Gaming

Hopefully you have been saving up, because today the standard version of the not-particularly-cheap Xbox One X is available to pre-order. Last month saw the Project Scorpio Edition open up for pre-orders, and now it's time for those who are interested in the standard black model.

The console will be available worldwide on November 7, but if you want to avoid disappointment on the day, it's probably best to get your order for "the world's most powerful console" in right now -- links are below. As well as opening up pre-orders today, Microsoft has announced that the list of Xbox One X enhanced games has grown to over 130.

Although Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is only just around the corner, Microsoft is still fixing problems with the current Creators Update. The update still may not yet have rolled out to everyone, but there have been plenty of complaints about gaming performance.

Some five months ago, users started to complain about a drop in framerate and stuttering performance in a number of popular games. Microsoft has now finally acknowledged that there is a problem, and has issued a fix for one of the issues.

The N word is undeniably inflammatory -- particularly when used by the wrong person in the wrong situation. An example of the word being used by the wrong person in the wrong situation? PewDiePie (yep, him) casually spitting out the epithet as an insult during a gaming session.

During a live stream of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, PewDiePie -- real name Felix Kjellberg -- ejaculated "what a f***ing n***er!" when one of his teammates was killed in the game. The incident has been somewhat polarizing on social media, and it's not the first time the most popular YouTuber in the world has caused controversy with a racially charged statement.

HyperX makes excellent hardware. While the company's RAM (memory) is already legendary, it has also branched out to other gear like keyboards, mice, and headsets. So far, anything that carries the company's branding has proven to be of high quality. In other words, you really can't go wrong when buying a HyperX product.

Today, HyperX unveils a new gaming headset and it looks amazing. It is compatible with multiple platforms, such as Sony PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, smartphones, tablets, and of course, PC. It features a removable microphone for when you just need to listen, which you can always reattach for speaking. For added durability, the hinges are made of aluminum. The most intriguing aspect, however, is what HyperX calls "dual chamber technology." Believe it or not, despite the solid specs and features, it is surprisingly affordable.

Mechanical hard drives may not be fashionable nowadays, but they absolutely still have their place. For many folks, leveraging the cloud or a small solid state drive is passable, but for others, not so much. For gamers and professionals in particular, there may be a need to store a lot of data locally, such as games, images, and video files. Luckily, manufacturers are still cranking out affordable large-capacity 3.5-inch drives for these needs.

Today, legendary company Toshiba introduces a new 8TB capacity to its existing "X300" internal desktop SATA HDD line. This series is designed for both gamers and professional users alike. Toshiba's 8TB mechanical drive spins at 7,200 rpm and features a 128MB cache. The company is including a two-year warranty for the product.

HP today unveils the first laptop in the OMEN X gaming series. The new device, which joins the OMEN X Desktop in the range, is designed with professional gamers in mind, featuring official support for overclocking and hardware upgrades.

The OMEN X Laptop, as it is officially called, comes with thermals optimized for CPU and RAM overclocking, and can be paired with GPUs overclocked from the factory.

Later on today you will be able to learn everything you could possible want to know about the Xbox One X. Microsoft is holding a press conference at Gamescom in Germany and you can watch it here, live.

The presentation kicks off at 12:00PM PT / 3:00PM EST / 8:00PM BT / 9:00PM CET, and Microsoft has already made it clear that pre-order details will be revealed.

If you are a PC gamer and you don't have a mechanical keyboard, you simply aren't doing life right. Look, a truly great video game player can succeed with any properly functioning keyboard and mouse, but if you can get an edge, why not take it? A mechanical keyboard doesn't just provide a more satisfying gaming and typing experience, but they are often built to last, making them a wise investment.

Today, respected manufacturer SteelSeries launches a new such mechanical gaming keyboard that it is referring to as the "complete package" -- bold words! The APEX M750, as it is called, has QX2 switches that the company claims will offer superior gaming performance. Since it is a gaming product in 2017, it of course has customizable RGB lighting.

My love for Fractal Design cases is well documented. Most recently, I -- and other members of the PC building community -- went gaga over the "Define C TG" chassis series from the company, as it featured good looks, solid design, and a beautiful tempered glass window. You really can't go wrong with a Fractal Design case, as it should last you many years without breaking the bank. The designs are evergreen, as the company does not follow the fleeting style du jour.

Today, Fractal Design launches yet another case, and once again, it looks like a winner. The "Meshify C," as it is called, is true to its name, as it features, well, a lot of mesh. The company has designed this chassis to be the pinnacle of cooling, with plenty of mesh, fan mounting options, and the potential for excellent cable management. Of course, it looks sexy too, particularly thanks to a beautiful tinted tempered glass window

There are many reasons to be a fan of AMD nowadays. For instance, many of the underdog's products offer solid performance at a great price (budget-friendly), plus its fan community is really engaged too. If you need support, not only can you reach out to AMD, but countless friendly fellow owners as well. Heck, AMD Windows drivers have really improved over the years too, making it a treat to upgrade when a new version is released.

AMD doesn't only want to be about the budget-friendly market, however. It is prepared to go after the high-end too. Going against the giant that is Intel won't be easy, but with processors such as the upcoming drool-worthy Threadripper line, AMD is making an impressive effort. Today, the company is also targeting NVIDIA on the GPU front, finally launching its much-anticipated Radeon RX Vega. AMD is hoping to capture the wallets of enthusiast gamers with Vega, and with the low starting price, it may succeed.

Yesterday, Grant Park in Chicago was packed with thousands of Pokémon fans. People of all ages attended the Pokémon GO Fest in the hope of catching ultra-rare Pokémon at the special event, but things did not go well.

A series of technical glitches meant that game-creator Niantic was forced to cancel the event. The large number of attendees led to network issues which could not be resolved, causing anger and annoyance among fans. As part of its compensation offer, the company is giving festival-goers $100 of Pokémon GO's in-game currency, Pokecoins.

What do 1985 and 2016 have in common? The same video game system as one of the hot-ticket Christmas presents. Nintendo has masterfully fulfilled the need for nostalgia among millions of gamers, in addition to creating that need for countless others who, thanks to the hype of the NES Classic Edition, didn't even realize how cool it was to play games from their childhood days in the 2010s.

It came as no surprise, then, when Nintendo announced the follow-up Super NES Classic Edition last month, which is due to be released in September. And eagle-eyed fans have discovered that there is likely another stop on the nostalgia train before too long.

Microsoft hasn't supported Windows XP and Windows Vista for a while (mainstream support ended eight and five years ago, respectively), but other technology companies have continued to support their own software under these ancient operating systems.

Now, however, Blizzard has announced that it is dropping support for the OSes in a number of its games. The list includes names such as World of Warcraft, StarCraft II and Diablo III, and the change is coming later this year.

As a sign of its continued adoption of third-party platforms, Nintendo has just launched the Nintendo Switch Online app on Google Play and the Apple App Store. Players will be able to link their accounts between the Nintendo Switch console and the new app so that they can view certain historical data/statistics, as well as directly integrate with online features of compatible games.

That said, it doesn't actually do any of that now. The app launch is in preparation of the first title that will support it -- Splatoon 2, which comes out on July 21.

Sony announced today that it will be launching the first special edition version of the PlayStation 4 Pro in September, to coincide with the release of the anticipated action game sequel Destiny 2.

Announced on the official PlayStation Blog, the new version of the PS4 Pro comes in a "Glacier White" color instead of Sony's traditional black motif. The bundle also comes with a Glacier White PS4 controller, a physical copy of the game, and a "digital content pack."