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Stick it to the PC component crisis and save $1,000 on Alienware's RTX 5070 pre-built gaming desktop with 32GB of DDR5 RAM

11 September 2026 at 11:41

The memory crisis rages on, driving PC gaming prices through the roof. But that won't stop Dell (as Alienware) from offering powerful gaming desktops and letting players enjoy their favorite titles at high resolutions and smooth frame rates.

One rig in particular is the Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop, currently discounted by $1,000 and offering an RTX 5070 (12 GB) GPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and an Intel Core Ultra 7 265F CPU configuration for $2,229.99 at Dell (was $3,229.99).

Aurora (Core Ultra 7 265F, 32GB DDR5, RTX 5070 12GB, 1TB SSD): was $3229.99 now $2229.99

"The Alienware Aurora R16 delivers great gaming performance at a whisper thanks to its powerful components and enhanced cooling technology." โ€” Tony Polanco, Senior Computing Writer, Tom's Guide

Tom's Guide Review: โญโญโญโญยฝView Deal

Why buy Alienware?

Alienware gaming desktop beside an ultrawide monitor showing glowing green code, with an RGB keyboard and mouse on a desk in a dark room.

The Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop (R16) on a desk. (Image credit: Tom's Guide (Tony Polanco) | Dell)

The "Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop" (a.k.a. the Alienware Aurora R16) is a top-class gaming PC that has earned top marks across a few of our sister sites, including a 4.5/5 star review from Tom's Guide and a 4.5/5 star review from TechRadar.

It didn't earn these top review scores lightly either, as the Alienware Aurora R16 configuration that's on sale is equipped with some of the most mainstream and capable hardware for gaming.

These include an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card to help it run graphically intense games like Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p and 60fps (with some DLSS support), 32GB RAM to help it maintain stability during heavy multitasking (like playing a game while opening several browser tabs), and an Intel Core Ultra 7 265F CPU to aid it during content creation (like photo editing and rendering graphics) or everyday tasks (like browsing the web or writing reports).

It also has a 1TB SSD, so the Aurora can store plenty of game files or work folders that can be transferred in mere seconds.

To top it off, the Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop has a superb ventilation and cooling system that will prevent this gaming PC from overheating during heavy-duty tasks while keeping it quiet.

Extra accessories for the Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop

So if you're looking for a reliable gaming PC rig that can play the best PC games at their full graphical potential while getting some work done on the side in a jiffy, then you won't regret snagging the Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop, now on sale for $2,229.99 at Dell.

While you're at it, here are some additional discounted accessories to help complete your Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop setup and enhance your gaming experience.

Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset: was $229.99 now $199.99

"Developed in collaboration with over 100 esports professionals, it stands as one of the best wireless gaming headsets and has dethroned my favorite Razer option as my daily driver." โ€” Brendan Lowry, Contributor, Gaming

Windows Central review: โญโญโญโญยฝView Deal

Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Keyboard: was $199.99 now $174.99

"Build quality is exceptional, typing feels great, and gaming performance is flawless. It's light on extra features at this price point, but the core experience is good enough to make up for it." โ€” Zachary Boddy, former Staff Writer

Windows Central review: โญโญโญโญยฝView Deal

Alienware Tri-Mode Wireless Gaming Mouse - AW720M: was $79.99 now $69.99

"Dell knocks it out of the park again with the excellent Alienware AW720M gaming mouse. Sleek, lightweight, and gorgeous, this mouse sports some serious hardware and specs." ~โ€”Allisa James, Computing Staff Writer

TechRadar review: โญโญโญโญโญView Deal

Can I upgrade its storage?

Yes, you can upgrade the Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop's storage space via its internal SSD slots up to a maximum of 4TB.

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My favorite iteration of Hunting Horn is making a comeback in Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance with rock and roll-style attacks, combos, and counters

11 September 2026 at 10:27

After the somewhat underwhelming Insect Glaive trailer, Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance's weapon trailer series picks up the pace again with a new trailer highlighting changes to the Hunting Horn.

The Hunting Horn is a slow weapon that mixes offensive blunt attacks with musical songs that buff allied players' stats. However, the execution made the weapon feel slow and clunky compared to all the other weapon types.

Thankfully, Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance is planning to fix Hunting Horn's slow playstyle by giving it a metric ton of new offensive attacks, combos, and more mechanics to make it more fun to use thanks to the DLC expansion's new Boost Bracer mechanic.

First of all, Hunting Horn will feature a new Boost Driver attack where you powerslide across the battlefield like a Rock & Roll star, and jump into the air to smash monsters in the head and let loose a sonic wave by slamming the weapon into the ground.

Once you fill a meter called the Boost Gauge with successful Boost Driver attacks, the Hunting Horn will gain the following features while active:

  • Faster attacks and new combo paths.
  • A new Offset Counter attack where you punch the Hunting Horn to fire a sonic wave (which can be charged for more damage), which can be followed up with an attack where you do several forward somersault slams with the Hunting Horn.
  • You can now attack enemies while placing Echo Bubbles.
  • Your regular Offset Counter can now be followed up with the aforementioned somersault slams.

Windows Central's take

I'll admit, I was kind of disappointed in how the Hunting Horn was handled in the base game of Monster Hunter Wilds because it felt like a downgrade compared to its predecessor, Monster Hunter Rise.

Monster Hunter Rise's version of the Hunting Horn was my favorite iteration of the weapon because it finally embraced the power fantasy of killing enemies with music attacks I always wanted, instead of just being a longer Hammer that sacrificed damage potential for short-term buffs like in most games.

It was so awesome giving enemies concussions with rock-solo super moves that it felt like I was playing Brรผtal Legend all over again.

So I'm happy to see Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance bring back some of Monster Hunter Rise's aggressive playstyle for Hunting Horn, and I can't wait to try its new attacks when Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance launches in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

Monster Hunter Wilds (Xbox): $21.4

Venture into Forbidden Lands to discover uncharted lands and hunt giant monsters alongside your friends in online co-op to protect nature and mankind in Monster Hunter Wilds.

โ€ข Xbox Store
โ€ข GreenManGaming (Steam)View Deal


Empower your weapons with the new Boost Bracer, explore a mysterious land floating in the sky, and hunt down ancient Elder Dragons in Monster Hunter Wilds' epic DLC expansion, Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance.

โ€ข Steam StoreView Deal

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Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance seems to return the Insect Glaive's playstyle to its roots with a new weapons showcase

10 September 2026 at 17:14

We're reaching the home stretch of Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance's weapons showcase trailer series as we're now on to the 9th on the list, Insect Glaive.

This complex weapon type, which mixes aerial and ground-based combat with bug companion management, has some new techniques to dispatch monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds' upcoming DLC expansion, and they're somewhat subtle compared to the other weapon changes we've seen so far.

In contrast to previous weapon showcase trailers, which revealed that weapon types like Hammer and Dual Blades are getting various new aerial attacks granted by the DLC's Boost Bracer gimmick, Insect Glaive's changes keep it fairly grounded.

Some of the Insect Glaive's new Boost Driver attacks consist of spinning the glaive around while sending out the weapon type's unique 'Kinsect' bug pet to attack monsters and steal its Extract to power yourself up without manually commanding the Kinsect to do so.

While the Boost Gauge is active, the Insect Glaive gains extended ground-based combo attacks, your Kinsect can deal extra tick damage, and you perform new Offset counterattacks that can be followed up with aerial jump attacks.

Windows Central's take

A golden-armored warrior battles a large, spider-like monster with a vibrant red mane and sharp limbs in a shallow, splashing forest stream.

An Insect Glaive user fighting a Lala Barina. (Image credit: Capcom)

Overall, this weapon trailer felt underwhelming compared to the previous ones, as most of the changes seem to focus on improving the Insect Glaive's pre-existing ground attacks without adding any flashy new aerial moves or aerial combo attacks.

I'm guessing that Capcom wants the Insect Glaive's playstyle to function more like it did back when it was introduced in Monster Hunter 4. In that game, Insect Glaive dominated the entire monster roster with its insanely powerful, acrobatic, and literally grounded glaive attacks that made you feel like Darth Maul from the Star Wars franchise.

Unfortunately, many people these days (myself included) prefer Insect Glaive to focus on aerial-based combat, as it helps it stand out from other weapon types; otherwise, it will feel like we're playing Longsword or Dual Blades but with extra steps.

Hopefully, Capcom is hiding some new cool aerial combo attacks we can pull off with Insect Glaive in the final game, when Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance launches in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

Monster Hunter Wilds (Xbox): $23

Venture into Forbidden Lands to discover uncharted lands and hunt giant monsters alongside your friends in online co-op to protect nature and mankind in Monster Hunter Wilds.

โ€ข Xbox Store
โ€ข GreenManGaming (Steam)View Deal


Empower your weapons with the new Boost Bracer, explore a mysterious land floating in the sky, and hunt down ancient Elder Dragons in Monster Hunter Wilds' epic DLC expansion, Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance.

โ€ข Steam StoreView Deal

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Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV shows off a new gameplay deep dive of its exciting multiplayer mode, with more to follow in the coming weeks

10 September 2026 at 13:51

If you're still feeling salty about Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV being delayed until December 3, 2026, then don't fret, because the developers will be posting several gameplay deep dives to satiate us Warhammer 40,000 fans until then.

The first of these deep dives is a new battlefield report that shows a 15-minute match between the Necron and Ork factions in a 1v1 PvP game mode called Annihilation.

It was a fast-paced, chaotic match that showcased the unstoppable, near-immortal tankiness of the Necron army and how it slowly but surely weathered the aggressive, quantity-over-quality playstyle of the Ork army.

This gameplay deep dive also shows that the developers are incorporating player feedback, like making units more readable on the battlefield and adding a configurable match settings menu.

A video game lobby menu showing match settings, map preview for Glacier's Ridge, and a player list with jtheysen and orvie.thumel in a dark interface.

Make matches easier or harder for yourself or your opponents with the new Multiplayer match configurations menu. (Image credit: Deep Silver)

This menu will allow players to change various aspects of a match before fighting. Some examples include, but are not limited to:

  • The HP, damage, and defense stats of units.
  • The speed at which your army generates resources.
  • How fast you capture Control Points.
  • How much WAAAGH resources Ork players and Dominion resources Necron players start with.
  • Whether or not to include a time limit.

There's more Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV videos to come this month

I'm not too versed in real-time strategy games, but having a multiplayer match-setting menu where players can have a gentleman's agreement to either buff or nerf their own units or their rivals' units to make matches challenging is an interesting concept.

Though I was more entertained seeing Orks getting curbstomped by Necrons because it's always entertaining that the monster factions of Warhammer 40,000 duke it out.

And there will be more entertainment in the coming weeks, as the developers are releasing two more Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV gameplay deep dives and battlefields for September 2026.

The next report will feature a 2v2 Team Domination game mode where all four factions (Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, and Adeptus Mechanicus) will duke it out, and it will be released on September 16, 2026.

After that will be a 2v2 Team Skirmish match where the developers team up against computer opponents whose AI will be set to hard difficulty settings.

Tune into those dates to see more exciting gameplay footage of this long-awaited return for the classic RTS franchise, before Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of IV launches on December 3, 2026 for PC via Steam.


Take control of the Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, or Adeptus Mechanicus factions and wage a bloody war for domination in epic single-player campaigns or chaotic multiplayer modes in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV.View Deal

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Xbox heads to Tokyo Game Show 2026: Here's how you can watch, and what we expect to see in the upcoming showcase

10 September 2026 at 11:44

Tokyo Game Show is almost here, and it's ready to bring all kinds of exciting gaming news from the Land of the Rising Sun. Microsoft will be among the many publishers attending this year, and it's planning some big reveals to mark the Xbox brand's 25th anniversary.

Here's where and how you can watch Xbox's Tokyo Game Show 2026 showcase livestream and get a little taste of what to expect at the show.

Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2026: Watch times and platforms

The XBOX cat is backโ€ฆ itโ€™s TGS time! ๐Ÿˆโ€โฌ›๐Ÿ‘€ Watch the XBOX Tokyo Game Show Broadcast on Sept 17 at 7pm JST / 3am PDT, live or on demand๐ŸŽฎ XBOX FanFest hits Tokyoโš”๏ธ Minecraft Dungeons II on the TGS showfloorLearn more: https://t.co/4NqQoEyeHI pic.twitter.com/XC69Ge62YBSeptember 9, 2026

The Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2026 showcase livestream will commence on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at 7:00 pm (JST) / 3:00 am (PT) / 6:00 am (ET) / 11:00 am (BST).

It will be available to watch on the following YouTube and Twitch platforms:

Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2026: What to expect

Microsoft will be showing off many upcoming Xbox games during its Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2026 livestream.

Two of these games are confirmed to be Minecraft Dungeons 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and they'll also be playable on the Tokyo Game Show's show floor for people attending the event in person.

Minecraft Dungeons 2 is an upcoming ARPG where you and your friends hack and slash your way through the Minecraft universe for glory and loot in a similar manner to Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo series.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is the latest upcoming entry in the Call of Duty Modern Warfare sub-series. Players will engage enemies in thrilling military shooter combat through an epic single-player campaign and chaotic 6v6 online multiplayer modes.

The community-driven Xbox FanFest will also be at the Tokyo Game Show to host a watch party for the Xbox Tokyo Game Show livestream, with special guests Misuzu Araki and Larry Hyrb.

What are you hoping to see at Xbox's Tokyo Game Show 2026 showcase?

Hideo Kojima's PHYSINT

Could we see our first look at Hideo Kojima's successor to Metal Gear Solid at the Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2026 showcase? (Image credit: Hideo Kojima)

As for what else will be at the Xbox Tokyo Game Show, your guess is as good as mine.

While I'm personally hoping to see gameplay footage of long-awaited titles like Spyro: A Realm Beyond and Persona 6, my colleagues are hoping to see footage of Physint.

Physint is an upcoming action-stealth game made by Kojima Productions that's meant to be a successor to the legendary Metal Gear Solid franchise. It was originally a PlayStation exclusive, but when Sony unexpectedly tried to cancel it, Hideo Kojima cut off ties with Sony and permitted Xbox to publish Physint instead.

Will we see gameplay of Physint, Spyro: A Realm Beyond, and Persona 6 at the Xbox Tokyo Game Show livestream, or will we see some new games that haven't been announced yet?

Tune in next week to find out when the Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2026 livestream launches on Thursday, September 17, 2026.

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