics.

Since the end of 2020, TEAMGROUP has been at the forefront of next-generation DDR5 development, working closely with motherboard manufacturers to perform extensive validation testing. Whether it is the testing and research of DDR5's new PMIC architecture or XMP overclocking parameters, the company has achieved very fruitful results. Today TEAMGROUP is launching its brand new DELTA DDR5 Memory Series, the first DDR5 modules to be equipped with RGB lighting effect, providing gamers who enjoy visual flair with both next-level speed and eye-pleasing illumination.

The T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5 continues the design language of the DELTA DDR4 Series by maintaining the ultra-large spreader with wide-angled RGB edges and a minimalist geometrical surface. The overall look is further enhanced by its sleek stealth-fighter-inspired design. In addition, the color and flashing speed of each RGB LED used in DELTA RGB DDR5 can be independently controlled, offering more freedom to customize lighting effects than a typical RGB DDR4 memory. Currently samples have been sent to ASUS, GIGABYTE, MSI, ASROCK, BIOSTAR and other motherboard manufacturers for lighting tests. Players will be able to easily customize their own dazzling RGB effects through the manufacturers' lighting software.

SCUF Gaming, a leader in the design and manufacturing of high-performance gaming controllers, today introduces the Designed for Xbox SCUF Instinct and Instinct Pro, created specifically for the Xbox Series X|S.

SCUF Instinct incorporates all of the innovative features gamers expect from SCUF - including the patented paddle control system that helped make SCUF controllers the premier choice of competitive players everywhere - with an evolved controller design to improve performance for Xbox fans. Both Instinct and Instinct Pro include four embedded back control paddles, which can be programmed to replicate the ABXY buttons. Their refined ergonomic shape enables better control for a wide variety of hand sizes, with millions of customization options to suit all gamers including interchangeable faceplates, thumbsticks, and D-pads.

SCUF Instinct Pro additionally offers new adjustable Instant Triggers, giving gamers the ability to choose between regular or instant-action at the flick of a switch. Instant Triggers eliminate the trigger pull, activating immediately with a one-tap motion, similar to a mouse click - ideal for fast-paced shooters. You can always switch back to regular triggers and be ready to play your favorite racing game. Instinct Pro also includes High-Performance Grip.

At the end of July, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) announced the specifications and guidelines for expanding the console's built-in internal storage and confirmed that the PlayStation 5 (PS5) will now support M.2 SSDs for users to expand storage for game files and applications on the PS5. Today, TEAMGROUP's gaming brand, T-FORCE, is unveiling the T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Pro Special Series M.2 PCIe SSD with the industry's first-ever white graphene heat sink. The latest M.2 SSD, made specifically for expanding storage and will be available for gamers around the world on major e-commerce platforms in October, 2021.

The T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Pro Special Series M.2 SSD is being announced today by TEAMGROUP and is equipped with the industry's first-ever white graphene heat sink. The M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD, created specifically to expand PS5 storage, can reach read/write speeds of up to 7,400/7,000 MB/s and offers storage capacities of up to 8 TB. The T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Pro Special Series M.2 SSD meets the specifications for the PS5 in heat sink size, read/write speeds, and supported capacities, allowing PS5 gamers to install it easily and get the storage they need instantly.

When Valve made a debut of Proton for Steam on Linux, the company committed to enabling Linux gamers from across the globe to play all of the latest games available for the Windows platform, on their Linux distributions. Since the announcement, the market share of people who game on Linux has been rather stagnating for a while. When Proton was announced, the Linux gaming market share jumped to 2%, according to a Valve survey. However, later on, it dropped and remained at the stagnating 0.8~0.9% mark. Today, according to the latest data obtained from Steam Hardware Survey, we see that the Linux gaming market share has reached 1.0% in July, making for a +0.14% increase. What drove the spike in usage is unknown, however, it is interesting to see the new trend. You can check out the Steam Hardware Survey data here.

Netflix seems to be closer to coalescing its gaming vision, as the company just hired former EA and Oculus exec Mike Verdu as Vice President of game development. Netflix aims to offer not only streaming video content, but also a gaming pass subscription that ties into its monthly subscription philosophy. Bloomberg says that Netflix might add game streaming to its library as soon as next year - just as if they were another content category, and at no extra charge, which would make sense from a market penetration perspective.

Netflix is still in the hiring process for its gaming team, even though the company prefers to list job openings without employing the word "gaming", choosing instead to market it as "interactive experiences". It remains to be seen what will come from these efforts; another games developer with deep pockets such as Netflix would surely be welcome into this space, especially considering the breadth of Netflix-developed IPs. However, as we've seen with Google's gaming development efforts, deep pockets don't solve all the problems related to delivering compelling gaming experiences. But who would say no to a good Stranger Things interactive experience?