Innehållsförteckning för Annual Edition 2024, Vol. 19 Issue 03 från New Age Gaming

DEADLOCK'S MATCHMAKING ALGORITHM DISCOVERED USING CHATGPT Valve’s Deadlock is making waves for South African gamers with its new matchmaking system and local servers. South African players now enjoy a much lower 30 ping instead of the previous European server’s 180, though some may still end up in European matches for balanced matchmaking. Interestingly, Deadlock’s matchmaking system was optimised with the help of ChatGPT. Veteran Valve engineer Fletcher Dunn revealed that ChatGPT led him to the Hungarian Algorithm, now integrated into the game. Dunn highlights that while traditional search could’ve worked, AI allowed him to discuss the problem, streamlining the solution-finding process for developers. PRAISE THE LAMB: CULT OF THE LAMB GOES FULL METAL WITH HYMNS OF THE UNHOLY! Cult of the Lamb fans, brace yourselves: the game’s latest release, Hymns…

DEVELOPER: KYLE THOMPSON GENRE: ACTION-ADVENTURE METROIDVANIA DEVELOPER: KYLE THOMPSON PLATFORMS: XBOX X/S / XBONE / PC / PS4 /PS5 / SWITCH When a game makes you forget about real-world responsibilities, like showers and sleep, you know it's something special. And Crypt Custodian? It's that kind of game. A top-down Metroidvania that sinks its claws into you with slick combat, clever puzzles, and a refreshingly unique setting. But the cherry on top? It's a game that welcomes everyone, whether you're a battle-hardened gamer or just dipping your paws into the genre. After purring my way through Crypt Custodian, I had the chance to chat with its creator, Kyle Thompson, to get a peek behind the crypt doors. We dug into where the idea came from, Kyle's journey into game development, and…

DEVELOPER: BEETHOVEN & DINOSAUR GENRE: NARRATIVE / ADVENTURE PLATFORMS: PC / PS5 / XBX / XSS Get ready to press play on pure nostalgia because Mixtape is coming to take players on the ultimate joyride through the heights of their teenage years they never wanted to leave behind. Imagine reliving those chaotic, carefree moments when every night felt endless, every friendship was unbreakable, and the world was waiting for you to leave your mark. Mixtape will drop players into a whirlwind of unforgettable memories, letting them skate, party, and stumble through… well, a mixtape, of wild adventures, from sneaking into an abandoned theme park for latenight photo ops to setting off a fireworks show from the backseat of a car. Mixtape is a story about three best friends on the…

For board game fans, there's nothing like the thrill of strategizing to victory-but what if you could bring that joy online? Video game adaptations of board games combine classic charm with digital excitement, perfect for solo play or connecting with friends afar. With animations, music, and new features, these games bring your favorites to life on screen. So, grab some snacks, settle in, and dive into the pixelated world of board game adaptations, where tradition meets tech, minus the rulebook flipping. Gloomhaven GENRE: TACTICAL ROLE-PLAYING GAME PLATFORMS: PC / MAC / PS4 / PS5 / XBONE / XSX / XSS / SWITCH PLAYER COUNT: 1 - 4 Gloomhaven is a modern board game marvel, seamlessly blending the depth of a role-playing game with the tactical thrill of a dungeon-crawler, all…

DEVELOPER: MIRAGE CREATIVE LAB GENRE: FIRST PERSON SOCIAL DEDUCTION GAME PLATFORMS: PC Lockdown Protocol is an earty access game on Steam, built by three siblings and is inspired by party games such as Werewolves and murder card games. If these don't ring a bell, then this should, Lockdown Protocol is like a first-person version of Among Us. if that did not immediately grab your attention, this game is not for you. Lockdown Protocol is a social deduction game in which three to eight players must manage their strategies to be the winning crew. The game is set aboard a space station and there is proximity chat to speak to your fellow crewmates, or to plead your innocence when you get caught. When you start the game you may be chosen…

DEVELOPER: DOOR 407 GENRE: STRATEGY PLATFORMS: GEFORCE NOW / PC As an avid fan of strategy games, Diplomacy Is Not An Option was an automatic pick-up for me. It offers the somewhat casual strategy gameplay you’d expect from an early Age of Empires game and mixes it up with nightly hordes raiding your village, like from They Are Billions or Age of Darkness. What sets Diplomacy Is Not An Option aside from the rest, however, is how deep the developers have dug their tongues into their cheeks. It’s a humorous escapade of blood, death and war that will have you laughing at your men being blown to smithereens by your very own trebuchets, restarting the mission and planning a better strategy rather than throwing your mouse at the wall and…

DEVELOPER: GREZZO GENRE: ACTION-ADVENTURE PUZZLE GAME PLATFORMS: NINTENDO SWITCH If you’re in the mood for a Metroidvania style game with an African twist, Tales of Kenzera: Zau might be just the game for you. It’s created by the team at Surgent Studios, which Abubakar Salim heads up. For those of you who aren’t in the know, Salim is a British actor with African roots who has played roles from the latest House of The Dragon Series to voice acting in the lead role of Assassin’s Creed Origins. The game tells Salim’s personal story of loss, grievance, anger, and acceptance. Both Salim and the game’s lead character, Zau, have lost their father. In Tales of Kenzera: Zau, players will experience this story through the clever Metroidvania mechanics and African folklore tales…

PRICE R13,895 MAX VIDEO RESOLUTION IN 360 MODE 8K (7680x3840@30/25/24fps) MAX VIDEO RESOLUTION IN SINGLE-LENS MODE 4K (3840x2160@60/50/30/25/24fps) MAX VIDEO BITRATE 200Mbps PHOTO RESOLUTION Approx. 72MP (11904x5952px) BATTERY CAPACITY 2,290mAh RUN TIME ± 1 hour at 8K WEIGHT 203g DIMENSIONS 46mm x 123.6mm x 37.6mm SUPPLIED BY outdoorphoto.co.za The Insta360 X4 is a near perfect camera not only in form but in function too. The candy bar design sports a 2.5-inch touch display that lets you manage settings and functions while a mobile app unlocks even more functionality for camera and footage management. There are only four buttons on this camera to control its operation while the battery and charging port are hidden behind waterproof sealed compartments. At the bottom of the camera, you'll find a ¼-inch screw mount for…

PRICE R1,499 SUPPLIER Rapoo SUPPLIED BY www.rapoo.africa SENSOR PAW 3398 SWITCHES Rapoo C+ Click BATTERY LIFE 160 Hours WEIGHT 68g POLLING RATE 8K Wireless (4K on the box) | 8K Wired CONNECTIVITY 2.4Ghz Wireless | USB-C It was just a few months ago that I had the Rapoo VT9 Pro mouse in the palm of my hand, cracking headshots and slicing up fruit with ease. In the original review, the mouse scored a mighty 92/100 and was dubbed faultless. Now, Rapoo has dropped off the slightly upgraded version of the VT9 Pro, the VT9 Pro 4K. You'll notice I used the words "slightly upgraded," when referring to this new mouse from Flacco. The team has decided to abide the the idiom. If it ain't broke, don't fix it," and the…

BENCHMARKS 3Dmark Steel Nomad: 2,322 Cinebench 2024: 9,968(GPU), 812 (CPU Multi-core) Cyberpunk 2077 Benchmark (Ray-tracing low): 58fps (2560x1600) PRICE R28,795 WEBSITE www.wootware.co.za PROCESSOR AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS Processor GRAPHICS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8GB GDDR6 RAM 16GB DDR5 STORAGE 2TB NVME SSD SCREEN SIZE 16-inch (2560×1600 @240Hz) WEBCAM 720p BATTERY 80Wh WARRANTY 3 years WEIGHT 2.4Kg The Wootware Wootbook is an inhouse range of notebooks by one of South Africa's most popular online tech retailers. Apart from RGB light-up keys, this unassuming notebook feels like a sleeper - an unassuming notebook with lots of power under the hood. Also, there is no branding on this notebook. You do have plenty of configuration options when you buy this notebook, though, so depending on your budget and gaming requirements, you can very…

Whether you and your partner are seasoned gamers or just looking for a fun way to bond, there's a perfect game for every type of couple. But what kind of gaming duo are you? In the world of gaming, couples come in as many flavours as there are game genres. From competitive showdowns to cooperative adventures, each pair brings their own flair to the gaming experience. Are you the kind of couple that thrives on strategy and teamwork, or do you prefer to unwind with casual and cosy games? Perhaps you're all about exploring new worlds together or solving intricate puzzles side by side? In this guide, we'll explore ten types of gaming couples. each with their own approach to shared gameplay. Discover which category best fits your dynamic and…

DEVELOPER: DON’T NOD GENRE: CHOICES MATTER / ADVENTURE PLATFORMS: PC / PS5 / XBX / XSS Buckle up, gamers, because February 2025 is bringing something truly special. Don’t Nod, the genius storytellers behind the critically acclaimed Life is Strange series, are set to launch a brand-new emotional rollercoaster called Lost Records: Bloom & Rage - and from everything we’ve seen so far, it’s shaping up to be an unforgettable ride. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage isn't just another Life is Strange game. Instead, it's a mindbending journey through time that promises a brand-new, story-driven adventure. According to the official description, it's designed to leave players captivated and confused in the best possible way. Imagine living in two worlds at once: one set in the summer of 1995, when life was…

DEVELOPER: COMPULSION GAMES GENRE: ACTION ADVENTURE GAME PLATFORMS: XBX / XSS / PC While I may be a sucker for almost every new game launch, it's not often that a new game's reveal will have me express an audible "Oooo," followed by "I should definitely get that!" One such game reveal happened in mid-2024 when our winter was not quite wintering, at the Xbox Games Showcase in June. The title? South of Midnight. The announcement trailer started with an undead-type Southerner playing the blues in the middle of a swamp. His gnarly fingers tickle his guitar strings as crickets chirp and frogs croak in the Bayou background. It ended with a bit more action as we are shown a young girl wielding some sort of mystical power as she takes…

The Call of Duty series is one of the biggest first-person shooter franchises ever, with over 500 million copies sold to date. The recent launch of the series' latest instalment, Call of Duty Black Ops 6, marks a triumphant return for the franchise that has not had the biggest hits in recent years. It's become the product of an industry that has shifted from delivering games with a solid single-player campaign as the focus to one that demands more online play in multiplayer environments and massive open-world scenarios like the popular Battle Royale genere. This resulted in backlash from the gaming community when games such as Call of Duty Black Ops 4 opted to remove the single-player campaign altogether. With the launch of Call of Duty Black Ops 6, the…

DEVELOPER: BALLISTIC MOON / SUPERMASSIVE GAMES GENRE: INTERACTIVE SURVIVAL HORROR PLATFORMS: PC / PS5 When you hear the name Blackwood Mountain, it should send a chill down your spine. For eight teenagers, a night of reunion and nostalgia turns into a blood-soaked nightmare. Until Dawn initially captured this tale in 2015, blending slasher film terror with interactive storytelling. Now, in 2024, Ballistic Moon brings those nightmares back with a stunning remake, heightening the terror. A familiar dread crept in the moment I returned to Blackwood Mountain. If the original was tense, the remake tightens its grip from the start. The crunch of snow, the eerie creaks of the lodge, and the feeling of being watched amplify the overwhelming fear. The story remains intact: a year after Beth and Hannah Washington's…

DEVELOPER: FUN DOG STUDIOS GENRE: EXTRACTION SHOOTER PLATFORMS: PC At first glance and first tutorial playthrough, The Forever Winter might trick you into thinking it's some sort of horror shooter, but once you get over the eerie groans, grainy visuals and legless droids crawling towards you, at I'm-coming-to-eat-your-heart-out speeds, the game is actually about surviving in the midst of a sci-fi, dystopian war. You're a small fish in a big war, and your main objective is to find enough water out in the war-stricken lands to keep your enclave going If you fall to do so, your entire enclave, its progress, and your Inventory will be destroyed. Literally. Your enclave uses water whether you're playing or not, so if you don't want to lose your home base, you need to…

DEVELOPER: 1010 GAMES LTD GENRE: ACTION ADVENTURE PLATFORMS: PC / XBOX SERIES X|S / PS5 / PS4 / SWITCH Funko Fusion is a game based on the popular Funko Pops toys that most of us have in our game rooms. The game’s developers describe it as a festival of fandom, and just looking at the IP they cover in this game, you can see why. In Funko Fusion, you play through various iconic worlds based on some of the most popular franchises around. These include Back to the Future, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, The Thing, Battlestar Galactica, Hot Fuzz, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and Masters of the Universe, to name a few. The story revolves around Funko’s mascot, Freddy Funko, who is attacked by evil slime that turns him…

DEVELOPER: FALLEN TREE GAMES LTD GENRE: ACTION, SIMULATION PLATFORMS: PC / XBOX / PLAYSTATION The developers describe The Precinct as a love letter to classic cop movies, brings the gritty excitement of those films into a single-player experience. You play as a rookie cop, fresh out of the police academy, ready to prove yourself on America's East Coast in the fictional 1980s city of Averno, a place heavily influenced by New York's atmosphere of that era. The game draws clear inspiration from iconic films and TV shows of the time, adding to its immersive feel. As Officer Nick Cordell Jr., you'll dive right into action, starting your first day on the job with a variety of police work – from handing out parking tickets and arresting criminals to the thrill…

LENOVO LEGION GO The newest entrant to the handheld gaming console fray is the Lenovo Legion Go, What makes Lenovo's offering so interesting is that they decided to break the mould and bring us a mobile gaming console with a few unique features compared to other devices on the market. Another thing is that it sports a much larger screen than most other handhelds out there, and this makes a big difference when you are gaming on a device like this. Another fantastic yet simple feature addition included on the Legion Go is the kick stand at the back of the device – something I wish the other players would introduce too. The kickstand works well because…drum roll… you can actually remove the two Legion Go’s TrueStrike controllers. Doing so…

PRICE: R3,399 SUPPLIER: Logitech WEBSITE: www.logitech.com/en-za While Logitech's gaming products have always performed extraordinarily well, their biggest downfall has been their stubbornness to adapt. Over the past few product releases, though, we have seen them slightly shift towards a product that many users have been begging for. The Logitech G Pro X 60 keyboard was their first gaming keyboard in a 60% form factor, and it featured a few things that other, more customisable keyboards were sporting, like removable switches and dampening foam. A few months later, Logitech announced the G515 Lightspeed TKL, a ten-key-less, low-profile gaming keyboard that carried through some of Logitech's new adaptability. The Logitech G515 Lightspeed TKL is a sleek, 22mm high keyboard with updated double-shot PBT keycaps, GL low-profile mechanical switches, Logitech's lightspeed wireless technology…

PRICE R10,500 SUPPLIER SMD Technologies WEBSITE www.mozaracing.com/r3-racing-wheel-and-pedals DRIVE TYPE Direct Drive MAX WHEEL ROTATION Limitless PEAK TORQUE 3.9 Nm CONNECTION PORTS Power, DC Input, Pedal, USB, Dash HOUSING MATERIAL Aviation Grade Aluminium Alloy PLATFORMS PC / Xbox The first time I raced with the Moza R3, my second lap around Kyalami, just about equalled my best lap time ever, one that had taken a long time to achieve with my previous setup. As you can imagine, the Moza Racing R3 wheel immediately had my attention. Let's start with basics, the Moza R3 is a budget friendly 3.9Nm torque, direct drive (DD) wheel with a servo motor base. The kit bundles with a set of pedals too. At just over R10k for the kit, this kit compares to mid to high…

You've been on social media, and you've seen all the cool things that these guys are 3D printing across the globe. From miniature figurines to cool headphone stands, busts of popular characters to crazy plant holders with built-in swivels for incense and even a flexible dragon. "That looks like fun," you think to yourself, but a quick search for "3D Printer South Africa" leads you down a deep, dark dungeon that you're finding quite challenging to navigate. Well, let us be your guiding light into the world of 3D printing. CHOOSING A 3D PRINTER The first decision you need to make is what kind of 3D printer you want to get. The two main consumer types at the moment are resin or filament. Filament printers are the most popular ones…

BENCHMARKS 3Dmark Steel Nomad: 2,285 Cinebench 2024: 9,839 (GPU), 976 (CPU Multi-core) Cyberpunk 2077 Benchmark (Ray-tracing low): 78fps (1920×1080) PRICE R26,999 WEBSITE www.msi.com PROCESSOR Intel 13th Gen Core i7 13620H GRAPHICS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8GB RAM 16GB DDR-5 STORAGE 512GB NVME SSD SCREEN SIZE 15.6 FHD 1920×1080 144Hz IPS Display WEBCAM 720p BATTERY 53.5Whr WARRANTY 1 year WEIGHT 2,25Kg The Katana 15B13VFK is MSI's entrylevel gaming notebook. It offers a good-looking aesthetic with plenty of gaming flair and great performance to boot. From the moment you open the lid, you know you are dealing with a machine built for gaming - this is because the W,A,S,D keys are translucent and stand out quite prominently from the other keys on this notebook. The arrow keys also sport a funky design…

DEVELOPER POWERHOOF GENRE ACTION-ADVENTURE METROIDVANIA RELEASE DATE “WHEN IT’S DONE” “SOMETIME IN 2025” PLATFORMS PC / MAC / SWITCH OTHER PLATFORMS TBC SCAN CODE TO WATCH TRAILER Every now and then, in the shadowy world of indie game development, a title will leap from the screen, gripping you from the moment you hit play. The Drifter, the latest project from Powerhoof - the studio known for Crawl and Peridium - is one such game. At first glance, it's a love letter to the pixelated point-and-click adventures of yesteryear, but delve a little deeper, and you'll find a heart-pounding thriller with a distinct edge. Drawing inspiration from the eerie tension of Stephen King's tales and the suspenseful dread of John Carpenter's films. The Drifter isn't just another adventure game. It's a…

DEVELOPER: RADICAL FISH GAMES GENRE: ACTION ROLE PLAYING GAME PLATFORMS: PC The year is 2020. Our country is in the middle of a hard lockdown. I’ve somehow been granted the privilege of being able to travel to and from a critical site that I was looking after. The highways are empty. The shops are closed, tumbleweed drifts across the landscape in front of me, and all I can think about is continuing my save file for Cross Code on my Nintendo Switch, which I’ve most certainly packed in my bag. Cross Code is a top-down action RPG that’s the perfect blend of “old school” Nintendo games and new school development. It’s exactly what I imagined games would be like when I was just a young lad glued to my original…

For a lot of us, this wasn't a glamorous cut-scene moment. It was more like a scuffed childhood save file: lying on the scratchiest carpet known to humanity and gripping a sticky controller like it was a lifeline in Dark Souls. Those early games consumed us. No side quests, no grinding - just pure immersion. The rest of the world? Gone. That feeling of escape? Still, the ultimate achievement we chase. Enter Indie games. They're the underdogs, the roguelikes of the gaming world, doing New Game+ on their own terms. While the AAA giants battle it out to see who has the best ray tracing and franchise potential, Indies focus on what matters - recapturing that spark that first levelled us into full-blown gamers. Not only are Indie games often…

DEVELOPER: GUNZILLA GAMES GENRE: BATTLE ROYALE PLATFORMS: PC / XBOX SERIES X / PS5 5 District 9 made Sharlto Copley famous and rocketed Neill Blomkamp into directing movies in the big leagues, like Elysium, Chappie and even Gran Turismo. All this eventually led to the foundation of Gunzilla Games, an innovative studio of developers seeking to break down technological barriers in pursuit of deep and engaging next-generation experiences. The first game Gunzilla Games is producing is Off The Grid, and while it may just look like another battle royale mixed with crypto NFTs on paper, what’s really exciting about it all is that Blomkamp is one of Gunzilla Games’ co-founders and Chief Creative Officier. The game has some exceptional movie-like qualities, and the promise of a 60-hour solo campaign with…

DEVELOPER: 11 BIT STUDIOS GENRE: STRATEGY / CITY BUILDER / SURVIVAL PLATFORMS: PS5, XBOX X|S / PC / GEFORCE NOW / MAC Considering we've featured Frostpunk 2 in every NAG Magazine since the relaunch, you could say that we've been more than a little excited to play it. Now, with this edition being the first one to be released since the game's Launch, we finally get the opportunity to tell you what we think. Frostpunk 2 follows the original game, where the Captain kept the city alive just well enough for its inhabitants to survive. Now, however, is the time to prosper. No longer shall we be downtrodden and snowed under. The old Captain has died. Now it's up to you, as the elected Steward, to manage the people as…

DEVELOPER: DECK NINE GENRE: ACTION, POINT-AND-CLICK ADVENTURE PLATFORMS: PC Life Is Strange: Double Exposure blurs the line between reality and emotion, delivering a cinematic experience that lingers long after the credits roll. This game doesn'r just look stunning - it feels like stepping into another world. Max is back, a decade older and now a photographer-in-residence at a New England university. She hasn’t used her powers since the events of the first game, but everything changes when her best friend Sari is murdered. Max must navigate two timelines: one where Safi is gone and another where she's barely hanging on. The story’s power lies in the small, intimate moments. Text messages and social media posts subtly shift between timelines, making each change feel like a ripple in your own world.…

DEVELOPER: GREZZO GENRE: ACTION-ADVENTURE PUZZLE GAME PLATFORMS: NINTENDO SWITCH The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom takes a bold leap by giving Zelda her first solo adventure in the series. It's a refreshing change to finally step into the shoes of the princess who has long been the brains behind Link's brawn. But does the experience deliver the same sense of empowerment we've come to expect? In Echoes of Wisdom, sinister rifts have torn through Hyrule, trapping its citizens in suspended animation. With her magical staff, Zelda navigates these rifts, summoning echoes of objects to solve puzzles and dispatch enemies. The catch? Zelda can't fight directly. Instead of swinging a sword or firing arrows, she conjures creatures to do the dirty work - or chucks random objects at foes in…

AMD ENDS THE YEAR STRONG The Ryzen 9000 CPUs have had a lukewarm reception, mostly because they initially delivered modest performance gains over the previous Ryzen 7000 series in gaming. While power efficiency, CPU, and memory clock speeds improved, these gains weren't quite enough to dethrone the immensely popular, Ryzen 7 7800X3D as the top gaming CPU. As a result, many buyers viewed the Ryzen 9000 series as a missed opportunity, a family of products that could have delivered more. Instead of letting 2024 end quietly, AMD has decided to end the year with an incredible effort by releasing a single X3D CPU, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which has changed the PC gaming performance Landscape. Without this SKU, 2024 might have seen gaming performance stagnate (or even decline in some…

WIN THIS PC! Find the golden ticket in your copy of NAG magazine annual edition 2024! PRICE Around R150,000 WEBSITE www.pcbuilder.co.za Motherboard ASRock TRX50 COOLER Antec Vortex 360 AIO GPU MSI Radeon RX 7900 XTX Gaming Trio 24GB RAM 4x 32GB Micron DDR5 RDIMM 5,600MHz for a total of 128GB RAM STORAGE 2x 1TB Crucial T705 M.2 NVMe Gen5 drives PSU FSP Hydro G Pro 1200w Chassis: Antec C8 Every couple of years, I get to touch some of the finest hardware built by man and machine. It's a small perk of the job and one only reserved for those who like to take new technologies for a drive around the block every now and then. The thing is, you can't get attached to these things, as the hardware inevitably…

PRICE: TBA SUPPLIER: Asbis WEBSITE: www.asbis.africa While Len was in Prague for the Lorgar Ready to Play EMEA launch event (check out pg.114 for all the details), he managed to sneak off with a factory sample of Lorgar’s latest gaming keyboard, the Lorgar KPB70 TKL, which I was lucky enough to play around with over the past few weeks. Yes, that is its model number. It’s so new they haven’t even given it a name. Regardt calls it The Badginator.The Lorgar KPB70 TKL is a 70% gaming keyboard that has so many out-ofthe-box features that I've officially branded it as my top keyboard to pick up for anyone who’s too lazy to build their own custom keyboard. It comes standard with an LCD screen, showing what exactly is going on…

BENCHMARKS 3Dmark Steel Nomad: 1,758 Cinebench 2024: 8,150 (GPU), 833 (CPU Multi-core) Cyberpunk 2077 Benchmark (Ray-tracing low): 62.75fps PRICE R28,000 WEBSITE www.lenovo.com PROCESSOR Intel Core i7 13620H GRAPHICS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 RAM 16GB DDR5 STORAGE 512GB NVME SSD SCREEN SIZE 16-inch (1920 × 1200 @165Hz) WEBCAM 1080p BATTERY 60Whr WEIGHT 2.38Kg Lenovo has such an incredible history as a notebook manufacturer, and that legacy is still visible in its products today. The Lenovo LOQ 16IRH8 is no different, and it's a notebook that would look as great in the office as it would your game room with RGB and sleek lines to match. The subtle blue styling that decorates the heatsinks at the back of the notebook look like turbo thrusters at the right angle, a purposeful addition I…

BENCHMARKS 3Dmark Steel Nomad: 2,285 Cinebench 2024: 9,839 (GPU), 976 (CPU Multi-core) Cyberpunk 2077 Benchmark (Ray-tracing low): 78fps (1920x1080) PRICE R19,999 WEBSITE www.hp.com PROCESSOR Intel 13th Gen Core i7 13620H GRAPHICS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 8GB RAM 16GB DDR4 STORAGE 512GB NVME SSD SCREEN SIZE 15.6-inch @144Hz WEBCAM 720p BATTERY 70Whr WEIGHT 2.29Kg The HP Victus range of gaming notebooks offers some of the best value for money I have seen in a very long time. In fact, as is the case here, you can get a great gaming notebook for under R20,000. While we won’t normally jump at the opportunity to get an RTX 4050 over, say, the RTX 4060 in this case, the price makes this one a very sweet deal. Fortunately, you can buy the HP Victus…