PC Gaming Week: TechRadar's PC Gaming Week

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It wasn't so long ago that the PC was being written off in the face of tumbling shipments, a widespread dislike for Windows 8 and the rising popularity of tablets.

Mobile computing has undoubtedly changed how people buy and use PCs, but for gamers it's business as usual. For people who need the latest (and best) hardware to deliver eye-popping visuals and face-melting performance, the PC is king. And if it has been away on royal business in recent years, it's back to rule with an iron fist.

While PS4 and Xbox One owners are only just beginning to enjoy the fluidity and clarity offered by 1080p titles running at 60 frames per second, PC gamers are looking well ahead into the future. And boy, does it look good.

Rack 'em up

Gaze into a crystal ball and you'll find a whole host of mouthwatering trends — including high-powered VR (hey there, Oculus Rift), Windows 10 and DirectX 12, 4K and 120Hz/144Hz frame-synching monitors, meaty graphics cards like the Nvidia Titan X and much more.

So plug in your keyboard and mouse, check your water cooling temps and map your key bindings. For the next seven days TechRadar will be bringing you interviews with leading PC gaming industry experts, previews of unmissable titles on the horizon and plenty of tips on how you can squeeze the most of your gaming PC.

Check back here for all the latest updates and articles during PC Gaming Week.

Can Minecraft help teach kids how to code?

Building blocks to a bright future

Minecraft is known as a game that fosters creativity and encourages exploration, but one teacher has found that it can be used in the classroom too. Based in the UK, Ray Chambers is using the sandbox game to teach students the tenets of programming — from constructing logic gates to problem solving solving and analysis. Chambers reveals that Minecraft is perfectly suited to teaching other subjects too. Read: How Minecraft is helping kids learn code one block at a time