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The Sennheiser HD 550 headphones on a wooden surface in front of a white brick background

Sennheiser HD 550 review: near-perfect premium gaming audio

by admin May 23, 2025

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Sennheiser HD 550 review: One-minute review

The Sennheiser HD 550 headphones are some of the finest audiophile headphones for gaming I’ve ever tested. This open-back model excels in its audio prowess, comfort, and simplicity in every manner of my testing, and I wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone looking for a top gaming headset for console or PC.

While cut from the same cloth as other Sennheiser headphones aimed at those who value audio quality above all else, the HD 550 headphones are very much intended to appeal to gamers who crave high-quality audio. They absolutely succeed in this: across PlayStation 5, Xbox, and PC, audio is a dream.

Combine this with the expected excellence Sennheiser has for enhancing music, entertainment, and easy listening, and it really is a winner. It also means the HD 550 is ideal for work and everyday use, too.

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Price is perhaps one wrinkle on the score sheet, as it’s a little on the high side when you compare it to the immediate competition.

For example, you could bag a complete premium wired gaming headset like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro if you want more features and a built-in mic. You could even save money compared to the HD 550 while sticking with Sennheiser with slightly cheaper models like the HD 560S or 650 sets. Still, I think anyone buying them at their list price won’t feel any buyer’s remorse, such is the quality here.

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)

That begins with a simple and elegant design, but one that’s also robust and very comfortable. The open-back cup covers are made of high-grade metal mesh, while the strong plastic frame elsewhere inspires confidence. The synthetic leather of the headband and velour of the earcups are wonderfully soft, providing the right amount of cushioning and support.

Coming in at just 8.35oz / 237g, the HD 550 are incredibly light. You’ll barely notice that you’re wearing them, even after long sessions. There’s simplicity onboard too with only a 6ft / 1.8m cable attached (a 3.5mm to 6.5mm adapter is also provided).

All this comes together to provide an audio experience that I’ve not experienced for a long time – if ever. The HD 550 excels in all that you throw at it, and really can be the audiophile gaming-focused headphones you’ve been looking for. I’ve heard details in games I’ve not heard before, and enjoyed rich, atmospheric, multi-layered audio in game worlds. Combine this with Sennheiser’s established excellence for music, easy listening, and everyday use, and the HD 550 offers it all.

Brilliant for everything, and perfect for immersion-heightening single-player gaming, the HD 550 might be the last multiplatform gaming headset you ever need to buy – even if it’s not a traditional gaming headset.

Sennheiser HD 550 review: Price and availability

List price: $299.99 / $249.99 / AU$479
Premium gaming headset territory
Faces stiff competition from its Sennheiser brethren

At $299.99 / $249.99 / AU$479, the Sennheiser HD 550 headphones are pricey, but not wildly so. At this point, it’s pitched squarely against some great audiophile headphones and gaming headsets.

In terms of the latter, I see something like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro or the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro or 330 Pro headsets as comparable alternatives. These are different propositions in terms of feature set, target audience, and what they’re built to do, of course, but if you’re looking for something in this price range that’s focused on gaming, then this is the sort of competition the HD 550 has.

On the other hand, the HD 550 does face a lot of competition its own Sennheiser brethren. For example, the HD 560S is a tremendous set of headphones that can still very much hold their own in the gaming sphere. In the US, these are around $20 cheaper than the HD 550, but in the UK, they are a staggering £99, which is extraordinarily good value and hard to ignore if saving cash is one of your top priorities.

Overall, the value the HD 550 offers is still superb. However, when price cuts inevitably come, the HD 550 are going to be very hard to beat and extremely attractive as a pair of top audiophile headphones for gaming.

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)

Sennheiser HD 550 review: Specs

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Sennheiser HD 550

Price

$299.99 / $249.99 / AU$479

Weight

8.35oz / 237g

Drivers

38mm

Compatibility

PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, mobile (where audio jack is present)

Connection type

3.5mm audio jack; 6ft / 1.8m cable (3.5 to 6.5mm adapter provided)

Battery life

N/A

Features

38mm transducer, 150 Ω nominal impedance, 6Hz – 39.5kHz frequency response, synthetic velour ear pads

Software

N/A

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)

Sennheiser HD 550 review: Design and features

Open back design
Lightweight and wonderfully comfortable
No onboard controls or mic

The design of the Sennheiser HD 550 headphones is incredibly stripped back and sleek – there’s no overcomplication here, and if you’re familiar with Sennheiser’s style, then it’ll look satisfyingly recognizable.

It’s a symphony in black with metallic accents offered by the Sennheiser logo on the cups, and metallic edging adjacent to the ear cups punctuating that sleek look. The headband is made of faux leather and has a good amount of padding across almost its entire length to ensure head comfort, while the plush synthetic velour earbuds are delightfully soft and comfy around the ears, with the headphone’s clamping force being just right.

The ratchet on the headband for finding the right fit is also perfect, offering a good amount of resistance and hold, and you’ll also get a neat drawstring bag for the headset, too.

Under the hood, you have the 38mm, 150-ohm transducer (driver) offering a dynamic range of 6Hz to 39.5kHz. The driver is, of course, Sennheiser’s own, made in Ireland, and I’m told by the brand in terms of construction that “the diaphragm is made of a laminate plastic foil material. The voice coil is made of copper, and the chassis is made of plastic.”

Feature-wise, the HD 550 are equally simple and stripped back: there are no onboard controls here like you’ll find on gaming headsets, and there’s no microphone present either. All you have is the 6ft / 1.8m (non-braided, non-detachable) cable that ends in a slightly chunky 3.5mm audio jack connection, and that can also be fitted with a screw-on 6.5mm adapter.

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)

Sennheiser HD 550 review: Performance

Superb Sennheiser quality audio for games
Exceptional for music and entertainment
Perfect for immersive single-player gaming

In short, the Sennheiser HD 550, as a set of gaming and entertainment-focused headphones, are nothing short of spectacular. The headphones may well have killed off using a gaming headset for single-player games for me, and I have nothing but praise for the gaming audio it’s given me throughout my testing.

On PS5, the booming soundtracks and sound effects of Doom and Doom Eternal have never been given to me so fulsomely and richly, with each heavy metal riff and combat finisher move sounding as raw and dense as they should. In Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, character dialogue was crisp and clear without ever being scratchy, and environmental noises were a joy.

Even the busiest of combat encounters in both translated well through the HD 550 headphones. The same was true for Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Botany Manor on Xbox, but also the delicate and detailed audio in games like Frostpunk 2 on PC, and Control, with its atmospheric and spooky audio that emanates from the FBC building and its tenants.

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)

The audio jack connection made it the easiest headphone set to use across all the platforms, too, which is a dream. Of course, you’ll be relying on your devices or an amp to really push the headphones as there’s no onboard volume dial, but simply managing them in such a way has provided me with some real excellence and memorable audio moments in games.

Using the HD 550 for work meetings and video calls is great too, though you’ll naturally have to team it with a standalone, separate mic. I did that with my SteelSeries Alias Pro, and the combination worked like a dream. There’s a warmth to ‘real life’ voices from the HD 550, and there were never ever any piercing peaks or rough troughs.

When I wasn’t in meetings, I kept the HD 550 on to soak up music, and I was treated to a truly fantastic experience here. Playing tunes from my usual playlists on Spotify, but also using hi-res audio on Tidal, and even down to browsing tracks and videos on YouTube, the HD 550 kept providing me with some of the finest audio I’ve experienced.

The excellent bass response is brilliant and almost gave me a new appreciation for Tool’s back catalog, and the mids and highs dealt beautifully with modern country and punk pop music, and even classical music such as Allegri’s Miserere and Jan Garbarek’s Officium record.

Taking all this sheer audio excellence and putting it in a sleek, comfortable, and lightweight headset like the HD 550 means Sennheiser has a real winner on its hands that is fantastic to wear and use at all times, and for a long time.

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)

Should you buy the Sennheiser HD 550?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Sennheiser HD 550 review: Also consider

Still not sold on the Sennheiser HD 550? Here are two competing headsets for comparison.

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Sennheiser HD 550

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro

Sennheiser HD 560S

Price

$299.99 / £249.99 / AU$479

$249.99 / £179.99 / AU$405

$229.95 / £169 / AU$339.95

Weight

8.35oz / 237g

16.08oz / 456g

8.46oz / 240g

Drivers

38mm

40mm

38mm

Compatibility

PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, mobile (where audio jack is present)

Connection type

3.5mm audio jack; 6ft / 1.8m cable (3.5 to 6.5mm adapter provided)

USB, 3.5mm audio jack

3.5mm audio jack; 6ft / 1.8m detachable cable (3.5 to 6.3mm screw-on adapter provided)

Battery life

N/A

Features

38mm transducer, 150 Ω nominal impedance, 6Hz – 39.5kHz frequency response, synthetic velour ear pads

40 mm Neodymium drivers, Bidirectional microphone polar pattern, ClearCast Gen 2 microphone, GameDac Gen 2 control panel

38mm transducer, 120 Ω nominal impedance, 6Hz – 38kHz frequency response, velour ear pads

Software

N/A

SteelSeries GG

N/A

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)

How I tested the Sennheiser HD 550

Tested over the course of several months
Used in conjunction with PS5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X, and PC
Compared directly to the premium gaming headset competition

I have used the Sennheiser HD 550 headphones as part of my work and gaming setup for a few months now, integrating them into my setup and using them alongside a host of other gear to test them out.

On my two PlayStation 5 setups, I plugged the headphones into a standard DualSense Wireless controller to test them with my PS5 Pro and PS5 Slim. I used them on both consoles for hours at a time, and also plugged them directly into my PlayStation Portal, too.

On PS5, I played Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal, almost my full playthrough of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and all of my Indiana Jones and The Great Circle playthrough. I also gave the headphones a test on Xbox Series X, plugging them into a Victrix Pro BFG for Xbox controller or a Thrustmaster eSwap X2 controller to play games like Botany Manor and Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

When testing on my RTX 3090 gaming PC, I plugged the HD 550 directly into the machine to play Frostpunk 2, Control, and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III, and then also teamed the HD 550 with a SteelSeries Alias Pro mic for work and video calls.

Putting the HD 550 set to test with music and entertainment, I used them as I normally would with the likes of Spotify and YouTube, but also hi-res audio providers like Tidal to really hone in on the audio offerings.

During my testing, I was able to compare the HD550 directly to the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro wired headset, the wireless variant, an Arctis Nova 7, and an Audeze Maxwell.

More players. More choices. Unlocking HDMI gaming features

by admin May 22, 2025

Gamers have more freedom and choices than ever to play in every room in their house, in other locations or even on the move, without breaking the bank. All major manufacturers of HDTVs include key HDMI® gaming features that make playing feel more immersive and responsive, reduce lag and maximize the overall experience.

Add in the choice of using 4K or even upscaled 8K, and you don’t have to play in an esports arena to get the full effects the game designers intend. The high adoption rate of HDTVs with the gaming features also means there are more choices for gamers than just relying on specialized gaming monitors; although both types of displays have multiple features and benefits that gamers should check, especially with the growing category of smart HDMI-enabled monitors.

Three HDMI gaming features make all of the difference. They include:

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Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), which reduces or eliminates lag, judder, and frame tearing for more fluid and better detailed gameplay. VRR enables a gaming source, such as a console or computer, to deliver frames as fast as it can, which in many cases is slower than the normal static refresh rate.
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), which enables the ideal latency setting to be set automatically allowing for smooth, lag-free and uninterrupted viewing and interactivity. In many cases this is referred to as game mode, and it usually has to be set manually, which involves going through menus and settings and then switching back again for normal viewing.
Quick Frame Transport (QFT), which reduces latency for smoother no-lag gaming and virtual reality. QFT transports each frame at a higher rate to decrease “display latency,” which is the amount of time between a frame being ready for transport in the GPU and that frame being completely displayed.

Right now, many top manufacturers offer the benefits of these HDMI gaming features and at higher refresh rates such as 144 Hz and 165 Hz for smoother, more responsive gameplay.

Gaming monitors from many of these same companies and others are available with these HDMI gaming features with refresh rates up to 240 Hz, 280 Hz and even 480 Hz—but consider some may sacrifice resolution or luminance, so make sure to check the specs.

There’s other good news for gamers as well. Many portable game consoles can output to an HDTV, and most of them are equipped with HDMI technology, making these portables easy to connect. It has recently been announced by Nintendo that the new Switch 2 will be bundled with an Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable for HDTV connection. These portables include:

Mobile phones via a USB C to HDMI adapter and HDMI Cable.
Steam Deck via the Steam Deck Docking Station and an HDMI Cable.
Nintendo Switch via an HDMI Cable to a TV from the dock’s HDMI Out. Be sure to power the setup using a USB Type C plug to connect the Switch AC adapter to the dock’s AC Adapter terminal.
ASUS ROG Ally using an ASUS ROG Gaming Charger Dock connected to the TV via an HDMI Cable.
Lenovo Legion Go via the HDMI port on the USB-C dock.
Retroid Pocket 4 Pro via a micro HDMI to HDMI Type A Cable.

Of course, always be sure to connect to a TV with the correct HDMI® Cable to ensure support for the maximum bandwidth and feature set your gaming setup is capable of delivering.

The terms HDMI, HDMI High-Definition Multimedia Interface, HDMI Trade Dress and the HDMI Logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc. All other trademarks, logos and brand names are the property of their respective owners.

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May 22, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

The Alienware x16 R2 gaming laptop with RTX 4090 is $900 off

by admin May 22, 2025

You have to be prepared to spend a significant amount of cash if you want a powerful gaming laptop, but you should also be on the lookout for any opportunities at savings. Take a look at Alienware deals at Dell, which has tempting offers like this one: the Alienware x16 R2 with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card with a $900 discount. From its original price of $3,600, it’s down to $2,700, which is still pretty expensive, but an excellent price for a device of its caliber. You need to hurry though, as it may be back to its regular price as soon as tomorrow!

Why you should buy the Alienware x16 R2 gaming laptop

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card that’s found in this configuration of the Alienware x16 R2 is an extremely powerful GPU. When you combine it with the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor and 32GB of RAM, which our guide on how much RAM you need says is the sweet spot for high-end gamers, you’ll enjoy an unparalleled gaming experience when playing the best PC games — and that’s even if you select the most demanding settings.

The Alienware x16 R2 is equipped with a 16-inch screen with Full HD+ resolution and a 480Hz refresh rate, which will allow it to give justice to modern graphics. You’ll be able to install several titles on the gaming laptop as it comes with a 2TB SSD, and with Windows 11 Home out of the box, you can start building your video game library as soon as you turn on the Alienware x16 R2 for the first time.

Gamers who want an upgrade should check out gaming laptop deals, as there are some excellent bargains on top-of-the-line models. Here’s one from Dell — the Alienware x16 R2 with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card for $2,700, for savings of $900 on its sticker price of $3,600. We don’t expect the discount to stick around for much longer though, so if you want to take advantage of this offer, there’s only one thing to do: add the Alienware x16 R2 gaming laptop to your cart and finish the checkout process immediately.

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May 22, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

When a traditional gaming laptop just won’t do

by admin May 21, 2025

On paper, the idea of a PC gaming tablet doesn’t really make sense. Anything with a screen larger than eight to ten inches is generally too big to hold for longer sessions. Their thin chassis don’t leave much room for big batteries, ports or discrete graphics. But with the second-gen ROG Flow Z13, ASUS is turning that line of thought on its head with a surprisingly powerful system that can do more than just game — as long as you don’t mind paying a premium for some niche engineering.

Design and display: Not exactly stealthy

For better or worse, the Z Flow 13 looks like someone tweaked a Surface Pro to accommodate the stereotypical gamer aesthetic. It has cyberpunky graphics littered across its body along with a small window in the back that’s complete with RGB lighting.

ASUS

The ROG Flow Z13 fills the gap between traditional gaming laptops and portable workstations, but its keyboard and price are hard to love.

Pros

Nice screen
Surprisingly good performance
Customizable shortcut button
Decent battery life for productivity

Cons

Expensive
Flimsy keyboard
Big power brick
Loud fans in turbo and performance modes

$2,300 at Best Buy

Unlike a lot of tablets, ASUS gave the Z13 a thicker-than-normal body (0.6 inches), which left space for a surprising number of ports. Not only do you get two USB 4 Type-C ports, there’s also a regular USB-A jack, full-size HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm audio and even a microSD card reader. This instantly elevates the tablet from something strictly meant for playing games into something that can also pull double duty as a portable video editing station.

ASUS’ 13.4-inch 2.5 IPS display leans into that even more thanks to a 180Hz refresh rate, strong brightness (around 500 nits) and Pantone validation. Regardless of what you’re doing, colors will be both rich and accurate. Rounding out the package are some punchy speakers, so you don’t have to suffer from subpar sound. But there are limitations here, as deep bass is always tough to produce on smaller systems like this.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Finally, there are some pogo pins along the bottom of its display for connecting its folding keyboard. Sadly, this is one of the system’s weak points. Because the Z13 is heavier than a typical tablet PC, its keyboard has to carry a hefty load. On a table, it’s fine. But if you try to use this thing on your lap (or any uneven surface), I found that the keyboard can flex so much it can result in accidental mouse clicks. It’s a shame because the bounce and travel of the keys generally feels pretty good. Nothing is more of a bummer than playing a game while relaxing on the couch and then having to fight with the tablet to avoid errant clicks.

Performance

Instead of relying on discrete graphics, ASUS opted for AMD’s Ryzen AI Max 390 or Max+ 395 APUs, which feature up to 32 cores and a whopping 128GB of unified RAM. However, our review unit came with a more modest, but still ample, 32GB. Unsurprisingly, this makes mincemeat out of basic productivity tasks while having more than enough power to quickly edit videos on the go.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

But without a proper graphics card, can it actually game? Yes, and rather well, I might add. In Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p and Ultra settings, the Z13 hit an impressive 93 fps. And while numbers weren’t quite as high in Control at 1080p on Epic presets, 70 fps is still very playable. The one wrinkle is that when I tested Cyberpunk 2077 a second time on Ultra with ray tracing enabled, the Flow’s performance was cut in half to just 45 fps. Unless you’re playing a brand new AAA title that requires RT support (of which there are a growing number), the Z13 is a shockingly good portable gaming companion for frequent travelers.

You just have to be careful about how you configure its power settings. That’s because if you’re out in public or a quiet room, high performance (especially turbo) can result in a fair bit of fan noise, which may draw some unwanted attention. Or in my case, it got much harder to talk to someone sitting next to me on the couch.

Battery life

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

When it comes to longevity, you’ll get one of two outcomes. In normal use and on PCMark’s Modern Office productivity battery life test, the Z13 fared quite well, finishing with a time of six hours and 54 minutes. That’s not quite a full day’s worth of work untethered, but it’s good enough for most folks. You’ll just want to keep its chunky power adapter nearby.

However, if you plan on gaming without plugging this thing into the wall, just be prepared for the Z13 to conk out after two hours at best. When I played League of Legends’ Teamfight Tactics, I only made it through two games (about 30 to 40 minutes each) before its battery got dangerously low (around 10 percent). And suffice it to say, TFT isn’t a very demanding title.

Wrap-up

The right side of the ROG Flow Z13 features a customizable button that can be programmed to launch an app of your choice. (Sam Rutherford for Engadget)

The Flow Z13 is a niche device that’s more of an all-rounder than it might seem at first glance. This system fills an interesting gap between ASUS’ gaming machines and more creatively-focused PCs from its ProArt family. In a lot of ways, slapping an ROG badge on it doesn’t really do this thing justice. It’s got more than enough performance to breeze through general productivity or video edits, and its built-in microSD card reader makes transferring footage to the tablet a breeze. Its screen is bright and vibrant, while also offering accurate colors and a decently high refresh rate. And even without a discrete GPU, the Z13 didn’t have much trouble rendering games with lots of graphical bells and whistles turned on.

However, this tablet’s issues boil down to a couple of major sticking points. Its detachable keyboard is simply too flimsy, to the point where if you use it anywhere besides a table or desk, you risk fighting with it just to ensure your mouse clicks are correct. But the bigger hurdle is price. Starting at $2,100 (or around $2,300 as tested), the Flow Z13 costs the same or more as a comparable ROG Zephyrus G14 with a proper RTX 5070. Not only does it have worse performance, it’s less stable too due to its tablet-style design. For people trying to get the most value out of their money, that proposition is a hard sell.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Deep down, I want to like the ROG Flow Z13. And I do, to a certain extent. It’s got a funky build and unapologetically aggressive styling. But unless you have a very particular set of requirements, it doesn’t fit neatly into most people’s lives as an equivalent laptop. And that’s before you consider how much it costs.

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May 21, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

The newly revealed Logitech G522 Lightspeed could become the new mid-range wireless gaming headset to beat

by admin May 21, 2025

Logitech G has revealed the Logitech G522 Lightspeed
This wireless gaming headset boasts an impressive feature set and a great microphone
It hits shelves on June 16 for $179 / £139.99 / AU$299.95

Gaming accessory brand Logitech G has announced the Logitech G522 Lightspeed, a new wireless gaming headset intended to supersede the popular Logitech G733 Lightspeed.

The G522 Lightspeed features redesigned earcups, with a wider shape and an added layer of memory foam for enhanced comfort. It has a lightweight, adjustable fabric headband, which now rests flatter than its predecessor and has built-in ridges for better cooling.

The exterior of each ear cup features four eye-catching customizable RGB lighting zones, which can be tweaked to the color of your choice in the Logitech G Hub desktop software. It’s also compatible with the Logitech G mobile app.

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Under the hood, the headset is packing Logitech G’s highest-fidelity 40mm Pro-G drivers with 24-bit / 48kHz signal processing for enhanced audio clarity and detail.

The headset comes bundled with a removable omnidirectional microphone, which offers an impressive 16-bit / 48kHz bandwidth. It’s the same microphone found in the excellent, but much more expensive, Astro A50 X, which impressed with its crystal clear recordings in my hands-on testing.

On the Logitech G522 Lightspeed, the microphone has the added benefit of a built-in red LED indicator that illuminates when it’s muted.

As its name would suggest, the headset can connect to PC or PlayStation 5 via Logitech’s Lightspeed wireless dongle (which is included in the box), but also supports traditional Bluetooth for the aforementioned platforms in addition to Nintendo Switch and mobile. There’s also the option for wired play via its USB Type-C connector.

Logitech claims up to 40 hours of battery life with the default lighting on, or up to 90 hours with it disabled, which is a pretty impressive figure. It’s not quite the up to 200 hours promised by the competing HyperX Cloud III S, but it’s still more than enough juice for a few weeks’ worth of intense gaming sessions.

The Logitech G522 Lightspeed hits shelves on June 16 in white or black colorways. It costs $179 / £139.99 / AU$299.95, putting it in the midrange price bracket.

Its expansive feature set seems very promising, but only time will tell whether it becomes one of the best PC gaming headsets or best PS5 headsets around.

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May 21, 2025 0 comments

The Tower 600 Wood PC case from Thermaltake

Product Reviews

Thermaltake is bringing Nordic-inspired wood finishes to its cases and gaming furniture

by admin May 21, 2025

Adding wood to PC cases remains a popular trend in 2025, with Thermaltake becoming the latest manufacturer to introduce wood-textured panels. The company said in a press note that several of its existing cases will be the first to receive the new design treatment, drawing inspiration from modern Nordic aesthetics. Thermaltake also mentioned plans to extend this design approach to its gaming furniture lineup.

Thermaltake has historically taken an interesting approach by offering its cases in unconventional yet visually striking color options. Pairing that with wood might not sound very appealing, but thankfully, Thermaltake isn’t going down that road just yet.

As announced by the company and listed on its Computex 2025 webpage, the Tower 600, TR100, View 380/380 XL, View 270, and View 170 cases will soon be available with either dark wood accents paired with black (navy blue in the case of the Tower 600) or light wood accents paired with a white chassis. Aside from the visual changes, the cases appear to have the same features and support as their non-wood counterparts.

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Image 1 of 6

Thermaltake View 170 Wood(Image credit: Thermaltake)Thermaltake The Tower 600 Wood(Image credit: Thermaltake)Thermaltake TR100 Wood(Image credit: Thermaltake)Thermaltake View 380 XL Wood(Image credit: Thermaltake)Thermaltake View 380 Wood(Image credit: Thermaltake)Thermaltake View 270 Wood(Image credit: Thermaltake)

While scrolling through Thermaltake’s website, we also spotted two new small form factor cases, the TR200 and TR300. Potential follow-ups to the existing TR100 small form factor case launched last year, these new cases have similar-looking design and layout but offer more height and a bit more width.

Image 1 of 2

Thermaltake TR300(Image credit: Thermaltake)Thermaltake TR200(Image credit: Thermaltake)

While final specifications are not official, images suggest that the TR300 will be available with a standard front panel with mesh or with wooden slats similar to the Fractal Design North and North XL. Considering the bigger size, we can also expect these new cases to fit larger micro-ATX motherboards. Both cases are, however, confirmed to include an optional 6-inch LCD screen kit, and support for up to 360mm radiators and a total of six 120mm fans.

(Image credit: Thermaltake)

Thermaltake is also launching the new P950 gaming table, featuring a sleek walnut wood finish and a collaboration with Studio F.A. Porsche. The desk offers height adjustment and includes RGB lighting control via a mobile app, along with health-focused features such as scheduled height changes and usage tracking. It comes with a heavy-duty frame that is claimed to support up to 150 kg and comes with a programmable controller that offers four memory profiles for quick adjustments.

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May 21, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Avowed game director Carrie Patel departs Obsidian, joins Netflix’s gaming team

by admin May 20, 2025

Carrie Patel, who served as game director on this year’s acclaimed fantasy action-RPG Avowed, has confirmed her departure from Obsidian Entertainment after nearly 12 years with the studio and announced a new role at Netflix.

Patel, who was very much the face of Avowed throughout its development, shared the news in a brief update on LinkedIn, revealing she’s now working within Netflix’s gaming division, having joined Oxenfree developer Night School Studio as a game director.

She offered no further clue as to what she’ll be working on at Night School in her update, but the Oxenfree and Afterparty studio has an impressive track record, despite its limited output since being acquired by Netflix in 2021. It released Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals in 2023 but nothing else until Black Mirror tie-in Thronglets arrived earlier this year – a release that followed an unspecified number of layoffs at Night School in March.

“One of this year’s most pleasant surprises”, we called Avowed.Watch on YouTube

Netflix’s gaming strategy has taken some dramatic shifts in direction since the streaming service’s first tentative steps back in 2021. After an initial focus on mobile titles, it seemed ready to stride into the world of AAA console gaming in 2023, even hitting up longtime Halo creative lead Joseph Staten, Overwatch executive producer Chacko Sonny, and God of War art director Rafael Grassetti to found a new development team.

However, Netflix quietly closed the studio late last year, and is reportedly now focusing on narrative and transmedia projects, on big mainstream IP, on being a trusted destination for families, and on party games played on TVs using mobile phones as a controller. That does, of course, still leave room for Night Studio – and Patel – to continue making the kind of games it does best.

As for Avowed, prior to Patel’s departure from Obsidian, she suggested it wasn’t a one-and-done effort. “Now that we’ve built this wonderful world, and also built this team strength and muscle memory around the content and gameplay in this world,” she explained, “I’d love to see us do more with it.” Next up for Obsidian, though, is The Outer Worlds 2. It’s due later this year, with a special developer deep dive set to air on 8th June following the Xbox Games Showcase.

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May 20, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Samsung Odyssey G81SF OLED Gaming Monitor Review: Gorgeous

by admin May 20, 2025

Let’s cut to the chase—Samsung’s latest QD-OLED computer monitor is absolutely awesome, and I’ve loved having it at my desk for the past month or so. Every game I play on it looks incredible, and it has quickly become the centerpiece of my battle station.

Even so, I’m still having trouble recommending 4K high-refresh monitors to people who have to buy and build their own systems. Having a monitor with some room to grow is the right choice, but the gap between performance and capability can be frustrating if you’re on otherwise budget-friendly hardware. If you’re thinking of making an upgrade, really nice 1440p screens are available for under $400, and they might be a better performance fit for most people.

On the other hand, if you’ve already got the most powerful gaming PC in your friend group and you’ve got the cash to spare, you’ll be extremely pleased with the Samsung G81SF. It offers the best panel type in the category, the highest resolution and refresh rate modern systems can reasonably manage, and the suite of features to match.

Fast Refresh, High Resolution

The G81SF features Quantum-Dot OLED technology. (We have an in-depth explainer about panel types if you want the technical details.) The result is just about the best gaming monitor experience you can have at the moment. Colors are super bright and vivid, and shadows and dark areas totally disappear into blackness. It makes me want to turn off the lights, put on some headphones, and settle in for too many hours of some deeply cinematic game.

For most folks, the QD-OLED screens are going to be the absolute best gaming experience you can find, but there are alternatives. If you’re just set on 4K and 240Hz, the Mini LED version of the same screen from Samsung has a slower response time, and won’t have the same beautiful Quantum Dot-powered colors, but can be found for $700 or less. If you’re considering this screen, I don’t think that one will impress you nearly as much, but it does indicate the kind of premium you’re paying for the newest tech.

Given the high refresh and resolution, leveraging adaptive refresh here will be crucial for preventing tearing, and the Samsung features FreeSync Premium Plus, rather than Nvidia G-Sync. The most noticeable advantage to doing so is that it saves you some bucks, with FreeSync screens generally being a bit cheaper than their counterparts. The other advantage is that it works with both Nvidia and AMD cards, so you won’t be tied to one or the other when shopping for GPUs.

The issue for most people will just be getting games to run smoothly. I’m lucky enough to have an RTX 5090 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) for review purposes. Even with Nvidia’s current top-end, recently released card, most modern games won’t get anywhere close to 240 FPS at 4K without significant settings tweaking and liberal use of frame generation. If you’re on a lower-powered or older card, you might get frustrated to find that only Terraria runs at full resolution and refresh rate. People with cards older than the RTX 20 Series should avert their eyes, because it’s likely you won’t even be able to output at 4K and 240Hz, let alone game.

Tech and Stand

It has a simple platform stand, which is sufficiently sturdy given the relatively heavy screen, with a basic cable loop at the base. It also has RGB lights in a small ring around the back, but in order to see them your room will need to be dark and your monitor fairly close to the wall behind it. You can set them from the on-screen display, so no extra software needed.

New monitors often come out of the box with the screen brightness turned way up, and I recommend turning it down to anywhere from 20 to 30 percent. You might be surprised how much it spares your eyes over the course of a few hours of gaming, and it will save you a few bucks on your power bill. I tweaked a few other settings as well, including turning down the contrast to 40 and the color to 20.

It’s really important to touch on the ports, because both DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 rely on Digital Stream Compression to reach 4K at 240Hz. Compression might sound like a scary word here, but according to the VESA the effects shouldn’t be visually apparent. Technically, the HDMI port has a higher bandwidth, but I couldn’t tell the difference when switching back and forth between them.

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May 20, 2025 0 comments

$Zotac’s trippy, fractal-like PC case has been making me think$

Gaming Gear

Zotac’s trippy, fractal-like PC case has been making me think about life, the universe, and the meaning of PC gaming

by admin May 20, 2025

What does it mean to be a PC gamer? What place do we hold in the universe, those of us that spend so much time in realities that are not our own? Oh, sorry. I’ve been staring too long into the infinite void of Zotac’s custom PC case, and I believe it may be expanding the borders of my consciousness at an alarming rate.

Either that, or my coffee this morning wasn’t entirely regular. Anyway, the custom case stands in Zotac’s booth at Computex 2025, drawing in unwary tech journalists like moths to a flame. There I was looking at some perfectly respectable graphics cards, and then boom, my third eye was irreparably squeegee-d. I can now taste colours, and my playlist is full of The Grateful Dead.

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Dragging myself back to reality for a second, most of the internals of this particular build are hidden in the bottom of that mirrored, seemingly-ever-repeating frame, and they’re pretty beefy. A Zotac Gaming RTX 5080 AMP Extreme Infinity takes center stage (or should that be, infinite stages), while an Intel Core Ultra 7 265K handles the processing duties.

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64 GB of DDR5-6000 and 4 TB of Corsair MP600 Elite Gen 4 NVMe storage rounds out the package. Oh, and it’s water-cooled, which shouldn’t be surprising and yet somehow is.

Surely this PC should cool itself by transferring its heat into the great beyond? I half expect it to have disappeared when I return to the halls tomorrow, a small black hole left standing in its place.

“What happened to the custom fractal PC case?”, I shall ask. “Nobody knows”, I expect will be the reply.

“We never brought it with us in the first place.”

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May 20, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

MSI brings AMD-based AMD gaming handheld, updated mid-range gaming laptops to Computex

by admin May 20, 2025

MSI brought its first gaming handheld with an AMD chip inside, the Claw A8 BZ2EM, to Computex. The company also used Taipei tradeshow to launch the latest versions of its Crosshair and Cyborg laptops.

MSI’s previous gaming handhelds, like its Claw 8 AI+, used Intel’s Core Ultra processors — the only mainstream gaming company to do so. It doesn’t seem that MSI is abandoning Intel, but is now making systems with chips from both partners.

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0

MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM

Processor

AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme

Graphics

AMD Radeon (integrated)

Display

8-inch, 1920- x 1200, 120 Hz, VRR, IPS-level

RAM

Up to 24GB LPDDR5x-8000

Storage

1x NVMe M.2 2280 SSD

Battery

80 WHr

Wireless

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3

Beyond using AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, the Claw A8 will have other new features. The system, which is very green, has an Xbox-style controller layout, placing the right thumbstick below the A/B/X/Y buttons. MSI is using Hall Effect joysticks, which should help prevent stick drift. The Claw A8 also has Hall Effect sensors in the LT and RT triggers.

The company has rounded the corners and put in bigger grips, which should increase comfort over previous Claw systems.

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The option for up to 24GB of RAM is impressive (especially fast LPDDR5x-8000 memory), but MSI hasn’t said anything about what configurations will go to which markets, so we’ll see how systems launch with that much memory. Asus used 24GB of memory in the ROG Ally X, one of the best PC Gaming Handhelds, which benefitted because the CPU and GPU share memory.

(Image credit: MSI)

The 80 WHr battery on the Claw is also identical in capacity to the Ally X, which lasted far longer than the original ROG Ally with a smaller 40 WHr battery.

The top of the system features plenty of ports, including a headphone jack, microSD card reader, two USB 4 Type-C ports, as well as a volume rocker and a power button with a built-in fingerprint reader. While the microSD card reader is expected at this point, MSI is also using a standard M.2 2280 SSD, so in theory you could easily crack the system open and replace it with a standard-sized M.2 drive.

MSI has refreshed its MSI Center software to be accessible via Xbox Game Bar. This should take up less space and allow for extra customization, but it’s still building on top of Windows 11, which hasn’t proven to be the most intuitive operating system for gaming handhelds.

MSI hasn’t announced pricing or a release date for the Claw A8.

Gaming Laptops

Like Acer and Asus, MSI brought its mid-range gaming notebooks to Computex, upgrading them to Nvidia’s new RTX 5060 and the RTX 5070.

(Image credit: MSI)

The new Crosshairs will come in 16, 17, and 18-inch sizes. Confusingly enough, using the 18-inchers as examples, the Intel models are styled Crosshair 18 HX AI, while the AMD versions are Crosshair A18HX. So AI means Intel Core Ultra 200 HX chips here, while the A-series systems use AMD Ryzen 8000.

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0

MSI Crosshair 18HX AI

MSI Crosshair A18 HXX

MSI Crosshair 16/17 HX AI

MSI Crosshair A16/A17 HX

CPU

Intel Core Ultra 200 HX

AMD Ryzen 8000

Intel Core Ultra 200 HX

AMD Ryzen 8000

GPU

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070/5060 “and below”

RAM

DDR5-6400 (2 slots, max 96GB)

DDR5-5200 (2 slots, max 96GB)

DDR5-6400 (2 slots, max 96GB)

DDR5-5200 (2 slots, max 96GB)

Storage

1x PCIe Gen 4 x 4 and 1x PCIe Gen 5 x 4

2x PCIe Gen 4 x 4

Display

18-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240 Hz, IPS-level

16 or 17-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240 Hz, IPS-level

Battery

90 WHr

Webcam

720p

Wireless

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3

Other than that, the systems have a ton of commonalities. They all use Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 or RTX 5060 GPUs “and below” (whether that means an upcoming RTX 5050 or older generation chips remains to be seen) and go up to 115W on the GPU and 170W on the CPU. All of the systems have 90 WHr batteries, Wi-Fi 6E, and 2560 x 1600, 240 Hz screens.

MSI only sent along configurations for the Crosshair 18HX AI, which will start at $1,699 at Costco and features a Core Ultra 9 275HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. For $2,049, you’ll be able to get 64GB of RAM.

MSI hasn’t detailed full specifications, so while we know Intel will have slightly faster RAM, we don’t know how much RAM many of these systems will ship with. We do know that they have a MUX switch on the motherboard, new crosshair logos on the hinge and touchpad, and, on the 18-inchers, a 24-zone RGB keyboard. MSI didn’t provide pricing or release information for these systems.

(Image credit: MSI)

There’s also a refresh to the Cyborg line, which comes in 15 and 17-inch sizes. These systems use translucent plastic on the edges but still have a metal lid. The Cyborg 15 and Cyborg 17 will use Intel Core 200H chips and RTX 5060, 5070, “and below” graphics cards, while the Cyborg A15 AI and A17 AI (yes, here AI stands for AMD), will opt for Ryzen 200 series processors.

The 15-inch screens come in either 1080p at 144 Hz or 1440p at 165 Hz. if you opt for 17 inches, MSI has gone for a 1080p/144 Hz screen or a 1440p, 240 Hz option.

Again, we only have partial pricing here, and no availability. The Cyborg A15 AI will start at $1,149 at Costco with a Ryzen 7 260, RTX 5050 (which we were surprised to see in a sheet sent to press), 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. For $1,399 at Best Buy, you can go up to a Ryzen 9 270 and RTX 5060. The 17-inch AMD model will be $1,549 at Costco with the Ryzen 9 270, RTX 5060, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage.

MSI’s other Computex announcements include some productivity laptops, including a new Stealth A16 AI+ and Prestige 16 AI+ notebook that further MSI’s partnership with AMG Motorsport. Additionally, there’s a new Prestige 13 AI+ “Ukiyuo-e Edition,” a limited edition showcasing “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” that will be individually crafted by artists.

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May 20, 2025 0 comments