Remember the Smach Z, the Playstation Vita-style handheld gaming PC formerly known as the SteamBoy Machine? The team behind it announces the machine is set to make a Kickstarter comeback after Gamescom 2016 (17-21 August).

The handheld devices already made an appearance on the crowdfunding site back in December 2015... only the campaign was cancelled just 2 days post-launch. Now the Smach Z team insists it is ready to try again, since backing from Spanish investor IMASD Technologia allowed it to build a fully cased prototype.

As it stands the machine features a 5-inch OLED touchscreen, an AMD Falcon SoC with Radeon graphics, 4/8GB RAM and 64/128GB storage (expandable via SD card). Connectivity comes through wifi, USB-C, HDMI and Bluetooth, while the battery promises 5 hours of use on a single charge.

EMEA PC shipments perform "above expectations" in Q2 2016 according to IDC, reaching 16 million units-- a -4.7% decrease, with W. European shipments stabilising at -0.8% Y-o-Y.

On the other hand CEE and MEA shipments remain "constrained" at -8.5% and -13.3% Y-o-Y respectively.

Helping improve EMEA PC shipments are notebooks, with declines stabilising at -1.7% Y-o-Y, the first Y-o-Y comparison not impacted by Bing shipments. Notebooks actually drive W. European shipments with 4.1% growth, the result of demand from the commercial segment bringing about EMEA commercial notebook growth of 3.7%.

However consumer markets remain on the decline due to a difficult market created by the now familiar combination of volatile exchange rates, oil price fluctuations, macroeconomic and political developments.

Asus announces a refresh of the Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura motherboard-- one promising a "sweet aesthetic, awesome features and functions" as well as "the world's first 3D-printing-friendly" design.

The motherboard features an LGA1151 socket for 6th generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3, Pentium and Celeron processors, as well as dual DDR4 3466 (OC) support, Pro Clock technology for stable overclocking, SupremeFX audio, RAMCache for faster game loading and USB 3.1 connectivity.

Being aimed at the gaming segment, the Z170 obviously includes RGB lighting, with 12 customisable lighting schemes and syncing with Aura-compatible devices.

IDC reports EMEA Q2 2016 PC shipments remain in state of "long-term market-erosion," particularly for traditional models, if with some hints of short-term recovery through notebooks and other mobile PCs.

However the industry remains further affected by a number of issues-- namely currency fluctuations, localised political developments in W. Europe and ongoing instabilities in the M. East, not to mention the ripple effect caused by Brexit.

"Even the best case scenario calls for PCs to face significant challenges, with a somewhat fragile stabilisation in the long run. The preliminary results did not capture the potential repercussions from the Brexit vote, which is expected to affect the timing and scope of spending plans in Europe," the analyst remarks. "The better than expected Q2 2016 results should not be interpreted as a harbinger of significant improvements for PCs."

Connecting VR headset cables to the back of desktop PCs can be "a bit of a hassle," MSI says-- thus the need for the Boost Kit, a means to easily add more HDMI and USB connectors.

The kit consists of a 5.25-inch drive bay device featuring x1 HDMI 2.4 and x2 USB 3.0 ports. It requires a spare 5.25-inch front panel bay and comes complete with a "stylish expansion slot bracket" for the neat guiding of the HDMI cable from the back of the graphics card through the PC. Oh, and a motherboard with USB 3.0 support. Obviously.

Gigabyte launches the Xtreme Gaming XP1200M-- the first of a PSU series aimed at gamers delivering up to 1200W of 80 Plus Platinum efficient power.

The PSU operates in "silence" via 140mm smart fan, features durable Japanese capacitors and offers modular cable management through a range of black, flat cabling customers can deploy through modular sockets. A single +12V rail makes it ideal for overclocked multi-GPU PC builds.

Customers wanting to show off their high-end PC builds get a Thermaltake option to do so with the Core P3, a wall-mountable ATX chassis.

Essentially a smaller version of the Core P5, the P3 retains the same open-frame design with a large acrylic window putting all fancy customisation in full view. The package offers a variety of modular brackets and fixing allowing for a choice of GPU locations and liquid cooling opportunities.

The chassis measures 512 x 333 x 470mm, has 8 expansion slots, houses a 420mm radiator and fits either four 3.5-inch HDDs or five 2.5-inch SSDs. For further customisation Thermaltake provides 3D printing templates for the creation of mods.

AMD announces a GPU promising VR-level performance at a wallet-friendly price-- the Radeon RX 480, a card featuring future-proof technologies such as Liquid VR.

Available in 4 and 8GB versions, the RX 480 is VR-ready with support for both Oculus Rift and Steam VR. It also supports upcoming gaming APIs such as DirectX 12 and Vulkan, while FreeSync technology allows "silky smooth" framerates even at high resolutions.

Overclockers are catered for through Radeon Software Crimson Edition providing control over multi-GPU, display and power efficiency settings.