Following all the game announcements at E3 2018, the just-around-the-corner Gamescom expo in Germany kicks off August 21. Word on in the street is that PC power gamers are in for some very good news, especially when it comes to near hardware and, potentially, GPUs. 

The day before those festivities officially begin, NVIDIA is set to jump start the expo with a press conference at a secret location. Dubbed a "gaming celebration," it's scheduled to run from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT on Monday, August 20. 

This seems like the perfect time for new hardware to be announced -- except for one potential little snang.

At the Computex expo in Taiwan back in June, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made an off-hand comment about the next generation of GeForce graphics cards not being revealed until "a long time from now."

With info finally beginning to leak and the press conference set for August, it seems like that "long time from now" may very well have just been a little over two months.

New GeForce Video Card Announcement Rumors

If you happen to be in Cologne, Germany, on the 20th, you can still sign up to attend the GeForce celebration in person by signing up here. However, since it doesn't seem like the event will be live-streamed, the rest of us will have to wait for info to start leaking from attendees and stories posted by attending outlets. But it's probably safe to surmise that what those participants are going to discover will likely dominate hardware news for months to come.

This statement from NVIDIA about the pre-expo, off-site celebration has got the message boards lighting up:

The event will be loaded with new, exclusive, hands-on demos of the hottest upcoming games, stage presentations from the world’s biggest game developers, and some spectacular surprises.

It's those last three words in particular that are fueling the rumor mill right now. We're overdue for a new generation of graphics cards powerhouses, with the 1080s getting a little long in the tooth at this point, and Titans already going through some iterative changes.

Beyond a simple desire for ever more horse power under the hood, there's good reason for new cards to hit soon. With 4K G-Sync HDR monitors already here and with gamers constantly searching for more horsepower to run their games at 60fps, it's just flat out time for more graphical processing power.

 If you've got cash to burn, this is the future of PC viewing hardware

New GeForce Video Card Names

We know new cards are coming, and it's highly likely they will be announced August 20, but we don't quite yet know what they will be called.

The naming conventions for these new cards are up in the air, but there are three in particular that have gotten traction. It seems likely the architecture for the new GeForce cards will be code-named Turing, although the words Ampere and Volta are also getting thrown around by unnamed industry sources.

Following the recent numbers pattern of previous cards, it seems likely these new GeForce cards will be the 11 series of 1160, 1170, and 1180, but that's not guaranteed.

Many hardware sites are expecting a change in the prefix to a whole new naming convention, with the 2060, 2070, and 2080 currently topping the running.

There's also been some speculation that the suffix will potentially change this year as well, going from 60, 70, 80 to 65, 75, and 85 to further differentiate from previous generations. But right now, most things are up in the air and we'll just have to wait and see. 

New GeForce GPU Release Dates

Based on the upcoming press conference and previous GPU release dates, the most likely scenario right now is that the new NVIDIA video card lineup will officially launch at the tail end of the summer or early fall. The exact dates however, are still a bit of a mystery.

YouTuber Gamer Meld recently posted a video revealing supposedly leaked documents from a hardware supplier, providing some insight into when new cards and GPUs might arrive. The validity of the document in question is unknown, as obviously NVIDIA isn't commenting on it, so take it with a grain of salt.

According to this source, three separate card types are coming in staggered releases at a rate of one a month from August to October of this year, with one video card potentially being called the 1180+ instead of the 1180ti (yet another unconfirmed convention).

This is disputed by other sources claiming to have leaked info, however. Wccftech supports the three card theory, but is claiming the GPUs will all be released in September on a staggered weekly schedule.

New GeForce Pricing

No matter when the release date(s) will be, the biggest question right now is price point. Anyone who has built a gaming rig recently knows there have been huge spikes in graphics card prices over the last two years, with attempts directly from NVIDIA and retailers failing to do much in the face of cryptomining.

All things considered, we should expect the high-end cards to cost more than the current 1080s but probably lower than the current Titans, although specific price points just aren't available beyond wild speculation. For those looking to get in on a new graphics card before the new lineup arrives, be sure to head over here to find the 5 best tools for locating cheap graphics cards.

The impending lineup of new cards could potentially be good news for budget gamers, too. The current catalog of GeForce GPUs, specifically the 1070s and 1080s, still run modern games very well. With the release of new cards, prices for older graphics cards are sure to decrease -- and if new unit release before the 2018 holidays, you can bet that Black Friday sales will discount the previous models even more. 

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Right now, that's all we know about the current state of NVIDIA's GPU catalog and it's upcoming lineup of cards.

What do you all think -- are we in for an 1180, a brand new Titan, a 2075, or something else altogether, and what are you hoping the specs will look like on the all new top of the line cards?

Sound off in the comments below, and check back in with us on August 21 after the official announcements are made for the latest info!

Sapphire Radeon NITRO+ RX 570

Price: $294.07
Buy it on: Amazon

Last but not least, this contender for the best graphics card under $500 in 2017 is the RX 570 model from Radeon. Sure, its core clock numbers are the lowest among the batch, but the price and the support of all modern technologies should give you enough reason to consider this bad boy.

It has everything from CoolTech to Nitro Free Flow technologies for noiseless cooling, the full support of AMD LiquidVR and Eyefinity for a smooth virtual reality experience, AMD XConnect and Nitro Quick Connect for adding or switching extra graphics cards, and many other cool features.

Sapphire Radeon NITRO+ RX 570 Specs:

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• VRAM: 8 GB GDDR5 256-bit
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• Cooling system: Dual-X
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• Max resolution: 3840 x 2160
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• Power supply requirements: 500W
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• Core Clock:\n
  \n
  • NITRO Boost: 1340 MHz
  \n
  • Silent: 1244 MHz
  \n
  \n
\n

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And there you have it: the best graphics cards under $500 in 2017. From NVIDIA to Radeon and more, these graphics cards will get you the biggest bang for the proverbial buck -- especially if you're building a PC on a budget. 

If you have other suggestions for graphics cards in this category, then be sure to leave your feedback in the comments section below. And be sure to check around during Black Friday and Cyber Monday -- a few of these cards are sure to be on sale, saving you even more money. 

ASUS GeForce GTX 1060

Price: $329.00
Buy it on: Amazon

If the previous three options look good but are still too expensive, then consider this slight downgrade from the 1070 model with a little less VRAM on the board.

The GeForce GTX 1060 graphics processor is one of the most powerful in the mid-level gaming class at the moment. The newest Pascal graphics architecture provides amazing speed, and the support of the latest technologies maximizes its functionality.

The DirectCU III cooling system is highly efficient due to a special fan design  with optimized impeller geometry and Auto-Extreme technology that guarantees its long-term durability.

ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 Specs:

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• VRAM: 6 GB GDDR5 192-bit
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• Cooling system: DirectCU III
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• Max resolution: 7680 x 4320
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• Core Clock:\n
  \n
  • Boost: 1809 MHz / Base: 1594 MHz (OC Mode)
  \n
  • Boost: 1785 MHz / Base: 1569 MHz (Gaming Mode)
  \n
  \n
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Gigabyte Radeon RX 580 XTR

Price: $459.99
Buy it on: Amazon

The RX 580 is another modern solution from Radeon that is based on a GDDR5 memory architecture -- unlike its sister model VEGA. It has practically the same characteristics as the 1070 Ti from GeForce, but is a bit cheaper ($459 vs $489).

The card is a Polaris-powered graphics card that utilizes the AORUS graphics engine, which is intended for fast overclocking and effective heat dissipation. With the help of the Xtreme Engine software, you can easily adjust the frequency, voltage, fan modes, RGB backlighting, performance parameters, and more.

All of these settings can be changed in real time, according to your preferences, so that's an added quality of life touch that sets this Radeon graphics card apart from others on this list. 

Gigabyte Radeon RX 580 XTR Specs: 

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• VRAM: 8 GB GDDR5 256-bit
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• Cooling system: Windforce 2X
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• Max resolution: 7680x4320
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• Power supply requirement: 500W
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• Core Clock:\n
  \n
  • OC mode: 1439 MHz
  \n
  • Gaming mode: 1425 MHz
  \n
  \n
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Gigabyte Radeon RX VEGA 56

Price: $499.00
Buy it on: Amazon

The Gigabyte Radeon RX VEGA 56 is an equally impressive alternative to the GTX 1070 Ti graphics card, but it puts a stronger focus on VR gaming due to its implemented Polaris technology. This new architecture combines low latency, smart software, and powerful computing that together provide a silky smooth virtual reality experience.

VR is also the reason why this graphics card is based specifically on the second generation of High Bandwidth Memory (HBM2), which is especially useful for performance-sensitive consumer applications, such as virtual reality.

Additionally, the Polaris graphics architecture guarantees smooth performance for all those interested in streaming games through platforms like Twitch while maintaining a high-quality broadcast without sacrificing gameplay quality. 

Gigabyte Radeon RX VEGA 56 Specs: 

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• VRAM: 8 GB HBM2 2048-bit
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• Cooling system: Air cooling
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• Max resolution: 7680x4320
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• Power supply requirement: 650W
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• Core Clock:\n
  \n
  • Boost: 1471 MHz
  \n
  • Base: 1156 MHz
  \n
  \n
\n

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 Ti

Price: $489.99
Buy it on: Amazon

The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1870 Ti is the perfect solution for any gamers looking for the best graphics card under $500. There are several other options with the same processing power on the market from Asus and MSI, but the innovative cooling solution from Gigabyte delivers the most effective heat dissipation capacity for highest possible performance currently on the market.

This graphics card is built for extreme overclocking, engineered with the same high-grade chokes and capacitors as those of Titan X graphics cards. This technology protects the card from overheating and provides stabler voltage output.

Lastly, the 3D Active Fan provides semi-passive cooling, allowing gamers to enjoy gameplay in complete silence. 

GeForce GTX 1070 Ti Specs: 

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• VRAM: 8 GB GDDR5 256-bit
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• Cooling system: Windforce 3X Blade Fan Design
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• Power supply requirement: 500W
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• Max resolution: 7680x4320@60Hz
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• Core Clock:\n
  \n
  • Boost: 1721 MHz / Base: 1632 MHz (OC Mode)
  \n
  • Boost: 1683 MHz / Base: 1607 MHz (Gaming Mode)
  \n
  \n
\n

This year's flagship in the graphics cards department, a fully-enabled nVidia Titan Xp, resulted in a much faster build than previous throne holders: GeForce GTX 1080 Ti and Titan X. It's hard to say whether this is good or bad for the market, but it sure is costly, reaching well over $1000, which is not what most gamers are looking for.

So how do you approach the similar level of performance without investing so much money? Fortunately, the manufacturers of GeForce and Radeon graphics cards offer several excellent solutions all under $500.

If that's what you're looking for, then check out this top 5 of the best budget graphics cards of 2017.

With services like Netflix and Hulu taking over most consumers' cable boxes, will GeForce Now take over gaming rigs and laptops?

I don't think GeForce Now will do either of those things for a few simple reasons we'll get to soon. Let's first talk about what GeForce Now promises. It promises the ability to play any game in any virtual library, such as Steam or GOG, on any computer. This has been promised in the past. Two services that come to mind are OnLive, which opened its doors in 2003 that went out of business in 2015, and GameFly. The key difference between GeForce Now and the other two services is that they were rental services.

So, you would rent game time for any game out on the market and be able to play as much as you could in the time you rented them for. OnLive eventually went belly-up in 2015. GameFly is still going but they got rid of their streaming side and are sticking with the old model of mailing physical disks. So, with those two out of the way, the market is ripe for another attempt, but is GeForce Now ready to take on the challenges?

GeForce Now's Ownership Situation 

This isn't the worst thing about the service but it definitely detracts from it in some ways. That fact is that you must already own a copy of the game in a digital format in order to make use of the service. This is nice, in that you can play Total War: Warhammer on your MacBook Air, but the downside is that you can't try out games that your hardware can't handle. I know that part of the purpose of the service is utilizing the power of a GTX 1080 GPU to give you superior quality, but I just don't see the point in using it on a game you can already run, and why would you buy a game if you then have to pay again to just stream it? Which leads nicely into the next point.

GeForce Now's Price

The first reason I think it will fail is the price. They announced that it was going to be $25 for 20 hours of gameplay which makes it $1.25 per hour. Now that may not sound too bad when you consider some games that cost $60 only give you around 15 hours of content which equates to $4 per hour. So if you're on the go, and staying in a hotel, your internet speed is probably going to be somewhere between 20Mbps and 60Mbps, unless you stay in a really swanky hotel. And most of those speeds are paid for, typically around $20 or so per every few hours, though some nicer hotels you pay per night. Now you most likely won't go through all 20 hours in a hotel room, but still, that does add to the total cost. This brings me to my second point, the internet speed requirement.

Plus, let's say you do get the service with the MacBook Air you have for school. And let's say you play 40 hours a week. So that's $50 a week on games you already had to purchase, just to play them on your Mac. Which is about $200 per month you're spending just to play the games, not to mention the $30-$60 per game you purchase. If you instead saved that money you could buy a gaming rig with a GeForce 1080 GPU in it within 9 months, and that's if you go for an expensive one that is pre-built.

GeForce Now's Speed

Most internet providers have 25Mbps as the baseline nowadays, but you really need at least twice that. There are a few reasons for this:

You may be thinking, yeah but Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video are doing great things with movies! Why won't games be the same? They are fundamentally different. To get a 4K version of a movie, it's a larger file size, so you need a faster transfer speed to achieve the level of detail a 4K quality provides. Through Netflix and Amazon Video, this speed is around 18Mbps, hence why they recommend having 25Mbps. This is still much less than you get with a physical 4K copy, which, if using the right cables, is more along the lines of 180Mbps. That's ten times more data than what you get through streaming.

Now, imagine adding not only the 4K video quality, but the gameplay, interactive cutscenes, low-latency controls, thousands of lines of code controlling NPCs, character customization, and all the other information that needs to seamlessly be transferred from the cloud to a computer without any lag or stuttering, and you get very close to the 180Mbps that you get with a quality HDMI cable. 

When you take all that together, and realize that the average internet speed in the United States is around 55Mbps, and your target audience is people who can't afford gaming laptops, and probably can't afford 200Mbps internet speeds, then you're not going to get anywhere near the level of fidelity that the service is touting it can give.

Plus, depending on your provider and location, the prices on internet speed and reliability of service vary wildly, not to mention the hardware in terms of router and modem that are required to handle these speeds even for a small apartment can run near $200.

The worst place to try this service out is at your local coffee shop. Even the hugely popular Starbucks only nets you an internet speed of 10Mbps. Which means you won't be streaming Mass Effect: Andromeda while enjoying a buttery croissant any time soon. And why would you stream it in your home when you have your gaming rig or console right next to you?

In summary, I think that GeForce Now is an interesting idea, but hopefully it paid some attention to OnLive. The cloud has grown a lot just in recent years, and internet speeds throughout the nation can certainly handle the needed power, it's just a matter of how useful it will be to play games on a non-gaming computer outside of your home, where you most-likely have one. Though Nvidia believes that there are an estimated 1 billion people that want to play games but can't afford a gaming  or console.

Do you think that GeForce Now is going to be a smashing success or will it be a failure at launch? Let's discuss in the comments!

At CES, NVIDIA announced the upcoming launch of its video game streaming service Geforce Now.

This service will connect users with non-game ready PCs to powerful PASCAL-powered computers via the cloud, allowing gamers whose computers are unable to handle modern AAA games (such as PCs with integrated graphics, Apple computers, or note/netbook computers) to access a variety of games and apps, including Netflix and their full Steam library. Previously available on the Nvidia SHIELD, Geforce Now will be available to all PC and Mac users.

Users will be able to use virtually any device to access and play the available library -- but instead of having to have their own gaming rig to connect to as with Steam's Big Picture streaming service, they would connect to a series of gaming-ready computers managed by NVIDIA.

This would open up PC gaming to a large number of people -- estimated at one billion by NVIDIA -- who currently lack the necessary hardware. It will even allow Mac users to access their entire Steam libraries -- including the plethora of PC games that are unavailable on Mac OS.

Geforce Now heads into Early Access in March 2017, with initial pricing set at $25 per 20 hours of gameplay. Other plans with increased features will also be available.

In 2016, many new things appeared and excited gamers, while many old things popped up out of their graves and surprised us. Some of these trends might continue into 2017 and some might not. Let's hope a majority do. 

We can't predict everything that is going to happen, so we can just wait and enjoy what is to come. 

Second Lives for Old Games

There are many games that try to make a mark on the field of gaming and sometimes, it just doesn't happen. Games fail to make a mark and simply disappear and die off. The fan bases for those games are often left without much else and have to move on. However, we saw something different happen this year: Evolve got a second life.

Released back in 2015, Evolve was a highly hyped game but left many disappointed. The game had a big player base that died off a few weeks after its release, and the game was proclaimed dead by the gaming community. 

But Evolve went free to play in 2016, giving it new life. Turtle Rock Studios opened the floodgates and tried to resurrect their dead game -- and it actually worked. There was a massive influx of new players wanting to try out Evolve as well as an influx of returning players wanting to see what was new.

Though 2k is stopping production of the game even after the resurgence of interest, this little experiment shows us that dead games don't have to stay dead. Maybe developers could resurrect other old gems, too.

"Development Hell" Games Releasing

The only wait that seems as long as waiting for VR to become a thing is the eventual release of a "development hell" game. Several games that many gamers have been waiting years for are finally releasing (or have a release date).

The world will finally get their hands on games like Final Fantasy XV, The Last Guardian and Persona 5. Many gamers have been waiting for these games since the last generation of consoles and though Persona 5 is releasing in 2017, we have do (finally) a release date for it.

The wait will finally be over.

Nvidia Geforce 1000 Series

Though this is more relevant for the PC gamer, the fact that Nvidia managed to develop and release an entirely new line of graphics cards is great. The Geforce 900 series released back in 2014, so the release of the 1000 series is a nice upgrade for those of us looking for new tech.

With the 1000 series being more affordable than Nvidia's Titan Xs, gamers can look forward to cards that won't completely break the bank. And even if you don't want to buy a 1000 series card, the 900 series of cards will obviously go down in price, since they are no longer the latest tech on the market.

Cross-Platform Play

Cross-platform play is something that many gamers have wanted for quite some time. From some wanting to crush players on other platforms to prove console superiority, to others just wanting to play with friends who own other platforms, cross-platform play is something that many gamers thought may never actually happen.

But in 2016, it did. 

With Microsoft pushing integration between Windows 10 and Xbox One and with Rocket League opening up cross-platform play with PCs and consoles, the barriers between platforms are slowly but surely crumbling.

Class Based Team Shooters

From Overwatch to Paladins and Battleborn to Paragon, any gamer can see the interest in team shooters increased in 2016. After the release of the last really memorable team shooter, Team Fortress 2, there had been a drought of class-based team shooters. 

Though a couple of these games haven't been fully released (some are still in beta) and Battleborn having basically died, it can be seen that there's an emergence of interest in team shooters from gamers and developers alike.

FPS Resurgence

The first-person-shooter genre had been in sort of a rut for a while. With many gamers swapping genres, sticking to staples such as Counter-strike, or just downright bemoaning about the lack of innovation, the FPS genre was thought to be in decline.

So when several excellent FPS games released in 2016, everyone was surprised. DOOM surprised many gamers with its excellent single player campaign. Battlefield 1 excited players with its World War One setting. And TItanfall 2 gave gamers an interesting campaign, which built upon the polished gameplay from the first title.

In a nutshell: 2016 has been a good year for the FPS genre.

Virtual Reality Gaming

Virtual reality is finally here. After decades of dreaming and waiting, virtual reality is finally in the hands of people. Though it may be more for enthusiasts at the moment, virtual reality and virtual reality gaming exists, and it isn't completely terrible.

Of course, there are issues with virtual reality, but it is still young. From the pricier headsets and setups on the PC with the Vive and Rift, to the the first console headset in the PSVR and the affordable Gear VR and Google Cardboard, VR is here to stay -- and we can look back on 2016 as the year it really took off.

Japan Embraces the PC

For the longest time, if you wanted to play an English port of a Japanese game, you'd have to get it on a console. But since 2015 Japan has been porting more and more games to the PC.

With games such as Zero Time Dilemma, the Danganronpa series and God Eater making their way to the PC, some Japanese developers have showed that they understand that there is a market for their games on the PC and hopefully, other developers and publishers will see the same.

Pokemon Go

Arguably one of the most talked about games during the summer months, Pokemon Go released and took the world by storm. Anyone and everyone was talking about it. Everyone was writing about it. And everyone was playing Pokemon Go. Old players and new players all picked up their phones and installed the app, wandering the world to catch pokemon. Even if the fad has died down since, Pokemon Go left its mark.

The gaming industry is always evolving and changing as the years go on. Trends always change and technology is always being invented. And despite how some people may say that the gaming industry hasn't changed or that it is in a rut, there are clear signs that great things have been happening and that the industry is trending up.

Here are 9 of the coolest things that happened in gaming in 2016.

As one of the premiere tech demos of the HTC Vive, Nvidia released a free game on Steam called the Nvidia VR Funhouse. From the start, Nvidia has stated that they would release the source code for the project allowing the modding community to make some impressive ideas for themselves. Now, it's finally here.

Nvidia is also releasing five of their own mods to get the ball rolling. Their creations are mostly for visual purposes, but are imaginative in their own respective ways. Big Top covers your carnival with one big circus tent. Great Moles of Fire engulfs the rodent boxers in flames, and Super Whack-A-Mole allows players to essentially play Whack-a-Mole but in 360 degree movement. 

According to the GeForce blog, Nvidia has always intended to make this software open source.

"NVIDIA VR Funhouse will be open sourced, so developers, artists and enthusiasts can learn from our work to make their own, compelling experiences even better.”

Nvidia VR Funhouse is free and available now on Steam, and the VR Funhouse Mod Kit can be reached via the Epic Games launcher in the Modding tab.

Following NVIDIA's plan to launch the GeForce GTX 1060 on July 19th, rumors have cropped up about a 3 GB variant for the mid-end graphics card. It sports a $149 price tag and a ton of cool specs that make it a direct competitor to AMD's RX 470.

Funnily enough, the RX 470 has a $149 price tag itself. It's obvious which graphics card NVIDIA is looking to outperform here.

But if we're being honest, the GTX 1060 will be a beast even with 3 GB VRAM. Expect to be able to play almost any game at 1080p and 60fps.

Of course, should you decide to go for the 3 GB variant of the GTX 1060, then you should expect a considerable downgrade in terms of specs.

Specifications:

• Memory Bus: 192 Bit
• VRAM: 3 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR5
• TDP: 100 Watts
• Die Size: 16 nm
• Memory Speed: 1506 MHz (Turbo: 1708 MHz)
• CUDA Cores: 1152
• Architecture: Pascal GP106-300-A1 core
• Power Connector: 6-Pin

There's a lot that we can learn from those specs. For instance, the 6 GB version is based on an entirely different GPU-- so we can expect it to perform differently than its 3 GB counterpart. The GTX 1060 6 GB is based on the GP106-400-A1 GPU, not the GP106-300-A1.

The 1152 CUDA cores are also fewer than the 1280 cores on the 6 GB variant. Couple that with lower memory speed, and it's obvious how the GPU manages to fit the $149 price tag. The silver lining comes with a lower TDP of 100 Watts.

Still, it does outperform the RX 470 which retails for the same price. At least, it does on paper. But according to a recent leaked benchmark, the GTX 1060 does outperform the RX 480.

That's all well and good, but do remember that we have nothing to go on at the moment. We're going to need actual benchmarks before we whip out the wallet and get one of these shiny new GPUs. (But if you need a new one in the meantime, you can always check out our guide to the best graphics cards for 2016, or the best graphics card under $200.)

Do you think we have a beast on our hands? Are you thinking about buying the 3 GB variant for the GTX 1060? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

It's that time of the year again. The launch of another set of new GPUs and another assault on the wallets of gamers all over the world. With so many confusing numbers, specs, prices, rumors and benchmarks, buying a graphics card when you have no idea what you're doing can be one of the most daunting tasks in building a PC.

Maybe you're looking for the most powerful GPU available on the market. Maybe you want something that's a little cheaper or maybe you just want something that will let you play Overwatch.

Well, I'm here to solve all your problems by telling you exactly what will fit your budget.

Note: The specifications are taken from the Founder's Edition or Reference Versions. Specifications of variants like MSI and EVGA may vary.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080:

The first card on our list is also the first card that was released on the market. Playing for Team Green, it's arguably the strongest GPU in the world right now. Oh, and what sweet specs it offers:

Specifications:

• Memory Bus: 256 Bit
• VRAM: 8 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR5X (Faster than GDDR5)
• Power Consumption: 180 Watts
• Die Size: 16nm
• Memory Speed: 1251 MHz
• Memory Bandwith: 320.3 GB/sec
• Price: from $699

Variants:

GTX 1080 has a ton of variants. But which one should you buy? My advice would be to buy the most powerful variants on the market which would be the Zotac AMP Extreme or the ASUS ROG Strix Gaming OC. The are definitely the most value for money GPUs.

Verdict:

It doesn't really get much better than this. One of these GPUs is enough to run pretty much any game in 4K res. I shudder to think what two or even 4 of these could do. Anyways, get this if you've got cash to spare because it's definitely an excellent upgrade from pretty much any GPU you're using. It practically wipes the floor with cards like the Fury X or the GTX 1080 ti.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070:

Is this the real life? A GPU that is astoundingly cheaper than the GTX 1080 yet only a tiny bit worse off? That is the case with the GTX 1070 which is touted as NVIDIA's budget GPU. It's pretty high end and only gives a few less frames than the 1080.

Specifications:

• Memory Bus: 256 Bit
• VRAM: 8 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR5
• Power Consumption: 150 Watts
• Die Size: 16nm
• Memory Speed: 2002 MHz
• Memory Bandwith: 256.3 GB/s
• Price: from $450

Variants:

There's some great variants here too. The Gigabyte G1 Gaming and the MSI Gaming X variants are excellent. I advise you to get those as, again they're the best value for money.

Verdict:

The GTX 1070 is the 1440p king. While it's capable of running most games on 4K ultra, if you want 60fps, then you're gonna have to lower the resolution. So if you own a 1440p display, then this is definitely the card for you. It's only a tad bit weaker than the GTX 1080 and a whole lot cheaper.

AMD Radeon RX 480 (4 GB, 8GB):

Ah, yes. Finally an item from Team Red. If you've been a gamer all these years, then you've probably been told to stay away from AMD. Either you stuck to NVIDIA or you kept faith. If you did, then it's paying off. The RX 480 is the most value GPU on the market. It's had a somewhat controversial release with early benchmarks foreshadowing a lack in performance. Then there's the fact that the reference model could potentially damage motherboards. Despite all that, when the variants roll in, we could have a potential monster on our hands.

Specifications:

• Memory Bus: 256 Bit
• VRAM: 4GB, 8GB
• Memory Type: GDDR5
• Power Consumption: 120 Watts
• Die Size: 14nm
• Memory Speed: 1750 MHz
• Memory Bandwith: 224 GB/s
• Price: $199 for 4 GB, from $280 for 8 GB

Variants:

Variants are currently on the way but I would advise you to get any variant with an 8-pin connector. It's been reported that a 6-pin RX 480 may damage your motherboard. AMD claims it's a driver issue but you're better safe than sorry.

Verdict:

RX 480 is the 1080p King but if you've got something like the GTX 970 or a 980, then you're better off not upgrading to this. If you've got something older, like the R9 390 or a 780ti, then this would be a great upgrade. It should be able to let you kick any game's ass on 1080p ultra.

Upcoming GPUs:

The fun's not over yet though. If somehow, none of the above GPUs take your fancy, then you can wait for some of the other ones:

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080Ti:

It's being much hyped and it's definitely going to be very expensive indeed. But, here you have the perfect enthusiast GPU on your hand. Future proof? You bet. Get this if you don't want to upgrade for a couple of years. When it comes to PC gamers, they want the best and the best comes in the form of the GTX 1080Ti because I'm sure it will be able to kick Battlefield 1's ass at 4K.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060:

Specs are just in and the GTX 1060 is launching next week. According to NVIDIA, it provides performance equivalent to the GTX 980 but we don't have much to go on at the moment except for a hefty price tag.

Specifications:

• Memory Bus: 192-bit
• VRAM: 6 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR5
• Power Consumption: 120 Watts
• Die Size: 16nm
• Memory Speed: 2000 MHz
• Memory Bandwith: 192 GB/s
• Price: from $249

Verdict:

I don't know what to think here. NVIDIA says that it's "15 percent faster and over 75 percent more power efficient than the Radeon RX 480." But the price point might just be a deal-breaker for most people. It's definitely great on paper but we don't have actual benchmarks to go. Another deal-breaker would be the fact that there is no SLI support for this GPU. I think you should wait for benchmarks before buying this GPU.

AMD Radeon RX 460 and RX 470:

Well, looks like AMD is turning into Santa Claus by granting the wishes of the Budget Gamer. It's gone ahead and released two "eSports GPUs" which is a nice way to say that they're not meant to run demanding games. Except that, as of right now they should be good to go. They can definitely run games like The Division and Witcher 3 which can get very demanding. The RX 460 has 4 GB VRAM while the RX 470 has 8 GB VRAM. That's kinda overkill for a game like League of Legends. Let's see what the performance is truly like before we have a verdict though. Right now, the price is $99 for the RX 460 and $149 for the RX 470.

AMD Radeon RX 490:

Coming up next from Team Red would be the RX 490. It's meant to provide competition to NVIDIA's GTX 1080 but at this point we have no idea about how it will perform. Considering that the GTX 1080 is meant to be a 4K-Ready GPU, we should expect the RX 490 to be able to max out games at 4K on at least 40fps like the GTX 1080. It should also be on the GDDR5X Memory Type. I think if the RX 490 manages to beat the GTX 1080 in terms of price, then it could potentially take back a lot of market share from NVIDIA.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan P:

Let's admit it. There's people who will always want the best on the market and NVIDIA knows this. The GTX Titan P will definitely be able to satiate any enthusiasts out there that wish to do crazy stuff like run Witcher 3 and The Division at the same time. If you're not gonna do any crazy stuff, then I don't know why you'd want a Titan P though. You could buy a GTX 1080 and simply upgrade in a few years.

Conclusion:

2016 is proving to be the year of the hardware upgrade. With great budget GPUs coming out left and right, the time to upgrade is finally nigh. Whether you go for a monster like the GTX 1080 or the more laid back RX 480, you're definitely looking at some great gaming ahead of you.

For the past few years, the most powerful graphics card for your PC has been the GeForce Titan. The Titan is able to run any game at the highest settings without any hiccups. 

A few months ago, Nvidia started releasing the graphics cards for its new Pascal line, starting with the GeForce 1070 and 1080 back in May to great reviews. The rest of the Pascal line of graphics cards, including the GeForce 1060, is set to be released this week on July 7th. But it looks like that might not be the only thing Nvidia has in store.

There are now rumors that the next card Nvidia plans to release for its Pascal line of graphics cards is the Titan P. It is rumored to have 50% more performance than the GeForce 1080. It will have two different memory options: 12 gigabytes or 16 gigabytes.

There is no release date announced yet, but we will be expecting one from Gamescom in Germany, which starts on August 17 and runs through the 21st. 

Building a PC? You might want to hold back on buying an Nvidia 1070 or 1080 anytime soon. Because AMD recently unveiled their newest graphics card -- and not only does it come virtual-reality ready, but it even plans to go head-to-head with Nvidia's GTX 1080.

However, the card's biggest advantage is the price. The RX480 GPU will be available for the low cost of $199.

The RX480 is expected to come virtual-reality ready. It is based off AMD's recent Polaris architecture, and will be available in different memory configurations. The card will come included with most of AMD's recently developed features, such as the technology to smooth out frame rates and provide quality HDR gaming.

On paper, the value of AMD's new graphics card is nothing to scoff at. 

Features of the RX480 include:

• AMD Freesync Technology. Low-latency experience at virtually any framerate.
• Premium game streaming. The new Radeon GPU is a dream for anyone serious about streaming and recording their favorite games.
• HDR ready. Sharp, colorful, and vivid images.
• Polaris Architecture. The graphics card is strong, yet surprisingly cool and quiet.
• Virtual-reality capabilities.

The RX480 includes HDR, expanding the range of colors on compatible display.

AMD seems to be taking a different route with their marketing. Instead of advertising towards the hardcore gamers like Nvidia, they're targeting the low-mid range player-base. 

So if you're looking to make the transition to PC gaming, you'll probably find it best to look into AMD's newest creation. Not only is it expected to be the "console-killer," but at its low price, it might just even be the "Nvidia-killer" until they properly respond.

The RX480 is rumored to hit store shelves in late July.

NVIDIA made a surprise reveal this weekend at the DreamHack gaming event in Austin, Texas, when CEO Jen-Hsun Huang showcased the company's first Pascal-based graphics processing unit: the GTX 1080.

The card, which ranks higher in performance and power efficiency than NVIDIA's current Titan X, features nine teraFLOPS (floating-point operations per second) of computing power as well as 8GB of GDDR5X memory.

A chart highlighting the VR gaming performance of popular high-end NVIDIA graphics cards, with the GTX 1080 outperforming in both performance and power saving capabilities

Huang said during the event:

"Several thousand people have been working on this project now, for more than two years. This is the largest GPU endeavor, the largest chip project endeavor, the largest processor endeavor in the history of humanity. The RnD budget was several billion dollars."

The new card drew warm reception from both the audience at the event and online, with one person online expressing remorse for those who had purchased a Titan X instead of waiting for the GTX 1080. The card not only has better performance and efficiency than the Titan X, but also costs less than the Titan X by $400 USD. 

The GTX 1080 is set to hit store shelves on May 27.

NVIDIA also made mention of the GTX 1070, which is cheaper but is still more powerful than the Titan X. The GTX 1070 will run $379 and rocks 6.5 teraFLOPS and has 8GB of GDDR5 RAM. Those cards will start hitting shelves on June 10.

Nvidia recently released its new GeForce Game Ready 365.10 WHQL drivers. This update aims to optimize Nvidia cards for the Forza Motorsport 6: Apex open beta, Overwatch open beta, the ongoing Paragon beta, as well as Battleborn.

Overwatch is Blizzard Entertainment's team-based first-person shooter. Being one of the most anticipated games of 2016, it is finally getting an open beta starting May 4th at 4pm PST. The driver update will not only ensure for smooth framerates, but will also enable SLI support. You can get into the open beta by downloading the Battle.net launcher, and selecting the highlighted button in the Overwatch tab.

Paragon is Epic Games' Unreal 4 Engine powered MOBA. It has an ongoing set of free stress tests on the weekend. The next one, which will run May 5th through May 8th, will include all players who have already signed up for the beta. The driver update is to further optimize the performance of the game on Nvidia cards.

Battleborn is Gearbox Software's foray into a MOBA style first-person shooter, being dubbed as a "hero shooter." The game has both competitive multiplayer, and a co-op story modes. The driver update aims the ensure smooth gameplay, by keeping the framerate solid. Battleborn is being released on May 3rd.

Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is Turn 10 Studios' first game on the Windows platform, based off the 6th game of the franchise, Apex is bringing Forza to the PC. It will not only be free-to-play, but also run on DirectX 12, and a 4k resolution, with an open beta starting on May 5th. Featuring a taste of the single player action, the beta will take players through a focused tour of what the full game will have to offer.

You can download the Nvidia GeForce Game Ready 365.10 WHQL drivers now through their GeForce Experience application by going to the drivers tab.

Similar to Steam's Family Sharing, Nvidia & GeForce are allowing users to share their games for friends to play, but over their Chrome browsers, so you can share regardless of whether you and your friends are on PC or Mac.

Tools

Two people are involved in this process: the player who will experience the game they do not own, and the game owner, who sets it up for them.

What the player needs:

• Chrome Browser & Network connection
• Chrome GeForce Experience plug-in

 What the game-owner needs:

• Nvidia GTX Graphics card
• Early Access beta GeForce Experience Software
• A game compatible with Nvidia (Must appear in Nvidia GeForce software)
• Network connection

Note: Steam is not a requirement for either party. It is likely recommended for this to work that you do not play through Steam, but through the Nvidia interface.

How to play

Game-Owner's duties: 

1. Play your game through the Early Access Beta Nvidia GeForce Experience software. While in-game, pull up the interface.

2. Select Stream>Guest controls>Plays as me>Done.

3. In the top-right corner of the GeForce Software, select ShadowPlay. A separate, small window will open. Toggle the left switch to on. Ensure that Mode, ShadowTime, Quality, and Audio are lit as well as the on switch. Re-launch game.

4. Via the GeForce interface. Select Stream, then send invite**

5. Input player's email and your name. Send invite.

**Alternatively: Share a link instead of emailing the player. To do so, simply click Copy invite URL instead of Send Invite in Step 4.

Player's duties:

1. Open email, select Accept Invite.

2. This will open the Chrome browser and plug-in to activate the game. Select join game.

3. To enable gameplay, begin using WASD + Mouse controls.

Other cool features to experience

Play PC/Mac Cross-Platform - Play with any computer and any Chrome browser. It was tested with Macs, and can even play PC/Mac during multiplayer sessions.

Full Game Access - Open and close menus, tinker with items and settings, play as characters, and go on quests as though you own the game.

GameStream Co-Op - If you want this to be a co-op experience, that's also available. You can have both online and local co-op experiences. Play in single-player, co-op or multiplayer games. Play with friends, people you meet online, and viewers in your live streams.

Share Limitations - The only downfall for players is there is a one hour gameplay cap. However, there is an unlimited number of sessions, so you just need to restart a fresh session.

Sharer Freedom - Game sharers are only required to share the game. You don't have to be present for their session. You can boot up the game, share it, and leave. It's that easy.

This feature is now in Early Access Beta for download, complete with a list of host PC specs that you will need for GameStream co-op features. Other features in the beta include Twitch streaming and video recording. 

Following the new Apple TV announcement, Nvidia released a bold Apple TV vs Nvidia Shield email to major presses. If that wasn't enough, Nvidia lashed out all the more. They released a blog post as well for the public, giving reasons why the Shield surpasses Apple TV.

The post is a very not-so-subtle jab at the iOS device, both promoting Nvidia Shield and bashing Apple TV in a tone that reads as though it were informal and off-record. In the end, it came off with a very bold tagline:

Welcome to the Game, Apple TV.

For those unfamiliar with Apple TV and Nvidia Shield's purposes, it's simple:

The console device connects to your television wirelessly, allowing you to stream TV, listen to music, and play video games. It's a great concept for any TV or PC gaming device to go up against big consoles.

So, why does Nvidia think they can pull a 2009 Kanye on Apple?

Its many features make it more unique, capable, and flexible.

Nvidia claims that if you're a person who doesn't rely on their "technological tendencies," and sway to certain brands, then they've set themselves apart. Some of the highlights include:

• Voice search & commands
• Expandable memory
• IO Options
• Android TV's flexibility 
• Nvidia GRID & GameStream PC Game Streaming services
• $199.99

The Apple TV isn't incredibly powerful toward PC game streams, but it can stream small indie games. It also allows for other features, including:

• App Store
• Universal Apps support
• Siri remote with touchpad, mic, motion-enabling
• Voice search and commands
• Faster processor and better interface than before
• Multitask support to flip between apps
• 32GB for $149.99 or 64GB for $199.99

Nvidia Shield is Android and iOS device inclusive.

Nvidia understands if you're already invested in Apple's products, you'll go for the Apple TV. Apple devices support other Apple devices, so if you want to make sure that your iPhone and iPad work with the latest device, you're going for the one by Apple.

Apple is also known for the latest in innovative technology, good technology, and sometimes even supplying features you didn't even know you wanted. You can experience one iOS device by day, then another by night. Everything is cloud-connected.

Nvidia Shield has iOS covered, plus the Android community. The Shield is part of Android TV and has inclusive support - both Android and iOS devices are supported. 

According to GameSpot, the announcement email sent out claims:

"The new Apple TV reaffirms the category of next-gen smart TV consoles--which Nvidia invented with the Shield Android TV."

This is all based on matter of consumer opinion. If you're an Android user, you'll be using devices compatible with what you own. iOS users have their pick.

Did Nvidia come up with "tvOS" first? Maybe. But when new technology comes out and involves the old technology, crying out "FIRST" is about as useful there as it is in the comment section. You might be first, but others decide which one they like despite outcries.

Shield owners are free to play AAA PC titles.

Nvidia advertises their GRID and GameStream services to allow streaming of your PC games. The Apple TV 4 is limited in what it can do in terms of gaming, as already mentioned. 

So, does that mean that Nvidia won this round? It's a toss whether you wish to use your PC games on your devices or you're content with whatever is available on the Apple App Store. 

Are media streamers usually game streamers? Sometimes, but not often. Apple TV also promises some games everyone might be into, like Disney Infinity and Beat Sports.

That's not mentioning the platform-exclusive Crossy Road. There is still promise for future games, but that's all dependent on developers.

Another thing to mention is a wonder what "Free to play" really means for Nvidia. As shown above, GRID will be ending their free service, restricting free gaming to GameStream. GameStream has limited their titles and lists what is available for gamers. 

The question applies to either device: Did your game make the cut? 

There's no way to point fingers at "who won" in this situation. Do you prefer general media? Gaming? Media and gaming? Do you already have a game streaming device? Are you a loyal fan of Nvidia or Apple?

Does it even matter? Nvidia thinks they have it figured out with a handy decision tree. 

It's your turn to decide. Does your lifestyle find itself leaning toward one or the other? Is there really a comparison to be made here? Is Nvidia making childish cries and making itself look bad? Write about it in the comments.

Header image source: shield.nvidia.com

The next version of Nvidia's GeForce Experience Program will let you share games on your PC, much like on your favorite consoles.

Currently, the GeForce Experience Program helps keep your video drivers up to date and optimzes your graphics settings for the games you like to play. With the upcoming version, however, the program will have an update called Share, which will bring a few new features to PC that will remind you of your consoles - like Nvidia's new GameStream Co-op feature.

GameStream Co-op mimics the feel of a local multiplayer experience by letting you share the game with a friend online - they can take over your controls and try out your game for themselves, or they can help you when you're stuck on a hard part, just like PS4's SharePlay.  Your friend can also play with you in a few supported multi-controller games like Mortal Kombat Komplete, Trine 3, FIFA 15, NBA 2K15, and Gauntlet. 

Share also gives you an easy way to record gameplay, has a new in-game overlay, and better tools for broadcasting, making the program great for streamers.

Share launches its early-access beta next month. While it requires streamers to have certain GPUs, their friends joining in the game don't have a minimum GPU requirement.

Here's a list of the current minimum required specifications:

Host PC:

• GPU: GeForce GTX 650 or higher graphics card (Desktop only, notebook support coming soon)
• GPU driver: 355.60 or higher
• CPU: Intel i3-2100 3.1GHz
• Memory: 4 GB or higher
• OS: Windows 7, 8, or 10
• Router:
  • Minimum: 802.11 a/g router
  • Recommended: 8.02.11n 5Ghz router or Ethernet
  • Recommended Network Bandwidth: 7 Mbps upstream
• Games: DirectX 9 or higher games running in fullscreen exclusive mode

Guest PC:

• GPU: No minimum requirement
• CPU: Intel i3-2100 3.1GHz or higher
• Memory: 4 GB or higher
• Software: Chrome version 44
• OS: Windows 7, 8, or 10
• Router:
  • Minimum: 802.11 a/g router
  • Recommended: 8.02.11n 5Ghz router or Ethernet
  • Recommended Network Bandwidth: 7 Mbps downstream

Will you be trying Share? Excited for the early-access beta? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

There’s a number of games releasing this year that I most definitely want to play: Just Cause 3, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and the recently released Splatoon. But there’s one game, released just a few days ago, that I’ve wanted to play for a long, long time now, more than any of those. That game was Batman: Arkham Knight, the conclusion to the epic Batman Arkham saga. Sadly though, this latest edition to the Batman: Arkham series is a continuation of its legacy of having issue(s) on PC at launch, even one-upping Arkham Origins. This continues a trend in PC Game development that has been going on for some time now, and it’s high time consumers finally realized this (and did something to combat it).

Every game in the series has had problems on PC at launch, but few series have had issues throughout like Batman: Arkham. Arkham Asylum had bugs where some players couldn’t grapple to certain locations at times when it was required to progress in the game. Arkham City had a ton of performance issues on launch, to the point that some people with the highest-end graphics cards of the time couldn’t run the game. 

Arkham Origins was notorious for its problems on PC, mainly due to the fact that the game wasn’t developed by the usual studio, Rocksteady. Instead, Warner Brothers Montreal made the PC port. The game had performance issues, reports emerged of the game crashing at seemingly unpredictable points, memory leaking issues. The game had a point where some users (including myself) ended up stuck in an area and couldn’t leave, no matter what you tried. Name an issue, and Arkham Origins probably had it. None of them, even Arkham Origins, compare to the epic shitstorm that was the launch of Batman: Arkham Knight, though, a game that was so buggy on launch (and still is at time of writing, a month after release) that many people decided to take advantage of Valve’s new refund policy and return the game. But Arkham Knight and its fellow additions to the series are not the first, nor the last, PC ports to have problems. In fact, they are just the latest in a trend that has been going on for years now…And something must change.

The infamous ledge that Batman couldn’t pull himself up onto, leaving the player trapped in Arkham Origins.

I was one of the unfortunate fools who decided, quite literally within half an hour of the game’s launch, to pre-order the game to get the pre-order exclusives of two skins and a story pack featuring Harley Quinn. As the clock hit 2am, my copy had finally finished downloading. Excitement and anticipation filled my very being, and what was the first thing I was greeted with? The game ‘flashing’ repeatedly which, with a bit more investigation, turned out to be the the program forcing itself between windowed borderless and fullscreen modes every half second or so. From what I can conclude, fullscreen mode flat-out doesn’t work with my rig. The game realises this and, to solve it, puts itself in windowed borderless mode. Then, for some reason, it decides to go back into fullscreen mode…which repeats the cycle every half a second or so.

To say I was pissed is an understatement. This is one of the primary issues of a mountain’s worth of them. After looking through (and raging on) the game’s Steam forums, I noticed two things. One: the amount of people going nuts about issues they were having, whether it be the game locking itself at 30 FPS, performance issues on graphics cards that quite clearly shouldn’t be having said issues, and, in rare cases, the same windowing problems as I did. Two: This seems to be an issue that primarily affects laptop and very few desktop graphics cards, making the game quite literally unplayable for anyone who decides to game on a laptop instead of a desktop. Yes, a game released in 2015 can’t properly run on a laptop. Well done guys, well done. 

The Void of Doom...Literally.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to issues with Arkham Knight. As I mentioned, the game is hard-locked to 30 FPS, something which many PC gamers, including myself, find unacceptable in this day and age when we should (and quite clearly can) run games like this far higher than a mere 30 FPS. Some of us can even run it to more than three times that, at 120 FPS. The game is also running insanely bad for some people who quite clearly should be able to run it; people with Titans, SLI’ed GTX 980s, graphics cards that should be perfectly capable of running a game like Arkham Knight on low settings at well over 120 FPS and, yet, cannot.

This trend of unacceptable PC ports has been going around in the PC games development industry for nearly a decade, dating at least to 2008 when Grand Theft Auto IV was ported to PC and was released in afrankly horrid state. Thankfully, this seems to be an experience that Rockstar North has learnt from (Grand Theft Auto V’s port to PC was very well done). GTA IV was plagued with similar issues to Arkham Knight on launch (some of which still persist today, 7 years after release), with many PC gamers who should have been able to run the game just fine on high graphics settings forced to downgrade to lower settings due to poor optimization on Rockstar North’s part. The game also had many texture errors, which usually led to texture flat-out failing to load leaving black spaces behind or even crashing the game in some cases.

To this day, many people have issues getting the game to run at all due to still-unknown reasons. For some people, running the game as an administrator works, for others running in compatibility mode for Windows 7 or even Windows XP works. It’s basically a roulette of people trying different solutions, rolling the wheel with all but one of the squares being “The game crashed. Oh well…” and hoping that they land on that one square that says “Congratulations, the game you paid £40/$60 for will now work!”

Yea...Grand Theft Auto IV had quite the texture issues at launch.

Another, more recent, example of this kind of bad porting (though to a much lesser degree) is Dragon Age: Inquisition. The game isn’t a bad port…on desktop. There was, and still is, an issue for mobile graphics card users that is almost identical to the issues currently plaguing by those exact same gamers playing Arkham Knight. That’s right, for 90% of mobile gamers, in fullscreen mode, Dragon Age: Inquisition flickers between fullscreen and a windowed mode in a resolution somewhere in between 720 and 1080p if you have a 1920×1080 monitor. Yes, this is yet another case of fullscreen mode flat-out not working for users of mobile graphics cards. Guess what? This issue was never resolved. 

When EA finally responded, after having the issue being reported to them on a regular basis (through a full petition and a 44-page forum post), they blamed nVidia and basically just passed the buck. When nVidia were questioned about this, they said that there was absolutely nothing wrong on their end and the problem was never solved. This issue can be fixed in the same way that it can in Arkham Knight (by forcing the game into windowed mode) but that comes with some hefty performance hits, sometimes to the point where one can’t play the game. Thanks EA/Bioware/nVidia! Because of one of you, I literally can’t play that game due to the bad performance.

Arkham Knight, Grand Theft Auto IV and Dragon Age: Inquisition are not alone in their issues at adapting to PC. The state that many PC versions have come out in in recent years is simply unacceptable. Games likeWWE 2K15, Prototype 2, State of Decay, Fallout 3, Dead Island… The list goes on. Valve’s blatant ignorance of the crappy ports that get on the Steam store over the last decade has also been a primary contributor to this. Sure, Steam’s recent changes to its refund policies is definitely a step in the right direction and should make a big impact on developers who make these kinds of lazy ports. However, we need to be able to fight back as a consumer against practices like this. Something as simple as if a developer is known to constantly release bad PC ports, they get a tag(s) on their Steam developer page or the pages of any games they’ve made…Something like that would deter some people from the ‘pre-order’ culture that we seem to live in nowadays.

Pre-order now to get...clothes.

The ‘pre-order’ culture, for the uninitiated, is one of the many problems consumer-side that are aiding the development of bad PC ports like the ones mentioned. Many games nowadays offer extra content if consumers commit to pre-ordering the game and, whilst that may seem great at first, what many don’t seem to realise is that what pre-ordering also does is give the developer their money before reviews are even released, so if the game is bad, the consumer is screwed. They’re stuck with a bad game, and the developer gets to run away with the cash without the consumer being able do a thing about it. This ‘pre-order’ culture that has developed over the last few years cannot be fixed or stopped quickly, but it can be slowed down.

If you are going to take something away from this article, take this: Stop pre-ordering video games. In a large percentage of cases, all it does is let developers continue to profit from these unacceptable PC ports and screws over the consumer. If you must pre-order a game however, take advantage of Valve’s new refund system and return the game immediately if you’re dissatisfied with it.

May I welcome you to the 'Pre-order Culture'.

If we start to fight against anti-consumer practices like this by using Valve’s refund system, then maybe we can start getting results like how Rocksteady (at the time of writing) has taken down all PC sales of Arkham Knight until they can iron out the issues. One can only assume, but I have a very large feeling that has to do with the amount of refunds that they’ve received over the last few days which is an amazing first step in getting rid of these practices.

At start of all this, I thought this was a predictable case of a botched PC launch. Now, between memory leaks and a full digital recall, I was beginning to think that maybe we'd seen all the twists in this little PC gaming soap opera. Yet the organ music is playing again, and what a twist it is: Nvidia is now putting its quality assurance and software engineer teams to work on Arkham Knight.

No, you did not just read that last sentence wrong. A graphics card manufacturer is helping a video game publisher and two developers get their act together so their game finally works. Why is Nvidia doing this? Well, Arkham City, Arkham Origins, and Arkham Knight all contain Nvidia specific features. Normally it's just extra minor details, but it's helped make City and Origins look far prettier on PC than they did on console. This was also supposed to be the case with Batman: Arkham Knight.

Instead, users have had widely varying results from using the Nvidia Gameworks features. Some say it makes their games run better. Some say it makes their games come to a crawl and are the main settings responsible for slowdown. Either way, the company has apparently taken it upon themselves to assist Warner Bros. and Rocksteady. In a statement sent to VideoGamer, Nvidia said:

We are working with WB Games and the development teams to address the performance issues of the PC version of Batman Arkham Knight. We have made our QA and engineering resources available and will provide updates when they are available. 

The big question is whether or not this aid will apply only to Nvidia gamers, or also to AMD users. In the past, Nvidia has given a few olive branches to AMD users, such as allowing their PhysX engine to run on AMD cards. However, if they ever wanted to make a case for exclusivity (and aren't worried about blowback), now would be the time. Perhaps just to ensure this isn't the case, AMD may offer similar aid.

Really, this just gets more surreal by the day. It's hard to tell where this story is headed, but we'll follow it as it proceeds. Will Nvidia get Arkham Knight playable? Will Warner Bros. stop releasing their games way too early? WIll Robin, the Boy Wonder, escape the clutches of the evil Joker? Find out as it all unfolds, same BatSkinny-time, same BatSkinny-website.

Update 3: Gotham's finest just can't catch a break tonight, it seems. Now apparently Nvidia GPU users are now also reporting issues. Additionally, it seems that while some have found upcapping the framerate has improved performance, others are reporting it actually further increases the stuttering frame rate.

Update 2: It seems users have already managed to figure out how to uncap the game's frame rate manually, and disable the otherwise permanently present Motion Blur effect. Bear in mind, this involves manipulating .INI configuration files, so be careful what you tinker with and backup the file just in case. For those who want to give it a whirl, here's the guide.

Update: It seems this is an issue that will impact all AMD users. To address this, Rocksteady has made a last minute change to the minimum graphics card requirements for AMD users. You now need, at minimum, and AMD 7950 with 3 Gigabytes of Video RAM in your graphics card in order to run Arkham Knight.

AMD themselves have also released a pair of driver updates, one for regular users, and for ones using Radeon 300 architecture. However, for these updates, they cite warnings that the game may crash when closed (seriously), or when you use the in-game benchmarking tool. Also, changing the resolution to 1680x1050 may make the screen turn black or pink (once again, not a joke). Bear these possible problems in mind if you plan on updating your drivers in advance.

Rocksteady has said they are working hard with AMD to fix the problem, so it is possible the game may become properly optimized within the coming weeks. Until then, AMD users should make sure their rigs can handle the game in its current state.

Original Story:

It's not even officially released, yet those with early access to Arkham Knight on Steam are reporting poor optimization for AMD. Apparently with the pre-Day One patch version of the game, you are locked in at 30 frames per second, half the speed the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions are touting. User reviews also cite an inconsistent framerate as well, even with the 30 FPS cap.

One thing left unclear is whether or not the Nvidia-exclusive features, such as Nvidia Gameworks, is the culprit for these issues. The Arkham series has always had Nvidia-exclusive features, so it might not be the case, but this is also an entry that has pushed its code to the limit, due to seamless environment streaming and extremely high quality model renders.

While it is too early to confirm if this is fixed by the Day One patch (which is reportedly 3.5 gigabytes, on top of the game's already sizable 50 gigabyte install), this may give concern to those who pre-ordered for PC. To say the sentiment on Steam is negative is an understatement, with negative reviews currently outnumbering positive ones.

Some more or less just in a froth of anger:

Others more mournfully disappointed:

We'll have to wait and see until the Day One patch hits, but if you have the option, it may be time to make a quick swap to the console version. For those without an option, you want to consider wrapping up anything you have left to complete in the previous games until Rocksteady cleans up their act on PC.

After three years of ups and downs, Valve has finally announced a release date for their first official Steam Machines: October 16th for some pre-orders, and November 10th for retail.

Alienware and CyberPower will release the first two lines of PC-console Steam Machines, which will run Linux-only SteamOS and will be able to stream Steam games from any local Windows or Mac computer. The Alienware Steam Machine will be fully upgradeable except its graphics chip, which, according to Dell, performs at the same level as a GeForce GTX 860M or better. The CyberPower Steam Machine will be fully upgradeable with support for graphic cards such as the Nvidia GTX Titan and AMD Radeon R9 290X.

Starting at $449, the Steam Machines will be available for retail on the same day as the Steam Controller and the TV-streaming Steam Link, both with a price of $50 each. 

Pre-orders for the Alienware Steam Machine, Steam Controller, and Steam Link start today at GameStop and Steam, along with the CyberPower Steam Machine on its site. GameStop, EB Games, Micromania, GAME UK, and Steam will pre-sell the Steam Controller and Steam Link as wel

Take a look at Alienware's Alpha iteration of the Steam Machine.

If you are a console gamer, then you may not understand the excitement that PC gamers experience at the idea of two letters at the end of their graphics card. That's perfectly ok, being free of the stress of keeping on top of technological trends can be very freeing. If you are a PC gamer, however, then you can't ignore a new flagship GPU from NVIDIA.

If you have been thinking of upgrading or breaking into PC gaming, this would be a very good time. The new 980 Ti sits at a much lower price ($649) than the GTX Titan X ($999) and should keep you secure well into the future.

The NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti was announced by NVIDIA yesterday alongside a short and sweet video. It comes with 6 GB of memory, supports DirectX 12 and is more than capable and pumping out 4k resolution. NVIDIA say of their new product:

Your games will be more immersive. They’ll run faster. And they’ll look better. And with a design that sips power rather than gulps it, gamers get quiet, cool operation. Noise or heat will never become a distraction. And, for those with space constraints, you can even use GTX 980 Ti in a small form-factor PC.

With the approach of DirectX 12, Virtual Reality, 4k monitors becoming more commonplace, and affordable and more graphically impressive but demanding games such as The Witcher 3 being developed, a new flagship GPU could not have come at a better time.