Latest news with #PCGamer
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Switch 2 has already sold 3.5 million units, making it Nintendo's fastest selling console yet—but I'm struggling to feel enthusiastic about this hardware launch
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Just in case you've been living under a nice mossy rock, the Nintendo Switch 2 finally launched this time last week. Though it looks like the slightly taller, younger sibling of the original Switch, this successor boasts beefed up hardware capabilities—including a bespoke chip from Nvidia. Despite the obvious similarities at a glance and a launch lineup that didn't exactly have the wow-factor, the Switch 2's sales numbers are definitely worth a double take. 3.5 million—that's how many units the Switch 2 shifted in its first four days on sale according to Nintendo. The original Switch was a much slower burn comparatively, shifting 2.74 million units in its first month. Obviously that's still a whole lot of games consoles, and the original Switch still wears the crown for Nintendo's best-selling console, having shifted 152.12 million hardware units in total as of March 2025. Still, if it keeps up this pace, the Switch 2 could well be on its way to breaking that record all over again with swiftness. So why, as a games and tech journalist, am I not excited about a whole new Nintendo console dropping this month—beyond the fact I write for a website called 'PC Gamer'? After setting up the Switch 2, navigating past the almost identical UI to boot up Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S, a thought dawned on me, "Oh no, have I really just spent $500 on the same console I bought in 2017?" To be clear, I know the innards are different, with that chip from Nvidia definitely giving the Switch 2 a beefier edge; even if it isn't quite as revolutionary as Jensen Huang would like you to believe, I must admit I never thought I'd see Cyberpunk 2077 running on a Nintendo console. Besides this incredibly enthusiastic teardown exploring what makes the chip tick, our James wrote an excellent deep dive comparing the Switch 2's capabilities against the Steam Deck, and it's definitely a closer competition than I was expecting. Still, I can't ignore the feeling of how 'safe' this launch feels—or the huge success it has been met with despite largely more of the same. Still, it's hard not to feel like this remains a 'safe' showing from Nintendo, with this successor Switch proudly declaring 'If it ain't broke…!' Speaking of, the more things change, the more they stay the same, with this iFixit teardown demonstrates that Nintendo are still soldering stuff directly to the motherboard. It also turns out that the Joy-Cons remain open to the dreaded stick drift. All of that makes the Switch 2 another handheld device that's far from easy to repair, but it finds itself in a somewhat less complacent tech landscape. I mean, the thought of mountains of e-waste still keeps me up at night but I'm personally heartened by the EU's recent efforts to shore up consumer's 'right to repair.' Before that, both Oregon and California took similar steps stateside. Even big tech behemoth Apple is noticing the sea change, with the iPhone 16 being much easier to take apart and repair than its predecessor. Nintendo, on the other hand, is still out here gluing down the battery—the part consumers are most likely to want to try replacing themselves—so steadfastly that folks risk introducing new faults to their console if they try to pry it out themselves. From a company that has pursued hefty settlements against Switch emulator devs or otherwise made offers that they can't refuse, this level of control is unsurprising. However, Nintendo's approach results in very much consumer unfriendly splash damage in a tech landscape where the ripples are more noticeable than ever. Best handheld gaming PC: What's the best travel buddy?Steam Deck OLED review: Our verdict on Valve's Steam Deck accessories: Get decked out.
Tom's Guide
3 days ago
- Tom's Guide
This Nintendo Switch 2 feature is taking serious flak from players — no, it's not the battery life
The Switch 2 is a bona fide hardware hit. It's sold out almost everywhere (which is why we're tracking Switch 2 restocks live) and Nintendo recently confirmed it's the company's fastest selling console. We've been putting the system through its paces (read our Nintendo Switch 2 review if you haven't yet) and while the console is admittedly an excellent update over its predecessor, it's not perfect. In fact, some gamers are sounding the alarm over the speed of the display. According to recent testing over at Monitors Unboxed (via PC Gamer), the Switch 2's 7.9-inch IPS display returned an average response time of 33ms (milliseconds) at 60Hz. According to the YouTube channel, that's significantly worse than even the slowest monitor they've previously tested, which came in at 19ms. Put the Switch 2 up against any kind of high-performance LCD PC gaming monitor and it's fair to say the Switch 2's panel gets blown away in terms of speed. And just to pour salt in the wound, Monitors Unboxed found the original Nintendo Switch panel was actually faster at 21ms. As you can imagine, the folks over on Reddit are chewing this up with gusto with many claiming the ghosting issues are ruining the experience. So, what's going on? Well, Jeremy Laid over at PC Gamer speculates Nintendo hasn't enabled any kind of overdrive on the display; whereby extra voltage is sent to the LCD pixels to force them to change more quickly. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. This makes sense because, as Jeremy explains, doing it wrong can have a negative impact on battery life. Something the Switch 2 has also been criticised for. As with a lot of things in life, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Nintendo stepped away from trying to compete on specs years ago. So whether or not the speed of the Switch 2's display compared to a PC monitor bothers you likely comes down to the kind of gamer you are — and how apt you are to notice that kind of thing. During my own time with the Switch 2, I didn't notice any ghosting issues that caused me to lose enjoyment in the gameplay. My colleague Rory was also enamored with the Switch 2 panel, even if it's not OLED, explaining in his review that, "Nintendo has done a pretty remarkable job not making it feel like a significant step back because the Switch 2's display is seriously pretty." But if you're one of the lucky ones that did snare a Switch 2 when the restocks came up and feel differently, let us know. Drop your thoughts on how the Switch 2's display holds up compared to other devices you've used in the comments section below.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Intel Says Its 18A Node is 25% Faster Than Intel 3
Intel has great things to say about its upcoming 18A node, but it's using some tough-to-verify comparisons. Intel made its claims at the 2025 Symposium on VLSI Technology in Japan, according to PC Gamer. The chipmaker compared its 18A node with the Intel 3 node, which didn't lead to chips in laptops. So, for now, the performance improvement numbers are just mildly interesting, rather than data with which to make any decisions. The company's more interesting claims boil down to this: a chip based on the 18A process can be up to 25% faster. If you stick to the same speed as Intel 3, 18A is 36% more efficient. That sounds intriguing, but the comparison that potential customers will make is not between 18A and Intel 3; it will be between Intel's 18A and TSMC's N2, which is the 2-nm class node. Intel's chief rival in the processor space, AMD, already has TSMC producing its next generation of Epyc data center CPUs on the N2 node. In any event, we'll have answers with the arrival of Intel's upcoming Panther Lake laptop CPUs. Samples of the system-on-a-chip (SoC) made an appearance at Computex this summer, proving that the vaunted 18A node is about ready for production. Intel estimates that it will start production of the chips sometime this year. As for when we'll see laptops with Panther Lake chips in them? That's looking more like early 2026, says Intel. Credit: Intel Intel's 18A node is nearing completion at a crucial time for the company. It is the final node in former CEO Pat Gelsinger's five-nodes-in-four-years plan, which was meant to revitalize Intel's fortunes. Gelsinger hoped to develop Intel's manufacturing capabilities into a successful foundry business, but the journey was slow and saw setbacks. When Intel spun its manufacturing into a foundry business in the spring of 2024, the company revealed that the foundry business was losing billions every year. And profitability wasn't expected until 2030. The company kicked off its ambitious plan with the Intel 7, which was followed by the 4 and then the 3 node. At that point, Intel changed its naming convention with the 20A node. The 20A node ended up being scrapped, however, and Intel turned its attention entirely to making 18A, which is the process that will be used to make Panther Lake chips, a success. At this point, 18A has reached risk production and appears well on its way to crossing the finish line. Gelsinger, meanwhile, is no longer with Intel, which has a new leader in CEO Lip-Bu Tan.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Kojima's Death Stranding 2: Global release dates, time, characters and all you need to know
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach will be out soon for gamers having early access, followed by its official release 48 hours later. Those who enjoyed playing the standard edition of the action-adventure game in 2019 have been keenly waiting for its highly anticipated sequel, which is the brainchild of Hideo Kojima. A still from Death Stranding 2: On The Beach trailer(X) While the official release date of the game was already announced in March, the launch times were not shared by the makers. Also, there were no details regarding when fans can pre-order its Digital Deluxe Edition and play it sooner than its June 26 launch. While Death Stranding was based in the United States, its sequel is primarily set in Australia. The story unfolds 11 months after the events of the first game, where Sam Porter Bridges, a freelance porter, navigates through a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by otherworldly creatures. It features main characters from the previous one, Sam Porter, Fragile and Higgs. These roles have been reprised by Norman Reedus, Lea Seydoux and Troy Baker. According to Games Radar, Hideo Kojima recently announced that the final trailer for the sequel comes alongside the full release of the game. Death Stranding 2: Release date and time As of now, Sony has not shared maps covering all the launch times across different cities. Under its rolling midnight release system, the studio usually releases a game at midnight in the easternmost timezone in each region. Going by these trends, here's when fans can expect the game to come out. As per PC Gamer, here's the Death Stranding 2 early access release time for several cities: Los Angeles - 9 pm PT, June 23 Chicago - 11pm CT, June 23 New York - 12 am ET, June 24 Wellington - 12 am NZST, June 24 Sydney - 10 PM AEST, June 23 Perth - 8 PM AWST, June 23 Official release date and time for Death Stranding 2: On The Beach - Los Angeles - 9 pm PT, June 25 Chicago - 11pm CT, June 25 New York - 12 am ET, June 26 Wellington - 12 am NZST, June 26 Sydney - 10 PM AEST, June 25 Perth - 8 PM AWST, June 25 FAQs: 1. When will Death Stranding 2: On The Beach release in the US? The early access will be available on Monday, June 23, followed by the official release on Wednesday, June 25. 2. Is preloading available for Death Stranding 2? Yes, fans will be able to preload Death Stranding 2 on PS5. 3. Is Death Stranding 2 launching on PC? As of now, there are no details regarding the PC launch.
The Verge
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
He was devastated when his favorite Facebook game shut down, but at 10 years old, what could he do? 8 years later, he's got the rights, the original code, and is about to relaunch Dungeon Rampage on Steam
[Link: He was devastated when his favorite Facebook game shut down, but at 10 years old, what could he do? 8 years later, he's got the rights, the original code, and is about to relaunch Dungeon Rampage on Steam | |
