Get ready to dare to play, create and compete as ASUS ROG celebrates two decades of gaming innovation with an action-packed experience for fans and tech enthusiasts alike. This year, the ASUS stand at Comic Con Africa will be packed with the latest innovations across gaming, content creation and handheld entertainment, with plenty for visitors to see, play and experience throughout the four-day con. Content creators and creative professionals can get hands-on with the ASUS ProArt GoPro Edition PX13, designed to bring serious creative power to a compact, versatile package. For gamers, the spotlight will shine brightly on the brand-new ROG Zephyrus DUO, the dual-screen gaming laptop set to be one of the stand's major showstoppers. Joining the Zephyrus DUO will be an impressive lineup of our ROG and TUF Gaming classic machines, including: ROG Zephyrus (GU606) ROG Strix SCAR 2025 (G835) ROG Strix G16 (G614) TUF Gaming laptops ROG Xbox Ally X (RC73XA) - bringing the ROG experience to passionate handheld gamers Visitors can also head to the towering ROG 20th Anniversary Name Pillar and literally leave their mark. Think of it as signing ROG's giant birthday card: grab a pen, find an open space and add your name to the celebration. The challenge is simple: can fans fill the entire pillar by the end of the con? Create Your Own ROG Pin Want a one-of-a-kind piece of ROG memorabilia? Head over to the ProArt Lounge at the ASUS ROG stand and create your very own personalised ROG pin. Visitors can choose their preferred artwork style, smile for the camera and watch as their likeness is transformed into a unique ROG avatar. The finished design will then be printed and pressed into a 75mm metal pin, the perfect addition to any gaming collection. But don't wait too long: only 75 pins will be produced each day. Step Up to the Challenge Think you've got what it takes to dominate the leaderboard? Throughout the con, fans can compete in a range of gaming tournaments, either going head-to-head with fellow gamers or taking on a ROG boss for the chance to claim exclusive ROG 20th Anniversary prizes. Featured competitive titles include: Mortal Kombat 1 EA SPORTS FC 26 Forza So warm up those thumbs, sharpen your skills and get practising before you step into the arena. Cosplay Comes to Life ROG is also bringing some of the region's exciting cosplay talent to the stand, with creators portraying beloved characters from League of Legends, Vocaloid, Sailor Moon, God of War and more. Fans will have the opportunity to meet and photograph their favourite cosplayers on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. And there's an extra reason to get your camera ready: spot prizes will be awarded at random to fans who post their cosplay selfies to social media from the stand. The cosplay lineup includes: Cashmere Tart, Catastros, Kearbear, LaniaTitania, O.M.G_Someone_Actually, Roadbl0ck96 and Zireael. What's a celebration without some serious swag? Throughout all four days of the con, fans will have opportunities to score exclusive ROG 20th Anniversary goodies simply by showing up, getting involved in activities or competing in the gaming tournaments. And for the ultimate ROG fans, there are 20 exclusive ROG 20th Anniversary VVIP Kits up for grabs, with only 20 available in South Africa. So, whether you're there to discover the latest hardware, test your gaming skills, meet incredible cosplayers, create your own ROG pin or simply celebrate 20 years of ROG, make sure you visit the ASUS ROG stand. Comic Con Africa 2026 takes place at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec from 24-27 September. Book your tickets on Howler.

Just days after Xbox became the new publishing partner for Hideo Kojima’s highly anticipated action-espionage game PHYSINT, the legendary developer has admitted that he doesn’t even know whether the game will eventually make its way to PlayStation or become an Xbox exclusive. During a recent interview with IGN, Kojima was asked whether PHYSINT would still launch on Sony’s console following the dramatic change in publisher. Kojima gave a pretty candid response. “I don’t know the answer to that – that would be a question for Xbox,” Kojima said, adding that he believes Xbox wants to make its games available to as many players as possible. He stressed that the final decision hasn’t been made yet. That’s quite the situation considering PHYSINT was originally being developed in partnership with PlayStation. Sony unexpectedly stepped away from the project earlier this year, with Kojima saying he was shocked by the decision and that the company didn’t provide him with a reason for ending its involvement. Xbox subsequently stepped in as the game’s new publishing partner. For now, however, PHYSINT’s platform plans remain a mystery. Kojima Productions has already confirmed that development is continuing with Xbox, while Bill Skarsgard has been announced as the game’s lead alongside a cast that includes Charlee Fraser, Don Lee and Minami Hamabe. Interestingly, Kojima also hasn’t settled on a game engine yet. When asked whether PHYSINT would continue using Sony’s Decima engine, he simply said he’s still experimenting. Despite all the drama surrounding PHYSINT’s change in publisher, it sounds like the game itself is still very much in the early stages. What we do know is that Kojima wants PHYSINT to redefine the action-espionage genre, and Xbox appears to be giving him the backing to make that happen. Whether PlayStation players will eventually get to experience it or not, even Kojima doesn’t have an answer for that yet. Source: IGN Original article on GLITCHED

PlayStation is no stranger to unusual DualSense controllers, but its latest collaboration is taking things in a slightly different direction. Sony has officially announced the DualSense Wireless Controller – LISA Limited Edition, created in collaboration with Blackpink star Lisa, and yes, it is exactly as flashy as you’d expect. The controller features a Chroma Pearl finish, with Lisa’s iconic eyes and bangs illustrated across the touchpad. Her signature stars and “LL” lettering are also incorporated into the design, giving the otherwise familiar DualSense a distinctly Lisa-inspired makeover. Sony and Lisa are also launching an accompanying merchandise collection featuring clothing, hats, tote bags, keychains, stickers and even a DualSense carrying case. So if owning a controller isn’t enough to show your fandom, apparently you can now decorate your entire gaming setup around it. The controller itself will be available in highly limited quantities from 30 October, with pre-orders opening on 2 October. It’ll cost $84.99, €84.99 or £74.99, depending on your region (South African pricing to be determined). Interestingly, this isn’t Lisa’s first collaboration with PlayStation. Sony previously worked with the singer as part of its global PS5 campaign, and this latest partnership takes that relationship considerably further. Lisa herself is also a gamer, saying that gaming is something she enjoys when she has time to relax. She added that she had fun incorporating details into the controller that she knew her fans would notice. Honestly, that’s probably the biggest appeal here. Whether you’re a dedicated Lisa fan, a Blackpink fan, or simply someone who likes collecting unusual PlayStation hardware, this is definitely going to stand out. Sony says quantities will be highly limited, and knowing how quickly some of these special edition DualSense controllers disappear, this one could be gone pretty quickly. We’ll keep you updated should we hear anything about South African pricing and details. Original article on GLITCHED

What can I say about Elden Ring that hasn’t already been said? From Software’s magnum opus originally released in 2022 to massive critical acclaim, redefining open-world action-RPGs forever. After a gargantuan expansion with Shadow of the Erdtree and a successful co-op multiplayer endeavour with Nightreign, From Software now extends Elden Ring’s reach over to the Nintendo Switch 2 to mostly great results. Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition combines both the base game and the expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, along with all previously released updates and new content, in one excellent package. If you want to read more about what makes Elden Ring so exceptional, I have an entire standalone review (as well as for Shadow of the Erdtree) you can check out, because this review is more focused on the technical aspects of Elden Ring running on Nintendo Switch 2. Performance-wise, Elden Ring on Switch 2 initially drew some scepticism. Early impressions of outlets getting hands-on time with the game running in handheld weren’t very optimistic. Many reported bugs and frequent framerate dips that sometimes got as low as 20fps. For the longest time, it seemed like Nintendo’s next-gen hardware was ill-equipped to handle the game. I’m happy to report that From Software used all of its spare time to fine-tune the game on Switch 2 because the end-product is honestly commendable, but not without faults. Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition combines both the base game and the expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, along with all previously released updates and new content, in one excellent package. There had to be some caveats to get Elden Ring running on Switch 2 and unfortunately, that came with a downsizing of the target framerate. Unlike its PC/console counterpart, Elden Ring’s Switch 2 version ultimately targets 30fps instead of 60fps though results may vary. In my experience, there were instances where the framerate did exceed 30fps but it never hit the smoother 60fps I wanted. This is most noticeable playing the game docked and during open world stretches of exploration, as the framerate sometimes struggled to stay consistent but it hovers around the 30-35fps mark without many significant dips below that point. The real kicker is whether 30fps is enough to be effective in boss fights. Elden Ring has no shortage of these spectacular boss encounters that often require pin-point precision and movement from players. Thankfully, 30fps doesn’t seem to hurt the experience at all. Like playing Bloodborne, your brain eventually recalibrates itself to flow with the lower framerate and it shouldn’t be long before you’re as effective and skilled as you were on other platforms. For newcomers, this will barely be an issue. In handheld mode, the Switch 2’s VRR somewhat alleviates the framerate fluctuations and it might be the preferred way to play the game for many. On a smaller screen, the image quality and visual fidelity is noticeably more vibrant and colourful, with less instances of texture pop-ins or framerate stutters, though they’re still present. When you get to in-door sections or dungeons, thankfully things smoothen out and there’s barely any technical hiccups worth stressing over. The most immediate differences are going to be the visuals and overall texture quality. Perhaps it’s unfair to directly compare it to its console counterparts since I could only boot up my Xbox Series X and PS5 Pro to see side-by-side comparisons - two powerful consoles offering a notably more consistent and stable version of the game - but the downgrades on Switch 2 are only noticeable if you really look for them. Otherwise, despite the framerate dips, this is a remarkable port that surprised me in unexpected ways. In handheld mode, the Switch 2’s VRR somewhat alleviates the framerate fluctuations and it might be the preferred way to play the game for many. Apart from the novelty of playing Elden Ring on the go, the Switch 2 version also offers some neat new content. Two new starting classes, the Heavy Knight and the Idus Knight, give you a bit more flexibility starting out with a build. I opted to choose the Heavy Knight and build a tanky, greatsword-swinging Tarnished, but you can really choose any direction to go when it comes to build-crafting in the game - one of its most appealing selling points. On top of the new classes, you can also now customise your spectral steed with cool mounts but these are merely cosmetic cherries on top of an already delicious cake. Additionally, new in-game events spot the Lands Between like new NPC invasion points - and trust me, they’re a brutal challenge if you actively go out looking for them. The biggest draw of Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is the fact that this is, by all accounts, the most “definitive” edition of the game out today. The base game, expansion, and new DLC all contribute to a staggering action-RPG absolutely worthy of its asking price, easily providing hundreds of hours of gameplay if you’re looking to explore and try out everything. For newcomers to the Soulslike genre, as tough as Elden Ring gets (and it gets unreasonably tough at times), I can’t think of a better jumping-in point for the genre since its open world structure and very lenient build flexibility means you’ll always have options on how to progress. Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition on Nintendo Switch 2 brings a masterful action-RPG to new shores, stacked with new and old content. It’s a surprisingly polished package, despite some of the technical drawbacks needed to get the game working well on the Switch 2. Most of all, it’s just a solid deal for Switch 2 players looking to experience one of the best games ever made and have the novelty of carrying it around wherever you go. Nintendo Switch 2 Review code provided by Bandai Namco