gaming
Meta's new VR headset forgot about the games
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. The company that brought virtual reality to the mainstream barely mentioned gaming when it showed off its new flagship headset. That's bad news for anyone who likes VR. I have a medium-intensity interest in virtual reality gaming. I'm excited to try Valve's new Steam Frame, and an older VR headset design helped me lose a ton of weight .
I've loved Razer's weird keyboard for 20 years. Now make it wireless
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. I've loved Razer's weird keyboard for 20 years. Razer: Give me a wireless Tartarus. I don't need half a keyboard when I'm not gaming, so why do you want it to live on my desk full time? After two semesters of watching my college roommate play PC games on his laptop while I devoured and on the Wii U, I was ready to jump into PC gaming.
How to use Xbox mode on your Windows PC
The first step to using Windows 11's Xbox mode is to ensure that it's turned on, which it may not be by default. To do so, open Settings by using the Win I shortcut, then select Gaming Xbox mode. Here, if you see an Enable Xbox mode slider, enable it. You may also see a Choose home app section, where you should select Xbox. If you want quicker access to Xbox mode from the desktop, also enable Show Xbox mode in Task View.
Nvidia's RTX Spark could be the future of laptops. That's exactly why I'd wait
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Nvidia's RTX Spark could be the future of laptops. That's exactly why I'd wait Nvidia's new Arm chips powering premium laptops are the biggest hardware news of the year...but I've got good reasons to be wary of both the tech and the company behind it. Nvidia is making CPUs now. Specifically, it's making Arm-based processors with RTX branding, destined for at least some consumer-focused, high-performance laptops and mini PCs .
Windows 11 can auto-adjust your monitor's refresh rate to save power
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Windows 11 can auto-adjust your monitor's refresh rate to save power Windows 11's Dynamic Refresh Rate saves energy by lowering your screen's refresh rate when you're not gaming. Here's how to enable it. Windows 11 supports the activation of a dynamic refresh rate (DRR) on monitors equipped with the relevant technology. When this feature is enabled, the operating system automatically adjusts the refresh rate to suit the user's activity.
How HDMI Technology Delivers Smoother, More Immersive Gaming
Learn how HDMI features such as VRR, ALLM, QFT improve gaming and why enabling higher color bit depth improves display color. In computer and video gaming, connectivity plays a defining role in shaping the overall experience. HDMI technology has established itself for delivering both high-definition video and high-resolution audio through a licensed, tested and certified seamless connection. Its widespread adoption across gaming consoles, PCs, displays, and home entertainment systems makes it the most versatile and reliable interface for gamers of all levels. One of HDMI technology's greatest strengths is its ability to transmit uncompressed audio and video signals.
NVIDIA's DLSS 5 launches with NBA 2K27 on September 3, but there's little reason for excitement
It's hard to recall a feature that's been as instantly reviled as NVIDIA's DLSS 5, a new version of its AI upscaling technology that can modify character models and environments to chase the specter of "photorealism." NVIDIA calls it progress, but the initial examples from Resident Evil: Requiem and Starfield were uncanny misfires. Now, NVIDIA is gearing up to finally launch DLSS 5 alongside NBA 2K27 on September 3. And judging from the wildly negative responses to recent leaks of the technology, it's going to face a tough crowd. I had serious doubts about DLSS 5 at first, but after seeing some remote demonstrations of the tech from Gamescom, my hackles have cooled a bit. Sure, it's an AI tool that could be used to obscenely yassify a fragile character suffering from PTSD, like it did for Resident Evil: Requiem's co-lead Grace.
Nvidia's DLSS 5 makes NBA 2K27 look incredibly real, which is kind of the problem
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Nvidia's DLSS 5 makes NBA 2K27 look incredibly real, which is kind of the problem NBA 2K27 shows off DLSS 5's impressive new realism -- and hints at a future where animation, not graphics, becomes gaming's weakest link. That sounds weird, but hear me out. Nvidia showed me and other journalists an early preview of 2K's NBA 2K27 ahead of the game's September 4 launch, because NBA 2K27 will also mark the debut of Nvidia's DLSS 5 technology, which applies AI models to rendered game scenes to drastically improve realism. It's the little things that sell it. Shadows fell naturally across Haliburton's hand as it gripped the ball.
You might want to skip using a Bluetooth headset for a better gaming experience
Standard Bluetooth adds roughly 200ms of audio latency in real-world use, though the exact figure varies by codec, device and implementation. Some low-latency Bluetooth codecs can reduce this delay substantially, but support is inconsistent across devices. Either way, Bluetooth generally lags behind 2.4GHz wireless and wired connections for gaming. To put that in perspective, the average human visual reaction time is around 220 to 280ms, with auditory responses usually being faster (between 170 and 220ms). Fighter pilots and esports players will be much faster, but that's what average folk can expect.