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I test gaming PCs for a living, and the Quoted Tech Shield is a great entry point for getting into PC gaming

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Quoted Tech Shield: Two-minute review The Quoted Tech Shield is the latest pre-built gaming PC from boutique Canadian PC maker, and it's an ideal gaming PC for anyone looking to get started playing the latest AAA games. Everything about the Shield feels like it’s made to bring first-time PC gamers into the hobby by offering great components, easy setup and access to internals, and simple repairs (and warranties) in case things go awry. The configuration I received, the Shield Extreme—which currently retails for CA$1299 (US$927, £975, AU$1,993)—features an AMD Ryzen 7 9700X CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card, 32GB DDR5 RAM, and 2TB SSD storage. This is a fantastic spec for blistering-fast framerates at 1080p and with very respectable framerates at 1440p, though some settings tweaks might be necessary for QHD gaming. First-time PC gamers might not immediately appreciate just how easy everything is to set up. I have reviewed dozens of gaming PCs over the years, and I can ...

I've tested several of the latest budget gaming laptops recently, and the Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 is the best value of them all

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Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9: Two-minute review The Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 aims to take the lead as the best budget gaming laptop on the market, and in terms of performance for the price, it pretty much nails it. At first glance, you’d be hard-pressed to distinguish it from any other workaday laptop. It lacks the bulk and RGB lighting of its rivals, which may be a positive or a negative depending on how you feel about the modern gamer aesthetic. Regardless, it certainly looks and feels premium. Smooth materials with elegant finishes are featured all over, with the keyboard being a particular highlight, thanks to the solid placement and subtle texturing of the keys. What’s more, the LOQ Essential 15 is pleasingly light, which makes it more portable than a lot of the competition. However, while build quality is good, the LOQ Essential 15 isn’t as sturdy as the best gaming laptops on the market, since there’s a fair amount of flex to both the chassis and the lid. There’s a...

The Corsair Novablade Pro is an exceptional leverless fighting game controller that puts quality and customizability first

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Corsair Novablade Pro: One-minute review I’ve spent the past week testing the Corsair Novablade Pro, and I’ve come away extremely impressed with this leverless fighting game controller. Like the more budget-friendly 8BitDo Arcade Controller and other contenders for the best fight stick , there’s no traditional joystick here; opting instead for a pure button layout that handles everything from movement to motion inputs. What’s immediately striking about the Novablade Pro is its luxurious build quality. Made from high-quality plastic and metal materials, it also avoids the trap many leverless controllers fall into of being too bulky. In comparison, the Novablade Pro is remarkably thin, making it easy to play at home or out with you at in-person tournaments. The Novablade Pro is also incredibly easy to customize to your liking. The magnetic aluminum face plate can be easily removed, allowing you to swap out buttons, keyswitches, or the face plate itself should you desire. Remapping b...

The Witcher season 4 review: Netflix nixes logic for confusing and overwhelming fantasy, but the payoff is worth it

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After two years of waiting, The Witcher season 4 has finally returned to our screens – and boy does it feel like we've been waiting that long in the worst possible way. The hit Netflix show is a complex one to keep up with at the best of times, and that's even more exaggerated when so much has happened in the interim. Liam Hemsworth has taken over from Henry Cavill in the role of Geralt of Rivia, we've got a whole host of brand-new roles who make up his rag-tag crew, and Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu) is far from finished wreaking havoc with his unhinged chaos magic. Add in the remaining witches of Aretuza, the White Flame and the introduction of infamous savage Leo Bonhart (Sharlto Copley), and there's a lot of plates spinning. Unfortunately, I don't think season 4 does the best job of easing us back into the drama, and that's to the detriment of the first four episodes. However, I implore you to stick with it, even when it feels like you need a specially-mad...

New Prime Video movie Hedda isn't just this year's Saltburn – it’s cooler, more calculated and serious fun

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There's been something of a narrative that new Prime Video movie Hedda is simply a Saltburn -style retelling of Henrik Ibsen's classic play Hedda Gabler , but that doesn't remotely do it justice. Those who think the gender-swapped characters and LGBTQIA+ romance are the most interesting things about it aren't digging deeply enough. If there's anyone that knows a thing or 35 about sapphic movies, it's me. I report on them every chance I get, and if I'm not doing that, I've likely worked Carol , Ammonite or Bound into conversation. I'll confess that Hedda caught my interested because of Nina Hoss – who played Cate Blanchett's fictional wife in Tár – but little did I know what a treat I was in for. Of course this film isn't perfect. Considering how messy Hedda is as a character alone, it was never going to be. But there's no doubt that this is the strongest entry in director Nia DaCosta's body of work to date. She received an un...

After a couple weeks of using the Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250), I’m as impressed as I am perplexed by it

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Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250): Two-minute review (Image credit: Future / James Holland) The Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250) is a hard computer to pin down just because its configurations vary so wildly. It’s almost like the Tower Plus is more of a concept than an actual model with the only thing really remaining the same are its most barebones aspects, such as its chassis and ports. There’s such variation in availability of CPUs, RAM, GPUs, and storage that you can configure this tower to be an efficient budget option or a robust gaming or creative content machine. Despite the fact that you can end up on opposite sides of the desktop spectrum depending on the configuration you choose or customize, it has an argument for consideration among the best desktops . The flexibility in customization it offers is a point in its favor if you’re okay spending a little time picking out what exactly you need. But even if you get a lower-end build, it’s made to be expanded upon at a later date; so ...