Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG that elegantly straddles the line between the demanding combat of Soulslike games and the adventurous exploration of classic RPGs. However, the comparison to Soulslike games stops mostly at its shrines for revives. We would put this game closer to a God of War or Nioh style as It’s a linear action-adventure game with Boss Rush type of levels. Whether you’re seeking intense battles against creatures drawn from Chinese mythology or a more forgiving experience with equally engaging encounters, this game delivers a journey that resonates with a broad spectrum of players. Its stunning presentation and generous design philosophy truly set Black Myth: Wukong apart.

You’re not just playing a game; you’re embarking on a visually spectacular odyssey, where you wield a staff as a highly agile monkey, armed with a suite of powerful spells set on a polished and well-performing engine is also technically impressive and a great benchmark for current gamers. It’s been a long time since a game has left such an impression on me.

Black Myth: Wukong Review- An Action Adventure with Cinematic Brilliance

Based on the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West, the game places you in control of the “Destined One,” a reincarnation of Wukong, a legendary monkey who once rebelled against Heaven. Your mission? To remind the various Yaoguai (mythical creatures) that Wukong is back in the game, ready to reclaim the glory Wukong deserved. The gameplay is smooth and combat can often make you feel like you are in an anime, which is why I think it is resonating with many gamers. It has all the right elements of visceral combat, amazing art, wonder, and imagination that beg you to explore it. The polish is clear and minor details, like the flourishes the character does after combat or while in battle, show how much the developer Game Science cared for its presentation.

Black Myth: Wukong offers a captivating blend of cinematic moments and challenging gameplay. The game’s chapters are interspersed with interactive artworks that summarize the story’s progress, connecting back to the source material. There are even some wonky but cool music videos/aminations that help tell the story. A particular one with a white fox was incredible to watch.

While these story elements might be difficult to follow for those unfamiliar with the original tale, they add a layer of depth and authenticity that enriches the experience. The narrative can be somewhat opaque, however, as we have to suffer with a silent protagonist yet again.

We dislike this game design choice – especially after one of the best prologues in recent memory with a fantastic voice actor for the “original Wukong”. Why could we not have that throughout the game? Sure, the Destined One, the player that you control might not be able to have the same voice but anything would have been better than nothing. It feels like a huge missed opportunity and I hope we stop seeing this, especially since the rest of the game is so well-voiced. The sheer spectacle and dramatic encounters make the journey worthwhile for sure but it would have been nice to get some feedback from your character.

Gameplay

The level design itself is mostly linear and some parts of chapter 2 are not the best but it is a worthwhile journey throughout. As you progress, you also gain keys to areas you passed before so can travel back to even near the start of the game for some powerful unlocks. This is optional but it was great to go back and find those mysteries and unlock every secret piece of armor. There is a charge staff for example that builds directly into the smash stance and buffs your damage.

The enemy types you encounter here are also great. A big criticism of some recent games like Dragon’s Dogma 2 or The First Descendant is the sheer lack of different enemy types as you progress. Elden Ring, a masterpiece itself, repeats bosses and this is fine with us as long as they have varied mechanics or fight patterns. Black Myth: Wukong bosses are varied and incredible to play with and even the one huge-head boss that I found a repeat off was different enough and required a different strategy.

There were some frustrating moments for me with certain bosses like a certain crouching one near a temple but I was able to backtrack and get some upgrades to my staff and come back and learn from my previous mistakes. You could also take a different branching path to level up and complete that area or try to brute force your way. That is what makes gaming incredibly fun and rewarding and there is plenty of this here. The game features 90 unique bosses, each with distinct mechanics and designs.

This is not to say the game is perfect, the bosses certainly have some very bad “cheese” and can lead to some “wtf was that?” moments but aren’t the worst we have ever seen. The typical enemies are hiding behind corners or mobs jumping you randomly but it’s still a great deal of fun to combat this with the tools you are given. That being said, the majority of bosses we defeated in one or two tries with some of the more difficult bosses requiring multiple attempts – keep in mind we are mediocre at these types of games.

The combat in Black Myth: Wukong is fluid and dynamic, with an emphasis on stylish staff maneuvers and well-timed dodges. Combat involves combos of light and heavy attacks, different stances, and special abilities. The game offers some deep strategic challenges based on the encounters during its chapters. Players can upgrade their abilities through a skill tree using “Sparks” and customize their builds with equipment and relics, with the flexibility of free re-specs. There is no parry without using up mana with a spell that turns you into a rock, if you time this perfectly it can help stagger large bosses and turn the tide.

Alternatively, you can build into going invisible and leaving behind a clone so you can charge a 3-focus point heavy attack that causes massive damage. There is enough variety here to keep it fun but you still only be playing with a staff throughout the game.

Speaking of focus points, this is an important part of combat, you have to string together light attacks to gain a meter that provides focus points – these you can then spend during combos or a charged heavy attack to unleash a powerful hit.

***Spoiler warning, boss fight*** (also mediocre gameplay warning)

You will also fight mid-tier enemies that you can then capture and embody during battle (spirits), you can also eventually find full-body transformations that you can turn into for a set time during battle – this really helped me during some tougher fights. Defense-wise, Black Myth is rooted in the Soulslike tradition—dodging enemy attacks, managing stamina, and strategically using health-restoring Gourds (akin to flasks). There is no block, however, and as mentioned above instead you have a parry spell that is there if needed.

But unlike many Soulslike games, Black Myth: Wukong strikes a balance that makes it accessible to a wider audience. You do not lose all your progress or “souls” when you die but instead get resurrected at your last shrine to try the level again and again where you can craft spells, tweak armor, increase spirit level, brew power-ups, and so on. It is a great system that doesn’t rely on heavily punishing the player.

The game’s linear but richly detailed environments offer a more focused experience compared to the sprawling open worlds of games like Elden Ring. Thankfully though the world feels authentic and meticulously crafted, encouraging exploration without overwhelming the player.

There are a lot of nooks and crannies to visit for secrets or unlocks and its rewarding throughout and respects your time. Not once did I feel like I fought through a tough horde of enemies just to get some measly gold, even if it occurred in some chests it still felt great.

What did not feel great, however, was the camera. Elden Ring suffered from the same issues, a large enemy locks you in a corner and you cannot tell what you are doing sometimes and are spamming dodge to try to get to a better visual area. It was frustrating at times. For example, in a later chapter, you can drop down into a path with a chest at the end, and suddenly you are surrounded by a dozen or so enemies all hitting you at once while surrounded by walls that the camera is running into – we got through it but not without some gamer rage.

Performance and Benchmarks

Visually, Black Myth: Wukong is breathtaking. The attention to detail in the environments, from the intricate architecture to the atmospheric lighting, is simply awe-inspiring. The game’s world is a visual feast, with every corner offering something new to marvel at. While the game’s design includes some typical video game constraints, such as invisible walls, these are easily forgiven given the overall beauty and immersion. The game boasts high-quality visuals and designs inspired by Chinese mythology, although it occasionally experiences frame rate issues. Maybe about 1% of my time with it I did experience some frame drops or hitching but other than that it’s been incredible.

Black Myth: Wukong does feature path tracing:

The game includes Nvidia’s DLSS Frame Generation which is an AI-driven technology that enhances gaming performance by generating new frames, integrating low latency for responsiveness, and utilizing the advanced features of NVIDIA’s Ada Lovelace architecture. This technology, combined with NVIDIA Reflex, significantly boosts performance while maintaining high image quality. It also includes AMD’s FSR 3.0 for upscaling and frame gen.

In Black Myth: Wukong, advanced ray tracing techniques, including full-resolution multi-bounce indirect lighting, reflections, and caustics, are employed to create a visually stunning and immersive experience. These techniques enhance realism, particularly in lighting, reflections, and shadows, elevating the overall graphical fidelity of the game.

Team Green is taking the cake here, although we do wish we had an RX 7900 XTX to compare with the performance numbers show the optimization, DLSS, and frame gen are working wonders to make this game perform well. AMD is playable, however, with lower-end cards performing close to Nvidia’s lower-end offerings.

Unreal Engine 5 is doing well here to not require an enormous amount of RAM like Resident Evil 4 and many recent games.
Here are the minimum requirements:

Performance:
Black Myth: Wukong 1920×1080 (medium), RT OFF

Black Myth: Wukong 1920×1080 (Cinematic), RT Very High

Black Myth: Wukong 2560×1440 (Cinematic), RT Very High

Black Myth: Wukong 2560×1440 (Cinematic), DLSS Quality

Conclusion:

In summary, Black Myth: Wukong is a remarkable achievement—a game that not only meets but exceeds the lofty expectations set by its early trailers. Black Myth: Wukong has garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews and achieved the second-highest concurrent player count on Steam, praised for its engaging gameplay, polished experience, and absence of microtransactions.

Most gamers who play on 1920x1080p will be able to fully enjoy this game but max settings will require a much more powerful card. Our 4080 Super ran this game perfectly with Full settings on and it was a blast to play.

It’s a generous, beautifully crafted adventure that offers both challenge and spectacle, making it a must-play for fans of action RPGs. Game Science has truly announced itself as a major player in the genre, and Black Myth: Wukong is a clear statement that they are here to compete with the best.

Happy gaming!

This review key was provided by Nvidia, this was not in exchange for a positive review and does not change our review process or influence our scores. Thank you, Nvidia!

The highly anticipated game Black Myth: Wukong is set to redefine gaming visuals with its integration of full ray tracing and NVIDIA DLSS 3. Developed by Game Science, this action-adventure RPG draws inspiration from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West and promises a breathtaking blend of stunning graphics and immersive gameplay.

Leveraging the cutting-edge technology of NVIDIA RTX, Black Myth: Wukong will deliver hyper-realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections that elevate the game’s visual storytelling to new heights. The inclusion of full ray tracing ensures that every scene is rendered with unparalleled detail, creating an experience that is as visually compelling as it is engaging.

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Complementing this graphical fidelity is NVIDIA DLSS 3, an AI-powered performance multiplier. DLSS 3 uses advanced AI algorithms to boost frame rates without compromising image quality, allowing players to enjoy the game at higher resolutions and with greater smoothness. This technology not only enhances gameplay but also future-proofs the experience, ensuring that Black Myth: Wukong remains visually stunning on next-generation hardware.

With these innovations, Black Myth: Wukong stands poised to set a new standard in gaming. Players can look forward to a game that not only challenges their skills but also captivates their senses with its remarkable visual achievements.

Prepare to embark on an epic journey through a world where myth meets cutting-edge technology. Black Myth: Wukong is more than just a game; it’s a showcase of what’s possible when artistry meets the power of NVIDIA RTX.

For even faster frame rates, owners of GeForce RTX 40 Series graphics cards and laptops can accelerate performance using NVIDIA DLSS 3 with Frame Generation. 

In Black Myth: Wukong, DLSS 3 multiplies performance with full ray tracing enabled and every setting maxed out. That allows owners of the GeForce RTX 4090, the world’s fastest gaming GPU, to hit nearly 100 frames per second in Black Myth: Wukong’s benchmark. Additionally, owners of the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER and GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER can join in on the 4K fun, running at 74 and 66 frames per second, respectively. If you own one of these GPUs, prepare your eyes for a dazzling display of the very best graphics and gameplay.

At 2560×1440, acceleration of frame rates enables even more configurations to experience Black Myth: Wukong with full ray tracing and maxed out visuals. The GeForce 4090 surpasses 120 FPS, the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER runs at over 90 FPS, the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER exceeds 80 FPS, and the GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER passes 70 FPS. And the popular GeForce RTX 4070 pops past 60 FPS, giving its many owners a fast, smooth experience in Black Myth: Wukong.

At 1920×1080, which steadfastly remains the most popular gaming resolution, virtually all GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs can surpass 60 FPS with full ray tracing enabled and all other options cranked up, thanks to a DLSS 3 boost. As for the massively popular GeForce RTX 4060, it can get 60 FPS with a few settings tweaks, or with the use of NVIDIA app’s one-click Optimal Settings.

See the full article from Nvidia here: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/black-myth-wukong-full-ray-tracing-dlss-3/

Overview: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is a powerhouse graphics card, designed for high-end gaming and demanding creative applications. It excels in delivering top-notch performance, thanks to its advanced NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture.

The RTX 4080 SUPER sits above the RTX 4080 which did not have a great reception at launch due to its higher price point. Since launch, the price has come down but its still very high. The RTX 4080 SUPER is launching at an MSRP of $999 which makes it much more attractive – the only issue is if gamers can actually find it at this price at launch and we hope so. The RTX 4080 is being replaced by the SUPER variant in its current lineup. This is the 3rd and final refresh from Nvidia at $200 cheaper than its counterpart but the performance leap is surprisingly low here.

Key Features:

1. New Streaming Multiprocessors: Enhanced performance and power efficiency, delivering up to 2x improvements.
2. 4th Generation Tensor Cores and Optical Flow: Powers AI technologies like NVIDIA DLSS 3 for improved frame rates.
3. 3rd Generation RT Cores: Offers up to 2x ray tracing performance, creating highly detailed virtual environments.
4. Ada Memory Subsystem: Increased L2 cache for better performance, reduced memory traffic, and power efficiency.
5. Shader Execution Reordering (SER): Doubles the efficiency of ray tracing operations.
6. DLSS 3.5: AI-driven graphics enhancement for higher performance and ray tracing quality.
7. NVIDIA Studio: Optimal performance for 3D rendering, video editing, and live streaming.
8. AV1 Encoder: 8th generation encoder providing 40% more efficiency than H.264, benefiting streamers, broadcasters, and video callers.

Let’s unbox this card and discuss it further on the next page.

PROS

• Improved performance over Original RTX 4070 Ti, near RTX 4080 Performance
• Larger 16GB memory pool
• No price increase

CONS

• Pricing compared to AMDs offerings

Overview
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is a tour de force in the realm of gaming GPUs, boasting an impressive arsenal of AI-powered capabilities and ray tracing technology. Aimed squarely at PC gamers who seek the pinnacle of visual quality, this GPU offers a seamless experience in top-tier games like Alan Wake 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Resident Evil 4, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

We received the ASUS TUF GAMING RTX 4070 Ti SUPER from Nvidia a little later than we would like due to weather and shipping issues, hope everyone is safe out there! We had around 2 full days to test this card. However, we were able to put it through some great tests and its a fantastic addition to the lineup, replacing the existing RTX 4070 Ti and with the RTX 4080 SUPER coming shortly the lineup is stacked very well for Nvidia.

AI and Ray Tracing Performance
Central to its prowess is NVIDIA’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology, now in its third iteration, which allows for AI-generated pixels, enhancing ray tracing performance by up to four times while maintaining superior image quality. This is particularly evident in its ability to render seven out of eight pixels through hardware-accelerated AI.

Technical Innovations
Powered by the NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER features new Streaming Multiprocessors that double performance and power efficiency. It also includes the latest generation of Tensor Cores and RT Cores, which significantly elevate ray tracing capabilities. The Ada Memory Subsystem and Shader Execution Reordering (SER) are other notable enhancements, boosting performance and efficiency.

Gaming and Studio Performance
The GPU shines in 1440p gaming, rendering games at high frame rates even at 4K resolution. Compared to its predecessors, it shows marked improvements – 1.6 times faster than the RTX 3070 Ti and 2.5 times with DLSS 3. NVIDIA Studio further enhances its appeal for creative professionals with unmatched performance in 3D rendering, video editing, and live streaming.

Specifications
Equipped with 8,448 CUDA Cores, 16GB of GDDR6X memory, and a 256-bit memory bus, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is designed to handle demanding games and applications. The inclusion of the 8th generation NVIDIA Encoder (NVENC) with AV1 support underscores its capability in streaming and broadcasting.

Unboxing:

Benching Methodology

Test Configuration – Hardware

• 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700K (Hyper-Threading/Turbo boost on; stock settings)
• ASUS PRIME Z690-P D4 motherboard (Intel Z690 chipset, v.1008 BIOS)
• CORSAIR Vengeance RGB PRO 32GB DDR4 (2×16GB, dual-channel at 3600 MHz XMP)
• RTX 4070 SUPER FE, Stock Clocks, supplied by Nvidia
• RTX 4070 FE 12GB, stock clocks; supplied by Nvidia
• ASUS TUF GAMING GeForce RTX 4070 Ti OC Edition 12GB, stock clocks; supplied by Nvidia
• RTX 3080 FE 10GB, stock clocks
• RTX 3070 FE, stock clocks
• 1 x TeamGroup 1 TB NVMe M.2 SSD
• 2 x WD Blue 1TB SATA SSD
• Corsair RM850x, 850W 80PLUS Gold power supply unit
• ALIENWARE 34″ CURVED QD-OLED GAMING MONITOR – AW3423DWF

Test Configuration – Software

• NVIDIA GeForce 551.15 game-ready press drivers; ‘Prefer maximum performance’ (on a per-game profile basis); Shader Cache Size ‘Unlimited’ (globally); fixed refresh rate (globally).
• We enable Resizable BAR
• ‘V-Sync application controlled’ in the control panel; V-Sync off in-game.
• We note and specify the main in-game display, graphics, AA, and scaling settings in the performance summary charts.
• Windows 11 64-bit Pro edition, latest updates v22H2, High-performance power plan, HAGS & Game Mode are enabled, Game DVR & Game Bar features off, Control Flow Guard (CFG) off on a per-game basis, Hypervisor and Virtualization-based security are disabled.
• We do not install ASUS tools.
• Latest DirectX
• All games are patched to their latest versions at the time of publication.
• 3DMark suite, the latest version
• RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS), the latest version
• FrameView, the latest version
• Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU), the latest version; always uninstall drivers using DDU in safe mode, clean, and restart.
• ISLC (Purge Standby List) before each benchmark.

GeForce Driver Suite-related

• We use DCH Game Ready drivers.
• The display driver is installed.
• We install the latest version of PhysX.

Hybrid & Non-Synthetic Tests-related

• Single run per test.

Game Benchmarks-related

• We use the corresponding built-in or custom benchmark sequence.

Frametimes Capture

• We use FrameView for capturing frame times and analyzing the relevant performance numbers obtained from each recorded built-in or custom benchmark sequence.
  
  
• Nvidia Control Panel settings
  Here are the global Nvidia Control Panel settings:

Benchmarks:
Here is the horizontal bar chart showing the 1080p gaming performance comparison across various GPU models:

1920×1080, 1080p

Here is the horizontal bar chart showing the 2560×1440 gaming performance comparison across various GPU models.
2560×1440 Benchmarks:

3840×2160 Benchmarks

Conclusion

The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER stands as a formidable choice for gamers and creatives alike. Its blend of AI-powered graphics, ray tracing performance, and technological innovations make it a compelling upgrade for those seeking the very best in PC gaming and content creation.

Nvidia claimed a 10% increase of the previous model and we did achieve mostly that in our testing, with some slightly lower than quoted. Its obvious this card easily surpasses the original model at the same price and its really close to the original RTX 4080 performance point at significantly less than MSRP for the RTX 4080. This will change soon with the upcoming launch of the RTX 4080 SUPER at its lowered price point of $999.00.

The real decision for gamers, in our opinion, looking for a card at this level is looking for a used RTX 4080 or something at this similar price. If you are looking for a new card that can compete with the RTX 4080 for lower entry cost then this is a good choice.

The 7900XT is the obvious value king if you could find one. In response to the SUPER launch, AMD has dropped the 7900XT from $899 to $749. We do not have one of our own to test with but if you do not care about Ray Tracing these cards will be a great value alternative. If DLSS 3 is compelling for gamers who do not mind it, it really comes down to availability and your preference for this technology.

Our RTX 4070 SUPER review is here and that is a good sweet spot for 1440p gamers at a much more palatable price point at $599.

These have been great refreshes and really what we would have liked the original versions to be at launch. The SUPER releases continue next week with the RTX 4080. We look forward to reviewing this and see you soon!

Pros:

• Excellent 1440p performance
• Incorporates DLSS 3 technology
• Priced at $599, maintaining the cost of the previous model

Cons:

• Limited to 12GB of VRAM
• 12VHPWR Adapter

Our Review of the RTX 4070 last year was exciting but tepid because of hardware choices that caused a lot of controversy online in comparison to previous generations – specifically VRAM and cost were points of contention. I still believe the card would be in a great spot for $100 less since its incredible value with DLSS 3 makes it shine. Fast forward to now and Nvidia is releasing its RTX 4070 Super that took those lessons and is now the card we wanted at the same $599 price point.

Design and Hardware:
Externally, the RTX 4070 Super resembles the RTX 4070, with the most notable change being a darker alloy used for the card’s body. I still like the design and its sleek and looks beautiful in any case. Most board partners feature more extravagant designs but we really enjoy the FEs basic look. It features a die-cast aluminum body, dual axial fans, and an eight-layer PCB. The card includes three DisplayPort 1.4 ports and a single HDMI 2.1 port. It continues to use a single 12-pin PCIe 5 connector, with a 12VHPWR adapter cable included. Some may not like this cable due to its documented issues, there are some good fixed options out there but in reality if you use the Nvidia supplied cable there are rarely, if any, issues currently with the cable when seated properly.

This is still a controversial connector and if you do not want to risk it, other partners do have alternative solutions. If you are lucky to find this card at MSRP you will be very happy in our opinion, the 7800XT and 7900XT are also amazing choices but are becoming impossible to find at the standard MSRP.

Performance:
The RTX 4070 Super shows about a 17% performance increase at 1440p and 15% at 4K over the RTX 4070. It outperforms the RTX 3070 by approximately 50% in most 1440p games and is closely competitive with the RTX 4070 Ti. The card also surpasses AMD’s Radeon RX 7800 XT in 1440p tests and offers significant gains with DLSS 3 technology.
Lets go to our benchmarking setup:

Key product launches include:

1. Qi2 Chargers:
   • HyperJuice 4-in-1 Qi2 Charging Stand: A foldable, 15W wireless charger optimized for Apple devices, priced at $149.99, available in Q2 2024.
   • HyperJuice Qi2 Puck Stand + Apple Watch Charger: A portable solution for charging devices and an Apple Watch, priced at $119.99, available in Q3 2024.
2. Power Banks:
   • HyperJuice 10,000mAh Qi2 Power Bank: MagSafe-compatible, also an Apple Watch charger with a 20W USB-C port, priced at $129.99, available in Q2 2024.
   • HyperJuice 5,000mAh Capsule Power Bank with Cables: Compact design with integrated USB-C cables, priced at $49.99, available in Q3 2024.
   • HyperJuice Compact 20,000mAh USB-C PD Power Bank: High-capacity, portable, with 18W charging support, priced at $79.99, launching in Q3 2024.

1. Multi-Port Wall Chargers:
   • HyperJuice 100W USB-C GaN Global Charger: A travel-friendly charger for up to four devices, priced at $99.99, available in Q1 2024.
   • HyperJuice 70W Travel Charger with Adapters: Offers 70W power with dual USB-C and USB-A ports, priced at $79.99, available in Q2 2024.
2. Connectivity Solutions:
   • HyperDrive Next USB4 NVMe SSD DUO Enclosure: Supports two NVMe SSDs with 40Gbps transfer speeds, priced at $179.99, available in Q2 2024
   • HyperDrive Next Snap-On USB-C SSD Enclosure: Portable, supports 2-in-1 M.2 SSDs, priced at $39.99, available in Q2 2024.
   • HyperDrive Next Thunderbolt 5 Dock: Offers triple 4K144Hz display support and 80Gbps speeds, priced at $399.99, available in Q3 2024.

Picture this: the NxSys Aero, a groundbreaking gaming chair that combines the best in ergonomics, cooling technology, and style to create a gaming experience that’s light years ahead of the competition. The name itself, NxSys, is a fusion of “Next System,” symbolizing the cutting-edge design that defines the next generation of gaming gear.

But what truly sets the NxSys Aero apart is its revolutionary integrated 200mm RGB fan. This isn’t just any fan; it’s a game-changer! Imagine gaming for hours without breaking a sweat, thanks to a constant stream of cool air directed towards your back. It’s like having your very own air conditioner right in your chair – no more sweaty backs or discomfort during intense gaming sessions!

But that’s not all – the NxSys Aero takes comfort to a whole new level. With its innovative elastomeric mesh and ventilated back cover, it creates a cushioning effect that makes you feel like you’re floating on air. And for personalized support, it comes with a physiotherapy-grade lumbar pillow and a magnetic head cushion that you can position exactly where you need them.

And here’s the kicker – no messy cords to deal with! The NxSys Aero’s power bank slot and fan controller are neatly integrated, ensuring a clean and clutter-free setup. Adjusting fan speed and lighting is a breeze, putting complete control over your gaming environment right at your fingertips.

But wait, there’s more! The seat is designed with high-density foam, providing wider support and robust cushioning. Plus, the premium PVC leather upholstery lets air pass through, keeping you fresh and comfortable during those epic gaming marathons.

Available in two striking colors – Orange Black and Black – the NxSys Aero is set to take the gaming world by storm. And the best part? It’s priced at just $399.99 in the USA and €449 in EMEA, making it an unbeatable value for the level of innovation it offers.

So, get ready to elevate your gaming experience to new heights with the NxSys Aero – the future is here, and it’s absolutely perfect! Don’t miss out; check out all the details at cougargaming.com and be prepared to be amazed! #GamingRevolution #NxSysAero #FuturePerfect

The driver is also optimized for Forza Motorsport and Lords of the Fallen, both releasing in October. NVIDIA is offering a bundle for buyers of select GeForce RTX 40 Series graphics cards and laptops, including a digital copy of Alan Wake 2. There’s also an October Studio Driver available for creators, with updates and features showcased at Adobe MAX.

New DLSS games this week include:

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III PC Multiplayer open beta kicks off October 12th with DLSS 2 and NVIDIA Reflex. The game will support DLSS 3 at launch, November 10th. DLSS and Reflex will deliver the definitive experience in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.
• Lords of the Fallen launches October 13th with DLSS 3, multiplying performance by an average of 2.9X at 4K max settings.
• RoboCop: Rogue City demo is available now with DLSS 3 and DLAA.
• Highrise City recently exited Early Access and is available now with DLSS 2.
  
  Great games ahead!

1. Mortal Kombat 1:
   • New in the Mortal Kombat franchise, it introduces a fresh fighting system, game modes, and fatalities.
   • DLSS 2 support will be available from its launch on September 19th.
2. Lies of P:
   • An action Souls-like game based on the Pinocchio tale, set in the city of Krat.
   • Launching on September 19th, it will provide GeForce RTX gamers with DLSS 2, boosting frame rates by an average of 1.9X at 4K with max settings.
3. Starfield:
   • NVIDIA is releasing a Resizable BAR profile to boost performance, specifically offering a 5% increase on GeForce RTX 40 Series desktop GPUs.
   • The update will be available Over-The-Air (OTA) for those with the latest Game Ready Driver (537.34) or the one prior (537.17).
4. Game Ready Driver Upgrades:
   • Support added for six new G-SYNC Compatible displays, naming AOC, I-O DATA, and LG models.
   • GeForce Experience now optimally sets settings for five new games, increasing its repertoire to over 1000 titles.
5. DLSS Support:
   • ICARUS, Ad Infinitum, Warstride Challenges, Arcadegeddon, and Starsiege: Deadzone are among the games getting DLSS support this week.
6. About Game Ready Drivers:
   • NVIDIA’s Game Ready Drivers are co-developed with game makers, undergoing extensive tests for optimized performance and reliability. The program was conceived to guarantee the finest gaming experience by working closely with game developers.

We received the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT and XFX RX 7700 XT QICK 319 last week from AMD and have been comparing them in our test bench focusing on raw performance and comparing them directly with their competitors. We received an XFX RX 7700 XT QICK 319 that will cost $459.99 and it launches today. The $499 7800 XT also launches today – with both offering Starfield to make the deal even more compelling.

As you will see AMD is here to play and fiercely sets these GPUs at the top of gamer’s lists. With some significant leads in performance when compared to thier direct competitors. Both the 7700 XT and 7800 XT have many of the same software and hardware features that can often sway many purchasing decisions like FSR 3 and AV1 encoding, but they still struggle to compete in games that feature rasterization.

Features & Specifications

Nvidia’s offerings around this price point left gamers less than impressed with lower VRAM and higher pricing. Although we loved the features like DLSS 3 and rasterization performance, which may be deal breaker for some gamers who want to experience this.

However, pricing was high for raw performance received for non-rasterized games and AMD is on the right path to briging pricing in line. Only gamers can decide if price-to-performance gains here are worth the cost of entry.

AMD is also launching FSR 3 today, September 6th. Purists who do not like upscaling will brush this aside but the latest version of the AMD’s upscaling tech is competing directly with DLSS 3 as it also includes frame generation. As you recall, frame generation is the killer feature that lets us wholeheartedly recommend Nvidia’s offerings for the 40 series of GPUs.

AMD’s FSR 3 includes “Fluid Motion Frames” (frame generation) and “Native Anti-Aliasing,” an FSR mode to sharpen anti-alias games instead of upscaling. This is very exciting and a tech many raw performance enjoyers can fully employ without losing fidelity.

AMD’s FSR 3 will be available for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Forspoken, Cyberpunk 2077, Immortals of Aveum, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Frostpunk 2, Squad, Starship Troopers: Extermination, Black Myth: Wukong, Crimson Desert, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. The feature does not launch with Starfield today which only features FSR 2 and this is a miss in our book, It would have been amazing to bundle these GPUs alongside the tech launch. We will be testing this feature post-launch alongside Nvidia’s offerings.

Alongside FSR 3, Hypr-RX is also launching. This is a toggle that can automatically turn on FSR, Radeon Anti-Lag, Radeon Boost, and other image processing techniques within AMD’s software for gamers.

Let’s take a look at performance and unboxing

For all the pre-launch chatter and years of build-up, we can rest easy! Starfield is downright incredible. Starfield is the best thing Bethesda has ever done – even besting my favorite entry in the series, New Vegas. I loved Skyrim, Fallout: New Vegas, and especially Oblivion so I am a huge Bethesda RPG fan. This will be a mostly spoiler-free review, but we can say with confidence this is a stellar new franchise for Bethesda and a labor of love for the studio. The RPG elements are strong, the secrets are the most I have ever seen in a Bethesda game, and there is much to uncover even in the endgame. There is so much to do and fall deeply in love with.

Starfield will be released tomorrow September 1, 2023, in Starfield Early Access for players who have purchased the Starfield Premium Edition, Premium Edition Upgrade, or the Constellation Edition of Starfield.

For players who purchase the Starfield Standard Edition or subscribe to PC Game Pass, Starfield will be released on September 6, 2023.

That’s not to say that the game is without its flaws – combat can feel awkward, planet traversal is sorely lacking vehicles, and the occasional pop-in for conversations or weird interactions will be seen throughout your journey. The “Bethesda games are always buggy on release” mantra leading up to launch is flat-out wrong, however. I encountered bugs mostly with the conversations because I launched them quickly and my companion could not keep up. There were no game crashes or major bugs after more than 100 hours of playtime.

There are, however, some performance issues. Starfield is extremely CPU-heavy, and even with our RTX 4080, Ryzen 7800x3D build we saw some performance dips. Most egregious – there is no DLSS and this is another title that will exclusively feature AMD’s FSR and FSR2 technology. We will never agree with locking out alternative features, especially since I would have loved to have utilized DLSS 3 on my RTX 4080.

I can see why the game is locked at 30FPS for consoles. Even with 10 months of extra polish time on consoles, there are still some drops in performance. I had a few really hard FPS drops walking into some major cities on the Series S that felt bad, even if they were rare. Hopefully these can be fixed. With some patches, we are sure this will be better. I cannot wait for mods, my mind is racing with the possibilities!

Portable PCs, like the ALLY and Steam Deck
Bethesda explicitly noted not to use Asus’ ROG Ally or Steam Deck in our review as they are below recommended PC spec. I could not even get the ROG ALLY to launch the game due to some weirdness with the Xbox app on our Ally but Xbox/PC streaming worked flawlessly. I had to repair the download, and spam the launch button for it to work after about an hour of messing with updates and settings.

Once loaded, the ROG Ally did run the game decently on low to medium settings with FSR2 enabled while in 15W or 30W mode and it is 100% playable for those who have these portable PCs.

How much will Starfield cost?
Gaming only ever wants to get more expensive. The trend continues here, and if you want early access, you will need to pay $100 or the upgraded difference if you are a Game Pass subscriber. Microsoft has been raising the standard game price to $70 USD, Starfield included. Luckily, Starfield has been confirmed as a day-one addition to Game Pass, so most can experience it without any extra upfront cost.

Starfield is epic in scale – Some may not like this

Let me be clear: Starfield is a near-perfect Bethesda RPG with one of the best campaigns they have ever created. I was genuinely in awe in the latter half of the game, and with respect to Bethesda and your journey, we cannot discuss much that occurs in this portion. There is so much to explore but I did find myself mostly traveling within the major cities.

– 1,000 planets, with many that are mostly resource-gathering areas, but most have their main areas to explore and have fun in with hand crafted secret areas and wildlife to discover.
– Multiple faction quests.
– A plethora of side quests that keep spilling into your lap, begging you to explore and talk to as many NPCs as possible.
– A 40 to 50 hour main story quest.
– Excellent end-game activities to keep you busy including many things we cannot spoil. New Game + is also a warm welcome and a nice twist.

I often found myself drowning in activities (do not ignore these!) that became full-fledged amazing side quests, which I had ignored at first. My advice would be to slow down, and this is where Starfield may be an issue for some who have no patience. The game really and truly does not fully show off everything it has until way after 80-plus hours. I have to really emphasize that the scale is massive, and you will get to see so much more if you take your time and enjoy each individual planet first for all it has to offer.

But that’s the beauty of this game – your journey is going to be massively different from mine. For some, however, who want to unlock all the features or systems at once, they may not like having to invest 100 hours or more to get the game “going.”

Here are a few highlights in my journey while trying to be as spoiler-free as possible:
– I stole over 10 ships and immediately went to jail when I went into orbit near a patrolled planet, not realizing those spacers had contraband onboard
– Got a DJ’s new music back from an overzealous fan.
– Saved a planet from trees’ massive vibrations.
– Spared a man’s life after I learned he only stole a certain thing because he was recently fired and had no other choice.
– Found the source of an anomaly and uncovered the mystery of an artifact.
– Stole a tea recipe so a barista could compete with a megacorp (my companion did not like that).

Missions, side quests, and exploration

There is so much to explore on those far-off planets, so much beckoning that you to hurry to them, that inner child screaming with joy to rush to the end to “power up and unlock it all.” Slow down! Starfield has many, many wild layers to uncover and explore, but I often found myself spending hours on a planet, taking it all in, hours on side quests, and talking to those in a town I just discovered. Then you lift off, steal a ship, fight some space pirates, gather resources, build your outpost, and find a new planet with another hour-long side quest. It’s epic and breathtaking.

I will try to avoid spoilers, so skip to the next paragraph if you wish to avoid a very light spoiler. A perfect example of a favorite moment of mine was running into a derelict ship in orbit – which no one can seem to hail as soon as you pull into the orbit of Paradiso (a paradise Resort planet). The wild quest that unfolds for the secrets inside once you finally board the ship were great. Another was finding a miners simple quest that became a 10+ step mission that was extremely engrossing in Cydonia.

You can easily jump from planet to planet- more on that in a bit. Each feels like its own mini Bethesda game. Want to experience the desert? Head to Akila. Want a cyberpunk planet? Head to Neon. Want to experience something akin to Mass Effects massive cities? Head to New Atlantis. Missions here and the people you run into are varied and fully scripted. It’s so hard to write this review without screaming for you to go explore (spoiler) and fight the legendary (spoiler).

Planet jumping is where I found the most dissapointment. Launching away from a planet or onto once is mostly a menu system. The landing and orbit cutscenes are great but the game loses some of its charm and it would have been amazing to be able to manually take off from a planet if I wanted to.

I am over 100 hours in and have barely scratched the surface of shipbuilding, crafting, modding, and building outposts. Companions are varied and wonderful, and there are many paths for romance or companions to bring along that each have their own conversational style to match your preferred journey. I am not bored, ever. I keep wanting to play because there’s always a different loop I can take. Do I want to finish some side quests, gather resources, or explore new planets? I can easily choose any with the best fast-travel system I have seen. Everything is easily fast-traveled to – with slight limitations during quests – but you can hop from place to place in the blink of an eye. The Series S did have some longer loading screens for me so keep that in mind.

I am very saddened at the fact that there are no land vehicles or ways to easily traverse the planet. I am exploring a planet for a quest that needs to me to survey 100% of the planet in order to complete it. I have been stuck at 98% for over 3 hours with no end in sight moving from location to location to find the missing fauna and it did become frustrating – until I realized I could simply open the world and fast travel across the globe to different physical locations…d’oh!
However, I am still stuck at 98% simply because I got sidetracked with so much to do and the lack of interest in returning to find that missing 2%.

Shipbuilding and space flying are a highlight

Shipbuilding in Starfield is a delightful adventure! It takes a little time to dive into, but once you’re there, it becomes an exhilarating activity as you refine designs, add rooms, balance engines, weight, cargo, and ship systems. I have a fondness for massive spacecraft, not for their power, but because I enjoy wandering around all the rooms and exploring the technology that makes them tick. Although I haven’t delved much into outpost building, it is efficiently designed, allowing you to create attractive bases with relative ease. There are still the same power issues from Fallout 4 but some great options to build and even transport from planet to planet. It’s just not my cup of tea, and the game doesn’t hinge on it except for mass resource collection which I have yet to need.

In the endgame, there is a much greater need to worry about this, so I would say when you first start the game, don’t worry so much about your outposts until maybe 50 hours in, when you begin to start getting overwhelmed with companions.

Space battles are simply one of the best systems Bethesda has ever built. I became quickly addicted even though I knew my ship was severely outclassed. There is nothing I have experienced quite like taking on five spacers at once and barely winning because I was able to knock out all their engines. I kept losing this battle coming into orbit on a planet that I gave up and decided to explore elsewhere – only to see a giant ship land in the distance. I quickly ran over, defeated the owners, made it my new home ship, and instantly got an upgraded ship that was more than the spacers could handle. What a rush!

Starfield is ‘near’ perfect, but there are some minor issues

Bethesda has made some curious decisions and even their refined gunplay from the preview trailer still feels a little off. Some of the game feels like the systems and tech in the Fallout series forced change in Starfield. The need to differentiate between the two “futuristic” franchises is obvious. In Starfield, you get a “watch” that severely lacks the character of the classic Pip-Boy, and some of that classic Bethesda RPG danger feels really off unless you are fighting enemies that over leveled from you. I found myself missing V.A.T.S especially since a version of it exists on your spaceship and things like the menus and radio stations in Fallout. The AI feels set on a path and not as dynamic as I would have hoped but gun fights did feel quite responsive.

No one really tries to flank you or outsmart you and they often get stuck being target practice at their default locations while your are exploring. Most quests and other activities felt better, and there is a “fight to the death” area you can find that is particularly challenging even at high levels. It’s a strange feeling of easily dispatched mobs or “difficult to even pop your head up” fights.

As mentioned earlier, often you will fast travel to a mission marker, which launches a Grav Drive into a planet’s orbit. But the planet is suddenly surrounded by 6 pirate ships that severely outclass you, so you end up in a death loop unless you load a previous autosave. Be prepared anywhere you decide to fly off to. There may be missions or ships that hail you for trades. You never know what you might be traveling to.

Still, the gun diversity, some secrets, boost packs, and looting are extremely well done here. The guns feel incredible at times, but some feel unbalanced – dealing massive damage with a shotgun for example made me quite over powered for a long period of time. I tried switching to the P90 “Grendel” model in the game and it barely scratched the enemies I would shoot. Most of this can be fixed with balance passes.

Basic skills like stealth or pickpocketing require unlocking the core ability, meaning you can’t perform these activities at all until you invest a point in the skill tree. You don’t NEED the skills to perform the actions or get sneak attacks but without the core skill unlocked it feels bad to have something like pickpocketing locked off.

I specifically unlocked the ‘stealth’ trait because, without it, stealth felt very bad, and I did not like the lack of visual feedback. While leveling up to progress is understandable, the complete denial of access to core systems like this is strange and the cost to unlock could have maybe been a part of the quest instead. Leveling takes some time as well and there are so many worthy skill trees begging to be unlocked for you to progress that it feels bad when you have to spend that precious point in what was a default unlock for Bethesda RPGs.

Additionally, with crafting, you can only track entire recipes, not individual ingredients, making encumbrance a constant issue. There are so many heavy items in this game – especially ship parts – to weigh you down and keep track of. Thankfully, your companion can hold things for you, and you can sell or craft using the inventory that is on your ship’s cargo, so no need to hold it all at once or jettison the precious cargo.

Despite these minor hiccups, everything functions smoothly and feels stable. Although there are occasional frame rate stutters and minor glitches, nothing catastrophic has occurred for me. I hovered around 60 to 70 FPS stable on 3440×1440 with an RTX 4080. Thank you, Bethesda, for providing wide-screen support at launch.- a easily added feature so many ignore!

Starfield is visually stunning, with intricately detailed cities and diverse landscapes. One memorable moment involved exploring a moon-like planet or first landing in Neon. Your jaw will be on the floor even on the Series S where the graphics are toned down. I suggest immediately opening your menu and turning off the over-tuned film grain, however.

Starfield is one of the best games of this generation

For me, Starfield is Bethesda’s masterpiece, the hit Xbox needed, and possibly the game of the generation for the Series consoles. This is a system seller that is also available on PC via Steam or the Xbox app and included in Game Pass. I suggest you try it, you will be happy you did. Tears of the Kingdom brought me joy and wonder this year, but there was nothing for me quite like exploring all the wild amount of dialogue and fun to be had in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, or walking into New Vegas for the first time. That feeling is hard to capture and explain – you just have to see for yourself what Bethesda can create.

The worlds Bethesda builds feature dense, lively worlds where every direction offers something new. Walking into an Oblivion gate for the first time or traveling to a new planet – this is what makes gaming great.

I remember first beating Oblivion‘s main quest at over 120 hours and immediately starting another run. Starfield is on a whole other level, with much left to see even after completing the main story. It’s simply a joy to play, and I cannot recommend it more to every gamer.

The feeling of uncovering new things and the natural development in Starfield as you journey through it is unmatched, highlighting Bethesda’s quarter-century of experience and their authentic mastery as one of the best to ever do it. You will literally be overflowing with things to do – or not do- in a universe is teeming with new planets to explore. A definitive masterpiece.

Familiar elements and combat awkwardness exist, but Starfield is completely new, and there are months ahead for me to explore and enjoy. I cannot wait to see the mods and community reaction. Have a blast, and don’t rush!
Starfield gets a 10/10 from BTR. Thank you to Bethesda for providing a review copy.

Cologne, Germany – August 23, 2023:
At the bustling 2023 Gamescom event today, AYANEO, a recognized name in the handheld gaming sphere, revealed its state-of-the-art gaming handheld – the AYANEO Pocket S. Developed in partnership with Qualcomm, this next-gen device boasts the groundbreaking Qualcomm Snapdragon G Series platform.

Making Waves in Handheld Gaming

AYANEO has carved out a reputation as a trailblazer in the gaming sector. They’ve consistently adhered to their principle: “Real Gamers, For Gamers”. Their innovation streak started with the AYANEO 2021 – the world’s maiden mass-produced 7nm Windows handheld, followed closely by the bezel-less AYANEO 2S, and the soon-to-be-revealed AYANEO KUN.

The tech giant’s foray into the Android gaming domain was solidified in 2022 with the introduction of the Pocket series. This July, they presented gamers with the Pocket AIR, their first Android handheld device. With a myriad of high-tech features, AYANEO is reshaping the Android gaming handheld experience.

The AYANEO Pocket S: A Game Changer

The eagerly awaited AYANEO Pocket S is set to hit the market in December. Notably, it represents AYANEO’s debut collaboration with the Snapdragon platform. But more than that, it’s the first gaming handheld globally to be powered by the Snapdragon® G3x Gen2 gaming platform.

Staying true to AYANEO’s design principles, the Pocket S showcases a borderless design – a first for global Android gaming handhelds. It melds the sleekness of high-end smartphones with AYANEO’s gaming expertise, giving users a lightweight, ultra-slim device. With its advanced heat dissipation capabilities, the Pocket S embodies the definition of a top-tier gaming handheld.

Variety is the spice of gaming, and AYANEO knows this. Gamers can look forward to different configurations of the Pocket S. Whether they desire a thin, lightweight model or one with a more extended battery life, AYANEO has them covered. Plus, ergonomic design ensures the grip feels just like a game controller, enhancing the gaming experience.

Voices from the Helm

AYANEO’s CEO, Arthur, expressed his enthusiasm, “Our collaboration with Qualcomm signifies our commitment to redefining gaming. Qualcomm’s expertise in the mobile gaming sector is unparalleled. With the Snapdragon® G3x Gen2 platform, we’re crafting a handheld that challenges perceptions.”

On the other hand, Mithun Chandrasekhar, Qualcomm Technologies’ Senior Director of Product Management, remarked, “Our Snapdragon® G3x Gen2 platform epitomizes innovation in mobile gaming. Teaming up with AYANEO allows us to give gamers a device that’s nothing short of revolutionary.”

What Lies Ahead

The AYANEO Pocket S promises not just to be another device but a trendsetter. With the might of the Snapdragon® G3x Gen2 platform behind it, the global gaming community is set for a treat that surpasses expectations. We look forward to testing it and covering this further.