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Before you build a PC, you’re obviously going to need the right parts. That’s why we’re here. Picking the right components for the build you need can be a daunting process at first, but once you dive in, you’ll see that it’s not only surprisingly simple, it’s a heck of a lot of fun. This guide is by no means meant to be exhaustive, it’s more a primer on what you’ll need to know to gather up the right parts, and start putting your dream build together. We’ll mostly be focused on building a gaming PC here, but this guide should cover the basics for everything from a high-end work rig for professional applications to a simple media computer. And if you’d rather buy a pre-built, rather than building your own, we have a guide for that too. Alright, let’s get to it! What Do You Need to Build a PC? Processor (CPU) The processor, or Central Processing Unit, is the brain of the PC. It’s what converts the instructions you provide into actions the computer can execute, and tells all the other parts of your build how to work together. If the CPU is the brain, the rest of the system is the body. The CPU is probably the single most important component for any computer, and as you’d expect there are almost endless options at a variety of price ranges. The two primary manufacturers in the consumer PC space are Intel and AMD, and even within those brands, there are plenty of choices. For AMD CPUs, you’ll most likely be looking at a fifth generation Ryzen, or if you want to run heavy duty scientific or creative applications, a Threadripper workstation CPU. For Intel CPUs, 14the generation Intel Core CPUs are the most current hardware. For gaming, Intel Core i5s tend to be solid choices with their high single core performance. If you want a more versatile PC for work and play consider Intel Core i7 and Intel Core i9 processors. Motherboards The motherboard is essentially a large circuit board that connects all the components that make up your PC, and allows communication between all the different hardware. As with anything in PC building, there are options galore, from simple motherboards at the lower-end of the price spectrum all the way up to feature-rich boards with all sorts of bells and whistles. The type of motherboard you need will largely depend on what CPU you purchased and what features you’re interested in. Not every CPU works with every motherboard, so you’ll want to make sure you get the right one. Features like CPU overclocking capabilities, lighting, and connectivity options are all factors to keep in mind when purchasing a motherboard. Check out this full breakdown on how to choose a motherboard for all the info you’ll need to make an informed decision. Video Card / Graphics Processing Unit The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) will have the most impact on your gaming experience. The GPU is essentially what allows your computer to do the complex graphics calculations that allow your PC games to look so good. Though many CPUs have integrated graphics, a GPU is absolutely required if you want to have a modern PC gaming experience. The two biggest players in the world of graphics cards are AMD and Nvidia. Recently, Intel entered the GPU scene with their Intel Arc offering. If you are looking for performance on a budget, you can go with something on the lower-end of modern GPUs, like the GeForce RTX 4060 available for around $300, or, comparably, a Radeon RX 7600 for around $265. If it is max performance that you crave, look for a graphics card with a GeForce RTX 4090 GPU ($1,700 - $1,800) or a Radeon RX 7900 ($1,000 - $1,100) GPU is your best bet as of this writing. System Memory / RAM Random Access Memory (RAM) is essentially your PC’s short-term memory. It keeps data you use regularly easily accessible, so your PC doesn’t have to access a storage device every time you need to use that data. It’s different from your primary storage devices in that RAM resets when it doesn’t have power, which is why you still need larger storage drives for long term data storage. When it comes to RAM, the more the merrier. You can’t really have too much RAM, but for practical purposes, but you might want to have over 16GB if you want to keep your PC viable for several years. RAM varies widely in speed, size, and design, so check out our RAM guide for answers to any questions you might have when it comes to memory. Data Storage Storage is where your data is…well, stored, so your PC can access it. This includes files, games, your operating system, any data that you need to access will be kept on a storage drive. In the past, storage mostly consisted of hard disk drives (HDD), but now solid state drives (SSD) are more widely available. SSDs are significantly faster, quieter, and more durable, but also cost more per gigabyte. The right storage solution will vary, though a common configuration is a smaller NVMe or SATA SSD for your operating system and most commonly used files, and a larger HDD for your larger files. You can also rely on external storage solutions, which have the advantage of being portable. If you want to learn more about all the different types of storage, check out our guide on choosing the right storage. Cases The PC case is where all of your precious parts are going to live, and what most people think of when they imagine a PC. Cases are one of the most customizable parts of a PC, so you can get cases in just about every shape and size you can imagine. Though every case is different, they are all designed for roughly the same components, meaning they share similarities across brands and layouts. There’s always going to be a place to install the motherboard and power supply, for example, though the configurations of where everything is located may vary. Unless you’re looking to build something small, or with advanced features like custom cooling loops, most cases will work just fine. Just find one that’s the right size, and looks the way you want it to, and you should be good to go. Another important feature to consider when it comes to cases is cooling. Many cases will come with fans already installed, which can be useful, but if low temperatures are important to you, you’ll want to make sure there’s room for the cooling solution you need. A simple rule of thumb is that if you’re wanting to do a lot of custom work, the bigger the case, the better. Power Supply Unit (PSU) As you probably guessed by the name, the Power Supply Unit (PSU) provides the power that allows your build to function. The PSU is often overlooked, because if you have a relatively simple build, any power supply will usually work. That said, it’s absolutely worth doing your research on efficiencies, wattage, and quality, especially if you’re putting together a more complex system. If you are using high-end video cards (or multiple video cards) or a custom cooling loop, you’ll definitely want to make sure you have a PSU with enough wattage. A good reference is this power supply calculator, which allows you to see what kind of power requirements you’ll need based on your system. CPU Heatsink/Fan Your CPU works incredibly hard, and that creates heat. Keeping your CPU cool is critical to your system running properly, and though many CPUs come with a cooler, often times you’ll want something a little more powerful. These options can range from simple fans and heatsinks to elaborate liquid cooling solutions. For your first build, you’ll probably want either a fan based solution, or an All In One (AIO) liquid CPU cooler if you’re planning on overclocking your CPU. The process of installing these cooling solutions varies from product to product, but usually involve attaching it to your motherboard, and using thermal paste to make sure heat is dissipated properly from your CPU. It sounds complicated, but it’s really not. Even the AIO liquid coolers are self-contained, and you don’t ever have to actually deal with the liquid inside. Simply make sure the cooler is compatible with your CPU and motherboard, and that you have enough room in your case. The rest is just a matter of following the included instructions. Monitors Now that you’ve picked out the parts for your build, it’s time to talk about everything else you’ll need for a quality gaming experience. Let’s start with a monitor. After all, a sweet gaming PC isn’t much good if you can’t see anything. You can go with a simple, entry-level 1920×1080 monitor or TV if you want, but part of the fun of PC gaming is that you have more options. If you invested in a good system thus far, you might want to move up to higher resolutions, like 2540×1440, or even 3840×2160 (4K) for truly crystal clear images. You can also upgrade to a higher refresh rate like 144Hz or even 240Hz, which will make everything look significantly smoother. Depending on your GPU, you may want to invest in a monitor that supports either Nvidia’s G-Sync or AMD’s Freesync, as this will reduce screen tearing and further improve your gameplay experience. All of these factors, including others like display size or aspect ratio, are going to increase cost. That said, there’s not much point in having a powerful PC if what you’re seeing doesn’t look great, so it’s probably worth the investment. For gaming however, it’s primarily about choosing a monitor with low input lag and fast pixel response times. If you’re looking for a moderately priced entry-level gaming monitor, the curved Acer ED242QR has Freesync and a 144Hz refresh rate, a perfect match for an entry level to mid-range GPU. If you want to go super high-end, the Alienware 34 has just about everything you need for a luxurious gaming experience. Mouse A mouse is just a mouse right? Nope. Like everything else we’ve been talking about, you can get a mouse that perfectly matches your style. If you’re a gamer, having mappable buttons might be important to you, as well as being able to adjust the DPI (essentially the speed of the cursor) on the fly. Maybe you want a wireless mouse, or an outside-the-box design. The most important thing is probably comfort, so make sure you find a mouse that feels right. One of the most popular gaming mice (for good reason) is the Logitech G502 Hero, but there are lots of great mice out there from companies like Corsair, Razer, and plenty of others. Computer Keyboards Even with something as seemingly straightforward as a keyboard, there are a ton of options. Do you want the traditional feel of a membrane keyboard, or the precise tactile feedback of mechanical switches? Do you want wired or wireless? Do you need macro keys? How important is RGB lighting? There’s a lot of great keyboards out there, so you can find exactly what works for you. One of the most popular mechanical keyboards is the Corsair K70 LUX. The Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition is a great entry-level mechanical board with Razer optical switches. The best way to learn your own preference is by testing different keyboards, but this guide on how to choose the right keyboard is also a great place to start. Preparing Your Case The first step to getting your motherboard in your case is installing standoffs. Standoffs are small brass spacers that match up with the screw holes on your motherboard, and work to keep the metal on the motherboard from touching the metal in your case. Make sure to install them where screw holes are present in the case, and consult your case manual if it isn’t obvious where these holes are. Your motherboard will come with a cover called an I/O shield. This cover should be placed over all the external connections that are visible from the outside of the case. Make sure you line it up properly and snap it on. It’s easy to forget this step, and it can be a pain to go back to install it, so do your best to remember the first time. Installing the motherboard Remember, your motherboard is essentially a huge circuit board, which means it’s delicate. It’s important to be careful as you line up the holes and add screws to all of the standoffs you placed inside your case. You want the motherboard to be secure and not loose, but you also don’t want to over-tighten the screws. If the board is bending at all, you’ve over-tightened. You may need to push the motherboard slightly back towards the expansion slot cover before screwing it in, but as long as you line up all the screws, you should be good to go. Install Everything Else Once your motherboard is mounted, everything else is fairly straightforward. Use the video we shared above for more detail. The GPU will live in the PCIe slot. Make sure you remove any expansion coverings, and be sure it clicks into place properly and is secured with screws once installed. If you have an M.2 drive, carefully install it into the appropriate slot on your motherboard, and use the small screw to keep it secure. Again, do not over-tighten. A good rule when installing components is to use a bit of force, but if you feel like something isn’t fitting, it’s good to double check that it’s in the correct place. This stuff is designed to fit together, so you shouldn’t have to push too hard. Your video card, storage devices, and motherboard will all need power from the power supply. The proper cables should be included with your PSU. If not, use the adapter provided with the video card box. Your hard drive or SSD will also need a power cable, as well as a SATA or data cable, unless you’re using an M.2 as described above. All of these cables should be included with your devices. The right cable to use from the power supply to the components that need that power should be fairly obvious. Simply match the plug to the connection the component needs, and check any manuals if it isn’t super clear. Installing fans will vary on your cooling setup, but again, it should be fairly clear what goes where. Simply match the cable to the input on your motherboard, and check your manual if you run into any issues. Fire It Up Once everything is wired up and looks the way you want it to, it’s time to plug in the power supply, hit that power button, and turn on your new computer. If everything is connected properly, you should see your motherboard’s BIOS screen. The final step is to install your operating system of choice, and start using your new PC! Error Messages If everything didn’t come together on your first try, don’t panic, this happens to the best of us. It’s almost always an easy fix. Luckily, your computer will often tell you what is wrong, whether in the BIOS menu, or via an error message from your motherboard. This is where research comes in handy, as any error you’re running into will be something someone else has probably encountered and resolved as well. We put together a handy guide to five common PC problems and how to fix them, so take a look at that before you spend too much time researching. Congratulations! Whether this is your first PC, or your fiftieth, congrats on taking the time to learn how to put a PC together. There’s always more to learn, but if you’ve come this far, you’re well on your way to becoming a DIY master. Have fun, and happy PC gaming!

It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but The Texas Chain Saw Massacre does feel worthy of the name. The original Texas Chain Saw Massacre film will always stand out in my mind as being iconic. Between the chainsaw-wielding cannibal named Leatherface, the overall grimy feeling of the setting and most of its characters, and just how scared people must have been watching it when it was released in theaters in 1974. 50 years after the film’s events took place, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre finally got a proper video game release that lets people see the insanity from a new perspective. The game is an asymmetrical horror title in a similar vein to games like Dead by Daylight and Friday the 13th. Each game match is set up in a 3 versus 4 scenario with players split into two teams. The killers team is known as the Family and the survivors team is known as the Victims. There are 3 maps (all of which have day and night variants) in total, and each one of them has multiple exits that the Victims can attempt to escape from. All of the Victims start out each match tied up in the basement where they must find a way out as quickly as possible. Leatherface also always starts out in the basement with his trusty chainsaw and he must always be chosen by at least one player on the Family’s side. He is the easiest of the Family to avoid since he can't squeeze through small passages like the Victims can. However, he can destroy some of these escape routes (and has a chainsaw), so don't assume he isn't a threat. Victims only have a few items that they have to worry about during a match: unlock tools, bone shards, and health bottles. Unlock tools can be found in toolboxes and allow locked doors and padlocks to be picked and opened. Bone shards are found in bone piles and help to silence chickens that are located in certain spots on each map that can make noise and attract Family members. They can be used to cut down bone chimes that make noise as well. The shards can even stop a Family member for a short duration with a good stealthy stab. Health bottles heal wounds and come in handy when a Victim's health is getting dangerously low. If their health drops to nothing, they get one chance to recover. If they are caught during this state, they can be immediately executed. Also, actions like looking through toolboxes can make noise if they are done with too much haste. There is a meter located on-screen during these actions that shows when a sound will be made if it reaches its peak. If one of the Victims finds an unlock tool and picks the lock to one of the basement doors, a new threat is awakened: Grandpa. Grandpa is a stationary family member who can send out a sonar-style moan that can locate any of the Victims that are in motion. If they are located, this briefly shows all of the Family members where that Victim is via an outline around their character. This always seemed to happen at the worst possible moments, but thankfully Victims can still continue working on unlocking doors and actions like that without being spotted. Grandpa loves blood, and the Family members can feed him blood that they gather from either hitting or killing Victims, as well as from blood trays found around the map. This will make him level up and get stronger. Once he reaches level 5, he can find Victims with his moan regardless of their movement. The only way to bring his level back down is for a Victim to stab him with a bone shard. This will knock him down a level each time it is done. The other Family members are The Hitchhiker, The Cook, Sissy, and Johnny. They all can cause trouble for the Victims in their own special ways. The Hitchhiker was one of the killers I had the most issues with. He was fast, relentless, and could set traps made of bones or even squeeze through all of the tight spaces that the Victims could. The Cook can listen closely to sounds around him and locate a Victim, revealing their location to the other family members. He can also put padlocks on a limited number of gates and doors, making escaping through these areas extra tough. Sissy can throw poison gas at a Victim to slow them down. Even without the poison, she can still keep up a strong pursuit if they don't break her line of sight and hide quickly. Johnny can track the footprints of a Victim and likes to cut up anyone he finds with his knife. Thankfully the Victims aren’t helpless. They have special skills just like the Family members do. Connie can pick a lock almost instantly. Leland can shoulder-bash a Family member and overall just be a total tank. Ana (who can also be a total tank) has the ability to have a short period where she takes significantly less damage, is immune to poison, and can take large falls like a champ. Sonny can listen to sounds around him and track the movements of anything he hears, but the poor guy can be killed quickly if he gets caught. Last but not least, Julie can run for a brief period without making a sound. Stealth is a huge portion of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and players who don’t adapt to that quickly are going to have a bad time. There were plenty of times that I was getting chased and I happened to break from a Family member’s sight and crouch in the tall grass or sunflowers. Watching them run around endlessly in frustration trying to find me was satisfying because they would practically be running into me without knowing I was there. Victims can also hide in places like freezers or lockers, but can only stay inside of them for so long before they start to lose it. Thankfully these also got me out of a pinch plenty of times while being chased. After matches, both the Family and the Victims will gain experience. These add ability points that can be used to level up skill trees and also add attribute points. Up to 3 abilities can be selected at once and each use during a match adds some experience to that ability and can level it up over time. Attribute points help strengthen areas where a character might be weak, like how stealthy they are or how many hits they can take before dying. Special skills are also leveled up with uses, so it’s a great idea to be using those often. Being able to do character builds for both the Family and the Victims can add a good deal of depth to the game, and that’s a great thing. This game's balance will be interesting to see in the coming months. Once both Family and Victim players really learn the game, high-level play should be wild. As it stands right now, it’s kind of a mixed bag. While playing as a Victim, I had some matches where the Family members would camp the majority of the exits and place more pressure on us to outsmart them in order to escape. However, when the Family team had a good Cook player, there would usually be several hurdles to overcome in order to escape. For example: having multiple gates to get through, each not only being locked, but also having a padlock on them. These can take a while to get through. On top of that, the final gate might be electrified, so another step would have to be done like unhooking a car battery or kicking a generator to stop the electrical current and escape. Having to accomplish this while having a Family member after you is unthinkable. They can kill most of the Victims rather quickly, so getting caught isn’t something you want to do. This can make playing against a really good Family team feel impossible for a lot of players. Another issue I had while playing was having players drop out before a match would begin. Some would quit randomly or get upset because someone else was playing the character they wanted to use. This made filling up teams often take much longer than it should have. A lot of the time everyone would have to wait 2 minutes or more between matches because of either people dropping out or not readying up. Another issue is that the game doesn't have a playable tutorial, it's only shown to the player in videos. Hopefully, this gets fixed in the future, it could help a lot of new players understand game mechanics before jumping into a match. Playing with friends really helped elevate the fun and crossplay worked really well here (for the most part). Every 5 or so matches I would get an error about having "Invalid Credentials" and I would have to restart the game as a result. Besides these gripes, the game really captures the essence of the Tobe Hooper film wonderfully. The basement was lined with all sorts of macabre imagery like body parts and skin strewn across tables and walls, and the "living" room had the iconic bone furniture straight from the film. Even the sunflowers in the front yard were there. So, even though the gameplay loop can be a lot of fun, I worry about the longevity of this game's lifespan. With only three maps (that are all kind of similar) and the possibility of not getting much new content due to licensing issues between all of the other films in the franchise, the game might not be around for a long time. Let’s hope that isn’t the case. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Score - 7/10 Pros: Captures the essence of the original film wonderfully Family and Victim characters have builds that can extend the gameplay variety Playing with friends is a lot of fun Escapes can be intense and exciting Getting to stab Grandpa Cons: Map variety is lacking No playable tutorials might turn some players away Steep learning curve Long waits can occur between matches A few technical hiccups The reviewer played on PC. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is now available on PC, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S

It seems that the PlayStation Pulse Elite and Explore were just the tip of the iceberg. Yesterday, Sony dropped some news about their teased Project Q, now known as PlayStation Portal. Additionally, they showed off more information about the Pulse line of headsets and earbuds that were also teased during the Project Q reveal. Today, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced the acquisition of Audeze. The PlayStation Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore were shown off back in May during Sony’s PlayStation Showcase 2023, but were not given names or any info. But, now we know a ton more about them. Not only are they lossless audio, noise rejection, low latency, and work with Sony’s new PlayStation Link technology. But, they also had planar magnetic drivers in them. Yesterday, the planar magnetic drivers confused a lot of people as only a few companies utilize it. But, knowing that Sony is buying Audeze, it all makes way more sense. “Audeze is a premier brand for headphones, and this acquisition highlights Sony Interactive’s focus on innovation and providing the best audio experience to PlayStation players,” said Hideaki Nishino, Senior Vice President, Platform Experience at Sony Interactive Entertainment. “We’re excited to bring Audeze’s expertise into the PlayStation ecosystem, building on the great strides we’ve made with PlayStation 5’s Tempest 3D AudioTech and the Pulse 3D wireless headset.” Honestly, this is a match made in heaven. Sony has been a leader in audio for decades. Their Sony Walkman even became the generic term for portable tape or CD player back in the 80s and 90s. Seeing them acquire a major audio technology company like Audeze just feels right. “Sony Interactive provides Audeze with a unique opportunity to scale our business, as we continue with our mission to deliver best-in-class headphones to recording professionals, audiophiles, and gamers,” said Sankar Thiagasamudram, CEO at Audeze. “We’re also looking forward to contributing to Sony Interactive’s efforts to take PlayStation audio experiences to the next level.” No word on how much they paid for Audeze, but it likely was a hefty sum. Additionally, while Audeze currently makes beautiful headsets for Xbox, it’s unlikely that’ll happen for much longer.

Epic Games Store could be getting a huge influx of new games in the near future. The most important time for any developers trying to get their sea legs on the harsh sea known as the game industry is the first few months after a game releases. It’s the make-or-break time of the development cycle when everything they’ve developed, maintained, and polished comes to a head. Epic Games understands that, too, as they’ve made a few games themselves. So, this week, they announced that they’re introducing the Epic First Run program. The Epic First Run program is designed to give developers 100% of all revenue that they make during the first six months after they publish their game. Once the six-month period ends, they go back to the usual 88/12 split. All new games are eligible, as long as they’ve never touched lips with another third-party storefront prior and they’re published after October 16th, 2023. The exception to the rule is that they are allowed to release the products on their own online stores or use the keyless redemption that Epic Games offers via Humble Store and Green Man Gaming. But, maybe you’re not a developer. Why should you care? What does that mean for the consumer market? This shift with the Epic First Run means that a lot of your favorite upcoming games may have exclusivity on the Epic Games Store for six months. If you want to buy them on PC, it’ll be the only way to purchase and/or obtain them. We saw a similar move with games like Borderlands 3 back in 2021. Epic paid around $146 million to have Borderlands 3 exclusively. Within a mere two weeks (or if you’re an Epic Games fan, a “fortnight”), the game had already made back nearly what they paid at $110 million. They know that the way to be as successful as bigger storefronts like Steam is by starving them of some content. Epic already has the better deal for developers with Steam’s 70/30 split of revenue share. They’re just going all in now. If you’re a game developer, you should read more about it on Epic’s website. If you’re just a gamer, keep your eyes peeled for new releases starting in October and where their loyalties lie.

With clear audio, both devices are wireless and compatible with PS5 and PlayStation Portal. Back during the PlayStation Showcase 2023 last May, Sony showed off some new hardware coming this year. They left out a lot of detail during the tease. But, today they spilled all of the tea on their upcoming hardware. We got a great reveal about their Project Q, now named PlayStation Portal. But, they also showed off the audio solution that they promised back during the same tease. The Pulse line comes in two flavors, over-the-ear headset and in-ear earbuds. We now have names, details, and prices for the PlayStation Pulse Elite and Explore devices. The PlayStation Pulse Elite is a fully wireless headset that comes in a slick white and black that matches the standard PlayStation 5. “Pulse Elite,” according to the PlayStation Blog, “is our new wireless headset that offers lossless audio and comes with a retractable boom mic and AI-enhanced noise rejection capable of filtering background sounds. A charging hanger is also included with the product for a convenient charging and storage option.” Alongside the Elite, the Explore is their answer to Apple’s AirPods or Google’s Pixel Buds. They work in-ear and come with a really nice charging case that slides shut. “Pulse Explore is our first set of wireless earbuds,” they continued, “providing a premium portable audio experience with dual microphones and AI-enhanced noise rejection capable of filtering background sounds. It also offers lossless audio and comes with a charging case.” Both the Pulse Elite and the Pulse Explore utilize a new audio technology called PlayStation Link. While Link offers lossless, low-latency audio and easy device switching, the PS5 doesn’t have Link built in. Using PlayStation Link for your PS5 requires a wireless USB dongle to connect. However, PS Link is built into the new PlayStation Portal, allowing you to connect directly without an additional attachment. You can also switch freely between the Portal and the PS5 with your headsets in this manner. PlayStation Link also allows you to connect to your mobile phone. You can answer a call easily while playing a game and hear it through your same Pulse Explore, for instance. The Pulse Elite is dropping at $199.99, while the Pulse Explore is priced at $149.99. No dates have been announced just yet for launch, including when players can start pre-ordering. It will likely come at the same time as the PlayStation Portal’s date announcement, though. These all seem intrinsically linked, so keep an ear out. Yes, that pun was intended.

Play your PS5 games on the toilet in 1080p. Back in May, during the PlayStation Showcase 2023, Sony showed off some tidbits about some projects that they had in the works for this year. The handheld device shown off was dubbed “Project Q”. While that was clearly just a placeholder codename, it showed a split DualSense-style controller with a tablet-shaped screen between it. With such little information available at the time, all we knew was that this was likely the spiritual successor to Sony’s PS Remote Play offerings of the past. Earlier today, Sony finally unveiled more details about PlayStation Portal, previously known as Project Q. This is Sony’s solution for homes that share a TV. The device, still looking like it did back in May, sports an 8-inch LCD screen that handles 1080p at 60fps. As many will compare this to the Switch in some ways, the Nintendo Switch only supports 720p when in handheld mode. While the controller aspect isn’t removable like Nintendo’s Joycon controllers, they look and act similarly to the PlayStation’s own DualSense controllers. The device has a 3.5mm audio jack if you want to wire in your audio. But, the good news is that, at the same time, Sony also announced a new audio solution for the PlayStation line of products. We talked more about the Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore on GameCrate here. Of course, there are limitations. Aside from not being able to take the Portal on the go, as the PlayStation Blog indicates, “PS VR2 games, which require the headset, and games that are streamed through PlayStation Plus Premium’s cloud streaming, are not supported.” The PlayStation Portal will be priced at a nice $199.99 here in the USA. Pre-orders have not yet begun, but they promise they will open up soon. The release date announcement will also likely come when pre-orders are opened up. Give it time and you will be able to play God of War Ragnarok on the toilet. Or in bed. Or just anywhere across the house. You just need to have your Wi-Fi accessible.

All the style in the world doesn’t help Bomb Rush Cyberfunk live up to its inspiration. Red, the protagonist of the vibrantly colored skating game Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, literally loses his head in the tutorial. After his decapitation by flying record, Red gets a shiny new robot head, along with the burning question of who exactly he was before becoming part machine. As he discovers more about who he used to be, Red tries to forge his own identity and break free from the tethers of his complicated legacy. If only Bomb Rush Cyberfunk could do the same. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is an homage/spiritual sequel to cult classic Jet Set Radio and its sequel, Jet Set Radio Future. Set in the funky futuristic city of Tokyo-to, Jet Set Radio starred a memorable cast of skaters, graffiti artists, and DJs all battling for tagging dominance and evading the extremely trigger-happy police along the way. Replace “Tokyo-to” with “New Amsterdam,” and that describes Bomb Rush Cyberfunk as well. The trouble is, Jet Set Radio was all about its one-of-a-kind style, and Bomb Rush Cyberfunk doesn’t do much to stand out on its own. If you’ve played its predecessor, you know how to play Bomb Rush Cyberfunk already. The game is broken up into multiple neighborhoods, each run by its own resident gang. Your job is to skate or bike your way through, pulling off impossible stunt combos and covering the streets with graffiti until you gain enough of a reputation to claim it as your own turf. Each stage plays out in a predictable format. Your first order of business is to find where each neighborhood’s gang has already tagged and cover their art with your own. This earns you Rep, which you need a growing amount of to challenge the gang to a turf war. Finding enough spots to paint means exploring every corner of the neighborhood — and exposes some of Bomb Rush Cyberfunk’s biggest flaws. While you can pick up maps that display each zone’s graffiti spots, they’re often well hidden, meaning you’ll spend a lot of time searching for places to tag on your own. That’s not such a big deal early on, but as later levels become sprawling labyrinths, I spent a frustrating amount of time retracing my steps to find the last piece of graffiti I needed to hit a stage’s Rep threshold. To make things worse, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk levels can feel a little indistinct. After the first two stages, their identities are more clearly defined. But, within each level, there’s not much to hold onto. Even in more interesting stages, like a giant shopping mall and an offshore oil rig, few individual details stick out. That makes New Amsterdam feel a bit lifeless, and more consequentially, it makes it difficult to remember paths through the level as you explore. Once you’ve got a neighborhood gang’s attention, you can prove yourself by fulfilling challenges for individual members. That might mean doing a certain number of tricks in one combo or pulling off a specific sequence of grinds and other tricks. These mini-challenges are a clever way of reinforcing techniques you already know and making sure you’re ready for the turf war. Finally, you can challenge the resident gang for their turf, in a showdown officiated by a group of elders known as the Oldheads. I got a good laugh out of seeing these elder statesmen appear, but aside from them, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk lacks any particularly memorable characters. Some of their designs look great, but the characters themselves don’t have much personality of their own — a major shame given how much characters like DJ Professor K and Captain Onimusha defined Jet Set Radio. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk’s trick system is built for style, speed, and nothing else. You perform tricks simply by pressing one of the face buttons, and timing doesn’t affect your score. You’ll automatically grind on any available surface, and you can perform a manual to nearly infinitely extend combos on the ground with minimal effort. It does look fairly impressive and pulling off a massive combo across an entire level is a lot of fun, but in the end, you can essentially button-mash your way through the entire game. Things feel even worse in combat, a perplexing addition that’s way too prominent in Bomb Rush Cyberfunk. As you tag a neighborhood, you’ll quickly gain Heat, meaning more and stronger cops will show up to stop you. They’re not much of a threat, but they can interrupt your flow and even use chains to slow you to a crawl, making them an extremely tiring nuisance. In the course of a level, cops can pretty much be ignored, but far too often you’ll be forced into a fight. These boss battles may pit you against flying enemies or just a horde of foot soldiers. But, either way, they’re an absolute drag. In combat, your only options are to boost toward an enemy or flail wildly on the face buttons to attack. Your moves feel completely weightless, with no sense of weight when you land an attack. Much of what doesn’t work about Bomb Rush Cyberfunk feels like an attempt to simply recreate Jet Set Radio. What makes that so frustrating is that it shines most when it steps out of its inspiration’s shadow. As Red gets closer to figuring out his past, he enters stages inside his own mind. Each of these psychedelic levels features twisting landscapes and surreal imagery that are the most interesting visuals in the game. Rather than straightforward arenas for tricks, these levels essentially turn Bomb Rush Cyberfunk into a platformer on wheels, with dramatic camera shifts from over-the-shoulder to side-scroller perspective and inventive puzzles built from dream-like geometry. Unfortunately, these levels are extremely short, and only a few pop up throughout your adventure. There’s no doubt that some Jet Set Radio fans hungry for more will enjoy Bomb Rush Cyberfunk. I’ve been waiting for this series’ return in spirit along with the rest of them, but in the end, it did little more than inspire nostalgia for the original, gorgeous though it may be. Score: 6/10 Pros: Vibrant art color recaptures the feel of Jet Set Radio Fantastic soundtrack full of catchy hip-hop tracks Each level has some fun challenges throughout Some inventive level design in isolated sections Cons: Shallow combo system Repetitive gameplay loop Frequent, unsatisfying combat Cast of forgettable characters Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is available on Nintendo Switch and PC. This review is based on the PC version. A key was not provided for the review.

Gamescom takes place in Cologne, Germany, from August 23rd to 27th. But, the Opening Night is on August 22nd. While most gamers think of US-based events, like E3 or PAX, when it comes to gaming conventions, Gamescom is among the biggest events every year as well. With E3 no longer around, Gamescom is stepping up this year. But, it’s based in Cologne, Germany. How can you pay attention to something if you’re not there? The good news is that the major events from the convention are streamed on both Twitch and YouTube. The Gamescom Opening Night will be hosted by The Game Awards showrunner Geoff Keighley. It’ll start at 10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET / 6:30pm BST While the main event doesn’t start until August 23rd, the pre-show will be one to tune into. As with all events hosted by Geoff, there will likely be announcements and world premieres. The pre-show is short, likely showing off smaller indie titles and talking about being at Gamescom and the types of things to expect there. The main show, however, officially starts a half hour later. That’s when the main meaty bits will come. Keighley went on record with VGC last week that the main focus will be on already-announced projects. While we can expect some “world premieres”, it’ll have way less focus. “It’s going to be an exciting show with new looks at many announced upcoming games like Alan Wake 2, and Black Myth Wukong,” Keighley told VGC. “This year’s ONL is less about announcing brand new projects, and more about giving fans updates on some of the biggest games due out over the next year.” You can follow the event all week on Gamescom’s official website or through the above YouTube and Twitch accounts.

More like Left (the country) 4 Dead, am I right? World War Z is a game that I played on Game Pass a few years ago with a friend of mine and we had a lot of fun with it. The gameplay loop of killing zombies (known as Zekes in the WWZ universe) in incredibly high numbers with all sorts of big guns and explosives was an absolute blast. “The Zekes aren’t your typical zombies” So when I realized that an update called World War Z: Aftermath had been released with a bunch of new content and quality-of-life improvements, I was very happy. The Zekes have really made a mess of things on Earth in World War Z, and it’s up to a resistance of survivors around the world to take them on and try to contain the virus that keeps turning people into mindless zombies. However, the Zekes aren’t your typical zombies. They sprint at high speeds and move in massive numbers; so massive that they can create pyramids with their bodies to climb up the sides of buildings and over any other obstacles that are in their path. This makes them a force to be reckoned with, but thankfully the survivors have plenty of guns, explosives, and ammo to help take them on. World War Z: Aftermath has extremely satisfying gunplay. Players are able to fire from the hip or aim down sights with both their primary and sidearm weapons, use melee attacks instantly if they start to get surrounded, and even throw grenades to try and thin out a horde so they can catch their breath. The combat is intense and only lets up occasionally while you and your team try to complete objectives or prepare to take on a giant Zeke tsunami. “The combat is intense and only lets up occasionally while you and your team try to complete objectives or prepare to take on a giant Zeke tsunami.” These objectives range from protecting other survivors from waves of Zekes, escorting vehicles, throwing switches, grabbing car parts, or even loading missiles into a launcher and blowing up certain targets before you get overrun. I found the variety of these to be done well enough that neither my friends nor I got bored of the situations we were thrown into. It was a lot of fun just trying to survive during intense encounters with the Zekes. Zekes don’t just come in one flavor either. Much like Left 4 Dead, there are specialty Zekes and your team will need to be on the lookout for all of them. Infectors can spit on you and if you don’t disinfect quickly, it’s an instant death and you turn into a Zeke. Other specialty Zekes include ones wearing heavy armor that charge into you called Bulls, Bombers with bombs strapped to their chests, Lurkers who hide in the shadows waiting for lone survivors separated from their teammates, and several more. “If you want to roleplay as an Amish farmer or a Ninja Turtle during the zombie apocalypse, WWZ has you covered.” You just never know where or when one (or many) of these Zekes are going to show up to the party. Weapons have plenty of flavors too, with lever action rifles, carbines, machine guns, submachine guns, shotguns, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, pistols, chainsaws, sickles, and even sais. These are all really damn fun to play around with and see what suits your fancy. So if you want to roleplay as an Amish farmer or a Ninja Turtle during the zombie apocalypse, WWZ has you covered. World War Z: Aftermath defaults to a third-person perspective, but a first-person mode can now be toggled and it’s an interesting way to play the game. It adds more immersion while also adding a bit of challenge since you have a more limited field of vision. However, I wish that a better aim down the sights option was included because instead of looking down iron sights or through your weapon’s optic, the screen just zooms in a little bit. “If playing a game like Payday 2 with bots doesn’t bother you, you might be okay.” The most satisfying thing about the combat is the pure carnage that you and your team will unleash upon the Zekes. With the impressive amount of enemies able to be rendered on screen at one time and the gore effects when they are being mowed down or blown up is truly a beautiful sight to behold. Finishing missions will net gold supply points that can be used for buying perks for the character class of your choice, or leveling up weapons and adding things to them like suppressors or extended ammo magazines. I wish that you didn’t have to use supply points to level up weapons because it makes the grind of maxing out a class while also leveling up weapons very tedious unless you are trying to ascend just a single one. To make matters worse, difficulties dictate how many supply points you receive after a mission. So, people who are playing the game casually on easy or normal difficulty are going to have a difficult time grinding to get their classes and weapons leveled up. “There is a decent amount of content here and the gameplay is fun.” This is exacerbated when playing solo because the AI teammates don’t do a great job of helping. They drop explosive ammo for you, but won’t lift a finger to protect an escort, look for objectives, do objectives, or even shoot at the looming Zeke hordes half of the time. The few times I played with bots offline, I was often reminded of my days playing Ghostbusters: The Video Game, where I spent more time trying to get my teammates back up and babysitting them rather than focusing on what needed to be accomplished. However, if playing a game like Payday 2 with bots didn’t bother you, you might still be okay. Another issue I had was that a lot of the perks that can be unlocked for each class are too situational. Like being the last of your team standing and only getting a buff for a matter of seconds. When your gold supply points take so much time to acquire, these perks just don’t seem very practical. Blue supply points are even more rare, and the best ways to get them are by completing weekly challenges, playing on harder difficulties, or in the Horde modes. They are used to unlock weapon perks, so high-level players are going to want to grind for these in order to unlock everything for the higher difficulties. All in all, I would say that if you have a group of friends that want to play something similar to Left 4 Dead, or Aliens: Fireteam Elite, then you can’t go wrong with checking this out. The game has crossplay that seemed to work well with my friends and me. We were playing across Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the PlayStation 5; besides just a few small hiccups like having to regroup our party after a few missions here and there, everything seemed to go smoothly. World War Z: Aftermath has a solid eight to ten hours or so of campaign content, two horde modes, and daily as well as weekly challenges to do. Not to mention several difficulty modes and different classes that you can try. There is a good amount of content here and the gameplay is fun. My only real complaints are that the game can be a pain to play solo, the class perks don’t always make a lot of sense, and the points grind won’t be a fun time for people who don’t want to move the difficulty mode up as their characters level up. Pros: Solid gunplay and intense battles The amount of zombies and gore is just wild fun The weapons are very satisfying to play around with Cons: The points system for upgrades can be a bit of a grind AI bots aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed No Brad Pitt as a playable character Score: 7.5/10 The reviewer played on PC. World War Z: Aftermath is available now on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

It’s-a no longer gonna be him. During production for The Super Mario Bros Movie, it was announced that Chris Pratt would take the role of the titular plumber. While many fans decried that Charles Martinet should have just taken the role, likely for much cheaper than a Hollywood actor, it was brushed off by Nintendo and by fans that “Hollywood gonna Hollywood”. However, when the trailer for Super Mario Wonder came out, long-time Nintendo fans took note that Mario sounded slightly different in the Nintendo Direct as well. It didn’t sound like Martinet’s voice in the trailer. People were suspicious, but most just shrugged and joked that at least it wasn’t Chris Pratt. Cut to today and Nintendo posted a short message on their social media accounts about Charles Martinet. After having the role for over three decades, the Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi voice actor is finally retiring. Martinet’s first major role as Mario came during the launch of Super Mario 64. But, many fans already know that he was playing Mario’s voice years before that at trade shows and for smaller marketing projects. As mentioned, he didn’t just voice Mario. In addition to the title character, he played Mario’s scaredy-cat brother, Luigi, as well as their evil counterparts Wario and Waluigi (wah!). While he’s been prolific with Nintendo, he’s also done various other roles for other game studios and anime. He was Magenta in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, for instance, as well as the dragon Paarthurnax in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. In their social media post, Nintendo said that Shigeru Miyamoto and Martinet would be putting out a “special video message” at a future date. But, it’s not all tears and goodbyes. Charles will still be part of Nintendo as the “brand-new role” of Mario Ambassador. This means that, even though he won’t be the guy recording his voice behind the scenes anymore, he gets to travel the world and continue to delight fans with his voice and infectious personality. No word yet on who will be taking over the role of Mario officially yet. But, we will likely find out here soon. I say this from the bottom of my heart, likely on behalf of a lot of people from my generation. Thank you, Charles Martinet, for being such a positive, inspiring part of my childhood. Your voice is iconic and as beloved as Mickey Mouse, Optimus Prime, and Pikachu. Let’s-a go!

Honestly, I’m impressed at just just how accurate it is to the Pokémon games Listen, I can’t hope to ever fully understand modern sports. The last time I followed anything about basketball was when I played NBA Street for the PlayStation 2 (which is still, hands-down, an incredibly fun series to play). But, what I do know is video games and especially Pokémon. Most times when a non-video game company uses a popular game in homage, they “half-ass” it. It’s usually barely a reference, if not entirely infuriatingly inaccurate. The Chicago Bulls, however, clearly have some pro-Pokémon trainers on their marketing staff. Instead of just making a quick infographic or a blog article, they took it one step further with a video. But, that video positions Benny the Bull, their mascot, as the protagonist of a classic Game Boy-era Pokémon game. We’re not talking about some small homage either. This video is full pixel art, designed to resemble the original Pokémon Red and Blue games. The music is just right and just off enough that it feels familiar, but is copyright free. In the video, Benny is roaming around the city, making his way to the United Center, the Bulls’ infamous stadium. Once inside, he walks around the court, going into battle with rival teams’ coaches. For instance, the first battle is against the San Antonio Spurs’ “Coach Pop” (also known as Gregg Popovich). He sends out “Wemby”, or Victor Wembanyama, who is too tall for the screen and is just a pair of legs due to being 7’5 in real life. Each time Benny wins, he’s told when the Bulls will be playing against that particular team. In the middle, he pickles up a Popcorn Bag, parodying and directly quoting when you find Leftovers in Celadon City, originally seen in the Pokémon Gold and Silver games. The best part, a joke that even I understood, is when Schedule Master (The NBA Commissioner Adam Silver), the final boss, sends out “Bron”, a parody of LeBron James, complete with a crown on his head during the battle. There are a few great details to this one. Bron has the audio of the meme where the little kid says “Lebron James” a bunch of times. His level is at 20, to show how many years he’s been playing, which is exactly 20 during this upcoming season. His crown falls off after he’s defeated (spoiler alert, I guess). His sprite and pose are both a direct homage to Giovanni, the final gym leader and head of Team Rocket in Pokémon Red and Blue. After the battle, Benny earns the whole schedule, which flashes quickly on the screen. Then, the game zooms out to see a real-life version of Benny playing a Game Boy Color with Pokémon Red in the back of it, laying atop the United Center. The drone camera zooms out to show how small he is by comparison. It ends with a “To Be Continued”. Prior to the much larger 4-minute video, they dropped a title and New Game (or “New Season”) video with the NBA commissioner Adam Silver taking the place of Professor Oak. The fact that you end the game by facing him feels like a direct reference itself to the fact that there is evidence that players may have been able to face off against Professor Oak at the end of the original games in some cut content. Additionally, all of the Bulls that were shown in the video, including Benny, got their own custom stats screen based on the screens from the original Pokémon games. I’m honestly just super impressed at the detail and research that went into this little video. You can watch the video over on X / Twitter on the Chicago Bulls official account. The official schedule, as expected, did also get an easier-to-read version posted, still in the font and cues from Pokémon.

Finding Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3 is relatively easy. She can be found in Act 1 after you have completed the prologue quest “A Nautiloid in Hell”. Once you have made your way to the Emerald Grove, slightly northwest of where you crash land on the beach, you’ll have easy access to her location. Once you rescue the grove from the goblin incursion, you’ll notice Wyll, The Blade of Frontiers, joins the fight. He will end up at the Emerald Grove training young Tieflings for the possible fight ahead. When you chat with Wyll, make sure to ask him to join your group and the conversation will automatically lead to Karlach. The devil he mentions is there to hunt. You will then have the general location of Karlach. The easiest way to find her and recruit her for your party is to leave Wyll at camp. That way there will be no bad blood when you first meet. To be safe, avoid the first objective “The Blade of Frontiers” and continue east down the trail, past the dying Hyenas. They can be avoided by sneaking by and not interacting with any of the downed animals. Otherwise, a long and possibly difficult fight will ensue. Karlach is just across the river. Chat with her and respond positively and offer to help her fight the Paladins of Tyr. There are no negative consequences for dealing with them, as they are pretending to be Paladins and are enemies in disguise. Once you help Karlach with the Paladins, she will happily join your party. She will either stay with your group, or you can send her back to camp. The story between her and Wyll will continue at a later point in the game.