News

September 1 has arrived and so too have a batch of new LEGO sets to highlight the new month. While this isn’t the most packed lineup of all-new creations to hit store shelves like we saw in August, there are some notable models arriving as we begin closing out the 2022 set roster. From the latest in LEGO Ideas kit to this year’s annual Advent Calendars and more, we cover what you should buy and skip for the new LEGO sets in September.

Earlier this summer, Synology launched an all-new NAS in the form of the 5-bay DS1522+. Arriving with user-upgradeable functionality to back the robust features out of the box, I’ve been spending some time with the new release and its impressive 10Gb Ethernet capabilities to see just how good Synology’s latest and greatest can perform.

Today at IFA 2022 in Berlin, Samsung is announcing its all-new Odyssey OLED G8 gaming monitor. It seems to be the month for OLED gaming monitors, as CORSAIR just entered the UltraWide OLED market last week. However, Samsung is taking a different approach and delivering a more standard 34-inch 3440x1440p experience with a 175Hz refresh rate that doesn’t flex. Either way, this monitor is sure to take your setup to the next level and deliver a premium experience. Curious what it has to offer? Let’s take a closer look below.

Update: The September PlayStation Plus FREE games detailed below are now live for all subscribers.

Sony has now revealed the September PlayStation Plus free monthly games as well as some of the new titles coming to the Extra and Premium tiers. Everything kicks off next week on September 6, 2022 with three new freebie titles for all PlayStation subscribers alongside of new AAA titles coming to its on-demand game streaming service including Deathloop and Assassin’s Creed Origins, all of which is detailed below. 

Today, Audio-Technica is releasing its new AT-LP3XBT turntable. Old school record players have become increasingly popular over the years, whether it’s to enjoy the warm analog audio of older records, new releases coming to vinyl, or just as a notable piece of furniture in the living room. The new Audio-Technica AT-LP3XBT turntable delivers on all of that and more with a classic aesthetic and some modern-day extras like wireless Bluetooth connectivity. Head below for a closer look at the latest entry to the Audio-Technica turntable lineup. 

With the new LEGO Ideas Lighthouse just hours from hitting store shelves, today we’re taking a look at some other creations that might have the honor of becoming official sets down the road. As we do every month, for August we’re rounding up our favorite LEGO Ideas as well as all of the best creations that hit the 10,000 supporter threshold through the month. Headlined by a LEGO Parks and Recreation model, there’s plenty more highlighted below.

One of the biggest complaints console players have with their controllers is reliability. Stick drift is probably one of the most common grievances about controllers that have been used for a while. Thrustmaster has developed a unique way to deal with misbehaving thumbsticks by making the sticks a replaceable module on its Eswap controller. We got our hands on the latest iteration – the Thrustmaster Eswap S controller that simplifies the design from the older Eswap X and is also $30 cheaper than the older model. Be sure to hit the video below to see all of the details. 

Today Sony is announcing its latest entry into the home theater audio space, the HT-A3000 3.1-Channel Dolby Atmos Soundbar. Coupled with the Vertical Surround Engine and S-Force PRO Front Surround Technology, this new soundbar will deliver virtual surround sound so you can “enjoy the thrill of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.” You will also be able to seamlessly pair the soundbar with optional rear channel speakers for a true surround setup. Keep reading below.

Drop is well-known for its custom mechanical keyboards with premium builds, and it’s been awhile since we’ve seen an in-house keyboard design from Drop. Two years, in fact. The SENSE75 from Drop is a keyboard that the company “spent years carefully curating a typing and customization experience that the community would love.” What does the SENSE75 have to offer? Let’s take a closer look.

The new 8BitDo Ultimate Controller models have arrived. 8BitDo makes some of the most popular third-party controllers out there for a broad range of platforms (just about all of them) and it is now introducing its new Ultimate pro-grade solution. The brand already makes a series of gamepads for Switch, Windows, mobile platforms, the latest Xbox variants, and more, but the new 8BitDo Ultimate Controller will support all of them alongside included charging docks, various colorways, and more. Now available for pre-order, you can head below for more details. 

Next year in 2023, Disney will be celebrating its 100-year anniversary. The year-long celebration will likely see an appropriate amount of fanfare from the company, but ahead of time we can now report that LEGO builders will have something to look forward to. Arriving as next year’s licensed collectible minifigure series, the LEGO Group and Disney will be teaming up once again for a celebratory 100-year anniversary collection (71038).

It has been busy couple of weeks in the world of PlayStation with price hikes, the new DualSense Edge controller, PS VR2 details, and now, a new PlayStation 5 model spotted down under. Sony made some minor internal adjustments to its PS5 last year, but a 2022 model has been spotted in the wild just after the company dished up some unfortunate news of global price hikes (other than in the US) to the MSRPs on its flagship consoles. Head below for more details. 

A new PowerA Nintendo Switch charger launches today. The brand is easily among the most popular officially licensed third-party Nintendo Switch gear makers, including everything from its massive range of themed wired and wireless controllers to charging gear, Joy-con grips, protection travel cases, and more. It also delivers some of the lowest prices across many of these categories with regular sales on Amazon, and today we are looking the latest edition to the collection with the new dual controller PowerA Nintendo Switch charger. Head below for more details. 

As we near September, Amazon is detailing its Free Games with Prime titles for PC players. While many of these are lesser-known titles, like The Dig, Castle on the Coast, and Defend the Rook, two are pretty big names. Those two titles are Assassin’s Creed Origins and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition. How can you claim the titles, and what is required to play? Let’s take a closer look below.

After bringing some of its in-house IP to PC systems, Sony is expanding to your phones and tablets with the newly created PlayStation Studios Mobile Division, it announced today. The news comes along with an acquisition of mobile development house Savage Game Studios and is pointing at Sony potentially bringing some of its major intellectual gaming properties to an iPhone, Android device or iPad near you in the future. Head below for more details. 

Yesterday, Nintendo launched its all-new limited-edition Splatoon 3 Switch OLED console. Now shipments are beginning to arrive, and we’re going hands-on with the new release to see just how everything stacks up. Listings are still in stock now too, so if you like what you see with the neon designs and Inkling glyphs, you can still lock in your order.

After launching its first Wi-Fi 6E mesh system back in April, TP-Link is now launching its professional entry, the Deco XE75 Pro. Wi-Fi 6E support is still a prominent feature here with the tri-band setup using the usual 2.4 and 5.0 GHz bands in addition to the all-new 6.0GHz band. However, users will now have access to a 2.5Gb Ethernet connection allowing for greater throughput. This is a major upgrade over the normal gigabit connections in the XE75 model and is aimed at professionals dealing with large amounts of data. Keep reading below to learn more.

After seeing the new Sanctum Sanctorum drop back at the start of the month, many builders thought that this would be the largest LEGO Marvel set of the year. Now, 9to5Toys can report some more confident findings as to what to expect from one of the year’s most detailed and expensive creations. Clocking in at a massive $500 price point, the upcoming LEGO Marvel Black Panther set 76210 will surely be one of the largest MCU-themed sets to ever hit store shelves.

The Steam Deck changed the way many people enjoy PC games. It finally made PC gaming truly portable, and Valve has done an excellent job with (most) of the rollout and launch. However, one area that most complain about with the Steam Deck is its power, as it’s not quite as beefy as other handheld systems out there. But with the release of a new booklet about the Steam Deck, Valve, and Steam, the company shines a light on the fact that this is just the first version and we’re looking at a “multi-generational product” here. What does this mean? Let’s take a closer look below.

Amazon is looking to acquire EA, according to recent reports. As part of its continued efforts to take over the world – it just recently bought iRobot for $1.7 billion as well – Amazon is rumored to have an annoucenment for later today that will detail its potential acquisition of gaming sports giant EA. While rumors of such a deal have been floating around the internet as of late with mentions of Apple and Disney on the receiving end, inside sources are claiming the online retail giant has finally put an offer on paper. More details below. 

After first being revealed back in July, you can finally buy Nintendo’s new limited-edition Splatoon 3 Switch OLED. This special console is now available for purchase via several retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and Walmart, and retails for $359.99 shipped in either case. While this bundle doesn’t include the game itself, this is your chance to score an entirely unique and inked out Nintendo Switch OLED complete with plenty of Inkling iconography. It’s likely to sell out, so be sure to score one while you can. But if you’re not sold just yet, we break down exactly what to expect from the console below, as well as all the info on diving into this week’s first Splatoon 3 Splatfest event.

HyperX is diving into a new hardware category with the Armada 25 and 27 Gaming Monitors. HyperX isn’t bothering with the industry standard monitor stand and instead includes a desk mount and monitor arm right in the box. It’s also delivering solid mid-tier performance with FHD (1920×1080) at 240Hz on the 25-inch model and QHD (2560×1440) at 165Hz on the 27-inch panel. We got our hands on the 27-inch to try out. Be sure to hit the video below to see all of the details. 

Today, Anker is expanding its collection of Soundcore headphones with an all-new sub lineup for the series. Arriving with two new offerings, the Space collection now sports a pair of true wireless earbuds to go alongside a set of over-ear headphones and both are equipped with ANC and more budget-conscious price points. We’re going hands-on with the Anker Soundcore Space Q45 and A40 offerings to see how these new debuts stack up.

Today at Gamescom we’re getting our first look at the latest CORSAIR display, dubbed the XENEON FLEX. With a screen size of 45-inch and a resolution of 1440p with a 240Hz refresh rate and OLED panel, this flexible gaming monitor was made in partnership with LG. You read that right. Flexible. There are a few drawbacks to this high-end ultra-premium display, but they’re few and far between. So, what all does the flexibility bring to the table, and what can you expect from CORSAIR’s latest display? Let’s take a closer look below.

While rumors had surfaced previously, Sony more or less came out of just about nowhere to announce its new PlayStation DualSense Edge pro controller. Unveiled as part of the Gamescom show earlier this week, it is Sony’s first-ever pro controller designed to take on the likes of Xbox now aging Elite Pro V2 variant that has been around for years. With what appears to be deep user customization options, both in terms of software and hardware, we thought it would be a good idea to take a deep dive on everything we know so far about the upcoming PlayStation DualSense Edge pro controller below. 

A PlayStation 5 price increase is on the way. Unlike the Xbox Series S and Series X machines, locking down a PlayStation 5 at regular price is still quite difficult, despite some of the direct offers that have come available in the last week or so. But it appears things are going to get worse before they get better once again as Sony has now officially announced a price increase on a machine millions of gamers still haven’t even had a chance to purchase yet. The only real glimmer at the end of tunnel here is for US gamers, as it looks as though the price hike will only apply outside of the United States, for now. Head below for more. 

With Gamescom now finally underway, it’s time we got our look at the upcoming Unknown Worlds new sci-fi IP that was teased back at the beginning of the month. Moonbreaker is the studio’s turn-based tabletop-style real-time strategy game that we’ve been waiting to see. There’s a lot of unique aspects of it, and the game enters early access on Steam September 29, so long as all goes according to plan. Curious what all Moonbreaker brings to the table? Let’s take a closer look.

Samsung is unleashing its next-generation internal storage today with the new 990 PRO SSD lineup. Described as the company’s latest high-performance NVMe SSD, it is based on the PCIe 4.0 architecture with “lightning-fast speeds and superior power efficiency” as a follow-up to the 980 PRO heat sink edition – be sure to check out our tutorial review for installing one in your PlayStation 5. Clocking in with even faster transfer rate speeds than its predecessor alongside options with and without the heat sink, you can get a closer look at the new Samsung 990 PRO SSD lineup below. 

Today ViewSonic is announcing its latest entry into the professional display market with its all-new Forga-certified ColorPro 27-inch VP2786-4K monitor. It comes with 100% coverage of the Adobe RGB color gamut with true 10-bit color depth to ensure “masterpieces can be replicated in their truest form.” Users will also have access to the exclusive ColorPro Sense and ColorPro Wheel to further assist them in their artwork and workflow. Head below to learn more about this new ViewSonic display.

Much like previous rumors suggested, Sony has now officially unveiled the DualSense Edge wireless controller for PlayStation 5 – the first-ever pro-grade ultra-customizable controller developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Years of anticipation from PlayStation gamers alongside Microsoft’s competitor Elite series models have finally fueled the folks at Sony to develop and deliver what is essentially the very first official PlayStation pro controller. Head below for more details on the DualSense Edge wireless controller for PlayStation 5. 

Today, SteelSeries is unveiling a completely new audio lineup with nine total products: three speakers, five headsets, and a microphone. Starting off with the updated Arctis Nova line of headsets, we now have the Nova 7, 3, and 1, which deliver “best-in-their-class” performance and audio quality. Then we have the Arena 3, 7, and 9 speakers, which pack “powerful gaming audio for total immersion.” So without further ado, let’s take a look at the latest SteelSeries Nova and Arena lineups.

Today, Anker is launching an all-new addition to its collection of MagSafe power banks, with a just-revealed MagGo release that is its slimmest offering yet. Packing an expected 7.5W output, the new 5,000mAh power bank is designed especially for the latest iPhones with magnetic charging tech and a refreshed, compact design.

While not the exact PlayStation VR2 release date we were hoping for, it is now confirmed for next year. As anticipation ramps up for Sony’s PlayStation VR2 platform, we now have a better idea of when it will hit store shelves. Details on the system have been coming slowly but surely over the last year or so, but we now know PlayStation VR2 will indeed release in 2023, according to recent social posts from Sony on its Japanese Twitter account and on Instagram. Head below for more details. 

Back at the end of July, Logitech released a new collection of gaming accessories geared toward being a bit more gender-inclusive than your average RGB peripheral. And as the certified gamer girl at 9to5, I, of course, had to go hands-on with the new Logitech Aurora collection to see just what the company has cooked up for its most welcoming gaming lineup yet.

Announced over the weekend, Death Stranding is finally making its way to PC Game Pass tomorrow. As one of the most loved games for the past while, Death Stranding is now about to be able to play without having to purchase the title. The game just came to PC back in March of this year, but the fact that it’s entering Game Pass is pretty notable. So, what’s Death Stranding and what exactly comes with this Game Pass release? Let’s take a closer look.

Neumann, founded over 100 years ago, has been making and delivering some of the best audio production gear out there for a long time and has now just unveiled its latest KH 150 studio monitors. While best known for its world-class microphones – many of which can cost several thousands of dollars with slightly more consumer-friendly options in the sub $1,000 range – Neumann also has a lauded lineup of studio monitors that is being expanded today, with the latest model alongside some interesting built-in DSP features, a first for this family of products. Head below for a closer look. 

Hot off the heels of the Toy Story collaboration, CASETiFY today has announced the latest iconic imagery that’ll be getting the iPhone 13 case treatment. Celebrating the iconic fighting game’s 35th anniversary CASETiFY is tapping all of the iconic Street Fighter II visuals for a new Apple accessory collection spanning iPhone 13 cases, MagSafe chargers, and other gear.

Toshiba is a name we all know from years past as a computer maker that’s quietly exited the scene … or have they? Enter Dynabook, who is, per their logo, “Formerly TOSHIBA PC Company.” That’s right, Toshiba has rebranded itself as Dynabook to deliver both entry-level and premium laptops for a wide range of use cases. We’ve spent the past few weeks using the Dynabook Portégé X40L, featuring a 14-inch 16:10 display, Windows 11 Pro, and an i7-1270P vPro processor.

The Dynabook Portégé X40L has some pretty powerful specs and a nice design, though there are a few pitfalls that might make you reconsider the over-$2,000 price tag. So, how is it? Let’s take a closer look below.

The 2022 LEGO Star Wars set lineup is just about wrapped up, with builders just waiting for an official look at the upcoming UCS Razor Crest. Ahead of that reveal, 9to5Toys can now report on what to expect from the 2023 side of the LEGO Star Wars sets. With 13 creations locked in so far for next year, we have all of the details on the next LEGO 501st Battle Pack, first Clone Wars helmets, a new Tie Bomber, and so much more.

With all the computing power out there on the market right now, it was only a matter of time until someone came along to combine it all into one package. The all-new CORSAIR VOYAGER a1600 AMD Advantage Edition gaming and streaming laptop is now available and comes chock full of power with the latest Ryzen processors and Radeon graphics on board. You can order a pre-customized configuration from CORSAIR, or can build out your own a1600 with Origin PC and even get custom UV printing or laser etching.

The full SEGA Genesis Mini 2 game list has now been unveiled. After being officially announced during a livestream back at the beginning of June, SEGA’s continuation of the mini console craze will kick off this fall when the SEGA Genesis Mini 2 launches in late October. Though pre-orders went live last month, we still didn’t have the complete game list yet. But that changes today as SEGA has taken to its official YouTube channel to unveil the complete 60-game library the miniature SEGA console will ship with. Head below for that reveal trailer, the complete SEGA Genesis Mini 2 game list, and more details. 

While Pokémon fans wait for more news on Scarlet and Violet titles dropping later this year, the TCG side of the franchice is recieving a new update today. Arriving as its latest expansion, the new Pokémon Lost Origin set packs plenty of new full-art trainer cards based around Sword and Shield, as well just-released Radiant Pokémon and nearly 250 new cards.

If Razer’s recent stripped-down lightweight FPS-focused gaming mice haven’t been quite your flavor, Roccat is out with a much different take on the gaming mouse – the Kone XP Air. This cord-cutting wireless variant of the Kone XP is marketed as a multi-purpose gaming mouse with up to 29 assignable functions and an RGB-infused charging dock. Coming in at $169.99, we got our hands on the latest gaming mouse from Roccat. Be sure to hit the video below to see all of the details. 

As the summer months come to an end, football season is preparing to kick into gear. After renewing its nearly four-decade partnership with the NFL, Pepsi is looking to award one lucky fan a one-of-a-kind football-watching experience. The Pepsi Gametime Fridge TV is exactly what it sounds like – a TV that has a refrigerator behind it. Keep reading below to learn more and how you can enter to win this TV.

Arriving as a follow up to last year’s more expensive 4K model, Dell is back today with the reveal of a newer webcam that packs all of the same iSight vibes as before. Centered around a 2K sensor, the Dell Pro Webcam comes backed by some software enhancements to round Zoom call upgrade.