Watchers of the current Xbox Series have expected Microsoft to eventually issue a mid-life refresh of one of the gaming consoles (preferably the X), given the company's history of releasing upgraded variants of past generation products—with 2017's Scorpio GPU-equipped Xbox One X being a notable example. The company's recent showcase revealed a very minor upgrade for entry level Xbox Series S—the new 1 TB SSD model was presented in a black finish, with no big changes under the hood beyond a bump up in internal storage (from 512 GB), which commands a $50 upcharge from the (now) baseline white model. Bloomberg sought a couple of comments from Xbox chief Phil Spencer post showcase presentation.

When asked about the prospect of a proper hardware upgrade for Xbox Series, his reply included the view that he does not "feel an imperative" for a significant update of the existing Microsoft games console range. He thinks that the current Xbox userbase is satisfied with the status quo: "That's not the feedback we're getting right now. Right now, we're pretty set on the hardware we have." Arch rival Sony is reported to be deep into the development of an alleged "PRO" refresh of its existing PlayStation 5 console, with insider sources claiming that the more powerful variant will arrive in 2024. Spencer could be keeping quiet about his company's potential answer (as a stealth tactic) to any future competitor, but his more immediate goal is to get the Activision Blizzard takeover deal over the finishing line.

Cooler Master is exhibiting new MM712 gaming mouse variants at Computex 2023 - the two updated offerings come in the form of a high-end "PRO" version and a (potentially) cheaper wired model. The original MM712 was released last autumn (after several delays) to a mostly warm reception, although user feedback did provide Cooler Master with plenty of insights for the development of possible successors. The peripheral design team has addressed a key negative point - the MM712 PRO and Wired models no longer sport primary button overhang - certain users complained about their fingers getting pinched by the original's sharp side pieces. The new model's sensor position has been adjusted to a more central placement according to documentation on hand.

The MM712 PRO looks to offer a significant bump in specifications (over the base model) thanks to it being fitted with Pixart's top PAW 3395 optical sensor. Cooler Master will be catching up with leading brands who already offer high polling rate gaming mice. The MM712 PRO in wired connection mode can operate at 8 kHz, while wireless operation is rated at 4 kHz via an included ultra-fast USB dongle. The spec upgrade has not meant that the model's weight has increased, Cooler Master reps at Computex claim that the PRO remains in the lightweight category - coming in at roughly 56 grams.

Intel has posted two product change notifications regarding the Gemini Lake Refresh, which is now reaching the end of its life. Launched in 2019 as a refresh to the original Gemini Lake, these low-end products had a longer lifespan than the original Gemini Lake (2017-2020). Most commonly found on low-end PCs, AIOs, and Mini PCs, these Gemini Lake Refresh CPUs were based on the 14 nm Goldmont Plus microarchitecture. Coming with up to four cores without HyperThreading, these CPUs were ideal for lower-power applications as their TDP was rated between 6-10 Watts.

Intel has separated the product change into two categories, with the first consisting of Celeron N4120, Celeron 4020, and Pentium Silver N5030, while the other features Celeron J4025, Pentium Silver J5040, Celeron N4020C, and Celeron J4125. Intel will ship the first group of CPUs by May 24, 2024, and the second by February 23, 2024. The last round of orders will go out by November 24, 2023, and August 25, 2023, respectively.

A couple of TPU readers will be happy to learn of more rumors relating to Sony's "in the works" PlayStation 5 Pro model - following on from last week's news about about a possible interim modular model - and curious commenters asking for additional information. Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson has been a notorious source of PS5-related leaks for a while - the aforementioned modular console variant has been leading topic for the guy and today he provides a small update on the matter: "You're probably already sick of hearing about the new PlayStation 5 with a detachable disc drive that should release later this year. Although reports have dubbed the new PlayStation 5 as the PS5 Slim, Insider Gaming understands that the console will be almost identical to the PlayStation 5 but feature a detachable disc drive. In fact, it's understood that the new PlayStation 5 will completely phase out the old design within a year."

His newly reformed and theorized PlayStation future timeline also contains an update about the PlayStation 5's "Pro" refresh - Sony is rumored to preparing this more powerful hardware variant for a Q4 2024 launch and Henderson insists that his past findings have been consistent and on point: "Our report in March was dismissed as being inaccurate by many when it was first reported and although the PlayStation 5 Pro could be canceled at any given time, Insider Gaming can report with a 100% degree of certainty that the PlayStation 5 Pro is currently in development." He claims that his industry sources have provided him with fresh batches of evidence: "Whilst we cannot report on any more specifics at this time, we understand that the first dev kit prototypes will be going to 1st party developers within the next couple of months, with 3rd party developers receiving them by the end of the year." Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are normally very guarded about development and prototype hardware, so very few developers (with access to these bits of kit) have been brave enough to break signed NDAs. Sony has once again chosen to be extremely secretive - no official information has been released about upcoming refreshed PS5 consoles or related accessories.

Following on from yesterday's news of Meteor Lake's "Adamantine" L4 cache another leaky bit of information has popped up. A tipster on Twitter, Bionic_squash, has uploaded a slide from a supposedly official Intel presentation document, and it shows a small selection of Meteor Lake-S and Arrow Lake-S desktop CPUs, as well as the refreshed Raptor Lake-S series. The majority of recent leaks have pointed to laptop variants of Intel's fourteenth generation Core lineup, and not much has emerged about a desktop-dedicated range in a while - prompting further murmurs about Team Blue canning that side of things. The Meteor Lake-S family is still in the works according to the leaked chart and industry experts reckon that a product launch is due later in the year.

By looking closely at the chart, it shows that the Meteor Lake-S desktop processors are limited to 35 and 65 W TDPs, meaning that Core i3 and i5 lines are the only offerings within the 14th generation desktop lineup. Performance enthusiasts will need to look at the 15th gen Arrow Lake-S lineup - where the big i7 and i9 CPUs (up to 125 W) sit, or the refreshed Raptor Lake lineup which also offers a wide range of options - from i3 up to i9. Industry experts are a bit puzzled about Meteor Lake's prospects in the desktop processor sector - when considering a (speculated) skew to more entry-level and mid-range minded customers. Will Intel lose out by not offering more powerful variants, or are they working on a refreshed 14th generation product lineup for 2025?