Florian Wirtz thought his goal for Liverpool in the 2-2 draw at Fulham was offside - so how did technology allow it to stand? Read...

OWC has announced the first two-meter Thunderbolt 5 cable in advance of CES 2026, offering more convenience for Thunderbolt dock setups, as well as desktops, which aren’t constrained by space. To date, most docks ship with a one-meter Thunderbolt 5 cable included, which is barely sufficient for a Thunderbolt dock on your desk. As I write this, my current dock sits rather awkwardly to the right of my laptop, with the cable stretched all the way behind it to the only Thunderbolt ports it incudes — which happen to be on its left-hand side. Yes, I could rearrange my desk to move the dock, too, but the way it’s set up, with a power strip in a specific position, and a phone charger set up just so — well, you get the idea. I’d rather have a slightly longer cable to accommodate my current desk setup, rather than rearrange my desk to fit in a dock in a certain way. OWC’s new $79.99 two-meter cable stretches 6.56 feet, versus the 3.2 feet a one-meter cable offers. Presumably, the cable is an “active” cable, which includes a bit of logic to amplify the signal as opposed to a thinner (and cheaper) passive cable. By comparison, OWC’s one-meter cable costs $34.99. Apple supplies longer Thunderbolt cables as well, such as the two-meter Thunderbolt 3 cable it shipped for $129 five years ago, or the $159 three-meter Thunderbolt 4 cable it announced three years ago. It has yet to announce a longer Thunderbolt 5 cable, however. Meanwhile, PCs still tend to use the HDMI port for productivity, and DisplayPort for high-refresh-rate gaming connections. We do see some displays with dedicated USB-C connections, though. For now, however, Thunderbolt 5 is primarily a Mac-specific technology. While a small number of PC gaming laptops include Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, Thunderbolt 5 isn’t natively integrated into any of the PC processor platforms, including Intel’s imminent Core Ultra Series 3 “Panther Lake” chips. (Thunderbolt 5 can be added if a laptop maker purchases a discrete chip, and a few gaming notebooks have done so.) Instead, the Mac Mini with an M4 Pro as well as the MacBook Pro with an M4 Pro or M4 Max chip integrate Thunderbolt 5, making them the preferred platforms. Is a longer Thunderbolt 5 cable a necessity for PC users? No. But it’s certainly a welcome convenience. Read...

Nothing beats a skylight when it comes to brightening up a gloomy living space, but installing one can be a pricey proposition. At CES, smart light manufacturer Govee is showing off an alternative: a smart ceiling light that mimics daylight.  The Govee Sky Ceiling Light employs “custom-engineered LED and architectural gradient illumination” to serve up “clear-sky tones and soft skylight transitions,” ideal for casting some simulated daylight into a gloomy, windowless living area.  The light boasts a total of 180 RGBICWW beads—84 for the main circular panel, 60 on the side, and 36 in back—that combine to shine at up to 5,000 lumens at a daylight-equivalent 6,500 Kelvin color temperature, according to Govee. If you’re looking for more of a golden glow in the morning, the light’s color temperature can be dialed all the way down to a warm 2,700K.  The 21 x 4.3-inch (WxH) ceiling light (we don’t have pricing details or a release date yet) uses wired power, so you’ll need to connect it to in-ceiling wiring; otherwise, it should be relatively easy to install.   The Sky Ceiling Light can be controlled with the Govee app, which offers dozens of animated lighting scenes along with smart automations and wake-up/go-to-sleep routines. We’ve reached out to Govee for specifics on integrations with other smart home platforms, such as Alexa, Google Home, and Matter support.  Govee is also unwrapping a couple of other new smart lights at CES this week, including a second ceiling light with a 616-pixel LED matrix that delivers “vivid patterns and animations,” Govee says.  The Ceiling Light Ultra is the same size as the Govee sky light and also shines at up to 5,000 lumens at a daylight-equivalent 6,500K, but this ceiling light is more focused on groovy animations courtesy of Govee’s AI Lighting Bot 2.0, the brand’s updated generative-AI lighting tech that’s designed to “instantly” create “expressive” and “animated” effects.   Govee As with the Sky Ceiling Light, the Ceiling Light Ultra relies on wired power and works with the Govee mobile app.  Finally, the Govee Floor Lamp 3 is a revamped version of Govee’s previous floor lamps, and it arrives with another new Govee technology: LuminBlend+, a color management system with an upgraded 16-bit chip for “smoother, more precise color transitions,” according to Govee.  The Floor Lamp 2 also works with Govee’s AI Lighting Bot 2.0 as well as DaySync, an adaptive lighting technology that automatically adjusts the lamp’s color temperature and brightness according to the time of day.  Govee The 59 inch-tall Floor Lamp 2 can shine at up to 1,900 lumens and has an exceptionally wide color temperature range, all the way from 10,000K (producing a cool, bluish light) to 1,000K (for a very warm reddish-orange color). Aside from Govee app control, the lamp can also be adjusted with the included remote.  Aside from its new smart lights, Govee is also announcing a partnership with Samsung SmartThings, allowing for “seamless” integration between the SmartThings ecosystem and “key” Govee smart lighting products. We’re awaiting details on the first Govee lights to offer SmartThings support. Matter-enabled Govee lights can already work with SmartThings, along with Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and other smart platforms that connect via Matter. This story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart lights. Read...

We asked several experts to predict the technology we`ll be using by 2050 Read...

Mounting a jumbo-sized, multi-panel TV on a wall is no small feat, as you’ll need mounts for the individual panels, in-wall wiring to connect the components together, one or more videos controllers to feed images to the TVs, and possibly even a fake wall to hide all the cable clutter.  At CES this week (where it will also be showing off its next-generation wireless TV line, first unveiled in December 2022), Displace is promising to drastically chop the time and effort needed to install a massive TV array, with the 4K OLED Displace Wall designed to be mounted in just half an hour and without the need for any drills or wiring-hiding facades.  Arriving in two sizes—a 110-inch 4K display comprised of four 55-inch displays, and a 130-inch version with a quartet of 65-inch panels—the Displace Wall arrives with a custom frame that employs “active-loop” suction technology, meaning you can simply stick it to the wall.   Displace Aside from not needing extra mounting hardware, the Displace Wall also dispenses with external video controllers, with each panel incorporating the necessary video wall functionality while a single “host TV” in the array acts as the primary connection point for the other panels.  For power, the Displace Wall relies on a removable 10,000 mAh/46.8-volt battery, meaning no need for power cables. How long will the battery keep the Display Wall running? Good question; we’ve reached out to Displace for more details.  Powered by Displace OS 2.0, an “ambient computing”-focused platform that turns each 1.26-inch thick panel into a “smart, responsive surface,” the Display Wall can display a single, jumbo-sized video images or four separate video feeds, according to Displace. You can also expand a video on one TV to the others with a simple gesture.  From a technical standpoint, the Displace Wall runs on a 8-core Intel N-300 CPU with integrated graphics, 32GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, while the panels themselves are capable of up to 40K resolution at 30Hz. The Wall can run completely wirelessly, but there’s also an HDMI port on the host TV for connecting external HDMI-enabled video sources.  Before you get too excited by the stick-up Displace Wall, consider the price: $39,999 for the 110-inch version or a whopping $59,999 for the 130-inch model. At those price points, the Displace Wall is more likely to wind up at trade shows and corporate lobbies rather than living rooms. The company’s existing 55-inch OLED sells for $5,999. If you find Displace TV’s unique wall-mounting and truly wireless technologies appealing, the manufacturer will also be showing a module that can retrofit existing TVs with screen sizes between 55- and 100 inches and weighing up to 150 pounds. Displace TV has not announced pricing for that product. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Rapid response times and customizable trigger paths Clear, flexible software 8.000 Hz polling rate for minimal latency. Smooth, pre-lubricated switches, and good housing insulation Hot-swappable PCB Housing made from 65 percent recycled plastic Cons High price Mediocre casing finish in places Rattling space bar Silicone feet are inflexible and prone to dust Our Verdict The Wooting 80HE, with its analogue keys, Rapid Trigger, and 8,000 Hz polling rate, is a high-end mechanical gaming keyboard designed for FPS gamers who love to tinker. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Wooting 80HE Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices When a keyboard is hailed as the holy grail of competitive gaming, it deserves a closer look. The Wooting 80HE’s reputation precedes it. More than just an input device, its state-of-the-art technology gives you a real advantage in shooters like Counter-Strike 2 or Valorant. We put the highly coveted 80 percent gaming keyboard through its paces. Along the way, we examine whether its innovative analogue technology justifies the steep price tag of around $199.99, and if its recycled plastic housing lives up to the standards of a premium product. Wooting 80HE: Design and construction Even unpacking the Wooting 80HE is fundamentally different from dealing with conventional manufacturers. The company consistently focuses on modularity and sustainability, which means that you can build it yourself. The keyboard base and keycaps are supplied separately in some cases, so you first have to fit the high-quality PBT keycaps to the switches yourself. Although this takes a few minutes, it immediately gives you a deep understanding of the device and emphasizes the “DIY charm” of the brand. Friedrich Stiemer Our test model comes in a black casing made of PCR plastic. PCR stands for “Post-Consumer Recycled,” meaning the chassis is largely made of recycled plastic. This is good for the environment, but it does have some disadvantages in terms of feel. The Wooting 80HE appears robust at first glance, but the plastic housing does show a certain amount of give under heavy pressure, especially above the space bar. The material can be noticeably pressed in and occasionally responds with a quiet creaking noise. Anyone expecting the absolute rigidity of an aluminum block will either have to adjust their expectations or dig deep into their pockets and purchase the optional metal casing. Friedrich Stiemer The manufacturer also goes its own way when it comes to ergonomics. Instead of relying on classic folding feet for height adjustment, the keyboard comes with various silicone pads. These pads are attached to the underside without tools to adjust the angle of inclination to 2.8, 6, or 10 degrees. Although this solution ensures a non-slip stand, it’s impractical in everyday use. The rubber feet attract dust almost magically and can come loose if you frequently move the keyboard around on your desk. Friedrich Stiemer Wooting 80HE: Technology and features The real highlight of the Wooting 80HE lies hidden under the keycaps. No classic mechanical contacts are used here, which only have an “on” or “off” function. Instead, Wooting uses Lekker V2 magnetic Hall-effect switches. This allows the keyboard to measure exactly how deep a key is pressed, which is anywhere from 0.1 to 4.0 millimeters. Friedrich Stiemer This analogue recording enables functions that make conventional gaming keyboards feel outdated. The most important feature for gamers is undoubtedly “Rapid Trigger.” Unlike normal switches, which first have to pass a fixed point before resetting, the Wooting 80HE’s reset point adapts dynamically. As soon as you lift your finger, the signal is interrupted. If you press it down again, it’s immediately triggered again. The result is an extremely fast reaction time, which can offer a noticeable advantage in terms of precision, especially during fast sideways movements in shooters (known as strafing). Friedrich Stiemer In addition to top-tier performance, the analogue technology also allows controller-like control. In racing games, for example, you can fine-tune the throttle and steering depending on how deeply you press the buttons. This technology is supported by an extremely high polling rate of 8,000 Hz. This means that the Wooting 80HE reports its status back to the PC 8,000 times per second. Even if this difference to conventional 1,000 Hz keyboards is barely perceptible to the average gamer, it gives professionals the reassuring feeling that the hardware isn’t a technical bottleneck. Keep in mind, however, that a cable connection is absolutely necessary for this speed. You’ll have to do without wireless features such as Bluetooth or 2.4 GHz radio. Friedrich Stiemer Wooting 80HE: Software Wooting’s “Wootility” software manages all these complex features in an exemplary manner. A big advantage here is that you don’t have to download an installation file if you don’t want to. The tool runs entirely as a web app directly in the browser and is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux across platforms. Friedrich Stiemer You can configure the trigger point for each individual button on the Wooting 80HE through its clearly organized interface. Whether you want the WASD keys to react the instant you touch them or the space bar to trigger only when fully pressed, the choice is entirely yours. RGB lighting and key assignments are also controlled here, stored directly in one of the keyboard’s four internal memory profiles. Although Wooting offers advanced scripting functions for perfect “counter-punishing” (known as “Snappy Tappy” or SOCD), you should exercise caution here. Game developers such as Valve have begun to block such automated input aids in titles like Counter-Strike 2. However, the core functions like rapid trigger and analogue triggering remain unaffected and continue to be legal competitive advantages. Friedrich Stiemer Wooting 80HE: Typing feel and gaming performance In everyday use, the Wooting 80HE shows two faces. When simply typing, it surprises with a very pleasant feel. The Lekker switches are well lubricated, gliding smoothly without scratchy feedback. Thanks to several layers of insulation in the casing, the acoustics are rich and comparatively quiet, which makes it perfectly suitable for office use. However, there is one acoustic outlier: the space bar. Compared to the other keys, it sounds much hollow, loud, and can rattle. Given the price, this is annoying, although experienced users can improve this themselves with a little grease on the stabilizers. Friedrich Stiemer When you switch from a word processing program to a game, the keyboard really comes into its own. In our gaming test, controlling the game character felt incredibly direct and instantaneous. Stopping and shooting happens at the exact moment the thought reaches your finger. It’s difficult to describe, but anyone who has experienced Rapid Trigger on the Wooting 80HE often finds conventional mechanical keyboards sluggish in comparison. The keyboard almost gives the feeling of artificially shortening your own reaction time. For competitive players who want to get the most out of their gaming, this feedback is worth its weight in gold. Friedrich Stiemer Read...

I don’t typically make New Year’s resolutions, but 2026 is a special exception. You can thank stratospheric memory prices for that—and a little scare that happened right before Christmas. Micro Center briefly marked a handful of SSDs for sale at their suggested list price, alarming DIY PC builders with the thought of $600+ 2TB NVMe drives. I lived a few potential lifetimes in the short period before Micro Center restored its real prices. That is, I imagined several possible paths for what I’d do if I couldn’t afford PC building. More specifically: What I would have fun doing. Being a hardware enthusiast is more than just devotion to the hobby, in my book. It involves a certain perspective about technology overall—a deep appreciation and interest in what those things can do at full blast. Limiting myself to focusing only on new PC parts cuts out so much of what I could dive into.  So I thought awhile on what “full blast” would mean for me in 2026, a likely year of building drought. I narrowed it to two main angles: What hobbies adjacent to PC building have I let languish or neglected? Could I find new or alternative uses for the hardware I already have? Then I thought about what gets my attention, and in what ways. Mechanical keyboards and elaborate homebrew NAS setups would be too expensive for me to pick up as building hobbies…but not as areas for greater learning. Nothing’s stopping me from plunging down the rabbit hole of deeply absorbing the ins and outs without any hands-on time. And if I need a more immediate project, I could finally sit down with both Jellyfin and Plex, as well as my media collection, and finally properly rip everything for local streaming. As I’ve intended to do for literal years now. (Yeah…) Maybe it’s time to roll my own homebrew version of one of these lil’ guys.Foundry But I’ll confess, I’d find tinkering with my existing hardware much more interesting than diving into media software. I have so much of it on hand already, and in true proto-hoarder fashion, I’m reluctant to give it up. Especially when I don’t know if I could afford to replace it. Especially when 2026 will likely be another Year of Linux. So here are my resolutions, in order of firm plans: Start at least one Linux project. (I say start because I don’t know if success is possible for my initial goal: To convert my old beloved Chromebook at last.) Use at least one or two distros for a few months. Expand my knowledge in areas I know less or even nothing about. Networking is currently a top contender. So is rolling my own NAS with old parts and old drives, just to see how I’d like it. Attempt a repurposing that isn’t typical for the hardware. (For example: Repurposing an Android-based E-Ink tablet as a second screen.) If successful with Resolution #1, attempt to convert remaining applicable hardware to Linux. If 2026’s theme is “We have ____ at home,” then you know what? I’m going to try to enjoy the experience. We touched on this idea briefly at the end of our final TFN episode of the year, when we finished making all of our 2026 predictions. All the time I would normally spend on new technology, I can repurpose to becoming smarter and savvier about existing technology. I find that pretty exciting still. In this episode of The Full Nerd …We’re on break! We’ll be back in January, live from CES 2026! Not caught up on episodes? Take a moment and subscribe now to The Full Nerd Network YouTube channel, then activate notifications. We also answer viewer questions in real-time! Our channel now includes our NEW shows too—dive into episodes of Dual Boot Diaries and The Full Nerd: Extra Edition during this holiday downtime! And if you need more hardware talk during the rest of the week, come join our Discord community—it’s full of cool, laid-back nerds. We’ve been chatting a bunch lately and it’s all good vibes. This week’s streamlined nerd news Just a small handful of links for this holiday break edition—a little mix of nostalgia, confusion, and hope. You know, how I start every new year. (Mostly kidding.) Next week will be a deluge of news, thanks to CES 2026, so I figure we can all take it easy on reading while we still can! Epilogue’s SN Operator should be compatible with cartridges from all regions.Mateusz Dach Bitrot comes for everything: So having an easy, decently affordable backup method for my old SNES game saves? I’m in. Oddly specific: The Raspberry Pi was part of the banned devices list at New York City’s mayoral inauguration. Huh. Did Microsoft do anything right in 2025? My colleague (and TFN regular) Mark Hachman evaluates the wins, fails, and sheer WTF moments of last year. Miss Unix v4? It’s back: Well, sort of. You can at least indulge in some nostalgia thanks to the University of Utah and software engineer Mark Riedstra. Hm, Brad may have to recalibrate his advice: GeForce Now subscriptions now universally have a 100 hour cap on gameplay. That definitely changes its value. But also, if you’re able to game more than 100 hours a month, please share your life tips as a working adult. Nanobots, roll out: I choose to be excited by the prospect of medical advancements, rather than dwell on the possibility of dystopian biological warfare. Wishing you all a happy new year—I’m looking forward to seeing what comes in 2026, with all of you alongside. Catch you next week! ~Alaina This newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and executive editor of hardware at PCWorld. Read...

Each new CES is an opportunity for a glimpse at the processors and platforms coming for the new year, even if they have been previously announced. This year is no different. Two of the three major arrivals have already been disclosed, both for notebooks. Intel has revealed its next-generation Core Ultra platform, “Panther Lake,” and Qualcomm has announced that its next-generation mobile Windows on Arm processor will be the Snapdragon Elite X2. Only AMD has yet to reveal what its upcoming chip for laptops will be, though its customers published a projected roadmap some months ago. But what’s happening with desktop PCs? And could Nvidia have something up its sleeves for the big show? Right now, it’s impossible to know what PC makers are going to announce at CES 2026. Still, we can make some guesses. Here’s what we expect may be revealed by Intel, Qualcomm, AMD, and Nvidia. Intel: It’s all about Panther Lake Clearly, Intel will launch its Panther Lake (Core Ultra 300) processors at CES 2026. Intel has already revealed some of the deep-dive details of the Panther Lake architecture: a return to the efficiency and low-power efficiency cores as well as the performance cores alongside the Xe3 graphics core and an upgraded NPU. Normally, we stop there and begin wondering about clock speeds and pricing. But wait! Intel really has three designs to think about: an 8-core and a 16-core chip, and than a version of the 16-core chip with 12 Xe3 graphics cores inside it. Naturally, we’d assume the 12-Xe version would be the premium offering, but will PC vendors consider this version as a challenger to the AMD Ryzen Max? I tend to doubt it, but it’s possible. Intel Intel still has a stranglehold on the laptop market. Its previous chip, the Core Ultra 200, was excellent, offering a potent mix of long battery life and decent computing power. Typically Intel gives us a chance to do a little benchmarking at the show, then allows journalists to test the platform shortly thereafter. I think that will probably continue to be the case. In recent years, Intel has also showcased a few applications that take advantage of local AI. My guess is that we’ll see something in this regard, as well, possibly focusing on agentic AI. An Intel “Panther Lake” Core Ultra 300 chip.Intel It’s likely that Intel will also set the stage for “Nova Lake,” its next desktop processor platform that the company has already disclosed for 2026. Before that, however, the so-called “Arrow Lake Refresh” chips are expected to debut, with minor tweaks to the clock speeds and a slight upgrade to the core count (8 performance cores, 12 efficiency cores), especially in the lower tiers. But with Arrow Lake’s reception being just lukewarm and with small gains attached to the refreshed parts, I wouldn’t expect that Intel pays this a lot of lip service. Qualcomm: Selling Windows on Arm Qualcomm hopes laptop makers and all-in-ones will sign on to use its Snapdragon X2 Elite chips.Mark Hachman / Foundry No real surprises here, either. Qualcomm has already announced its Snapdragon X2 Elite platform with a variety of internal processor cores that together push towards 5GHz and an industry-leading 80 TOPS. Nobody really expects Snapdragon PCs to be gaming machines…and yet Qualcomm can never quite exclude gaming from the conversation, either. Qualcomm says the X2 Elite’s gaming performance has doubled, so expect to see more games being played on Snapdragon laptops. The big mystery, though, is how many laptops OEMs will design around the Snapdragon X2 Elite chips. the uptake of Snapdragon X Elite laptops wasn’t outstanding. But Microsoft and Qualcomm are determined to make Windows on Arm happen. Mark Hachman / Foundry Will we see desktop announcements from Qualcomm? Almost certainly not as a separate chip, but the company has teased a radically small mini PC reference design as part of the Snapdragon XE2 reveal, as well as an all-in-one desktop with a XE2 system built into the base of the monitor stand, so anything is possible. AMD: the one gamers want to buy For gamers and enthusiasts, AMD clearly won 2025, at least from a CPU perspective. Sure, you can focus upon the Ryzen 9000X and its initial performance hiccups. But AMD instead won big with its Ryzen 9000X3D parts, specifically the Ryzen 9 9950X3D: gobs of V-cache equated to gobs of performance, too. Remember when Threadripper was the chip AMD fans couldn’t stop talking about? What impressed me, however was how good AMDs mobile Ryzens were. AMD’s mobile processors were crap for years (good riddance, A-series) but the Ryzen AI 300 checked the NPU box while delivering leading performance with good battery life, too. Now AMD is ready to pass the torch from “Strix Point” to the Zen 5 “Gorgon Point” processor: the Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 has already leaked via Geekbench, running at 3.1GHz with a total of 12 cores. That’s a very good start, though I’m just as interested seeing how this chip handles the challenges of maintaining performance as well as long battery life. TechPowerUp noted that there’s an AI 5 430 floating out there, too. AMD The wild card? The Ryzen AI Max and Max+, which also uses gobs of cache, a wide, fast memory bus, a super-sized integrated Radeon GPU, and addressable memory of up 96GB. “Strix Halo” combines all three to allow the chip to serve as both a moderately powerful gaming processor as a vehicle for running local LLMs. I tested the Framework Desktop PC with a Ryzen AI Max+ chip inside, and loved it. The Framework Desktop: fun, lovely, powerful.Alex Esteves / Foundry If AMD is just now debuting Gorgon Point (and no other processor) I wouldn’t expect an upgraded AI Max chip quite yet, though I would look to the Gorgon Point chip for hints in that eventual direction. AMD has been making a lot of noise upgrading its associated ROCm software, which can boost the performance of applications through software improvements alone. This is an easy win, and a hand AMD will keep betting on for months to come. Swinging back to the desktop front, rumors suggest we’ll see AMD reveal a new Ryzen 7 9850X3D chip with 400MHz faster clock speeds than the baseline 9800X3D, as well as a new generation of APUs with beefy integrated graphics, dubbed the Ryzen 9000G series. These would bring the excellent “Strix Point” technology found in current AMD laptops to home PCs. We’ve also heard whispers of a new high-end Ryzen 9 X3D chip, which may happen, but feels much less certain. Nvidia: Don’t expect new consumer GPUs Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry The chip company with the murkiest outlook is Nvidia, hands-down. Earlier this year, rumors of an “RTX 50-series Super refresh” with more memory and other tweaks swirled before dying down a couple months back. The recent extreme RAM crunch probably put an end to those ambitions, and we don’t expect Nvidia to announce any new desktop or laptop GPUs at CES — especially considering the entire RTX 50-series launched just last year. Nvidia often brings flashy new technology and features to CES that have nothing to do with chip launches, like ACE AI companions for video game NPCs, Half-Life 2 RTX Remix, and yesteryear’s “BFD” monitor push, so there may be relevant news from Team Green. Surprises happen on the Las Vegas strip daily. We’ve heard scuttlebutt that Nvidia may have something up its sleeve surrounding monitor technology this year. As CES 2026 nears the opening week of January, PCWorld will be there. Stay tuned: the curtain is rising on 2026. Brad Chacos helped contribute to this report. Read...

Technology leaders warn 2026 will be a make-or-break year as businesses demand tangible AI value, workflow redesign and tighter security. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Excellent workmanship and high-quality materials Individually adjustable OmniPoint 3.0 switches Rapid Trigger and Dual Action for fast response times Quiet typing noise thanks to integrated damping and double-shot PBT keycaps High-quality palm rest and stable Construction Cons Very high price No hot-swap for switches No dedicated macro or media keys “Only” 1,000 Hertz polling rate Our Verdict The SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 is one of the most technically advanced gaming keyboards on the market, offering first-class build quality, typing feel, and customization. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Steelseries Apex Pro Gen 3 Retailer Price $214.99 View Deal $239.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices SteelSeries has sent its flagship keyboard into its third generation. The company claims the Apex Pro Gen 3 is the fastest gaming keyboard in the world, featuring new magnetic switches, improved comfort, and quieter typing. We took a closer look to see what’s behind the hype and whether the premium price is justified. Friedrich Stiemer SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3: Design and ergonomics The SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 makes an impression as soon as you unpack it. The housing consists of a robust aluminum top and a solid plastic base. Weighing around 2.42 pounds, it sits firmly on the desk. Nothing wobbles, nothing slips. A practical highlight is the magnetic palm rest, which adheres firmly to the lower edge and offers a pleasantly soft surface. It provides noticeable relief for the wrists, especially during long gaming sessions. The keyboard is full-size, including a number pad, making it ideal for anyone who writes or does office work. However, with dimensions of around 436 × 139 × 40 millimeters, it does take up a fair amount of desk space. Friedrich Stiemer The RGB lighting is remarkably even. Thanks to the new double-shot PBT keycaps, the light not only shines through the labeling, but also from the sides. These keycaps are known for their durability and abrasion resistance, offer a secure grip, and hardly discolor over time. One small disadvantage is that PBT keycaps are more expensive to manufacture and can feel slightly rougher than ABS caps. In dark rooms, this looks spectacular without being distracting. The matte finish looks high quality and hardly attracts fingerprints. Friedrich Stiemer SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3: Accessories In addition to the keyboard itself, the box contains a detachable, braided USB-C cable, the magnetic palm rest, and a keycap remover. Replacement caps or other extras are not included. While they aren’t essential for a premium keyboard in this class, their presence would’ve been a welcome bonus. Friedrich Stiemer SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3: Technology and features At the heart of the SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 are the new OmniPoint 3.0 switches, manufactured by Gateron. These magnetic switches register keystrokes not mechanically, but via a Hall-effect sensor. This is a technology that works with magnetic fields to measure key travel (without contact) and with extreme precision. The switches have a linear feel with an actuating force of around 45 grams, which enables fast and consistent input. The standout feature is the per-key adjustability, allowing actuation depth to be set anywhere from an ultra-fast 0.1 mm to a full 4.0 mm. Friedrich Stiemer In practice, this means that if you need fast response times in shooters, you can set the buttons to extremely fine triggering. If you prefer precise typing, increase the depth for more typing control. The customization takes place in the SteelSeries GG software and is saved directly to the keyboard. This allows users to play with their saved profiles even without the software installed. Not all keys are equipped with the more expensive OmniPoint switches. While the main block uses them, the function row and number keys rely on classic linear SteelSeries Red switches. This is hardly noticeable in everyday use, but it’s still worth noting. There is no hot-swap function for replacing the switches. SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3: Performance The polling rate is 1,000 Hz. That’s solid, but not record-breaking. Some high-end keyboards now offer up to 8,000 Hz. This means that the SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 registers inputs up to 1,000 times per second, which helps keep input latency very low. The keyboard also supports N-key rollover and anti-ghosting, so that multiple simultaneous keystrokes are reliably recognized. This is especially important for fast-paced games. Friedrich Stiemer One highlight is the “Rapid Trigger” function, which allows a key to reset and actuate again as soon as it is lifted slightly. In fast-paced games such as Valorant or Counter-Strike 2, this enables lightning-fast direction changes. In combination with “Dual Action Keybinds” (i.e. double assignment depending on the depth of pressure), the SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 becomes a serious tool in esports. One button can perform two actions: a light press activates walking, for example, while a stronger press in the same keystroke activates sprinting. This is ideal for dynamic movements in games such as Apex Legends or Call of Duty. SteelSeries has also improved the keyboard’s acoustics. A layer of damping material now sits between the circuit board and the base. As a result, it’s much quieter than other mechanical keyboards. It produces more of a gentle “thock” instead of the typical click-clack. Friedrich Stiemer SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3: Software and operation Setup via the SteelSeries GG software is straightforward. Here you can set the trigger point for each button, adjust the lighting, program macros, or manage profiles. Particularly convenient are the predefined presets for well-known games such as Apex Legends, CS2, and Fortnite. Friedrich Stiemer An integrated OLED display in the top right-hand corner shows system information, volume, profiles, and incoming Discord messages. It can also be customized with personal text or a small logo. Together with the aluminum rotary wheel, the display also doubles as a hub for media control. Here you can adjust the volume, hit play or pause, and modify the lighting. However, there are no dedicated media buttons, which is a bit of a shame at this price point. SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3: Everyday life and gaming In everyday use, the SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 proves to be a genuine all-rounder. It feels pleasantly direct and precise when typing and reacts lightning-fast in gaming situations. Shooters, in particular, benefit from the low latency. When playing Valorant and Call of Duty, keys responded practically without delay. The keyboard also impresses with long texts. The stroke remains soft, the typing noise discreet, and the palm rest ensures comfort. Anyone who has ever experienced the difference between 0.1 and four millimeters of actuation will understand how finely the typing behavior can be tuned. Friedrich Stiemer The only downside is that, with its weight and wired connection, the Apex Pro Gen 3 is clearly designed as a desktop keyboard. If you’re usually on the move, it’s better to opt for the TKL or wireless version. That version, however, comes with second-generation OmniPoint switches. Read...