This week’s hardware news highlights the Stop Killing Games campaign surpassing key petition milestones, MSI’s launch of a powerful AMD-based handheld gaming device, and NVIDIA’s rumored RTX 5070 Super and Ti Super GPUs targeting different market needs. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Xbox hardware faces uncertainty amid layoffs and project cancellations, and upcoming content includes an educational factory tour of Thermal Grizzly’s liquid metal production and a major investigative trip across Asia.
This week’s hardware news covers several significant updates in the gaming and tech industries. First, the Stop Killing Games initiative has surpassed the one million signature threshold required for EU citizens, as well as exceeding the UK petition’s 100,000 signature goal. This campaign aims to ensure that games with online services have some form of end-of-life plan to keep them playable after official support ends. Despite reaching these milestones, more signatures are encouraged to secure the initiative’s legitimacy and push lawmakers to take action. The movement gained momentum recently thanks to popular YouTubers like PewDiePie and Jacksepticeye promoting the cause.
MSI is launching its first AMD-based handheld gaming device, the revised A8 model featuring the Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU. This new handheld promises significant performance improvements over its Intel-based predecessors, with claims of up to 26.7% better gaming performance and an impressive battery life of up to 19 hours of video playback. The device includes modern specs such as an 8-inch 120Hz touchscreen, 24GB of LPDDR5 memory, and Wi-Fi 7 readiness. The A8 is expected to debut in China soon at a price of around $975, and the host plans to test one during upcoming travels to Asia.
NVIDIA continues to expand its GPU lineup with rumors of new RTX 5070 Super and 5070 Ti Super models. The 5070 Super is said to feature 6,400 CUDA cores and 18GB of GDDR7 memory, while the 5070 Ti Super would offer 8,960 CUDA cores and 24GB of G7 memory, targeting users who need more VRAM for professional workloads. Additionally, the China-exclusive RTX 5090DV2 is set to launch in August with reduced memory bandwidth and 24GB VRAM to comply with export control laws. These new GPUs highlight NVIDIA’s ongoing strategy to refresh its product stack and address different market segments.
Microsoft’s Xbox division is facing significant challenges, with Laura Frier, a founding Xbox team member, declaring that “Xbox hardware is dead” due to the company’s apparent shift away from producing first-party hardware. This sentiment is echoed by recent mass layoffs across Microsoft’s gaming divisions, including the cancellation of major projects like Perfect Dark and Everwild, and the closure of studios such as The Initiative. Despite massive investments in acquisitions like Activision Blizzard, Microsoft is cutting back on its internal development efforts, raising questions about the future of Xbox hardware and game production.
Finally, the video previews an upcoming educational factory tour of Thermal Grizzly’s liquid metal production facility, showcasing the complex chemistry and manufacturing process behind high-performance thermal interfaces. The host also announces plans for a major investigative trip across Asia, promising deep dives and factory tours related to hardware production. Viewers are encouraged to support this educational content through merchandise purchases. The video wraps up with updates on new PC cases from Fantex and Montek, and a quirky note on the ongoing evolution of NVIDIA’s China-specific GPU naming conventions.