Rebecca Spear

Rebecca Spear

Gaming and News Editor

Self-professed geek, Rebecca Spear, is one of Windows Central's gaming editors with a focus on gaming handhelds, mini PCs, PC gaming, and laptops. When she isn't checking out the latest titles on Xbox Game Pass, PC, ROG Ally, or Steam Deck; she can be found digital drawing with a Wacom tablet. She's written thousands of game guides, previews, interviews, features, and hardware reviews over the last few years. If you need information about anything gaming-related, her articles can help you out. She also loves testing game accessories and any new tech on the market. Drawing tablets and drawing programs like Adobe Fresco and Photoshop are among her chief interests. You can follow her @rrspear on X (formerly Twitter).

When away from electronics, she loves taking her corgi, Penny, out to the river to go swimming and is always up for a game of volleyball. Otherwise, you'll most often find her curled up with a fantasy or sci-fi novel as her cats purr on her lap. She also loves attending comic conventions while cosplaying as her favorite video game characters. Her house is filled with gaming collectibles and posters and she's always on the lookout for more.

Latest articles by Rebecca Spear

The Legion Go S resting on a chair with a dBrand screen protector installed on it.

Don't get the Legion Go S, buy this discounted handheld instead

By Rebecca Spear published

Deals An anti-Prime Day deal at Best Buy brings the cost of the Legion Go S (Windows, Z2 Go) down to just $499.99, but I still recommend another handheld over it.

Deals
Geekom IT13 mini PC on a desk below a monitor. A graphic reads "Windows Central Amazon Prime Day Deals."

Get a mini PC instead of a laptop or desktop to save money

By Rebecca Spear published

Deals Mini PCs are far more affordable than laptops and desktops, especially right now, while some of my favorites are on sale for Amazon Prime Day. See which mini PC is best for you.

Deals
Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro on a porch with the Windows background on display.

Galaxy Book5 Pro is the perfect laptop, and now it's on sale

By Rebecca Spear published

Deals I scored the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro highly in my review, and now this fantastic laptop is on sale for Prime Day. Here's why I recommend it over other laptops.

Deals
A hand holding the new PNY SSD over the Lenovo Legion Go.

Legion Go SSD upgrades are easy — Here's how to do it

By Rebecca Spear published

Handhelds I needed more game storage space in my Legion Go, so I upgraded the 1TB SSD to a 2TB SSD. Here's how I did it so you can, too.

Handhelds
A closeup image of the Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS's left side controls while it displays a Steam library. There is a yellow badge on the bottom left of the image that reads "The Best Windows Central."

Legion Go S (SteamOS) improves upon Steam Deck, but with tradeoffs

By Rebecca Spear published

Review I tested and used the SteamOS version of the Legion Go S gaming handheld. Here's what makes it a compelling choice for gamers. Our review.

Review
Everwild Reveal

I'm nervous for Rare after the Xbox layoffs

By Rebecca Spear published

Gaming Today's Microsoft layoffs have me worried about developers at Xbox Game Studios. Rare has been a big part of my life, but I'm starting to question if they'll be around much longer.

Gaming
Alienware AW3425DW QD-OLED Gaming monitor displaying Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. There is also a badge on the right side of the image that says "Windows Central Editor's Choice."

Alienware AW3425DW review: A fantastically affordable monitor

By Rebecca Spear published

Review I tested the Alienware 34" QD-OLED AW3425DW Gaming Monitor and absolutely fell in love with its pricing and features. Here's what makes it such a great choice.

Review
Dell Ultrasharp 32 6K (U3223KB) monitor

Here are the very best computer monitors you can get right now

By Rebecca Spear last updated

Monitors We've done hundreds of hours of testing to find the best computer monitors for a wide range of uses. Here are the best ones.

Monitors
Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1

Clearance deal: We reviewed this laptop and it's a great choice

By Rebecca Spear published

Deal The Lenovo 14-inch IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 packs a Snapdragon X Plus processor, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD. We gave it a high score and now it's on a clearance sale.

Deal
Closeup of the Alienware Area-51 gaming laptop's RGB keyboard and RGB touchpad. There is a badge on the image that reads, "Editor's Choice Windows Central."

Review: Alienware Area-51 offers insanely smooth gaming

By Rebecca Spear published

Review I reviewed the Alienware 16 Area-51 AW30 gaming laptop. It's absolutely blown me away with its smooth performance, colorful RGB, and mechanical keyboard.

Review
Xbox Ally and Steam Deck in the front with a blurred out and crossed out Switch 2 in the back.

Xbox Ally is not a Switch 2 competitor: It's a Steam Deck rival

By Rebecca Spear published

Handhelds Analysts predict the Switch 2 will outsell all other gaming handhelds combined this year, but that's a non-issue for Xbox Ally. It's a Steam Deck competitor.

Handhelds
Before and after image of a white cat looking straightforward through glass. The first image is mirky with reflections while the second image is clean and more detailed.

Here's how to enable Photoshop's hidden reflection removal tool

By Rebecca Spear published

Adobe Photoshop's new(ish) Reflection Removal tool works super fast, and it has saved me hours of editing time. Here's how to enable it.

Adobe
JSAUX FlipGo Horizon displaying graphs. One monitor is vertical, the other is horizontal.

The FlipGo Horizon looks like the perfect portable monitor

By Rebecca Spear published

Laptops JSAUX FlipGo Horizon makes it easy to attach two portable monitors to your laptop, but it offers a key feature that many other portable monitor accessories don't.

Laptops
Waterfield ROG Ally Magnetic Case in front of an ROG Ally X on an airplane tray. A badge on the screen reads, "The Best Windows Central."

I loved traveling with this zipperless ROG Ally carry case

By Rebecca Spear published

Review Waterfield's new ROG Ally case features a magnetic lining around the opening to keep the bag shut, rather than using a zipper. Here's my real-world experience.

Review
The Outer Worlds 2 Direct

The Outer Worlds 2 will be 'less silly' and have a 'darker tone'

By Rebecca Spear published

Gaming During an interview at SGF 2025, The Outer Worlds 2 game director explained that this sci-fi sequel will have a more serious and somber tone than the original game and I can't wait for it.

Gaming
A screenshot from Keeper showing a moving lighthouse.

Double Fine's newest game has you playing as a moving lighthouse

By Rebecca Spear published

Gaming From the studio that brought us Psychonauts and Grim Fandango comes a new adventure where you play as a moving lighthouse. It looks charming and strange.

Gaming
Banner for Summer Game Fest, Xbox Games Showcase, and The Outer Worlds 2 Direct.

Here's every Xbox and PC game announced during the Xbox Games Showcase 2025

By Zachary Boddy last updated

Gaming Another Xbox Games Showcase and Summer Game Fest has came and went, and I kept track of every Xbox and PC game announcement in one place: here.

Gaming
ROG Ally X vs ROG Ally RGB.

Here's everything we know so far about all five Z2 handheld chips

By Rebecca Spear published

Handhelds The next wave of mainstream PC gaming handhelds will largely feature AMD Z2 Series processors. Here's how they compare against each other and everything you need to know about these APUs.

Handhelds
Screenshots from Resident Evil Requiem showing an altered officer coming close to the screen.

Capcom revealed Resident Evil 9 at Summer Game Fest 2025

By Samuel Tolbert, Rebecca Spear published

Gaming Capcom showed up during Summer Game Fest 2025, not to reveal Resident Evil 9, but to tease the next entry in the long-running survival-horror franchise.

Gaming
The Summer Game Fest 2025 logo with an Xbox icon on top of it. The background has been turned Xbox green.

LIVE: Summer Game Fest is tonight, here's the latest news and rumors

By Jez Corden, Rebecca Spear last updated

Gaming It's Summer Game Fest season again, and we're here to report on the latest Xbox and PC gaming news as it gets revealed. Check in regularly to see the latest gaming news, announcements, and rumors.

Gaming
Screenshot from MOUSE: P.I. For Hire showing an alligator with a large gun.

You'll never guess who's voicing this Mickey Mouse-like character

By Rebecca Spear published

Gaming The voice actor who played Joel from The Last of Us and Indiana from Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is voicing the main character in MOUSE: P.I. For Hire.

Gaming
An ROG Ally on a wooden table with SteamOS installed on it.

SteamOS is here for ROG Ally and Legion Go handhelds

By Rebecca Spear published

Handhelds You can easily install SteamOS on your ROG Ally or Legion Go Windows gaming handhelds by following our step-by-step instructions. It doesn't take very long either.

Handhelds
HP OmniBook X and Lenovo IdeaPad 5X 2-in-1 on a hotel table.

I'm happy I took two Snapdragon laptops on my latest work trip

By Rebecca Spear published

Laptops I took two Snapdragon-powered laptops on my recent trip to Taiwan for Computex, and it proved to me that these are the perfect travel companions.

Laptops
Screenshot from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 showing Gustave and Sophie looking at each other with the Paintress and 33 in the background.

Expedition 33 is so compelling because of one key thing

By Rebecca Spear published

Gaming Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a masterpiece with hidden depth and meaning subtly woven throughout its story, combat, and art style.

Gaming
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Premium Noise Canceling Overhead Headphones on purple and pink background. A badge next to the headphones reads, "Memorial Day Deal."

Grab these amazing Sony ANC headphones while they're $120 off

By Rebecca Spear published

DEAL Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Premium Noise Canceling are $120 off with this Memorial Day deal. They're an excellent choice, especially at this low price.

DEAL
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