I’m sure I don’t have to tell you if you’ve ever toggled off Steam’s sexual content filters—whether out of curiosity or otherwise is your business—but there’s a lot of porn on Steam. At time of writing, of the roughly 122,000 games on Steam, almost 6,000 are marked as Adult Only. That’s about 1 in 20, and nearly half of those are tagged as Hentai games. Despite the surplus of horny anime material available for purchase, Japanese adult game devs are apparently being kept from the profits of their Steam sales.
Yesterday, Taro Yamada, a member of the Japanese Diet’s House of Councillors, said on X that lawmakers have received reports that banks in Japan are preventing Japanese developers from accessing the revenue from overseas Steam sales of games with adult content (via Automaton). “If the game in question is for adult audiences,” Yamada said via machine translation, “their remittances from abroad are rejected by Japanese banks, meaning they are unable to receive the profits.”
Additionally, Yamada said that Japanese companies who “deal with adult games” are being prevented from opening bank accounts.
According to machine translation of reporting from Japanese gaming news outlet GameSpark, both Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) have confirmed the reports. In interviews the FSA conducted with Japanese banks preventing the transfer of Steam revenue, the banks said the decision was “a comprehensive judgment” based on Japan’s Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds and its Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, which aim to verify and regulate international commerce that could be used to fund illegal activity.
In a YouTube broadcast discussing the issue, Yamada questioned the relevance of those acts, as the Steam transactions are related to legitimate sales. The issue, Yamata said, is that Japanese law currently doesn’t have procedures in place to address the nuances of international Steam sales, which leaves Japanese banks in a position to apply their own restrictions that raise concerns about freedom of speech in media production.
As Automaton reported last year, Yamada—described in his X profile as specializing in “freedom of expression”—has previously expressed concerns about censorship when Visa abruptly halted credit card payments to Japanese platforms hosting adult content to “protect the [Visa] brand.”
Those concerns echo ongoing disputes in the US over restrictions on adult content, in which activists and organizations like the ACLU have argued that the “vague and ambiguous policy requirements” of companies like MasterCard and Visa, alongside growing state efforts to regulate access to pornography, threaten the livelihoods and free speech rights of sex workers and adult content creators.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1738278215_Banks-in-Japan-are-blocking-Steam-payments-for-sex-games.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2025-01-30 22:07:422025-01-30 22:07:42Banks in Japan are blocking Steam payments for sex games, leaving Japanese adult game devs cut off from income
Today is the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 launch day, with both Nvidia’s first RTX Blackwell graphics cards going on sale today at 6am PT (2pm UK). But be warned, the likelihood of actually getting hold of one today is pretty damned slim. Most of the noises from manufacturers and retailers has been about the slight stock levels that they’re going to have come launch day.
If the volume of available cards last more than ten minutes past go time I will be very surprised. Very surprised.
I guess that’s why there are people already camped outside of Micro Centers around the US, and you can bet folk are already lining up outside of their local Best Buy stores, too. I just wonder how many of those people are the ones who have already listed RTX 5090 cards for exorbitant prices on Ebay. Those damned scalpers are going to be out in force for the RTX 50-series launch, you can be sure.
Professional Nerd
Professional Nerd
Dave James
Dave has spent the past 20-odd years writing about PC gaming hardware, testing and breaking more tech than any one human ever should. He’s also benchmarked pretty much every single graphics card generation released in that time, too.
We’re sure many of you will be looking to get your hands on a Founders Edition (FE) card, ie, Nvidia’s reference design card, not least because this design is gorgeous.
The FE is sure to be one of the best value cards, coming in at MSRP. It’s also an impressive design, as we noted in our review. It keeps the RTX 5090’s colossal GPU relatively chilly, which is especially good considering it’s so compact compared to previous high-end cards.
No doubt it will also be the card most in demand come launch day.
Scan has sold FE cards in the UK previously, but this time around the retailer explains: “Scan work as a fulfilment partner for NVIDIA on the FE cards. These must be bought using the links on the NVIDIA website when stock is available.”
Gigabyte
Gigabyte’s one of the biggest names in the AIB GPU space and for good reason: Many of its cards tend to offer a mainstream blend of price to performance. The company’s got a fair few RTX 5090 models listed, now, from air-cooled TUF Gaming ones to presumably more expensive water-cooled ‘Waterforce’ ones.
Asus
Asus has a number of popular GPU lineups making a return for the RTX 50-series. In particular, many of you will be happy to see the usually reasonably-priced, mechanico-understated TUF Gaming lineup rearing its head for the RTX 5090. And that’s both OC and non-OC versions. Plus there are some liquid-cooled options popping up here and there, now, too, designated by the ‘LC’ nomenclature.
MSI
MSI usually has a ton of card designs, and many RTX 5090 designs are already showing up on retailer sites. Of course there are fan favourites such as the Gaming Trio OC, but there are other options such as my personal favourite, the Suprim (non-liquid). Plenty to choose from. (Note that if you buy directly from MSI, according to a Discord update, shipping will only begin on February 6.)
The rest…
It’s not all about MSI, Gigabyte, and Asus, even if these are the most recognisable names. Zotac, PNY, and others have released plenty of fantastic graphics cards over the years, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for their takes on the RTX 5090. Unfortunately, there aren’t many cards from these manufacturers listed in the US right now, but there are more listed in other locations such as the UK.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Nvidia RTX 5080 model links
Founders edition
(Image credit: Future)
Founders Edition (FE) cards are Nvidia’s own reference design ones, and the 50-series ones look stunning. So, we have no doubt that many of you will be looking to get your hands on an RTX 5080 FE.
Not only does it look stunning but it’s also bound to be great value, as it’ll be coming in at MSRP where most AIB cards will retail for above this. The design keeps things more than cool enough for gaming, too, as our Dave discovered in his testing which saw average temps keep under 70 °C.
The FE card will, for all these reasons, almost certainly be the most in-demand RTX 5080 upon launch, so fingers on buzzers.
Scan has sold FE cards in the UK previously, but this time around the retailer explains: “Scan work as a fulfilment partner for NVIDIA on the FE cards. These must be bought using the links on the NVIDIA website when stock is available.”
Gigabyte
Gigabyte’s one of the best-known brands and its AIB GPUs are some of the most-bought. From mainstream value offerings such as its ‘Windforce’ cards through to stunners like the Aero OC, it has something to offer for most gamers. Plenty of Gigabyte RTX 5080 cards are now lining the proverbial shelves now, too, although still no definite prices.
Asus
Asus’ most popular GPU line-ups are back for the RTX 50-series, and for the RTX 5080 in particular. We’ve got the much-adored and industrial-looking TUF line-up, as well as Astral and Prime. And there are plenty of stock-overclocked versions, plus some liquid-cooled (‘LC’) ones, so plenty to go around.
MSI
MSI has a very expansive GPU design portfolio, and these ranges are back in force for the RTX 5080. Plenty of retailer sites are setting up virtual shelving space for MSI RTX 5080 stock, now (including for my fave, the Suprim). There are a couple of white-bodied options in there, too, for those of you with an all-white build or looking to add a strong accent to your build.
The rest…
Although retailers seem to be making the most initial room for MSI, Asus, and Gigabyte’s popular GPU line-ups, there are plenty of other third-party RTX 5080 designs to look out for. It’s definitely worth keeping an eye out for Palit’s, PNY’s, Zotac’s takes on the RTX 5080. Most listings for these are outside of the US, but we’re sure that’ll change before too long.
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1738242188_Nvidia-RTX-5090-and-RTX-5080-release-day-live-join.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2025-01-30 12:33:412025-01-30 12:33:41Nvidia RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 release day live: join us for the picosecond where the new RTX Blackwell cards are in stock
Peripeteia is an upcoming indie immersive sim where you’re an out-of-work cyborg mercenary living in a dilapidated post-Soviet city full of homeless people, gas-mask thugs, and talkative bartenders. “It’s Deus Ex except you’re Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell, retired, in Poland.” That’s how I summed up the demo for Peripeteia when I played it in 2021, and I’ve been waiting to play more of it ever since.
I’ll get my chance soon. Developer Ninth Exodus has announced that an early access version of Peripeteia will be out on February 21—the same date on which Marx and Engels published the Communist Manifesto. Coincidence? Yeah, probably. It’s also the birthday of Ranking Roger from The Beat but that doesn’t mean we’re about to play an immersive sim soundtracked entirely by second-wave ska. (God, I wish.)
According to the newly updated Steam page, which also has a few more screenshots to obsess over, “You will be forced to use your wits, tact, and raw violent nature to complete tasks shrouded in conspiracy and mystery. Logic, skill and ruthless cunning will win you the day in an interactive and adaptive world. When that fails, a loaded gun and the ability to create your own climbing routes virtually anywhere, will suffice.”
So yeah, expect a lot of climbing through vents and along rooftops, taking jobs from shifty strangers, infiltrating buildings then getting caught and shooting my way out, and at least one hacking minigame. Can’t wait.
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https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1738206117_The-cyberpunk-immersive-sim-Ive-been-itching-to-play-finally.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2025-01-30 02:32:322025-01-30 02:32:32The cyberpunk immersive sim I’ve been itching to play finally has a release date
When Goldilocks wasn’t breaking local wildlife laws and putting her life in peril by trying to sleep with dangerous creatures (interestingly, in an early version of the story, all the bears were male), she was probably a PC gamer. A streamer, in fact, given her choice of ostentatious outerwear. I have no evidence to back this up, but it’s a necessary confection because I want to start this review by saying this: the HP Omen 35L is juuuuuuust right.
It’s a tower PC you can put under your arm and carry easily. It looks great, with its internal components in white (matching the case) against a black motherboard, and the graphics card enclosed in a cage that makes it look like a bridge that’s fallen out of a Halo game. There are extra heat sinks arranged around the AIO CPU cooler’s pump block, two RGB front fans that sit behind a perforated grating so you can see the glow diffused into hundreds of pointillist dots. Even the Omen branding is largely unobtrusive, restrained to a logo on the CPU cooler and a wordmark on the front and non-transparent sides.
HP’s choice of case is a good one. There are easily accessible USB ports on the top and right at the front, including a 10 Gbps Type-C. There’s only one Thunderbolt 4 to be found, at the back, which might trouble those using it for non-gaming purposes who want to hook up some fast external SSDs, but otherwise the Omen 35L is well specced in terms of inputs, and it’s nice to see Wi-Fi 7 in a desktop PC.
The components used to make the PC are less restrained than its exterior. The GeForce RTX 4080 Super we’re all familiar with, one of the best graphics cards for gaming and one that should retain its usefulness long after the RTX 50-series cards take all the top spots in the rankings. Less common is the new Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, an Arrow Lake CPU with 20 cores, eight of them full-fat P cores. It’s the same arrangement as many Core i9 CPUs of the 13th and 14th generations, which has now trickled down to the 7 level, only with a maximum turbo frequency of 5.5 GHz and the K designation that means it’s unlocked for overclocking.
Omen 35L specs
(Image credit: Future)
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 265K GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super 16 GB RAM: 32 GB DDR5-6000 Storage: 2 TB PCIe 4.0 SSD Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, 2.5 Gb Ethernet Front panel: 1x USB 3.2 Type-C 10 Gbps, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A 5 Gbps, 1x 3.5mm audio Rear I/O: 1x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB 3.2 Type-C 10 Gbps, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A 5 Gbps, 4x USB 2.0, Ethernet, audio Price:$2,899.99
And the new Core Ultra proves to be a very performant piece of kit. In the demanding Cinebench 2024 benchmark it powers past the 24-core Core i9 13900K and the 32-core Threadripper 2990WX. It passes the 20-core Apple M1 Ultra, and the 24-core Xeon W-3265M. Most surprisingly, it produces a better multi-core score than the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the current king of gaming CPUs. Single-core performance is important in gaming, and in this test the 265K beats the i9 13900K and draws level with the 9800X3D.
In other testing, the SSD—a Western Digital Black PCIe 4.0 model according to 3D Mark—produces speeds that are distinctly PCIe 3.0. It’s unclear if this is by design, whether there’s something improperly configured somewhere, or maybe a pin isn’t connecting properly, but it’s a disappointing showing. It transferred at 300 MB/s when other drives in other PCs regularly top the 500 mark.
Despite this, the PC does very well in gaming, its GPU beating other RTX 4080 Super boards and getting close to RTX 4090 levels in 3D Mark’s Time Spy Extreme. That synthetic benchmark isn’t the real world, however, but the card also does well in actual games, able to provide an average of 52 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K and in Ray-tracing Overdrive mode. Fiddle with the DLSS settings and you could easily get that over 60.
In other games, we get the kind of results that are becoming typical of the RTX 4080 Super in a desktop machine. You won’t struggle to get 60 fps from this card, no matter what game you’re playing, and the news that DLSS 4 may be coming to RTX 40-series cards after all makes it even more likely you’ll be able to use this card for years.
The Baldur’s Gate 3 result might seem like a bit of an outlier, but that’s there to show what difference a good CPU can make. The game scales impressively with different processors, and you can see where the Ryzen 7 9800X3D pulls ahead thanks to its 3D V-Cache-enabled processing power.
But while all this gaming stuff is going on, the Omen 35L makes little more than a hum. While compressing a Steam game for backup onto an external drive the CPU fans (there’s a 240 mm array on the AIO) span up but remained relatively unobtrusive, and the GPU fans followed suit while rendering complex scenes. It’s remarkably cool-running too, with the CPU barely nosing its way up to 74 °C while video encoding.
Intel’s investments into processor efficiency led to somewhat disappointing first generation of Core Ultra chips over in laptopland, which were pushed further down by the arrival of a new challenger in the form of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, but this second generation of desktop CPUs seems to have hit the bullseye in terms of performance and efficiency.
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Buy if…
✅ You like a tidy build: This HP PC is compact and neatly put together, with a coherent design.
✅ You want the power: You can pay more for PCs that produce similar results, so it’s almost a bargain.
Don’t buy if…
❌ You’re holding out for Blackwell: The RTX 4080 Super is a fine card, but it’s last-gen now.
❌ Jet engines excite you: This iteration of the 35L excels at keeping its cool, and you might not notice the fans.
And at least until AMD hits back and Snapdragon arrives on the desktop, both of which are bound to happen. Arrow Lake is not going to give you a silent running PC—the noise is there, but it’s not going to bring relatives rushing up the stairs to see what the fuss is all about.
And not making a fuss is perhaps what the Omen 35L is best at. It’s not a big or heavy machine, but it is quietly notable. The white case, cooler and component cages give it a sleek look, the build quality is excellent, and the results in games (and a PC like this has uses way beyond gaming) speak for themselves. While it may be a bit of a reach to drop nearly $3,000 on a pre-built gaming PC, if they were all like this the decision to do so would be so much easier. Goldilocks would happily sit down to this desktop gaming PC, while wiping the porridge away from around her mouth, for a few rounds of Diablo 4. She plays as a druid, naturally.
Guarantee yourself the fastest Wordle win of the week with our help. It couldn’t be easier—just click your way straight to today’s answer and you’re all done. If that all sounds a bit much from the off you might want to take a look at our handy hint for the January 29 (1320) puzzle, designed to give you a push without spoiling the fun.
My opening word reluctantly offered up a single yellow letter, and that was that. Fine, I thought. I’ll seize that letter and use it to go for something wild and unusual. Four green letters appeared in an instant, and immediately after that I had today’s answer. The main reason today’s Wordle took so long is because I spent a lot of time staring at my screen, unable to believe how I’d so thoroughly turned my game around.
Today’s Wordle hint
(Image credit: Josh Wardle)
Wordle today: A hint for Wednesday, January 29
You’ll need to name an animal body part to win today. Specifically the bit on a cow, sheep, or goat that produces milk.
Is there a double letter in Wordle today?
Yes, there is a double letter in today’s puzzle.
Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day
Playing Wordle well is like achieving a small victory every day—who doesn’t like a well-earned winning streak in a game you enjoy? If you’re new to the daily word game, or just want a refresher, I’m going to share a few quick tips to help set you on the path to success:
You want a balanced mix of unique consonants and vowels in your opening word.
A solid second guess helps to narrow down the pool of letters quickly.
The answer could contain letters more than once.
There’s no time pressure beyond making sure it’s done by the end of the day. If you’re struggling to find the answer or a tactical word for your next guess, there’s no harm in coming back to it later on.
Today’s Wordle answer
(Image credit: Future)
What is today’s Wordle answer?
You’ve got to win now. The answer to the January 29 (1320) Wordle is UDDER.
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Previous Wordle answers
The last 10 Wordle answers
Knowing previous Wordle solutions can be helpful in eliminating current possibilities. It’s unlikely a word will be repeated and you can find inspiration for guesses or starting words that may be eluding you.
Here are some recent Wordle answers:
January 28: FEVER
January 27: SHUNT
January 26: SUNNY
January 25: CRISP
January 24: CREPE
January 23: UPPER
January 22: REACH
January 21: ICING
January 20: SQUID
January 19: ROWER
Learn more about Wordle
(Image credit: Nurphoto via Getty)
Wordle gives you six rows of five boxes each day, and it’s your job to work out which five-letter word is hiding by eliminating or confirming the letters it contains.
Starting with a strong word like LEASH—something containing multiple vowels, common consonants, and no repeat letters—is a good place to start. Once you hit Enter, the boxes will show you which letters you’ve got right or wrong. If a box turns ⬛️, it means that letter isn’t in the secret word at all. 🟨 means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. 🟩 means you’ve got the right letter in the right spot.
Your second go should compliment the starting word, using another “good” guess to cover any common letters you missed last time while also trying to avoid any letter you now know for a fact isn’t present in today’s answer. After that, it’s just a case of using what you’ve learned to narrow your guesses down to the right word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words (so no filling the boxes with EEEEE to see if there’s an E). Don’t forget letters can repeat too (ex: BOOKS).
If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips, and if you’d like to find out which words have already been used, you can scroll to the relevant section above.
Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle, refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn’t long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures. Surely it’s only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes.
Before there was Assassin’s Creed Shadows there was Rise of the Ronin, revealed in 2022 as a “combat focused open-world action RPG” set in 19th century Japan near the end of the Tokugawa period. Although it was announced as a “PlayStation 5 console exclusive,” we speculated that it would come to PC too, and we were right—just a little ahead of ourselves: Team Ninja said today that Rise of the Ronin will come to PC on March 10, 2025 (or maybe March 11, depending on your time zone), a year after its initial PS5 release.
As a ronin—a samurai without a master, something I learned from the X-Files—players will forge their destinies through choices and encounters with a range of historical figures and factions, leading to multiple possible endings in a open world set during the Bakumatsu period, when western powers began exerting influence over the Japanese nation.
But Rise of the Ronin is no strategy sim: It’s developed by Koei Tecmo’s Team Ninja, developer of the Nioh and Ninja Gaiden games, and so you’ll also be dropping a lot of bodies using numerous melee weapons and multiple combat styles, along with guns and bows that must be used “strategically according to the situation.”
The PS5 version of Rise of the Ronin was well received, holding a 76/100 aggregate rating on Metacritic, and the PC version promises an array of exclusive enhancements:
8K resolution support
DirectX 12 Ultimate support
Ultra-wide and super ultra-wide monitor compatibility
120FPS support
Ray tracing support
3D audio support
Customizable keyboard and mouse controls
AMD Fidelity FX Super Resolution support
Nvidia DLSS and Reflex support
UI menu with mouse clickability
Intel XeSS graphics technology support
8K resolutions and ray tracing are great (and this will no doubt be the best-looking Rise of the Ronin you’re ever going to see) but for my money, as someone who played through Elden Ring with a mouse and keyboard, it’s the “mouse clickability” that really carries the day here. Hey, I’m a simple man with simple needs.
The Rise of the Ronin PC system requirements are pretty simple too, although that 180GB drive space footprint is an eye popper. Here’s what you’ll need to play:
Additional information: SSD required. Poor SSD performance may affect gameplay. Multi-channel memory architecture recommended. This game is expected to run at 1080p/30FPS under the lowest graphics settings (upscaled). Frame Generation can be used to increase FPS.
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Recommended
OS: Windows 10, Windows 11, 64bit
CPU: Intel Core i5-10600K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
RAM: 16GB
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super (VRAM 8GB) or AMD Radeon RX 6700XT (VRAM 12GB)
Storage: 180GB
Sound: 16-bit stereo with 48KHz playback
DirectX: DirectX 12 or higher
Additional information: SSD required, NVMe SSD recommended. Multi-channel memory architecture recommended. This game is expected to run at 1080p/60FPS under the standard graphics settings (upscaled). Frame Generation can be used to increase FPS.
Rise of the Ronin on PC is available for pre-purchase now on Steam.
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1738097928_Rise-of-the-Ronin-is-coming-to-PC-in-March.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2025-01-28 20:46:222025-01-28 20:46:22Rise of the Ronin is coming to PC in March with support for 8K resolution, ray tracing, and ‘mouse clickability’
ITX cases are inherently a challenge. Not only from a PC building perspective, where their intricate internal layouts make them incredibly frustrating yet satisfying to work with, but also from a manufacturing standpoint. You have to finely balance so many variables when designing a solid ITX offering. Build quality, hardware compatibility, style, features, and ease-of-use all play a major part in that process. But the big one is overall footprint; that is what makes or breaks a great ITX case.
For many in the SFF (small form factor) enthusiast space, the majority of modern ITX cases just aren’t small enough. Most are big, bulky juggernauts that fall more on the side of a being Micro-ATX setup, or some weird Frankenstein mid-tower, complete with dual rad support and GPU space larger than most keyboards.
Fractal Design has proven in the last few years that it very much adheres to that old-school way of thinking about SFF chassis. And, with the likes of its ridiculously small Terra, Mood, and Ridge cases, it has re-defined exactly what it is you can do with a chassis that has such a small footprint.
The Era 2 is a direct refinement of its initial Era ITX case, which launched way back in 2020. Aesthetically, Fractal has abided by an incredibly similar design language with it. It’s got that curved anodized aluminum external housing, walnut panel lining the roof (albeit this time with ventilation), and intriguing perforated side panels, complete with an almost identical overall footprint. Yet, it’s the internal layout that’s had the biggest overhaul, by contrast. In fact, compare the two side-by-side, and what you’re looking at are two incredibly different cases. It’s this change which radically alters the build experience, and absolutely for the better.
Era 2 specs
(Image credit: Future)
Form factor: ITX Dimensions: 36.6 x 16.5 x 31.4 cm Motherboard support: ITX Expansion slots: 2 vertical Front IO: 3.5mm jack, 2x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Total fan support: 4 Fan count: 2x 120/140 mm TOP; 2x 120 mm BOTTOM (included) Radiator support: Up to 280 mm TOP Graphics card support: 326 mm length; 137 mm height; 48-63 mm thick (depending on setup) Storage: 4x 2.5-inch PSU support: SFX, SFX-L Weight: 4.64 kg Price: $200, £195, €197
Design shenanigans aside, it’s not a particularly cheap chassis; the Era 2 clocks in at $200 US and £195 UK at launch, putting it in the more premium bracket for wee metal boxes of this caliber. It’s got a lot to live up to with that kinda price tag attached, and honestly, it does a fine job of justifying that cost.
If you look directly at the internal layouts of both the Era and the Era 2, the differences are astounding. Everything from motherboard position to cooler location, power supply mounting and support, and more have changed. Mostly for the better.
Although the aesthetic and general design ethos certainly follow that of the Era ITX, its internal layout actually closely mimics that of Fractal Design’s more recent SFF chassis, the less-costly Terra. Albeit with some slight tweaks and improvements here and there. Motherboard mounting, power supply location, and GPU solution are almost entirely identical, bar some minor tweaks that are mostly possible only due to the increased height.
The largest difference between them lies in the fact that the Era 2 supports AIO coolers. You can technically fit up to a 280 mm radiator in the roof, although admittedly even Fractal recommends you stick with a 240 mm there. You know, just for your own sanity, and I’m inclined to agree.
There’s also been some additional changes to how the GPU is installed (the removable setup is gone). Plus, the PSU now mounts with a sliding bracket rather than the latch system the Terra uses. The adjustable internal backbone/motherboard tray design—which allows you to shift the entire internal layout backwards and forwards to give you more space on the CPU or GPU side—remains and is a welcome addition, albeit with some caveats.
From a glance, the Era 2 is just stunning. Its satin metallic finish on that anodized aluminum panel is outstanding to look at, particularly with the blue review sample I’ve got to hand. Combine that with the walnut top plate and the subtle Fractal Design logos etched here and there, and it definitely feels like a premium chassis; it feels like it’s worthy of that $200 price tag.
The real challenge for any ITX case though, is the build process, and let me be clear: this is a true ITX case; it’s not for the faint of heart. Going into it, component selection is going to be critical to your success. Although the Era 2 does support ‘full-size’ SFX-L PSUs, I’d highly recommend sticking with the shorter SFX design. Doing that gives you a lot more cable management room to play with. Although that is basically just an additional inch of space, it’s an inch that seriously counts.
Similarly, you need to pay close attention to your power lead port location on the PSU you’re using, as the passthrough cable Fractal has included is right-angled in one orientation. With my be quiet! SFX-L 600W PSU, it directly conflicted with the side of the case’s shell.
You’d think, given you can move the entire internal mounting frame in the Era 2 back and forth, that would eliminate such a problem. However, the PSU mounting solution is on rails and secures to the case via a single screw and metal tab attached to the side of the entire frame. You can move the frame, but the PSU stays where it is. There is a workaround to bypass that metal tab, but to do it, you have to disassemble the entire front of the chassis, remove part of the plastic sledge rails, and jimmy the PSU into position. Something I did during my build, to get everything, including the AIO and its tubing, to fit.
The optimal build process in an ideal world goes like this: Tear the chassis down—removing as many panels as possible—then immediately install your power supply, getting as many cables routed and tied down as you can ahead of time. Once that’s done install your motherboard with everything but the RAM in. Then plug in as many cables as possible, thinking hard about cable management as you do it, and where your GPU and cooler are going to sit. After that, install your RAM, then move on to your graphics card, and finally your AIO after that.
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Opting for an air-cooler—something like Noctua’s NH-L9 series—makes this build far simpler to produce and honestly is a setup I’d recommend, particularly if you’re running a Ryzen 5 or an Intel Core Ultra 5, especially given how potent some of those low-profile cooler units are. That way, not only do you get more cable-management space back, but you can then install two 140 mm fans in the roof to help with exhaust. Combine that with the two included 120 mm fans in the floor, and you’ll have a seriously potent cooling setup that takes advantage of convection quite nicely (it’s worth pointing out you do still have this with an AIO, but the radiator does add additional air resistance into the mix).
Because of its limited form factor, you really do need to be on top of cabling. Take your time with it; you’ve got very limited space between the GPU and the motherboard tray, and there are cutouts there that you can run front I/O cables through, but they’re quite narrow, and if you put too many here that are too thick, it’s not possible to fully install the GPU, without potentially damaging the graphics card.
This is actually one area where the Terra has the advantage over the Era 2, as the GPU was installed via a removable bracket, which did allow you to compress some of that cabling if you ran it behind the graphics card, making it far easier to install.
Similarly, when you’re installing your AIO, you need to be mindful about where you place its fans. I initially tried to install it with the fans on the bottom of the radiator acting as push, with the rad mounted to the removable bracket, but immediately came into contact with my armada of cables from the SFX-L PSU, stopping the fans from spinning. Swapping it around, so the AIO fans were acting as pull rather than push, proved a better solution, although it was still a tight fit.
That might sound like I had a hell of a time building in the Era 2, and to be frank, I did, but that’s all part and parcel of working in a proper ITX form factor. What Fractal’s managed to do here however is impressive. This is a remarkably small case with a ridiculously tiny footprint, and yet, I’ve got a full 240mm AIO in here, a healthy-sized graphics card, along with a fairly high-end CPU setup as well.
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(Image credit: Future)
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Buy if…
✅ You want a super small, beautiful PC: It might be tricky to build in, but thanks to an intelligent internal layout, and a nifty shifting motherboard tray, the Era 2 is a surprisingly potent chassis, cool and quiet.
Don’t buy if…
❌ You’re looking for an easy build: ITX cases of this caliber are never easy to build in by design, and the Era 2 is no different. You need to take your time with it, and not stress the small details to really enjoy it.
All running super smooth and seriously quiet in a stupendously good-looking case. With a bit of luck and the right GPU, if you had an SFX-L PSU, you could even potentially fit an RTX 4080 Super in here as well (MSI’s Gaming X Slim series should technically fit according to the specs).
Is this one of the best cases of all time? The best ITX chassis out there today? Well, that still very much depends on your perspective. If you’re looking for a super easy, done in an hour build with plenty of room to work in as you do it, this isn’t for you. This is a challenging case, and at times frustrating, but that’s purely down to how small a footprint this thing has. There’s a lot to love here, and a lot of engineering prowess that Fractal’s leveraged into it, but we’d probably stick with the Terra as the best ITX of all. For those looking for a nice sleek metal box for their latest rig that takes up minimal desk space, looks incredible, and still supports all the hardware they want, with a bit of a challenge built-in to it as well, the Era 2 is still by far one of the most impressive ITX offerings out there today.
On an average day about a dozen new games are released on Steam. And while we think that’s a good thing, it can be understandably hard to keep up with. Potentially exciting gems are sure to be lost in the deluge of new things to play unless you sort through every single game that is released on Steam. So that’s exactly what we’ve done. If nothing catches your fancy this week, we’ve gathered the best PC games you can play right now and a running list of the 2025 games that are launching this year.
Steam page Release: January 25 Developer: Mad Mimic
Mark of the Deep is an isometric metroidvania about pirates—with Souls-like trappings, of course. Shipwrecked on a weird island, protagonist Rookie needs to navigate the surreal landscape to find his scattered crew, which will involve a lot of tight platforming challenges, some light puzzling, and plenty of violent encounters that look as precision-oriented as Hades. All the usual stuff is here: there are skills to learn, weapons to find and interlocking areas. If you liked Death’s Door or Tunic but wished they were more… pirate-y (or indeed, just have a hunger for any pirate game) this looks well worth a play. There’s a demo.
Cat Detective Albert Wilde
Cat Detective Albert Wilde- Official Launch Trailer – YouTube
Steam page Release: January 25 Developer: beyondthosehills
As the name implies, Cat Detective Albert Wilde is about a cat detective—by the name of Albert Wilde—tasked with solving a “quantum mystery” that will see him utilise his “years of experience of interrogating and drinking at bars”. Draped in the grainy black and white of 1930s noir, Cat Detective is a comedic, narrative driven game that dares wonder aloud what might happen if cats could be detectives and grapple with quantum theory. I for one am keen to see the results.
Steam page Release: January 26 Developers: Marttalin Games
Summer Islands is about running a picturesque island resort. First you shape your island—in a way that is pleasantly reminiscent of Sim City 2000—and then you start building your resort on it, which can be as big or small as you like. This being an island resort, you’ll want it to be well-serviced with all the usual things tourists like, such as discos and golf courses, and once you’ve put everything into place you’ll need to make sure everything functions and that tourists are happy. The goal is to get extremely rich, after all. Sounds like a lot of hard work, but if it’s a new management obsession you’re after, I reckon this is worth a shot: I love the art style in particular.
Steam page Release: January 24 Developer: Cheesecake Dev
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Cheesecake Dev pumps out simulators at an alarming rate (see also: Internet Cafe Simulator, Dating Simulator and Hookah Cafe Simulator) but they tend to find their audience. This sequel to Streamer Life Simulator is a case in point: despite being launched into a hilariously crowded simulator market, it already has over 600 “very positive” reviews. The trailer above has it all: dangerous driving in the wilderness, for some reason, house cleaning, cat robbery, and photography (featuring an inflatable pool, of course). It’s an early access affair but apparently there’s plenty of stuff to do already. If you’ve played these games a bunch, can you email me?
Space Engineers 2
Space Engineers 2 Official Alpha Reveal Trailer – YouTube
Steam page Release: January 28 Developer: Keen Software House
Launched into early access last week, this sequel to the popular space exploration and survival sim seeks to do what all good game sequels do: be a bigger and better version of the original. As such, this alpha build is a tad barebones at the moment, because it’s basically just a creative mode. So unless you’ve already sunk countless hours into the original, maybe try the predecessor first. For anyone who sank their teeth deep into the first Space Engineers, this definitely looks like an impressive step up.
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1738025790_Five-new-Steam-games-you-probably-missed-January-27-2025.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2025-01-28 00:23:272025-01-28 00:23:27Five new Steam games you probably missed (January 27, 2025)
US-based companies have been at the forefront of the AI revolution, but now it looks like a new challenger has emerged. China-based DeepSeek is just over a year old, but the startup has released an open-source AI model called R1 that seems to have the rest of the industry worried.
DeepSeek was founded in 2023 by Liang Wenfeng, the co-founder of High Flyer, an AI-driven hedge-fund (via Bloomberg). Despite being a mere fledgling in the AI world compared to some of the bigger names like OpenAI and Meta, the DeepSeek V3 family of AI models appear to be much more efficient than competitors’ efforts like ChatGPT.
Now R1, a new reasoning model fine-tuned from V3 training, also appears to be comparable in performance and accuracy to OpenAI’s efforts.
The Register has performed some early testing on R1 in comparison to OpenAI’s o1, a similar “Chain of Thought” (CoT) model, and found that its capabilities seem remarkably similar—with the former even beating out the OpenAI model in the MATH-500 test.
That’s potentially bad news for Nvidia, which has been raking in cash as a result of high sales of its AI accelerator hardware to run the latest models at scale, taking the company’s valuation up to the highest by market cap in the world at time of writing.
According to some analysts, Nvidia’s stock price is on track to shed nearly $400 billion dollars in the wake of R1’s launch, although it appears to be holding relatively steady after a slump in early Monday trading. Dutch chip-maker ASML has seen its share price fall by more than 10% since R1’s launch, while Siemens Energy dropped by 21%.
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US venture capitalist and advisor to Donald Trump, Marc Andreessen, made the comparison of R1’s launch to the US and USSR space race, calling it “AI’s Sputnik moment.” Sputnik was a satellite launched by the USSR in 1957, and is widely thought to have wrongfooted the US government on the Soviet Union’s space capabilities, leading to a space race between the two nations.
The elephant in the room, however, is trade sanctions. The US government has banned the export of high-end AI hardware to China, which some have speculated has led to a more efficient approach resulting in DeepSeek’s new models. If so, that would suggest that the sanctions haven’t had the effect that the US gov may have hoped.
However, being a Chinese product (and given that many of the leading AI companies are US-based), it seems possible that restrictions may follow on its use for US companies, and potentially even those using US equipment, in the same fashion as the current trade sanctions.
Either way, the release of DeepSeek-R1 appears to have caused a significant rumble in the AI markets. Whatever happens next, it seems that the US may no longer hold all the keys to advanced AI—and the world awaits it’s response.
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737989724_AIs-Sputnik-moment-China-based-DeepSeeks-open-source-models-may-be-a.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2025-01-27 14:44:202025-01-27 14:44:20‘AI’s Sputnik moment’: China-based DeepSeek’s open-source models may be a real threat to the dominance of OpenAI, Meta, and Nvidia
Make sure you use our Wordle tips to help you fine-tune your guesses for the January 27 (1318) puzzle, or take a quick look at Monday’s clue if you’d like a more direct hint. Don’t panic if those green letters still haven’t turned up either, because today’s answer is waiting below just for you.
I don’t think I could have wished for a more perfect start to the week. I had the perfect opening, the perfect follow up, and from there the only option left was today’s answer. Perfect. If you find my demonstration of dumb luck/skill/smugness irritating, feel free to use all of the help waiting below to solve today’s game even faster than I did. A win’s a win.
Wordle today: A hint
(Image credit: Josh Wardle)
Wordle today: A hint for Monday, January 27
You’d do this if you were shoving or pushing something out of the way, especially if it was big or bulky. Often used to describe moving train carriages from one track to another.
Is there a double letter in Wordle today?
No, there is not a double letter in today’s puzzle
Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day
If you’ve decided to play Wordle but you’re not sure where to start, I’ll help set you on the path to your first winning streak. Make all your guesses count and become a Wordle winner with these quick tips:
A good opener has a mix of common vowels and consonants.
The answer could contain the same letter, repeated.
Avoid words that include letters you’ve already eliminated.
You’re not racing against the clock so there’s no reason to rush. In fact, it’s not a bad idea to treat the game like a casual newspaper crossword and come back to it later if you’re coming up blank. Sometimes stepping away for a while means you can come back with a fresh perspective.
Today’s Wordle answer
(Image credit: Future)
What is today’s Wordle answer?
Let’s get started. The answer to the January 27 (1318) Wordle is SHUNT.
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Previous Wordle answers
The last 10 Wordle answers
Previous Wordle solutions can help to eliminate guesses for today’s Wordle, as the answer isn’t likely to be repeated. They can also give you some solid ideas for starting words that keep your daily puzzle-solving fresh.
Here are some recent Wordle answers:
January 26: SUNNY
January 25: CRISP
January 24: CREPE
January 23: UPPER
January 22: REACH
January 21: ICING
January 20: SQUID
January 19: ROWER
January 18: SILLY
January 17: PROSE
Learn more about Wordle
(Image credit: Nurphoto via Getty)
There are six rows of five boxes presented to you by Wordle each day, and you’ll need to work out which five-letter word is hiding among them to win the daily puzzle.
Start with a strong word like ALIVE—or any other word with a good mix of common consonants and multiple vowels. You should also avoid starting words with repeating letters, so you don’t waste the chance to confirm or eliminate an extra letter. Once you’ve typed your guess and hit Enter, you’ll see which letters you’ve got right or wrong. If a box turns ⬛️, it means that letter isn’t in the secret word at all. 🟨 means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. 🟩 means you’ve got the right letter in the right spot.
Your second guess should compliment the first, using another “good” word to cover any common letters you might have missed on the first row—just don’t forget to avoid any letter you now know for a fact isn’t present in today’s answer. After that, it’s just a case of using what you’ve learned to narrow your guesses down to the correct word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words and don’t forget letters can repeat too (eg: BOOKS).
If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips, and if you’d like to find out which words have already been used you can scroll to the relevant section above.
Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle, refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn’t long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures. Surely it’s only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes.
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