There is this idea that people have to choose between PC and console gaming. While I'm sure there are some folks that are adamant about only using one or the other, the reality is, gamers just want to play games -- the platform doesn't really matter. Hell, some consumers own all of the current consoles, such as PlayStation 4 and Switch, while also playing PC games.

If you are the type of gamer that uses several platforms, SteelSeries has a new wireless gaming headset for you. Called "Arctis 1 ," it will work with Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Android. It comes with a USB Type-C wireless transmitter that plugs into the PC or console. If your device doesn't have USB-C, do not worry -- it also comes with a Type-A cable and 3.5mm audio cord.

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PC gamers are really lucky nowadays. Not only are there many fun games, but lots of great hardware too. Monitors in particular have dropped in price while introducing higher refresh rates. Today, for instance, AOC launches a new monitor that is quite impressive. Called "CQ27G1," the 27-inch curved display features 2560x1440 resolution, AMD FreeSync, and an impressive 144Hz refresh rate. Best of all, it is competitively priced too.

What really intrigues me, however, is what AOC calls "Re-Spawned Warranty." Going back to a purchase date of January 1, 2019, the company will cover its gaming monitors for at least three years, including for a single dead pixel. Yes, you read that correctly -- if even one pixel goes bad, it will fix it. Many other companies require there to be many dead pixels before taking any action. Hell, for the first year, AOC will even cover accidental damage once. Believe it or not, if you do end up needing a replacement, AOC will send you a new monitor before you return the broken one.

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Gamescom launches today in Germany, so as you can expect, there will be a lot of gaming-related news over the next several days. There won't only be talk of games, but hardware, devices, and accessories too.

Case in point, today HyperX unveils its latest gaming accessory -- the Cloud Alpha S gaming headset. It is not an entirely new product -- it can be viewed as the existing Cloud Alpha on steroids. And no, the "S" doesn't stand for steroids... at least I don't think so. Actually, it seems the S stands for "Surround" as it offers virtual 7.1 surround sound.

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Microsoft may have canceled the Super Duper Graphics Pack update for Minecraft, but the blocky game is still due for a graphical improvement... for some people, at least.

At Gamescon in Germany today, Nvidia and Microsoft announced that a real-time ray tracing technique called path tracing will be coming to the Windows 10 version of Minecraft -- but only for systems with NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs. The graphic improvements will give Minecrafters better lighting, colors and shadows, and will be delivered by a free update to the game.

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While mechanical keyboards are undeniably great for gaming, they aren't necessarily the best for typing. Sure, some folks are fine to type on a traditional mechanical keyboard, but others -- like me -- prefer chiclet style keyboards, such as Apple's excellent wired and wireless variants. Why? Well, key travel and height are big issues -- I type fairly fast, and my fingers can keep up better with less effort. For some people, big clunky keys lead to typos, and even worse, joint pain.

Low-profile mechanical keyboards are a great way to merge both keyboard styles, giving you the benefits of mechanical switches but with shorter keys/switches. Today, Logitech unveils two such low-profile keyboards -- the wired G815 LIGHTSYNC and wireless G915 LIGHTSPEED. Both models feature LIGHTSYNC RGB lighting, actually -- yes, even the wireless G915. While it will cause battery life to take a hit on that model, Logitech promises 12 days of usage between charges with RGB lighting enabled -- more than acceptable. They are both super-thin and feature aluminum bodies.

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While 4K is often preferred for content creators and media consumers, 1080p is still ideal for gamers. Taking things a step further, in 2019, 240Hz refresh monitors are becoming much more common.

Today, Acer launches its latest such FHD monitors. Called "Nitro XF2 Series," there are two models -- one is 25-inch and the other is 27-inch. While gamers will appreciate the high refresh rate, there is even more to be excited about -- a 1ms response and AMD FreeSync technology.

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Just when we all get used to blazing fast PCIe 3.0 NVMe solid state drives, PCIe 4.0 comes along to ruin the fun. True, current such SSDs are still more than fast enough for most, but now they are not the fastest. If you are an enthusiast or gamer that demands the very best, your PCIe 3.0 based drive is now old hat.

For instance, today, ADATA unveils an insanely fast new SSD based on PCie 4.0. Called "XPG GAMMIX S50," it is designed for gamers, but really, anybody that wants speed can take advantage. Not only are the specifications incredible, but the drive's heatsink is strikingly beautiful too. If you are someone that takes pride in aesthetics, this drive should make you happy. Keep in mind, however, you will need a new motherboard with PCIe 4.0 to take full advantage of this incredible speed.

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Google may be a publicly traded company worth hundreds of billions, but it still knows how to have fun. In other words, sometimes Google acts like a start up, even though that ship sailed a long time ago. Every once in a while, the company will hide an Easter Egg or other secret thing in its services. For instance, did you know that doing a Google search for the word "askew" without quotes will make the page tilt? It's true -- go try it! It is silly and fun.

Continuing with silly antics, Google has hidden a secret tennis game in its search engine. Believe it or not, it is actually very fun to play. Accessing it couldn't be simpler either.

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AOC has long made great monitors, and it is sad that the company has essentially lost its brand to popular politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Look, nothing against the representative from New York, but I am sure AOC the monitor maker is distraught over the whole situation. I mean, the company has been around more than 50 years! And now, if you say "AOC," most folks will immediately think you are referring to the politician. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez even scored the @AOC twitter handle!

Well, I will always think of AOC as a monitor-maker first, and today, it announces two new models. One is 24.5-inch (AG251FZ2), while the other is 27-inch (AG271FZ2). Although the resolution is "only"1080p, they both have other impressive specs, such as 240Hz refresh, 0.5ms response, 400 cd/m² brightness, and AMD FreeSync. Connectivity is bountiful, with both monitors offering DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI, and VGA. You even get a built-in USB hub and integrated speakers.

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EA has fixed a series of security issues on its Origin gaming service which could have been exploited by attackers to take control of user accounts and gain access to personal data.

EA Origin's security flaws meant that more than 300 million gamers were put at risk. Israeli security firms Check Point said that attackers could take advantage of a "chain of vulnerabilities" to attack players of games such as FIFA, Maden NFL, NBA Live, UFC, The Sims, Battlefield, Command and Conquer, and Medal of Honor.

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It is only a few days since Canonical announced that it was dropping support for 32-bit packages as of Ubuntu 19.10. The fall out from this is now being felt.

While there were many developers who were not happy with the decision, Linux-based gamers are now likely to be more than slightly annoyed. Steam has announced that "Ubuntu 19.10 and future releases will not be officially supported by Steam or recommended to our users".

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They say when something isn’t broken you shouldn't fix it, and that is largely good advice. I mean, just look at how Microsoft "improved" Windows 7 with the abomination that was Windows 8. Or even more infamous, Coca-Cola and it’s "New Coke."

With that said, sometimes you can truly add to a product that seems to not need fixing and end up with something much better. Today, Logitech does exactly that. It has taken a trio of mice that consumers already loved and simply upgraded them with the excellent HERO 16K sensor. This is the same treatment given to the G502 in May and the MX518 in February.

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At E3, Microsoft has revealed details of its next-generation Xbox, dubbed Project Scarlett, which is scheduled for release in late 2020.

It's not yet known what the follow-up to the Xbox One will be called, but among the launch titles is Halo Infinite. As for the console hardware, Project Scarlett will feature an AMD Zen 2 chip, Radeon RDNA graphics architecture, GDDR6 memory, SSD, and support for 120 fps, 8K graphics along with real-time ray tracing.

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Google's much-anticipated cloud gaming service, Stadia, is due to launch in November. The company has revealed the launch date, as well as details of pricing and the games you can expect to play -- including Baldur's Gate III.

In all, there are over 30 games confirmed for Stadia, and Google is ramping up the hype by giving gamers the chance to pre-order right now. Anyone placing an order for the Stadia Founder's Edition can enjoy a number of benefits including a limited edition controller and three months of Stadia Pro, the subscription option that gives access to some games.

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BlueStacks, the company whose software makes it possible to run Android games on Windows and macOS, has great news for gamers. It has announced a new BlueStacks Inside SDK which will make it easy for developers to bring their mobile games to Windows and deliver them through Steam.

Just as with the main BlueStacks software, this is not about emulating mobile devices. It's also not about porting games -- mobile games effectively become native PC games.

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