HTC presents the specifications and release date of the Vive Cosmos-- a next-generation PC-powered VR headset promising improved LCD panels, built-in head tracking, integrated sensors and fully-tracked motion controllers.

First announced back at CES 2019, the Vive Cosmos uses two 3.4-inch RGB LCD displays, each with 1440 x 1700 resolution making for 2880 x 1700 combined resolution. The displays are also capable of 90Hz refresh rate and a 110-degree field of view, the same as the original Vive. Interestingly, the headset has flip-out goggles, meaning users can easily take a break from VR without removing the headset. Connectivity comes through DisplayPort 1.2 and USB 3.0, or the addition of a WiGig-based wireless adapter.

Corsair-owned Elgato announces the 4K60 Pro MK.2 at Gamescom 2019-- an update on the 2017 4K60 Pro capture card featuring HDR support, as well as game footage capture at 2160p resolution and 60fps.

The 4K60 Pro MK.2 is around half the size of the previous model, yet enables captures to capture 4K video at 60Hz with HDR10 while simultaneously streaming to Twitch at 60Hz. It can also capture 1080p game footage at 240Hz or 1440p footage at 144Hz in the case of dual-PC settings, and supports a maximum bitrate of 140Mbps, higher than that of UHD Blu-ray discs.

The Switch was something of a surprise smash for Nintendo, and the venerable Kyoto-based company is clearly eager to build on such success with the reveal of a portable-only variant dubbed, shockingly enough, the Switch Lite.

As a dedicated handheld gaming machine, the Lite drops all the features that make the original Switch such a novel hybrid machine. As such it lacks the removable Joy-Cons, with the controls being integrated, and it does not slot in a dock for TV gameplay. Such changes turn the Switch Lite into something more akin to the PlayStation Vita, if with a larger form factor.

Konami is the next gaming company to launch a miniature version of a games console from the days of yore-- the PC Engine Mini, aka the TurboGrafx-16 mini (if you're in the US), aka (in European markets) the PC Engine Core Grafx Mini.

As one might expect, the PC Engine Mini/TurboGrafx-16 mini/PC Engine Core Grafx Mini follows the pattern seen by the likes of the NES Classic or PlayStation Classic in being a palm-sized recreation of the original console preloaded with a variety of games. So far Konami confirms 5 titles (R-Type, New Adventure Island, Ninja Spirit, Ys Book I & II, Dungeon Explorer and Alien Crush), with different regions getting different final lineup.

Around a month ago Valve announced its take on VR space with little more than a name, Index. Now the company reveals more about the device, including technical specifications and a September launch date.

As one might expect from Valve, the Index is aimed at gamers wanting a high-end VR experience. It is a tethered headset, with a 5m cable connecting it to a PC, and uses Lighthouse base stations to track the position of the user within a space measuring up to 10 x 10m. Delivering VR images are a pair of 1440 x 1600 resolution RGB LCD displays running at either 120/144Hz, and Valve says the lenses offer a 20-degree larger field of view than the HTC Vive, at least for "typical users."

As the 8th console generation winds to an inevitable close, console makers start teasing their upcoming machines-- and Sony gets the ball rolling as PlayStation architect Mark Cerny spills at least some details to Wired.

Reportedly 4 years in the making, the fifth PlayStation promises to be "no mere upgrade." Cerny refers to the machine as the "next-gen console," and admits it won't hit the market any time before 2020. AMD is taking care of hardware duties, offering a 3rd gen Ryzen processor based on 7nm Zen 2 architecture and a custom Navi-based GPU Cerny claims is capable of ray tracing. A sophisticated light simulation technology, ray tracing is currently supported by high-end processors and the Nvidia RTX GPU line.

Razer looks to further challenge the likes of Elgato in game streaming space with the Ripsaw HD-- an update on the Ripsaw video capture card featuring 4K video passthrough.

The Ripsaw HD is designed to make game streaming as simple as possible, all whie offering high frame rates and crisp audio. It captures and broadcasts 1080p video at 60fps, and includes 4K 60fps passthrough allowing broadcasters to enjoy the highest game resolution. The card is compatible with both PC and consoles, and features a simple HDMI input and output for video capture with a single USB 3.0 connection. Built-in audio mixing is also included, with a microphone input allowing streamers to use one microphone across two PCs.

Valve might have had a long collaboration with HTC on the topic of virtual reality, but now the company is ready to present an own headset-- the Index, a device set for a May 2019 launch.

So far Valve offers no information on the Index, outside of a single teaser image and the aforementioned release date. However the image offered by Valve does match a previous leak posted by UploadVR on November 2018. The report suggests the headset offers a 135-degree field of view with "Vive Pro resolution," and what look like SteamVR tracking photodiodes under the plastic. It also has two wide-angle cameras taking care of inside-out tracking, allowing players to move around a round without need for base stations or external tracking cameras.