Valve Steam Machine: Two-minute review

It's finally happening! Valve's long-awaited Steam Machine has landed at last, promising to bring gaming-PC-level performance to an ultra-compact console-style device ideal for couch gamers who want to dip their toes into PC gaming for the first time. This is Valve's second run at the console-style PC market, and the gaming giant seems a lot more committed this time around.

And... well, I'm not entirely underwhelmed by it, but it's also not overwhelmingly impressive. I guess you could say I'm distinctly whelmed by the Steam Machine; it's a lovingly crafted piece of hardware that arguably achieves what it sets out to do, but falls down in two extremely important areas.

As you might have already guessed, those areas are performance and pricing. At the default 1080p resolution, it's a capable little machine that should be able to give you a good gaming experience with minimal fuss, but anyone expecting beefy 4K performance on par with the existing slate of top-tier home consoles is going to be disappointed.

Of course, this boils down to what sort of games you want to play. If you've got a 4K TV in your living room and want a compact PC specifically so you can enjoy older games, or the sort of indie game experiences that aren't so freely available on consoles – I'm talking the low-budget viral titles that so frequently dominate TikTok and Instagram Reels – then the Steam Machine might actually be an excellent choice.

Another key aspect of Valve's new console-PC hybrid is SteamOS, the recently updated operating system designed to provide a more console-like experience than conventional platforms like Windows and macOS. It's already available for anyone to put on their own PC, and of course powers Valve's own Steam Deck handheld. In a break from tradition for PC reviews, I've added an extra section to this review to specifically discuss SteamOS, but for now all I'll say is that it gets the job done well.

Moving on to pricing, it's painfully clear that the ongoing RAM crisis has taken a toll on the Steam Machine's value proposition. Starting at $1,049 / £879 / AU$1,609, it's a fair bit more costly than the PS5 Pro, which my esteemed colleague Rob Dwiar already noted was "too expensive" for the average gamer in his review here on TechRadar - and that was before Sony hiked the price of its home consoles earlier this year.

Considering that the Steam Machine was widely expected to represent an accessible path into the world of PC gaming for those who have previously not ventured beyond the confines of the console market, that price tag is sure to upset some gamers who were eagerly awaiting Valve's return to the console market. Hell, you might even be better off building your own Steam Machine killer.

But it's important to remember that the Steam Machine was probably never going to live up to the price-to-performance ratio of modern home consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X, even though it is ostensibly using newer, better hardware. This is due to the game development process and how developers implement platform optimization; if you're making a game for PS5, you're just making a game for PS5. You'll have to take the Pro model's specs into account now too, but at the end of the day you only need to optimize your game's performance for a specific set of hardware components with clearly defined limitations.

On the other hand, optimizing a game for PC means optimizing it for the uncountable millions of possible hardware configurations that exist across pre-built and custom gaming PCs, plus every gaming laptop on the market, plus handheld gaming PCs, and now plus the Steam Machine. It's a wildly different ballgame, and while some developers might skimp on good PC optimization, it's borderline impossible to get a game running consistently well on PC versus a specific console.

Does this entirely excuse the lackluster bang for your buck the Steam Machine offers? No, probably not. It's a mitigating factor that I have taken into account for this review – but quite frankly, I think Valve's second attempt at bringing PC gaming to the masses has slightly missed the mark.

Valve Steam Machine review: Price & availability

• Starts at $1,049 / £879 / AU$1,609
• Available now in the US, UK, and Australia
• Steam Controller can be added as a bundle

As I mentioned already, the Steam Machine starts at a rather steep $1,049 / £879 / AU$1,609, which gets you the standard configuration with no controller and 512GB of high-speed SSD storage. The actual performance spec doesn't change if you upgrade to the 2TB SSD model for $1,349 / £1,149 / AU$2,109, so you're essentially just paying for the extra storage – and even by current component pricing standards, that's an expensive upgrade.

Whether you pick the 512GB or 2TB model – and despite the price, I'd definitely recommend the latter if you play triple-A PC games, since install sizes have become frighteningly bloated as of late – you get the same semi-custom AMD Zen 4 CPU and discrete AMD RDNA 3 GPU, along with 16GB of RAM and a separate 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM.

Both models can also be bundled with Valve's Steam Controller (which also comes with a charging 'puck' and USB cable), which adds $79 / £59 / AU$119 to the base price of either model. This is actually a pretty decent add-on, since the Steam Controller is a genuinely good gamepad and normally costs $99 / £85 / AU$149 direct from Valve if you buy it separately. Unless you already own one of the best PC controllers, I'd strongly recommend getting the bundle.

It's also worth noting that pre-orders for the Steam Machine sold out almost immediately, so if you want to get your hands on one, you'll have to sign up for the waitlist directly through Steam.

• Value: 2.5 / 5

Valve Steam Deck review: Specs

Valve Steam Machine review: Design

• Compact, cubic design
• Tidy internals and front lightbar
• Somewhat limited port selection compared to most PCs

For a product that I found a little disappointing overall, I have to say that I have very little to criticize when it comes to the physical design of the Steam Machine.

Simply put, it looks great. The whole unit is a neat black cube of matte metal measuring roughly six inches along each edge and weighing a little under six pounds, with a thin indentation near the base on the front side, inside which nestles a bright LED lightbar. Beneath this, there's a power button with an additional LED (which stays illuminated while the Steam Machine is in sleep mode) along with two USB-A ports and a microSD card slot for easily adding extra storage. The cube sits atop four small rubber feet, which feel quite durable.

The 17-LED lightbar is more than just a simple power indicator, which I quite like. If your Steam Machine is downloading a game, it 'fills' from left to right to indicate the download's progress, and you can customize it with extra colors and functions in SteamOS too.

It's significantly smaller than any current-gen home console and the vast majority of pre-built gaming PCs, and certainly a lot smaller than any custom desktop PC the average system-builder could assemble - you'd need to be seriously confident with graphics card disassembly and custom cooling to even get close to something this small.

In fact, it's immediately reminiscent of the Nintendo GameCube I treasured in my teenage years, though I promise I haven't let nostalgia cloud my opinion here. The closest you're likely to get to this sort of compact gaming PC now is probably the Asus ROG NUC that I personally reviewed last year - and while that offers far superior performance, it's also so eye-wateringly expensive that it makes the Steam Machine look cheap.

The front panel is removable and can be easily swapped out with magnetic faceplates. If you spring for the 2TB model, you get two of these included: a red felt fabric one and a rather nice wood-effect one that matches my TV stand perfectly... it looks right at home there, actually. Wink wink, nudge nudge, Valve.

The power supply is (somehow) built into the breathtakingly compact chassis, meaning there's no chunky adapter brick here either - just a regular cable with a two-pin power connector. This is included in the box, along with an HDMI cable (though the rear I/O also features a DisplayPort 1.4 output, which may be preferable if you're connecting it to a desktop monitor rather than a TV).

That rear I/O is where you'll find the rest of the ports: the aforementioned HDMI and DisplayPort, along with an RJ-45 Ethernet port, two USB-As, and one USB-C. I'll confess that as a fan of physical connectivity, I find this port selection a little lacking, but it's realistically going to be plenty for the target audience of the Steam Machine. It might be less than a fully-fledged desktop PC, but it's comparable to any modern home console. Wireless connectivity uses Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 – I would've liked to see Wi-Fi 7 here, but it's not a dealbreaker.

The internals are very tidy, with a large air intake grille behind the magnetic faceplate behind which sits the mainboard. A single large upright fan draws air through and out of the rear exhaust. This is (surprisingly) an upgradable system, though it's more along the lines of a gaming laptop than the average desktop PC; you can swap out the M.2 SSD and the RAM, but that's it.

Lastly, I'll briefly touch on the new Steam Controller. We reviewed it separately here, so I won't go into too much detail, but it's certainly good (if overpriced, like the Steam Machine itself). Pairing the pad and the 'puck' that doubles as a wireless transmitter and charging dock is a seamless process, and the controller itself feels good to use in games. The lack of an audio jack, as seen on other mainline console controllers, is a bit of a shame, however.

I have to admit that I really, genuinely love the design of the Steam Machine. My only real criticism here (and the only thing stopping me from giving it a perfect score in this section) is that it only has one single USB-C port, and it's on the rear. This is a minor gripe, though; for the most part, this is a very well-designed piece of hardware.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Valve Steam Machine review: Performance

• Strong gaming performance at 1080p
• Cracks start to show at 1440p; falls apart completely at 4K
• Runs quietly and doesn't get too hot

Benchmarking the Steam Machine was... interesting, to say the least. I had hoped to mostly stick to our usual suite of tests used for benchmarking the best gaming PCs and best gaming laptops, but the vast majority of those systems are running on Windows 10 or 11. SteamOS, while a very solid platform these days, simply doesn't have the same degree of flexibility as Microsoft's flagship operating system.

For starters, the Steam Machine locks itself to a maximum framerate based on the refresh rate of the monitor it's connected to, which meant I had to seek out a different high-refresh-rate display to get accurate results. Notably, the Steam Deck does something similar with its built-in 60/90Hz screen, so I suspect that this is a SteamOS quirk rather than any hardware-imposed limitation, but I wasn't able to find any way to disable it.

Then I got to the compatibility issues. Half the tests we usually run (most pertinently Geekbench and 3DMark) simply can't be installed and run natively in SteamOS's default Big Picture Mode, so I had to cut down my testing selection fairly significantly. To compensate (and to provide a better idea of how well the Steam Machine can actually handle gaming), I expanded my gaming tests to include more graphical configurations than usual.

Furthermore, you have to dig into the settings of SteamOS itself to uncap the resolution, which is set to FHD 1080p by default. Eagle-eyed gamers clocked prior to the Steam Machine's release that Valve had quietly lowered expectations by adjusting the language used in the product's store page from "4K gaming at 60 FPS" to "Up to 4K gaming with FSR", crushing hopes that it would be a true competitor to the likes of the PS5 Pro. Clearly, 1080p is the ideal target, which will no doubt be a disappointment for some potential customers.

Anyway, let's talk about the actual performance. At 1080p with graphical settings maxed out, the Steam Machine can handle almost anything you throw at it; the discrete semi-custom AMD RDNA 3 GPU inside this little black box was able to crack 60fps in most games I tested at FHD resolution (sometimes requiring the use of AMD's FSR upscaling tech, though this had virtually zero impact on visual fidelity), with the exception of titles that use ray tracing.

With ray tracing turned off, you'll be fine; turn it on, and you can expect framerates to tank even if you also switch on FSR. Cyberpunk 2077 looked and played great at 1080p Ultra settings with no upscaling, but switching to the Ray Tracing Ultra preset (with AMD FSR 3 set to Balanced) saw my average framerate drop to a little over 30 in the built-in benchmark, while actual in-game performance was even choppier.

Annoyingly, some games don't seem to properly support the most recent version of FSR on SteamOS; while I've been able to use it in games like Civilization VII and Shadow of the Tomb Raider while testing Windows-based gaming laptops and PCs, FSR 3 was conspicuously absent from the settings menu of both games on the Steam Machine - Civilization would only let me select FSR 1, while Shadow had no upscaling options available at all.

Once I started to crank things up to 1440p and 4K resolution, though, the cracks started to show. Older titles (and 2D games, like my current obsession, Slay the Spire 2) largely run fine at higher resolutions - but unfortunately, I could probably say the same about any home console and plenty of cheaper desktop PCs.

Modern triple-A games start to struggle a little at 1440p, but remain playable provided you're willing to tone down the settings a bit. I've only included the full suite of 1080p and 4K results in the results box above, but to give you a few quick examples: Cyberpunk 2077 remained playable with an average framerate of 68fps at 1440p Ultra with FSR 3 set to balanced (no ray tracing), while Total War: Warhammer III dropped to 45fps at Ultra - but could be salvaged to a stable 63fps with the Medium graphical preset.

At 4K, don't expect to be playing the latest hit games at high framerates; at least, not without some very significant graphical tweaks. The now eight-year-old Shadow of the Tomb Raider was the only game I tested that made it above 60fps at 4K resolution, and that was with the graphical settings turned down significantly.

As for more demanding titles, just don't bother. Total War: Warhammer III barely made it above a 30fps average at Low settings, with frequent drops into sub-30 territory, while Cyberpunk 2077 gave abysmal benchmarking at anything above the lowest possible graphical settings, even with FSR upscaling turned on, and struggled heavily to maintain a consistent framerate during actual gameplay. Turning on FSR frame generation did technically give a stable 30fps at 4K Ultra, but with the added issue of some visual tearing and artifacting, especially during busy scenes.

I also experienced a small number of crashes during my testing process, specifically in Total War: Warhammer III and Marathon. It's possible that these were merely down to game instability rather than any specific fault with the Steam Machine or SteamOS (I've personally had Marathon crash at least once on my Windows 10 gaming desktop), so I won't mark it down for this, but I've opted to include it for the sake of comprehensiveness.

Lastly, I'd like to briefly discuss the thermal performance of the Steam Machine, which is a shining beacon amidst the otherwise fairly underwhelming overall performance. The large cooling fan at the rear of this little cube was whisper-quiet throughout all my testing, and the casing barely got more than a little warm. Whatever thermal wizardry Valve pulled off here, it clearly works.

• Performance: 3 / 5

Valve Steam Machine review: SteamOS

• SteamOS 3 is a very solid operating system
• Accessible for newcomers, but still packs advanced features
• Optional Linux desktop mode

A bonus section appears! Yes, I'm going to take a moment here to discuss SteamOS, since it's arguably the linchpin of the Steam Machine's whole 'console rival' mission statement. Does it really make PC gaming more accessible? I'm pleased to say yes, it certainly does.

An Arch Linux-based operating system, SteamOS is now in its third main iteration, and it's improved greatly from its humble beginnings as the full-screen version of the Steam desktop app. It's easy to set up and offers a pleasingly straightforward interface that even a gaming rookie should be able to navigate, while also packing the full suite of settings found in the Windows desktop version of Steam.

One nifty feature is the optional Linux desktop mode. It's quite effective, if basic, letting you install Linux-compatible programs like LibreOffice and the Firefox browser. It's neat, but it's a feature that will likely only be used by a small subset of buyers since it doesn't really offer anything for pure gaming users.

Naturally, you can connect a keyboard and mouse as well as a controller, which is useful for games where typing is necessary, but it turned out to be even more vital. I wasn't actually able to complete the SteamOS setup without first connecting a mouse to select the system language, and when playing some other games after my initial benchmarking process, I found that I couldn't complete the initial setup for Forza Horizon 5 using just the Steam Controller, which was annoying.

As effective as SteamOS is, compatibility issues are an inevitability when dealing with a Linux-based system. While the vast majority of games on Steam are fully compatible, there will be specific outliers, and there are plenty of non-gaming programs that aren't available. And of course, you can't play games from other storefronts like Epic and GOG, unless you decide to go the whole hog and install Windows 11 on it instead - which is an option!

Should I buy the Valve Steam Machine?

Valve Steam Machine: Scorecard

Buy the Valve Steam Machine if…

Don't buy it if…

Valve Steam Machine review: Also consider

How I tested the Valve Steam Machine

• Ran multiple PC game benchmarks
• Connected to my TV to use for 'couch gaming'
• 8+ years of experience reviewing dozens of laptops and PCs

My review process for the Steam Machine was a little different from how I'd usually approach a gaming PC or laptop review, due largely to SteamOS's Big Picture Mode not supporting our non-gaming tests.

Still, I ran the Machine through all the usual gaming tests, then took it downstairs to my living room and set it up on my TV stand to use it for some good old-fashioned couch gaming. As someone who was raised on Nintendo consoles but made the jump to PC gaming in my teens, I was keen to get the full intended experience out of the Steam Machine.

In addition to our usual game tests, I played a bunch of other games over a full weekend spent rigorously testing (read: having lots of fun with) the Steam Machine. These included Marathon, Warframe, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and the frighteningly addictive Slay the Spire 2.

I've been testing and reviewing computer hardware for almost a decade, and I've been a gamer for much longer than that. Before joining the TechRadar team, I worked at the PC-building hobbyist magazine Maximum PC, so you can trust that I'm putting every ounce of knowledge and experience at my disposal into bringing you high-quality, insightful, and non-biased reviews.

• First reviewed: July 2026
• Read more about how we test

Asus ROG Strix Scar 18: One-minute review

A hefty laptop in every sense of the word, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 bolsters its beefy design with high-end componentry, including a flagship Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and an Nvidia RTX 5090 GPU. It’s an 18-inch gaming machine that’s capable of running the latest titles at the best quality.

If this blockbuster performance comes at a cost, it’s portability: the ROG Strix Scar 18’s size and weight make it a desktop replacement rather than a lightweight travel companion, unless you have a big bag and a strong back.

The speakers and trackpad feel like they could be better, but this is otherwise a solid all-in-one package for gamers (and creators) who value performance.

Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 review: Price & release date

• How much does it cost? $6,299 / £5,699 / AU$8,379
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

You’re not hallucinating: the ROG Strix Scar 18 really is that eye-wateringly expensive. For that price, you are getting a state-of-the-art gaming laptop, and it’s a perfect balance in terms of CPU, GPU, and display, delivering desktop-like levels of performance in a fairly portable unit. But it’s still just so much to spend on a computer, and you start to wonder where higher prices due to tech shortages end, and sheer profiteering begins.

You could buy a lesser model (a 5070 model with 32GB RAM and a 2TB SSD is about $/£2,000 less) and add more RAM and hard drive capacity when you’ve got enough in your pension to afford them, but the GPU is fixed here, and this is arguably the most important bang-for-buck component to upgrade.

So yes, it’s extremely expensive, and extremely powerful – but whether you’re getting what you’re paying for is debatable.

• Value: 3 / 5

Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 review: Specs

Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 review: Design

• Mammoth 18-inch footprint
• Droolworthy, pixel-packed high-contrast screen
• Fun AniMe Vision display

Let’s start with the obvious: this is not a small laptop. 18 inches is basically the most humongous laptop you can buy at the moment, and it’s not exactly portable. It won’t fit into a standard backpack, and it probably won't leave your house outside of a suitcase.

At 7.27 lbs (3.3 kg), just lifting the unit is a workout in itself, and the power brick adds another 2.2 lbs (1 kg), so you’ve got a hefty unit that you won’t be pulling out in a café, unless it has very stable tables. But it’s a gaming laptop, and portability is at the very bottom of the requirements here.

As is subtlety. Instead of at least trying to design something that gives a lighter, airier impression, Asus has leaned into an angular, beefy design language. Add in the RGB LED lighting strip around the bottom edge, and the entire thing looks like it’s about to take off and become a new target for the Rebel Alliance.

That’s not the only lighting trick the ROG Strix Scar 18 keeps up its sleeve: on the rear of the screen, there’s what Asus dubs AniMe Vision, essentially a programmable Wall Street-style ticker tape readout for your laptop. It’s monochrome, and very low-res, but it’s actually really neat: you can use Asus’ software to customize what it says, so you can broadcast scrolling messages of love or hate, depending on who you’re sitting opposite.

On the other side of this screen is the main display itself, which is thankfully higher-resolution and more colorful. Much more colorful. While not full ultra-HD, its 2.5K resolution (2560 x 1600) and 240Hz refresh rate is a perfect match for an 18-inch screen. It’s also mini-LED, which makes colors utterly pop, even from oblique viewing angles.

Asus has included a keyboard replete with enormous trackpad and full-size number pad. There’s a decent amount of depth to the keys, and while there’s no mechanical clunk, they’re responsive and comfortable enough for long gaming and typing sessions.

The trackpad doesn’t quite meet Apple’s almost supernaturally interactive standards, and it’s prone to accidental touches, but most users will likely be pairing this laptop with a mouse. The speakers, too, are a little disappointing and tinny.

On the underside of the laptop is a grill of air intakes for cooling, and this whole panel can be detached without tools so you can upgrade the RAM and SSDs. Around the edge of the laptop there’s a gamut of ports: three USB 3.2, two USB-C/Thunderbolt 5, HDMI, Ethernet, 3.5 mm headphone jack, SD card slot — no, wait, not an SD card slot, just a vent that looks an awful lot like an SD card slot. Cheeky! I would have loved an SD card slot on a laptop of this size and price.

• Design: 4 / 5

Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 review: Performance

• Nvidia RTX 5090 is an absolute beast
• Phenomenal DLSS support
• Gets crazy loud in Turbo mode

Having such a huge screen works wonders here; its slightly wider aspect ratio adds a movie-like expansiveness to more cinematic games.

The test laptop we received packs an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 laptop GPU with 24 GB VRAM. Memory weighs in at a substantial 64 GB DDR5 dual-channel, and I’m never going to come near filling up the 4 TB SSD.

It has the gaming panache where it counts. 007 First Light hits 62 FPS on ultra graphics settings, with Bond’s glassy eyes melting my heart at any given opportunity. Lower the quality and the frame rates hit new heights — up to 170 FPS in 007, and it still looks really good, if a little last-gen.

Likewise, the hard, ray-traced light of Pragmata looks gorgeous when it hits those solid surfaces, and I was able to turn ray tracing on and hit 60 FPS at full res, which is just right. Diana’s flowing locks alone are worth the price of admittance.

Asus includes preset modes (Silent, Performance, Turbo), which can be toggled in-game with a handy function key, making it easier to unlock higher frame rates — I watched 007: First Light jump from 100 to 150 FPS (at low settings). However, Turbo also makes the fans kick in and, despite Asus’ vapor chamber cooling the whole thing becomes a bit jet engine-like.

Raw settings are only half the story now, though. Nvidia’s 5090 includes DLSS, and this is a quick and easy shortcut to match the 240hz refresh rate of Asus’ glorious panel. In 007: First Light, I can bump the settings all the way up and hit an epic 225 FPS, bringing it back to cinematic life.

I also had a quick dabble in my interminable Adobe Premier/After Effects project, and this is a laptop that’s as suited to creators as it is to gamers. 3D tracking, which was a stumbling block for my 2023 MacBook Pro, is almost instantaneous here, and it can take on 8K video timelines without missing a beat. Its game-centric looks may not please all designers, but for streamers and YouTubers it’s good to know it’s got the graphical grunt where you need it.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 review: Battery life

• Expect five hours-ish for general computing
• Drops substantially when gaming

For a high-performance gaming laptop, battery life is actually pretty impressive. PCMark 10’s battery life benchmark, which simulates general day-to-day computer use like you’re some idealized executive who’s on Zoom calls that decide the fate of the planet, came in at five hours and three minutes. Running a 1080p video on a continuous loop in VLC gave a five-hour and 18-minute result — exactly enough time to watch all three Venom movies, and, wait, there’s a third Venom movie?

Heavy gaming sessions inevitably drag the battery life down to the sub 90-minute duration, so you’re never going to want to be far from a wall socket.

• Battery life: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider

How I tested the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18

• Used as my daily driver computer for a month
• Tested according to TechRadar’s guidelines
• Put through its paces with games including 007 First Light, Pragmata, and Forza Horizon 6

To truly put the Asus ROG Strix SCAR 18 through its paces, I lived with it as my main computer for several days, testing it both as an everyday workstation and a high-end gaming battlestation. I made sure to test the system in various power profiles, monitoring the thermal performance and fan volume during long gaming sessions.

All benchmarks were run using TechRadar's standardized testing parameters—V-Sync was disabled in the Nvidia control panel, the power mode was set to "Best Performance" in Windows, and the laptop was fully charged and plugged into its massive 450W brick to unlock its maximum potential.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: July 2026

Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Gen 2: Two-minute review

The Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 is built for fast 2560 x 1600 gaming, and it squeezes flagship-class hardware into a slimmer chassis than typical desktop-replacement machines.

The review unit tested here combines AMD’s Ryzen 9 9955HX3D CPU with a 175W Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 laptop GPU, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, so it’s aimed at buyers who want top-tier performance without stepping up to a much larger 18-inch machine.

The 16-inch OLED display is one of the main reasons to consider it. It has a 2560 x 1600 resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, 100% DCI-P3 colour coverage, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and HDR 1000 support.

Text looks sharp, colour and contrast are excellent, and the finish isn’t so glossy that reflections become a major issue. It’s a very good fit for fast games, high-quality video and creative work, and the laptop itself is fast enough to make proper use of the panel’s resolution and refresh rate.

The Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 is also more portable than its spec suggests. It measures 357.2 x 255.3 x 19~24.5 mm and weighs 2.3kg (5.07lb), so it’s heavy enough to notice in a bag, but still manageable if you need to carry it between home, work, university or when travelling.

The adapter adds another 750g (1.65lb), which matters if you’re trying to pack light, but the 330W charger is still fairly compact for its output.

Build quality is reasonable, but not as premium as the price suggests. The thin metal-backed screen is rigid, while the plastic shell on the main body has a little flex and feels less expensive.

The keyboard has decent travel and plenty of room, though it’s a little bouncy in vigorous use, while the touchpad is large, responsive and easy to use when you don’t have a mouse connected.

The Full HD infrared camera works well for Windows Hello facial recognition, though image quality is nothing special. The speakers are better than typical laptop audio, with excellent volume and little distortion at higher levels, though bass is still limited.

The port selection covers the basics well, with USB-C, USB4, USB-A, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, microSD and 3.5mm audio. The issue is the layout.

Because the cooling system takes up the rear section of the laptop, most cables need to plug in further forward on the sides, where they can crowd desk space and get in the way of a mouse.

It’s not a deal-breaker, but it makes the Aorus slightly less pleasant to use with a monitor, dock and other desk accessories connected.

Gigabyte’s GiMate software gives useful control over performance modes, fan behaviour and lighting. The laptop also has plenty of lighting to adjust, including the keyboard, rear light bar and desk glow from the underside.

The software itself can be laggy, though, and that makes quick customisation tweaks more frustrating than they should be on an expensive gaming laptop.

Performance is very good, and the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 has no issue running the RTX 5090 at up to 175W for extended periods. Compared with an RTX 5080 laptop, the Aorus is up to 35% faster for gaming, with the biggest gains in heavier ray-tracing scenarios where the extra GPU headroom and 24GB of VRAM help it sustain higher frame rates.

That makes it a very capable choice for demanding 1600p gaming, especially if you want high texture settings, ray tracing or very fast OLED refresh rates.

Raw CPU performance is also very good. The Ryzen 9 9955HX3D is a powerful processor, and the cooling system lets it work hard in multicore workloads without obvious throttling.

That matters outside games too, as the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 is well suited to creator work, video editing and heavier productivity tasks.

The laptop can also charge and run from USB-C, and documents, browsing and calls remain snappy, but it’s limited to Balanced mode or lower and gaming performance drops to about 10% of maximum. So the 330W adapter is still needed for proper gaming performance.

The main trade-off is fan noise. While the cooling system works well, it also makes the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 one of the loudest laptops I’ve tested at full load. The sound also has a high-pitched note that’s somewhat unpleasant at both low and high speeds, and the fans ramp up quickly even with lighter workloads.

Even the power-saving quiet mode isn’t as quiet as I’d like, so this is not the right laptop if you need near-silent performance when not gaming.

Battery life is the other downside. Despite the large 99Wh battery, web browsing lasted under 2.5 hours, and video playback ran for 3 hours and 46 minutes using power-saving settings. That’s with the RTX 5090 completely off and only using the Radeon iGPU too, and it’s much more power hungry than comparable Intel based gaming laptops.

Gaming on battery is much shorter again, but that is normal and expected. Still, overall the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 is better treated as a desktop replacement you can move around than a laptop that you can use on the couch without a charger nearby. Hopefully a future driver update can reduce the idle and low load power use, but as tested, battery life is disappointing.

Overall the Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 delivers the speed its high-end hardware promises, and the OLED display is more than capable of showing off the higher frame rates that performance enables.

It’s a good fit if you want a powerful 16-inch gaming laptop that can also handle demanding creative work, and you don’t want to deal with a bulkier machine.

But that does come at a price, so while performance is excellent, the fan noise and battery life stop the Master 16 Gen 2 from feeling as premium as the price tag.

Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Gen 2: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? The tested RTX 5090 model is priced at $4,299 / AU$6,599
• When is it available? It's available now
• Where can you get it? You can get it in the US and Australia

While it is just hitting shelves in the US and Australia, at the time of writing, we haven't yet seen the Gen 2 Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 for sale in the UK.

Now, the Master 16 Gen 2 is an expensive gaming laptop, and the tested RTX 5090 model sits near the top of the price range. Still, it needs to be judged against other slim but high-power RTX 50 series laptops, rather than chunkier desktop-replacement options.

The price is easier to justify if you want the specific mix of a 175W RTX 5090, Ryzen 9 9955HX3D CPU, 240Hz OLED display and a chassis that is still portable enough to carry around easily.

There are cheaper Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 configurations available, including RTX 5080 and RTX 5070 Ti variants, but the exact CPU and GPU power limits vary by model.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Gen 2: Specs

The Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 range is available in a few configurations, so it's worth double checking the exact model before buying. The RTX 5090 version tested here sits at the top of the range with 24GB of VRAM and a 175W GPU power limit, while the RTX 5080 version keeps the same 175W limit but drops to 16GB of VRAM.

There's also an RTX 5070 Ti version, but the CPU and GPU power limits can vary by SKU and region.

The specs are very good overall, with Wi-Fi 7, USB4, a 99Wh battery and upgradeable DDR5 RAM. The main limitation for the models we have seen for sale so far is that they are limited to 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, which is fair enough considering recent memory and storage price rises.

• Specs score: 4.5 / 5

Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Gen 2: Design

• Slim for a high-power RTX 5090 laptop
• Customizable RGB lighting
• Useful ports but awkward placement

The Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 is slim for a laptop built around a 175W RTX 5090 and high-end AMD CPU, but it's still a large gaming machine. It measures 357.2 x 255.3 x 19~24.5 mm, and the 19mm thinnest point includes the rubber feet.

When picked up, that’s perfectly manageable for a 16-inch gaming laptop, and at 2.3kg (5.07lb), it's portable enough to carry on the go every day if needed.

Of course, the 330W adapter is also part of the portability equation. It weighs 750g (1.65lb) and measures 16.0 x 7.5 x 2.7cm (6.3 x 3.0 x 1.1in), which is compact for a charger with such a high output, but it still takes the total carry weight over 3kg.

USB-C charging is useful if you only need documents, browsing or calls away from your main desk, but the main adapter is still the practical choice for gaming.

Build quality is functional rather than feeling truly premium. The top of the lid is metal and is thin but rigid, while the main chassis is plastic and has a little flex. The laptop didn’t show wear during my testing, including when carried in a bag, but the dark finish picks up fingerprints, though they also cleans off relatively easily.

The rear of the chassis is mostly given over to cooling, with large vents across the back edge and exhausts on the sides. That cooling system is a key part of the design, as it helps the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 run high-power hardware in a slimmer body. It also leads to some of the compromises, such as fan noise and port placement.

The port selection is useful, with USB4, a second USB-C port, two USB-A ports, HDMI 2.1, 1Gb Ethernet, microSD and 3.5mm audio. The problem is where those ports sit. Because the rear of the laptop is reserved for cooling, cables plug in further forward on the sides, where they can crowd your desk and mouse space.

For those who value their desk space, the chunky side-mounted power connector can be especially bulky and annoying, so I found a powered USB-C dock is a good option if you use the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 with a monitor, Ethernet and other accessories. That way you can have just one cable plugged in, and only add the bigger power plug when gaming.

The keyboard has a reasonable 1.7mm of travel and plenty of room, so it works well for both typing and normal WASD gaming. It's a little bouncy in vigorous use, and overall doesn't feel as firm as I'd like for a flagship laptop, but the layout is pretty good overall.

The touchpad is large, responsive and pleasant enough to use when you don’t have a mouse connected.

The RGB lighting includes the keyboard and is pretty extensive overall. The Aorus logo on the rear of the screen is backlit by colour-changing LEDs, and there is front and rear underside lighting that creates a nice nonglare desk glow effect in a darker room.

There's also a small light that projects the Aorus symbol onto the desk behind the laptop. It's a fun idea, but the focus seemed a touch soft.

Gigabyte’s GiMate software controls lighting, performance modes and fan behaviour, but I find it can be slow to load and respond at times. That’s a mild frustration for anyone who may want to change modes often, especially if you are trying to reduce fan noise during lighter work.

There are also automatic ‘AI’ modes, but I found they left the laptop running hotter and noisier than I’d like when not gaming. Like the laptop itself, the software doesn't feel as slick as you’d hope for the price.

The Full HD infrared webcam works well for Windows Hello facial recognition, though image quality is nothing special and gets softer in darker rooms.

The speakers are better than what I’ve experienced on most other laptops I’ve tested, with great volume and very little distortion at high levels, but as expected, bass is still pretty limited. The speakers can overpower the fan noise when cranked right up, but I'd still recommend a headset for gaming.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Gen 2: Performance

• High 1600p gaming frame rates
• Excellent CPU performance
• Loud fans under load

The Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 gives the cooling and power headroom needed to make a high end GPU worth paying extra for. The variant I tested uses a 175W Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 laptop GPU (and the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D CPU), so it's not one of those slim gaming laptops with a premium GPU bottlenecked by a low wattage limit.

And just as importantly, the cooling system lets the hardware work hard for sustained loads, and that makes the Aorus a proper match for its 240Hz, 2560 x 1600 OLED display.

Compared with an RTX 5080 laptop, the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 is up to 35% faster for gaming. The biggest gains are in heavier ray-tracing scenarios, where the extra GPU headroom and 24GB of VRAM help sustain higher frame rates. That extra memory also helps if you want high-resolution textures, or play a lot of newer games that push beyond what lower-tier laptop GPUs can comfortably handle.

If you mostly play lighter esports titles, the hardware is overkill, but the 240Hz OLED display still gives it a clear use case for very fast gaming.

The RTX 5090 is also a powerful accelerator for creator work. GPU-heavy video effects, rendering workloads and AI-assisted tools can all use the extra graphics grunt, so the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 makes more sense if you want one machine for both gaming and demanding creative work.

CPU performance is also very good. The Ryzen 9 9955HX3D is a powerful processor, especially in multicore workloads, and the Aorus cooling system lets it run full tilt without obvious throttling. That is important for gaming, but also for video editing, rendering, compiling code and other higher loads.

The cooling system also lets the CPU and GPU run hard at the same time. During demanding gaming sessions, the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 generates a lot of heat, but it doesn't make the keyboard or WASD area uncomfortable to use. Hot air exits from the rear and sides, so your exact desk setup will change the impact, but the thermal comfort is better than the fan noise might suggest.

The trade-off is that the cooling system is not subtle. At all. I love that the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 can give high performance in a relatively slim 16-inch chassis, but it’s important to highlight that it does that by moving a lot of air, loudly.

The benchmark table below compares the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 with the Alienware 16 Area-51 configuration I tested with an RTX 5080. The Alienware is another premium machine, so it makes a useful comparison for showing what the Aorus gains from the RTX 5090 and 24GB of VRAM.

If you are comparing the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 with other gaming laptops, pay close attention to GPU wattage as well as the GPU name. A lower-wattage RTX 5090 laptop can perform much closer to an RTX 5080 machine, while the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 has the cooling and wattage budget needed to make the 5090 worth the extra cost.

In real use, the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 is very capable at its native 2560 x 1600 resolution. Demanding games still need sensible settings if you want to push closer to the OLED screen's 240Hz limit, but this is a laptop where high detail, ray tracing and upscaling can all be used without dropping frame rates too low.

The 24GB of VRAM is a key long-term advantage over lower-tier GPUs. It gives the laptop more scope in the future for high-resolution textures and demanding ray-traced scenes, and it should also help the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 age better as game requirements keep rising.

Fan noise is the major performance downside. At full load, the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 is one of the loudest laptops I’ve tested, and the sound has a high-pitched note that makes it more annoying than a lower rush of air.

A headset is already a typical choice for gaming, but the bigger problem is that even when not gaming, the fans ramp up quickly and can get loud even under light loads.

The quiet and power-saving modes help, but they don't make the laptop consistently quiet. Even in lighter use, the fans tend to spin up much more than seems necessary given the internal temperatures, and it becomes loud enough to notice.

Arguably this is the real-world cost of getting this much performance from a slimmer 16-inch design, but it still feels much less refined than it could be. Hopefully Gigabyte works on the fan control and smooths it out somewhat in future software updates.

Stability was good during testing. External display use worked well, including through a dock, and both Ethernet and Wi-Fi behaved reliably. I also didn't run into sleep, wake or lid-behaviour glitches that often plague Windows based machines. I did find Gigabyte's GiMate software slow at times, but on the plus side it gives good access to performance modes, fan settings and lighting controls.

USB-C charging on the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 is useful, but only if you understand and respect a few limits. The laptop does charge and run happily from USB-C, and in fact tends to be much quieter, which makes it a good option for a docked desk setup, travel or basic work without the big 330W adapter. Light single-core tasks were only 2% slower than full-adapter use in my testing, so web browsing and typical office tasks still feel snappy.

CPU-heavy loads show the limits, though, and were about 60% slower on USB-C than with the power brick, and gaming performance was about 92% lower. That doesn't make USB-C useless, but it does mean you should treat it as a convenience for productivity and top-ups rather than factor it in for gaming.

Still, overall the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 delivers the high-end performance its hardware promises. It's fast enough for demanding 1600p gaming and creative work, for those who don’t mind the fan noise.

If you want a powerful laptop that stays quiet when not gaming, it’s a harder machine to recommend.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Gen 2: Battery life and Charging

• Under 2.5 hours of web browsing
• 3 hours and 46 minutes of video playback
• USB-C charging suits light work, not gaming

Battery life is not great, especially considering the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 has a larger 99Wh battery. The slim 16-inch chassis makes it easier to carry than a typical desktop-replacement laptop, but the short runtime unplugged means you'll still want the charger nearby for anything more than brief use.

In my web-browsing battery test, the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 lasted under 2.5 hours. Video playback ran for 3 hours and 46 minutes using power-saving settings.

Those results are disappointing and they do limit the usefulness of the Aorus when you want to work away from a desk for more than a short session.

The 330W adapter is needed for full gaming performance, and it's compact for a charger with that output. It still weighs 750g (1.65lb), though, so carrying the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 with its charger pushes the total travel weight well over 3kg.

That’s manageable for a high-performance gaming laptop, but it's enough extra weight that I'd only pack the charger when I expected to game or run heavier workloads.

USB-C charging is useful when you want to work on documents, browse or take calls without carrying the 330W adapter. It also works well for a docked desk setup, and the laptop is much quieter when running from a smaller USB-C charger. The limit is performance: the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 drops to Balanced mode or lower on USB-C, and gaming performance falls far enough that the 330W adapter is still required for serious play.

That means USB-C is useful for light productivity and top-ups, not as a proper replacement for the main charger. A future driver update may improve battery life, but as tested, the Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 may be easy enough to transport, but it’s not a laptop that can be relied on away from a charger.

• Battery life and charging score: 2.5 / 5

Should you buy the Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Gen 2?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if...

Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Gen 2: Also consider

If my Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 review has you considering other high-end gaming laptops, these are some other options that are worth a look:

How I tested

• I tested the Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 for two weeks
• I used it on a desk, with an external display and while travelling
• I used it for 2560 x 1600 gaming, productivity work, video editing and battery testing

I ran the Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 through the usual TechRadar benchmark suite, as well as using it for day-to-day work at a desk and on the go.

I tested gaming performance at the native 2560 x 1600 resolution, checked performance across the laptop's main power profiles and used it for office work, video editing, external display use and general media playback.

I used the TechRadar movie test for assessing battery life during video playback, plus web-browsing and productivity battery tests to see how long the Aorus lasted away from the charger.

I also tested USB-C charging with a dock and USB-C chargers, and checked how performance changed compared with the 330W adapter. Fan noise, thermal comfort, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, sleep behaviour and Gigabyte's GiMate software were also assessed during normal use.

Read more about how we test.

• First reviewed in July 2026

• There's a new red light issue with the Steam Machine
• This time a solid red light is being displayed which indicates the device is running hot
• That isn't necessarily the case, and in fact the Steam Machine's temperatures can be normal, and a bug in the BIOS can cause the light to come on

If you're an early adopter who's been worrying about a red light being displayed by your Steam Machine while gaming, then there's not necessarily anything to panic about, as apparently this temperature warning light is being mistakenly triggered.

VideoCardz noticed a thread on Reddit where the original poster shares correspondence from Valve's support team about what's happening in terms of the red light coming on when the temperature is nowhere near the intended warning threshold.

As per Valve's FAQ on the Steam Machine's light bar, the red light comes on solidly (across the whole bar) when the device is deemed to be overheating, meaning the CPU temperature is over 95C or the GPU is over 90C (or indeed both).

The Redditor noticed that the red light was on when their Steam Machine was at temperatures of 75C and 81C for the GPU and CPU respectively, neither of which should have caused the warning light to appear.

As the message from Valve explains, there is a "known issue with the current BIOS" that means the red light comes on "much earlier" than it should.

The problem is entirely related to the temperature threshold for the light, and the Steam Machine is not overheating in any way in these cases, it should be noted.

The message from Valve informs us that a BIOS update will be coming to fix the problem soon. In fact, that update will increase the threshold to 100C for both the CPU and GPU, which is the point at which the Steam Machine will throttle the components to ensure they don't get any hotter.

In case you were wondering, if either the CPU or GPU does get any hotter than 100C, the device will then shut down to protect itself from any potential damage.

Analysis: false alarm

What this means is that if you're seeing the red warning light a fair bit, it's likely a symptom of this overkeen BIOS which is turning on the light way earlier than it should be. Odds are that your CPU and GPU are running cool enough, and you can check this using the Steam performance monitor or a third-party tool as the Redditor did.

In any case, even if you do see the red light and it's correctly indicating temperatures at Valve's threshold levels, this isn't going to damage the Steam Machine – it just means the components will be throttled back to run slower to prevent any such damage. If that doesn't work, and the component temps aren't brought back under control, as noted the PC will turn itself off to avoid any potential GPU or CPU-frying scenarios.

It's not a pleasant thought that your Steam Machine is throttling and not running as fast as it should, though, if this happens – but based on this (and other) reports of this incident, that isn't the case, and the only error is the light showing when it shouldn't. There's no actual overheating, throttling, or anything else going on under the hood.

If you're worried that Valve's new temperatures for throttling and the warning light seem high at 100C, this is in line with what's to be expected from AMD laptop parts (which are what's used for the Steam Machine's CPU and GPU).

For now, all those who have bought one of Valve's gaming PCs can do is wait until the next BIOS update which should hopefully fix this problem. It's also worth noting that the 'Red Line of Death' is a completely separate issue, and we've had some troubleshooting advice on that knottier problem since it was first highlighted.

Razer Seiren V3 Pro two-minute review

When I look for a gaming microphone, my requirements are modest – I want my teammates to hear me clearly and my foes to know what I really think of them (just kidding, those obscene thoughts stay in my head). I’d wager that most gamers have similarly unpretentious needs.

Razer, however, thinks gamers could do with more – a lot more. And so it’s brought out the Serien V3 Pro, a microphone that’s stuffed to the gills with high-end features that take it way beyond your common-or-garden gaming mic.

But to be fair, it’s not just positioned for gamers. Razer pitches the Seiren V3 Pro as the perfect partner for “musicians, podcasters, and creators who demand more than entry-level gear,” and it’s outfitted its “studio-quality” device with a range of features that might tickle the fancy of users a little more discerning than your average CoD goon.

That includes 32-bit float. Razer has included this expanded capture range to rescue audio that’s been subject to a few too many what we might call “gamer moments.” It can handle more extreme volume spikes – the type that might be prompted by jump scares, frustrating moments and clutch kills – with the idea being that streamers won’t have to worry about clipping and distortion during their broadcasts.

Razer has supplemented this feature with a fistful of other premium addons, including dual 48kHz and 96kHz sample rates, a built-in shock mount and removable pop filter, and a 30mm dynamic capsule. There’s a digital signal processing (DSP) that enables features like an audio expander, compressor, AI noise removal, and more. Razer has also included an XLR connector in addition to USB-C, just in case you want to run your mic through a dedicated audio interface.

Again, it’s all geared towards pros and enthusiasts rather than your average video game enjoyer.

Audio performance is obviously the most important part of any microphone – you can have all the bells and whistles, but if you end up sounding muffled or distorted, they’re not much use to you.

Here, the Seiren V3 Pro impresses. My audio was crisp and clear right out of the box, with no adjustments necessary. Razer walks you through a brief set-up process in Synapse when you get started, and it’s worth doing so the mic can be tweaked to your surroundings. The AI noise suppression in Synapse did a great job cutting out the whirr of my desk fan, while the pop filter put a stop to most unwanted plosives throughout my recordings and voice calls.

The on-device controls worked well, especially the mute button. It’s large and touch-sensitive, so it’s very easy to press in a flash (just be careful you don’t accidentally activate it). Both the button and the mic’s RGB ring turn red when you’re muted, giving a clear visual cue. Only a small nub of the gain dial protrudes from the underside of the device’s body, though, which can make it tricky to find.

As far as visuals go, the Seiren V3 Pro blends understated looks with a few choice touches. Its matte black finish and angled stand are easy on the eye, while this wouldn’t be a Razer product without a smattering of RGB lighting – in this instance, it’s about halfway up. Above it is the removable pop filter cover that hides the mic’s grille and built-in shock absorber. There’s a large touch-sensitive mute button on the front and ports for USB-C and XLR on the bottom alongside a 3.5mm headphone jack and a gain dial.

The build quality feels rock solid, with plenty of reassuringly weighty metal to be found. There’s a hefty foot to keep the mic grounded on your desk, but you can opt to screw the mic onto a boom arm if you prefer. The absurdly long USB-C cable (3.15m at our count) ensures you can trail it far from your PC.

That’s the hardware, but what about Razer’s notoriously finicky software? 32-bit float is only available through Razer’s app, so love it or loathe it, you’ve got to use it to get the full experience.

Synapse is full of controls to tweak the mic to your needs. You can adjust EQ filters and frequencies, change the vocal bass and ramp up the vocal exciter, mess with the stream mixer levels for input and output, enable a noise gate, reverb and AI noise suppression, and even dial in the RGB lighting if required.

To the average gamer, this is all a bit excessive unnecessary, even daunting. But if you’re a podcaster or musician – or just someone who wants as much control over their audio as possible – there’s plenty here to play with.

And that sums up the Seiren V3 Pro as a whole, really. The mic’s high-level features and equally lofty price tag mean it’s simply off the radar for most gamers. But if you know you need it and are willing to pay, you’ll find there’s a lot on offer here.

Razer Seiren V3 Pro review: Price & release date

• Available to buy now
• Priced at $249.99 / £249.99 / AU$429.95
• Optional “Main Character Bundle” including the Seiren V3 Pro and Razer’s Kraken Kitty V3 Pro headset

The Razer Seiren V3 Pro is available now from Razer’s website or from third-party retailers. It’s priced at $249.99 / £249.99 / AU$429.95.

That makes it pretty expensive for a gaming microphone, so you should think carefully about whether you need all of its extra features before pulling the trigger. If you spend most of your time on video calls with family or yelling profanities at enemies in Call of Duty, you could probably make do with something more affordable.

Razer sells an optional “Main Character Bundle” that includes the Razer Seiren V3 Pro and the Razer Kraken Kitty V3 Pro headset. That’s sold for $429.98 / £429.98 / AU$759.90.

Razer Seiren V3 Pro review: Specs

Should I buy the Razer Seiren V3 Pro?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider

How I tested the Razer Seiren V3 Pro

• I created test recordings and also analyzed the mic’s performance during games and on audio calls with friends
• The microphone was tested on both my PC and my Mac
• I also spent time testing out the microphone’s software features in the Razer Synapse app

I spent a week testing the microphone on both my PC and my Mac. I created various audio recordings, used it during gaming sessions and put it through its voice-calling paces with friends.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: July 2026

• Valve releases Windows 11 drivers for the Steam Machine
• This means you can install Windows 11 on the console-like PC
• You probably shouldn't, though

Valve has released official Windows drivers which should mean anyone who wants to install Windows 11 on its Steam Machine compact PC will be able to do so.

However, I and many other PC gamers have been left wondering why you’d want to do that — and it’s not just because of a general dislike of Microsoft’s operating system.

Of course, Windows 11 does have its issues, with a worrying increase in bugs and performance-damaging problems. It’s also bloated, and filled with AI features that few people, especially gamers, seem to want.

So, installing it on a device designed to run a more lightweight Linux operating system is a baffling choice. Much has been made of Valve’s decisions (some of them taken because of the global memory shortage and high component prices) to fit the Steam Machine with rather underpowered hardware. There’s no dedicated GPU, just an integrated one that uses older AMD technology and 16GB of DDR5 single-channel RAM.

Those are pretty poor specs for a gaming PC, and while some of this is outside of Valve’s control, at least SteamOS, the Linux-based operating system that the Steam Machine runs on by default, is a lot more lightweight than Windows 11, and is streamlined to prioritize launching and playing games. This means it can offer better performance

Windows 11, on the other hand, is a much bigger, and some would say rather bloated, operating system that runs on a variety of different hardware, with people using it for different things, not just playing games. This means performance is often worse even if the same low-powered components are used.

So, putting Windows 11 on a Steam Machine means you’ll likely get poorer performance, and Windows 11’s interface isn’t designed to be used on a TV with a controller, unlike SteamOS’ Big Picture Mode interface. You can use Steam Big Picture Mode in Windows 11, of course, and Microsoft has been working on a similar console-like interface with its Xbox mode, but it’s not perfect.

Why would you do this?

So, why would anyone in their right mind installing Windows 11 on a Steam Machine, especially as it seems Valve hasn’t implemented dual-booting (so you can pick between Windows 11 and SteamOS when you turn the machine on, hopefully that comes later)?

Well, while SteamOS is designed for a console-like simplicity, for a lot of mainstream users, Windows 11 will be more user-friendly (if you’ve ever had to troubleshoot an issue with Linux, you’ll know it’s not for the faint of heart). If you’re planning to use the Steam Machine as a standard PC (which Valve says you can do), then installing Windows 11 kind of makes sense. Kind of.

SteamOS is also essentially Linux with the Steam store as the interface, and that makes playing and buying games through Steam very easy. But for playing games from other stores, such as Epic Games Store, GOG and even Xbox, it’s a bit more of a faff. You can install Linux or open source versions of those launchers and add them as non-Steam games, but it’s again fiddly and more complicated than with Windows 11.

Finally, if you play a lot of online multiplayer games, such as Fortnite, that use anti-cheat software, you might have no option but to play those games in Windows 11, as many anti-cheat tools don’t support Linux, and therefore can’t be played by default on the Steam Machine.

Why you shouldn’t do this

However, I still feel on the whole you just should do this, and not just because of Microsoft’s OS being unsuitable; Valve should take some blame as well.

As WCCFTech reports, because there’s currently no way to dual boot these operating systems, installing Windows 11 on the Steam Machine will overwrite SteamOS, so if you find Windows isn’t working well, it’s more of a pain to switch back to SteamOS.

As some commentators on WCCFTech’s article also point out, Valve doesn’t have a great reputation when it comes to supporting Windows drivers with its Steam devices, with the Steam Deck being a prime example. Valve’s handheld also runs SteamOS and you can install Windows 11 on it, but Valve has been pretty poor at updating its drivers, with one claiming people are still having to rely on graphics and sound drivers that are two years old.

Needless to say, playing with outdated drivers is not going to be enjoyable. In better news, Valve has also made having to use Windows 11 less necessary for a lot of games by continually updating its Proton compatibility layer, which allows you to run Windows 11 games in Linux, rather than having to wait for a Linux port of the game (which rarely comes due to the discrepancies in user numbers for the two platforms).

As Neowin reports, Valve has updated Proton to support even more games than ever. It’s a brilliant tool that means there’s less need to use Windows 11 with the Steam Machine or Steam Deck.

So, while I do applaud Valve for giving users the option, as it helps show how open the Steam Machine, and gaming PCs in general, can be, I think Valve has also made this option pretty pointless, for both good and bad reasons.

• Valve has posted a fix for the 'red line of death' problem
• A small number of bug reports have surfaced online
• Leaving the PC unplugged overnight seems to help

There's good news if your newly purchased Steam Machine has been hit by the 'red line of death' — where the PC displays a solid red indicator light and refuses to boot up (reminiscent of the old Xbox 'red ring of death').

A couple of reports about this problem have appeared in recent days, although it's not clear exactly how widespread this issue is. If you have been hit by the frustrating bug though, Valve now has some official advice for you.

In detailed troubleshooting instructions posted to Reddit, the official Steam hardware feedback account advises affected users to work through a series of steps that include unplugging the Steam Machine and forcing a full reboot.

It's worth saying that the Redditor who originally reported the issue was able to get their Steam Machine up and running again by leaving it unplugged overnight — so an effective fix might not require all of the official instructions.

Here's what to do

Well, the Steam Machine was pretty cool for the 20 minutes that it worked from r/steammachine

If you do find the 'red line of death' appearing on your Steam Machine, these are the troubleshooting steps to follow, as per Valve:

• Unplug the Machine, then press the power button a few times. This ensures any stored energy in the PSU gets discharged. You may see the power indicator LED blip a moment.
• Plug the Machine back in. Note if your power LED glows (breathing pattern) white or not. If yes, please submit a Steam Support ticket and tag me, or send me a chat request with the ID.
• Hold the power button down for ~6s. You should see the power indicator LED (dot) flash momentarily. Release the power button when you do.
• The power indicator LED will start to cycle some color codes. These are designed to allow you to select various options for recovery/troubleshooting purposes. When the LED turns green, short-press the power button. This should perform a full 'CMOS reset'.
• On the next boot, you should see the RGB bar as blue - it may take a bit longer to boot due to a memory re-training.

So there you have it — if your Steam Machine works again, the Steam support account requests that you tag it on Reddit. If not, the next step is to create a support ticket so the issue can be investigated further.

It might be that a number of users have already experienced this problem and resolved it without turning to Reddit or social media, but it's not something you want to see after paying a top price for the gaming PC.

• Valve shares open-source files for an e-paper screen for Steam Machine
• Anyone can download, edit, and share the files
• The screen can attach to the Steam Machine's body and show useful information

I have to admit, after Valve announced the $1,049 / £879 (around AU$1,500) price of the Steam Machine, my excitement for the compact gaming PC plummeted – but a recent move by the company has gone some way to restoring my faith.

As Brad Lynch pointed out on Twitter, Valve has shared the instructions, 3D print files, software and list of needed materials for people to build their own e-paper display that can be attached to the body of the Steam Machine, which can then be used to show information such as the temperatures and performance of the PC’s components.

Dubbed the ‘inkterface’, this second screen turns the Steam Machine into a retro-looking PC, and it’s a great reminder of why PC gaming can be so fun, as well as why, despite having its own issues, Valve continues to be one of the most interesting companies in the gaming industry.

This is what Valve suggests you need:

• 1 x Adafruit ESP32 Feather with 2MB PSRAM
• 1 x Adafruit eInk Breakout Friend
• 1 x Adafruit 5.83" Monochrome eInk Panel
• 13 x M2.5 x 5mm Pan Head Machine Screws
  • McMaster
  • Amazon
• 4 x 1/4" x 1/4" x 3/16" Stepped Magnet SB443-OUT

Do it yourself

The fact that Valve is sharing these files and instructions as open source is very commendable, as it means anyone can use them and change, update, and improve them without paying a penny – as long as you have the appropriate tools and materials.

I can’t imagine Sony or Nintendo supporting, let alone encouraging, their customers to modify their consoles. Valve’s embracing of open-source (see also its use of Linux for SteamOS) shows that while it’s taking a console-like approach in some areas with the Steam Machine, it hasn’t completely abandoned the openness and customizability of PC gaming.

Being able to build your own rig, tweaking and modding your PC, is one of the things I love the most about PC gaming, so it’s great to see that Valve hasn’t completely abandoned its PC roots. Offering ways to add weird, quirky, but also useful, parts to the Steam Machine suddenly makes it a lot more interesting.

Of course, I still think building your own compact gaming PC and installing SteamOS to make your own Steam Machine is a better-value (and more fun) way of doing things, and, again, it’s a testament to how open PC gaming can be.

Even if you don’t have the time, materials or inclination to build your own ‘inkterface’ display for your Steam Machine, you’ll still be able to benefit, as other builders, and even retailers, will be able to make their own and sell them.

The future success of the Steam Machine, then, could hinge on its hackability, which could also be the key to prolonging its lifespan. While I’m not entirely sold on it yet, this does go some way to making the high price a bit easier to swallow.

MSI Raider 16 Max HX: Two-minute review

MSI has something of a mixed history with gaming laptops. I've reviewed quite a few products from the Taiwanese computer hardware brand, and in the past, I've championed MSI for its ability to provide high-performance products with very competitive price tags.

Unfortunately, it seems that the ongoing RAM crisis has caused MSI's latest high-end gaming laptop, the Raider 16 Max HX, to take a hit in this department. Needless to say, this laptop is very far from cheap, with my review configuration clocking in at a steep $4,299 / £3,999 (around AU$6,235).

I'll dig more into the pricing details further down in this review, but the days of wallet-friendly gaming laptops are truly over. That's not a pure criticism of MSI, but I'll admit I balk a bit less at a sky-high price tag on something like Razer's Blade 18; at least Razer gear has always cost a premium, while MSI has frequently offered comparable specs at more reasonable prices.

Setting aside the price tag for a moment, though: is this a good gaming laptop? Well, for the most part, I'd say yes. Performance is strong across the board, with an Intel Core Ultra processor and Nvidia RTX 5000 GPU combined with 32GB of RAM to deliver high framerates in games and power through creative workloads. It's well-equipped for AI-focused workloads too, if you're looking for a device that can pull double duty for both work and play.

The VESA-validated QHD+ screen is bright and colorful, with optional OLED models available in some regions. The chassis is pretty chunky – I certainly wouldn't recommend the Raider 16 Max HX to anyone looking for a laptop they can easily take on the go – but it makes good use of that size, with a full-scale keyboard that doesn't feel cramped in use and a great selection of ports for physical connectivity.

Pricing aside, my main criticism of the MSI Raider 16 Max HX is the overall build quality. The plastic outer casing and screen hinge feel sturdy enough, but the keyboard housing has far too much flex on firm keypresses, and the touchpad is frankly abysmal, feeling like it might break if I pressed down too hard.

I'll delve more into these issues in the design section of this review, but I will say this here: they're not absolute dealbreakers. For starters, you should really be using one of the best gaming mice with any gaming laptop anyway, so the weak touchpad shouldn't actually be a huge problem for actual gaming. Overall, I did quite like the Raider 16 Max HX – it's simply difficult to recommend such a high-end laptop in the current hardware climate.

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Price & availability

• Starts from $2,999 / £2,249 (around AU$4,350)
• Available now in the US and UK
• Higher-end configurations get expensive fast

Even the base configuration of the MSI Raider 16 Max HX isn't cheap, starting out at $2,999 / £2,249 (around AU$4,350) for a version with the Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti graphics card, 16GB of RAM, and a less powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU.

The review unit I received from MSI is a high-spec model, packing an RTX 5090 and Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor along with 32GB of RAM. This configuration will set you back a rather eye-watering $4,299 / £3,999 (around AU$6,235). There's also a middle-ground model, which uses the RTX 5080, and a few interstitial configurations that swap out the CPU, RAM, or display for slightly different components (including the aforementioned optional OLED display).

In short, it ain't cheap. Sure, you can find more expensive laptops out there, but not many of them. I can't comment on it with absolute confidence since I was sent an RTX 5090 version, but my past experiences with laptop RTX 5070 Ti GPUs lead me to suspect that the lower-end models might actually provide slightly more bang for your buck than the top-spec configurations.

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Specs

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Design

• Large, bulky 'gamer' design
• Bright, colorful display
• Plenty of ports and good cooling

Make no mistake, this is a gaming laptop through and through. From the translucent WASD keys to the patterned lid and RGB lightbar across the front of the chassis, the MSI Raider 16 Max HX absolutely screams 'gaming aesthetics' – so it might not be the laptop for you if you want something you can take into a serious office environment as well as gaming at home.

This advice goes double, in fact, because the Raider 16 Max HX is a bit of a chunky device, which hurts its portability. Weighing more than two and a half kilos and measuring over an inch thick with the lid closed, it's far from a lightweight laptop.

That being said, I won't knock the score down for the bulky chassis. MSI has made good use of the extra size, squeezing in a full-size RGB-backlit keyboard with a numpad, yet the main key spread doesn't feel cramped – I found it pretty good for typing, with decent spacing and a reasonable amount of travel. Unfortunately, the aforementioned flex in the keyboard housing gives a slightly spongy feel on firm presses, which may turn some users off.

The large chassis has some other bonuses, too; you get a rich selection of physical ports here, which I'm always pleased to see. In addition to multiple USB-A and USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports, you also get HDMI for connecting a second display and an SD card reader – potentially excellent for digital photographers or filmmakers who want to use their laptop both for gaming and editing work.

A bulkier design also allows for superior cooling. I'll dig into this more in the performance section, but long story short: this Raider has a pretty solid cooling solution, utilizing a triple-fan design with five large exhaust vents that help keep the laptop from getting too warm even during lengthy gaming binges. Considering that some gaming laptops can get pretty toasty when running graphically demanding titles, this is a good inclusion.

There's also a degree of upgrade flexibility here, with a removable underside panel that lets you swap in a new SSD (with an empty slot) or upgrade the RAM should you so desire. This isn't an uncommon sight in modern gaming laptops, but I always appreciate the option to boost my system a little.

Moving over to the display, it certainly feels like it belongs on a high-end laptop, delivering good maximum brightness and color reproduction even on the default IPS panel in my review unit (certain high-spec configurations swap this out for an even more vivid OLED panel instead). The QHD+ (1600p) resolution and 240Hz refresh rate are ideal for gaming – especially if you're into fast-paced esports games that demand a high framerate, like Counter-Strike or Valorant.

Above the display sits a 1080p webcam, which also includes a physical privacy shutter. In my opinion, physical shutters or camera killswitches should be mandatory in laptops, so I'm glad to see one included here.

I really do need to address the touchpad. This might be one of the worst-feeling touchpads I've ever seen on a 'premium' laptop; in fact, I've legitimately seen better pads on budget-friendly Chromebooks. Clicks feel wobbly and unsatisfying, the whole housing flexes far too much even on less forceful presses, and right-clicks sometimes fail to register unless your finger is in the extreme bottom-right corner of the pad.

It's just... bad. I acknowledge that in practice, this won't be a massive issue since all but the most unhinged PC gamers will always use a mouse over a touchpad, but considering that my review model costs in excess of four thousand US dollars, it feels egregiously poor quality.

Lastly, the speakers and microphone are decent but unspectacular. You could find a gaming laptop with superior audio features, but I won't mark the Raider 16 Max HX down for that, because much like the touchpad situation, any sensible PC gamer will be using a gaming headset anyway.

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Performance

• Powerful AAA gaming performance
• Also good for creative and AI workloads
• Fans do get noisy

Shocking nobody, my RTX 5090-toting review unit of the MSI Raider 16 Max HX blasted through our benchmarking tests with aplomb, delivering top-notch performance throughout.

Naturally, that meant excellent framerates in a range of triple-A games; in addition to the ones visible in that boxout, I also tested Marathon, Elden Ring, Warframe, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and they all looked fantastic on the QHD+ display.

It was even able to average exactly 60 frames per second in Cyberpunk 2077 with the Ray Tracing Overdrive preset at the Raider's native 1600p resolution, using only Balanced DLSS upscaling with no frame generation – a notoriously demanding benchmark that batters many of the best gaming laptops.

So, both synthetic and real-world gaming tests went smoothly – but what about creative workloads? Well, the Raider 16 Max HX delivers on that front too, handily matching (and even exceeding, in some tests) the scores achieved by Razer's most recent Blade 18 with the same GPU. 3D rendering, video editing, statistical modelling, LLM training... you name it, the Raider can handle it.

The Intel Core Ultra 290HX Plus in my review unit is also a beast, delivering solid performance across both single- and multi-core workloads. For anyone looking to play CPU-bound games like large-scale management sims, strategy, and 4X titles, this ensures you won't encounter CPU bottlenecks that hamper performance.

I would note that during intensive workloads (predominantly games and creative software), the fans do get fairly loud. They're not the noisiest I've ever heard in a gaming laptop, but it's something potential buyers may want to bear in mind if they're planning to use the Raider in shared spaces, because they do have quite a noticeable whine that almost completely drowned out the fans of my nearby desktop PC during benchmarking. A good headset should insulate your ears from this noise, at least.

It also offers pleasingly fast SSD read and write speeds – which, in fairness, is something I would fully expect from a laptop in this price range, but is good to see nonetheless. Creative professionals who regularly work with large file sizes will appreciate how quickly you can transfer your files around.

Since this is an Nvidia RTX 5000 laptop, regardless of which configuration you purchase, you're also getting the full suite of performance-boosting software tools inside the newly redesigned (and hugely improved) Nvidia App. That naturally includes DLSS resolution upscaling, but also up to 4x frame generation – though I'd personally recommend sticking to 2x for now, for better visual fidelity – as well as features like Nvidia Reflex, in-depth system monitoring, and AI-powered filters like RTX HDR.

Unfortunately, it seems MSI couldn't resist cramming in a load of their own software as well, and to be brutally honest, this is mostly bloatware. The default MSI Center tool is... fine, I guess, letting you customize the RGB lighting as well as tweak system performance presets, but it's hardly groundbreaking stuff. Add in Norton 360 antivirus, Nahimic audio, the Intel Killer network tool, SteelSeries GG, MSI True Color, MSI App Player, and all the Windows Store nonsense Microsoft insists on pre-installing with Windows 11, and it all becomes quite annoying.

Mercifully, you can uninstall the majority of this garbage, or simply do a clean Windows install when you first set it up. But I'm never going to stop being mildly irritated by laptop manufacturers cramming as much software as possible into their devices – especially when some of them are literally mirrored by base functionality within Windows itself.

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Battery life

• Great for a gaming laptop
• Good at auto-switching to the iGPU
• Can be charged via USB-C or bundled adapter

MSI has evidently pulled some funky witchcraft with the Raider 16 Max HX, because it cleared the 8-hour mark in our video playback test – an exceedingly rare sight for a gaming laptop.

Okay, there aren't actually any magic spells involved here; the trick is in the new Intel Core Ultra chip that powers this Raider, which offers stellar power efficiency compared to older CPUs from the likes of Intel and AMD. Of course, the GPU will guzzle power when you're gaming (in my online gaming test playing Marathon on the Raider 16 Max HX, it drained from full charge to 10% in just over two hours, which is still decent), but the laptop will automatically switch to the Intel chip's integrated graphics when not running graphically-intensive software in order to conserve battery life.

I also found that it held charge very well, still packing more than 50% after sitting on my desk for several days following my initial unboxing and photography. You can charge it via the (very chunky) bundled adapter, or use any appropriate USB-C charger for slower but more portable charging if you ever opt to take it out of its usual desktop-replacement environment.

Should I buy the MSI Raider 16 Max HX?

Razer Blade 18 (2026): Scorecard

Buy the MSI Raider 16 Max HX if…

Don't buy it if…

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Also consider

How I tested the MSI Raider 16 Max HX

• Replaced my usual system for 10 days
• Used for gaming and other tasks
• 8+ years of experience reviewing dozens of laptops

As usual for my laptop review process, I used the MSI Raider 16 Max HX as a replacement for my usual laptop and desktop PC, putting it through its paces in everything from gaming to my everyday work at TechRadar.

Naturally, I also ran the Raider through our synthetic and gaming benchmark testing suite as seen in the Performance section of this review, as well as playing several other games (just for fun!) which included Marathon, Warframe, Elden Ring, and my long-running obsession Slay the Spire 2 – though of course, that last one is hardly a hardware stress test, since it can literally run on my phone.

I've been a PC gamer since my tender pre-teen years, starting out on my dad's boxy beige home office desktop, and I've been a professional tech journalist reviewing all kinds of laptops and PC tech for nearly a decade now, starting out at Maximum PC magazine before making the jump to digital journalism and joining the TechRadar team. I've personally reviewed more than seventy laptops, so you can trust that my knowledge and experience give you reliable insights into the quality of the products I write about.

• First reviewed: July 2026
• Read more about how we test

At long last, Valve has finally announced the Steam Machine price to the world, and it's upset a fair amount of people. Originally billed as a console-sized (and performing) rival, many prospective buyers were expecting an MSRP in line with the likes of what Microsoft and Sony had done. Given the ongoing RAM crisis, and the continued price hikes of key components, chiefly RAM and flash storage, things haven't quite panned out that way.

That's because the cheapest Steam Machine configuration available will cost you a staggering $1,049 / £879 for the 512GB configuration, and up to $1,349 / £1,149 for the 2TB variant. That's shipping just as is, meaning you don't get the new Steam Controller bundled in, and you can forget about a Valve-branded keyboard and mouse for that rate as well. It isn't controversial to say that it's overpriced given the specs inside, the projected performance, and the longevity, which is a far cry from the otherwise pro-consumer (and more cost-effective) Steam Deck / Steam Deck OLED.

Factoring in the price-to-performance of the incoming Steam Machine, things aren't looking too good for Valve's second crack at the home computing hardware market. I'm showing you how you can build a far more viable and capable computer, going over the expected performance capabilities and other considerations that you can make instead.

What are the Steam Machine specs?

The Steam Machine positions itself as a mid-range gaming PC that's wrapped up in a small form factor chassis. Specifically, the "cube" measures in at just six inches. The size comes at the cost of what you can actually put in the box, though. Valve has opted for a "semi-custom" approach, going all-in on AMD hardware, specifically, the previous-generation RDNA 3 architecture for its APU, which is, sadly, now outdated.

Here are the full Steam Machine specs that you need to know as our baseline here:

What could the Steam Deck performance realistically look like?

When the Steam Machine was first revealed, Valve confidently claimed that its little black cube could deliver 4K60 due to it having "six times the horsepower of the Steam Deck". If you go to the Steam Machine page in its current iteration, however, it's a different story. The new listing, which also includes a strict waitlist policy, now states "Up to 4k gaming with FSR 4.1". This is a far more realistic depiction of what the rig can actually do, and it sounds as though AMD's FSR will be doing the bulk of the heavy lifting to achieve those lofty claims.

It's the same technicality that both the PS5 and Xbox Series X have touted since they were both released nearly six years ago. Those systems are technically capable of outputting in 4K, sure, even if it is checkerboarded (dynamically scaled) and sent to your gaming TV or monitor through the HDMI 2.1 port. The same can be said of the Steam Machine.

Unless you're running an indie or a select AA game, you're very unlikely to achieve true 4K, let alone consistent 4K at 60FPS or above. An older AMD iGPU just can't deliver the same level of performance as the best graphics cards, and discrete GPUs will always be more capable due to the increased power draw, die size, advanced cooling, and faster VRAM, among other considerations.

Fundamentally, the Steam Machine is severely limited by having just 8GB of slower GDDR6 VRAM, even if it is bolstered by 16GB DDR5 RAM, the bare minimum in 2026. Recent benchmarking results, such as those conducted by Gamers Nexus, have confirmed as much. Sticking just to gaming, the PC appears to be CPU-hamstrung. Baldur's Gate 3 in 1080p and Low settings achieved an average of only 60fps stock. Black Myth: Wukong fared a little better with averages of 73FPS in 1080p and Low settings. Considering that Steam Machine Verified games only need to hit 1080p at 30FPS for the green tick, this is not massively surprising.

How to build a Steam Machine 512GB alternative for under $1,049

This is where things get tough. Building a viable Steam Machine alternative means taking a few considerations into account. Chiefly, opting for an AM4 build in combination with a newer GPU, to prioritise graphical performance without much bottleneck from the CPU side. I've outlined everything inside of this entry-level machine which should offer superior performance to what Valve's incoming computer can do for less.

How to build a Steam Machine 2TB alternative for $1,349

If you want a current-generation, no-compromises 2TB Steam Machine killer, you can get one for about the same price as Valve's black box. This build gets you the stellar Ryzen 5 9600X, a more powerful Be Quiet! Pure Rock LP air cooler, and superfast DDR5 memory that's ready for the future of PC gaming. Here's my full build below, along with the real-world street price, since the components are now available.

Alternative components to consider for your build

While I've outlined two viable build alternatives to the Steam Machine, the great thing about PC gaming is that you aren't limited to what you can put inside a rig, provided space (and cash) aren't a problem. If you're looking for some alternative hardware to slot into the build instead, these are some viable and cost-effective, combinations you can try as well.

GPUs:

CPUs:

CPU coolers:

• Be quiet! Pure Rock LP - $37.90
• Thermalright AXP120-X67 59 CFM - $32.50
• ID-Cooling IS-47-XT V2 - $29.99

Motherboards:

• MSI Pro H810I WiFi Mini ITX LGA 1851 DDR5 - $149.99
• ASRock A520M ITX AM4 A520 - $149.99

Cases:

• Gamedias Athena - $79.99
• Lian Li DAN A3 mATX - $89.99
• Corsair iCUE Link 2500X RGB - $98.87

Storage:

• Silicon Power 1TB UD90 - $165.97
• Acer Predator GM7 1TB - $184.99
• Crucial P310 1TB - $174.99
• Sabrent Rocket 4 Gen 4.0 2TB - $299.99
• Acer Predator M.2 GM7000 - $309.99

PSUs:

• Cooler Master V850 Small Form Factor - $139.98
• NZXT C850 Gold - $139.99

Performance expectations for these Steam Machine alternatives

The real-world performance difference between DDR4 and DDR5 for gaming, including a generational uptick in FPS from the CPU isn't going to be as big of a difference when comparing the two Steam Deck alternative builds. The largest deciding factor when looking at gaming performance is the RTX 5060 and 16GB RAM. If the Steam Machine Verified games only need to reach 1080p at 30fps for the green tick, then the hardware inside these builds will eclipse that and then some.

If we look at how the RTX 5060 performs with a similar configuration to this one, in the benchmarked games as previously mentioned, we can see how much better these SFF builds can do. We can see the instant performance increase natively, with Black Myth: Wukong running at an average of 65 FPS with High settings, rather than struggling in minimum settings (via Gamers Nexus).

Baldur's Gate 3 also sees a huge uplift in performance, averaging 121 FPS averages in 1080p and 87 FPS in 1440p. 4K, it falls just short at a still playable 46 FPS (via TechPowerUp). These are native numbers, so using Nvidia DLSS 4.5's Multi-Frame Generation will help get you those smoother frames. Either build is considerably more capable, and retains the compact nature that the console-friendly look of the Steam Machine is catering to.

With the price of some PC components right now, it's arguably better to go for a prebuilt rig. The iBuyPower 4th of July Mega Sale could help with that, as you can get up to $350 off any custom or RDY prebuilt PC over $999 with the coupon code 'JULY4'.

Out of all the options, I think that this RDY Element 9 Pro R08 is the best value prebuilt PC overall at $2,299 (was $2,549). Use the coupon code and it drops even further to $1,949 — a solid price for a mid-to-high-end gaming PC with an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU, Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB GPU, and 32GB of DDR5-6000MHz RAM.

Today's best gaming PC deal

Let's get into some of the components. First, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a couple of years old now, so not the newest, but not ancient, and still widely regarded as one of the best gaming CPUs you can buy. The Radeon RX 9070 XT, meanwhile, is the flagship card from AMD's latest graphics card series.

Together, these components can capably run modern and demanding games, as well as popular esports titles like Valorant, Marvel Rivals, and Fortnite above 1080p without dipping below 120fps. Most of them can even support up to 1440p.

As for storage, its 2TB NVMe SSD offers enough space for a variety of games without deleting old files every few months.

RAM is still scarce, so now might not be the best time to build your own gaming PC. If you're curious about other options, I'd recommend browsing our best gaming PCs and best budget gaming PCs.

• AMD is reportedly preparing a 10% price hike on graphics memory kits for Radeon GPUs
• This means retailers could increase prices of Radeon GPUs from the likes of Sapphire or Asus
• This case is yet another example of just how hard the RAM crisis is hitting the PC market

Gaming is becoming an expensive hobby for both console and PC gamers, and it's all because of the ongoing RAM crisis. Unfortunately, another manufacturer's GPU components may be the next victim of price hikes.

As reported by VideoCardz, AMD is planning a 10% price increase on graphics memory kits for its Radeon GPUs this July, according to a new post on a Board Channels forum. This means that AMD's AIB partners, such as Sapphire and Asus, will pay more for components, which might result in higher retail prices for Radeon GPUs.

The Board Channels post states that these price hikes are a result of 'tight global supply of graphics memory chips,' including the noticeable trend of 'continuously rising market prices'.

Of course, there's no confirmation from AMD on the matter just yet, but if true, it doesn't help AMD's position in the GPU market up against its fierce rival, Nvidia. Frankly, both are in a tough spot due to higher memory costs across the board, which is well established for effectively every PC manufacturer at this stage in 2026.

While most of Team Green's RTX GPUs are fairly expensive for consumers, the advantage of better upscaling technologies and raw performance when using ray tracing in games makes them more appealing, in comparison to newer Radeon GPUs.

While we await confirmation from AMD, consumers should start buying new hardware now. Both AMD and Nvidia GPUs are still expensive across several retailers, and it's a tough spot for any gamer to be in when searching for an upgrade.

However, if you don't own a gaming PC at all, it's worth keeping an eye out for several deals — and fortunately, Best Buy's 4th of July sale is already underway, and this iBuyPower Slate Intel Arc B570 gaming PC is only $899.99 on sale.

It also comes with 16GB of DDR5 RAM (which would be expensive to buy separately), and most importantly, it's using a GPU that's perfectly capable of great gaming performance at 1080p and 1440p resolutions.

When acknowledging the messy state of the PC hardware market and the prospect of more price hikes, it's hard to ignore a deal such as this, especially when Intel's XeSS upscaling has improved over the last few years — so if it were me, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase.

If you're a gamer getting ready to head off to college, then a gaming laptop is a good investment. While usually a little pricier than some cheaper options, a good gaming laptop can easily play all the latest games while lasting you through college.

Right now is a good time to consider picking something up, too, as several of the best retailers are featuring a combination of 'back to school' sales and 4th of July specials. The RAM crisis is still affecting laptop prices, but you can still save a chunk by scoring a discount at Best Buy, Dell, Walmart, or other leading retailers. Just below, you can see six deals that I've picked out as especially good buys.

Most of today's highlights come from Best Buy and include this Lenovo LOQ with an RTX 5060 for $1,002 (was $1,499) at Best Buy, this Acer Nitro V with an RTX 5070 for $1,249.99 (was $1,379), and this Acer Predator with an RTX 5070 Ti for $1,899.99 (was $2,199).

While a bit pricey, all three of these offer great bang for your buck if you're looking for outright performance. The latter in particular is a great buy for those with flush pockets since it features not only a powerful graphics card, but also a high-end OLED display and a great chipset. You can read more about this deal — and others — just down below.

4th of July gaming laptop sales — quick links

• Amazon: cheap laptops from $799
• Best Buy: up to $550 off gaming laptops
• Dell: up to $900 off on back-to-school deals
• Lenovo: up to 42% off cheap laptops
• HP: up to 61% off OMEN gaming laptops

This week's best gaming laptop deals

Remedy Entertainment has hit the nail on the head with making an engaging and addictive sequel to Control, with Control Resonant. Gameplay from the original concept has been taken into Resonant and dialled up to 11, and that's heavily supported by Nvidia's technologies, enhancing the visual experience.

In my two hours playing, it didn't take very long for me to become fully immersed in not only our new protagonist, Dylan, and his incredible maneuvers and special attacks, but most importantly, in this case, the fascinating environments indoors and outdoors — and yes, a lot of this is thanks to the heavy lifting of Nvidia's ray tracing active during the demo.

Simply put, Resonant is an absolutely pleasant sight to the eyes, making every interior and exterior fight encounter blossom for greater immersion. It's a very colorful game, where enemy designs or attacks can shine bright in red (which isn't a surprise since the Hiss is mostly red), and I was blown away by everything on display.

Resonant takes a strong shift away from the third-person action-shooter aspect and dives into third-person fast-paced action-role-playing game (RPG) elements, and while my time with it was short-lived, I can't wait to see how its PC port handles later this year.

Resonant's ray tracing is amazing, but slightly heavy to run

It shouldn't come as a big surprise, but Control Resonant uses Nvidia's ray tracing technology and DLSS Ray Reconstruction, and the former is a huge demand for any RTX GPU.

Using an RTX 5090 at 4K with DLSS 4.5 Performance enabled and ray tracing preset on high, Resonant felt smooth in most playable combat sections of the demo — and while there was no evident frame rate counter, I suspect it was mostly at or above 60 frames per second (fps).

I'm a massive fan of hack-and-slash games like Devil May Cry 5 and the original God of War trilogy, where 60 fps during combat is effectively a must, which Resonant is quite similar to; the point being, I can tell when frame rates dip under 60, and there were certainly a few occurrences where heavier dips below that figure were noticeable.

However, this is an early build of the game, which is bound to be more polished once released, and high ray tracing presets still give the most powerful graphics card on the market a run for its money in any game (including Cyberpunk 2077 and Resident Evil Requiem).

Fortunately, DLSS 4.5 works wonders as usual. Using Performance mode on previous DLSS models wasn't ideal, as ghosting and poor image quality were clear to see. DLSS 4.5's Performance mode, on the other hand, features really sharp image quality that essentially outshines DLSS 4's Quality mode and can be compared to DLSS 4.5's Quality mode.

The downside of DLSS 4.5 is the performance loss (compared to DLSS 4), particularly on RTX 3000 and 2000 series GPUs, but considering how impressive Resonant is visually using ray tracing, it's worth using DLSS 4.5 Performance where possible.

Bear in mind, this demo wasn't using DLSS Frame Generation, and based on early system requirements, Resonant should run great on a wide range of hardware. There will be some systems that can't handle ray tracing or full path tracing, which should be expected, but even without those elements, it's still a very impressive game visually.

There's still plenty left for me to see in Resonant, a sequel that has taken its environments and locations to new levels entirely.

With that being said, I'm anticipating even more highly detailed areas to explore and enjoy using a less powerful but capable RTX 4080 Super for high ray tracing or full path tracing — and I'll certainly be playing when it launches on September 24, 2026, on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

• A number of Steam Machine clones are now out there
• The latest is the 'Steamroller' from Meta PCs in the US
• While it has strengths over and above Valve's PC, it misses out on some key aspects, notably around its suitability for the living room

As the Steam Machine is now officially shipping — at least to some gamers who have reservations placed and paid for — we're seeing more alternatives to the best gaming PCs for those who haven't been able to secure, or simply aren't tempted by, Valve's latest hardware.

The latest Steam Machine alternative is the Steamroller (nice name) from US-based Meta PCs. Tom's Hardware reports that the Steamroller is a prebuilt featuring an AMD Ryzen 9600X processor, backed with 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a Radeon RX 7600 graphics card (with 8GB of video RAM). There's a 1TB NVMe SSD for storage.

All this is packed into a micro-ATX case (the Jonsbo D32), with a 240mm AIO liquid cooler inside and a 650W power supply (gold rated).

Preorders are open now, with the Steamroller requiring you to part with $1,299 of your hard-earned cash, with units shipping from July 7 (that's about £980 / AU$1,900, although this particular machine is only available in the US).

This certainly looks like a respectable compact build for a gaming PC; however, like all of these Steam Machine alternatives or clones floating around right now, it misses the point of Valve's creation in a few key ways.

Let's look at those — and also, for balance and fairness, the strengths of the Steamroller and similar devices compared to the Steam Machine, because this isn't just a one-way street.

1. Living room suitability

To focus on the looks of a PC may seem superficial, but in the case of the Steam Machine, this is a big part of the appeal. It's an unobtrusive and inconspicuous little cube that sits on your TV stand (or elsewhere), blending in and not drawing attention to itself (or potentially annoying your partner, say, who maybe isn't as keen on gadgets and gaming as you are).

These alternative builds all fall down in terms of not being nearly as subtle as the Steam Machine. The Steamroller (or rather the Jonsbo D32 case) measures 207 x 395 x 314mm. Compare that to the dimensions of the Steam Machine, which are 156 x 152 x 162mm. The difference is a compact cube versus an admittedly small PC, but still, something heftier that looks like a computer rather than a slick gadget that happily nestles near your TV without drawing undue attention to itself.

I think Valve's achievement in keeping the size of the Steam Machine down to this level is pretty remarkable, in fact (albeit it has had an effect on performance, of course).

2. Hot hot heat

Something else Valve has thought a lot about is the thermals of the Steam Machine, again in light of that living room setting — by which I mean the device might be crammed onto a little shelf, or inside a cramped TV cabinet. Valve's engineers have considered this (as explained to Eurogamer), and ensured that the vents and cooling system are designed to mitigate potential issues around positioning.

The likes of micro-ATX cases haven't, of course, been subject to that kind of design thinking (although you could refer back to the above point — meaning they probably wouldn't fit in some of these spaces anyway).

3. Bring the noise

Coming hot on the heels (sorry) of thermals is the noise made by a PC when the graphics card is potentially running at toastier levels under more intense gaming demands. Just as with a console, you don't want your living room gaming PC to assault your eardrums with overly intrusive fan noise (especially if you have the TV volume on low, later at night).

Going by reviews, the Steam Machine is a commendably quiet device, and indeed even better than consoles in this regard (mentioning some names, I was not impressed with the PS4 Pro's noise levels; the PS5 Pro is much better, though). Obviously these alternative prebuilt PCs using desktop-class graphics cards are not going to be as quiet, and exactly what you'll get in terms of noise in taxing games could be, shall we say, undesirable.

4. Console-like experience

Speaking of consoles, another thing Valve has done with the Steam Machine is to ensure that the device provides a really slick living-room gaming experience. For one thing, that means instant sleep and wake functionality. On top of that, you also get HDMI CEC support that allows you to adjust the volume on the PC with your TV remote control (or have the TV set switch on or off automatically with the Steam Machine).

These are really convenient touches that make using the Steam Machine feel a lot more seamless, akin to the major consoles as noted. Of course, you won't get these kind of quality-of-life features with an alternative prebuilt PC. And they are invaluable, frankly, if you want to just jump on for a quick five-minute gaming session here and there.

The other side of the fence

I should clarify that I'm not having a pop at this Steam Machine alternative from Meta PCs. As noted, the Steamroller looks to be a solid build, and certainly a much better idea than, say, attempting to pick up a cheap clone from China (which is a very bad idea in my opinion, in case you were wondering). And it actually has a few advantages over the Steam Machine in certain areas, too.

For starters, the Steamroller offers considerably faster performance for your PC games, mainly due to the beefier (desktop-class) GPU. However, given the asking price, the RX 7600, while certainly an upgrade on the Steam Machine's (discrete but laptop-class) custom RDNA 3 graphics card, feels a touch stingy. Other Steam Machine alternatives have gone with meatier upgrades to the likes of the RX 9060 XT, which will obviously provide even higher frame rates.

The Steamroller is also more flexible in terms of upgrades. You can swap out the GPU in the future, for example, or indeed do anything you can with a typical PC. With the Steam Machine, you can only upgrade the RAM or storage (and even then, a memory upgrade is seemingly annoyingly fiddly).

Those are very real benefits for the Steamroller (and its ilk), obviously, especially the additional performance. But the real point of the Steam Machine is to be a system that takes over living-room gaming, and works in a seamless way in that environment — bringing your existing Steam games library to the big-screen TV, enabling you to play in a more relaxed and convenient couch-based setting. And in that respect, these Steam Machine clones are missing some big parts of the picture.

• Dbrand made a Companion Cube case for the Steam Machine
• It was a tribute to the Companion Cube from Portal, and a popular idea
• Unfortunately, Dbrand went ahead and made this product without any permission from Valve, and so had to withdraw it from sale today

Dbrand has announced that its fancy case for the Steam Machine that made Valve's gaming PC look like a Companion Cube from Portal has been pulled from sale.

Why? Because, rather unfathomably, as Dbrand explained on Reddit, it didn't ask permission from Valve to make and sell this creation.

Dbrand said: "We launched around 3am on Monday, June 22nd. Overnight, it [the Companion Cube case] became the second-fastest selling product in our 15-year history, behind only the Switch 2 Killswitch."

"Shortly after, Valve's legal team reached out. They stated that the Companion Cube is Valve intellectual property, for which Dbrand does not have a license. They requested we take down the product and launch film immediately. This was entirely within their rights, and they were direct, fair, and respectful throughout."

Dbrand complied, while launching an appeal to Valve to see if there was "any way to keep the project alive: properly licensed, with their blessing, on their terms".

The short response was no, although Dbrand concedes: "Given our backwards approach of building first and asking permission later, it was a fair answer."

And that is the story of a $130 hard-shell Steam Machine case ($99 for the 'poverty' version) that was never meant to be. Refunds are being issued today, June 29, 2026, for anyone who ordered a Companion Cube case.

Analysis: permission denied

This whole episode is suitably baffling considering that Dbrand apparently put over a thousand hours of engineering into making the Companion Cube, ensuring the Steam Machine fit into it perfectly, and developing 44 sets of injection-molding tools in the process. Not to mention hiring out a university campus as the set for the launch video.

Dbrand says: "By the end, we were losing money on every $99 Poverty Cube sold, but it didn't matter. This had turned into a passion project for the entire organization."

As you can imagine, there are a lot of bemused (or indeed amused) gamers on the Reddit thread calling Dbrand stupid, which the company freely admits is true. One Redditor says: "You had two jobs! Ask Valve, and make the thing."

Another asks: "How on Earth did you think you would be able to sell this thing without getting permission from Valve...???"

Well, yes. It's a good point. Some argue that Dbrand might have wanted to build up some publicity and show off all the pre-orders to persuade Valve to be more likely to say yes, but that theory falls apart because the company forgot to ask Valve – at all.

Amidst the (rightfully) withering criticisms are more than a few disappointed punters who are actually canceling their Steam Machine (they say) because they won't be able to put the gaming PC in Dbrand's enclosure.

Obviously that's a subjective matter, but I'm not seeing the appeal at all personally. The Companion Cube made the Steam Machine a good deal chunkier (when the idea is that it's a low-profile, unobtrusive living room PC), and while very nicely made by all accounts, it pushed the price up even further. And, despite ventilation obviously being considered in the design, I do wonder about the effect on the Steam Machine's cooling system on a hot day.

Still, those are all moot points now. Dbrand said this one is a "hard lesson to learn publicly," and, indeed, hopefully the company will take it to heart. It's not the first time that a Dbrand product has come off the rails like this, though. You might recall Sony sending a cease-and-desist letter, which canceled Dbrand's 'Darkplates' (faceplates for the PS5) because of the way they replicated a "protected product design". A Darkplates version 2.0 was launched with changes to address this, and it remains on sale today.

When the Darkplates were first revealed by Dbrand, it was with the prescient slogan 'Go ahead, sue us', so you've got to wonder whether this particular lesson taught by Valve is going to stick.

Alright, I'll just outright say it: if you're a manufacturer in 2026, and you decide to ship a product with single-channel memory, you do not care about your customer. I'm sorry, you just don't.

I've heard the excuses, I've had the pre-emptive PR emails telling me "oh well we did it in this product so you can double capacity later if you'd like", followed up with the inevitable "it only matters in some synthetic benchmarks anyway" nonsense, and I'm here to tell you that's the biggest steaming pile of the proverbial I've ever heard.

There's no justifiable way, in my head, that you can look at the paltry savings that you make there, and say "ahh yeah it'll be fine, they can deal with a 40% performance drop on iGPU tasks". You just can't. It doesn't matter if it's an SFF (small form factor) gaming PC or a gaming laptop, it's a disaster.

Take those integrated graphics cards as an example. Those commonly found in small form factor gaming PCs, or some laptops, and things along those lines. Now, the iGPU doesn't have this massive amount of physical PCB that it can inhabit. They're typically baked into the overall CPU chip design, and as a result, instead of utilising its own dedicated pool of VRAM, like an RTX 5080 would as an example, it has to rely on system memory or RAM instead. You know, the same thing that's used by your CPU to handle volatile memory tasks across your entire machine.

For those not in the know, the default assumption for many is that, well, it's fine, if you've got the capacity, it doesn't matter. If you have 32GB of RAM, a good portion of that can go to the system applications, the rest can be used by the iGPU. And although yes, that is technically true, it's not the capacity that's inherently the issue.

With memory, or RAM, you have effectively three (technically four with real-world latency) characteristics that you need to pay attention to, which determine performance.

The best analogy that we have for that is that it's like a motorway or a highway, right? You have speed, which is how fast the cars can travel on that road (data packets in our case). Capacity, how many cars you can fit on that road. And channels, how many lanes you have across each side of that road.

Your speed is MT/s (or MHz, depending on whether you like marketing hype or not). Your capacity is measured in GB, as we know, and bandwidth is a bit of a calculation that you do based off of memory speed and the number of channels that the memory kit has available to it on the platform you're using it on. The more channels, or lanes, the greater the number of cars that can move across it at any one time.

Now modern systems support dual-channel memory by default, with backwards compatibility for a single-channel solution if needed, or if a stick fails. To enable dual-channel, you need to install two individual sticks across two DDR slots in your machine. If you don't, your system will effectively be running single-channel only. For context, two sticks of 16GB DDR5 running at 5,600 MT/s will net you around 89.6 GB/s of theoretical max bandwidth. A single 32GB DDR5 stick running at that same speed halves that at 44.8 GB/s. That's a staggering drop.

Boosting your bandwidth

The issue is that when you have two pieces of hardware vying for the same memory, both trying to utilize that bandwidth (or the highway in our analogy) at the same time, inevitably, you're going to hit a bottleneck where data cannot be transferred fast enough across those channels. And as a result, it slows the entire system down.

In fact, it can be such a huge bottleneck that it can stifle iGPU performance and even some computational tasks by well up to 40% and above. That's average fps, time taken to render a file, compression speed. So many mission-critical applications and use-cases, just hammered by a manufacturer choosing to opt for a single-channel solution instead of dual-channel.

I've seen this too. Earlier this year, I was benchmarking two small iGPU-based gaming PCs, both with a Radeon 890M GPU, one dual channel, one single channel, and both with near-to-identical CPUs (the single-channel boy actually had a better processor with the Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 versus the dual-channel's AI 9 HX 370).

At 1080p in Cyberpunk 2077, the average fps scores were 22 fps on single-channel and 38 fps on the dual-channel machine. Same preset. Same frequency. Same drivers. The works. At higher frame rates, it got even worse: F1: 24, 86 fps on dual-channel, and 30 fps on the single-channel model. The dual-channel machine, too, was generally slower as well, average and max CPU and GPU frequencies were lower, and power draw and temps were practically identical.

The thing that frustrated me most about that particular situation (ignoring the performance) is that nowhere did the manufacturer in question list that it was a single-channel setup; not on the product page, not in the Amazon listing, or even the specs on the side of the box.

It just had the RAM listed as 32GB and called it a day. Even the big flashy product page with all the features and graphics lit up, had it down as 32GB DDR5, "high speed, expandable, with dual-channel support". Even the 3D renders and the exploded view showed off two DDR sticks. Like seriously, yeah, alright, that's technically all true. You're not lying. Congrats.

This isn't something that's isolated to one-off manufacturers either. I've seen it across big brands and names, and products well into the four-digit categories too. It's just staggering to me.

I get it; memory prices are through the roof, the AI onslaught is moving ever upwards, and memory manufacturers can't keep up with that just yet. But seriously, I can't stress enough just how important it is to do your research right now. To make sure the machine you're potentially considering buying has a dual-channel setup. And if it doesn't and you're reliant on that performance, I'm at the point where I'd genuinely recommend you go buy something else instead.

• Valve's Steam Machine has seemingly sold out straight away in Japan
• Reservations are going for up to $3,000 in the US on eBay
• If you're tempted to look at cheap alternatives from Asia given all this, be very cautious around that idea

Given the price of the Steam Machine (and some other wrinkles with the device) it's not surprising that many gamers are looking for alternatives, but you need to be careful in that regard – although you may find it difficult to believe that some people are willing to pay a lot more than the official MSRP for Valve's gaming PC.

Before we come onto the tale of how much scalpers are reselling Steam Machine reservations for, the cautionary development is the likes of what appear to be super-affordable Steam Machine clones being offered over in China.

A prime example posted on Reddit is a white Steam Machine copy which claims to be built around a Ryzen 5 5500 processor with 16GB of DDR5 RAM, alongside an AMD RX 6750 GRE graphics card with a 2TB SSD. This is selling for the equivalent of $688 in China, so compare that to what Valve's charging for the Steam Machine with 2TB of storage: $1,349 in the US.

So, on the face of it, you're looking at not far off half the price for the Chinese clone PC, but there are a fair few weighty caveats attached which I'll come back to in a moment.

Meanwhile, while there are those searching for a bargain alternative to the official Steam Machine, at the other end of the spectrum there are those willing to pay something like double the asking price to secure one of the initial Steam Machine models to roll off the production lines.

As TweakTown noticed, there are people trying to resell their reservations for a Steam Machine on eBay. In case you didn't realize, Valve offered the chance to reserve a spot to purchase its gaming PC (using a randomized lottery system, rather than first-come-first-served), and some successful folks are effectively selling their place in the line.

Some of these auction listings are up for sale at approaching $3,500 over in the US (for the 2TB model), and TweakTown notes there appears to be a confirmed sale at $2,800. It's difficult to believe someone would pay that much, but it's seemingly true (unless the seller is engaging in shenanigans somehow).

On top of that, Notebookcheck.net highlighted another apparent indication of the popularity of the Steam Machine as Valve readies to open pre-orders (for those with a reservation). In actual fact, the device is already on sale in the Asian market, and the PC has already sold out in Japan. Seemingly retailer Komodo Station put the Steam Machine straight onto its shelves (rather than using a reservation system), and the PCs didn't hang about for long before they vanished.

Analysis: reasons to be fearful

There's certainly a level of demand for the Steam Machine, then, although this could, and indeed I'd argue it's likely to be, a reflection of stock levels as much as it is demand. Nonetheless, there are disgruntled gamers over in Japan complaining on social media that they can't get a device.

This is also reflected in the apparent eBay prices for reservations in the US, although there's an important point to note here: most of these haven't sold (yet). In case you were mulling this route, bear in mind that you are placing a lot of trust in the seller to fulfil your order in the end. It's not an approach I'd recommend, and neither is buying a Steam Machine clone from Asia because it seems like a bargain and a half.

What are the dangers of the latter? Well, mainly that you don't really know what you'll be getting. If we take the highlighted example of the Chinese PC on Reddit above, there are some notable red flags with the listing, including that the Ryzen CPU is paired with DDR5 RAM that the platform it runs on (AM4) doesn't support.

On top of that, the RX 6750 GRE is a relatively chunky GPU, as several Redditors point out, and it seems highly unlikely that it'll fit in the chassis which is pictured for the device. What about the thermals, cooling solution, and fan noise, too? I'd be especially worried on those fronts.

Who knows: maybe you'll get a much larger box than the illustrated case, or components that are different to those advertised. I'm not saying this will necessarily be the case with the example product shown, but this is the concern with all of these kinds of offers from Asia, and it's why I'd take a hard pass on any such buying opportunity when it's being shipped outside of China.

Remember, there's the added cost of importing the PC to be considered as well, not to mention that if the device goes wrong or runs overly hot and unstable, then good luck with the returns process. There's also the potential security risks of a PC from an unknown vendor over in China that might be loaded with a dodgy version of SteamOS to trap the unwary.

In short, there are potential pitfalls aplenty, and if you want a more affordable alternative to the Steam Machine – or a living room PC with more performance and bang-for-buck like the so-called 'Stim Machine' – then buy something locally, and from a trusted (national) retailer.

Or just take the DIY path and build your own Steam Machine, which is the other option available to those who are unimpressed with Valve's pricing. Of course, you have to bear in mind that the RAM crisis – which forced up the price of the Steam Machine in the first place – will make this a much trickier endeavor than it would have been a year ago. There are also elements of Valve's PC that a DIY build won't be able to replicate, such as HDMI CEC support.

Valve’s Steam Machine has generated a lot of negative publicity because of its price tag. At just over $1,049, it is expensive for what is essentially a very, very powerful mini PC. But are we being too harsh on Valve given that the timing of the launch sadly coincided with the worst component crisis we’ve witnessed over the last 20 years?

Amazon Prime Day provides us with a great window to check out how prices compare. My colleague Matthew Hanson has been looking at the component prices should you want to build your own Steam Machine-slayer console (loaded with SteamOS rather than Windows 11). Read his analysis.

The CPU on the Steam Machine is equivalent to an AMD Ryzen 5 7600 or a 8400F or an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H or a Core i5-14400T. Its GPU roughly matches an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060/RTX 5050 or a Radeon RX 7600M XT/S. Remember that the Steam Machine operates with a very strict TDP of 30W and its GPU has only 8GB VRAM.

The rest of the spec sheet is as follows: 16GB DDR5, 802.11ax, GbE Ethernet and Bluetooth 5.3. It also has a microSD card reader and a tiny form factor - a 16cm cube that can be customized. Let’s get one fact out of the way: no Windows mini PC can match with the Steam Machine’s price-performance. Not one.

You will have to check standard gaming PC and the odd laptop to find real alternatives to Valve’s cultural phenomenon.

Choose your Steam Machine rival

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

Amazon's Prime Day has featured some of the best PC hardware deals for top-quality products. This ranges from SSD deals to Nvidia RTX-powered gaming laptops, and yet again, there's another one of the latter to join the party.

The Alienware 16 Aurora is now available on Amazon for £899 (was £1,319), with a generous 32% discount, dropping its price effectively as low as Valve's new Steam Machine.

Powered by Nvidia's RTX 5060 laptop GPU, Intel's Core 7 240H processor, and 16GB of RAM, there's plenty to love about the 16 Aurora. While the GPU's VRAM is only 8GB, it can handle a large variety of triple-A games, even the most demanding when using DLSS 4.5 upscaling.

On sale, it's currently within the exact ballpark of the Steam Machine's price, and is ultimately a more powerful system, particularly for games, with better capabilities to handle ray tracing, and superior upscaling quality.

The only major advantage the Steam Machine currently has over the 16 Aurora is that AMD hardware works much better on SteamOS. Nvidia GPUs are yet to be fully optimized, so major aspects such as game mode in SteamOS may not function well, and game performance may not be up to par.

However, Valve has already made significant efforts to improve the Linux operating system for a wider range of hardware — and SteamOS update 3.8 has opened the doors for any PC to install the OS without hassle.

We can only expect that this will eventually be the case for Nvidia GPUs, so if that's an obstacle when considering the 16 Aurora, it shouldn't be a permanent one.

The RTX 5060 in the 16 Aurora isn't a high-end GPU, but for consumers who are just joining the PC space, it's perfectly fine for 1080p or 1440p gaming.

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire, Ring & Blink from £13.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: up to 33% off AirPods & Apple Watch
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja & Tefal
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from £5
• Fans: from £20
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Gaming: £90 off PlayStation 5
• Headphones: up to 50% off Beats & Sony
• Laptops: from £149
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £79.99
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark & Roborock
• Wearables: up to 30% off Garmin & Oura

Amazon Prime Day is running throughout this week, and I've been checking Amazon, as well as its rivals, which are also running sales, for the best gaming laptop deals. As Managing Editor of Core Tech for TechRadar, I've spent nearly two decades writing about laptops and covering major sales events, so I have a pretty good idea of what makes a great gaming laptop deal — and it's not just about finding the very lowest price.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

What you need is a gaming laptop that balances both price and performance. There's no point spending money on a cheap gaming laptop if it struggles to play modern games, so sometimes it's better to invest a little more.

All the gaming laptops I've picked below for both US and UK readers will be able to run modern games without issue, and they'll also set you up nicely for the inevitable PC version of GTA 6, which will hopefully be announced in the near future.

So, fellow PC gamers, let's not just sit and watch jealously while console gamers preorder GTA 6; let's go out and buy some exciting new rigs, safe in the knowledge that Rockstar's upcoming game will one day play best on PC.

Today's best gaming laptop deals in the US

Today's best gaming laptop deals in the UK

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire, Ring & Blink from £13.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: up to 33% off AirPods & Apple Watch
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja & Tefal
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from £5
• Fans: from £20
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Gaming: £90 off PlayStation 5
• Headphones: up to 50% off Beats & Sony
• Laptops: from £149
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £79.99
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark & Roborock
• Wearables: up to 30% off Garmin & Oura

• Valve has said it's "rolling out improvements to [SteamOS] so it's more compatible with desktop hardware"
• The company also made it clear that it's collaborating closely with Nvidia for better GPU compatibility
• The aim is to make SteamOS more widely deployed on DIY PCs away from the Steam Machine, and this is tempting some gamers to ditch Windows 11

Valve has underlined how it's improving SteamOS to allow gamers to make their own version of the Steam Machine should they wish, which is already prompting some excited chatter on Reddit about abandoning Windows 11.

The Verge reports that Valve's Pierre-Loup Griffais (an engineer who often gives interviews) made it clear that the company is busy "rolling out improvements to [SteamOS] so it's more compatible with desktop hardware" and also "collaborating with Nvidia very closely" on ensuring better compatibility with Team Green's GPUs.

Before you get too excited, though, the caveat that Griffais attached is that Nvidia support isn't coming anytime soon – meaning not this year – but that it's "certainly something that we're working on in the background".

Valve just released SteamOS 3.8 which prepared the ground for the new Steam Machine, arriving with some key changes to ensure a better experience with Intel CPUs, as well as Nvidia GPUs (or indeed all discrete graphics cards, which will benefit from "greatly improved video memory management").

The introduction of KDE Plasma version 6.4.3 with Wayland support is important, too, very much upping the desktop game and bringing in better support for external displays and VRR in SteamOS, among other boons.

In short, with SteamOS 3.8, Griffais notes that "you can put together your own Steam Machine using whatever PC parts you want."

All of which is paving the way for more PC gamers who are fed up with Windows 11 and Microsoft to make the switch over to SteamOS as an alternative operating system (especially those who aren't running an AMD-powered system).

Despite it being still relatively early days in this effort (as noted regarding the work with Nvidia GPUs), some gamers are already happily declaring that they're ready to ditch Microsoft's platform for SteamOS.

One Redditor tells us: "Decided to go all in and wipe my main 2TB drive and install this [SteamOS]. Just got it installed and tried a couple games, working very well so far. Going to make myself stick with it instead of slithering back to Windows."

Here's another gamer who says: "The minute SteamOS gets Nvidia support, there is going to be a large mass exodus of users in the gaming space off of Windows."

In a similar vein, a further Reddit thread informs us: "I found that some of my Steam games which played fine on Windows 10, actually played far worse on Windows 11. I decided to switch back to Linux Mint and give Steam another go on that after having tried it a few years ago, and to my surprise, those games all worked great now. So I've stuck with Mint and every game I have in my Steam library runs well without issue. Value has really been doing a great job of bringing gaming to Linux."

And in that same thread, a Redditor observes: " The instant this [SteamOS] becomes stable with driver[s], I'm jumping out [of] Windows." (Not literally).

Analysis: Steamy Windows

It appears this is prompting more than a few gamers to reconsider their position with Windows 11, but we clearly shouldn't get carried away yet. SteamOS has a long road ahead of it as a rival to Windows 11, as it remains very much a niche proposition, but clearly Valve is pushing hard to make it a much more compelling alternative.

The good thing is that even if you don't intend to go near the Steam Machine – and you believe it's well overpriced, as many do (thanks to the memory crisis) – the launch of the device could still benefit you, as SteamOS continues to take strides forward. As Valve observes, you can just build your own Steam Machine-style PC, or to avoid the RAM crisis price hikes, simply repurpose an existing rig you have (perhaps with a choice upgrade or two grabbed in a sale).

With notable strides being taken here – and some progress being made in terms of getting anti-cheat games to run, too, in certain cases, although there's still plenty of work to be done here – we can be hopeful that SteamOS adoption could be accelerated considerably.

However, Windows 11 remains dominant by a long, long way in the PC gaming world, although SteamOS gaining traction could worry Microsoft for the longer-term, and prompt further efforts to make Windows 11 better for gamers – which again would be a win, albeit an indirect one.

Valve's announcement of the Steam Machine price has unsurprisingly spoiled the excitement of the console-like PC competing in the market.

Starting at $1,049 for the 512GB model that comes without the controller is simply unappealing to both PC enthusiasts and newcomers, making PS5 and Xbox consoles look far more valuable, despite their recent price increases.

Ultimately, the blame isn't completely on Valve. Just like MSI's new Claw 8 AI+ EX handheld with an MSRP of $1,799 (which is far more outrageous), Valve has had its hand forced by the impact of the RAM crisis, making the Steam Machine an overpriced mini PC.

Fortunately, though, there are far better pre-built gaming PC options available on the market. No, they're not on Amazon as Prime Day deals, but yes, they're much cheaper than the Steam Machine and more powerful.

One in particular is the Acer Nitro 60 available on Walmart for $898 (was £1,449.99), saving customers an incredible $551.99. With this specific build featuring an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 8GB GPU, this is a gaming PC that will provide solid performance at 1080p and even 1440p when using Nvidia's DLSS 4.5.

It's also worth noting that it's using 16GB of DDR5 RAM, in a market where memory prices are completely out of whack due to the ongoing crisis, and a 1TB SSD that's just about enough for most setups.

The Steam Machine's base model is not only currently more expensive than this Acer Nitro 60 PC build, but it's limited to 512GB of storage space, and will be outperformed by the Nitro 60's RTX 5060 GPU.

AMD's FSR 4 has only just been made available for RDNA 3 architecture, which includes the Steam Machine's custom AMD GPU, but this reportedly won't be at launch, and doesn't stack up to Nvidia's DLSS 4.5 in terms of performance and image quality.

The only major advantage the Steam Machine holds over the Nitro 60 gaming PC in terms of game performance is its AMD hardware, which will run better on SteamOS, as Nvidia hardware isn't suited for the operating system just yet — but this is likely going to change in the future.

With the unpredictable climate of the PC hardware market, a move for the Acer Nitro 60 is a no-brainer, especially at such an affordable price.

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

The PC hardware market has been dominated by the RAM crisis in 2026, with prices for components reaching absurd levels, particularly (and unsurprisingly) memory kits. Without an affordable way to buy RAM for new PC builds, there's not much that can be done outside of playing the waiting game or overspending.

It's also the same story for GPUs; VRAM is a vital part of graphics cards and their functionality, especially with new games demanding more VRAM to allow users to play games at their desired graphics settings — and that means prices for GPUs, especially Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5000 series lineup, have also skyrocketed.

It's not impossible to find pre-built systems that are fairly affordable this summer, but it won't be easy, especially if you're looking at acquiring anything equipped with an RTX 5070 and beyond.

It also doesn't help that Microsoft's Windows 11 and certain applications can hog RAM, which isn't so bad for systems with 16GB or 32GB of system memory, but it's not the same case with systems using 8GB.

Fortunately, some of MSI's Nvidia-powered gaming laptops are on sale thanks to Amazon Prime Day, and there are big and generous savings involved, considering the state of the PC hardware market.

In the UK, the MSI Cyborg 15 RTX 5050 B2RW is now available on Amazon for £849.99 (was £1,399), with a huge 39% discount, making it one of the most affordable options this Prime Day. The RTX 5050 isn't exactly the best Nvidia GPU available, but for 1080p gaming with the help of DLSS 4.5, it's enough to handle multiple triple-A games with ease.

It doesn't stop there, though. The MSI Cyborg 15 RTX 4050 AI A1VE is now available for £799 (was £1,169), with a 32% discount slightly closer to that of its RTX 5050 counterpart.

Last but not least, the MSI Thin 15 is now available on Amazon for £749.99 (was £829), with a smaller 10% discount, but it is the most affordable option on the list. The sale price is around the same ballpark as the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU, which would be relevant for a desktop system upgrade.

The biggest takeaway is that all of these gaming laptops on sale feature at least 16GB of RAM despite the ongoing crisis, which is the minimum amount of system RAM required for most modern triple-A games. While this isn't the case with VRAM (the RTX 5050 has 8GB), DLSS should help provide improved performance where necessary.

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

It's pretty tough being a gamer on a budget these days, as evidenced by the Steam Machine's rather exorbitant price tag. RAM prices have massively shot up in recent months, and subsequently, it's almost impossible to find a decent budget gaming machine.

Not all is completely lost, however. I've been browsing through Amazon's massive Prime Day sale today, and I've found three Acer Nitro gaming laptops that are actually - dare I say - good value.

They start with this RTX 5050-equipped model for £679 (was £849), which is a very decent option indeed if you're really on a budget. The RTX 5050 graphics card in this machine is very much an entry-level component, but it's up-to-date and enough to get you started if you're willing to tweak a few settings on demanding games.

For something a little higher-end, you could consider this RTX 5060 configuration for £799 (was £986), which again, is an amazing choice if you're not looking to spend too much. It's essentially the same as the RTX 5050 version above, but you get a slightly better graphics card and a bigger 1TB storage drive, which is a pretty significant upgrade.

Finally, if you're really looking to get something powerful, then consider the RTX 5070 configuration for £1,299 (was £1,499). The price jump is significant here, but this machine features a much better graphics card, a Ryzen 9 chipset, and 32GB of RAM, which are all higher-grade components. It's almost overkill having these specs for this machine's native 1080p display, but the RTX 5070 will be great for powering external monitors if you're planning on doing that.

Today's best value gaming laptops at Amazon

• See more: check out all of today's gaming laptops at Amazon

If you're interested in knowing more about the Acer Nitro V15, you can check out TechRadar's review on this very model. We tested the mid-range RTX 5060 configuration specifically and found it to be a good performer for the money. It's not a high-end machine by any stretch, but it does offer good value.

Note, as with most Prime Day deals today, these above listings are exclusive to Amazon Prime members only. If you're not a member, however, don't fret - you can simply use the 30-day free trial that I've linked just below to gain access.

More of today's best Amazon Prime Day sales

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire, Ring & Blink from £13.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: up to 33% off AirPods & Apple Watch
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja & Tefal
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from £5
• Fans: from £20
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Gaming: £90 off PlayStation 5
• Headphones: up to 50% off Beats & Sony
• Laptops: from £149
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £79.99
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark & Roborock
• Wearables: up to 30% off Garmin & Oura

The Steam Machine is making headlines today, mostly for the sticker shock. While undoubtedly interesting, the Machine's high price has sent many prospective buyers reeling. Such is the price of a new gaming PC today.

Not all is lost, however, as there are still some good deals out there for gamers. If you're willing to go for a laptop, for example, then you can score some relatively good options in the Prime Day adjacent sales events this week. Best Buy's 'Tech Fest' sale is particularly good right now.

Just below, you can see four gaming laptop deals that come in at around the same price as a Steam Machine, give or take.

My top pick, so far, has to be this Acer Nitro V Slim 16 with an RTX 5070 for $999.99 (was $1,299) at Best Buy. This one is the cheapest RTX 5070 gaming laptop I've seen in months, though I think Best Buy has mistakenly labeled the chipset on this machine (you can read more about that here).

Another very good option, in my opinion, is the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S for $1,199 (was $1,724) at Best Buy. This one will cost a bit more than a Steam Machine, but you do get a premium OLED display. If you're not planning to hook up your machine to an external monitor, that can go a long way. Read more about this laptop and others, just down below.

The best gaming laptops I've seen today

• See more: check out all of today's gaming laptops at Best Buy

More early Prime Day deals today

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Smartwatches: up to $250 off Garmin & Apple
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

Well, the Steam Machine's price has been announced, and at $1,049 for the base 512GB model, it's safe to say that any hopes people had that Valve would pull another Steam Deck and heavily subsidise the Steam Machine to make it more affordable have been dashed.

While the price of the Steam Machine isn't outrageous considering the PC gaming market, especially at the moment with component prices being so high, it's certainly not cheap, and the specs make me worried that it's both over priced and under powered.

If you're in the same boat, the good news is that it's pretty easy (dare I say, even fun) to build your own compact gaming PC that offers far more performance for your money. And, with Amazon Prime Day pretty much in full swing, despite it officially starting on Tuesday, it could even be quite a bit cheaper than the Steam Machine, which won't be getting any price cuts, since it's only been officially launched.

• Shop Amazon's full early Prime Day sale

I've been building my own PCs for decades now, including small console-like gaming PCs, and it's always fun and rewarding. Small form factor PCs offer a particular challenge, as you need to find components that fit inside a small chassis, ensure there's plenty of airflow even in small spaces, and installing the components can be tricky due to the cramped insides.

But, as I said it's a lot of fun. I've picked out some components below that you can put together to make your own Steam Machine. You don't need to buy an operating system, either, as you can download and install SteamOS for free.

The components I've picked below are all compatible with each other, and total $1,295.23. Now, that's more expensive than the base model of the Steam Machine, but you get twice the storage space (1TB) and faster RAM. You're also getting a discrete GPU, the Asus Dual Nvidia Geforce RTX 5060 8GB GDDR7 White OC Edition, which will outperform the integrated AMD RDNA 3 Navi GPU in the Steam Machine.

If you want to keep the price down, you could skip the graphics card, and rely on the integrated graphics of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X chip. This reduces the overall cost to $940.84, well below the cost of the Steam Machine, though gaming performance will take a big hit.

I recommend buying a dedicated GPU for best performance, but the beauty of building your own PC is that you can always buy that later, though with Prime Day sales currently running, now might be the best time to buy all the components now.

Prime Day sale – quick links

• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199

Build your own Steam Machine

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Amazon Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: sign up for a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Ring & Blink from £21.99
• Apple: AirPods Pro 3 for a record-low price
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja, Tefal & Sage
• Essentials: household goods from under £10
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £125
• TVs: from £129.99

This week is set to be a busy week for deals. Not only is Amazon hosting its annual Prime Day event, but Best Buy has its own 'Tech Fest' sale with pretty great price cuts across the board.

One such example this Acer Nitro V Slim 16 gaming laptop for the absurdly low price of $999 (was $1,299) at the retailer. I spotted this one while looking through the retailer's listings today and almost did a double-take because it's so cheap.

With the RAM price crisis, it's extremely rare to see an RTX 5070 gaming laptop for under $1,500, let alone $1,000 these days. With a price this low, there has to be a catch, right?

Well, scanning through the specs sheet, this machine is listed as featuring an 'AMD Ryzen 7 2000 Series' chipset. That's a very vague description, and if that's not a mislabelling, that could be a very, very old processor indeed.

What's happening here, I believe, is that Best Buy has incorrectly listed a modern Ryzen 7-260 chipset as an ancient 2000 series. That would explain why the 16GB of RAM featured on this machine is a more recent DDR5 version, rather than the older DDR4. If that is the case, then you're getting a really, really cheap RTX 5070 gaming laptop here.

The cheapest RTX 5070 gaming laptop I've seen today

• See more: check out all of today's gaming laptop deals at Best Buy

Other good RTX 5070 gaming laptops today

• Windows 11's Xbox mode uses less RAM than the standard desktop, but doesn't improve game performance
• That's the conclusion based on a battery of tests by a popular YouTube channel
• Gaming performance on Valve's SteamOS is still better, while Microsoft is trying to catch up

Microsoft's push to improve gaming on Windows 11 is still an ongoing process, particularly with its Xbox mode that provides a console-style user interface — but is seemingly not doing much to boost game performance.

As highlighted by Notebookcheck, Windows 11's Xbox mode does result in decreased RAM usage compared to the standard desktop, but crucially it doesn't improve actual game performance — or that's the conclusion of recent testing by Linus Tech Tips (LTT).

When testing the likes of Forza Horizon 5 at 1080p with max graphics settings and no upscaling across two PCs with the same specifications, there was no difference in frame rates between the standard desktop and Xbox mode. The same was true at 1440p resolution, and with other games such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Doom: The Dark Ages, where LTT found either the same frame rates or a negligible difference.

It's important to note that both PCs in LTT's tests show memory usage at lower levels when using the Xbox mode compared to the standard desktop, but this made no impact on performance.

I should point out that this is just one set of benchmarks, and results will, of course, likely vary depending on the exact tests and system configurations involved. However, LTT's testing here is a strong enough indication of a disappointing overall performance for Windows 11's Xbox mode as it stands.

It's no secret that Valve's SteamOS offers better game performance than Windows 11, with more optimal RAM usage, and it doesn't feature any of the unwanted bloatware that Windows 11 is loaded with. While SteamOS does have its own desktop mode, it's a Linux distro that is built for gaming at heart.

Something is amiss with Xbox mode, it seems, and Microsoft is struggling with optimization here. On top of that, the Xbox mode rollout isn't fully complete, acting as another pain point for Windows 11 users looking for an easy console-like gaming experience.

Frankly, the longer it takes for all users to gain access to Xbox mode, and for performance improvements to be realized, the harder it'll be for Microsoft to catch up with Valve.

While Windows remains by far the dominant OS for PC gamers, if anti-cheat support on Linux improves, that'll spell big trouble for Microsoft with more users likely migrating to SteamOS.

• The first HDMI 2.2 products are likely to arrive in 2027
• Massively increased bitrates with 4K 480Hz support, or 10K resolution
• Great for PC gaming, but won't make much difference to TV viewers

HDMI 2.2 is coming, and it could be a very big deal for gamers. That's because it delivers double the bandwidth of HDMI 2.1: up to 96Gbps.

That means HDMI 2.2 is capable of delivering uncompressed 4K at up to 240Hz (current HDMI can only do this using Display Stream Compression, aka DSC) or uncompressed 4K at 480Hz with 4:2:0 chroma subsampling, and it can also deliver uncompressed RGB 8K at 60Hz. And using DSC, it's capable of delivering 1440p at rates exceeding 1,000Hz.

There is an important qualifier, though: devices can be HDMI 2.2 certified without delivering the very fastest data speeds, so you'll need to study the spec sheets of any potential purchases.

As FlatpanelsHD reports, the HDMI organization expects the first HDMI 2.2 devices to go on sale in 2027; testing and certification are already taking place.

According to Rob Tobias, CEO and president of the HDMI Licensing Administrator, "We're hearing chip manufacturers will start to sample their FRL2 [Fixed Rate Link, the signalling technology used by HDMI] chips this year. And so we should start to see some 96 or up to 96 gigabit HDMI 2.2 products next year."

Will HDMI 2.2 be a big deal?

The specifications are impressive, though it'll be available in three flavors, all of which are faster than HDMI 2.1: 64Gbps, 80Gbps and 96Gbps.

The performance for gaming is particularly impressive, but we already have DisplayPort 2.1 at up to 80Gbps in many of the best gaming monitors so there isn't a hugely pressing need to upgrade. And HDMI requires licensing fees that are likely to be higher than for DisplayPort.

Chances are if you're into high-end gaming hardware you've already gone down the DisplayPort route, especially if you have a multi-monitor setup, but HDMI 2.2 should mean more choice among premium displays.

HDMI has more benefits in living rooms, thanks to features such as ARC (Audio Return Channel), CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) and ALLM (Auto Low-Latency Mode), so it's conceivable that the PlayStation 6 could embrace the higher bitrates of HDMI 2.2 — although games only rarely achieve the 4K 120Hz that's already achievable over HDMI 2.1, and we're not sure that's going to really change with the PS6.

But some 4K 240Hz games might be possible, and the best gaming TVs might offer the refresh rate to support it, so there may be some benefit for the most hardcore. For most living room uses, though, HDMI 2.1 is probably overkill — it's really best for PC connectivity when it comes to the pure data rate.

However, there's another benefit to HDMI 2.2: LIP, which stands for Latency Indication Protocol. LIP improves sound syncing on home theater setups, such as soundbars or AV receivers — this can be a pretty common problem with even the best soundbars, so we'll be keeping an eye on how well this works.

For most of us, I think HDMI 2.2 is generally something to keep an eye on rather than something to demand as soon as it debuts. HDMI 2.2 has been made with 10K resolution in mind, but the vast majority of commercial and streaming video tops out at 4K.

It's something to think about when buying new AV hardware in the future (there's good chance we'll need to wait for 2028's CES for widespread adoption in TVs), but initially at least, it'll be more about marketing than real-world benefits for most of us.

And bear in mind that HDMI adoption is really driven by the companies that provide the connection hardware.

Even today, not all high-end TVs have four HDMI 2.1 ports, because the most powerful processing chips used by many manufacturers don't support this. Some lower-tier TVs from the same makers do, because those chips have more up-to-date HDMI control elements — it's a bit of a mess. I suspect HDMI 2.2 will have the same kind of slightly chaotic support.

On PCs, we'll be relying on GPUs to support the tech, and new models aren't expected until late 2027 or after that — so there's a good chance of seeing HDMI 2.2 on them. But like HDMI 2.1, it'll probably launch on the highest-end models first.

Thinking of buying a new TV?

Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.

Handheld gaming PCs have come a long way since Valve's Steam Deck launched in 2022, back when the handheld market was still very much in a niche form.

The Steam Deck appealed to so many gamers simply because of its affordability and performance, running both indie and triple-A games with little difficulty (with reasonable graphics settings). The device provided gamers with an easy way to tackle their game libraries when away from their desks.

Unfortunately, the ongoing RAM crisis, combined with other difficult market conditions in 2026, has not only forced Valve to delay the launch of new hardware, but also drastically increased the price of the Steam Deck OLED. That handheld is now $789 / £649 / AU$1,199 and $949 / £779 / AU$1,429 for the 512GB and 1TB models respectively.

We're not focusing on the Steam Deck today, though. Instead, our attention has been grabbed by the new MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, coming straight out of Computex 2026 and delivering exceptional performance across several games we tested. And frankly, it may turn out to be the best handheld of 2026 in terms of raw power and performance, but there's one massive problem – the same one Valve faced with its Steam Deck OLED.

The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ price is a joke

While I can happily admit that the Steam Deck OLED isn't worth its new price by a long shot, the cost of that device doesn't even come close to the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ in terms of absurdity.

The Claw 8 EX AI+ will be available at retailers and from the MSI Store priced at $1,799 (around £1,340 / AU$2,540). Yes, you read that right. MSI's new handheld is almost the same price as an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 (going by the GPU's MSRP, that is), or to look at it another way, the Claw is the same price as an full desktop gaming PC.

There's no denying how great MSI's new handheld is, especially considering the claims of its Intel G3 Extreme processor being 44% faster at 1080p than the MSI Claw 8 AI+'s Intel Core Ultra 258V. On paper, the only benefit it seems to be missing compared to other upcoming handhelds like the OneXPlayer 3 is an OLED screen.

However, I suppose it's a good thing there's still no OLED panel with this new Claw handheld, as I can only imagine how much more expensive the device would be if that was included. And frankly, the $1,799 price still wouldn't be justified if an OLED panel was part of the picture.

Simply put, it's pretty difficult to imagine anyone who will be willing to spend so much for a device like this when, as noted, you can get a full-blown gaming rig for this money. Okay, it's a handheld packing a lot of power and top quality performance, so it's definitely going to cost more, sure — but pushing close to $2,000? Absolutely not.

It's fair to point out that the RAM crisis has definitely had a part to play in the obscene pricing here, as shortages have put the entire PC market in disarray. Regardless, even with the memory shortage and other problems with PC components, I don't think the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ has any business being as costly as it is — and I believe MSI will find that out sooner rather than later.

I also fear that this won't be the only seriously overpriced gaming portable to be winging our way in the future.

Razer Blade 18 (2026): Two-minute review

Another year, another Razer Blade laptop lineup. At this point, these reviews have become something of a foregone conclusion for me; if there are three things I can reliably expect from each new Blade release, it's great gaming performance, a sleek and robust design, and a sky-high price tag.

Sure enough, the latest Blade 18 (2026) delivers on all three fronts – but I can't just say 'yep, buy it if you can afford it'. This new Blade is superior to its predecessors in several ways, and it's quite possibly the best large-screen gaming laptop (or portable workstation) you can buy right now.

Having seen the dawn of Nvidia RTX 5000 GPUs in Razer's laptops when I reviewed the Razer Blade 16 (2025) last year, I had some idea of what to expect in terms of performance. The new Blade 18 did not disappoint in this regard, delivering top-notch gaming quality across everything I tested.

Those games look better than ever on the new display as well, since this Blade doesn't eschew 4K display options as the 16-inch model does. That's not all I have to say about the screen, though. This Blade has an ace up its sleeve; a dual-mode display that can be switched between UHD+ 240Hz and FHD+ 440Hz modes.

I'll dig more into the specifics of this later, but it's a feature that will appeal specifically to esports-oriented gamers. In the upper echelons of competitive gaming, resolution takes a back seat to framerate in terms of importance, so being able to nearly double the maximum refresh rate of your screen at the cost of locking your resolution to 1200p becomes a very attractive tradeoff.

Still, even if you're not a hardcore esports gamer, there's little doubt that the Razer Blade 18 is worthy of standing among the best gaming laptops on the market right now. The updated design and premium build quality of the CNC-milled metal chassis, combined with the powerful gaming and creative performance (and great functionality for AI workloads, if you're so inclined), make this an easy winner – just as long as you can afford the steep price of the higher-spec configurations.

Razer Blade 18 (2026) review: Price & availability

• Starts from $3,499.99 / £3,299.99 (around AU$4,870)
• Available now in the US and UK
• No Australian release yet

Yeah, it's pretty bloody expensive. Just the starting configuration of the Razer Blade 18 will set you back a hefty $3,499.99 / £3,299.99 (around AU$4,870), though even the base specs are fairly impressive: an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU, 32GB of RAM (no wonder it's so pricey, with RAM prices spiralling out of control due to AI datacenter demand), and a 1TB SSD.

You can also get RTX 5080 and 5090 models, with my review configuration sporting the latter GPU along with an upgraded Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus CPU and double the SSD storage.

The absolute top-spec model, which also bumps the RAM up to 128GB, will cost you an eye-watering $6,999.99 - and this configuration is only available in the US, with UK models topping out at 64GB and no availability whatsoever in Australia – sorry to our readers on the other side of the globe, but you're stuck with the Blade 14 and 16 unless you want to spend extra to import the 18-inch model.

Razer Blade 18 (2026) review: Specs

Razer Blade 18 (2026) review: Design

• Thin for a large gaming laptop, but heavy
• Premium precision-milled aluminum chassis
• Plenty of ports

Long gone are the days when Razer couldn't resist the urge to cram RGB lighting into every nook and cranny of a product. Like its most recent predecessors, the 2026 Blade 18 is a clean, minimalist piece of hardware, with a pleasingly large keyboard and a chassis crafted from a single block of tempered aluminum.

As you might expect, the large display and all-metal body mean that the Blade 18 is rather heavy, weighing more than 3 kilograms. It's not exactly a device you'd want to regularly take with you on the go, but I will note that it's surprisingly slender for such a powerhouse laptop, measuring barely more than an inch thick with the lid closed.

The wide touchpad and well-spaced, comfortable backlit keyboard are excellent, making longer typing or gaming sessions very comfortable – though of course, I used a USB mouse for gaming. No, I'm not one of those terrifying Valorant players who only use the touchpad.

Speaking of plugging in peripherals, there's a fine selection of physical ports here, with the 18-inch Blade giving you three USB-As and two USB-Cs (one of which is a high-speed Thunderbolt 5 port) as well as an HDMI port, RJ-45 Ethernet, and an SD card reader – great for professional creatives who work with cameras. With regard to wireless connectivity, you get Bluetooth 5.4 and high-speed Wi-Fi 7.

The webcam is also surprisingly decent, capable of capturing 1440p video at 30Hz, which comfortably outdoes any webcam you'll find on the average office laptop. Considering that the webcam is frequently an afterthought on gaming laptops, this was nice to see. It features an IR camera for Windows Hello logins, and a physical privacy shutter (the latter of which should frankly be a feature on every webcam in this day and age).

As is usually the case for modern gaming laptops, there's not much in the way of upgradability here, but you can add in more storage if you're so inclined. There are two PCIe M.2 slots, one of which is occupied by the existing SSD, and the system supports up to 8TB of additonal storage per slot, meaning you can have up to 16TB of storage – assuming you have very deep pockets, given the current price of SSDs.

Now, let's discuss this display. In its default mode, it's a particularly nice 4K (3840 x 2400p) panel with a 240Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time, and an impressive 600 nits of maximum brightness. It's also Calman verified for color accuracy, with a 100% DCI-P3 gamut, meaning that games look bright and vibrant, and pro-level photo or video editing is a very realistic proposition.

But if you swap it into high refresh rate mode, the maximum resolution drops to FHD+ (1920 x 1200p) and the refresh rate leaps to a blindingly fast 440Hz. It's geared towards hardcore esports players who want their framerates to be as high as possible, for games like Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant where every millisecond matters.

Now, I'll be honest here; the beefy gaming performance of my RTX 5090-equipped review unit meant that I was comfortably getting high framerates at native UHD+ resolution, so I never really felt the need to use the 440Hz mode. I accept that I'm not the target audience for a feature like this (yes, I kind of suck at Valorant), but I'm not in a small crowd there. The majority of PC gamers won't really be able to eke any significant benefit from the high refresh rate mode, and switching to it is a bit of a fiddly process too: you have to use Razer's Synapse software to change the display mode, then restart the whole laptop.

This might seem like a bit of an unfair criticism, but I have to assume that including this dual-mode display functionality added to the overall cost of the Razer Blade 18, and considering that most users won't need or use it, it's a bit difficult to justify its presence here. It's certainly a neat feature that isn't offered by Razer's competitors, though, so I can't knock Razer too much for it.

Razer Blade 18 (2026) review: Performance

• Silky-smooth AAA gaming
• Powerful creative performance
• Gets a bit hot under load

Unsurprisingly, the RTX 5090 and Core Ultra 290HX Plus in my Razer Blade 18 review unit absolutely chewed through our selection benchmarking tests, as well as everything else I threw at it.

Razer has long been the brand of 'performance at any cost', and this laptop is no exception to that rule. In 4K gaming benchmarks, it delivered solid performance further boosted by Nvidia's DLSS upscaling, but I didn't need to turn on the still-controversial frame-generation features to ensure a high and stable FPS.

In terms of gaming performance, I was comfortably getting a stable 60+ frames per second at 4K resolution with maximum graphical settings in almost every game I tested, both within our usual suite of benchmarking games and in a handful of other titles I played during my general testing process, which included Marathon and Alan Wake 2. The fans got a little noisy in the process, but I've heard far worse from other gaming laptops, and

The notable exception here was Total War: Warhammer III, which is historically more reliant on the CPU than the GPU; it appears that the 2nd-gen Intel Core Ultra processor inside the Razer Blade 18 still struggled a little with the 4K Ultra preset here, though I would note that it still managed to maintain an average above 60 FPS at maximum graphical settings, and it's also very power efficient (more on that in the next section).

The only other part of my game testing that gave me pause was a relatively low average at 4K Ultra settings in Marvel Rivals. Although the game ran stably, my average FPS sat at a little over 70 in the built-in benchmark – yet in actual matches, I found that the FPS counter very rarely dropped below 100, so I'm a little unclear on what caused this. Driver and OS updates, multiple tweaks to the in-game and display settings, and even running the game via an external 4K monitor did not seem to remedy this. I won't mark the Blade 18 down for this, though, as it appeared to be an anomaly with Rivals rather than the laptop itself.

Turn on Nvidia's frame-gen tech, and you'll see those numbers skyrocket across almost every game I tested. I was getting 40% stable gains on average with 2x mode across four different games, with no noticeable impact on visual fidelity.

3x and 4x modes push the framerate higher, but do start to degrade the visual quality of gameplay; I found that 4x mode was prone to tearing and artifacting in all games tested except Alan Wake 2, to the point where it wasn't worth the trade-off in improved framerate.

Outside of gaming benchmarks, the Blade 18 excelled in virtually every area; 2D and 3D rendering, productivity workloads, transfer speeds, single- and multi-core CPU workloads... you name it, this laptop can power through it. For users who want a gaming laptop that can also pull double duty for high-end professional creative or scientific workloads, this Blade has got the goods.

Razer Blade 18 (2026) review: Battery life

• Fantastic for a gaming laptop
• Outlasts many rivals
• Bundled charger is proprietary, not USB-C

I'll make no bones about this: for a high-powered gaming laptop, the battery life on the Razer Blade 18 is nothing short of phenomenal.

The average gaming laptop tends to peter out before the 6-hour mark in regular use, with powerful internal components that draw a lot of juice; if you're actively gaming on it, you'll usually be lucky to get more than two hours of play time before needing to seek out a wall socket.

But the Blade 18 mustered an impressive amount of longevity in my testing, reaching nearly eight and a half hours of continuous video playback and more than three and a half hours of continuous gaming in Marathon – a distinctly superior showing to the vast majority of gaming laptops we test at TechRadar, and is most likely down to the excellent power efficiency of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor.

The only downside I can possibly pick out here is that you need to use the bundled proprietary adapter for power delivery, and it's a pretty chunky brick that hurts the laptop's portability. But considering that it's already a great big 18-inch slab of machined aluminum, you shouldn't be buying the Blade 18 if you want a super-portable gaming laptop anyway!

Should I buy the Razer Blade 18 (2026)?

Razer Blade 18 (2026): Scorecard

Buy the Razer Blade 18 (2026) if…

Don't buy it if…

Razer Blade 18 (2026) review: Also consider

How I tested the Razer Blade 18 (2026)

• Tested for one work week
• Used for gaming and other tasks
• 8+ years of experience reviewing dozens of laptops

I swapped out my usual desktop workstation rig for the Razer Blade 18 for five days (one work week), during which I used it for all my usual activities. This included day-to-day work in the Google software suite, online research, playing videos, and of course a lot of after-hours gaming.

In terms of the games tested, I ran out entire synthetic and gaming benchmark lineup (listed in the 'performance' section of this review, as well as playing some other games that are in my current rotation: Marathon, Warframe, Alan Wake 2, Borderlands 4, and of course my current addition Slay the Spire 2 (though let's be honest, that last one isn't exactly a performance stress-test).

I've been a PC gamer since my tender pre-teen years, starting out on my dad's boxy beige home office desktop, and I've been a professional tech journalist reviewing all kinds of laptops and PC tech for nearly a decade now, starting out at Maximum PC magazine before making the jump to digital journalism and joining the TechRadar team. I've personally reviewed more than seventy laptops, so you can trust that my knowledge and experience give you reliable insights into the quality of the products I write about.

• First reviewed: June 2026
• Read more about how we test

• Valve's latest SteamOS beta offers improved compatibility with Intel platforms
• It also sees initial firmware added for incoming Intel G3 Extreme-powered handhelds
• Performance on SteamOS with Intel hardware should improve further with future updates

Handheld gaming is set to reach new heights in 2026 and beyond, with Intel's latest Panther Lake mobile processors providing more power for high-level performance — and Valve has just made life better for Intel-based handhelds.

Valve's SteamOS 3.8.8 beta includes improved hardware support for Intel platforms, additional controller support for MSI Claw devices, and initial firmware for upcoming Intel handhelds. That includes handhelds like the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, OneXPlayer 3, and the Acer Predator Atlas 8, all of which will use the Intel G3 Extreme processor.

Intel-based handhelds running SteamOS (or Bazzite) aren't anything new. However, performance with Intel hardware on the operating system hasn't been great, with devices like the MSI Claw 8 AI+ delivering worse game performance than Windows 11 — but it's the complete opposite for AMD-powered handhelds on SteamOS compared to Windows 11.

The appeal of SteamOS, besides its ease of use and console-like user interface, is its optimization for gaming in terms of memory usage, which Windows 11 lacks (and still falls behind Valve's SteamOS even with the Xbox Mode).

With that in mind, switching from Windows 11 to SteamOS for worse performance doesn't make much sense, and that's what has kept some owners of Intel-powered handhelds away from the Linux-based operating system.

Full Steam ahead for Intel chips

Fortunately, it's now evident that this is being addressed by Valve, as handheld enthusiast ETA Prime highlights with the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and its fluid performance results in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon.

Functions like sleep mode work as expected, which is great, but navigation and menu options still need updating, and the TDP (power consumption) can only be controlled via a Decky Loader plugin — plus the Steam menu button config needs to be added on Intel handhelds.

Regardless, this is a step in the right direction for these portables, and with more updates from Valve leading up to the launch of the new Intel-powered handhelds, this is definitely something to get excited about for those who don't have AMD-powered hardware.

There's been a surprising number of excellent gaming laptop deals this week as we build up to Amazon Prime Day later this month. Yesterday, I found a great listing on an RTX 5080 Lenovo at B&H Photo, and today, I've found a fantastic alternative for those on a budget.

It's this RTX 5060-equipped Gigabyte A16 at Walmart for $999 (was $1,499), which is going cheap(er) thanks to a massive $500 price cut at the retailer.

Specs include the excellent RTX 5060 graphics card alongside a decent Ryzen 7 260 chipset, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD. These are good specs for the money, even if it would have been nice to have 32GB of RAM right out of the box.

With RAM prices so high, it's somewhat understandable that you only get 16GB here, which should be enough for good performance either way. The RTX 5060 is paired with a 1200p 165Hz display, so it's a good mid-range setup for smooth gaming on most titles.

Today's best value gaming laptop deal

• See more: check out all of today's gaming laptops at Walmart

Right now is usually a bad time to pick up tech, as we're only a few weeks away from the big annual Amazon Prime Day sale. Gaming laptops may be one of the sole exceptions to that rule, however, as I generally find retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, and Dell to have better deals.

Having looked through Amazon's gaming laptop listings, I haven't found anything that challenges this Gigabyte A16 for value right now. Waiting for Prime Day is an option, but if you do, I'd still recommend checking out rival retailer discounts to see what's about. Prime Day is set to run from June 23 to 26 this year, so regardless of whether you wait it out or not, you don't have to hang around too long.

Also highly recommended this week...

It's increasingly difficult to find great value gaming laptops in recent times due to the ongoing RAM price crisis. If you know where to look, however, there are still a few diamonds here and there.

One highlight I've just spotted is this Lenovo Legion Pro 7i for $2,549 (was $3,499) at B&H Photo. This retailer has really surprised me with excellent deals recently, and this particular listing might just be the best yet — if you have deep pockets.

While pricey, the $950 discount offsets the blow significantly, and you get not just an excellent RTX 5080 graphics card, but also an Ultra 9 chipset, 32GB of RAM, and a 240Hz OLED display. In short, this machine is ready to go right out of the box, and should last you a few good years down the line, too.

If I were looking for a higher-end gaming laptop, this would definitely be on my shopping list this week. You can check out our Lenovo Legion Pro 7i review for a full rundown of this particular model.

Today's best RTX 5080 gaming laptop deal

• See more: check out all of today's gaming laptops at B&H

Is it worth waiting for Prime Day now?

For those not in the know, Amazon Prime Day is just around the corner. The annual mega-sale is set to take place from June 23 - 26 later this month, and it usually has excellent discounts that rival those from Black Friday.

I usually recommend that readers hold out until the big sale for most tech purchases, but I think you're pretty safe with this particular listing at B&H Photo. As someone who covers gaming laptop deals all year round, I find Amazon to be one of the least consistent retailers out there for gaming laptops. There are usually discounts for Prime Day, but I've found Best Buy, Walmart, and Dell to have much better options in their rival sales.

MSI’s Claw 8 EX AI+ was far from the only handheld gaming PC on display at Computex 2026, but it was certainly my pick for the one to watch.

In its gorgeous, vibrant Void Purple colorway, it’s a treat for the eyes, and marked improvements to ergonomics and performance make for an exciting proposition when it releases later this year in June.

Over the week, I had the opportunity to go hands-on with the new handheld across a variety of games, including Hogwarts Legacy, F1 25, and Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, and it suffices to say I’m impressed. With Intel’s new Arc G3 chip in tow, the future looks bright for the Claw 8 EX AI+, provided MSI can stick the landing on pricing… but that’s a big if.

The next generation is here

Intel’s mobile chipset is the backbone of several new handhelds (including the Acer Predator Atlas 8) announced at Computex, offering up to 14 CPU cores, and an Arc B390 integrated GPU with 12Xe cores — specs that really pay off in performance.

When reviewing the recently released Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, my Steam Deck was practically wheezing during densely populated or fast-moving sequences, even on the lowest settings. You may laugh, but as I noted in my review, it’s a surprisingly visually impressive game, and it was only when trying it out on the MSI 8 Claw EX AI+ that I was really able to appreciate what a difference the more powerful hardware makes. Movement was wonderfully fluid, and judging by my brief time with the handhelds and comments from Intel, you can expect improvements to battery life, too.

The performance boost largely comes from the frame rate-boosting XeSS 3 Multi-Frame generation tech that the Intel Arc iGPU can tap into, resulting in liquid-smooth gameplay even under pressure. We didn’t get to run our usual collection of benchmarks on the MSI 8 Claw EX AI+ h, but I’m eager to see how the numbers stack up once we have a model in our hands for longer testing.

I’ve been hanging on to my original Steam Deck for dear life, and had hoped it would be able to see me through for at least another year or two (read: cope), but having tried the MSI 8 Claw EX AI+ there’s no doubt I’ll be missing out if I don’t hop on this next wave of devices.

Like a glove

Speaking of hands, the Claw 8 EX AI+ sees noteworthy improvements in the ergonomics department. Following suit from the the Asus ROG Ally Xbox X’s controller-esque textured grips, this drastic design overhaul also brings drift-resistant Hall-effect sticks and triggers and a more clicky, satisfying D-Pad.

I have quite small hands, and I find they get fatigued really quickly while playing on my Steam Deck (and even my Nintendo Switch 2…) but the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ was noticeably more comfortable to hold. I didn’t get the chance to play it in bed as I do at home — that would have been a pretty weird thing to do in a demo space — but I hope even with my elbows propped up, it’ll still be pretty easy on the wrists.

MSI has clearly paid attention to user feedback, as haptics now feel more immersive and offer greater depth, with what MSI describes as a “high-end linear motor” simulating the on-screen action, versus the weaker rumble in previous models.

The Void Purple colorway may not be for everyone — nor will the RGB lighting-encircled joysticks, but I personally thought it toed the line between svelte tech and gamer aesthetic quite well.

It’s a slight shame that the touchscreen display didn’t see any real upgrades — but still, its 120Hz 8-inch VRR specs are nothing to sniff at, and it’s plenty bright and beautiful for gaming on the go.

Enough to move the needle?

Considering the previous model, the MSI Claw 8 AI+, only hit the market in 2025, I was a little skeptical when I heard a new variant would be arriving so soon — plus with still-unconfirmed pricing rumored to be in the realms of $1,500, it was looking like a hard sell right up until the point I had it in my hands.

Price hikes are one thing; even the Steam Deck OLED can’t claim affordability following an almost 50% price hike a few weeks ago (thanks, RAMmageddeon), while Lenovo’s Legion Go 2 Ryzen Z3 Extreme 2TB also got a similar astronomical price hike back in April. Who knows how much this will launch at, let alone whether that pricing will be sustainable in the near future.

We’ll have to wait and see when June arrives what the future looks like for PC gaming handheld pricing — and in my case, perhaps Steam Deck resale value, because I could well be front in line to score MSI’s powerful and performant PC handheld.

Multitasking while gaming is typical for many PC users, and certainly so for me. Being able to keep tabs on YouTube videos or, most importantly (in this case), stream to friends in Discord, breathes life into my game activities, especially when diving into an MMO or multiplayer shooter — or in better terms, a game where I don't have to pay full attention.

However, such multitasking comes at the cost of game performance, particularly on lower-end hardware (or specifically, PCs with 8GB of RAM). Discord, Google Chrome, Firefox, Spotify, you name it, can all significantly impact RAM and CPU usage, depending on how many tasks are running simultaneously.

Google Chrome is the worst offender, as simply running a single YouTube video in one tab can use up to 1GB of memory (sometimes even more than that), and almost 4GB for the application overall. Fortunately, I have a beefy system running with 32GB of DDR4 RAM, so I can count myself lucky, especially in a period where affordable memory is hard to come by.

With spare PC parts readily available, came the idea of a dual-PC setup, accompanied by a capture card and a secondary Corsair Xeneon Edge screen. This would allow me to completely shift all of my side activities, including game streaming on Discord, onto a separate system, leaving my main system's hardware solely focused on gaming.

I've built it, installed Bazzite (essentially a SteamOS clone), and it's easily the best decision I've made as a PC gamer in years. Here's how it's changed my PC experience.

The setup was arduous, but streaming is easier now

To get the setup started, you simply connect your main gaming PC's GPU (which is the source of what you'll be streaming) to the NZXT Signal 4K30 capture card's 'HDMI In' port via an HDMI cable. Then, connect the included USB Type-C cable into the 'Type-C' port on the capture card, and the USB-A end of the cable into the second streaming PC, and you're good to go.

The sole purpose of this capture card setup is to allow a separate PC to capture activity from another gaming PC, and this works with other systems like consoles. Ultimately, the goal is to offload the burden of your gaming PC using more resources to stream on the same system, and instead, allow the streaming PC to handle those tasks.

Capture cards are especially helpful for devices like the Nintendo Switch 2, where streaming to Twitch, YouTube, or Discord isn't possible natively, but in this case, the focus is simply on reducing the workload for the main gaming PC.

When streaming on Discord, you'll find your capture card as an option within the 'Devices' tab when attempting to share your screen. Besides a few hiccups here and there, the stream quality is great at either 1440p or 4K, with the former capable of 60fps.

I must stress that my particular setup case was a bit of a nightmare. Using an HDMI passthrough is the recommended route in a setup such as this, as it allows you to transmit video and audio to your main display for gaming, with zero latency, while providing the same for streaming on the capture card.

It's unclear whether the unit I used was faulty, but the Signal 4K30 would consistently force a 1080p 60fps output via HDMI passthrough on my LG UltraGear 45GS95QE ultrawide, without any higher resolutions available.

Without much luck using HDMI passthrough, the easiest alternatives included duplicating my main display via Windows' display settings, or using the OBS projector option (labelled 'Open Preview Projector'), and since the latter has very little to no impact on system resources, it was the easier way to go.

The biggest advantage of the OBS projector option is that there is no constraint on the resolution or refresh rate available, which is usually limited using HDMI passthrough on a capture card (which would be 4K 60fps with the NZXT card), so I had full access to my display's 240Hz refresh rate while gaming.

Multitasking is now a complete breeze, as I can watch other friends stream while doing so simultaneously, without the potential performance dips, especially when playing unoptimized games or those with demanding system requirements.

It's also my custom Steam Machine

Whenever I need a console-like gaming experience, this 2nd PC now acts as a separate custom Steam Machine, but one that's even more powerful than what Valve is poised to deliver.

With the AMD Ryzen 5 5600x 6-core processor and an AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB GPU, it's a build that's powerful enough to provide great performance at 4K when upscaling.

The only Steam Machine-like feature that's missing is the small form factor chassis to house the components, but it's a very tough ask to find a PC case as small as the Steam Machine's that will fit a full-sized desktop GPU — and if you can, it's not going to be cheap.

What actually makes this a custom Steam Machine is Bazzite, which runs like an absolute dream on PCs with AMD hardware. While there's the handicap of certain games not being compatible on Linux due to anti-cheat complications, that's exactly what my main Windows 11 gaming PC is at the ready for.

Using tools like Decky Loader quite literally transforms the SteamOS gaming mode experience into that of a custom console, as several plugins can change the UI, boot videos, navigation sounds, and more. You could turn your interface into that of GameCube or a PS5 if you wanted, and that's what makes it so special.

Just to reiterate, none of this would have been possible if not for my lucky case scenario of having spare parts, as this build would easily cost at least $1,000 / £1,000 / AU$1,400, and the 16GB of RAM would likely eat up a significant chunk of the cost.

Building this system has completely revitalized my PC gaming experience, and it's hard to look back, especially once Valve further optimizes SteamOS for desktop PC users.

Computex can always be relied on to deliver some truly inventive custom PC builds, and this year has been no exception.

One of the things I love about being a PC gamer is building my own desktop rig to play on, as the process enables me to optimize the specs to suit my needs and my budget, as well as giving me the chance to get creative. In the past, I've built a Star Wars-themed PC, a compact console-like PC housing an RTX 5090, and much more.

My attempts, however, pale in comparison to those of the professional PC builders and modders who are showing off their creations at Computex, and helping component makers display their products in eye-catching ways. Below I've picked out some of the coolest, and weirdest, custom PCs I've seen on the show floor this year.

Brass Wing Sentinel by Mark's Fabrications

Specs:

• RAM: KLEVV CRAS V RGB DDR5
• Motherboard: ASRock B650E PG-ITX WiFi
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
• PSU: FSP Dagger Pro 850W

Entryopy-Core by AK

Specs:

• RAM: KLEVV CRAS V RGB DDR5
• Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix B850-I Gaming WiFi
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
• GPU: Asus TUF Gaming Geforce RTX 5060 OC
• PSU: Lian Li SP0850P
• Water cooling: Bitspower

The Arm by Mark's Fabrications

Specs:

• RAM: Teamgroup XTREEM DDR5 16GB x 2
• Storage: Teamgroup T-FORCE GE PRO GEN5 2TB
• Motherboard: ASRock Phantom Gaming X870E Nova WiFi
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X
• GPU: Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 5090 Articstorm AIO
• PSU: FSP MEGA TI MIT 1650W
• Water cooling: Bitspower

Mechanical Chameleon by Modding Cafe

Specs:

• RAM: G.Skill DDR5
• Storage: Lexar Play X 1TB
• Motherboard: Asus ROG Z890
• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
• GPU: Palit GeForce RTX 5090 Gamerock
• PSU: FSP Dagger
• Water cooling: Bitspower and Deltamine

The Lab by SamCa Studios

Specs:

• RAM: PNY DDR5 ARGB 32GB
• Storage: PNY CS2340 M.2 Gen4 1TB
• Motherboard: ASRock X870 LiveMixer WiFi
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700
• GPU: PNY GeForce RTX 5060 16GB Limited Edition
• PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower PT 1000W
• Water cooling: Custom Thermaltake

Turbo D by MSCS

Specs:

• RAM: UD858 Dan Da Dan UDIMM
• Storage: AI828 Dan Da Dan
• Motherboard: MSI MEG Z890 Unify-X
• CPU: Intel Ultra 7 265KF

Untitled liquid nitrogen-cooled rocket PC by ShaggySVK

Specs:

• RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 DDR5
• Motherboard: Asus ROG Maximus Z890 Apex
• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
• GPU: PNY GeForce RTX 5060 16GB Limited Edition
• Cooling: ElmorLabs LN2 block prototype

Untitled Matrix-style PC by WMP

Specs:

• RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 DDR5
• Motherboard: ASRock Z890I Nova WiFi
• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 265K
• GPU: Palit GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GamingPro
• PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower SFX 1000W - TT Premium Edition
• Cooling: Thermal Grizzly

Untitled shark-themed PC by Modding Cafe

Specs:

• RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 Royal DDR5
• Storage: Lexar NM790 1TB
• Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix X870-I Gaming WiFi
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9800X3D
• GPU: Palit GeForce RTX 5080
• PSU: FSP Dagger Pro 850W
• Cooling: Bitspower

• Check out our Computex 2026 hub for all the latest news out of Taipei.

• Cherry's new Ultra-Wideband gaming keyboard was during Computex 2026
• The Cherry XTRFY K63W features a 'true 8,000 Hz polling rate' wired and wireless
• It launches in the US in August at $169.99, and in the EU at €179.99 in July

The hardware announcements for gamers are coming thick and fast straight out of Computex 2026, and one of the latest products is primed for PC mouse-and-keyboard (MnK) gamers.

In its press release, Cherry announced the 'first 8K Ultra-Wideband gaming keyboard', the XTRFY K63W Pro Compact, which it categorizes as a high-performance option for MnK gaming.

The keyboard comes with a 'true 8,000 Hz polling rate', meaning it transmits data to a computer up to eight times every millisecond, ensuring latency isn't a point of concern when gaming.

It also helps that the polling rate applies to both wired and wireless connections, with the latter being a strong Ultra-Wideband (UWB) dongle connection, and that's paired with a 6,000 mAh battery, which Cherry claims lasts for 1,100 hours of usage.

Fortunately, battery life is effectively irrelevant for non-portable scenarios, as the K63W Pro can be charged while in use.

On paper, this sounds like the ideal gaming keyboard for competitive players, especially those intent on finding the ideal option for wireless gaming sessions. As a primary controller gamer myself, it has piqued my interest, which may serve as one of the best companions for games that play better on MnK (i.e., Path of Exile 2).

Cherry's low-profile and compact keyboard design is a sight for sore eyes, as it has reduced the K63W's size and bulk, noted as a '70% compact layout' in favor of space for mouse movement.

I've also never been able to stick with wireless keyboards as my main option for both work and play, due to frustrating latency issues, especially with Bluetooth connectivity — and while many high-end options solve those latency issues, they're also expensive.

The Cherry K63W will be available at $169.99 in August, while launching in the EU for €179.99 (£179.99) in July. Frankly, it's still quite expensive compared to some of the more affordable high-quality options on the market, but for what it's worth in terms of specifications, it's a great option.

Handheld gaming continues to grow year on year, with new hardware entering the fray to improve performance results in games — and with Computex 2026 well underway, it's time for PC enthusiasts to get excited.

There have already been several hardware announcements from the likes of Asus, Acer, OneXPlayer, and more, which means there's plenty for consumers to consider when picking out their next device.

Fortunately, Intel has been hard at work on its Panther Lake processor lineup and has delivered the powerful Arc G3 Extreme, which uses 14 cores and 14 threads and 12 Xe GPU cores, delivering some of the best performance on any handheld gaming PC we've seen thus far. However, it's not all just about power and performance.

Several other manufacturers have taken the time to fine-tune the handheld gaming experience, to improve visual enjoyment, comfort, and more — and here, we'll look at the best handheld gaming PCs that have been unveiled at Computex 2026.

1. MSI Claw 8 EX AI+

MSI has gone back to the drawing board after releasing the Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+, and now, unveiled the all-new, powerful handheld, the Claw 8 EX AI+. While the display is effectively untouched, the processor is now the Intel Arc G3 Extreme, a significant step up from the Claw 8 AI+'s Core Ultra 258V.

Intel claims the G3 Extreme is 44% faster than the Core Ultra 258V at 1080p with 2x upscaling (i.e., from 540p), at 35W, and, notably, 42% faster than one of its rival chips, the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme.

As a bonus to a monumental performance leap coming from the Core Ultra 200V series is its XeSS 3 upscaling compatibility, alongside Multi-Frame Generation, and access to Windows 11's Xbox Mode. Intel is the latest competitor to join Nvidia in utilizing Multi-Frame Generation technology, as AMD has yet to roll this out for Radeon GPU users.

With XeSS 3 upscaling, Multi-Frame Generation, and an overall raw performance boost, accompanied by better ergonomics for comfort, the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ may end up being the best of the bunch among handhelds this year — however, its price could make or break it, especially if the rumored $1,500 figure is legitimate.

2. OneXPlayer 3

One-Netbook certainly isn't a mainstream manufacturer like MSI, but its new OneXPlayer 3 handheld is definitely a strong competitor to the Claw 8 EX AI+, and, on paper, in some cases arguably better.

The OneXPlayer 3 is a 3-in-one handheld gaming PC that supports AI, gaming, and productivity, and features the same Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor found in the Claw 8 EX AI+. However, it outshines MSI's device with a bigger, more immersive 8.8-inch 144Hz OLED display that is both VRR and HDR enabled.

Users have two storage options via microSD and mini SSD, while its battery has a capacity of 85 Wh. That latter might mean the handheld ranks among those with the best and longest-lasting battery life, but we'll need to see how it performs in real-world testing.

Without a doubt, this is a device that will be able to tackle any game thrown at it and provide exceptional visual quality while doing so. There's no information on its launch date nor its price, and yet again, the latter will likely be the defining factor in its potential success.

3. Asus ROG Xbox Ally X20

Doubling down on the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X's impressive features, Asus revealed the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X20 to celebrate the ROG brand's 20th anniversary. More importantly, the X20 comes with a larger 7.4-inch OLED display with 1,400 nits of peak brightness, bundled with the ROG XReal R1 Edition 20 gaming AR glasses.

It's quite clear that Asus has prioritized visual improvements over performance or power, so it's hard to describe this as a 'mid-generation' upgrade, in the same way the Asus ROG Ally X was compared to its non-X counterpart.

The Xbox Ally X20 also features a rotatable D-pad, labeled a 'Transforming D-pad', which should cater to fighting game players when using the handheld, thanks to optimization for diagonal inputs.

The major downside is that Asus isn't currently selling this as a standalone device, and since the ROG XReal R1 Edition 20 gaming AR glasses retail for $849, the bundle will likely be priced at or around $2,000.

4. Acer Predator Atlas 8

Just like the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ and the OneXPlayer 3, the Acer Predator Atlas 8 is powered by Intel's Arc G3 Extreme, with power-ready capabilities that can bolster performance in several games for users.

Its design takes after the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X (and the new ROG Xbox Ally X20), just as MSI has, with controller-like handles that cater to comfort for those long gaming sessions. The adjustable triggers on the Lenovo Legion Go S handheld are easily one of my favorite features for any handheld, and fortunately, that's included here with the Atlas 8.

The only missing element is an OLED display for greater immersion, so it sits in a very similar ballpark as the Claw 8 EX AI+, with the only difference being the latter's comfier design.

In the same vein as all of Computex's handheld announcements, the Atlas 8 hinges on its price tag, and based on the current market conditions, thanks to the RAM crisis, it looks like it may be priced well above $1,000. Acer has confirmed that this will launch in October 2026, so price information shouldn't be too far off.

• Asus has revealed the new ROG Xbox Ally X20 handheld at Computex 2026
• It features a bigger 7.4-inch screen and now has an OLED panel
• The handheld will come bundled with the ROG XReal R1 Edition 20 gaming AR glasses

June has certainly kicked off with a bang for gamers, with Summer Game Fest 2026 imminent, and notably, several new hardware announcements at Computex 2026 — and we've spotted one of the best yet.

Asus just announced the new ROG Xbox Ally X20 handheld gaming PC at Computex 2026, serving as an upgrade to the ROG Xbox Ally X. This time, it features a bigger 7.4-inch display and, notably, an OLED panel, rivaling the Lenovo Legion Go 2.

Notably, the ROG XReal R1 Edition 20 gaming AR glasses are bundled with the ROG Xbox Ally X20, allowing gamers to project their games onto a bigger, more immersive 171-inch micro-OLED 240Hz display with a 0.01ms response time.

The X20 possibly features one of the best displays in terms of brightness, with 1,400-nit peak HDR brightness, 0.2ms response time, and a VESA DisplayHDR 1000 rating. Combined with an anti-reflective coating, which reduces glare by 65%, gaming is made much easier when in bright environments.

Comment from r/Handhelds

Essentially, it sounds like Asus has landed a winner with this handheld, particularly in its specifications, and it has, unsurprisingly, left some consumers excited.

As noted on Reddit, with one user stating it's "almost the perfect handheld for many". However, there is one question among consumers that Asus hasn't answered yet: the ROG Xbox Ally X20's price.

The newly announced MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, using Intel's Arc G3 Extreme processor, is reportedly starting at $1,500 (around £1,120 / AU$2,100), but MSI has yet to confirm this. If the purported price is legitimate, it will effectively spoil any form of excitement built around the device ahead of its eventual launch, and the ROG Xbox Ally X20 could be placed in the same expensive category.

It's also worth noting that the XReal R1 Edition 20 gaming AR glasses already cost $849 / £749 / around AU$1,799 individually, so that likely pushes the bundle's price at or just under $2,000.

Prices for consoles, desktop PC components, and handhelds have skyrocketed to unaffordable levels in 2026 due to the RAM crisis, and the more feature-rich a handheld device sounds coming out of Computex 2026, the more expensive it will be — and the OLED addition for the Ally X20 sounds like the perfect case for a high price.

• The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ uses the new Intel Arc G3 APU, among the first gaming handhelds to use this chip, similarly to the recently unveiled Acer Predator Atlas 8
• This new Intel Arc B370-powered iGPU features support for Multi-Frame Generation through XeSS 3, allowing the hardware to reach higher framerates
• Ergonomically, the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ has taken cues from the Asus ROG Ally X with its new gamepad-style grips, featuring Hall Effect sticks and RGB lighting

The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ has been announced at Computex 2026, billed as the "world's first gaming handheld" to be powered by the Intel Arc G3 processor. It is joined by recently announced competitors, such as the Acer Predator Atlas 8, in leading the charge for the next generation of mobile gaming hardware.

This third-generation MSI Claw gaming handheld features Intel XeSS 3 Multi-Frame Generation, enabled by the latest Intel Arc iGPU standard. Specifically, the Arc G3 is built on the B390 die, with 12 Xe cores, and up to a 30W TDP range.

No MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ pricing has been announced yet; however, it is expected to be a gaming handheld at the premium end of the spectrum. We can gauge a rough estimate by looking at the current-generation MSI Claw 8 AI+, with its cheapest 1TB variant retailing for $899 / £899 and its pricier option (doubling the storage) selling for $1,129 / £999. As such, we expect this new model to follow a similar pricing strategy.

The ergonomics have also drastically changed for the upcoming MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ when compared to the previous-generation MSI Claw 8 AI+ and MSI Claw A1M. The Taiwanese company has taken notes from the Asus ROG Ally Xbox X with its new controller-style grips, Hall-effect sticks and triggers, as well as a revised D-pad, too.

Xbox Mode looks to be directly rivalling what's featured in its competition. Just as with the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ will feature quick resume functionality and on-the-fly adjustments with the press of a button, and it aims to be as unintrusive as possible when dialing in your settings.

Also new to the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is the addition of haptic motors for vibration when playing. It's described as a "high-end linear motor" that's said to simulate "tactical textures" in a similar vein to what the PS5's DualSense Wireless Controller can do. It appears to be a massive upgrade of the weaker rumble feature found in the two previous-generation models.

Instead of opting for the same usual black or gray colorway of its contemporaries, the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ features a purple aesthetic, with red face buttons, RGB lighting around the sticks, and that same solid 120Hz 8-inch VRR display in the center. At a time when the best handheld gaming PCs are iterating on the same design trends from four years ago, it's good to see a degree of innovation implemented here.

How does the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ compare to its predecessors?

How could the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ fare in the 2026 handheld market?

The meteoric rise of Valve's Steam Deck four years ago set into motion a path that would see dozens of different, remarkably similar handhelds hit the market. The majority of the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+'s competitors are using either the AMD Z2 Extreme or the older Z1 Extreme, with lesser-known brands going all in with Intel. We've seen this with the OneXPlayer X1 and AOKZOE A2 Ultra, both utilizing the older Intel Core 7 Ultra 155H, and 140V Arc integrated graphics.

As touched upon above, the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is among the first gaming handhelds to use the newly unveiled Intel Arc G3 chipset, although it's not the first to be announced to market.

The Acer Predator Atlas 8 appears to be similar to what's on offer from MSI. It features the same Intel Arc G3 processor, XeSS 3 Multi-Frame Generation, 80 Whr battery, 120Hz display, and Xbox controller-style ergonomics as well. It's never a bad thing to have too many options as a consumer, so time will tell which of these devices is superior and if they have what it takes to dethrone the Steam Deck or ROG Ally.

Fundamentally, the implementation of the vastly more capable B390 die ensures that your games will look better and play smoother than before. That's purely due to true MFG, and XeSS' upscaling tech has caught up massively to what AMD FSR and Nvidia DLSS can do in the last two years, as the transition from Alchemist to Battlemage architecture has been truly night and day in terms of performance. We'll have more to share when we go hands-on with the device to deliver a proper verdict.

• Check out our Computex 2026 hub for all the latest news out of Taipei.

It's hard to find a great value gaming laptop these days with RAM prices so inflated. But, that doesn't mean there isn't the occasional gem that crops up every now and again.

I'd argue, for example, that this Lenovo Legion 5i at B&H Photo for $1,299 (was $1,699) is an exceptional deal in any context.

While $1,299 isn't exactly cheap, it's a reasonable price for what you're getting here. The Lenovo Legion 5i features a high-end OLED display, and this configuration in particular comes with an RTX 5060 graphics card, Intel Ultra 7 chipset, a 1TB SSD, and 32GB of RAM right out of the box.

It's exceptionally rare to find a machine that ticks all the boxes at this price point, but the $400 off at B&H is really making this one a great value buy. No glaring upgrades are needed here, and you'll get excellent performance for a few years down the line.

Today's best RTX 5060 gaming laptop deal

• See more: check out all of today's gaming laptop deals at B&H

Great specs, paired with an OLED display

We haven't tested the latest Legion 5i model at TechRadar, but we have reviewed the older iterations and consistently found them to be great laptops overall. While they're not the flashiest machines on the market, the hardware is top-notch, and generally, they're well built, too.

With this particular deal, you're getting a mid-level configuration with an OLED display, which remains the biggest selling point for the latest Legion 5i. It's a premium panel that's going to get you much nicer colors, contrast, and inky blacks versus the cheaper displays featured on budget machines. It's a 1600p resolution panel, which is quite pixel dense for a laptop, but luckily the RTX 5060 graphics card should be up to the task for providing smooth performance.

Over the past couple of months, I’ve fallen in love with my new standing desk — and right now it’s majorly discounted, letting you save $130 on a station that can work for whatever setup you throw at it.

With multiple monitors, some streaming gear, my PC accessories, plus notebooks and some half-built Magic: The Gathering decks, my desks have always felt way too cramped for my needs. The Eureka Ergonomic Aero Pro finally has space for everything, though it may be a bit too big. Plus, it’s a standing desk, so I can avoid some of the posture and long-term comfort troubles that come from sitting in a chair all day.

Right now, thanks to an extended Memorial Day sale, the Eureka Ergonomic Aero Pro is seriously discounted down to $669 at Eureka Ergonomic’s official store – saving you $130 on the massive 72-inch by 23-inch model until May 28.

My new favorite PC companion

If this seems too big for your needs, the 63-inch by 23-inch model is also discounted — you can save $100 to snag it for $519 in the same sale.

You can read about my full thoughts on the desk in my full Eureka Ergonomic Aero Pro review, but here are the highlights.

Firstly, it’s more spacious than you could ever need. Not only is the main desk big enough to support whatever setup you want (like a couple small DJ decks, a laptop, all your notebooks, etc) but with a trio of monitor shelves and a slide out undershelf you can have space for a full array of PC accessories in addition — I have two monitors, and my streaming gear set up along with a keyboard and mouse.

Secondly, the standing desk is super convenient to use, and it’s not a gimmick. The electric motor is super quiet, and with three memory options, you can easily move the desk between your preferred heights. With this convenience, I found I used the desk plenty, and it paired well with my Galaxy Watch 8 Classic — whenever my watch told me to move, I’d stand up and work like that for a while.

I enjoyed gaming while standing, too. Playing some casual Marvel Rivals, the ability to move let me vent some frustrations whenever I’d get eliminated or lose a match — or do a celebratory jig when things went my way.

Lastly, importantly, this desk feels sturdy. With all my expensive PC gear on it (and under it) the last thing I need is for the Aero pro to collapse and break my stuff (or possibly me, it's very heavy). Thankfully, even at its tallest heights, the steel and wood construction felt like it wouldn’t go anywhere — though I did knock a controller from the stand when I slammed the desk quite hard…

Oh, and did I mention it has a cup holder?

The ongoing RAM crisis has sent gaming laptop prices skyrocketing in recent months, but it's not all bad news, as the annual Memorial Day sales are offering some surprisingly good discounts today. In fact, retailers like Best Buy have some of the best deals I've seen since Black Friday today.

I've been scanning through hundreds of listings to find the best discounts for our readers, and interestingly, I've found good options on everything from super-budget machines to stunning high-end models. In some cases, we're seeing price cuts in excess of $500, which is impressive considering RAM prices have massively hit gaming laptops.

Just below, you can see my top 7 gaming laptop deals in the Memorial Day sales laid out in descending price and with specs detailed. A few highlights include the Asus TUF A16 with an RTX 5070 for just $1,499 (was $1,799) at Best Buy, the Alienware 16 Aurora for $1,374 (was $1,749), and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 for $1,499 (was $1,774) — a particularly fine choice thanks to its premium OLED display.

You can read more about these laptops just down below. While you're here, you can also check out our main Memorial Day landing page for picks on TVs, appliances, and other categories this week.

Today's best Memorial Day gaming laptop deals

May is usually a pretty quiet patch of the year for gaming laptop deals, but the annual Memorial Day sales are definitely an exception. In fact, discounts at retailers like Best Buy can rival those from Black Friday and other well-known events.

Best Buy's Memorial Day sale is already live this week, so I've been scanning through all the listings to find the best price cuts. In short, there's plenty to consider right now if you're looking for an RTX 5060, RTX 5070, or RTX 5070 Ti machine. Even slightly cheaper (and older) models are on sale today.

Just below, you can see my top five gaming laptop deals in the Best Buy Memorial Day sale, starting with this Lenovo LOQ for just $749 (was $1,049). That's a great option if you're just looking to cover the basics — especially since spiralling RAM costs have really hit the budget gaming laptop scene in recent months.

Other highlights include the Asus TUF A16 with an RTX 5070 for just $1,499 (was $1,799), the Alienware 16 Aurora for $1,374 (was $1,749), and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 for $1,499 (was $1,774) — the latter being a popular choice due to its premium OLED display.

You can read more about these laptops just down below. While you're here, you can also check out our main Memorial Day sales guide for picks on TVs, appliances, and other categories this week.

Best Memorial Day gaming laptop deals at Best Buy

More Memorial Day sales at Best Buy

• Apple: up to $300 off iPads & MacBooks
• Appliances: up to 45% off major appliances
• Cameras: up to $500 off Kodak & Nikon
• Gaming: PS5, Switch & Xbox games from $7.99
• Headphones: up to $150 off Bose & Sony
• Kitchen: up to 50% off slow cookers & coffee makers
• Laptops: from $149
• Phones: up to $250 off Apple & Samsung
• Smart home: up to 50% off Ring & Blink
• Smartwatches: up to $250 off Garmin & Samsung
• Tablets: up to $250 off iPads
• Toys: deals on Lego, Bandai, and more
• TVs: up to 50% off 4K & OLED TVs
• Vacuums: up to $550 off Dyson & Shark

• PlayStation is ending single-player PC ports, according to Bloomberg and confirmed by PlayStation boss
• Ghost of Yotei and Saros were likely the next games to be ported onto PC
• Kena: Scars of Kosmora will still be on PS5 and PC, when it launches in 2026

PlayStation's presence on PC has gradually expanded over the years, with its exclusive single-player games arriving on the platform a year or so after launch — but that's now coming to an end.

As reported by VGC, PlayStation boss Hermen Hulst has confirmed that single-player PS5 exclusives won't be coming to PC anymore, according to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier. This comes after its initial report in March, which is now corroborated via Hulst's internal confirmation to staff.

The most recent exclusives, Ghost of Yotei and Saros, were heavily rumored and expected to be ported to PC, particularly the former, following in the footsteps of its predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima, which was released on PC three years after its console debut.

Unfortunately, that's not happening anymore, marking the end of an era when many of PlayStation's blockbuster titles were available on Steam and Epic Games. One title, Kena: Scars of Kosmora, is still scheduled for launch on PC in 2026, and that's only because Ember Lab isn't a first-party PlayStation studio, but Sony is responsible as its publisher.

Bloomberg also stated that PlayStation believes PC ports risk damaging the 'console's brand' and the sales of the PS5. However, it feels as though Sony has taken two steps backwards, as this hurts consumers more than it benefits them.

The staggered release system that would see exclusives arrive on PC at least one year later was good for consumers who were either exclusively on PC or owned a PS5 console, whilst also on PC, with the freedom of playing at launch or patiently waiting for a better version in terms of graphics and performance.

It's an understandable move from PlayStation in a financial aspect, especially since a continuation of PC releases would actually benefit Valve's upcoming Steam Machine — which is poised to be a direct rival in the console space as a console-like PC.

While this stance can change again in the future, it's highly unlikely at this rate, especially if the rumors of Project Helix (the next Xbox console) will be able to run Steam, effectively acting as a PC, as that would mean Sony would be lending its exclusives over to rivals in both Valve and Microsoft.

Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K: two-minute review

The premium keyboard space is weird, man. I've been reviewing PC hardware long enough to know that you can usually get a pretty darn good product without spending top dollar, but that's arguably not always the case with keyboards. The bottom end of the market is awash with crappy membrane keys and cheap mechanical switches that fail at the drop of a hat, so I find myself frequently more likely to recommend more premium offerings like the Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K.

Priced at $229.99 (around £170/AU$320), it's certainly aiming to be one of the best keyboards on the market, and it does a lot to justify that admittedly rather steep price of admission. Straight out of the box, this feels like a high-end keyboard: the chassis is crafted from CNC-machined aluminum, weighing almost two kilograms in total, with doubleshot PBT keycaps.

For typing, it's a dream; the Keychron Silk POM Banana key switches have an immensely satisfying thwock to them, sitting somewhere between the quiet linear actuation of traditional red switches and the loud clickiness of tactile brown switches. The whole user experience feels great, with multiple connectivity modes and great battery life for wireless use.

I would hazard that, despite featuring the obligatory RGB key backlighting, this likely won't be the ideal option for gamers seeking the best gaming keyboard — at least, not with the Banana key switches in my review model. There is a linear red option available, which offers slightly greater key travel and significantly reduced actuation force, and high-intensity gamers will probably find that better.

While the Q1 Ultra 8K's namesake 8,000Hz polling rate is ostensibly aimed squarely at PC gamers, offering ultra-fast responsiveness and near-zero input lag, it's frankly a bit of a gimmick. All but the twitchiest pro gamers are unlikely to notice any real-world difference; in fact, I used the Q1 Ultra 8K for almost two days before realizing that the 8K polling mode was switched off by default, and I'd been playing Marathon with the regular 1,000Hz polling — and I didn't notice the slightest bit of input latency, so this is a somewhat milquetoast complaint on my part.

Overall, this is a very good keyboard that doesn't quite reach all-around perfection, but will still prove a worthy purchase for anyone who spends a lot of time typing at their PC. If you're looking for something compact but still satisfying to type on, the Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K is a solid choice. If you want a compact keyboard to take on the go, though, look elsewhere — this one is far too heavy for that!

Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K review: Price & release date

• Costs $229.99 (around £170/AU$320)
• Available now in the US
• Sits at the upper end of the market price-wise

At the time of writing, it appears that the Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K isn't available to shoppers in the UK and Australia — potential buyers in those regions will have to settle for the Q1 Max, which offers a similarly premium design but uses slightly cheaper key switches and lacks the 8K polling rate feature.

If you're in the US (or willing to import), you can pick up the Q1 Ultra 8K for $229.99 (around £170/AU$320) – a fairly steep price, though one that puts it in the same bracket as the similarly great SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless Gen 3. Looking at the wider premium mechanical keyboard market, this pricing is reasonably competitive.

Inside the box, you get a set of alternate keycaps for switching between Windows and macOS compatibility, along with a USB-C to USB-C charging cable, USB-A adapter, and a small set of tools for hot-swapping both the keycaps and key switches.

• Price score: 3.5/5

Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K review: Specs

Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K review: Design & features

• Robust machined aluminum chassis
• Comfortable concave PBT keycaps
• Great degree of customization

My review unit of the Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K uses the black colorway, and I really like it. Almost the entire unit has a matte black finish, with dark gray used for accenting for keys around the edge of the board and a bright cyan tone for the Esc and Enter keys.

Combined with the tall, blocky keycaps, simple lettering, and the highly satisfying physical volume knob in the top-right corner, it's all got a distinctly retrofuturist feel to it. The white colorway rocks a similar vibe with gray and red accent keys that would make it look right at home aboard the USCSS Nostromo.

Indeed, I was almost loath to turn on the RGB lighting, because it almost detracts from the clean, retro vibe this keyboard has going for it. Fortunately, those RGB LEDs are addressable on a per-key basis, and Keychron's free software gives you a wide degree of customization. Personally, I was a lot happier with the aesthetic of the Q1 Ultra 8K after setting the backlighting to a cool blue that matched the accent keys.

The all-metal construction means there's virtually no flex or sponginess in the chassis whatsoever, with every keypress feeling very solid. However, it also means that this keyboard weighs a whopping 1.73kg – quite literally more than many of the laptops I've reviewed for TechRadar, and far too heavy to be practical as an on-the-go keyboard despite its compact design.

The Silk POM Banana switches require quite a bit of actuation force, which takes a bit of adjusting to if you're coming from a non-tactile keyboard with either linear or membrane switches. They also have less travel distance, which might be an issue for some mech keyboard purists, but didn't bother me in the slightest once I got used to typing on it.

Both the keycaps and the key switches themselves are hot-swappable, and the box includes a puller tool, a hex key, and a mini screwdriver for making your own adjustments should you want to do so. It also comes with a set of alternate keycaps to swap it over to Windows compatibility mode (the default keyboard layout is for macOS), and there are two switches on the rear edge for switching OS and connectivity modes along with a standard USB-C charging port, a cable for which is included in the box.

Given the degree of available customization and the robust, high-quality design of the surrounding board, the Q1 Ultra 8K could be a solid choice for mechanical keyboard enthusiasts who want to tweak their hardware. The larger keys also feature new screw-in PCB stabilizers, which help make the space bar in particular feel a lot less wobbly than it does on some mechanical keyboards, especially when hitting it at either end with your thumb. The double-gasket key switch design uses two separate silicone pads (as well as an acoustic pad on the bottom of the keyboard) to reach a deliberate and very satisfying typing sound that takes me right back to the early 2000s.

In terms of the aforementioned connectivity modes, you've got a few options. Wired will be the way to go for most gamers, as it ensures minimal input latency hand-in-hand with the 8K polling rate feature. This can be done directly via USB-C to USB-C using the included cable, but there's also a USB-C to USB-A adapter in the box in case you don't have any free USB-C ports.

If you prefer a wireless connection, the Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K supports both Bluetooth 5.3 and 2.4GHz connectivity, both of which I found to be highly effective in my tests. The 2.4GHz option is probably a little more reliable in terms of input latency, particularly in environments with heavy Bluetooth signal traffic (I was testing this keyboard in the privacy of my own very rural home, not a busy office!), but I didn't experience any noticeable problems with the Bluetooth mode.

The last unique design feature I'll touch on is hidden on the underside of the keyboard: a wide gold 'art plate' with a sort of astronomy-themed pattern engraved on it. What purpose does this serve? None, as far as I can tell, and you won't even be able to see it when actually using the keyboard. It looks fairly nice, I guess, but it feels slightly like a pointless addition.

Completely absent from the base of this keyboard, however, are any sort of adjustable feet. For a $200+ keyboard, that's simply unacceptable. It won't bother some users, but as someone who prefers a steeper keyboard incline to use with my padded wrist rest, it might actually be a dealbreaker for me if I were opening my own wallet – so for that, I must dock a point from Keychron.

• Design and features: 4/5

Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K review: Performance

• Satisfying typing with sharp actuation
• 8,000Hz polling rate is nice, but sort of unnecessary
• Looooong battery life

I'm always a little dubious when keyboard companies start making their own key switches instead of using the ever-dependable Cherry and Gateron brands, but the Keychron Silk POM switches in this keyboard are really very nice to use.

As I mentioned further up, I think the Banana yellow switches in my review model are a bit better suited to typing than gaming, though they're certainly not bad. I used the Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K to play several games, including Warframe, Marathon, and Remnant II, and didn't have any significant issues with misinputs or keypresses not registering. The higher actuation force of the Banana switches compared to the mainstream linear red switches you'll find in many gaming keyboards did take a little bit of getting used to, but I still found it to be perfectly acceptable.

For typing, though? This keyboard is a dream. The concave keycap tops let your fingertips slide into the center of each key for confident inputs, even when touch-typing at speed, and the reduced travel and subtle bounce on the Banana switches compared to Keychron's own red and brown switches mean that you don't feel like you're hammering the keys — even if you're a somewhat forceful typist like me.

I know I've mentioned the acoustic experience of this board already in this review, but it really does bear repeating. This keyboard just sounds so damn good to type on. It's like an old 90s Packard-Bell keyboard and a snare drum had a baby. There's no audible click like you'll see with blue switches, though, so typing gently will actually result in a fairly quiet experience — good for office environments where you don't want the loudest keyboard in the building.

The 8K polling rate feature (which requires either a wired or 2.4GHz connection, as Bluetooth doesn't support it) is switched off by default, since some older PCs don't support it. It's set to 1,000Hz as standard, though turning it on in the Keychron Launcher software is very straightforward — you can also use the software to adjust the default keybindings and set up macros, if you're so inclined.

Still, I honestly didn't register much, if any, difference when I turned on the 8K polling. Even in twitchy competitive games like Marathon and Valorant, I didn't feel at any point that swapping over to the 8K polling mode made my inputs feel faster or more responsive.

I should be clear at this point that I am not a 'pro gamer' by any definition of the phrase. I was Diamond-ranked in Overwatch back in the day and have the (dubious) honor of being a Legend 2 veteran in Warframe, so I'd like to think I'm at least above average, but I accept that I'm not really the target audience for a feature like this. If you are a hardcore gamer and you're primarily playing very twitchy, reaction-based games like Valorant or Counter-Strike, then the 8K polling rate may prove beneficial, but the simple fact is that most players aren't going to suddenly find themselves playing better after turning it on.

My last note here will be on the battery life of the Q1 Ultra 8K in wireless mode, which is certainly up to spec. Keychron promises up to 660 hours of use on a single charge, and while I didn't leave the keyboard running for a full 28 days (!) to test that, I will say that it didn't need charging even once after my initial wired testing, and I used it in wireless mode with the RGB lighting on for a full week. As far as wireless keyboards go, the battery life on offer here is undeniably great.

• Performance: 4.5/5

Should I buy the Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K review: Also consider

How I tested the Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K

• Replaced my usual keyboard for one week
• Used for daily work, personal projects, and gaming
• Close to a decade of experience testing PC hardware

As is my usual modus operandi for keyboard reviews, I swapped out my trusty Asus ROG Strix Scope RX in my home desktop setup for the Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K for one week. During that period, I used it for my daily work at TechRadar, as well as personal writing projects and some gaming during my off hours.

I mostly played Marathon and Warframe during my testing period (in addition to a lot of typing), but for variety's sake, I also mixed in some Valorant, Remnant II, and Slay the Spire II – though the keyboard's use was largely relegated to hitting 'E' to end my turn in that last one. I naturally also installed and tested out the free Keychron Launcher software.

I've been a tech journalist for more than eight years, and during that time I've reviewed dozens of keyboards, mice, headsets... you name it, I've probably had my mitts on it at some point. I'm also a long-time PC gamer and self-confessed keyboard freak, meaning I have a keen eye for what works (and what doesn't) when it comes to PC peripherals.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: May 2026

Looking for a gaming laptop that offers some serious performance for the price? You can get an Asus V16 at Amazon for $1,189.99 (was $1,499.99). That's over $300 off this powerful gaming laptop with an Intel Core 7, RTX 5060, and 32GB of RAM.

These are modern specs for the current gaming market. The RTX 5060 from Nvidia's latest GPU series guarantees some longevity for the next few years, and the 32GB of RAM raises this V16 configuration higher than the average gaming laptop that costs around $1,200.

The full price lands this laptop right at mid-range, but the price cut brings it closer to budget territory, while still offering enough power to run even the most demanding games at medium-to-high settings in 1080p, without compromising on frame rate.

Today's best gaming laptop deal

The Asus V16 is a more lightweight alternative to the Asus TUF gaming laptop series. In our Asus V16 review, our reviewer praised the balance between its large screen and light body, its fans with reasonable noise suppression, and a "clicky and snappy" keyboard that didn't require much pressure to use. It earned four out of five stars.

The battery life is another standout quality, promising up to 15 hours on one charge. Our tester reported around 12 hours, which is less than that, but double the battery life of something like the Acer Nitro V.

As for its other specs, the 16-inch screen supports a 144Hz refresh rate, the bare minimum for fast-paced gameplay, and 300 nits of brightness. That's about average, but good value for the price.

For more, check out our best gaming laptops and current gaming laptop deals for under $1000. We also have a separate list for best gaming PCs, in case you'd prefer a fully fleshed home setup.

MSI Stealth 16 AI+: Two-minute review

The MSI Stealth 16 AI+ is hard to identify as a red-blooded gaming laptop at first glance. The dark grey finish sets it apart from the mostly jet-black marketplace, while the rounded corners and lack of branding further distinguish it from others in the sector.

Its form factor also follows suit. It’s surprisingly thin and light for a 16-inch gaming machine, making it more portable than many of its rivals.

Despite this lithe form, though, the Stealth 16 AI+ doesn’t feel that flimsy. The materials feel smooth and premium, although there’s some flex to the base, so it’s not as solid as the best gaming laptop models.

Also impressive is the number of ports featured. There are two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports and two USB-A. There’s also an HDMI port and an RJ-45 for wired network connectivity. However, all of these are set further forward than usual, which may prove inconvenient in certain setups.

The gaming performance of the Stealth 16 AI+ is excellent. My review unit handled AAA titles with no issue, offering impressive frame rates even at full resolution. Some heat and noise was generated, but both of these aspects were far from troubling.

Games also looked great thanks to the brilliant display. The 1600p resolution and OLED tech meant content was super sharp and vibrant, without being blighted by reflections. The high 240Hz refresh rate will also please gamers who prize supreme smoothness.

The keyboard is tactile and easy to use, offering easy presses and just enough dampening to be satisfying. The touchpad is large and smooth, which makes for easy navigation, yet it rarely got in the way while I typed.

The Stealth 16 AI+ also has a very respectable battery life. It lasted over 14 hours when I ran a movie on a continuous loop, which surpasses many other gaming laptops. It’s also quite quick to charge, taking over two hours to fully replenish.

As you might expect for all its qualities, the Stealth 16 AI+ doesn’t come cheap. It might be hard justifying paying this much for such a powerful and versatile machine, but if you need a gaming laptop that does it all, there aren’t many better than the Stealth 16 AI+.

MSI Stealth 16 AI+ review: Price & availability

• Starts from $2,099.99 (about £1,540 / AU$2,900)
• Available from mid-to-late May
• Unsurprisingly expensive

The MSI Stealth 16 AI+ starts from $2,099.99 (about £1,540 / AU$2,900) and will be available from mid-to-late May. The base model is loaded with an RTX 5060, whereas the top model has a 5080 and costs $3,299.99 (about £2,420 / AU$4,550).

This is expensive, even for a gaming laptop. But when you consider the top-tier spec, it’s hardly surprising. It’s similarly priced to the A16 AI+, although that machine features 64GB of RAM and 2TB of storage across all of its models.

If you’re on a much tighter budget, but still want decent gaming performance, the Asus V16 is an option. It’s just as easy to carry around as the Stealth 16 AI+, but you’ll have to settle for a 40 series RTX rather than a 50 series, and the display is far less impressive. However, if you just want a decent machine for 1200p gaming, it’s worth considering.

MSI Stealth 16 AI+ review: Specs

MSI Stealth 16 AI+ review: Design

• Thin and light for a large gaming laptop
• Smooth materials
• Plenty of ports

For a large gaming laptop, the Stealth 16 AI+ is quite restrained. It has a smart and minimalist body, lacking any odd angles or protrusions, which is always nice to see.

This is complemented by the lack of branding or any other gaming-oriented flourishes. All it features is a small logo and an S pattern on the lid, but both are so discreet and close to the same base color that you’ll barely notice them.

The dark grey colorway is smart and a little more interesting than the total black finishes of many in this class. The tasteful RGB backlighting of the keyboard, along with the rounded corners of the chassis, help to soften its appearance, too.

It also seems quite well made. The main material feels very smooth and premium, although it’s not especially solid. For example, the base can be flexed if you push a little too hard, or hit the keys a little too enthusiastically.

This is the price paid for its lightweight construction. For a large gaming laptop, the Stealth 16 AI+ is remarkably unobtrusive, especially when you consider it’s loaded with an RTX 50 series GPU. This makes it a more realistic option for on-the-go gaming than many of its rivals.

However, this portability is somewhat undermined by the feet underneath, which are quite thick. At least the ventilation area, also underneath, doesn’t have any bulk to it. It’s merely a large but completely flat honeycomb pattern, which also has its own aesthetic qualities.

Oddly, the most solid aspect of the Stealth 16 AI+ is the lid. There’s far less flex here, which is all the more impressive given just how thin it is. What’s more, the hinge provides plenty of stability while gaming, but puts up little resistance when opening up the display.

I was also surprised by the number of ports onboard the Stealth 16 AI+. There are two USB-C connections, both of which utilize the Thunderbolt 4 standard that supports DisplayPort and Power Delivery. There’s also a dedicated DC-in port for powering your laptop using the included adapter.

Two USB-A ports are also featured, which are split across both sides of the unit for added convenience. An HDMI 2.1 port, an RJ-45 port, and a headset jack round out the rest of the interfaces.

All ports on both sides are set further forward than you might expect, no doubt to give room to the GPU at the rear. I found this a little inconvenient, especially when connecting a power cable, since it protruded from near the middle of the unit. This can eat into desk space and lead to tangling if you have other wired connections to make.

MSI Stealth 16 AI+ review: Performance

• Smooth AAA gaming
• Sharp and vibrant display
• Easy and tactile keys

I was impressed by the gaming performance of the Stealth 16 AI+. I got around 50fps when playing Cyberpunk 2077 with the Ray Tracing: Ultra preset selected. This shot up to around 90fps when Frame Generation was enabled on top. I only experienced occasional drops in frame rate during busier scenes, but these weren’t steep enough to adversely affect gameplay.

When I first booted up the game, there was a lot of fan noise. Once I started playing, this quietened down, but it was still noticeable. Heat was noticeable, too, but this remained at the very back of the unit, and temperatures weren’t extreme.

The display in the Stealth 16 AI+ is excellent. The 2.5K resolution is more than sharp enough for a display this large, while the OLED technology provides a vivid color palette. It’s also very bright, which makes all kinds of content shine. I never had any problem with reflections showing up on the screen, either. And for those who value ultra-smooth gameplay, it’s capable of delivering a 240Hz refresh rate, which is more than enough for most gamers.

The keyboard is a joy to use. The keys are light yet offer a pleasing amount of travel, which increases their feedback. They’re more damped than those on your average laptop keyboard, which makes them more satisfying to hit, but they’re still harsher than those on the best gaming keyboards.

I also welcomed the generous spacing between the keys. This made them comfortable to use and made typing easier. However, this spacing comes at the expense of a number pad and navigation keys, which is a shame for a 16-inch laptop.

The touchpad is very large and has a very smooth surface — aspects that make it great for navigation. And although my thumb palms frequently made contact with it while typing, this rarely triggered cursor movement or clicks.

MSI Stealth 16 AI+ review: Battery life

• Excellent for a gaming laptop
• Outlasts many rivals
• Quick to charge

By gaming laptop standards, the battery life of the Stealth 16 AI+ is very impressive. During our movie playback test, it lasted over 14 hours. This means it has better longevity than many of its rivals, including MSI’s other Stealth model, the A16 AI+, which didn’t even make it past five hours.

It also outlasted the Asus V16, which only managed 12 and a half hours. It’s also quite quick to charge, taking about two and a half hours to reach 100% from total depletion.

Should I buy the MSI Stealth 16 AI+?

Scorecard

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

MSI Stealth 16 AI+ review: Also consider

How I tested the MSI Stealth 16 AI+

• Tested for several days
• Used for gaming and other tasks
• Gaming laptop experience

I tested the Stealth 16 AI+ for several days. As well as gaming with AAA titles, I also used the laptop for general browsing and streaming video.

I also ran our series of benchmark tests for gaming laptops. This included a battery test, where I ran a movie on a continuous loop until it shut down.

I’ve been PC gaming for decades, and have experienced many systems in that time. I’ve also reviewed plenty of gaming laptops before, as well as other gaming hardware.

• First reviewed: May 2026
• Read more about how we test