The best graphics cards for 2019

There are a lot of considerations to factor in when buying a graphics card. Monitor resolution, power and thermal requirements, and even game preference will dictate how much you spend and what you spend it on. The time you buy is important too. With a new generation of AMD Navi graphics cards on the horizon, buying the best now or waiting to see what the best will be in a few months time, is another tough decision to make.

While we wait, though, here are the best graphics cards you can buy right now.

AMD Radeon VII The best Riley Young/Digital Trends

Why should you buy this: The Radeon Vega VII offers fantastic performance at a competitive, if high, price.

Who's it for: Deep-pocket gamers and UHD video editors who don't care about ray tracing.

Why we picked the AMD Radeon VII:

AMD's new, second-generation Vega graphics card, the Radeon VII, might not have some of the bells and whistles of Nvidia's RTX-line of GPUs, but what it lacks in features, it makes up for in raw power.

Sucking in as much as 300 watts alone, you wouldn't know that this GPU is running on an efficient and small-scale, 7nm node. That's several orders of magnitude smaller than both its predecessor, the Vega 64, and Nvidia's stiff competition. Where it lacks finesse in cooling and subsequently noise-levels, though, the Radeon VII delivers severe performance improvements over its first-generation counterpart and in many cases, Nvidia's best too.

In our testing we found the Radeon VII to be a solid competitor for the RTX 2080 and even the 2080 Ti in some cases. While that latter card is still more powerful in general (see below) the Radeon VII beats out the 2080 in most of our gaming tests and with its massive 16GB of HBM2 graphics memory, it's a fantastic card for compute workloads too. As always, results will vary depending on your system, but in our Threadripper-based PC, it beats the competition.

Near perfect for work and play, the Radeon VII is our card to buy if you can afford its steep $700 price point.

Read our full AMD Radeon VII review

Nvidia GTX 2080 Ti The best graphics card for 4K

Why should you buy this: You want to play the latest games at the highest frame rate and resolution.

Who's it for: 4K monitor owners and PC gaming enthusiasts.

Why we picked the Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti:

There's nothing budget-friendly about the massive GTX 2080 Ti. Aside from the Nvidia RTX Titan, which is even more absurdly expensive and not that much faster, the RTX 2080 Ti is the most powerful consumer offering currently available in Nvidia's arsenal, and it shows in its gaming performance.

Other cards in its range, like the 2080, AMD's Radeon VII, and the 1080 Ti, remain viable cards for delivering 4K resolution, but the 2080 Ti offers much greater performance potential whether you're gaming at just 4K resolution, or want to bring in some of the additional visual features of the Turing generation of cards, like DLSS and ray tracing. Considering how hardware intensive the latter of those two features is, if you want to take full advantage of everything modern games like Battlefield V have to offer, the 2080 Ti delivers the best frame rates and the best overall experience.

When put through its paces, we found the RTX 2080 Ti capable of delivering more than 12,000 points in 3DMark Time Spy. It also hit more than 100 FPS in Battlefield 1 at 4K with all settings at Ultra, and even hit near 50 FPS at 4K in the always-taxing Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

If you can find a 1080 Ti at a reasonable price, it's still a viable alternative (and the 2080 isn't a bad choice either), but the 2080 Ti is head and shoulders above them in terms of its raw power and graphical capabilities.

Read our full Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti review

AMD RX 570 The best entry-level graphics card Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Why should you buy this: You want to turn a PC without a GPU into a certified gaming rig.

Who's it for: Casual and occasional gamers.

How much will it cost: $145+

Why we picked the AMD RX 570:

With a lack of affordable mid-range graphics options in Nvidia's new RTX generation at the time of writing, we are restricted to what are effectively, last-generation solutions from both it and AMD. Although the RTX 2060 is an expensive option, we have typically recommended the GTX 1050 as a good starting point for entry-level gaming. However, AMD's recent price reductions have made some of its cards much more competitive.

The RX 560 is a little too weak for us to easily recommend, but the RX 570 is more affordable today than ever before and offers fantastic performance at its new price point. You might be wondering about some of the newer entries in the RX lineup like the RX 580 or 590. They're both solid midrange GPUs, but until prices come down a bit more, the 570 is the best starter card.

Currently available at well under $200 at a few retailers (with free games), the RX 570 delivers credible 1080p gaming performance that isn't a million miles away from what its more capable big brother, the RX 580 can put out. In our testing, the RX 570 was able to output near 90 FPS in Battlefield 1 at 1080p with all settings on ultra – a higher frame rate than the RX 480 or even Zotac's GTX 1060.

Even more taxing games like Deus Ex: Mankind Divided proved perfectly playable at Ultra quality levels at 1080p, with average frame rates of 44 FPS.

The RX 580 is a viable alternative if you have a little more money to burn as it does represent a nice uptick in performance, but bang for buck, the RX 570 is our card of choice for kicking in the door of high-fidelity PC gaming. If you want to wait a little, Nvidia now has the GTX 1660 Ti available, but it's nowhere near as affordable as the RX 570.

Read our full AMD Radeon RX 570 review

RTX 2080 Max-Q Best mobile graphics Dan Baker/Digital Trends

Why should you buy this: It offers great performance without adding undue bulk to modern laptops.

Who's it for: Power gamers on the move.

Why we picked the Nvidia RTX 2080 Max-Q:

Nvidia's RTX 2080 Max-Q is the latest iteration of its leaner mobile gaming solutions, but that doesn't mean it lacks power. It offers greater numbers of CUDA cores than its 10-series Max-Q counterparts and that ends up delivering a sizable performance improvement over the past generation.

Although the RTX 2080 Max-Q falls behind its full scale desktop and mobile counterparts, its real strength lies in not outputting anywhere near the kind of heat of those big scale Gpus do. That means that you'll still find the RTX 2080 Max-Q in laptops that are sleek and thin and don't weigh too much. The Asus Zephyrus GX701 that we used in our testing weighs less than six pounds and offers performance that in years gone by you'd only find in chunky gaming machines that weigh at least 50 percent more than that.

There are some solid alternatives in this space with both AMD and Nvidia offering mobile options with greater and lesser performance depending on your needs, but for our money, the RTX 2080 Max-Q provides the best blend of performance and compatibility with the kind of thin and light laptops that have come to dominate the gaming and general purpose notebook scene in recent years.

Read our full Nvidia RTX 2080 Max-Q review.

What about AMD Vega 56/64, Navi?

As much as AMD has notched up a couple of solid entries on our best graphics card list, astute readers or AMD fans may have noticed a lack of first-generation Vega and AMD's upcoming Navi graphics cards. Why is that?

Don't get us wrong, the AMD Vega 56 and 64 with their newly reduced pricing still represent great graphics cards, especially in comparison to the last remaining Nvidia GTX 10-series GPUs that some retailers still hold stock of. However, they fall well behind the top RTX graphics cards and AMD's own Radeon VII.

Their bang for buck isn't bad, but considering the advanced features offered by other RTX cards and the greater value to be had from AMD's other cards, they don't quite make the cut of the "best" graphics cards. They're good, just not great.

As for Navi, we don't know exactly what it will be like, but the latest rumors suggest that it will offer Vega-like performance at a much more affordable price point. That could mean they end up replacing our recommendations for best budget and bang for buck cards, but it's unlikely Navi will unseat Nvidia's most powerful graphics cards when it comes to 4K gaming – at least initially.

None of AMD's cards support Nvidia's newly-pushed ray tracing or DLSS features either, so there is an argument to be made that Nvidia cards offer the most visual features. However, with a limited number of games supporting those new technologies at this time, the jury is still out on whether they will become mainstay gaming features, or more niche offerings for Nvidia users only.

How we test

When we test graphics cards, we tend to focus on three major factors: Feature set, performance, and price.

Feature set is often determined by brand and platform, which we always consider as we review a card. It's not just about whether it can handle a virtual reality headset, or how many monitors it supports. We check out graphical standard and API support, and special features like Nvidia's Ansel, or AMD's WattMan overclocking software.

Of course, performance is key. We run review units through a series of synthetic and real-world benchmarks, even beyond those we report. We keep detailed records of frame rate trends, frame times, and any anomalous activities, like noise, heat, or artifacts.

Ultimately, it all comes down to cash. With so many GPUs, board partners, and differences in clock speed and memory, there's no shortage of options, and it's all too easy to overpay. We check the price of each individual card, and even help determine availability at launch.

Read More

Anthem Analysis Compares PC and Xbox One X Graphics Settings

Anthem's now available on all platforms, and analysis regarding the game's visuals show that while persistent issues remain, graphics quality and stability have been remarkably improved since the VIP demo. BioWare continues to work on further optimizations, but the day one patch offered an opportunity to break down the visuals between Anthem's top performing platforms of the PC and Xbox One X.

Digital Foundry took the time to compare how Anthem runs on Xbox One X with its PC counterpart. Its performance analysis establishes where the Xbox One X falls in the tier of PC settings, showing that the console runs around the PC's "Medium" settings across the board. It then compares these Medium settings to the PC version of Anthem's maximum Ultra settings, showing the differences between the two.

Most prominent in the differences between the two platforms is the vegetation density in Anthem's Freeplay mode. Not only is the foliage significantly more plentiful on PC ultra settings, but the viewing distance leads them to pop up and stay on screen much more often. Whereas the Xbox One X's vegetation is quite sparse unless within a small area around the player. Lighting and shadow are also areas of large difference between the two platforms, with Xbox One X shadowing looking more chunky and less accurate to objects' nature.

There's one area between both Xbox One X and PC that is similar, however, and that's how both platforms struggle with frame-rate. The Xbox One X continues to wrestle with 30fps–an issue carried over from the VIP demo–to a point where even the Xbox One S is more stable. And while a PC with impressive hardware will manage quite a bit better than 30fps, even at Xbox One X's parallel settings, top hardware can often drop below 60fps. At Ultra settings, frame-rates can even drop into the 30s.

The comparison's conclusions are not necessarily complimentary. The video criticizes Anthem as "running heavy" on all PC hardware and characterizes the Xbox One X's comparative Medium settings as just above an "ugly" tolerance level crossed at Low settings. Nevertheless, despite the disappointment with PC optimization and scaling, the video describes the Xbox One X performance of Anthem as "pretty alright." While Anthem will likely never live up to the initial announcement demo shown in 2017, the Xbox One X version of the game seems like the best choice for BioWare fans outside of a very expensive PC.

Anthem is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Read More

Apex Legends – PS4 Pro vs Xbox One X vs PC Graphics Comparison

Head to head graphics comparison between the PS4 Pro, Xbox One X and PC versions of Apex Legends.

The latest entrant in the battle royal genre, Apex Legends has been out for a while now. The free to play first person shooter runs on a highly modified Source engine, the very same engine that powered 2016's fantastic Titanfall 2. Given that it's early days, Apex Legends features Kings Canyon as its only one map, and it's absolutely impressive.

From a technical perspective, Apex Legends s almost running with the same visual fidelity at which Titanfall 2 ran at. The map size is impressive and it is coupled with some great art style and an impressive design that encourages vertical gameplay, just like the main Titanfall games. We are also quite impressed with how the Source engine is able to stream assets across such a huge with very less pop-in. Kings Canyon is easily one of the most dense battle royal maps we have seen in the genre. There is a great variety in environments; some locations are filled with a ton of foliage whereas others have well defined architectures like warehouses or residential locales. All of this looks great thanks to some fantastic lighting effects.

As usual, we tested the game across the PS4 Pro, Xbox One X and PC. Let's take a look at the PC version first. The developers recommend a Intel Core i3-6300 3.8GHz or AMD FX-4350 4.2 GHz Quad-Core Processor, 6GB of memory, NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 or Radeon HD 7700. Our test PC includes a GTX 1080Ti, 16GB of GDDR4 memory and Ryzen 1700 CPU. The graphical options are pretty sizeable. Players can change a ton of options which includes the likes of Adaptive Resolution FPS Target, Adaptive Supersampling, Anti-aliasing up to TAA, Ambient Occlusion, Dynamic Spot Shadows, Effects Detail, Impact Marks, Model Detail, Texture streaming budget and Volumetric Lighting.

As expected, we had next to issues in running the game with every setting maxed out. There were no performance issues at all in our testing. On the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X front, both versions are targeting 60 frames per second, with the game sticking to that standard for the most part. On the resolution front, we think that the Xbox One X is running at a higher resolution compared to the PS4 Pro, however, just like Titanfall 2 the game seems to be employing a dynamic resolution so that it can provide a stable frame rate most of the times. This solution worked really well in Titanfall 2 but bringing it to a huge map like Kings Canyon must have been a challenge which results into slight performance drops at times, which we noted earlier.

Compared to the PC build, both versions feature inferior shadow quality, ambient occlusion and dynamic spot shadows. This comes off as no surprise to us, because clearly, the PC version is head and shoulders above the console versions. With a vast number of scaleable visuals options, Apex Legends is best played on the PC, provided you have the hardware.

In the end, Apex Legends is a blast on whatever platform you play it on. The developer's priority to maintain 60fps on the iterative consoles whilst dynamically changing resolution is something that needs to be applauded and is easily one of the highlights on the three leading platforms.

Read More

The best free FPS games you can play right now

The landscape for free-to-play shooters is more robust and impressive than ever before, lined with an assortment of notable hits like Team Fortress 2, the interstellar Planetside followup, and the rebooted Unreal Tournament. They may not offer the same production values as Call of Duty: WWII, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, or Overwatch, but then again, they won't cost you upwards of $60. Here are our top picks for the best free first-person shooters, so you can frag fools and save money.

PUBG Mobile and PUBG Lite (iOS, Android)

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds first amassed a huge following on PC and later Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but the free-to-play PUBG Mobile offers a great alternative version for anyone itching to get their battle royale fix on the go. The game uses a combination of virtual buttons and sticks to create a shooting experience much better than it has any right to be, and with optional motion controls, you can even fine-tune your shot to take out the most distant targets with a sniper rifle. As with its big siblings, PUBG Mobile supports duo and team-based matches, and built-in voice chat allows you to coordinate with your teammates before you approach a new area.

You can actually play PUBG Mobile in either first-person or third-person perspectives, and you don't even have to have a mobile device to get in on the action. Publisher Tencent developed its own emulation tool so you can play the game from your PC with a mouse and keyboard setup. It won't have the same fidelity as the full PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, but it's completely free to play and just as addicting.

Additionally, certain regions currently have access to a beta version of PUBG Lite, a free-to-play game designed to run on less powerful PCs. The beta is being offered in Thailand at the moment and has the potential to expand to other regions, and it features the original Erangel map.

Apple Store/Google Play

Call to Arms (Windows)

Its name certainly evokes images of Activision's Call of Duty series, and its setting isn't that far off from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, but Digitalmindsoft's Call to Arms is a very different beast. At its core, it's a real-time strategy military game with destructible environments and offers a ton of control over how you complete a mission, but this is a "best free first-person shooters" list, and the game offers plenty of that, as well. Want to put your boots on the ground and fight with one of your soldiers in direct combat? Go right ahead, and you'll still be free to destroy environments in order to get the jump on your enemies.

There are paid versions of Call to Arms that offer additional downloadable content as well as single-player content, but the free version gives you access to the multiplayer mode, and you can progress just like you would in the full version. If you do decide to make the jump and purchase a paid package, you'll be able to transfer all your progress, too.

Steam

Quake Champions (Windows)

Id Software is the king of first-person shooters, playing a pivotal role in their development in the '90s, and few games were more influential during that time than Quake. The lightning-fast shooter put reflexes and skill above all else, becoming a popular early esport and spawning several sequels. With Quake Champions, which went free-to-play in August 2018, Id delivers classic Quake action at a speed you can only get on PC — unlike most of the studio's recent work, it isn't available on consoles. You'll need a capable system to run it too, with Id Software recommending at least 16GB of RAM and an AMD R9 290 GPU. You can spend the money to upgrade your computer with the cash you didn't have to spend on the game!

Quake Champions features a variety of different game modes, including traditional deathmatch and both 1v1 and 2v2 duels, and it includes a mix of classic and brand new weapons. If you're a fan of Id's other games, you can even play as the Doom series' Doomslayer and the Wolfenstein series' B.J. Blazkowicz. The game also recently received a full soundtrack overhaul, courtesy of Brutal Doom composer Andrew Hulshult, because you need some roaring tunes in the background as you blast your opponents apart.

Steam

Paladins: Champions of the Realm (Xbox One, PS4, Windows, MacOS, Nintendo Switch)

Blizzard's Overwatch remains the king of the "hero shooter" multiplayer genre, but Hi-Rez Studios' Paladins: Champions of the Realm is a great alternative for those who don't want to sink $40 before they've even begun playing. Much like in Overwatch, you select from dozens of different characters spread across multiple classes such as "damage," "flanker," "support," and "front line," each offering a different style of play that can help your team to victory. The tree-like Grover, for instance, can deal out heavy damage with his ax while also healing nearby allies, and the crafty Pip makes use of explosive potions to catch enemies off-guard.

Unlike the set classes and abilities offered in Overwatch, Paladins allows you to customize your heroes using a deckbuilding system. There are also pre-built deck loadouts for those looking to jump into a match with a solid chance of contributing, and with three different modes – Siege, Onslaught, and Team Deathmatch — you'll have plenty of opportunities to try the abilities out.

Paladins

Team Fortress 2 (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux)

Boasting beautifully-rendered graphics and a well-balanced class system, the lauded Team Fortress 2 still appeals to casual gamers and pros alike, garnering what is still one of the largest player bases on the Steam marketplace more than seven years after its initial debut. The game is a steadfast hybrid of fast-paced combat and intense strategy in which every one of the game's nine classes exhibits its own powerful strengths and crippling weaknesses.

Game modes are straightforward, primarily pitting two teams against one another in an effort to move a cart, capture select points, or steal a briefcase. It's highly competitive in nature, but it still caters to all skill levels. Like most multiplayer titles, it's about exploiting the Achilles heel of your enemies while protecting your own, but it relishes a stylized brand of humor that has become iconic for the Team Fortress brand. Few games have held up as well over the years, and to be honest, few probably will.

Steam

Black Squad (Windows)

Sometimes, you just want to get down to the nitty-gritty fundamentals of first-person shooters: the shooting. With Black Squad, NS Studio has created a relentlessly twitchy and precise multiplayer experience that should feel right at home for fans of earlier Call of Duty titles and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The game offers enough variety for players of all styles and ability to feel like they're making progress and contributing to their team. Getting a kill results in a gloriously over-the-top sound effect and a hefty splatter of blood on nearby walls, so there will never be any doubt whether your target is down.

Black Squad promises absolutely zero "pay to win" mechanics, with no gameplay-focused microtransactions available. Instead, you can earn everything through in-game currency or spend extra cash to buy certain cosmetic items, such as weapon skins, before other players. With only 4GB of recommended RAM and a minimum spec that calls for the aging GTX 560 GPU, you'll be able to run the game on all but the very oldest machines.

Steam

Warface (Windows)

Crytek has been developing first-person shooters for nearly two decades, and the company's experience has shown with polished and flashy games that feel just as good on console as they do on PC. The free-to-play Warface is currently available on PC and will be coming to both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 later this year, and its class-based approach forces teams to work together. Engineers, for instance, are capable of repairing their teammates' armor, while Medics can heal and dish out heavy damage with a shotgun from close-range.

Most free-to-play first-person shooters focus exclusively on competitive multiplayer, but Warface also features a cooperative mode that rewards you for completing missions and playing well as a team. This mode has a tutorial for newer players to learn the classes. If you do decide to face off against other players online, you'll be able to do so in traditional kill-based and objective-based modes, and a battle royale mode was added in an update in late 2017. Powered by Crytek's CryEngine, it's one of the most attractive free-to-play games around, yet its recommended PC specifications are modest.

Steam

Unreal Tournament (Windows)

Epic Games' Fortnite is the biggest game in the world right now, but the studio also has a knack for designing other great shooters. Free to play on PC, a rebooted Unreal Tournament was being developed until 2018, and Epic even published the source code so you can quickly get access to the latest builds to see how the fast-paced multiplayer shooter was being changed.

Development of Unreal Tournament ceased in late 2018, with Epic redirecting its development efforts toward Fortnite, but the game can still be played and downloaded.

Unreal Tournament brought the intense PC shooting action of the original games into the modern age, and it features an impressive array of maps that will take you into outer space, or a fortress made of metal and stone. Classic power-ups and powerful weapons like the rocket launcher are here, and several different game modes are available to choose from. Perhaps the most intense is Duel, which pits two players against each other in a battle to rack up the most kills before time expires. With 2016's Doom reboot earnings praise and Bethesda's new Quake Champions in development, it seems old-school shooters are seeing a resurgence, albeit in a more niche environment than they were back in the late '90s.

Epic Games

Planetside 2 (Windows, PS4)

With planet-spanning battles and three diverse factions, Planetside 2 ups the ante on everyday first-person shooters. Everything the player does affects their faction's success in battle, from killing enemies to buying vehicles and taking enemy control points, all of which takes place on a massive scale featuring lean animation and exceptional skill trees. The diverse combat ensures no two matches are ever the same, placing players against one another in custom tank battles one minute, and urban firefights and aerial onslaughts the next. It all gives players the opportunity to unlock weapons, attachments, skills, and other components through the game's intuitive leveling system.

The core of Planetside 2 revolves around holding crucial territories and claiming key resources, with hundreds of players fighting it out over the course of multi-day and weeklong battles. Turning the tide takes teamwork — and sometimes being a cog in the machine isn't so bad.

Steam

MechWarrior Online (Windows)

The overwhelming trend in modern shooters is speed. Series' such as Call of Duty have been doing everything they can to speed up gameplay, giving players the ability to run on walls and snipe opponents while backflipping through the air. This makes MechWarrior Online's almost chess-like pace all the more refreshing. The latest in the long-running MechWarrior series, Online is a free-to-play vehicular combat game in which players plod about in massive robot suits.

There are dozens of mechs spread out across four different weight classes, and those weight classes factor heavily into the playstyle. Light mechs are nimble and stealthy, but can't carry much in the way of weaponry, while the massive assault classes can shoulder entire arsenals. Players can also customize their mechs with weapons, but the sheer variety of mechs comes at a price. Although MechWarrior Online is technically free to play, mechs must be purchased for use, either with in-game currency or with microtransactions. Mechs get more expensive with size, with some of the heavier mechs exceeding $20. It's an annoying hurdle in an otherwise very fun game.

Steam

Ring of Elysium (Windows)

Battle royale games are a dime a dozen these days, but Tencent mixes up the formula in Ring of Elysium by providing another option for those not interested in mowing down other players: escape. Set on a snowy mountain in the middle of a massive storm, you and up to three other players can survive certain death – either by the weather or other players – by boarding a rescue helicopter. To brave the storm, you can even snowboard or hang-glide to your destination, but you have to watch out for the dropping temperature that can send you to an early grave.

Tencent is no stranger to battle royale games, as the company is responsible for publishing PUBG Mobile, and it shows in Ring of Elysium. Snappy, satisfying gunplay and a simple inventory system help keep you in the action and away from menus, and the game's gorgeous buildings and environments are far different from the urban and forest-heavy places we've seen in similar battle royale games. Currently, in early access, Ring of Elysium is expected to have a full release in the coming months, at which point it will include casual game modes and progression systems. As of now, it's only available on PC.

Steam

Read More

The best games to show off your brand new graphics card

The first, natural response to sinking a bunch of cash into a new graphics card is to test it with the best looking and most demanding games. But the age of Crysis being the default go-to for testing new gaming hardware has long since passed, so what are the flashiest games of this generation to showcase a GPU?

As it turns out, there are a lot of great options. I've jumped into all of the current generation's most graphically intense titles to find the ones that will really stress test your rig, and let you show your less tech savvy friends and family how absolutely incredible modern video games can look when powered by the right machine. And while all these games are incredible looking as unified works, I also looked for engines that integrate or made exceptional use of some specific technique or tone. 

Metro Exodus

The Metro franchise has always been visually impressive, but liberating it from the stagnant tunnels of the Russian subway system has really opened up the palette for the artists at 4A Games. Set on the barren tundra and in the sun parched desert of the Metro universe's post-apocalypse, Exodus is an incredible example of what's possible when a huge team of very capable devs is set loose on some of the most impressive technology. 

Ray tracing is enabled in the right image, where the effect is most noticeable in bright reflections on water and snow

The setting and characters are undeniably beautiful and, perhaps most interesting, Exodus is only the second modern game to fully take advantage of Nvidia's 20-series of cards, with their specialized cores designed to implement real time ray tracing as well as the machine-learning-powered anti-aliasing technique, DLSS. If you've got a DXR-ready card, you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not grabbing Metro - the difference between ray traced and non-ray traced sequences is subtle but powerful, especially in instances like the one above, where light is being dynamically reflected off the moving surface of the water. 

Our review | Pre-order now

Battlefield 5

Battlefield V is an exceptional looking game, with gorgeous environments, realistic faces and character models, and amazing fire effects. But the real reason to lean on it to demo your new video card is that it's one of only two modern games (not counting Quake 2) that currently take advantage of ray tracing technology, which if you've spent a bunch of money on one of Nvidia's 20-series cards makes it borderline mandatory.

Enabling ray tracing (right) allows developers to reflect off-screen parts of a scene

Ray tracing attempts to simulate the way rays of light interact with objects in a virtual environment and as such it affects everything from shadows to reflections. Toggling it on in Battlefield generally makes a subtle but noticeable difference and adds an overall sensation of depth and detail, especially in areas with complex lighting and multiple light sources. In some instances, however, like the comparison screenshot above drawn from a Nvidia tech demo, the possibilities are much more dramatic. 

Unlike traditional screen space reflection, ray tracing allows developers to reflect parts of a scene that aren't currently being displayed on the screen, like the explosive off-screen muzzle report from a tank reflected in the side panel of the car in the screenshot. It also means that reflections on complex surfaces, like the flame dappling the ruined car's dented chassis, are simulated in a more complex and realistic way. A February 12th patch promises to improve ray tracing performance and, more importantly, adds DLSS support to Battlefield 5. If you've got an RTX card, Battlefield V will let you feel just that little bit more justified in your (likely pretty expensive) purchase. 

Our review | Buy it now

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Maybe you've opted to go the Radeon VII route instead, though, or maybe you're just exhausted by the blood drenched mud of WWII battlefields or aren't interested in Metro's post-apocalyptic Russian frontier. A fantastic alternate option (and one that will reportedly eventually get ray tracing patched in) is Crystal Dynamic's Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which blends a number of impressive techniques to produce one of the best looking games currently available. As an added bonus, it includes a built-in benchmarking utility, so you can fully quantify just how powerful your new card is. 

One of SotTR's countless densely detailed environments cast in vivid contrast in part thanks to expert use of HDR

SotTR makes excellent use of techniques like tessellation and HDR to render detailed environments ranging from dense jungles, pulsing and crawling with verdant life, to crumbling moss-covered ruins that look so real you can practically smell the must. Tessellated surfaces are packed with increased geometric detail, which enhances the realism and complexity of textures, particularly when ambient occlusion causes layered shadows to fall across an object, highlighting raised or recessed areas. It's a high mark in a series that's rightly known for its gorgeous visuals, and just the sort of graphical treat to toss down the hungry gullet of a new GPU.

Our review | Buy it now 

Total War: Warhammer 2

Most of the games on this list are first or third person action games for obvious reasons, but they don't have a monopoly on amazing graphics. While the majority of strategy titles aren't exactly renowned for their incredible visuals, games like Total War: Warhammer II demonstrate that it's not just shooters that feature visual flash. 

One of Warhammer 2's battlefields, dense with combatants and fantasy monsters

It's the massive fantasy battles that stand out, of course, visually stunning set pieces sprawling across the threshold of towering mountain fortresses or meandering across rolling foothills and tree-dotted plains. The scale of these battles is awe-inspiring, particularly when they see more than two armies clashing, and watching countless thousands of soldiers collide like waves of black-metal-clad flesh can be truly hair raising.  

Warhammer 2's lush, gorgeous metalayer

But it's not just the battles; the overworld map, especially since the release of the Mortal Empires update that brought the entirety of the Warhammer Fantasy world to the game, is rendered in beautiful detail, with wisps of fog blowing across haunted mountain passes, and dark cliffs of blasted stone jutting menancingly from the Chaos-infested earth. Warhammer 2 is a visual feast even when orc hordes aren't crashing over elven pike lines, and like Shadow of the Tomb Raider it comes with its own handy benchmarking utility.

Our review | Buy it now 

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey

More than the best looking entry in the Assassin's Creed franchise, Odyssey is one of the most visually sumptuous games ever released. It's a masterpiece of art design and technical implementation fused into a gorgeous, harmonious whole, the apex of beautiful craft brought to life through digital sorcery. The Greek world is a jewel that the game takes full advantage of to render a diverse set of environments as the backdrop to brutal assassinations and epic naval clashes.

Odyssey's sprawling setting offers seemingly endless vistas

The massive open world Odyssey presents is a great way to stress your card's draw distance capabilities, and the blend of huge environments (with generous lines of sight) and extremely sharp detail at close range is also a great way to showcase your hardware's LOD rendering. The only minor quibble I have with Odyssey's technical implementation is that the cloth animations on character models are capped at 30 FPS which can make character movement look slightly odd if the rest of the game is running at a higher frame rate, but you're unlikely to notice, especially whilst hypnotized by the staggering natural beauty of Ancient Greece.

Our review | Buy it now 

Hitman 2

The first of the Hitman reboot games was nice enough looking, but the sequel really pushes the series visuals to their logical extreme, in large part by stretching their Glacier 2 engine's legs in locales like an open-wheel race in sunny Miami or the densely crowded streets of Mumbai. The combination of these beautiful settings combined with a deft touch with a couple of advanced graphic techniques elevates Hitman's looks up to the level of its remarkable gameplay.

HItman 2's reflection tech at work

In particular, Hitman 2's much advertised reflection tech is really impressive. An early example of this is the prologue level, where Agent 47 is approaching a remote luxury home with high glass walls. Expertly blended with the shifting interior view as you approach is a high-fidelity reflection of the midnight sky and exterior world, including the protagonist. It's stunning, and even has gameplay implications if an enemy spots you in a mirror slinking up behind them. It's also just the tip of an impressive (ahem) glacier of techniques, from their incredible dynamic crowd modeling to the use of parallax occlusion to add depth and detail to surface textures. Welded together they create a gestalt that makes the clockwork world of Hitman 2 incredibly immersive. 

Our review | Buy it now 

Fallout 4 VR

One of the recent milestones when evaluating new GPUs is how well they're able to handle VR, which is notoriously demanding because it requires a PC to simultaneously output two images at identical resolution. Stereoscopic rendering is difficult under the best of circumstances, and when applied to a game as complex as Fallout 4 is extremely challenging without performance plummeting.

VR requires graphics to be rendered in split screen stereo, meaning each scene must be fully rendered twice

Now sporting native Vive and Rift support, Fallout 4 VR is a great way to stress test a card under some of the most demanding circumstances - framiness or stuttering in VR isn't just an annoyance, it can be seriously physically discomfiting. Fallout 4 may be a couple years old now, but the Commonwealth Wasteland still looks beautiful (and pleasantly colorful, for a Fallout game), especially when rendered in glorious VR. 

Our review  (Fallout 4) | Buy it now 

Read More

10 best 3D games for Android

Mobile gaming has improved by leaps and bounds over the last half a decade. Where once we had only a few options and they were essentially Angry Birds or Solitaire, we now have giant, full games with amazing graphics. Since mobile devices don't have 3D screens (like the Nintendo 3DS), there ar e no truly 3D games for Android. Instead, we decided to look at some of the best mobile games with 3D graphics. We hope you enjoy them!

Some awesome related lists!

10 best augmented reality games and AR games for Android! 15 best adventure games for Android Asphalt 9: Legends

Price: Freemium

Asphalt 9: Legends is the latest arcade racing game from Gameloft. It's actually quite excellent for an arcade racer. You can unlock a ton of different vehicles, race in hundreds of various events (including special events), and customize your car to make it yours. There is, of course, online PvP mode as well. The graphics are above average for racing games and it is truly enjoyable to look at. Some other decent arcade racers include CSR Racing 2 and Real Racing 3. You could definitely do a lot worse with these 3D graphics.

Critical Ops

Price: Freemium

Critical Ops is one of the best shooters on Google Play. It's been referred to as the Counter Strike of mobile. You team up with people and play against others in online PvP action. The game features various competitive game types, tons of unlockable weapons, customization elements, and rock solid controls. You can chill in quick play, be truly competitive in ranked matches, and you can even create custom games for you and your friends. The game is freemium. However, the in-app purchases are nothing more than customization elements like weapon skins. You cannot pay to win this one.

Lumino City is a puzzle game from Noodlecake Studios. The game's graphics are actually real world objects. Thus, the graphics don't get any better than this because it's actually real life. The story takes about eight to ten hours to complete. Otherwise, you just engage with the world and solve the puzzles to progress. It's truly one of the greatest 3D games out there. It runs for $4.99 with no in-app purchases or advertisements.

Minecraft

Price: $6.99 with in-app purchases

Minecraft is one of the most popular 3D games available. Most people know how this game works. You have a randomly generated world to explore and build. There are a ton of items to craft, online multiplayer, and a lot more. Updates in September 2017 allow mobile players to play with PC and console players as well. The number of things you can do is virtually limitless. The game runs for $6.99. The in-app purchases are for player skins and don't affect game play.

Monster Hunter Stories

Price: Free demo / $19.99

Monster Hunter Stories is a port of the popular game from the Nintendo 3DS. It plays surprisingly well for a mobile port. You embark on an adventure, capture monsters, train them, level them up, and have them fight with you against bad guys. There are also local PvP battles, a decent story line, and a decent soundtrack. The demo version of this is one of the best we've ever seen. It's actually a prequel to the main game. You complete the prequel and that data transfers to the main game if you buy it. The game costs $19.99 and that's a little steep. However, it's one of the best RPG experiences from 2018. We also recommend Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition, Portal Knights, and Evoland 2.

Yep! More lists here:

15 best Android games of 2019! 15 best strategy games for Android Monument Valley 2

Price: $4.99

Monument Valley 2 is one of the best puzzle games available. It's also a great 3D game. It uses Escher style level design and puzzles. Players need to rotate, move, or otherwise mess with levels in order to proceed. The game is rather short, but entertaining. It's also beautifully done. The first Monument Valley game is also quite good and fairly priced. Those looking for huge games may be disappointed, though. This is definitely a quick play.

PUBG Mobile

Price: Freemium

PUBG Mobile is a new release in 2018. It's already among the most popular 3D games out there. It's a battle royale game with up to 100 players competing against each other. The game also includes a smaller arcade mode and some other modes for players. It also plays shockingly well for being a mobile shooter that is also this new. The game was free at first. However, updates brought a freemium element to the game. Thankfully, it's mostly customization stuff and not game play stuff. When Fortnite hits Android, it'll be a shoo-in for this list as well.

Returner 77 is a puzzle-adventure game with some of the best graphics in any game we saw in 2018. The story is decent as well. You play as one of the few surviving members of an alien invasion. You must explore an alien spacecraft and hopefully rebuild humanity with what you find there. The game also features live action video clips, an above average soundtrack, and easy-to-learn mechanics. It didn't get as much press or popularity as it probably should have, but we liked it quite a bit. The game runs for $4.99 with no in-app purchases or ads.

Riptide GP: Renegade

Price: $2.99

Riptide GP: Renegade is the latest game in the Riptide GP series. It's a series of racing games with jet skis instead of cars. The game features a deep campaign mode with an actual story line. In addition, there are various wave runners to unlock, an online multiplayer mode, and Google Play Games support for achievements and leaderboards. There is even some vehicle customization available. The game runs for $2.99 with no in-app purchases. Fans of more classic racing games may want to try out the Asphalt series from Gameloft. Beware, though, those games are freemium.

The Room: Old Sins

Price: $4.99

The Room: Old Sins is the fourth game in the franchise. It plays similarly to the first three The Room games. You solve a series of intricate puzzles. The game features outstanding graphics, a bit of an exploration element, a story line, and more. This is easily among the best puzzle games available on mobile, period. The first three games in the series are no slouches, either. This one goes for $4.99 with no in-app purchases or advertising. It also has achievements and cloud saving, two features we always like seeing.

15 best puzzle games for Android

Read More

Devil May Cry 5 Graphics Comparison – Which Console Version Is The Best?

Devil May Cry 5 is a highly-anticipated game and is just a month away from launch. Before we get to play the game, Capcom has launched the 2nd demo for it and here we will be doing a Devil May Cry 5 Graphics Comparison to see how different versions of the game stack up.

Here we will be comparing the base Xbox One and PS4 version with the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X versions. You can check out the Devil May Cry 5 Graphics Comparison in video below, courtesy of ElAnalistaDeBits.

The differences are pretty clear and the upgraded console have an upper hand. Due to their enhanced hardware, both PS4 Pro and Xbox One X run the game at a higher resolution and higher FPS.

The game uses TAA as an anti-aliasing solution, which is also quite popular these days. TAA causes the game to look soft especially on base consoles.

Furthermore, this Devil May Cry 5 Graphics Comparison reveals that Xbox One is the one running the game at a very low resolution. Combine that with TAA and that game looks blurry.

Capcom has confirmed the Void game mode for Devil May Cry V. The game mode allows players to practice their combos and basic combat moves.

Furthermore, Void game mode will allow players to experiment without consequences. Players will be able to tweak a number of parameters like toggling enemy damage to see how much damage each move deals.

Devil May Cry series is known for its stylistic combat. However, the Stylistic combat of Devil May Cry started as a bug.

This is according to Devil May Cry producer who noted that during the development they noted a bug that won't let enemies come back down. This eventually evolved into the iconic combat move.

Devil May Cry 5 is an action hack-n-slash game in development at Capcom. The game is scheduled to launch on March 8, 2019, for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Read More

Level up: 9 of the best gaming laptops to make you 'PC Master Race'

From ASUS to Alienware, 4K to budget needs, we help you wade through the sea of gaming laptops.

Disclosure

Every product here is independently selected by Mashable journalists. If you buy something featured, we may earn an affiliate commission which helps support our work.

Best for budget VR

Alienware 15

Alienware is one of the most recognized names in PC gaming, and the Alienware 15 lives up to that namesake, even delivering a reliable VR laptop.

It's time to level up!

Did you know PC gamers take pride in the nickname "PC master race?" These are the folks who delight in the fact that PC gaming is just so much better than playing on a console, and if this Reddit thread is any indication â€" this way of thinking isn't going away any time soon.

While it can take a year or two for gaming consoles to adapt to updated technology, PCs see that improvement hit almost instantly. New rigs and laptops hit the market faster, as opposed to consoles that make you wait for months until their release. 

With laptops, it's also much easier to simply swap in and out pieces, like a graphics card, as long as the computer can support it. This makes for a platform that provides freedom to game developers to do what they want, whether it's the next entry in the Doom series to a small gem developed by three friends in a garage.

And while it seems desktops may deliver the best performance, laptops fit more into the modern lifestyle. Whether it be for work, school, or travel, a laptop allows you to take everything you want with you â€" including your games. That's not always something a console can accommodate.

But if you think going from a console to a laptop means you're trading power for convenience, that's no longer the case. You can find a laptop that fits any and every possible gamer and their needs. Whether you're looking for a mobile beast that can run VR, 4K quality video and eye-melting graphics, or balance cost with power, there's a gaming laptop for you.

But it can be difficult wading through the sea of choices. You can easily go down a rabbit hole comparing processing speeds, graphical power, overclocking, and more. Relax "Johnny-come-gamers," because we've found seven of the best gaming laptops out there. 

Whether you're a budget gamer or you want to run Destiny 2 at 4K with an uncapped frame rate, these laptops can serve as your "PC master race" badge.

Very good speeds • Plenty of storage • Excellent graphics with little to no frame drops Body feels a bit plastic-y • No disc drive While in comparison it may be "mid-tier," the MSI GP63 Leopard delivers excellent performance across the board. 1. MSI GP63 Leopard A dependable graphics card, excellent speeds, and a lightweight build make this the complete package.

Processor: Intel Core i7-8750

RAM: 16GB

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

Storage: 1TB HDD + 256GB SSD

Weight: 4.8 lbs

In the realm of PC gaming, MSI is among the most well-established companies in the space. As opposed to companies like HP and Dell that  make gaming computers along with other computers, MSI is one of the companies in the space that only makes gaming computers. This means a "high-end" laptop from HP might be a "mid-tier" model from MSI for gaming. But it's within that mid-tier that performance and cost meet, making for some great laptop selections.The MSI GP63 Leopard Performance Gaming Laptop is one of the models that fit into that "mid-tier" category, but is an excellent gaming laptop across the board. To start, the processor is an Intel Core i7-8750H with 16GB of RAM, so you know the speeds are going to be very good. The GP63 supplements that with a 256GB SSD, which you'll definitely notice when the laptop starts up. And like most other gaming laptops at this scale, there's a 1TB HDD for plenty of storage space.But without a reliable graphics card, it can't be called a gaming lap top. To that end, MSI included the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 for graphics. This isn't the newest GTX 1080 card, but don't take that as a sign that the laptop won't deliver on the graphics. There's a reason NVIDIA graphics cards are generally considered among the best, and the 1060 reflects that. It will run most demanding games at ultra with almost no frame drops, which is going to be important with those tense matches in Black Ops 4.Coming in at $1699, the GP63 is reasonably priced for the performance you're getting out of it. Striking that kind of balance on a gaming laptop can be tricky, but MSI has done it, and you should definitely take advantage of it. VR ready • 4K resolution • Extremely fast • Has one of the best graphics cards on the market • Tons of storage Expensive, VERY expensive • Little heavier If you can get past the price tag, the MSI GT75 Titan can do everything you could need for gaming, including VR. 2. MSI GT75 Titan 4K-071 While it carries a hefty price tag, the MSI GT75 Titan is everything you could want out of a gaming laptop, down to VR and 4K.

Processor: Intel Core i9-8950HK

RAM: 32GB

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB

Storage: 1TB HDD + 1TB SDD

Weight: 10.05 lbs

While it's still a growing space, VR is clearly the future of the industry. Gaming offers escapism as is, but VR takes it to another level. But as cool as this new technology is, VR can also be demanding on your computer. And as difficult as it can be to get a desktop that can handle it, it's even harder for laptops. Thankfully, MSI has a laptop for anyone who doesn't want a tower taking up space.The MSI GT75 Titan 4K-071 is easily one of the best gaming laptops you can find on the market. Whether it's running an HTC Vive Pro or cranking up Battlefield 5 to ultra settings, it can handle any task that you  throw at it. Take a look at the specs and you'll see just how insane this laptop is.To start, the Titan's processor is the Intel Core i9-8950HK, one of the best laptop processors on the market right now. That should clue you into how fast this beast is. But to really drive the point home, it's packing 32GB of RAM with a 1TB HDD and 1TB SSD for storage.On the visual front, MSI also packed in the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080, one of NVIDIA's top graphics cards. That sort of graphics card working in tandem with a 4K screen is going to get you some beautiful visuals. Whether it's as demanding as Destiny 2 or more approachable like Fortnite, the visuals will pop right off the screen.Take all that and apply it to VR. You can imagine just how immersive it could be. Everything packed under the hood will handle the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift with no problem, and in some cases will be better than your gaming tower. Just make sure you have enough room for a VR setup and enjoy. Good balance between price and power • Durable, ergonomic design Some newer games may experience performance drops on best settings Dell is able to strike nice balance between power and price, just be aware of which games will work on ultra settings. 3. Dell Gaming Laptop G5587 While you may not have $2000 to drop on some higher performance gaming laptop, you can still get reliable gaming performance with the Dell Gaming Laptop G5587.

Processor: Intel Core i5-8300

RAM: 8GB

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060

Storage: 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD

Weight: 6.28 lbs

While every PC gamer would love to have a high powered laptop that can play every new title on the market at max settings, that's simply not the case. The sorts of laptops that can do that usually start at around $2,500 on the low end â€" not exactly pocket change. Thankfully, you don't have to spend $3,000 for a quality gaming experience. There are plenty of budget options out there and this model from Dell is one of the best.The Dell G5587 Gaming Laptop is a perfect example of balancing performance and cost to deliver on a gaming experience. It uses the Intel Core i5-8300 processor with 8GB of RAM for speeds that, even if it won't light the world on fire, are still reliable. On top of that, the 128GB SSD will definitely provide a nice speed boost when booting up. Then there's the 1TB HDD, alleviating any concerns you might have about storage. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060  will handle most games you throw at it. Just be wary of newer games like Battlefield 5 and Black Ops 4 runn ing on ultra and potential performance drops.Even with that in mind, Dell delivers a gaming laptop that will definitely provide a quality gaming experience on par with laptops that might cost $200 to $300 more. There's a reason Dell is one of the most prominent names in computing, and it shows in this laptop. Dell's acumen for design is reflected in this model, and for $1,099.99, it's definitely worth the investment. Thin body design • Powerful laptop, despite smaller body Premium price tag • No disk drive ASUS strikes a beautiful balance between power and size with the ROG Zephyrus M, and the premium price reflects that. 4. ASUS ROG Zephyrus M ASUS offers the best of both worlds with a slim and light gaming laptop that doesn't skimp on the power under the hood.

Processor: Intel Core i7-8750H

RAM: 16GB

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB

Storage: 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD

Weight: 5.4 lbs

One big downside to gaming laptops, especially powerful ones, is that most are either heavy or have a bulky body. It makes sense considering everything that has to be packed into the small frame, whether it is high-end graphics cards, hard drives, or disc drives. Thankfully, more gaming laptops are hitting the market that are able to offer a slim, sleek design without losing any of the power behind it. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M is a perfect example of the great strides that have been made with gaming laptops in terms of design. Under the hood, the Zephyrus comes fully loaded with everything you need for a great gaming experience. The Intel Core i7-8750H and 16GB of RAM will offer the speeds you'd expect out of a premium gaming laptop. That speed is boosted with a 256GB SSD and a 1TB HDD for storage, which should make life a bit easier. And for graphics, the Zephyrus uses the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, so you'll be able to crank World of Warcraft up to ultra.The real advantage of this la ptop is the body design. ASUS has managed to squeeze that power into a body that is not too bulky to handle. When closed, it's less than an inch wide and weighs just over five pounds. Put that up against most other gaming laptops, some which can easily weigh upwards of 20 pounds, and you'll quickly see the difference.The one thing to keep in mind is that the price tag does push into more of the premium territory, coming in at $2,199 on Amazon. So while it will require a little more of an investment on your end, the laptop you're getting will definitely be worth it.  Affordable price tag • Easy to travel with • Reliable design and power Don't expect every game to run on ultra Acer offers a gaming laptop for anyone looking to make the jump into PC gaming without breaking the bank - just don't expect Battlefield 5 to run on ultra. 5. Acer Nitro 5 If you're new to PC gaming, the Acer Nitro 5 delivers a reliable laptop at a reasonable price.

Processor: Intel Core i5-7300HQ

RAM: 8GB

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

Storage: 256GB SSD

Weight: 2.65 lbs

If you're just making the jump into PC gaming, it can be a lot to take in. Balancing power and price can be a tricky tightrope to walk, and might be enough to turn some people off from PC gaming. That said, there are gaming laptops available that provide a good jumping off point into the world of PC gaming without being too overwhelming.To that end, Acer has the Nitro 5 for anyone who is brand new to PC gaming or even gaming in general as it packs enough power under the hood to give anyone interested a proper taste of the gaming world.The Nitro 5 comes with an Intel Core i5-7300HQ processor with 8GB of RAM, delivering reliable speeds across the board. It gets a nice speed boost thanks to a 256GB SSD for storage. Finally, it's sporting an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti graphics card, which can handle plenty of games, just don't expect some of the newest games to be running on ultra.The Acer Nitro 5 is about to rock your world if you're just jumping in. And at $719 on Amazon, it won't break your bank account. Sleek body design • Graphics and speed are ideal for hardcore gamers • Cooling fans are quieter than some comparable laptops May need an external storage device From the sleek body to the speeds and graphics, the Predator Triton 700 is the laptop for the more hardcore out there. 6. Acer Predator Triton 700 Hardcore gamers expect power out of their platform of choice, and Acer delivers on that power with the Predator Triton 700 laptop.

Processor: Intel Core i7-7700HQ

RAM: 32GB

Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 1080

Storage: 512GB SSD

Weight: 5.4 lbs

Hardcore gamers have expectations when it comes to their platforms of choice. Whether it's having intuitive controls, being multimedia ready, or delivering blazing speeds, seasoned gamers demand the best out of their machines. For this crew, Acer has a great laptop that can provide that power on the go.Across the board, the Acer Predator Triton 700 delivers a fast and visually booming experience. First, you have the Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor with 32GB of RAM, providing some excellent speed for gaming. And graphically, the Triton comes packed with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080, so games are going to look incredible.If there is any downside in performance, it comes in the 512GB SSD. On one hand, the solid state drive will provide that extra speed boost to the processor and RAM, so overall performance will be improved. On the other hand, you could burn through that storage quickly, depending on what you're playing. So you may need to look for an external HDD to help ease the storage issues.Aside from that, Acer has delivered a laptop that could be a hardcore gamer's best friend. And at $2,699.99, the price certainly reflects the quality of the laptop.  VR ready • Faster than comparably priced models • Strong graphical performance Bulkier and heavier body • Alienware cooling fans are typically on the louder side The Alienware 15 delivers performance that makes it a great "budget" VR laptop, it just may be a bit bulkier than other laptops. 7. Alienware 15 Alienware is one of the most recognized names in PC gaming, and the Alienware 15 lives up to that namesake, even delivering a reliable VR laptop.

Processor: Intel Core i7-7700HQ

RAM: 16GB

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070

Storage: 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD

Weight: 8 lbs

When it comes to PC gaming, there are few brands that are as closely associated with it as Alienware. Whether you're looking for an affordable gaming laptop or a $5000 tower, you've likely checked out an Alienware computer during those searches. And when it comes to gaming laptops, Alienware has just the thing for those who may be more virtually inclined but don't have a ton of cash to burn: the Alienware 15.First, let's take a look at what's under the keyboard. The Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD will deliver the high speeds expected out of an Alienware laptop along with the additional storage provided by the SSD. Speaking of which, there's also the 1TB HDD, so it should hold a majority of the games you're looking to play with no issues for some time. And with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, the graphics will be excellent across the board.The Alienware 15 may not look like a budget laptop at first glance, but when you consider it's VR ready, that changes the conversation quite a bit. Typically, a computer that can handle VR at its best will run in the ballpark of $2500 to $3000 on the low end. And while the Alienware 15 may not melt eyes in VR with its visuals, new games will still look great.Alienware delivers a laptop that lives up to its history in the space with the Alienware 15. It manages to go above and beyond its price point, from the general performance to the VR capabilities. And for $1,888 on Amazon, it's definitely worth the investment. Thin design • Good price for power and speed • Surprisingly thin for a gaming laptop Not 4K • Loud fans • Keyboard caps are a little slippery If you're looking for high-end performance at a reasonable price, then the MSI GS65 Stealth THIN-051 is the gaming laptop for you. The laptop is shockingly thin for a gaming laptop, while not sacrificing power and smooth motion and graphics. 8. MSI GS65 Stealth THIN-051 This is one of the thinnest laptops built for intense gaming on-the-go.

Processor: Intel Core i7-8750H 6 Core

RAM: 16GB

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060

Storage: 256GB

Weight: 4.14 lbs

If you're looking to play some of the best PC games out there, then the MSI GS65 Stealth THIN-051 gaming laptop is the one to consider. Coming in at well under an inch in width, this is one of the thinnest laptops built for intense gaming on-the-go.It's not underpowered either. The laptop is armed with an eighth-generation Intel Core i7-8750H 6 Core processor for heavy processing and fluid animations and movement, while it's packed with a Nvidia GeForce GTX 10-series (1060) graphics card, so feel free to game with all your settings on high. Don't worry, the MSI GS65 Stealth THIN-051 gaming laptop won't miss a beat because of its 16GB of memory and 256GB of storage.In addition, PC games look great on this machine, thanks to its ultra-thin bezels and 15.6-inch full HD wide angle 1920x1080 resolution display with anti-glare coating for gaming in sunlight. This laptop might be beefy, but it's surprisingly portable with a subtle redesign from its previous model.This gaming laptop is also VR-ready.Still not convinced? Amazon customer Drew Phillips writes:

"This laptop is absolutely phenomenal! The NVME SSD is super fast as intended, and graphics look amazing, the viewing angles are great, and the body itself is simply beautiful. The fans run quietly except when gaming which is expected. The battery life is pretty good as well. I bought this laptop for college as it will provide adequate battery life for everyday use while also giving the power to game when plugged in during the evening."

The MSI GS65 Stealth THIN-051 gaming laptop has a 4.3 out of 5 customer rating and retails for $1,799 on Amazon. Amazing battery life • 4K options • Great audio quality Loud fans • Expensive The Razer Blade 15 is a gaming laptop that's as powerful as it is sleek. While it's on the pricey side, it's worth the extra dollars for its beautiful design and upgradability, so it can be even more cutting edge... like a razor. 9. Razer Blade 15 Think of this as the Apple MacBook Pro of gaming laptops.

Processor: Intel Core i7-8750H 6 Core

RAM: 16GB

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q

Storage: 512GB SSD

Weight: 4.56 lbs

Just think of the Razer Blade 15 as the MacBook Pro, but for PC gaming laptops. With a sleek and sexy design, the Razer Blade 15 is a nearly edge-to-edge gaming machine inside of a beautiful and durable aluminum unibody chassis and display that's upgradeable to 4K. This gaming laptop also has the high-end specs you'd come to expect from Razer, including an eighth-generation Intel Core i7-8750H 6 Core processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q graphics card, and 16GB of memory and 512GB of SSD storage. The 15 is also expandable with an open Razer Core X. Although its fans spin loudly when working at full capacity, the 15 features a vapor chamber cooling system that Razer developed for a substantial power boost during Gaming Mode. This laptop might be on the expensive side, but it's worth it for this level of gameplay inside of a sleek design.But don't just take our word for it. Amazon customer Nathan writes:

"I've never had a Razer before, but this was quite a happy surprise. The specs of this computer are insane, especially when you consider the price. I don't game much, but for testing purposes I ran a few on max settings and had zero issues. People have stated that putting the computer in gaming mode DOES cause issues, so I just didn't put it in gaming mode. The quality is superb. I use this mostly for school and work and have not been let down. The charging cable is a bit large, but it also is not flimsy like a lot of cables. Very happy with this."

The Razer Blade 15 has a 4.1 out of 5 star customer rating and goes for $2,199.99 on Amazon.

Read More

10 Best Free Android Games For 2019

Undoubtedly, Smartphones have completely changed the gaming industry. Gone are the days when people relied on gaming consoles for playing even 2D titles.  Well, if you have been scouting for some of the best and free Android games then this article might help you.

So these are the ten best Android games from different categories that are worth checking out.

ALSO READ: 10 Of The Best Free Android Apps You Should Check Out for 2019

1. Dead Trigger 2

The first best Android game on the list is Dead Trigger 2. This zombie survival FPS game offers visually impressive graphics, reliable controls, excellent gameplay, and an extensive collection of missions. Dead Trigger 2 has around ten regions and 33 different war battlefields.

Furthermore, the game has around 50 types of weapons that will help you to fight against zombies. You can enjoy more than 600 gameplay war scenarios which include Solo Campaign, Global Mission and Side Quests. Overall, Dead Trigger 2 is an amazing FPS game and its full of action.

Download Dead Trigger 2

2. Asphalt 9

The next best Android game on the list is Asphalt 9. Well, Asphalt 9 is the sequel of the immensely popular racing game Asphalt 8. The entire Asphalt franchise is praised for stunning visuals and Asphalt 9 is no exception.

Asphalt 9 has an extensive collection of cars from renowned car manufacturers like Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, and W Motors. You can drive and experience these cars in spectacular locations. Asphalt 9 offers around 60 seasons and 800 events. Asphalt 9 is possibly the best racing game for Android and iOS smartphones.

Download Asphalt 9

3. PUBG Mobile

If you are reading this article, chances are you already play this immensely popular Battle Royale game. PUBG Mobile is possibly the most popular Android smartphone game of all time.

Around 100 players parachute onto a remote 8×8 km island and compete with each by locating and collecting their own weapons, vehicles, and supplies.

Using the powerful Unreal Engine 4, Tencent Games have done an excellent job in the graphics department and HD audio coupled with immersive 3D sound effects can be considered as the icing on the cake. Overall, PUBG Mobile is a great multiplayer game.

Download PUBG Mobile

4. Gangstar New Orleans

Gangstar New Orleans is an excellent open world smartphone game. The game is set in the fascinating city of New Orleans and triple-A quality graphics enrich the overall gaming experience.

Similar to any other open world game you are free to explore the city and complete missions on the way. Gangstar New Orleans consists of fights between gangsters. You have to defend your gang from rival crime gangs and expand your gang at the same time.

Gangstar New Orleans has hundreds of vehicles and explosive action fights make the game even more interesting.

Download Gangstar New Orleans

5. ARK: Survival Evolved

As the name of this game suggests, ARK: Survival Evolved is a survival game that has around 80+ unique dinosaurs and primal creatures. You have to capture and tame these creatures and survive in the Jurassic-era world.

You start the game all alone & unarmed and proceed further by gaining resources and experience. It is worth noting that, ARK: Survival Evolved is also available for gaming consoles and PC. Overall, ARK: Survival Evolved is an interesting game and it's worth playing.

Download ARK: Survival Evolved

6. Mortal Combat X

If you prefer playing fighting games then Mortal Combat X might impress you. Mortal Combat X offers stunning graphics accompanied with detailed animations. The fights are very detailed and at times, it seems as if you are playing a triple-A title.

You have to create your own team of Mortal Kombat fighters and in the process, you will earn experience and learn new special attacks. Mortal Combat X also allows users to customize their characters. Mortal Combat X is a great fighting and card collection game.

Download Mortal Combat X

7. Dead Effect 2

The next best Android game on the list is Dead Effect 2. Well, Dead Effect 2 is a console-quality action sci-fi shooter and it has some RPG elements. The game has an engaging storyline that offers 20+ hours of campaign gameplay and 10+ hours of special missions.

Dead Effect 2 offers breathtaking graphics accompanied with realistic effects and stunning environments. Dead Effect 2 also supports external controller. As you proceed in the game you gather upgradeable weapons, gear and high-tech body implants. Overall, Dead Effect 2 is an excellent Android game.

Download Dead Effect 2

8. Injustice 2 

Injustice 2 is another popular fighting game that offers console quality graphics and storyline. You can fight with your favorite DC Super Heroes & Villains in dynamic 3-on-3 battles.

Epic combos like Superman's heat vision, The Flash's lightning kick, Harley Quinn's cupcake bomb take the fighting experience to a new horizon. The game proceeds by collecting gears and playing PvP contests. You can also team up with your friends and assemble a league.

Download Injustice 2

9. Free Fire

Free Fire is possibly the best PUBG alternative. This popular battle royale game consumes comparatively fewer resources and storage. Similar to PUBG, you are landed on a remote island where you fight against 49 other players and survive to be the last man alive.

Free Fire has a decent selection of weapons and vehicles. Lastly, the gameplay is completely lag-free and graphics are impressive as well.

Download Free Fire

10. Brawl Stars

The last best Android game on the list is Brawl Stars. This game is released by Supercell, the makers of immensely popular multiplayer games like Clash Of Clans and Clash Royale.

You can compete and play battles with friends or solo across a variety of game modes like Gem Grab, Showdown, Bounty, Heist, Brawl Ball, and special events in three minutes matches. As you proceed you have to unlock and upgrade dozens of Brawlers with improved skills and abilities.

Download Brawl Stars

BONUS VIDEO CONCLUSION

So these were some of the best and free Android games that are worth checking out. Do share your personal recommendations for the best Android games in the comments section below.

Read More

Ace Combat 7 PS4 Pro vs Xbox One X vs PC Graphics Comparison – Which Version Is The Best?

Head to head comparison between the PS4 Pro, Xbox One X and PC versions of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.

It's been close to five years since the disastrous Ace Combat Infinity launched on the PlayStation 3. Given that the seventh generation of consoles were the most difficult period for most gaming IPs, a new Ace Combat seemed like a distant dream. However, the latest game in the series, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown takes the series back to its roots by delivering one of the best games in the series, although it doesn't really topple Ace Combat 4:  Shattered Skies as the best game in the franchise. Regardless, the end product provides an extremely satisfying Ace Combat experience that should make fans of the series happy.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, unlike previous games in the series doesn't run on Project Aces' proprietary engine but instead utilizes Epic Games' Unreal Engine 4 and the results are pretty satisfying. The very first thing we want to talk about the cloud technology in the game. Clouds are no longer just there for artistic reasons but they also serve as a gameplay mechanics. The clouds have physics parameters which affect the drag and acceleration of the aircraft thereby creating air pressure difference resulting into turbulence. Besides your visibility getting limited and the formation of water vapours on glass surfaces, the aircraft's missile tracking system will also get affected. So, the clouds act as physical barriers in the game and tech implemented here is definitely something that excites us for future Ace Combat games. Furthermore, it's great to see cloud tech treated with utmost care in some recent games. We had some bright examples from last year in the form of Red Dead Redemption 2 and Assassin's Creed Odyssey which pushed cloud rendering in different ways and it's great to see Ace Combat 7 pushing it by giving its own unique spin.

The power of Unreal Engine 4 has also allowed developers to render some incredible looking weather systems. Lightning, rain along with various volumetric effects like wind and alpha effects like fire all look great. Seeing enemy aircrafts getting blown to bits is as satisfying as seeing the smoke trail formed by incoming or outgoing missiles. Aircrafts, too, have been meticulously crafted with detailed interiors and material shaders, giving them an authentic look and feel. Thanks to physical based rendering and advancements in lighting tech, Ace Combat 7 can be look beautiful at times.

However, there are a couple of areas where Ace Combat 7 falters technically. First of all, an intensive AA solution is completely lacking across all three versions of the game. What we have in place is a higher quality FXAA solution in place and to be honest it don't do a great job at smoothening the edges. This results into inconsistent image quality at times as one can clearly see jaggies on nearby objects like the aircraft's wings. Next up is the pop in issue, which also affects all three versions.  The map size in Ace Combat 7 is huge and the various objects in them are pretty detailed but given that this is a game that is not really pushing the hardware, we were not expecting pop in issues.

Now, let's take a look at how the game runs on the PC, PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. As always, let's take a look at the PC version first. The developers recommend an Intel Core i5-7500, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 and 8GB of memory. We used our usual test PC which includes a GTX 1080Ti, 16GB of GDDR4 memory and Ryzen 1700 CPU. The graphical settings include v-sync, frame rate limit, bloom, motion blur, scaling of resolution up to 200%, anti-aliasing, shadow quality, texture quality, effects quality, post processing and screen space reflection quality. As expected, we had no issues running the game on our test PC at a rock solid 60 frames per second.

On the console front, the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X have no 4K checkerboard or a dynamic resolution in place. Instead, the game is locked at 1080p resolution. Both versions target 60fps and for the most part manage to run at that standard. However, we are quite disappointed that the Xbox One X manages only a mere 1080p resolution. The console is definitely more powerful to run a game like Ace Combat 7 in full native 4K resolution and 60fps. Regardless, this is the current situation on the Xbox One X and to be honest, the overall situation on Microsoft's console is rather underwhelming. Both versions are largely similar in terms of core assets and other parameters, so we are not sure what went wrong with the Xbox One X build.

In comparison with the PC build, both versions suffer from reduced texture filtering and shadow quality. Furthermore, the ability to scale the resolution up to 200% on PC manages to reduce the aliasing issues by a bit. In conclusion, the PC version of Ace Combat 7 is clearly the best version to play. With its superior rendering resolution and better visual parameters, it's a cut above the console versions. The PS4 Pro version on the other hand does what it's expected to do. A solid 1080p and 60fps experience coupled with great visual parameters. The Xbox One X version is not bad by any means but it clearly lacks the focus that was given to the other two platforms. Perhaps, Project Aces invested much of their time into the PS4 version due to additional VR support. Whatever the reason, the Xbox One X is a much more capable machine but it clearly wasn't put to full use in this game.

Read More