There are other and better alternatives than this. For doubling the bandwidth you'd need to thicker boards made of more layers, which strongly increases their price. It's one of the reasons why entry-level GPUs come with such small bandwidths

• HBM: Would eliminate the bottleneck but at a hefty price, so probably not worth it
• GDDR7: Would be very fast, but capacity could be a concern.
• LPDDR5X: Samsung is now producing LPDDR5X-9600 memory, which would strongly increase the bandwidth over the LPDDR5 memory in the Steam Deck with minimal changes
• DDR6: Expected in 2027, it increases bandwidths considerably as it comes with speeds ranging from DDR6-8800 to DDR6-17600. So if there's no successor until then this could be a very viable option.

So yeah, there are a lot of alternatives, some more sensible than expanding the bus to 256 bit.

Me as well - problem is, there are very few things were you can compare them head to head, apart form actual synthethinc benchmarks, like 3D Mark.

But, Snapdragon's have been really good (if not actually the best) in sub 10W market for quite a while now, it's nice to see them going for the 20+ W market now, which honestly needs some competition.

I think Samsung is already manufacturing LPDDR5X-10700. That would give mobile devices ~171GB/s on 128-bit bus. My guess - it's very expensive.

DirectX AgilitySDK Brings Advanced Shader Delivery Feature That Eliminates Stutters & Longer Loading Times Associated With Shader Compilation

https://wccftech.com/microsoft-tackles-shader-compilation-stutters-loading-with-directx-agilitysdk-advanced-shader-delivery/

Intel Tries To Convince Gamers That Arrow Lake Desktop CPUs Have Better Value Than AMD’s Ryzen 9000 In Gaming Perf/$, Core Ultra 7 265K Compared To 9800X3D

https://wccftech.com/intel-arrow-lake-vs-amd-ryzen-9000-gaming-performance-value-official-comparison/

How the tables have turned

Intel Is Reportedly Developing a “Low-Power” AI GPU Alongside Jaguar Shores Which Is Expected to Debut By Next Year

https://wccftech.com/intel-is-reportedly-developing-a-lower-power-ai-gpu/

“No One Needs Atomic Bombs, Everyone Needs AI,” Says NVIDIA CEO, Highlighting the Importance of Sovereign AI for Nations Around the Globe

https://wccftech.com/no-one-needs-atomic-bombs-everyone-needs-ai-says-nvidia-ceo/

ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X officially priced at $999, ROG Xbox Ally at $599

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-rog-xbox-ally-x-officially-priced-at-999-rog-xbox-ally-at-599

Forza Horizon 6 confirmed for 2026, Japan setting officially revealed

https://videocardz.com/newz/forza-horizon-6-confirmed-for-2026-japan-setting-officially-revealed

And now, the Friday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

The Humble Store has two new sales:

• Stealth & Mystery Fest has games up to 94% off during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/stealth-mystery-fest
• Playstation Autumn Sale Part 1 has games wth a 20% discount during 10 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/playstation-autumn-sale-part-1

Fanatical has the War Child Charity Bundle 2025 (Redux) is back, this time with 12 games during 20 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/war-child-charity-bundle-2025

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Silksong's criminal lack of 'Shaw!' fixed by heroic modder
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/silksongs-criminal-lack-of-shaw-fixed-by-heroic-modder/
Confession time: I've not played Silksong yet. This is not, despite what my enemies might tell you, because I'm very scared of its many difficult bosses, but is in fact because I'm a man of stalwart principle. The monsters at Team Cherry removed Hornet's shaw.
In the original Hollow Knight, Hornet was a chatty sort. During her boss encounter, she'd flit about the stage barking classic lines like "Shaw!" and "Haa!" and "Adino!" and "Hegale!" But in Silksong, where she's the protagonist, she's a rather taciturn sort.
Which is a crime. But that crime has now been rectified: a modder named Nai has created HK Hornet Voice Restored (via GamesRadar), happily restoring our heroine's barks. Now, your many attacks will be accompanied by all the hegales and adinos you could dream of.
Which is, ah, maybe a bit annoying, actually? This might get me blacklisted for life, but if there's one thing I've taken from HK Hornet Voice Restored, it's that actually Team Cherry might have had a reason for yoinking her voice away when players are in control of her. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that anyone who wants to play with these voicelines can, but I think I've learnt a valuable lesson about getting the things I wish for.
I've also learnt that attaching a voiceline to every single attack in a game where you're constantly doing attacks is my kryptonite.
>> The article has a couple of screenshots, but nothing about the mod.

Nexus Mods' premium sub now has a free trial system, and it only took a brisk 18 years
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/nexus-mods-premium-sub-now-has-a-free-trial-system-and-it-only-took-a-brisk-18-years/
Nexus Mods, the world's biggest single modding site and your go-to destination for fan-made creations that do things like turn games into World War 2, put Thomas the Tank Engine into things, or make everyone naked, is making moves. Specifically, it's introduced a new free trial system for its premium accounts, which it's somehow gone without since introducing subscriptions all the way back in 2007.
It is, it must be said, a bit of a miserly trial. No full week here, instead you get just three days to enjoy all the fruits of premium, after which it's either pay up or sling your hook.

Download Skyrim Community Shaders 1.4 Mod for a Next-Gen Experience
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/download-skyrim-community-shaders-1-4-mod-for-a-next-gen-experience
The Community Shaders Team has shared a new version of it, Version 1.4. Community Shaders adds a lot of new graphics features to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and it’s a must-have mod for everyone who wants to replay it. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
For those who did not know, Community Shaders is a free, open-source plugin for Skyrim. It lets players add advanced graphics effects made by the community. With it, Skyrim’s graphics can look much better and more advanced.
For example, it makes rendering terrain run much faster. It also fixes problems with normal maps, parallax, and screen-space reflections, which caused glitches and performance issues. Water now looks better with fixed refraction, and reflections are higher quality. On top of that, subsurface scattering, grass, and tree lighting have been improved. It also fixes how character normal maps blend and even unlocks internal HDR rendering.
And that’s not all. The plugin has some additional must-have mods. For instance, there is a mod that adds grass lighting, cloud shadows, and grass collisions. So, players can now interact with the grass while exploring the environments. Another mod adds Screen Space Global Illumination (SSGI). Then we have a mod that adds support for DLSS 4, XeSS, and FSR. For AMD FSR, we also get support for Frame Gen.
Version 1.4 comes with lots of performance and visual upgrades. SSGI now looks better and runs faster, and Hair Specular has been improved. Grass collision works better too, and now ragdolls can collide with grass. This update also fixes character lighting and makes terrain blending smoother. It also improves skylighting and dynamic cubemaps indoors. Finally, it adds Burley SSS for better subsurface scattering.
>> The article has an almost 10 minutes video showing the community Shaders mod, but it’s from the release of 2 years ago.

GAMING NEWS

Here’s how you can fix the crash issues in Silent Hill f
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/heres-how-you-can-fix-the-crash-issues-in-silent-hill-f
Silent Hill f has just been released, and a lot of NVIDIA users have major crash issues with it. So, if you’ve been unable to play the game due to some UE5 GPU crashes, you can use this workaround in order to bypass them.

Borderlands 4 September 25th Patch Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/borderlands-4-september-25th-patch-released-detailed
Gearbox has released the September 25th Title Update for Borderlands 4 and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table. The September 25th Patch brings new Weekly Activities, stability and performance improvements. It also packs adjustments to some rewards/progression, and further refinements across UI, audio, visuals, and gear.
>> Despite what the patch promises, many players complain that the performance is now worse, not better.

Friday gaming news, part two:

PuffPals: Island Skies, a cosy game that earned $2.5 million on Kickstarter, has been slammed with refund requests after its website and online store disappeared
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/puffpals-island-skies-a-cosy-game-that-earned-usd2-5-million-on-kickstarter-has-been-slammed-with-refund-requests-after-its-website-and-online-store-disappeared/
If you're a fan of farming simulators and cosy games, then Puffpals: Island Skies has probably come up on your radar at some point over the last few years. This sweet, Animal Crossing-esque farming simulator being developed by plushie company Fluffnest was originally announced on April 6, 2022 with a Kickstarter project launched the following day.
(...)
However, cut to three years later and the project hasn't come to fruition. In fact, the entire brand of Fluffnest is slowly disappearing from the internet. The store in which Fluffnest originally sold their plushies has been taken down, and attempting to access the game's official website takes you to a domain for sale. Basically, it's not looking good for PuffPals: Island Skies.

Starbreeze says sorry, reverses price increase on Payday 2 DLC bundle: 'We definitely didn't handle this right'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/starbreeze-says-sorry-reverses-price-increase-on-payday-2-dlc-bundle-we-definitely-didnt-handle-this-right/
Starbreeze rolled out a new subscription service for Payday 2 DLC yesterday, which struck me as a pretty good deal: $5 per month for every piece of DLC currently available, and you can subscribe and cancel as you see fit. But the launch turned a less-than-flattering spotlight on another recent Payday 2 development: A significant increase in the price of the Infamous Collection, a bundle of all current Payday 2 DLC that players can buy outright. (...)
Payday fans, it's fair to say, weren't convinced, and now Starbreeze has decided to walk the whole thing back: The original bundle discount has been restored.

Would-be City of Heroes successor, Ship of Heroes, decides to launch the MMO with a $45 price tag and a $15 monthly subscription and it's, er, going about as well as you'd expect
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/would-be-city-of-heroes-successor-ship-of-heroes-decides-to-launch-the-mmo-with-a-usd45-price-tag-and-a-usd15-monthly-subscription-and-its-er-going-about-as-well-as-youd-expect/
(...)
That's right, Ship of Heroes, that plucky indie MMORPG competing with a sanctioned private server actual game it sought to honour, has decided to release with a $45 price tag and a monthly subscription of $15, in 2025. In other words, a $60 buy-in off the bat. At least you get an optimistic "all DLCs for two years post launch."
(…)
It is not going well. At the time of writing, the game has a 24-hour peak of 32 players. On launch day, 100 players gave it a try. This number dwindled to a low of 11 by Tuesday. By Wednesday, that low had spiked down to seven. Seven entire players in your $15 subscription MMO.

Battlefield 6 devs are 'putting the final touches' on a blank slate map for its Forge-like Portal mode
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/battlefield-6-devs-are-putting-the-final-touches-on-a-blank-slate-map-for-its-forge-like-portal-mode/
Battlefield 6's Portal mode, which allows players to run their own servers with custom rules and edited maps, will eventually allow us to construct our own little Battlefield worlds from a 'blank slate' map template—but not right at launch.
(...)
In a recent correspondence with the Portal development team, PC Gamer's Morgan Park asked whether we could go so far as to delete all of the buildings in a map to transform it into a flat wasteland. Not right now, says principal game designer Greg Black.
"Currently spatial editing is entirely additive," Black told us. "Players won't be able to modify the existing asset instances in a map, but will be able to add new instances and build whatever they can imagine with them. We are very interested in expanding the spatial editing capabilities of the Portal tools to allow for things like you are describing in the future."

Metal Gear Solid Delta's multiplayer mode—the first properly new Metal Gear experience since 2018's Survive—releases October 30
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/metal-gear-solid-deltas-multiplayer-mode-the-first-properly-new-metal-gear-experience-since-2018s-survive-releases-october-30/
I'm not quite ready to say Konami is back, yet, but right now the venerable Japanese developer is in a better place than it's been for years. This week saw Silent Hill f scoop a whopping 90 in the PCG review, and that follows hot on the heels of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, a gorgeous and reverential remake of the most-beloved entry in the Metal Gear series.
Right now the Konami stans are eating good, and the company seems determined to maintain its momentum. This week's Tokyo Game Show saw another "Metal Gear—Production Hotline" livestream, during which Metal Gear Solid: The Master Collection Vol. 2 was announced but not detailed (MGS4 or we riot), and we got a new look at Fox Hunt, a free multiplayer mode being added to Delta on October 30.

This $2 coin flipping 'non-idle clicker' is a one-button labyrinth of probability paranoia
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/this-usd2-coin-flipping-non-idle-clicker-is-a-one-button-labyrinth-of-probability-paranoia/
To paraphrase French-Algerian thinker Albert Camus: One must imagine the coin flipper happy.
In Unfair Flips, released on Steam today by developer Heather Flowers, you have a coin and a button. The button flips the coin. To win, you have to flip ten heads in a row.

9 months after cancelling Transformers: Reactivate, Splash Damage splits from Tencent and is now owned by private equity investors
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/9-months-after-cancelling-transformers-reactivate-splash-damage-splits-from-tencent-and-is-now-owned-by-private-equity-investors/
Splash Damage, the studio known for its work on Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, Brink, Gears Tactics, and the cancelled Transformers: Reactivate, has parted ways with Tencent, and is now owned by private equity investors.
The studio confirmed the change in a statement provided to GamesIndustry, saying it will continue to operate under its current leadership team but would "not be providing further comment at this time."

The surprise Witcher 3 patch adding cross-platform mod support is delayed until 2026
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-surprise-witcher-3-patch-adding-cross-platform-mod-support-is-delayed-until-2026/
Back in May, CD Projekt announced "one more patch" for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that will add cross-platform mod support through mod.io across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The update was intended to be rolled out later in 2025, but the studio said today that it's going to take a little longer than expected.

Forza Horizon 6's Japan map is mondo-huge, Playground's 'Biggest map yet' and 'Also our most full'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/racing/forza-horizon-6s-japan-map-is-mondo-huge-playgrounds-biggest-map-yet-and-also-our-most-full/
Based on reports from our sources, PC Gamer can confirm that Japan is large. Not only large—huge, and stacked from top to bottom with stuff to do. At press time, Tokyo was reportedly at least twice as big as Milton Keynes and the island of Hokkaido was said to 'make the Isle of Wight look like a hatchback'.
Which is why Forza Horizon 6 is headed to the land of the rising sun. In a chat with GamesRadar, the arcade racing sim's art director Don Arceta said that the series' Japanese venture would be "our biggest map yet." But fear not, because it's "also our most full."

New Virtua Fighter presentation takes a lot of time to say not very much aside from a short teaser and a brand-new battle system
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fighting/new-virtua-fighter-presentation-takes-a-lot-of-time-to-say-not-very-much-aside-from-a-short-teaser-and-a-brand-new-battle-system/
There's still not a whole lot we know about the upcoming Virtua Fighter, headed up by Yakuza studio Ryu Ga Gotoku… and even after a 50-minute showing at Tokyo Game Show this week, that remains true.
But hey, we did get a look at a brand-new battle system that'll be in the game, which plans to stand alongside Virtua Fighter's traditional style as its own thing. Called Uprising, it seems like RGG Studio's attempt at delving into a more modern fighting game formula with "dynamic momentum-shifting opportunities," according to the presentation.

And here's the third part of the gaming news:

Rematch is free to play for a long weekend after its Season 1 launch—and I'm currently torn between saving Olympus and having a kickabout
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/rematch-is-free-to-play-for-a-long-weekend-after-its-season-1-launch-and-im-currently-torn-between-saving-olympus-and-having-a-kickabout/
Rematch is kicking off its first season post-launch, which means all sorts of cosmetics, and a nice helping of pretty arenas to get "Good Job!" spammed at you in. To celebrate, Sloclap's made the game free to play for a long weekend—or until September 29—on Steam. There's also a 20% discount until the same date.

Habbo Hotel's answer to WoW Classic is coming to Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/habbo-hotels-answer-to-wow-classic-is-coming-to-steam/
As a former child with unrestricted access to the internet in the 2000s, Habbo Hotel did irreparable damage to my psyche, as I'm sure it did for many other late millennials. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug though, which makes the fact that Habbo Hotel: Origins is heading to Steam all the more enticing.
Origins is essentially Habbo Hotel's answer to WoW Classic—a stripped-back version of the social MMO that's closer to its original browser days than… whatever NFT nonsense it was touting around back when that was a thing. It's described as "Habbo as it was in 2005, lovingly restored," launching last summer as a standalone launcher for PC.

Jagex CEO says he's happy to take revenue hits to fix RuneScape 3's microtransaction and 'integrity' problem
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/jagex-ceo-says-hes-happy-to-take-revenue-hits-to-fix-runescape-3s-microtransaction-and-integrity-problem/
Jagex CEO Jon Bellamy, who you might remember as the guy who snubbed the game's (newer) Pride events to ensure the continued "operation of our games as apolitically as possible"—whatever the hell that means—is also on a bit of an anti-microtransactions crusade.
Speaking with TheGameBusiness at Gamescom, Bellamy reiterated that Jagex is still on that straight (pun not intended) and narrow: "The team have been looking at the way the product currently is, the happiness of players, where they're finding frustration… If we believe this game has another 25 years, what do we need to change? And monetization is near the top of that list."

Time to check the Steam deals for the weekend, because GOG has noting new once again:

+Steam

• Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will be 20% off until the 29th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2651280/Marvels_SpiderMan_2
• Diablo IV will be free to try until the 2nd of October and will have a 55% discount until the 29th of September : https://store.steampowered.com/app/2344520/Diablo_IV
• Republic of Pirates, that has a demo, is going to be 40% off until the 9th of October: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2103470/Republic_of_Pirates
• Siralim Ultimate gets a 60% discount until October 9: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1289810/Siralim_Ultimate
• And these are the new sales/events:
  • Hunt: Showdown celebrates its latest update, Web of the Empress, with up to 50% discounts until the 29th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33141571/sale/huntshowdownwote
  • Publisher HandyGames celebrates its Pre-Autymn Sale, with upcoming titles and games up to 85% off until the 29th: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32976304/sale/AutumnSale2025
  • PAYDAY franchise Sale has the games and DLCs up to 87% off until September 29: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/PAYDAYFranchiseSale
  • The Metaroot Autumn Sale Celebration page has gone live today and, so far, the only deal is for a soundtrack, 10% off until the 2nd of October: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44892821/sale/autumnsale2025
  • Hooded Horse at TGS features lots of games, but only one game is on sale with a 20% discount until the 6th of October: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/38719421/sale/HoodedHorseTGS2025
  • The Indie game showcase ILLUSTAR PLAY 9 page has also launched today and, so far, there’s not a single game on sale: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45586500/sale/illustarplay9

And that’s all for this week. Until the next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.

Knowing hoe much Lenovo is asking for its similar handhelds and that Asus really likes money, those prices seem suspiciously low all things considered (it's still insane).

I wonder how much is MSoft funding it to promote Windows and the Xbox brand.

The only one of those memory types that would see use in a PC handheld is LPDDR5X. The other memory types you listed are a complete non starter. Pemalite's suggestion of using larger cache sizes to compensate for the low memory bandwidth seems to be the best option. Still, I worry about the growing gulf in bandwith between PC handhelds and even low end dGPUs. 

What I really was going to post about is the $1000 Xbox Rog Ally X price. Remember when Phil Spencer said this...

https://wccftech.com/microsoft-gaming-ceo-gives-subtle-dig-at-ps5-pro-price-were-not-growing-the-market-with-1000-consoles/

The guy is a walking contradication. Mattrick may started Xbox's decline but Phil Spencer was the one that killed the brand.

If they do, then it's still experimental, as even sample production sizes are not available above LPDDR5X-9600 right now: https://semiconductor.samsung.com/dram/lpddr/lpddr5x

Recettear and Trails Localizer Andrew Dice Passes Away
https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/andrew-dice-death-carpe-fulgur
Andrew Dice, perhaps better known as one half of the localization studio Carpe Fulgur, has passed away, and his partner has declared that the studio is ceasing operations as a result of his untimely death.

Sad news to hear.