Apple is reportedly set to become the third-largest laptop vendor by the end of 2026, according to market research firm Sigmaintell. Their projections indicate that Apple-made laptops will surpass the industry staple Dell, securing the third spot. This is a remarkable achievement for Apple, which will capture significant unit sales with its newly released, affordable MacBook Neo. According to the market research, the largest vendor by unit sales in 2026 is expected to be Lenovo with 43 million units, followed by HP with 39 million units. Apple is anticipated to sell 28 million MacBooks that year, an impressive number considering the firm sold about 23 million MacBooks in 2025.

The latest MacBook Neo is projected to sell around 10 million units, while the remaining 18 million units are expected to come from the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 14/16 variants. With its current product portfolio, Apple covers a wide range of market segments, from the entry-level $599 MacBook Neo (or $499 with a student discount) to mid-range offerings like the thin and light MacBook Air, and high-end options for professionals with the MacBook Pro lineup. By catering to every segment from entry-level to high-end, Apple enhances its market visibility and provides users with options to fit their budgets.

Valve's upcoming Steam Controller is one of the most anticipated hardware releases the company plans to unveil soon. In a leaked video review that has since been taken down, we learned that Valve has reportedly priced this product at $99. This price point may leave enthusiasts weighing the potential higher cost against its features. While it is on the pricier side for a wireless controller, Valve positions the Steam Controller as having an ergonomic, programmable, and immersive design. What makes it special are its features, including four programmable buttons, dual touchpads, a hall effect sensor, HD rumble for haptic feedback, decent battery life, and connectivity options that include Bluetooth and a separate 2.4 GHz dongle. All of this may justify the asking price, but given the recent influx of high-quality third-party controllers, we should wait for official reviews before drawing any conclusions.

Just a few days ago, Valve quietly uploaded a Steam Controller unboxing video on its Steam platform. However, the video has not been made available for viewing, as attempting to play it results in a "This video has not been processed for streaming" message. This indicates that the launch of the controller is imminent, but since a review was released early, we are likely just a week or two away from the official unveiling. Below is a screenshot from the leaked video review, which has now been taken down.

Welcome to the last week of April and this week's major release is based on a popular comic and animated series, but we'll let you figure out which one. The week kicks off with some big white trolls, followed by what is said to be a spiritual successor of Garry's Mod—for those of you that are old enough to remember that one—and a rat project that seems to involve magic. Next up we have a huge turn-based grand strategy game and we end the week with a new take on chess that somehow is a rougelike. Don't forget to check out the additional new release this week as well.

Invincible VS / This week's major release / Thursday 30 April
Invincible VS is a brutal superhero 3v3 tag fighting game set in the Invincible universe, where you can battle to the death as a team of fan-favorite characters in iconic locations. Unleash bone-breaking combos through fast combat and smart defensive tactics to leave a trail of blood and destruction. Land vicious Super moves and Ultimates to leave your opponents in a mess of blood. Steam link

Back in January, we checked out the ASUS Zenbook Duo at the ASUS booth at CES 2026, where ASUS confirmed that the new dual-screen productivity laptop would feature Intel's Panther Lake CPUs, a new Ceraluminum coating, and redesigned hinges that bring the device's top and bottom displays closer together. Now, following the launch of the ASUS Zephyrus Duo, ASUS has officially launched the Zenbook Duo 2026 with two distinct models available for purchase at the time of writing. The biggest difference between the Zenbook Duo US8407AA-DS99T and the UX8407AA-PSXT is that the former uses the less powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 386H CPU, while the latter comes with the Core Ultra X9 388H. The two CPUs share similar CPU performance, but the 388H gains a significant lead when it comes to iGPU performance, thanks to the inclusion of the Intel Arc B390 iGPU compared to the more standard Xe3 graphics in the 386H.

Editors note: our in depth review is now available.

Both models share the same dual touch-enabled, 14-inch, 2880×1800p, 16:10, 144 Hz OLED displays with 1,000 nits HDR brightness and 500 nits of SDR brightness. Similarly, both laptops come with 32 GB of LPDDR5X memory and a 1 TB NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD by default. While ASUS positions the Zenbook as a sort of catch-all laptop capable of doing everything from creative work to general productivity, and even a little gaming, the ports tell somewhat of a different story. Both have a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, dual Thunderbolt 4 ports with both USB Power Delivery and support for external displays, a single HDMI 2.1 FRL port, and a 3.5 mm audio combo jack. The Zenbook Duo comes with the ASUS Pen 3.0 with wireless charging as well as a Zenbook laptop sleeve, and the bottom display has a detachable wireless keyboard. The Zenbook Duo is available directly from the ASUS store, with the Core Ultra 9 386H variant starting at $2,499.99 and the Core Ultra X9 version starting at $2,699.99. The Core Ultra 9 version is expected to start shipping on May 11, while the Core X9 version will only be available in "late Q2."

Digital Extremes has long teased an upcoming update for mid-2026, and the game studio has finally put a name on the update and given gamers an idea of what to expect when it rolls out in June. The details about the upcoming update are still scant, but Digital Extremes did reveal that the Jade Shadows: Constellations quest would be a follow-up to the Jade Shadows quest that saw players delve into the backstory and relationships that motivate the enigmatic Stalker. Jade Shadows: Constellations will see players return to Stalker's lair, although this time, the action seems to center on Stalker's children, Orion and Sirius. Digital Extremes released an animated short for Jade Shadows: Constellations, showing off Orion and Sirius battling it out on a desolate world, with the Protoframes of Garuda and Ash, Vena and Ryoku, respectively, also making an appearance in the trailer. By the way Digital Extremes is framing the introduction, it seems as though players will be offered a choice of which of Stalker's children to side with during the quest.

The update will also introduce two new Railjack missions in the Uranus Proxima sector, and both of these Railjack missions will be tied to Vena and Ryoku. Nidus, a stalwart Warframe tied to the game's Infected faction lore, will also receive a minor rework in Jade Shadows: Constellations, in which he will get increased health and an overall buff to his abilities. Finally, DE also confirmed that, starting on May 4, Operation: Belly of the Beast will be returning until June 1, giving players a chance to access new and returning rewards. More details about Belly of the Beast are available here, but players wishing to participate—at least those who have completed The New War quest—will be able to play through two operation missions on Uranus, one of which will be in the new Brutus node and feature classic Ascension-style defense mission types, but with special Jade Light Eximus units spawning in for an extra challenge. The animated Jade Shadows: Constellations trailer follows.

Xbox executives, Asha Sharma and Matt Booty, recently publicly released an internal memo in which they detailed the upcoming changes to the Xbox Games strategy, revealing that Microsoft would be reevaluating its approach to Xbox exclusive games and further addressing the viability and value proposition of Game Pass. The memo also addressed the future of Xbox hardware, stating that Project Helix would lead in performance and that the short-term goal was to work on the shortcomings of the Xbox Series X|S consoles to make them more attractive for gamers. Sharma and Booty also recently spoke to The Game File in an interview and divulged more of what those plans meant for the future of Xbox.

Addressing Game Pass first, Sharma said that the recent price cut applied to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass were the first steps toward attracting more players who will stick around long-term. The CEO went on to say that the executives have been rethinking the Game Pass approach, commenting that, aside from making it more affordable, they are evaluating how value looks in the context of the modern gaming landscape and the rapidly changing world. Matt Booty, Chief Content Officer, commented that Microsoft would be working on the games coming out of Xbox Game Studios, so that it could deliver a predictable cadence with a robust roadmap, and that it would "aim for quality."

ASUS today announced the availability of the ROG Strix XG27UCG Gen 2 (XG27UCGR), the ROG Strix XG27UCS Gen 2 (XG27UCSR), and the TUF Gaming VG27UQEL5A gaming monitors.

These gaming monitors feature 27-inch 4K Fast IPS panels with a 0.3 ms response time (minimum) for crisp visuals and smooth high-frame-rate gameplay. Each monitor offers a Dual Mode feature that enables gamers to easily switch between high-resolution visuals and high refresh rates. When set to the high-refresh-rate mode, Smart Pixel technology intelligently enhances every frame with advanced 4K upscaling, enabling gamers to experience ultrasmooth gameplay and sharper, more vibrant visuals with greater levels of detail, even at lower resolutions. ASUS Extreme Low Motion Blur Sync (ELMB Sync) enables the integrated ELMB to work simultaneously with variable refresh rates to eliminate ghosting and tearing for exceptionally-clear motion. The monitors are VESA DisplayHDR 400-certified for enhanced contrast and brightness.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 made waves when it launched in early 2025, going on to earn numerous Game of the Year awards later on in the year. Now, in a recent announcement, Sandfall Interactive has officially announced that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has sold over 8 million copies since it launched, which is an impressive milestone for a relatively small indie studio, especially for a genre that generally appeals to a smaller subset of the overall gaming audience.

This is yet another indication of the comeback of original single-player games that has been ongoing in the last few years, with other single-player games, like Crimson Desert and Pragmata also hitting it big in the first half of 2026. Sandfall Interactive has also announced a new update for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that adds fun new cosmetics in celebration of the milestone and of the game's one-year anniversary.

NACON, a major player in gaming accessories and parent company of the premium audio brand RIG, today announced the launch of the R8 SPECTRE PRO HS dual-wireless gaming headset, officially licensed by PlayStation. The latest addition to the critically acclaimed R-Series lineup combines studio-grade sound with dual-wireless audio mixing, delivering competitive players a wireless headset that's Built Different.

"The R8 PRO HS is the technical evolution of one of our most celebrated headsets - the 800 PRO," explained Michael Jessup, Head of Audio Product. "With the return of the iconic base station and the addition of graphene drivers plus dual-wireless audio, the R8 PRO HS delivers ultra-low latency performance, enhanced acoustic precision, and the convenience competitive players demand."

More often than not, finding a pre-built mechanical keyboard with any layout other than US ANSI can be challenging—broad layout support is one of the reasons Keychron became popular in the first place—and finding a true 100% mechanical keyboard in ISO or JIS layouts can be even more challenging, given the keyboard market's tendency to prefer more compact designs, like the Wooting 60HE v2. Fortunately, NuPhy has just updated its somewhat affordable Node100 and Node75 wireless mechanical keyboards with support for both ISO and JIS.

The ISO versions include UK, DE, and FR layouts, with JIS only supporting Japanese, although the keycaps are still in the regular Latin alphabet. Interestingly, the JIS layout features a fully split space bar with 2.25 U and 2.75 U keycaps, likely in order to fit the denser bottom row of the JIS layout more than anything. The ISO and JIS layouts are also available in both the full-height and low-profile versions of the Node keyboards. At the time of writing, ISO and JIS are only available in Lunar White and Ink Grey colorways. ISO and JIS layouts also come at a $10 premium over the ANSI versions for both the Node75 and Node100, with both the high- and low-profile Node75 starting at $99.95 in ANSI but $109.95 in ISO. Likewise, the Node100 starts at $109.95 in ANSI-US but $119.95 in ISO and JIS.

Pulsar Gaming Gears (AplusX Inc.), a leading developer of high-performance esports peripherals, today announced the official launch of the Pulsar X2H CrazyLight BadSeed Tech Edition, in collaboration with renowned tech reviewer Brian Phillips. This collaboration is rooted in a shared commitment to uncompromising peripheral quality. Brian Phillips, the force behind the BadSeed Tech brand and YouTube channel, is a highly respected reviewer known for his straightforward, no-nonsense approach to PC gaming peripherals. He has built a reputation for brutal honesty and high production standards, driven by his philosophy: "everything you need to know, and nothing you don't". This limited-edition mouse is engineered to meet the stringent standards of one of the industry's most critical voices.

The X2H CrazyLight features a symmetrical shape with a high hump and narrow waist, making it an ideal choice for relaxed claw and claw grip users. Weighing in at a staggering 37 g for the Mini (Size 1) and just 43 g for the Medium (Size 2), the "CrazyLight" Advantage reduces wrist strain and allows for the speed required for high-level play.

Meta has signed an agreement to deploy AWS Graviton processors at scale. The deal marks a significant expansion of a long-standing partnership between the two companies as Meta builds its next generation of AI.

The deployment starts with tens of millions of Graviton cores, with the flexibility to expand as Meta's AI capabilities grow. The deal reflects a shift in how AI infrastructure gets built: while GPUs remain essential for training large models, the rise of agentic AI is creating massive demand for CPU-intensive workloads—real-time reasoning, code generation, search, and orchestrating multi-step tasks. Graviton5 is purpose-built for these workloads, giving Meta the processing power to run them efficiently at scale.

Yunzii has added two wood-bodied keyboards to its lineup, the Wood 68 and Wood 84, both built around a walnut wood frame with tri-mode wireless connectivity.
The Wood 68 is a 65% board with 68 keys, while the Wood 84 steps up to a 75% layout with 84 keys. Both keyboards share the same core feature set: double-shot PBT Cherry profile keycaps, Yunzii Candy Linear switches, full hot-swap support for 3-pin and 5-pin switches, south-facing RGB, and a 4000 mAh battery. Connectivity covers Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz wireless, and wired USB-C. N-key rollover is supported, and customization is handled through Yunzii's software on Windows and macOS or via their online configurator.

The Wood 68 measures 325.4 x 116.4 x 41.77 mm and weighs 767 g. The Wood 84 shares the same width but is taller at 325.4 x 135.4 x 45.42 mm and heavier at 979 g. Both use a tray mount design with internal sound dampening, and the frame features decorative engravings. The Wood 68 is priced at $89.99 and the Wood 84 at $92.99 on the Yunzii website.

AMD has officially launched its Extended Profiles for Overclocking (EXPO) version 1.2, which expands support for more memory profiles, CUDIMM, and additional features. With this release, AMD aims to introduce more advanced memory tuning profiles to the "Zen 5" platform and its DDR5 memory types, while full support for EXPO 1.2 features is anticipated with the "Zen 6" processor generation. This means that full CUDIMM support for "Zen 5" tuning is still limited, and only "Zen 6" will offer complete CUDIMM support. EXPO 1.2 works with AMD's AGESA, but since AGESA 1.3.0.1 lacks full CUDIMM DDR5 support, this feature is postponed until the next-generation "Zen 6." Current-generation "Zen 5" CPUs on the AM5 socket may be able to use EXPO 1.2, but they won't fully support the new DDR5 memory with an onboard clock driver, instead relying on traditional memory to perform the task. Notably, popular AMD developer 1usmus mentioned that AMD EXPO 1.2 brings the following changes.

• Support for module geometry.
• Added support for MRDIMM (CUDIMM and CSODIMM are already supported). AGESA 1.3.0.1 still lacks full CUDIMM support; AMD is preparing this for Zen 6.
• New! tREFI, tRRDS, tWR, ULL Enable—Unified Latency Lock and VDDP(V).

ASRock, the global leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, mini PCs, gaming monitors, power supply units, and AIOs, proudly announces outstanding overclocking achievements with its flagship ASRock X870E Taichi OCF motherboard, paired with the powerful AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition processor.

Professional overclockers AKM and l0ud_sil3nc3 have successfully pushed system performance to new heights across multiple benchmark platforms, securing several Global 1st Place records and top global rankings. These results once again demonstrate the extreme overclocking capability and rock-solid stability of the X870E Taichi OCF.

Intel's upcoming "Nova Lake" Core Ultra 400 series processors will introduce not only a new CPU platform and socket but also a new motherboard chipset segmentation, unlike anything we have seen from Team Blue. According to a well-known leaker, Jaykihn, the new Z970 chipset platform is set to take over much of the space currently reserved for B860 motherboards. Meanwhile, B960 is expected to be positioned lower in the lineup as a value-focused option, often used by Intel's OEM partners for all-in-one builds or mini-PCs. This makes the Z970 the primary choice for a large share of "Nova Lake" builders, not just enthusiasts. Intel's higher-end Z990 boards are still expected to target the most demanding systems, while Z970 seems to bridge the gap between premium and mainstream desktop segments, incorporating many features that the Zx70 chipsets typically reserved from the Bx60 chipset ranges over the past few years.

The most likely scenario is that the Z970 will offer overclocking and wider I/O selection, while the Z990 will focus on more diverse expansion capabilities. The third entry-level B960 boards are expected to be starter NVL platform designs without overclocking support, intended to get the platform up and running with minimal I/O and SSD expansion. One of the biggest attractions of the Z970 would be CPU overclocking support, a key advantage over the B960, which is anticipated to be the more affordable option but without the same tuning flexibility. While the two chipsets may share similar baseline I/O features, motherboard manufacturers are likely to differentiate them through board design, port count, storage support, and overall feature set.

Intel posted strong Q1 2026 earnings results, indicating improvements across multiple verticals, from Intel Products to Intel Foundry divisions. Both groups experienced operational enhancements, but Intel Foundry achieved a significant milestone: yield improvement across all major foundry nodes currently in high-volume manufacturing. This includes Intel 4, Intel 3, and 18A nodes, which power the majority of Intel's product portfolio. In the latest Q1 2026 earnings call, Intel CFO David Zinsner noted that the company continues to improve yields on its older nodes, such as Intel 4 and Intel 3, while refining the yield of the current top-performing 18A node to reduce waste and increase the number of functional chips, even in larger dies.

David Zinsner, Intel CFOIntel Foundry operating loss in Q1 was $2.4 billion, improved $72 million quarter-over-quarter as better yields across Intel 4, Intel 3, and 18A drove higher gross margins. This was mostly offset by increased operating expenses associated with an intentional step-up in Intel 14A investments to support both internal and external customer evaluations. As a reminder, Intel Foundry carries the bulk of the cost associated with the early ramp of Intel 18A, and we expect Intel Foundry's operating loss to improve through the year as 18A continues to ramp into volume and yields improve further. Within the quarter, Intel Foundry delivered output above our expectations, drove steady improvements in yields, and met key 14A milestones.

Canonical has today released Ubuntu 26.04 LTS as the company's latest update to the mainstream Linux distro. As we reported previously, Canonical has upgraded the minimum system requirements to 6 GB of RAM, but that change comes alongside a number of upgrades to the distro itself, some of which will be immediately noticeable, while others will silently improve the user experience in the background. Ubuntu users can download Ubuntu 26.04 directly from Canonical, or users of previous Ubuntu versions can simply run "do-release-upgrade -p" in their terminal.

The biggest user-facing change is the move to Gnome 50, which now mandates Wayland and has improved, non-experimental support for both VRR and fractional scaling. Gnome 50 also implements a new feature that allows the cursor to render at the monitor's full refresh rate, even if the foreground app is running at a lower frame rate. The Gnome 50 update also sees the Yaru theme get some nifty visual tweaks that bring it closer to the standard Gnome theme and a new icon pack. Resolute Raccoon also moves Ubuntu up to the Linux kernel 7.0, adding better memory management, removing the "experimental" tag from Rust, and updating various drivers and services, like ZFS, and adding security features, like TPM-backed full-disk encryption. Ubuntu 26.04 is also the first Ubuntu version to ship NVIDIA CUDA out of the box, and AMD's ROCm platform is available in the Ubuntu repos for those looking to run local AI.

Announced during this year's FINAL FANTASY XIV Fan Festival, HYTE, a leading manufacturer of premium PC components, is teaming up with SQUARE ENIX to produce a limited-edition Y70 collaboration PC case based on the beloved MMORPG FINAL FANTASY XIV Online. To learn more, please visit: https://hyte.co/FFXIV-pr

Starting today, the Official FINAL FANTASY XIV Y70 case invites players to bring Eorzea to their gaming set-up and it is now available for pre-order. This limited-edition chassis showcases the MMORPG's central cast in immaculate detail across its panoramic tempered-glass panels. With a uniquely numbered "WARRIOR OF LIGHT" serialized plate on its back and the game's logo proudly displayed on the case's back panel, the Y70 is perfect as both premium hardware, and as a true collectible display piece that honors the game's legacy and devotion from its passionate community.