Steam Controller: The Ars Technica Review
Valve's upcoming Steam Controller, priced at $99, aims to replace generic gamepads with a device tailored for PC and the forthcoming Steam Machine. After weeks of hands‑on testing, Ars Technica notes the controller feels solid and ergonomically designed, with well‑placed rear buttons and responsive face pads. However, the review questions whether its feature set differentiates enough from existing controllers to merit the price tag. The article suggests the hardware may struggle to win over PC gamers accustomed to mouse‑keyboard precision.
Valve Brings Native Steam Link App to Apple's Vision Pro
Valve announced a native Steam Link app for Apple’s Vision Pro mixed‑reality headset, enabling users to stream traditional PC or Mac Steam games wirelessly. The app supports up to 4K resolution and lets users adjust the display curve in panoramic mode....
New "Vibe Coded" AI Translation Tool Splits the Video Game Preservation Community
Gaming Alexandria researcher, a "vibe‑coded" AI translation tool built on Google Gemini, was released to automate OCR and Japanese‑to‑English conversion of thousands of game‑magazine scans. The project used Patreon funds, costing roughly $0.50‑$1.50 per issue, prompting a sharp backlash from...
Remembering the 30-Year-Old Computer Game that Introduced Me to Star Wars
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, released in 1996, was a transmedia initiative that paired a novel, comics, toys, and a PC game to reignite franchise interest ahead of the Special Edition films. The PC version was among the first...
Inside the Quixotic Team Trying to Build an Entire World in a 20-Year-Old Game
Modding teams Tamriel Rebuilt and Project Tamriel have spent two decades expanding Bethesda’s 2002 game Morrowind to cover the entire continent of Tamriel. Thousands of volunteers have delivered nine major releases, adding hundreds of hours of quests, dungeons, and landscapes,...
Just Look at Ayaneo's Absolute Unit of a Windows Gaming "Handheld"
Ayaneo unveiled the Next II, a 13‑inch Windows gaming handheld that tips the scales at 3.14 pounds, dwarfing rivals like the Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion Go. The device packs a Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor with a Radeon 8060S GPU, delivering performance comparable to...
The Switch 2 Is Getting a New Virtual Console (Kind Of)
Hamster Corporation announced Console Archives, a new line of downloadable retro games for the Switch 2, debuting with Cool Boarders ($12) and Ninja Gaiden II ($8). The service mirrors Nintendo’s former Virtual Console but offers individual purchases rather than a subscription model....
Steam Machine and Steam Frame Delays Are the Latest Product of the RAM Crisis
Valve has postponed definitive pricing and launch dates for its Steam Machine gaming PC and Steam Frame VR headset, citing soaring RAM and storage costs driven by an AI‑fuelled memory shortage. The company still aims to release both products, along...
Looking Back at Catacomb 3D, the Game that Led to Wolfenstein 3D
John Romero reunited id Software’s founders to revisit Catacomb 3D, the 1991 first‑person adventure that introduced texture‑mapped walls and mouse support. The game was a modest commercial effort—earning only $5,000 from Softdisk—yet its immersive perspective convinced the team to abandon a...
Why Civilization VII Is the Way It Is, and How Its Devs Plan to Win Critics Back
Firaxis Games announced a spring "Test of Time" update for Civilization VII, addressing player backlash by restoring the option to play a single civilization throughout all three ages and replacing the controversial legacy‑paths with a new Triumph system. The patch...
Here's What Cities: Skylines 2’s New Developer Is Updating First
Paradox handed the Cities: Skylines 2 franchise to Iceflake after parting ways with longtime developer Colossal Order. Iceflake’s first developer diary outlines a patch centered on visual and UI upgrades, including a streamlined onboarding flow, clearer icons, and a new in‑game...
Why Reviving the Shuttered Anthem Is Turning Out Tougher than Expected
EA shut down Anthem’s servers in January, making the multiplayer sci‑fi title unplayable. A volunteer group called The Fort’s Forge has reverse‑engineered the game’s network traffic, reproducing the Blaze authentication and BIGS data services in a private‑server demo. Their proof‑of‑concept...
Finally, a New Controller that Solves the Switch 2's "Flat Joy-Con" Problem
Nyxi has launched the Hyperion 3, the first third‑party controller to attach magnetically to Nintendo's Switch 2, directly addressing the console’s thin Joy‑Con grip complaints. Building on the Hyperion 2, the new model adds ergonomic shaping, Hall‑Effect joysticks and Bluetooth 5.0 while retaining magnetic...
Why Adding Modern Controls to 1996's Tomb Raider Simply Doesn't Work
The 2024 Tomb Racer I‑III Remastered collection updates the 1996 classic’s visuals and adds a modern control option. However, the original’s tank‑style controls and strict grid‑based level design clash with the new scheme, making platforming and puzzle precision feel guesswork. While...
The First New Marathon Game in Decades Will Launch on March 5
Bungie announced that the long‑awaited Marathon revival will launch on March 5 for PS5, Windows and Xbox Series X|S, narrowing the previously vague release window. The game will be sold as a $40 Standard Edition or a $60 Deluxe Edition that adds...