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No shade on Acer before now, but I’ve always found its laptop naming scheme to be a little bit obtuse. For instance, can you tell me the qualitative difference between Acer’s Swift 3 and Swift 5 without looking? To address this, the company has dumped its odd-numbers system in favor of categorizing everything by screen size. So, here at CES, Acer is now showing off the Swift Go 14 and 16, as well as the Swift 14 and the Swift X 14 — although, on reflection, that’s still a lot of Swifts, isn’t it.

The Swift Go models are the successors of the Swift 3 series, mainstream machines with an eye on keeping things thin and light. There are two models, both of which get the option of three different displays, all of which are 16:10. The 14-inch unit gets the option of a (deep breath) 2,880 x 1,800 90Hz OLED display, a 2,240 x 1,400 IPS LCD or a 1,920 x 1,200 IPS LCD. The bigger sibling, meanwhile, gets the choice of a 16-inch 3,200 x 2,000 120Hz OLED, a 2,560 x 1,600 IPS LCD, or a 1,920 x 1,200 IPS LCD (one of which will be touch, but the spec sheet I have doesn’t say which one.)

Nestled inside, you’ll find the usual raft of spec-to-order 13th generation Intel Core processors, including the option of an H-series chip instead of a U. These, Acer say, will be able to run at full pelt thanks to the new-and-improved cooling in the new machines. That will be teamed up with up to 16GB LPDDR5 RAM and up to 2TB of SSD storage, while both models have USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, a microSD-card reader and a 1440p webcam. If you’re looking to snap one up, you’ll have to wait until May for the 14-inch model and June for the 16-incher, with prices starting from $850 for the former and $800 for the latter.

In the middle of the pack, you’ll find Acer’s suffix-free Swift 14 (formerly the Swift 5), of which the company has little to talk about, compared to its siblings. That’s a shame, because it might also be the best-looking, with the dark green and copper model destined to become an object of unbridled desire. Weighing in at 2.64 pounds, the Evo-certified machine offers a choice of 13th-generation Intel Core processors. And you’ll get the pick of two different touchscreens, a 1,920 x 1,200 panel or a glitzier 2,560 x 1,600 model. Connectivity-wise, it’s also blessed, with two USB-C, HDMI-out, 3.5mm and a pair of USB A sockets, perfect for those of us who haven’t upgraded all our accessories. If this model catches your fancy (have I mentioned how good looking it is) then it’ll hit these shores in April, with the base model priced at $1,400.

Last, but quite obviously not least is the flagship Swift X 14, although there’s less that’s new and gosh-darn exciting to mention about this unit. It’ll offer H-series Intel Core chips paired with a new GeForce RTX GPU, the name of which hasn’t yet been disclosed. Here, the company says that the NVIDIA Studio-rated machine will get the benefit of lots of new cooling, thanks to a new air inlet keyboard that draws air in between your fingers. You’ll be staring into either a 14.5-inch 2,880 x 1,800 120Hz OLED display or a 14.5-inch 2,560 x 1,600 IPS LCD unit. And, much like the other machines in the refresh, you’ll get a 1440p webcam to capture the full extent of your beauty as you share it with the world. This model will land in the US in April, with the base model priced at $1,100, although I’d imagine any half decent spec will push that figure up pretty swiftly.

One problem with Acer’s Nitro marque is that it’s hard to shake the perception it’s the scrawny kid brother of its brawny Predator range. You know, the gaming laptop you buy when money’s tight but you need something newer than what you’re rocking at the given time. It’s an issue Acer itself is trying to address by trying to give the Nitro more of its own identity, and pushing it to be more distinct from its bigger, more attention-hogging sibling.

As with Acer’s other rebrands, the Nitro loses the odd-number coding in favor of being described by display sizes. So, at CES, you’ll find the Nitro 16 and Nitro 17, each one packing a 16- and 17.3-inch display, respectively. What hasn’t changed much is the styling, which keeps that, uh, Razer-esque minimalism (bar the rear exhaust vents) from the previous generation. That’s not a bad thing, I should add, since there’s little need for curling arcs of faux-chrome plastic to make it look butch in front of your friends at the LAN party.

Naturally, both machines come with the pick of a 13th-generation Intel Core i5 / i7 processors paired with up to 32GB RAM. You’ll be able to marry up both with a 40-series NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU, which will enable you to switch from integrated to discrete graphics without rebooting. And both will come with a four-zone RGB backlit keyboard, to let you mark out your individuality in lighting choices as much as you can manage.

Acer is also swinging big about the promises that these machines can handle a far longer load than its predecessors. And users will be able to access the NitroSense UI from a dedicated key, letting them keep an eye on the temperatures when things are getting intense. Connectivity wise, you’ll get the expected ports (HDMI 2.1, microSD, two Thunderbolt 4 with PD and three USB 3.2 Gen 2. But the overall vibe here is a machine that you shouldn’t feel second-class while gaming with it.

Both machines are coming to the US in May, with prices starting from $1,200, although you can expect that figure to climb as soon as you start speccing it up properly.

Now, for the Predators, with two new Helios models available with either 16- or an 18-inch display. Both have had their own muted, more professional redesign, and come with the choice of a 13th-generation Intel Core i7 or i9 processor, paired with a 40-series GeForce RTX GPU. Naturally, you can pair that with up to 32GB RAM and up to 2TB in storage, with other, less expensive spec options in the mix.

If theres a major shift in the components, it’s in the mini-LED backlit keyboard, which the company promises will offer less halo effect and smoother lighting effects. You will also be able to spot some gaps in the keyboard, as the laptop draws cool air in from between your fingers to help keep those beefy components working at the right temperature.

And speaking of which, one neat little addition is a pair of spare cowls for the laptop’s rear deck exhaust fans. These, we’re told, can be painted or customized in any way that you desire, letting you add a small touch of yourself to what’s otherwise the most anonymous part of the machine.

The 16-inch Helios will be making its way to these shores in March, with prices starting at $1,650, while the 18-incher won’t arrive until April, with a vanilla model costing you $1,700.

Alienware’s gaming laptops are getting a new look, and one will even offer a massive 18-inch screen. Dell’s gaming brand has been on a roll over the last few years with its bold “Legend” design language, which veered into a very sci-fi aesthetic, as well as its super-thin X series notebooks. This year, Legend is being refined for a third time with a focus on “form, function and quality.” Alienware’s new machines still look strikingly different than most other gaming laptops, but now they’re easier to hold, open and, thankfully, there’s no more glossy black plastic to be seen.

Perhaps the most striking example of Legend 3.0 is Alienware’s new m18, its largest and most powerful gaming laptop yet. This beast sports an 18-inch screen that’s 14.5-percent larger than the previous 17-inch model. Clearly, portability isn’t the main concern here, it’s power. The m18 features all of the latest hardware, including Intel’s fastest 13th-gen HX mobile processors, NVIDIA’s latest GPUs, or alternatively you can configure with an AMD Ryzen chip with next-gen Radeon graphics.

While it’s just as thick as the previous m17, the 18-inch Alienware also crams in far better cooling, with a vapor chamber that covers the GPU and CPU, seven heat pipes, and four fans for 25 percent better airflow. You’ll be able to add an optional Cherry MX mechanical keyboard, up to 9TB of storage and choose between 165Hz quad-HD and 480Hz 1080p screens. With a total system power of 250-watts, the m18 is clearly meant for the most demanding gamers out there, people who won’t mind lugging around a huge notebook. If you were intrigued by Alienware’s massive Area 51m, its now defunct laptop that used replaceable desktop components, the m18 may be a solid option.

For the more sensible players out there, there’s the smaller Alienware m16, which features the same design and similar cooling upgrades. That computer can be equipped with 16-inch quad-HD+ (2,560 by 1,600) panels running at 165Hz or 240Hz, or with a 480Hz FHD+ screen. Both m-series laptops feature NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSDync support, wide color gamuts and Dell’s ComfortView Plus technology, which reduces harsh blue light.

If the Alienware m16 and m18 look a bit chunky compared to most other gaming laptops, that’s pretty much by design. That’s always been the company’s line for bigger and more powerful machines. If you want something slimmer and perhaps more fashionable, you’ll have to look to the X-series notebooks. Last year we got the Alienware x14, which was impressively thin for all the power it held. This year, the company is introducing the x16, which, you guessed it, sports a 16-inch screen.

Alienware is calling the x16 its design highlight of the year, with a tall 16 by 10 display and a stronger all-metal case. It even manages to fit in a six-speaker sound system, with two upward-firing tweeters and two woofers for solid bass. Under the hood, it’s powered by Intel’s fastest non-HX 13th-gen CPUs, all the way up to the 14-core 13900HK and NVIDIA’s full suite of RTX 4000 GPUs. Alienware says it can also be equipped with AMD’s next-gen hardware, but we don’t have specifics on that yet.

The x16 looks just as striking as Alienware’s previous thin gaming laptops, but the new Legend aesthetic makes it appear more refined. It also has all the bling you’d want, with over 100 micro-LEDs along its rear lighting panel, RGB lighting across all of its keys, and an RGB touchpad that’s also 15 percent bigger than the previous x17’s. Now I’m still not sure why you’d want RGB lighting on a touchpad, but it sure does look cool. The x16’s 6-pound weight may be a problem for some buyers though, especially since Razer’s Blade 17 pretty much matches it.

As you’d expect, the Alienware x14 also makes a return this year, and it still looks impressive. It sports a new 14-inch quad-HD+ screen running at 165Hz, and its hardware is less beefy than the 16-inch model, topping out with one of Intel’s 13th-gen Core i7 CPUs and NVIDIA’s RTX 4060. That’s the price you’ll have to pay for such a thin case though. Alienware claims it’s still the thinnest 14-inch gaming notebook on the market, though, measuring at just 14.5mm.

All of Alienware’s new machines will be available in the first quarter with Intel and NVIDIA configurations, while AMD options will arrive in the second quarter. The m18 will start at $2,899 with high-end options, though Alienware says entry-level models starting at $2,099 will arrive later. The m16, meanwhile, will initially run you $2,599, with future configurations starting at $1,899. The Alienware x16 will be the priciest of the bunch, starting at an eye-watering $3,099 for high-end configs and $2,150 for future entry-level options. And last, but not least, you can expect to pay at least $1,799 for the x14.

Choosing any notebook, especially gaming machines, always amounts to weighing potential compromises. At least now Alienware has a machine for practically everyone, from the style conscious to people who want an even more desktop-like experience on the go.

Folks looking for ultra-smooth gaming may be interested in Alienware’s latest display. The Dell brand has unveiled its first 500Hz monitor. The inventively named 24.5-inch 500Hz Gaming Monitor has a Full HD display and a native refresh rate of 480Hz, which overclocks to 500Hz.

The monitor has an IPS panel and NVIDIA has certified it as G-Sync compatible, so it should deliver smooth, tear-free gameplay if you have a supported graphics card. It also has 99 percent sRGB color coverage and VESA DisplayHDR 400, which should help to deliver accurate colors and vibrant visuals at wider viewing angles. Alienware added that the TUV-certified ComfortView Plus feature will help to display true-to-life colors while reducing blue light.

There’s a GtG response time of 0.5ms. That should help to minimize blur and ghosting while offering ultra-low latency, something that benefits competitive gamers who are looking for an edge over the competition. The monitor comes with NVIDIA’s Reflex Analyzer as standard, which should help you gain a better understanding of your system latency and PC performance.

The monitor has a hexagonal base that’s designed to take up minimal real estate on your desk, leaving more space for you to position your mouse and keyboard as you please. A built-in retractable headset hanger is another handy feature, while the monitor offers fully customizable AlienFX backlighting.

Alienware has yet to reveal pricing for the 500Hz Gaming Monitor. It will do so before the display ships, which will be on March 21st in North America. That’ll give you some time to get your hands on a GPU that can support refresh rates of 500Hz, such as the NVIDIA RTX 4090, if you don’t already have one.

Normally, Dell’s Alienware division gets most of the attention when it comes to gaming notebooks. But with their revamped designs, the new G15 and G16 prove you don’t need to spend a ton of money to get an awesome-looking system.

Unlike Alienware laptops that appear as if they were beamed down from outer space, Dell’s latest G-series gaming notebooks seem to draw inspiration from gadgets in 80s sci-fi movies. You get simple lines with hard edges and bold two-tone paint jobs with neon/pastel accents. It’s the kind of style that makes me want to put on some synthwave and fire up F-Zero. And while the colors may change on final retail units, I appreciate that Dell is even taking the time to paint small details like the radiator fins inside each laptop’s vents.

Another nice touch is the way Dell arranged ports on the G-series. Connectors for stuff like power and HDMI 2.1 that you probably won’t need to adjust very often are in back, which helps keep clutter to a minimum. And then on the sides you have access to a 3.5mm audio jack, Ethernet and two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, so you can easily plug in peripherals like a headset, mouse or thumb drive. I just wish Dell has swapped the position of the side-mounted Ethernet jack and the lone USB-C port in back for even better usability.

As for specs, both systems are well equipped considering their prices. The G15 will start at $849 for a 13th-gen Intel Core i5-13450HX CPU, 8GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 120Hz FHD non-touch display. You also have a selection of RTX 40-series GPUs from Nvidia with additional options like a slightly faster 165Hz screen and up to 2TB of NVMe storage.

The larger G16 will start at $1,499 with the same Intel Core i5-13450HX chip, a higher-res 165Hz 2560 x 1600 screen, 8GB of DDR5 RAM, and 256GB of storage. And like its smaller sibling, you can upgrade components like the GPU, memory (up to 32GB) or the display (to a faster 240Hz panel). Both systems can even be configured with larger 86 WHr batteries in case the standard 56 WHr doesn’t cut it.

The two small cons I noticed are that weighing 5.84 and 6.01 pounds respectively, the G15 and G16 are a bit on the heavy side. I’m also slightly disappointed to see Dell go with 720p webcams on both models. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, all new laptops should have at least 1080p cameras, regardless of price.

Unfortunately, the models Dell demoed were non-functional pre-production units, so I didn’t have a chance to check out how smooth games ran or the single-zone RGB backlit keyboard. But for relatively affordable systems, I think Dell has created a really nice balance of style and performance.

Both the G15 and G16 are expected to go on sale sometime in Q1 2023, though there’s no word on pricing yet. Additionally, for people looking for non-Intel based configs, the company says there will be versions of both systems with AMD chips available slightly later in Q2.

If you just picked up a new Switch over the holidays, a new deal on Nintendo’s Switch Online service may be of interest: As of this writing, both Amazon and Best Buy are bundling a 12-month Switch Online family plan with a 256GB model of SanDisk’s officially licensed Switch microSD card for $50. A 12-month family membership normally costs $35, so the actual discount here is on the microSD card, which has generally retailed around $35 for this amount of storage in recent months. We’ve previously seen bundles that pair a 128GB SanDisk card with the same membership for $35, but this is still a good value for those who’d like more storage to load up with Switch games. Just note that the subscription will be set to auto-renew by default.

As a refresher, Switch Online is Nintendo’s equivalent to PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold. It’s not essential for everyone, but the subscription is required to play the online modes of Switch games such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 3, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and the like. A membership lets you backup your game save data in the cloud as well, plus it gets you access to a library of emulated NES and Super NES games, many of which are classics.

If you only need a Switch Online membership for yourself, you’re better off buying a 12-month individual plan, which retails for $20. The family plan included in this deal, however, allows you to spread the benefits of the subscription across eight different accounts in a designated “family group.” So long as you have at least one other Switch owner who is willing to jump on the plan, it’s a better value than the individual subscription, though one person will still need to be the group’s admin and manage your collective membership. 

Note that this deal only applies to Switch Online’s standard family membership, not the upgraded “Expansion Pack” tier that Nintendo introduced in late 2021. That plan adds a (somewhat limited) library of emulated Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games, plus built-in access to DLC for games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but it costs $50 a year for an individual plan or $80 a year for a family plan.

As for the microSD card, it’s the model we recently recommended in our guide to the best Switch accessories. It’s not the absolute fastest card you can buy, but it’s reliable, and since the Switch only supports UHS-I bus interfaces, any technically-faster card carries no benefits on the console anyway. The Switch OLED has 64GB of internal storage, which can fill up after a handful of game downloads, while the standard Switch and Switch Lite only include 32GB. The most important thing to look for in a microSD card here is getting as much space as you can for the money; if you’re looking to buy a Switch Online family plan already, this bundle can help with that. 

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IO Interactive is making things easier to parse for newcomers to the Hitman series and giving Hitman 3 owners who don’t already own the previous two games a bonus. On January 26th, the company will rename Hitman 3 to Hitman: World of Assassination. That’s the moniker IOI gave to the recent rebooted trilogy. What’s more, Hitman: WOA will include access to all three games.

Those who already owned Hitman 1 and Hitman 2 were supposed to be able to access levels from them in the third installment. However, the approach caused some confusion. This change should streamline things a bit.

If you own Hitman 3, you’ll get a free upgrade to Hitman: WOA. IOI will delist the previous two games, though you’ll still be able to download them again if you already own them. Hitman: WOA, which will cost $70, will be the only entry point for the trilogy moving forward. Hitman 3‘s current standard price is $60, but it’s on sale for $21 on Steam until January 5th. You might find PlayStation, Xbox and Switch deals elsewhere.

A new $30 Deluxe Pack will grant you access to three expansion packs, which include two extra levels, a pair of sniper maps, the Seven Deadly Sins expansion for Hitman 3 and other challenges. The three expansions (Hitman 3 Deluxe Pack, Hitman 3 Seven Deadly Sins Collection and Hitman 2 Expansion Access Pass) will still be available separately on consoles and Epic Games Store. The Deluxe Pack will be pro-rated on Steam if you already own one or two of those DLCs.

IOI noted in a blog post that a key consideration for the updates was the roguelite Freelancer mode, as being able to access all levels from across the trilogy is important for players to get the most out of it. The Freelancer mode was supposed to debut last year, but it will go live on January 26th as well.

“We’re absolutely certain that these changes will have a hugely positive effect on existing players and new players alike. It will also make our lives a lot easier too, there’s no doubting that,” IOI wrote. “For many players, it will mean free content to enjoy. For others, it will mean significantly cheaper DLC prices. For new players, who probably aren’t reading this here, they’ll have a much better experience buying Hitman games.”

SpaceX is gearing up to launch the Transporter-6 mission today, January 3rd, and is hoping that the Falcon 9 rocket taking it to space will begin making its way to low-Earth orbit by 9:56 AM ET. The Transporter-6 mission will take off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral in Florida using a first stage booster responsible for taking over a dozen other previous missions to orbit, including 10 Starlink launches. It’s the company’s first launch of the year and the latest in SpaceX’s series of dedicated rideshare Transporter missions.

Transporter-6 will take 114 payload to space. As NASA Spaceflight notes, those include tiny picosatellites only a few centimeters in size to microsatellites that weight around 200 pounds for both scientific institutions and commercial entities. One customer is EOS Data Analytics, which will launch the first satellite for its agriculture-focused constellation on this mission. A couple of companies is also launching space tugs, or spacecraft that can transfer cargo from one orbit to another, that will deploy payload for customers of their own at a later date. 

SpaceX will livestream the Transporter-6 launch on YouTube, with coverage starting 10 minutes before liftoff is expected to happen. You can watch the live webcast below:

Tesla has suffered another blow after a South Korea regulator said it would fine the company 2.85 billion won ($2.24 million) for failing to disclose the shorter ranges of its electric vehicles in low temperatures. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said that Tesla EV ranges drop by up to 50.5 percent in cold weather, compared with the ranges that the company stated online.

The antitrust agency claimed that Tesla exaggerated the ranges of its vehicles on a single charge, the performance of Superchargers and fuel cost effectiveness versus combustion engine vehicles, as Reuters reports. The KFTC said that Tesla did so on its South Korean website between August 2019 and recently.

Studies have shown that ranges for all EVs can drop significantly in colder weather, mainly because the battery that’s used to power those cars also heats the interior. Based on data from South Korea’s environment ministry, a local consumer group claimed in 2021 that the ranges of most EVs drop by up to 40 percent in cold weather. Tesla’s vehicles saw the biggest drop, according to Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty. Tesla doesn’t have a communications department that can be reached for comment.

While the fine is a relatively small one, it’s more bad news for Tesla. The company said on Monday that it set a new quarterly record for EV deliveries in the last three months of 2022 with more than 405,000 (an increase of nearly 97,000 compared with a year earlier). However, analysts expected Tesla to deliver 418,000 EVs last quarter. By 10:30AM ET on Tuesday, Tesla’s stock had dropped by over 10 percent compared with Monday. The company’s share price has plummeted by 72 percent over the last 12 months.

The rumors were true: NVIDIA finally unveiled its latest mid-range GPU, the RTX 4070 Ti. Starting at $799, it’s meant to be a slightly more reasonable alternative to NVIDIA’s $1,199 RTX 4090 and $1,599 4090. But yes, it’s still pretty costly — gone are the days when “mid-range” video cards were below $500. For the price, though you get a GPU that can play Cyberpunk 2077 three times as fast as the RTX 3090 Ti in Ray Tracing Overdrive mode (according to NVIDIA, at least).

While the RTX 4080 and 4090 Ti are targeted at 4K gaming, NVIDIA is positioning the RTX 4070 Ti as the pinnacle of 1,440p gaming beyond 120fps. DLSS 3 is a big reason for that — just like with the other 4000-series cards, it uses machine learning to generate entire frames, rather than the pixels DLSS 2 created. That means it should be able to deliver better overall framerates, especially when it comes to CPU-bound titles.

As the leaks foretold, the RTX 4070 Ti features 7,680 CUDA cores and 12GB of GDDR6X memory. In comparison, the 4080 sports 9,728 CUDA cores and 16GB of memory, while the 4090 has 16,384 CUDA cores and 24GB of RAM. Since it’s supposedly comparable to the 3090 Ti, you can expect the 4070 Ti to handle a bit of 4K gaming, especially with the help of DLSS 3. But really, it seems more like the card gamers with fast 1,440p monitors have been waiting for.

Surprisingly, NVIDIA didn’t spend much time on the 4070 Ti during its CES livestream, even though it will likely be the most popular 40-series GPU this year. If you’re looking for more of a bargain, NVIDIA’s 30-series GPUs are still fantastic and should start dipping in price soon. But for someone who wants the full power of NVIDIA’s Ada architecture, as well as DLSS 3, the 4070 Ti is the cheapest way in.

The RTX 4070 Ti will be available on January 5th, and you can expect to see a variety of options from different manufacturers.