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Microsoft gaming head Phil Spencer is retiring, replaced by an AI exec who promises no "soulless AI slop"
PC

Microsoft gaming head Phil Spencer is retiring, replaced by an AI exec who promises no "soulless AI slop"

Ah, it's a Friday night, time to rela- Wait a minute, long-time Microsoft gaming CEO Phil Spencer's retiring, his assumed replacement and Xbox president Sarah Bond has resigned, and the suit now being tapped to take over Spenny's gig currently has the following job title: president of Microsoft’s CoreAI product. Right, guess I'm writing a news. Read more

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X Wireless Gen 2 gaming headset review: good listener, bad talker
PC

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X Wireless Gen 2 gaming headset review: good listener, bad talker

So much of what the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X Wireless Gen 2 does, it does right. Its build quality is outstanding, having a thickness and solidity that most wireless headsets lack. Its stretchy headband, as on pretty much all SteelSeries headsets, successfully tricked my entire skull into thinking it was lighter than it is. It’s flexible, working over Bluetooth or a 2.4GHz dongle, the latter’s USB-C connection also making it a plusher Steam Deck alternative to the Arctis GameBuds

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X Wireless gaming headset review: sweet sounds for PC and handhelds
PC

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X Wireless gaming headset review: sweet sounds for PC and handhelds

My initial interest in the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X Wireless was sparked by it being, essentially, an over-ear version of the Arctis GameBuds, with a near-identical USB-C 2.4GHz receiver that lets it pull double duty with both a main PC and Steam Deck (slash, handheld PC of your choice). Happily, it’s turned out to be a very fine headset in general, performing a convincing impression of a higher-end model despite its current tag falling towards the lower-middle of wirelessdom. Read mo

US Supreme Court strike down majority of Trump's tariffs, so hopefully that's one less hardware buying headache to worry about
PC

US Supreme Court strike down majority of Trump's tariffs, so hopefully that's one less hardware buying headache to worry about

For once, I bring what should hopefully be good news for folks looking to buy or upgrade their PC hardware without having to factor in a bunch of inconveniences they can do nothing about. The RAM crisis is still in full swing, but the US Supreme Court have struck down the majority of President Trump's tariffs on imports. These tariffs have been another of the key annoyances complicating the state of play when it comes to hardware companies being able to sell you the bits you need at prices whic

XCOM designer Jake Solomon reveals "Life Sims + The Truman Show" game... while announcing his studio's closure
PC

XCOM designer Jake Solomon reveals "Life Sims + The Truman Show" game... while announcing his studio's closure

Midsummer Studios announced their existence in May 2024 with a promise to “revitalise the life sim genre”, but now, they’re closing down. Co-founder and former XCOM developer Jake Solomon announced the news on social media this week, saying goodbye with some brief pre-alpha footage of Burbank - a build-your-own-TV-series project with a lot of generative AI in it. “We built a studio, we made a game, and I'm really proud of both,” Solomon writes. “Before we