Epic Games's recent proclamation of significantly faster launch times on its new vibe-coded Epic Games Launcher, followed by a Steam update making similar performance improvements, seems to have inspired Microsoft's Xbox to put in the work to improve its Xbox app for PCs, with a new announcement making several claims about improved performance.

Although the claims for the new Xbox App for PC are more ambiguous, with no startup times claimed and no test data supplied, Microsoft says that the new Xbox App launches up to 60% faster, while Home, Store, and Game Pass pages load up to 50% faster, and in-app windows are claimed to launch 65% faster. Perhaps more important than the performance improvements, however, Xbox has streamlined the app, with "simpler navigation, updated filters, and new ways to organize your games," in addition to a more prominent placement for the Friends tab, wider search that covers installed games, add-ons, and people, as well as a cleaner aesthetic that "make the app easier to scan and navigate."

GOG has long been a proponent of game preservation, with its Game Preservation Program seemingly working tirelessly on getting old PC games up and running on modern hardware and providing downloadable, DRM-free, offline installers for those games, and recently even partnering with Big Box Collection to host printable game covers and 3D scans of physical game boxes. Now, in a recent interview with GamesRadar+, GOG's senior business development and partnerships manager, Marcin Paczynski, said that the DRM-free game storefront has ambitions to bring physical media back to PC games.

Marcin Paczynski via GamesRadar+Ideally, my dream would be to be able to buy physical versions of those games on GOG. You go to your shelf on GOG, you click on the game that you would like to receive a physical copy of, you order it, and it gets to you. That would be a perfect scenario.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the Razer Barracuda V2 Pro, a premium multi-platform wireless gaming headset engineered for gamers who move seamlessly between desktop gaming and mobile use, with added flexibility for console and handheld play.

Built for the way gamers play today, the Barracuda V2 Pro combines Razer TriForce Bio-Cellulose 40 mm Drivers, THX Spatial Audio+, Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation, AI-powered microphone noise cancellation, and simultaneous 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth connectivity in a headset with up to 70 hours of battery life.

Since Asha Sharma took over as Xbox CEO earlier in 2026, she has been gunning hard to grow the Xbox audience, and part of that strategy has been a return to Xbox-exclusive games, although it was assumed that these Xbox exclusive games would be relatively limited, but it seems as though that may not be the case, according to a new report by Windows Central. Per the report, a new Xbox Research user survey asked gamers how their gaming habits would change if it was announced that all future games from Xbox-owned studios, excluding Call of Duty, suddenly became console-exclusive to Xbox.

Imagine it was announced that all future title releases from every XBOX-developed gaming franchise except Call of Duty will be console-exclusive to XBOX. For Minecraft only, existing titles would no longer be available for purchase on PlayStation or Nintendo consoles, and would not receive any new content updates. However, there is no impact to any of the existing titles or content you already own. Nothing changes on PC in this announcement.

Circana's Mat Piscatella recently published the analytics firm's 2026 gaming sales data that effectively shows reduced game and console sales, with total US market spend dropping across the board, despite rising prices of both video games and gaming hardware. More precisely, total video game hardware sales in the US for the 2026 year to date saw a YoY drop of 11%, from $2.856 billion in 2025 to $2.543 billion in 2026. Further, video game content, including physical and digital media, DLCs, microtransactions, and subscriptions, saw a 10% decline in August 2026 compared to the same month in 2025, but the year-to-date spend in the same category is down only 2%.

Perhaps expectedly, the August 2026 content spending data shows a 7% decline in US console content spending, while PC content spending increased by 13%, and subscriptions grew by 3%. Much of this PC growth is likely driven by increasing PC hardware prices caused by the ongoing AI data center demand squeeze, instead of an actual increase in PC adoption. Moreover, we are in the middle of a console generation, and the Nintendo Switch 2 launched long enough ago that its resulting bump in console sales would likely have flattened by now, although the Switch 2 was still the best-selling console in the US for both unit sales and dollar spend for August 2026 and the 2026 year to date.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the launch of the Razer Basilisk V4 Pro, the latest evolution of its iconic ergonomic gaming mouse, together with the Razer Mouse Dock V2 Pro wireless charging dock.

The Basilisk V4 Pro keeps the ergonomic shape players trust and delivers key upgrades, from 14 customizable controls and the new Razer HyperScroll Tilt Wheel Gen-2 to the Razer Focus Pro 50K Optical Sensor Gen-3, and HyperSpeed Wireless Gen-2.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the Razer Mako, a new line of compact desktop gaming speakers designed to deliver fuller sound, deeper bass, and Razer Chroma RGB lighting for modern battlestations.

The Mako desktop gaming speakers line gives gamers clear ways to upgrade their desktop audio: Mako for those who want fuller sound with a dedicated subwoofer and more expansive lighting presence, Mako X for those looking for more compact speakers.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the Razer Tartarus V2 Pro, the next evolution of its Tartarus gaming keypad line. Built to carry forward the accuracy and speed players expect from the Tartarus name, the Tartarus V2 Pro brings Razer's flagship switch technology and true 8000 Hz HyperPolling into a dedicated keypad for the first time, alongside a wrist rest designed to move with the player rather than around them.

Equipped with 31 programmable controls, a full-sized anti-drift thumbstick, and a fully-adjustable ergonomic wrist rest, the Tartarus V2 Pro is designed to give competitive MMO and FPS players alike near-infinite customization without sacrificing comfort over long sessions.

Control Resonant is slated to launch later in 2026, and ahead of that launch, Remedy Entertainment has officially published the minimum PC hardware requirements, detailing not only the hardware players will need to play the new game, but also what level of performance players can expect from their hardware. All of the hardware requirements call for a pedestrian 16 GB of RAM and a 120 GB SSD, as well as either Windows 10 or 11.

While the game does support path tracing at up to 4K, which Remedy says will call for an Intel Core i7-10700 or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, at least, paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080—no AMD cards are supported for the "Enthusiast" path tracing preset—the game will also be playable on hardware as slow as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, or Intel Arc A580, paired with an Intel Core i5-8500 or AMD Ryzen 5 3500. The game will also allegedly run at 60 FPS at 4K, with graphics set to high, and with upscaling set to Performance mode, and without ray tracing, on an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, which indicates at least a decent level of optimization.

It's been known for a while that Wizards of the Coast has been working on a new game set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, and at Gamescom Opening Night Live, it revealed Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons, a single-player, third-person RPG under development at Invoke Studios. The game follows Kaatri, a warrior who makes a pact with Tasha, The Witch Queen, in order to find someone she loves.

The pact the player makes with Tasha allows her to perceive raw magic throughout the world and access it and a new set of forbidden magic, spells, and weapons. As players embark on their journey, they will discover and develop those magical abilities, facing deception and peril along the way. In the eight-minute gameplay reveal shown off at Gamescom, we got a look at Kaatri's new supernatural abilities, which serve her just as well in combat as they do in traversing and exploring the world of Darkon and solving puzzles as she goes.

Paradox Interactive has been busy at Gamescom, announcing both Worms: Galactic Tactics and Afterworld, a new post-apocalyptic grand strategy game that appears to take inspiration from the Mad Max franchise. Players will be dropped into a world ravaged by nuclear warfare and have to work together within their tribe and with the world at large—or conquer their neighbors for their own benefit—in order to rebuild society and rediscover what was lost.

Lead a tribe of survivors, rediscover ancient technology, manage wasteland settlements and wage wars of conquest and political struggle in Afterworld, an original post-apocalyptic survival grand strategy game from Paradox Development Studio, the creators of Crusader Kings III and Hearts of Iron IV.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Low-profile Tenkeyless 8KHz, the world's first low-profile analog optical esports keyboard. Designed with and made for competitive players, the keyboard delivers the speed, precision, and control of Razer's flagship esports technologies in an ultra-slim form factor built for all-day comfort. It sets the gold standard for low-profile esports gaming keyboards. Powered by new Razer Low-profile Analog Optical Switches, the keyboard combines Rapid Trigger Mode, adjustable actuation, Razer Snap Flex, Razer Snap Tap, Dual-Keypress Priority, and True 8000 Hz HyperPolling into a design that proves players no longer need to choose between comfort and competitive performance.

"The Huntsman V3 Pro Low-profile Tenkeyless 8KHz takes everything competitive players love about our flagship analog optical switches and brings it into a slimmer, more ergonomic form factor," said Barrie Ooi, Head of PC Gaming Division at Razer. "For years, low-profile meant trading away performance for comfort. This keyboard ends that trade-off, delivering the speed, control, and precision elite players demand, and it's already proven itself on the championship stage."

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the Razer Naga V3 Pro, the latest evolution of its iconic MMO gaming mouse. Built to adapt across game genres and playstyles, it features three swappable magnetic side plates, more ways to customize controls, upgraded performance, and the classic ergonomic Naga shape players know and trust.

A Legend, Evolved
Since 2009, the Razer Naga has helped define what an MMO mouse can do. Its 12-button thumb grid has become a signature feature for players who need instant access to abilities, commands, and macros across popular MMO game titles.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the Razer Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic 8KHz line, a new Hall Effect (HE) magnetic gaming keyboard addition to its esports keyboard portfolio.

Available in Tenkeyless and Mini 65% form factors, the lineup combines Razer Hall Effect Magnetic Switches, true 8000 Hz HyperPolling, and a suite of advanced input controls to deliver cleaner, faster, and more consistent commands.

Ceva, Inc. (NASDAQ: CEVA), the leading licensor of silicon and software IP for the Smart Edge, today announced RealSpace Elevate for Windows, a Microsoft-certified, licensable Windows Audio Processing Object (APO) that enables gaming headset and PC OEMs to deliver fully customizable spatial audio experiences for gaming and entertainment content. RealSpace Elevate expands Ceva's Sense portfolio of audio and sensing technologies, enabling OEMs to deliver richer user experiences across consumer devices.

As spatial audio becomes a standard feature in PC gaming, OEMs are facing increasing challenges balancing performance, differentiation, cost, and integration complexity. Existing approaches, ranging from built-in OS or game engine solutions to third-party branded applications, often limit customization, increase cost, or result in fragmented user experiences not optimized for individual OEM headset product lines.

Logitech G today announced the expansion of the G3 Series suite of PC Gaming products. Designed to bring pro-inspired performance to more gamers, the extended lineup features the G305 X SUPERLIGHT wireless gaming mouse and the G316 X 98 wired mechanical gaming keyboard. These new products join the recently launched Logitech G325 gaming headset, completing the G3 series, a comprehensive high-performance desktop ecosystem that delivers excellent performance, world-class features, and unique customization at an affordable price point.

"By fusing elite precision, like our sub-micron HERO 44K sensor and 8 kHz report rates, with high-end heritage design, we are enabling everyday gamers the ability to level up their gaming experience at an approachable price tag," said Arnaud Perret-Gentil, Head of Product PC Gaming and Creators at Logitech G. "The G3 Series represents a strategic evolution in our mission to facilitate 'Play for All.'"

At Computex 2026 in Taipei, NVIDIA invited the press to a hands-on walkthrough of the RTX Spark platform, spread across multiple rooms covering gaming, creator, and AI workloads. Everything ran on Microsoft Surface Laptops, and Microsoft was also present—a clear signal that Redmond is fully committed to making Windows on Arm succeed this time around. Microsoft revealed that it has made several kernel-level optimizations to Windows 11 specifically for RTX Spark, changes that notably were never made for Qualcomm's Snapdragon platforms.

At the heart of RTX Spark is the NVIDIA N1X chip, which pairs a 20-core NVIDIA Grace Arm-based CPU with a Blackwell RTX GPU packing 6,144 CUDA cores and 5th Generation Tensor Cores with FP4 math precision, all connected via NVLink-C2C. The chip supports up to 128 GB of LPDDR5X unified memory in a 45-80 W power envelope (H-segment), and NVIDIA claims up to 1 petaFLOP/s of AI compute. A lower-end N1 variant with 5,120 CUDA cores is also planned. RTX Spark is not strictly a laptop platform either—NVIDIA also showed compact desktop mini PCs and the DGX Spark, targeting creators and developers who want the same silicon in a stationary form factor. And, looking at that power envelope, I wouldn't be surprised if N1X (or a variant) eventually ends up in a handheld gaming console—it just makes a lot of sense. A chip like this could also compete with semi-custom AMD chips for the next Xbox or PlayStation.

Today, Turtle Beach Corporation, a leading gaming accessories brand, announced its expansion of PC peripherals with the launch of the all-new Turtle Beach Command Series of keyboards and mice. Designed across a range of price points, the Command Series products deliver a new standard of value, combining high-speed performance, precision, and versatility to power - gaming, content creation, and everyday productivity.

"The all-new Command Series marks a major moment for Turtle Beach - our most advanced lineup of keyboards and mice yet, built for the speed, precision, and flexibility that Today's gamers, creators, and multitaskers demand," said Cris Keirn, Chief Executive Officer, Turtle Beach Corporation.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today unveiled the Razer Pro Type Ergo, an ergonomic wireless keyboard designed to make long hours at the desk feel more natural and less fatiguing, while helping users get more done with less effort.

Pro Type Ergo is Razer's answer to a productivity market that has barely moved: a split-ergonomic keyboard that feels familiar from the first keystroke, cuts strain over time, and builds powerful workflow tools directly into the layout. For professionals who live on their keyboard, it is built to support comfortable, focused work all day, every day.

It's no secret that Borderlands 4 launched with some serious performance issues, but 2K and Gearbox have long promised performance updates and fixes to improve stability and the overall gaming experience in the latest installment in the looter-shooter franchise. In a new update, 2K Games has walked through a number of changes that have been implemented and shown off some of the performance improvements that have been made in Borderlands 4 since the game's launch. Gearbox and 2K tested the game's v 1.5 update compared to the v 1.0.2 launch version across a number of in-game quality settings and with hardware configurations representing the minimum and recommended specs, as well as a typical high-end gaming rig, and found significant improvements in both average, 1% low, and 0.1% low FPS. The blog post detailing the testing and results claims around 20% performance improvement when comparing the launch version of Borderlands 4 to the March update, but things become more interesting when you look at how performance changed depending on the hardware and resolution.

The biggest changes noted in the test results were seen in the native resolution with no DLSS, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 and Intel Core i7-9700K gaining around 43% FPS at 1080p Low, while the RTX 3080 and i7-12700K gained 26% at 1440p native and high graphics presets. Lastly, the NVIDIA RTX 4080 paired with an Intel Core i7-13700K went from 54.96 FPS to 78.43 FPS at 1440p native with very high graphics settings. The performance improvements with DLSS upscaling were less impressive, at between 17 and 35%, although that's still a notable improvement, especially on the low-end, where frame rates jump from 53 to 67 FPS. 1% and 0.1% lows are up across the board, with some tests seeing 0.1% lows get nearly a 100% improvement, which will make the game feel significantly smoother. The Borderlands development team attributes the performance uplift to general efficiency improvements as well as refinements to the Shader PSO process (Pipeline State Objects). The developers also worked on reducing polygon counts for effects and optimizing features like effects, physics, cloth simulations, and Unreal Engine 5's Virtual Shadow Maps, all of which helped reduce CPU and GPU usage during gameplay.

Brook Gaming, the global leader in cross-platform controller solutions, today announced the global launch of the Wingman P5. This high-performance converter allows PlayStation enthusiasts to use their preferred professional controllers—including the Xbox Elite Series 2, PS4, and Switch Pro—on the PS5, PS4, and PC (X-Input) across all game genres with uncompromised precision.

While many market solutions rely on "Remote Play" workarounds that require complex network setups and introduce significant lag, the Wingman P5 utilizes proprietary Direct Connection Technology. By connecting directly to the hardware, it delivers a near-zero latency experience suitable for both casual and competitive play.

February was a big month as we launched a lot of new features and updates, all with one thought in mind: improving your Xbox gaming experience. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can now stream their favorite games at up to 1440p resolution on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One X and Xbox One S consoles. On the Xbox PC app, we've added new sounds to help improve your controller navigation responsiveness. We've also listened to your feedback and added several new updates to the ROG Xbox Ally, including the ability to easily format your removable storage.

And, in case you missed it, we recently released Postgame Recaps to Xbox Insiders, which provides a recap of your recent gameplay on your PC, and the updated Xbox Cloud Gaming web experience is now in public preview for Insiders. Read all about these exciting updates, including new game additions, below.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the Razer Huntsman Signature Edition, a flagship keyboard created for users who want both peak performance and a refined desktop centerpiece. Positioned at the very top of Razer's keyboard portfolio, the Huntsman Signature Edition distills years of research in switch technology, acoustics, and materials into a single, meticulously crafted form.

Every unit is the result of a demanding multi-stage process including CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining, anodizing, hand-polishing, PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) finishing, and rigorous unit-level inspection, reflecting Razer's commitment to crafting top-tier products without compromise.

We have an important update to share regarding the launch of REPLACED. After a lot of back and forth, we have decided to shift our release date to 14 April 2026. As a small team working on our very first title, we've poured everything we have into this project. While the game is technically finished, reaching this final stretch has shown us that we need just a few more weeks to ensure the experience is exactly what you deserve. We want the version of REPLACED you play on day one to be polished, stable, and true to the vision we've shared with you.

The response to our Steam demo has been the ultimate fuel for us. To be honest, putting it out there was nerve-wracking, but seeing your gameplay, reading your reviews, and hearing your excitement has been overwhelming in the best way possible. We are constantly reading your comments, and that feedback is helping us make the final tweaks that will make the full game shine.

NACON, one of the world's leading gaming accessory companies, is proud to announce the availability of its Revolution X Unlimited - Anniversary Edition wireless controller on nacongaming.com and in stores. Designed for Xbox Series X|S and PC, this special limited edition pays a vibrant tribute to the iconic Xbox 360 console, combining a retro design with cutting-edge performance.

With the Revolution X Unlimited - Anniversary Edition, NACON offers nostalgic gamers and demanding competitors the best of both worlds. This controller is inspired by the design of the Xbox 360 and its controller, while integrating the latest technologies developed by NACON in the Revolution X Unlimited released in April 2025. Considered one of the best controllers on the market, it is praised for its durability, precision, and customization options.