After the dust had settled from the launch of the Valve Index and its Half Life: Alyx pairing, Valve's first headset earned a spot among the best VR headsets, and in 2025, it looks as though we're finally getting a follow-up. Codenamed Valve Deckard, the new headset is rumoured to launch at 🦄some point in 2025 or early 2026, and although there's been no official confirmation on it, there have been plenty of leaks and a whole lot of signs pointing to its upcoming arrival. I'veꦡ collected together all the details we know so far and put them on this page to help fuel your research and excitement.

Of course, Valve's hardware is famously hit or miss. While the Steam Deck is industry-leading and arguably kickstarted the whole handheld gaming PC craze we see today, we probably don't need to mention the Steam controll🙈er, nor the original Steam box that was said to be the console market killer. Luckily, Gabe Newell's company struck gold when it made its VR headset, and even if its price has always been a barrier to entry, the Valve Index is still hallowed in the VR hall of fame.

What is Valve "Deckard" and what do we know about it?

Even if we don't have confirmation that a new Valve headset is coming, speculation that Valve was making one actually started way back in 2021. Gabe Newell, Valve's CEO, said at a panel talk that the company was making big investments in new 💝headsets. While that's hardly a confirma𒀰tion that it's been working on a new device since then, it showed that Valve has VR plans beyond the original Index.

More recently, speculation and rumours from Gabe Follower on Twitter (who has a notable track record of releasing Valve's plans ahead of time) say that Deckard will be a new standalone VR headset that will run on a refined version of SteamOS. That means it'll be able to be used without the addition of a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming PC, and that it'll run on the same operating system as Valve's Steam Deck and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Steam Deck OLED.

The purported bonus of running on this OS isn't just that it puts Valve's SteamVR library front and center, but that non-VR games that already run on a Steam Deck will be playable on Valve Deckard for 🐎even more portable, play-on-the-go versatility.

Even though the device is titled to be a standalone headset, it's also possible that the Valve Deckard stays true to its roots and has either HDMI or DisplayPort connectivity for those who want a moജre powerful, visually lossless VR experience.

According to leaked schematics, Deckard will be paired with controllers that are codenamed "Roy" and look fairly similar to standard VR controllers we've seen already. It looks as though, like 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Meta Quest 3, V💃alve has ditched the tracking rings on these ones, t🅠hough.

In April of 2025, SadlyItsBradley, one of the most well-known sources of VR leaks on the internet, came out with news that Valve has apparently been importing equipment to manufacture HMDs (head-mounted displays) and facial interfaces in the US. The "insider" posted sh🎃ipping manifests and images attesting to this report, which can be seen below.

This led a lot of press to believe that Valve Deckard might not be so far off its rumored 2025 timeline, and that it would seem the headset ꧙is being manufactured, at least in part, in the US.

According to a more recent set of reports in May, which again, should be taken with a pinch of salt, the founder of Lynx, a French startup in the XR space, has some knowledge of Valve Deckard. Stan Larroqꦫue said on Twitter, "The design of Valve next HMD is quite amazing!

"I would be equally pissed if Lynx nextgen ID got leaked so I won't share more. I'm just excited for good new XR HMDs. The HMD-making world is so small, we all s🥂hare the same suppliers for some components."

L꧒arroque later claimed that Deckard won't launch until 2026, but this is the first bit of speculation that points to a launch date outsܫide of 2025.

When will Valve Deckard's release date be?

According to m♕ost insiders on Twitter, as well as unconfirmed speculation, Valve Deckard🐭 is scheduled to launch before the end of 2025, but as we still don't have official confirmation that the headset even exists, it might be a while before we hear more about its official release date.

A launch before the end of 2025 would certainly make sense within the current market. Meta's Quest 3 and Quest 3S devices launched in October of 2023 and 2024, and righ♛t now, we have speculation that a headset from Asus that uses Meta's OS could launch at some point this year. Also waiting in the wings is Samsung and Google's take on the Apple Vision Pro. We don't have a launch date for that one either, but it's been in the works for a long time n🔯ow.

How much will Valve Deckard cost?

While we don't have an official price, we do have a few rumours from Gabe Follower t🐬hat point to the new headset being bundled with its controllers and a few "in-house" games or demos, and that the entire bundle could cost $1,200. This is the most concret☂e detail we have on pricing thus far, but it's also still unconfirmed and should absolutely be taken with a dose of scepticism.

What we do know is that the VR market has shifted dramatically꧅ since the Valve Index arrived.

Back then, PC headsets were the name of the game, but they were a luxury item that cost at least $1,000. Thankfully, the hardware has come a long way since, because you don't need silly𝓡 room tracking modules, or even wires, if you don't want them.

Now, we have headsets like PSVR 2, which beats the Valve Index in a lot of its specs and features, and costs under $50꧑0. Taking up a bigger chunk of the market, though, are standalone devices, and since it's rumoured that Valve Deckard will fit into this niche, its prices could point to a more reasonable (and affordable) device than last time.

The Meta Quest 3, the Meta Quest 3S, and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Pico 4 Ultra are what a new Valve headset will need to compete with in the standalone market. The most a𝐆ffordable of those options is the Quest 3S 128GB model, which only costs $299. I'd wager the Deckard headset will cost more than these devices since it's likely targeting a higher-end gaming market, but I hope it won't drift as high as the Apple Vision Pro, which costs a ludicrousജ $3,500.

Perhaps most appropriate for comparison is the HTC Vive Focus Vision, a PC-tilted but still standalone VR device. It's designed for visually💖 lossless VR gaming on PC, so it's a natural competitor to whatever Valve is cooking up. That headset coꦐsts $999 - which aligns it closer to the original Valve Index.

I'd personally like to think that Valve has learned from the affordability of its Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED, so I'd hope the Valve Index undercuts HTC. My personal hopes for a price for Valve Deckard would be around the $700 mark, but it entirely depends upon the chipset used, because if it can offer substantially more power than a Quest 3 or Pico 4 Ultra, it'll be worth the extra money versus one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming handhelds.

What games will Valve Deckard be able to play?

If Valve Deckard is set to run on a refined version of SteamOS, it'd stand to reason that every game on Steam that's VR compatible will be playable on the new headset. If it can also link to a PC, it'll likely be able to either stream gameplay through something like Steamlink from your gaming PC, or it'll hook up to your graphics card with a wire for a pure, l💦ossless experience.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of VR games already on Steam, so I don't think Deckard will b🐈e short of titles to play.

The big question is whether or not we'll get a first-party game release, like we did with Half-Life: Alyx. Could it be a classic Valve secret, could it be a VR port of Deadlo꧅ck? We'll need to wait and see,🎐 but so far, rumors have been pretty quiet about anything to do with new software.

Upgrading your PC for Valve Deckard's arrival? Take a look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best RAM for gaming, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best CPU for gaming, and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best graphics cards.

This meticulous tracking is due to Half-Life fans hoping for news on Half-Life 3 – a game that has been subject to much speculation, mainly over its actual existence. Stillꦅ, Valve is not one of the confirmed publishers to be present at the event and given that have already taken place, it's doubtful New💟ell is on his way to represent Valve.

As noted, two days ago fans in the noted that on , a site that allows public tracking of those sailing the high seas, Newell's yacht seemingly arrived in California. However, upon looღking myself at his ship's information on the site, his destination is marked to be a port in San Diego, with an estimated arrival of June 7 in the afternoon. Unfortunately, that's a bit late considering that the Summer Game Fest lಌive stream begins in just a few hours live from Los Angeles. But hey, who's a little hopeful delusion hurting here?

Half-Life 3 has been one of the most elusive games, with its existence yet to be confirmed, and hope for it previously having been considered an incurable disease. Lately, however, Half-Life 3 has seen some tangible traction within the leaks and internet sleuthing departments, and after previous leaks from ꦇValve bec♒ame the actual, real-life game Half-Life: Alyx, fans are more convinced than ever about Half-Life 3 being in their future.

Now, is Half-Life 3 in their future tonight? No, most likely, almost definitely not. As on the Half-Life subreddit, "I am insane and this is not happeninꦜg right?" But the definitive answer won't come until Summer Game Fest is don🍒e and through, so I suppose we can all let them have their fun until then, right?

Valve leads considered making a "mediocre" game before Half-Life to build the team up, but original marketing exec said "if you do that, the company will fail"

The Clas🌌sic Offensive devs have been working on the project since 2016, and in 2017, they were OK'd for a Steam release through the now-retired Greenlight program. Development continued for years, but when the modders finally submitted their build to Steam near the end of 2024, they spent months in limbo without any communicati💃on from Valve on the review process.

In January 2025, they did finally from Valve – and that word was a generic "your app is not a good fit for Steam." In response, the devs decided to release the mod outside of Valve's platform – but in response, Valve warned the team that it had♋ "concerns" the mod "may no longer be compliant" with the company's guidelines. So the te😼am went to work "auditing the current build of the mod" to make⭕ sure all was OK.

That brings us to this wee💎k, where the mod devs have made a saying that "we are devas🍬tated to announce the cancellation of Classic Offensive. This decision follows abrupt actions by Valve that prevent us from releasing or continuing development on the project."

The exact concerns Valve has over Classic Offensive have never been entirely clear. There are allegations that the modders have used code derivative of illegally leaked parts of the Source engine, but in posted to a newly la🐈unched website, the devs say "Classic Offensive does not use of any leaked code and never has."

In their statement, the Classic Offensive dev🀅s argue that Valve has come to allow modding only "under very narrow conditions" quite explicitly defined by the company.

We've seen Valve take a firmer had against mods in recent years, taking direct action ag🍌ainst fan projects based on Team Fortress and 💃Portal, but the company did release a massive update to its Source mod tools earlier this year, allowing modders📖 to "build completely new games based on TF2." However, that pathway doesn't exactly benefit the C✤lassic Offensive devs.

"This situation has implications fa🔴r beyond our project, raising serious concerns for the future of modding within Valve's ecosystem," the Classic Offensive team argues. "Modders should reconsider how they see Valve: a company that benefits from community creativity wh♔ile being able to shut down years of work without warning, despite going through their defined process which they can drastically change at any time."

Regardless of the implications for other mods, the devs have come to a simple conc𒈔lusion about their own project: "Valve clearly does not want us to release Classic Offensive in any form," they conclude in their FAQ. "Valve constantly looming over our shoulders is not something we want to deal with again for the upcoming years. "

These are the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best FPS games out there.

Highlighted on the , Deadlock streamer Deathy allegedly went live yesterday and accidentally displayed a greatly expanded MOBA roster than the on▨e that's currently available to everyone else. Apparently, the streamer has since deleted the VOD after ending and restarting the stream, but viewers were still able to capture a screenshot fr💞om the moment it happened.

To be exact, 10 new heroes could be spotted on Deathy's screen: Boho, Bookworm, Doorman, Drifter, Frank, Priest, Punkgoat, Skyrunner, Swan, and Vamp🦹irebat. These all appear to be exclusive to the Hero Labs mode right now, which allows you to test heroes who are in early development. As it stands, for most players, there are only four Hero Lab characters at the moment – Fathom, Raven, Trapper, and Wrecker.

Deathy's roster also showed a few visual changes to certain existing heroes. Specifically, Abrams, Pocket, McGinnis, Dynamo, Ivy, Wraith, and Lady Geist all have updated character portraits, showing certain changes to their designs. ꩲMcGinnis, for example, now has a red headband, and Ivy has a brown hat instead of a blue one.

Bizarrely, the new Skyrunner character also has the exact same portrait as Lash, so it's not clear what's going on there, buꦬt it seems like that's probably either a mistake or a placeholder.

Right now, Deadlock is only available to play via an invite-only alpha, but players who get access have been able to share the love and invite their Steam friends to play, too, making the MOBA relatively easy to get access to. That's perfectly illustrated by its 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:whopping concurrent player peak of 171,490 last September ().

However, the implication of Deathy's recent 🍷stream is that there's some kind of separate playtest to the one that everyone else can access, which a smaller amount of players have got access to.

It's not clear when Valve was planning on officially revealing these characters publicly, and whether plans will change now that they've been unveiled. Clearly thꦛough, there's a lot of stuff in development behind the scenes, which should hopefully be telling of some exc𓆉iting times to come.

For more games like Deadlock, be sure to check out our picks for the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best MOBA games you can play now.

You may even get some unexpected bangers announced before the next sale, with 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Summer Game Fest 2025 showcases kicking off just before all the price cuts hit. However, with multiple events running on Valve's platform and plenty of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming PC games also taking up some of our attention, keeping track of Steam's ꩲcalendar can be tricky. So, to make your life easier and ensure you don't miss 🉐out on any juicy savings, we've made a complete list of all the dates and information about the 2025 Steam sales.

So, whether you're worried about missing out on discounts for 2024 gems like 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Metaphor: ReFantazio or 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Helldivers 2, want to make the most out of each event or are inte🍰rested in finding out about potential rewards, read on below for ever♚ything that you need to know about the upcoming Steam Sales on the near horizon.

When is the next Steam sale?

The next big Steam sale is the Steam Summer Sale, which runs from June 26 to July 10, 2025

That means that you'll have around fourteen days to pick up any discounts. However, if that seems like a long wai𝐆t until you can crack on with savings, don't worry, we have a scatteriꦕng of small events that will arrive ahead of the Summer sale to look forward to as well.

These events include the likes of the Creature Collector Fest, the Zombies vs. Vampires Fest, and the next 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Steam Next Fest (which will also feature a ton of exciting demos for all the澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: best games of 2025 to get prepped for).

To participate in the sales, you'll also need to have a Steam account ꦕ(which is free to create). So, if you want to make the most of all the money-saving deals, be sure to .

All the upcoming Steam sale dates

Steam has sales periodically throughout the year. So, if you want to keep🐼 track of all the upcoming events, you can read our list below, where we've collected all the important Steam sale dates and other events on offer on Valve's platform throughout 2025.

• Creature Collector Fest: May 12 – May 19, 2025
• Zombies vs. Vampires Fest: May 26 – June 2, 2025
• Steam Next Fest: June 9 – June 16, 2025
• Fishing Fest: June 16 – June 23, 2025
• Steam Summer Sale: June 26 – July 10, 2025
• Automation Fest: July 14 – July 21, 2025
• Racing Fest: July 28 – August 4, 2025
• 4X Fest: August 11 – August 18, 2025
• Third Person Shooter (TPS) Fest: August 25 – September 1, 2025
• Political Sim Fest: September 8 – September 15, 2025
• Steam Autumn Sale: September 29 – October 6, 2025
• Steam Next Fest: October 13 – October 20, 2025
• Steam Scream 4: October 27 – November 3, 2025
• Animal Fest: November 10 – November 17, 2025
• Sports Fest: December 8 – December 15, 2025
• Steam Winter Sale: December 18 – January 5, 2026

What is the biggest Steam Sale of the year?

The biggest Steam sales tend to be the Summer sale and the Winter sale, as they often see the biggest discounts.

They also ru🦋n significantly longer than the other Steam sales in the calendar, which typically last for only a week. Instead, the Summer sale lasts for around 14 days, while the Winter sale runs for around 19 days. This means more discounts to be claimed and more games on offer to browse through for deals.

The Summer and Winter sales are the periods where you'll likely find the big discounts for recent releases that came out early in the year or during the end of 2024. So it's worth keeping track of your wishlist during this time to jump on any price reductions for those massive games that were just a tad too expensive for you at the time of theജir launch.

While the Summer and Winter sales are the biggest on Steam's calendar generally, the platform has some great discounts throughout the year. Along with all of its scheduled events, there are often publisher sales as well. For example, Ubisoft recently hไad a Steam sale where several of the Assassin's Creed games and more were discounted.

It's always a good idea to keep an eye on Steam for opportunities such as those and to keep your wishlist curated so that you get notified anytime a title you really really want gets a discount.

How long do Steam sales last?

Most Steam sales and events last for around seven days. However, there are certain events that run for longer than a week, such as ﷺthe Steam Summer sale and the Steam Winter sale.

That may seem like a short time to get everything you need or want. However, a big thing to remember is that you can always wait for another sale if you run out💮 of time.😼 Steam has tons of discounts running throughout the year that hit during themed "Fest" events, publisher sales, and seasonal Steam sales as well.

That mea𒁃ns that you'll likely see discounts return periodically and will still be able to make the most of various discounts throughout the year. The clock is on your side when it comes to Steam sales!

If you are waiting for a certain sale to take place, you can also check out our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PC games to play in the meantime.

Steam sale rewards

Not every Steam sale has rewards. However, 𒆙the majority of the seasonal ones do offer some kind of prize for participating in the event—be that limited stickers that unlock once a day t♔o claim or trading cards.

Trading cards are typically available to collect during the Summer and Winter sales. Through collecting all of the Steam sale trading cards, you'll be able to craft a badge, which you can display on your profil𝔉e page. In the past, we've seen that trading cards are rewarded for every purchase over $10 during sales that offer them.

You'll also be able to sell and buy Steam Sale trading cards on the Steam marketplace during and for 30 days after the event. And, of course, you can also trade cards with your friends if you have any duplicates and are aiming to craft badges without breaking the bank. Crafting a Steam sale badge will also give you addit♐ional rewards, such as an emoticon and a profile background, as well as profile XP.

However, as I mentioned above, not every Steam sale offers trading cards, so ❀bꦚe sure to double-check the details of the sale you are participating in so that you don't spend any extra money trying to unlock cards that aren't even on offer.

Keep your wishlist fresh with our guides on all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new games of 2025 heading our way and the most exciting 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming indie games on the horizon.

It's been rumored for a while that Valve is secretly working on a successor to the Valve Index, and new leaks put it in position to challenge the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best VR headsets on the market today. Codenamed "Deckard", the headset is touted to be a standalone, wireless device like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Meta Quest 3 or 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Pico 4 Ultra. It's also got controllers with the codename "Roy", s𝐆o Apple Vision Pro's hand-tracking approach doesn't seem to be what Valve 𒉰is chasing.

According to the latest speculation from , who has a track record of knowing Valve's upcoming projects, the Valve Index successor could hit the shelves before the end of 2025 and might cost $1,200. This would put it in a more expensive category of headset, way more than the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Meta Quest 3S's affordable $299 asking price, but only $200 more than 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:HTC Vive's Focus Vision headset. For that money, you'll s⛦upposedly get the headset, controllers, and some "first-party games or demos", according to Gabe Follower.

Deckard is also rumored to run on a refined version of SteamOS, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Steam Deck OLED's operating system. That'd definitely give Meta's Horizon OS a run for its money, and according to some sources, the new Valve device would put a big emphasis on being able to play flatscreen games on a virtual big screen like PSVR 2 and its 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:excellent cinematic mode.

While th🍸e first Valve Index was all ab💜out tethering to a PC to experience immersive games with a visually lossless connection, a standalone device in 2025 would most likely remove separate tracking modules, and rumors say that while tethering to a gaming PC would be possible on the new headset, a big emphasis would be put on wireless PC streaming to take cables out of the equation.

Valve's Roy controllers were first leaked three months ago when VR Twitter leaker found SteamVR driver files attesting to their existence. These look very reminisceꦑnt of Meta and Pico's latest generation of VR controllers and abandon the tr𒁃acking rings of the original Valve Index.

Int🙈erestingly, Gabe Follower notes that even at a price of $1,200, the headset would be sold at a loss, which goes hand-in-hand with what many competitors say of Meta's Quest headsets. It also suggests that the innards of the Valve Index sequel might be on the beefier side, which suits the PC market it'd likely attract first and foremost.

While there's been no confirmation from Valve about these leaks, or indeed the existence of a "Valve Index 2", it'𝓀s been a known project for a while, with Valve CEO Gabe Newell even that his company was "making big investments in new headsets".

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I didn’t get the Nintendo Switch at launch. That may come as a surprise, but my finances were a little different then. Instead, I first got my hands on it shortly after the release of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Super Mario Odyssey. For years afterward, it came with me everywhere I went, and 🔯became my go-to console. I’ve been playing games portably since the initial release of the Game Boy, but it took the Switch to officially convert me to preferring gaming on the go.

I relished in the ability to play the SNES games of my childhood or destroy people in Smash Bros Ultimate on the go. However, l later got my hands on a handheld that would eventually steal away most of my attention, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Steam Deck. When issued with an LCD model of Valve’s portable powerhouse, I was taken aback by how much more this brought to the portable gaming table. Sure, I couldn’t run Breath of the Wild, or any other first-party Nintendo games, but the novelty of playing AAA games at higher resolutions and, at times, frame rates higher than an average 40FPS, never grew old.

Neither was being able to pla๊y nearly my entire Steam collection whenever and wherever I wanted. Or side-loading the device with a multitude of apps and other gaming platforms, from Nvidia GeForce Now to Battle.net. While the Switch can play Switch games, and only Switch games, I transformed the Deck into a portable PC thanks to desktop mode and customized it to my heart's content. Afterward, every time I opened my Deck I was greeted with a clip of Mr Burns from The Simpsons thanking me for "turning him on." Can my Switch do that? No. Which is exactly why sometime during the Summer of 2023, my Switch was left to collect dust, not much unlike Jessi෴e in Pixar’s Toy Story 2, while I basked in the glory of my shiny new tech.

Switching it up for the Steam Deck

By this point, the Switch was beginning to show its age. When I played a Steam Deck for the first time the handheld was already six years old. This was more than apparent as it chugged through my copy of Pokemon Violet back on November 18, 2022. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed my time with Violet and a ton of subsequent game releases from Pikmin 4 to Super Mario Wonder. But the Steam Deck’s ability to play AAA titles without sounding like it was at the end of its rope, made it the preferred choice.

The original LCD Valve handheld is home to its own custom AMD Van Gogh (Aerith) GPU. This, alongside its 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM is partially what gives the beast the ability to load up even Cyberpunk 2077 and do it justice - even if 60FPS is still out of question. The original Switch instead, is powered by a custom-built Nvidia Tegra X1 GPU, and is loaded up with only 4GB of RAM. In the earliest years of its lifespan, this was enough to run Mario's adventures throughout New Donk City and Breath of the Wild, but that's likely more of a testament to the developer's skillset than the Nintendo's processing prowess.

Yet, ever since my introduction to the Steam Deck and PC gaming handhelds as a whole, I never expected the Switch to out-match their pixel-pushing power. Ninty has built a reputation for ignoring the push for more pixels and faster framerates. I don’t know anyone today who purposefully seeks out Ninty consoles because they’re going to offer up the best visuals and performance this generation has to offer. People, myself included, picked up the Nintendo Switch (and are eyeing up the Switch 2) for two main reasons: its unique gameplay gimmick, and the exclusive first-party games.

The Switch’s gimmick of a hybrid system still♐ feels fresh, which is likely why we’re seeing it make a return with the S෴witch 2. Plus, the added bonus of both handheld's Joy-Con controllers, which can transform into a one or two-player setup at a whim, is still revolutionary. This feature made the original Switch perfect for multiplayer family fun, something the Steam Deck can’t match. Sure, you can hook up multiple controllers to the Deck, especially with a Steam Deck dock in play, but the pure convenience and easy setup of the Switch’s controllers is unrivaled.

Nintendo's true power lies within its games

The real meat of why the Switch 2 doesn’t need to have the same power as other current-gen consoles is, of course, down to its games. Other than mobile platforms, Nintendo doesn’t release its first-party titles anywhere but on its own hardware. If, like me, you need to own and play every single installment in Legend of Zelda, you’re going to have to own the Nintendo hardware to play it on. Want to play 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Mario Kart 9, which might be on its way? You’ll inevitably need the Switch 2 to take it for a test drive.

So long as the Switch 2 can give these new games justice, and offer up a performance enough to support itself for a few years, that’s all I can possibly wish for. Sure, one day 𝕴I’d love to see the intricate detail the Steam Deck manages to produce, or even performance that rivals that of the PS5. But those consoles are always there for when I want to transcend the uppermost limits of modern gaming. When I want the charm, whimsy, and life-changing experiences found in Nintendo games, I know exactly where the Switch 2 can be 🎃found.

Check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch 2 vs Steam Deck guide to see exactly how the specs of both handhelds compare and whether you should consider a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order. Our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch 2 IR Sensors, and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询ꦕ:Ninten🧸do Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers guides are also full to the brim with all you need to know about the u♊pcoming Switch successor.

The creator of Garry'⛄s Mod, Garry Newman, recently shared on the social media site some sales stats for the toolset since its release with an interesting anecdote. As it turns out, Newman a🌞dmits that he almost decided against putting it on sale in the Steam marketplace and all.

Thanks to Valve's insistence on putting the game on Steam, Garry Newman found considerable success with Garry's Mod, which, as of the tweet posted, had sold 25,560,290 copies. Along with further updates to the sandbox game over the years, Newman also founded an independent game developer, Facepunch Stud🧔ios, which released the popular survival game Rust and found itsꦑ own considerable success.

First released in 2006, Garry Mod's is a sandbox game and toolset that leverages assets from Valve's source engine, particularly pulling from games like Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2 – this basically means you can make the G-Man or Resistance Fighter fr🎶om Half-Life 2 into the star of their own exp꧋erience. Garry's Mod allows players to pull any asset like characters, items, and locations into a sandbox and create whatever scenario or sequence they can from the tools available.

The more popular results are machinima videos such as Skibidi Toilet or, my personal favorite, . Still, it's also gone on to inspire several game modes that have taken on a life of its own such as the po✨pular Prop Hunt game type, which is a take on hide-and-seek that has a team of players disguise themselves as objects on the map.

So far, Garry's Mod's popularity is still growing, with younger users playing the💎 game to share their own bits of amusement with friends. The toolset also seemingly inspired other games to feature their own sandbox modes, such as Fort🌸nite, PUBG Mobile, and, of course, Minecraft.

As of 2024, Newman's development studio is still cranking out updates 🍰for Garry's Mod and Rust, but Facepunch has also been working on a new game called Sandbox. This game is evidently the successor to Garry's Mod, but there hasn't been many updates for it in some time.

For more open-ended sandbox games with lots to do, check out our list of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:the best open-world games to play right now.

But at the end of the day, nostalgia aside, the game is about more than that. Rather, it&a💫pos;s about less. Left 4 Dead 2 a no nonsense zombie FPS that is all about fun, all of the time, and needs no bells and whistles to prove why it deserves to stand the test of time.

Here 4 good

If you'd have told 16 year old me back in 2011 that I☂'d still be playing Left 4 Dead 2 in my late twenties, ꧂I'd have believed you without question. There's something about this co-op shooter that, no matter which of its myriad campaigns and maps you're working with, carries an enduring charm that still has no sign of fading.

Loading in for my first match in years, selecting the trusty Bill Overbeck as my playable character, I'm immediately transported through time. I'm back at internet café Station 7 – known simply as S7 to myself and the rest of South Island School's older teen population – when I really should have been in class. Smoking indoors had been outlawed for a few years by this point, but that never stopped Hong Kong's dutiful netizens from lighting up between stressful rounds of Call of Duty. My friends and I have no such inclination, however. We are here to waft cigarette smoke out of our eyes, occupy a whole row of PCs at the back of the room, and play a few rounds of Left 4 Dead 2 before piling into a taxi to make it to assembly. Cue losing an afternoon to the oncoming hordes, a constant swaparoo of guns as we c🍨rowd around ammo stashes during the last stage of the Dark Carnival campaign, punching our way through the rabid undead and laughing as ragdoll physics send them tumbling off the stage as pyrotechnics alert the rescue helicopter of our presence. 

That's a very specific memory, but ask anyone who played L4D2 at any point in the last 15 years, and you'll no doubt hear another personal anecdote. A part of me was wondering if nostalgia is the only thing that has me still thinking fondly of Valve's 2009 offering. Launching hot on the heels of Tripwire Interactive's Killing Floor, a mod-turned-game in its own right, Left 4 Dead served to expand the horde shooter experience and make it more interesting. I'm talking mods, game modes, and a greater wealth of tools to play with in general. The sequel pushed those boundaries further, leaning into its co-op features and a brash sense of goofy, hack n' slash chaos (bullets included) to deliver one of the most enjoyable multiplayer experiences I've had the pleasure of playing. But there have been plenty of games since then to vie for the crown of zombie shooter royalty – World War Z, Days Gone, and Warhammer 40k: Darktide to name a few. With the huge success that 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Helldivers 2 and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Space Marine 2 have seen thi𒊎s year alone, it's clear that an appetite for fast and furious horde shooter gunplay still rumbles in our bellies.

And yet, I still hold a candle for Left 4 Dead 2. It's no longer the freshest thing on the menu when it comes to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best FPS games, but as it nears its 16th birthday, L4D2 is still up there for many a zombie-slaying fanatic. Why? Because its formula of cool guns, cool maps, and cool characters is so simple and effective, it doesn't need much else to justify what makes it a good time. That's not to say 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Back 4 Blood should be dismissed – the incorpor🐈ation of deck building mechanics fleshes out each character's respective abilities and proficiencies, and it does capture the movement and flow of a typical L4D2 safe room to safe room crawl. Back 4 Blood is cool and all, but there's only so much spir🍨it a spiritual successor can emulate – especially when the spirit of Left 4 Dead 2 is still alive, kicking, and screaming  in 2024. 

Slay the undead masses in the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best zombie games, from Left 4 Dead 2 to Resident Evil.

Rumblings about Deadlock have been swirling around the internet for a while, but the game is all but confirmed at this point. 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Valve trademarked the name Deadlock earlier this summer "to cover the categories of entertainment services, namely, providing online video games," right after alleged leaked images and gameplay clips showed off MOBA-style lanes, Bioshock Infinite-style r🧸ails, and 19 playab🌸le heroes. 

Those leaks were thought to have come from a hush-hush playtest listed on Steam's backend that 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:attracted over 1,000 players a couple of months ago. now estimates that Deadlock's behind-closed-doors playtest surpassed well over 10,000 concurrent players over the weekend, hitting an all-time peak of 12,000 yesterday, on August 11 - numbers that some o🐈ther heavyweight shooters would be envious of. Though, more than a few playtesters have decided to ignore whatever embargo is in place for Deadlock's secret beta.

What's more curious about the whole thing is that Valve hasn't offered an official squeak about the game at all, electing to instead🍌 go mute about the project despite it being in the public consciousness now. I could see Valv💦e going with the Counter-Strike 2 route with this one, officially announcing it on a random weekday before swiftly rolling out more public playtests in preparation for a full release. Or maybe it'll join Half-Life 3 and get banished to the Never Coming Out realm of existence. 

Regardless, the fact that these playlists seem to be stea♊dily growing in player counts should signal that Deadlock might be inching closer and closer to release - or, fingers crossed, an announcement at the very ꦬleast.

Speaking of, Half-Life 3 was once again claimed to be in the works, this time from a voice actor’s resume that said the threequel would feature “off-world” gameplay with vehicles. 

Valve's event gives us a week to play as many free demos✨ as our sleep schedule allows. Next Fest starts on Monday, June 10th and will end on Monday, June 17th, so we need to be pick𒆙y with which games we give our attention to. Alongside the demos are dozens of live streams, so you can tune in to learn all about your favorite upcoming games straight from the developers themselves. 

That brings us to our curated list! Below you'll find our recommendations with (hopefully) something for everyone. Each entry has a short description, the game's release date – if it has one – and a handy link taking🌸 you straight to the game's demo page. If you take a shine to a certain demo, make sure to wishlist it as it supports the developers. Have a scroll and let us know which demos are your favorites.

15. Thank Goodness You're Here!

Developer: Coal Supper
Release Date: August 1, 2024

I'm calling it now. Thank Goodness You're Here is going to be the best comedy game of 2024, and this Next Fest demo only solidifies that prediction. Developers Coal Supper have taken the oddities and weirdos found in small-town life and have used them as inspiration to create an absurdist and cheeky adventure. Playing as a tiny salesman complete with receding hairline and red tie, you've got some time on your hands before your big meeting with the Mayor – so set off🌊 into town to help the locals with their odd problems. If you need a vibe check, you begin the demo by jumping out the window of a ten-story skyscraper and slamming face-first into a London bus. From there you'll be slapping old ladies, slathering yourself in butter from Mother Meg's Buttery Goods, and helping a dapper fellow who's got his arm stuck down a drain (don’t ask). It only gets more bizarre and off-the-wall from there. Just be careful not to spill your supper, as this demo will have you in stitches.

14. Nirvana Noir

Developer: Feral Cat Den
Release Date: TBA

You'll want a whiskey neat and a trad jazz record for this next demo. Nirvana Noir is the ultra-stylish sequel to Feral Cat Den's award-winning first game, and from the look of this demo, the game is going to follow very closely in its predecessor's cosmic noir footsteps. 🌄From the moment you see that title menu, this demo is incredibly slick, featuring animation that seamlessly sweeps you from one scene to the next. I love how creative the demo is, playing with text, color𒅌, and perspective in unexpected ways. A highlight of the demo is when protagonist No Man is interviewing a suspect for a case. The interviewee is a butcher whose text dialog gets shoved into a meat grinder and you need to solve a string of Scrabble-inspired puzzles with the sausages the grinder produces. It's bonkers.

13. SCHiM

Developer: Ewoud van der Werf, Nils Slijkerman
Release Date: July 18, 2024

The most striking-looking demo on this list, SCHiM is a puzzle-platformer with a wonderful twist. You play as a little frog-like shadow creature that can jump from shadow to shadow like they are pools of waಞter. The set-up is that you've been separated from your human and need to make your way through different scenes to return to them. The puzzle element of this platformer is that the environment around you is in constant motion – cars, joggers, bicycles, ducks swimming in a pond – so leaping from one shadow to the next makes for some quick platforming as well as experimenting with different routes. This twist on a 3D puzzle platformer is so creative and refreshing, and together with its abstract two-tone color palette, it had to have a place on this list.  

12. Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure

Developer:  Furniture & Mattress LLC
Release Date: July 25, 2024

Another puzzle game on this list with a novel idea, Arranger is a mind-bending adventure game where the entire world is placed on a looping grid. As you move protagonist Jemma around, the entire row and collum she’s in will move in the same direction, and anything on those tiles gets moved too. Not only that but when you reach the edge of the map, Jemma (and any items and characters) loop around to the other side. This is the coreꩵ of some excellent puzzles, all of which task you with moving and looping yourself and objects around the grid. It also boasts some wonderful art (you might recognise the artists from his work on Braid) and its story of a young girl wanting to leave home and explore the world will touch your heart.  By the end of the demo, you’ll feel like a sliding puzzle master. 

11. LOK Digital

Developer: Letibus Design, Icedrop Games
Release Date: 2024

It may be a short demo, but LOK Digital will certainly kick your brain into gear. A digital adaptation of its puzzle book predecessor created by Blaž Urban Gracar, LOK is essentially a word search puzzle game but you'e using the language of inky alien creatures. The idea is to learn words in their language and find those words in a grid, but there’s also the extra task of turning every square of the grid from white to black. Here's how a turn might play out: finding the word LOK will grant you one LOK creature that can blacken a single square. Then, you might find the word TLAK and that will grant you two creatures to blacken two squares. Deciding what words to find in a certain order and choosing where to place your LOK creatures makes for some tasty brain te🌱asers. The demo will also have three new puzzles each day of the fest,💦 and trust me, once you’ve deciphered one LOK puzzle, you'll be coming back for more. 

10. Grunn

Developer: Sokpop Collective
Release Date: 2024

At the beginning of Grunn's demo, you hop off a bus, cross a charming little bridge, and find yourself in a lovely (if slightly unkempt) garden, the very one you've been hired to spruce up. It's only when you discover that your tools are missing and begin finding some strange polaroids that things start to go amiss. The townsfolk speak in a language you don't 🌊understand, there's a written no🧸te warning not to go out after dark, and a garden gnome that has a habit of moving when you're not looking. In three words, Grunn is a horror gardening game, but it's not the kind of horror where horrible monsters attack you. It's more subtle, like the uncomfortable feeling of putting your shoe on the wrong foot. Together with its lo-fi visuals, Grunn is a brilliantly eerie demo and with multiple endings and hidden secrets you'll have more on your to-do list than gardening tasks.  

9. The Crush House

Developer: Nerial
Release date: August 9, 2024

Aptly called a "thirst-person shooter", The Crush House demo puts you in the role of a reality TV producer who must film a cast of hotties and their drama in a pink Malibu mansion for a ravenous audience. You need to follow the talent throughout each day – catching their intimate conversations, trivial catfights, and steamy romances on camera – while also keeping track o♑f what the fans think, which you can see by reading the comment bubbles that pop up via a live text chat. It's satire that pokes fun at the shallowness of reality TV, while also being fun and frantic. The different mechanics and systems at work here are like nothing I've seen before, making for a demo that feels refreshingly original.  It's a beasty demo, too, clocking in at just under 2 hours. There's de🌳finitely something darker going on underneath the pink pastel surface, and it looks like we won't have to wait too long to find out what that is as The Crush House is releasing on August 9.  

8. Dungeons of Hinterberg

Developer: Microbird Games
Release date: July 18, 2024

Who knew a hack-and-slack adventure where you slay hordes of monsters could be so utterly charming? Dungeons of Hinterberg is exactly that, an action-adventure set in the picturesque landscape of the Austrian Alps. You play as Luisa, an ex-lawyer turned monster slayer who sets out for the wholesome town of Hinterberg to become a Master Slayer. This demo is absolutely packed with activities. You'’ll be whacking monsters inspired by Alpine mythology, using ice b🌌eam magic to solve environmental puzzles, exploring snow-capped peaks, dungeon-delving to find loot, traversing an anti-gravity parallel world, and summoning a hoverboard to ride rails and glide through the snow. This demo packs a punch and is not to be missed. 

7. Parcel Corps 

Developer: Billy Goat Entertainment Ltd
Release date: September 3, 2024

If you were a fan of last year's Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, then you need to try the Parcel Corps demo, like, right now. In this bike racing adventure, you’ve thrown your 9-5 job straight in t🦩he bin and have started a new job as a freelance bicycle courier. The city is your playground as you race through back alleys, busy roads, and rooftops at top speeds. What's impressive are the tricks at your disposal, as your wheeling arsenal includes bunny hops, wall slides, rail grinding, sliding, and bouncing off the tops of cars. The goal of the game is to take on jobs and deliver packages against the clock in some high-octane peddling, but there's also fun found in just cycling through the city pulling off tricks as you go free of time pressure. Time to switch out that business briefcase for a helmet and spandex, I'm thinking. 

6. Demonschool

Developer: Necrosoft Games
Release date: September 13, 2024

Everyone loves punching demons in the face, and my god, Demonschool somehow will make you love it even more. It's a Persona-inspired turn-based RPG where you play as Faye, the last demon hunter in the world, and together with her group of college misfits they’ve been tasked with beating up supernatural spooks while also trying to survive the throes of college. Demonschool's turn-based combat is full of fun and flair. You got your classic action points, party combos, buffs and debuffs, but everything feels so glossy. When attacks connect, there's a burst of arcane color, environments are bathed in a wonderful pinky-purple hue, and the combination of a church choir and synth in the soundtrack would pump up even the meekest slayer. You also need to balance these ghoulish brawls with the game's life sim elements, including hanging out with friends to strengthen your connection, planning your school schedule to enhance your skills, and completing side ques🍸ts in the wider world. If you need more of a reason to check out the demo, it can be summed up briefly as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Game. 

5. Rise of the Golden Idol

Developer: Color Gray Games
Release Date: TBC 2024

This is not a drill, folks. The sequel to The Case of the Golden Idol has a demo, and it’s utterly fantastic. If you haven’t played one of the best detective/puzzle/invest🦩igation games of the last decade, this demo will absolutely convince you to do exactly that. Rise of the Golden Idol continues to follow the titular idol’s bloody path, as history in the game’s strange alternative reality marches on into the 1970s. The core of the game’s fill-in-the-blank mysteries is the same but with some neat UI and graphics updates, but the biggest addition is that of an overarching fill-in-the-blank puzzle that you can fill out in between scenarios. If you're someone who often misses subtle story beats (guilty) this all-encompassing end-of-chapter puzzle acts as a great summary of the story up to that point. Who knew you could improve upon perfection? Essentially, Rise of the Golden Idol is The Case of the Golden Idol, but better. 

4. Tiny Glade

Developer: Pounce Light
Release date: TBC 2024

If you're looking to kick back with a relaxing demo, Tiny Galde will massage your brain until it's completely smooth. Think along the lines of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Summerhouse, but with lush natural landscapes instead of just the tinyhomes. In this whimsical sandbox, you’re given tools to make a quaint little glade complete with bursts of flowers, dirt pathways, and stone buildings. This demo is only a sneak-peak, so access to the game's full toolbox is currently limited, but there is more than enough here to get those creative juices flowing. Not only can you place pretty landscape pieces, you can terraform the surrounding land to your heart's conte⭕nt. The absolutely best things about this demo are the smaller details that appear as a result of your choices while building. Create a p♓athway on a rocky hill, and little stone steps will appear. Place several windows in a tower, and one will have a flower box and the other a white sheet hanging out to dry. This demo is a wonderful little thing, perfect for cottagecore girlies and fans of relaxing sandbox builders. 

3. The Alters

Developer: 11bit studios
Release date: TBC 2024

One of the most impressive demos on this list, in terms of narrative richness and conceptual ingenuity right off the bat, is without a doubt The Alters. You can read more about it in GR+'s hands-on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Alters preview, but this story-driven sci-fi base builder is one you should keep a keen eye on. The demo begins at the game’s prolog, kicking things off with a shocking discovery. Jan Dolski lands on a new planet to find that this entire crew (including the captain) did not survive the landing. Playing as Jꦆan you need to explore the planet for resources, build new work stations on the ship, and  communicate with a strange static-like entity in order to survive. The twist here is that you can clone yourself with their own unique skillsets that are determined by revisiting simulated events from Jan’s life and making different choices - it’s kinda bonkers. Not only that but you can get to know each clone as they have their own personalities. There is so much more to The Alters than I can fit here, but in a nutshell, it’s a incredibly refreshing take on the survival base-builder, and if this demo is anything to go on, The Alters the potential to be one of the best sci-fi games of 2024.

2. Anger Foot

Developer: Free Lives
Release date: July 11, 2024

There are two ways to play the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Anger Foot demo. One is to break down a door and pick enemies off one by one, and the other is to race through all guns blazing, furiously kicking and whirling around like a foot tornado. I opted for the second approach, which is how I feel developer Free Lives intended Anger Foot to be played. It's a high-octane action FPS where booting your enemies is often better than putting a bullet between their brows. Its garish visuals and pumping OST spur you on as you boot down doors and kick thuggish enemies in the face. If I𓄧 had to make one chan♑ge, it would be for its respawn time to be much quicker. Regardless of my personal preferences, this demo is relentless, dynamic, and stylish – a true Devolver Digital production to a T.

1. Dustborn

Developer: Red Thread Games
Release Date: August 20, 2024

Dustborn feels like a mix of Road 96 and Life is Strange fused together and dropped into a near-future America of an alternate timeline. You play as Pax: an exile, con-artist, and bass player traveling with a motley crew as an undercover punk band hoping to deliver a package from one side of the US to the other. Don't let that fool you: Dustborn is a sci-fi game with a lot of variety. The demo sees you braw𒈔ling with robot cops, rehearsing a new punk song, chatting with your bandmates, and saving someone from getting crushed underneath your tour bus. You know, the usual roadtrip antics. The demo feels a little disjointed with its string of story scenes from different points in the game, but they each successfully showcase what Dustforce is all about – and the picture I'm getting is more than enough to get excited about.

Deadlock is the supposed name of Valve's upcoming third-person hero shooter, previously known as Neon Prime in a trademark filed two years ago. Several Valve content creators and leakers began to dish informati𝓀o🗹n about the project, calling it 🔥a 6v6 "combination of Dota 2, Team Fortress 2, Overwatch, Valorant, Smite, Orcs Must Die" with tower defense sprinkles and suspended metal rails used for traversal à la Bioshock Infinite. 

A series of images purportedly leaked online following the Deadlock whispers, and now, a new one-minute seemingly shows the game in action. The video shows a character ziplining across the map using the suspended railways bef꧂ore experimenting with their pistol and perusing the menus, wh🍌ich reveal 19 playable characters.

Among the maybe-playable heroes are a magical archer call♉ed Grey Talon, a sneaky character called Haze who reminds me of Overwatch's Sombra, a pyromaniac aptly named Infernus, a health-stealing Lady Geist, and a winged goblin I'm particularly fond of already. The footage is said to be from an ongoing closed beta where these 19 characters are all playable. 

Deadlock's announcement could be imminent, according to the abovementioned leakers like , who claimed that the shooter was currently in the playt🌃esting phase of development, not only from Valve's own developers but also from content creators. Returning to the hero shooter genre with a new series as opposed to just counting to three with Team Fortress is probably the most Valve m🔥ove available, but we'll need to wait for an official announcement before anything is set in stone. 

Check out all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming PC games for more.

On March 18, Steam 'Steam Families,' which combines the already existing Family Sharing and Steam Family View while adding a few more features. The new plan allows you to invite up to five users that you can manage from the Steam Client, mobile devic⛎e, or web browser. Al▨l five family members will have access to a range of features with the adults determining what child members can get up to.

Just like before, the new ver♈sion of Steam Family will let everyone in the plan gain access to the shareable games in your library. Since each user will have their own profile, you don't need to worry about anyone accessing your saves or earning your achievements for you. It also isn't restricted when another member is online, meaning💦 you won't have to wait around to take turns.

Like with all family accounts, Parental Controls are available. In short, thඣe adults of the account can allow access to appropriate games, restrict access to the Steam Store, Community, or Friends Chat, set playtime limits, view playtime reports, recover a child's account if they lose their password, and more. 

Perhaps most interestingly, the Parental Controls also let the kids on the plan send requests to the adults for extended playtime and to purchase items in their shopping cart on their behalf. I can already see a l𝓀ot of kids sending constant requests to their parents for new games.

At the end of the post, Valve has an FAQ 🉐for Steam's new family plan. Alongside the usual questions like 'Who can be in a Steam family?' and 'Do I need to share all of my games with my family?' you'll find the question 'What happens if my brother gets banned for cheating while playing my game?' which seems very specific. 

In ♎case you were curious, it's bad news if your brother does happen to be a cheater, as: "If a family member gets banned for cheating while playing you𝓀r copy of a game, you (the game owner) will also be banned in that game."

Take a look at our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming PC games list to find out what games you could soon be sharing on Steam's new family plan. 

Crowbar Collective, the team of Half-Life fans behind Black Mesa, has got our attention after semi-revealing a mysterious new project. On February 23, the stu🌺dio uploaded a video to its YouTube channel along with a simple caption: "Incoming signal." As you'd expect, the video gives us very little context in terms of what this signal is, but its description tells fans to head to its and sign up fꦰor "future updates and beta tests."

If you're not familiar with Crowbar Collective, the team started as a group of fans wanting to develop a mod for Half-Life. After a third-party remake of Valve's FPS using the company's Source game engine, the team managed to catch the attention of Valve itself, which approved a commercial version of Black Mesa that launched via in 2015.ܫ 

Now, in 2024, the team has grown into an independent developer who, according to its website," loves Half-Life, loves game design, and is committed to creating high-quality content." It's unclear if Crowbar Collective's next project is another Half-Life reimagining, related to Valve at all, or perhaps an original IP - we'll have 🎉to wait and see what that incoming signal is before we make any proper predictions. 

Naturally, this hasn't stopped fans from trying to figure out what Crowbar Collective is working on. Since the trailer features four♍ different beams of light, many have begun linking the colors to various Half-Life add-ons, with purple being Half-Life: Decay, green being Half-Life: Opposing Force, blue being Half-Life: Blue Shift, and so on. 

In other news, Half-Life could have been called 'Fallout,' according to a former Valve developer.

While we wait for more news from Crowbar Collective, take a look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best FPS games.

Not to lean into clichés, but the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming handheld scene has changed a lot since the Steam Deck made its debut. Fierce rivals like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Ally and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Lenovo Legion GO are out to ജsteal the portable PC’s lunch money, and new contenders will inevitably arrive to join the pile on. With that in mind, it makes sense that Valve would want to refine its baby and arm it with an edge, one that I reckon will help it defend itself in the schoolyard until the Steam Dec🧔k 2 eventually comes along. 

It’s worth hammering home that,🎉 despite its name, the Steam Deck OLED brings more than just a fantastic new display to the fold. Ultimately, it feels like Valve has used every bit of feedback, no matter how small, to really nudge the handheld ever closer to portable perfection. There’s certainly still room for debate on the performance side of things versus the competition, but that doesn’t change the fact that the new Stea༺m Deck is the definitive version. 

Price and Specs 

Starting , the Steam Deck OLED hasn’t outright replaced the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:original LCD model. In fact, you can still grab the 256GB version for $349 / $399, so the high end panel hasn’t for🧸ced baseline prices higher. We’re pretty much talking about a similar model tier system as before, only now, you’ll end up with that nicer screen as well as anti-glare etched glass and a 1TB SSD if you splash out on the most expensive option. 

Measuring in at 7.4-inch, the screen is slightly larger than the original while occupying the same footprint as the original when you account for the ever so slightly slimmer bezels. What’s more impressive is the displဣay’s faster 90Hz refresh rate, and I’d argue that it’s a sweet spot when you take the capabilities of the handheld’s APU into account.

Speaking of which, the OLED model swaps out the original’s AMD ‘Aerith’ APU for a new 6nm ‘Sephiroth’ chip. Cute code name references aside, the new die boasts enhanced power efficiency rather than a performance hike, meaning you’ll still only be able to boost fps to around the same level. That’ll disappoint some of you out there that are hungry for more handheld frames, but the switch up does help the Deck run for between 3-12 hours on a single charge, albeit with 🥃a little help from a beefier 50Whr battery. 

Design 

On the surface, the Steam Deck OLED looks nearly identical to its predecessor, and that’s absolutely a good thing. It still features curves in all the right places, and it wears its analogue sticks up front like a Wii U cosplayer. However, Valve has♍ sneakily switched out its thumb sticks for a pair with a deeper convex dip on top, dressed in black this time around rather than the original two-tone grey. Goth aesthetic aside, the new grips do add to the experience, especially if you’re used to using an Xbox pad on other machines.

The only 🦩other noticeable visual difference is the power button, as it’s now that signature Valve orange flavour rather than just black. It’s amazing how slight accent changes can shake up the Steam Dec🤡k’s vibe, as even though the OLED model is almost identical to the original, it’s uniquely identifiable at just a glance. I do wish Valve would offer up unique colorways, but that’s more of a personal gripe tied to my love of ‘90s translucent shells.

In contrast to simply looking at the handheld, picking up the Steam Deck OLED hammers home that it’s a different device. It we💧ighs 29 grams less than the original version, and while I didn’t think that’d make any noticeable difference, my hands say otherwise. Shedding any chonk without spoiling that sense of robust build quality is a huge win in my book, not to mention the handheld still feels nicely balanced.

Just like the original, the new OLED model comes with a case, and Valve has even improved things on that front.  At first, I didn't think it was too dissimilar to the clamshell that came with the OG 512GB model, but after having a closer look, I realised it's ac🎉tually two cases in one. The new design means you can pull a smaller zip cover out of the larger hard velcro cover, and as someone that's always trying to squeeze the chonkier case into my bag, I'm super hyped about this new Matryosh🐬ka doll setup. 

Features

It’d be weird if I didn’t dive into the new Steam Deck OLED screen, so allow me to fill you in on its showstopper feature first. Those of you who previously upgraded from the OG Switch to the newer 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch OLED will already be aware of the benefits, but these boil down to🦂 more vibrant colors, better contrast, and deeper blacks, resulting in𝓰 better visual range than a traditional LCD panel. 

Normally, these screens compromise on brightness, but in the case of the Steam Deck OLED, the new panel is actually 1,000 nits vs just 400 nits with the original LCD. Effectively, you’ll experience the best of 𓃲both worlds using the refreshed handheld, which is pretty spectacular given the boons of organic 👍LED tech. If you opt for the top end model, you’ll also end up with an etched anti-glare coating, something that made a tremendous difference when using the OG handheld.

The rest of what the Steam Deck OLED has to offer effectively carries over from the original device, including its haptics, touchpads, and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Steam Deck dock support. I am pretty pleased that improvements have been made to both rumble and pads, as these are both features that felt half baked the first time around. Using the touchpads now feels pretty tactile, with vibrations helping create rolling and clicking sens꧙ations that feel authentic. 

While it's not a new feature, I also want to highlight just how far SteamOS has come as an operating system. Sure, its Linux foundations still come with compatibility caveats, but compared to Windows 11, it's wonderful to navigate and p🌳laces every handheld function you might need within a few clicks. It's absolutely one of the Deck's strongest selling points, and both the OLED and LCD version will only get better thanks over time thanks to Valve's in-house suite.

Performance 

As I’ve already touched on, in-game Steam Deck OLED performance should more or less be on par with the original. Still, I decided to run some benchmarks anyway, just to see how frame rates fair against the original and new rivals like the ROG Ally, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Ayaneo 2S, and Legion GO. If you’re solely focussed🌳 on higher numbers, you might be better off checking out those more expensive devices, but I’d strongly argue that fps is part of the story whe𓃲n it comes to portable prowess. 

Kicking things off with Cyberpunk 20𒀰77, and both the OLED and LCD models produce practically the same results at 800p. Again, hardly surprising since we’re talking about the same RDNA 2 specs. What I didn’t expect, however, is to see a wider gap in Hitman 3, with the new Deck edging slightly ahead with 4fps higher average frame rates. Same situation applies to Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which I find fascinating considering both chips are meant to be technically the same.

Comparatively, the Steam Deck still can't throw the same performance punches as handhelds armed with an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme. That is a pitfall if you're looking for the loftiest portable frame rates possible, and I wouldn't blame you for investing in something like the ROG Ally if that's the case. That said, we're technically talking about a device that's a generation behind those rivals. Plus Valve's handheld arguabl𒈔y balances performance better than the likes of the Legion GO, which seeming aims to impress with frame rates at thܫe expense of price and usability.

I’m not sayi🐷ng these results are so different that they’re not within tolerances, and repeated benchmarks could perhaps narrow the gap. But, as things currently, 𝐆the Steam Deck OLED seems to have a very slight performance edge over the LCD model, which I’m going to put down to either efficiencies made via its new 6nm APU design or something else related to subtle hardware changes. The difference really isn’t big enough to even notice, but if you’re nerdy about frame rates, that’s the skinny.

Raw figures aside, I want to highlight just how much the new 90Hz OLED display contributes to performance on multiple levels. The faster refresh rate makes everything feel that much slicker, even at lower frame rates. Navigating both SteamOS and in-game menus feels♓ super responsive, and playing older classics at higher frame rates is a treat. Let’s just say that my Dishonored replay has now made some progress thanks to how smooth it feels on Valve’s revamped handheld.

It’d also be criminal of me not to circle back to the brilliant OLED screen itself and the glow up it has given a chunk of my Steam library. The dank streets of Dunwall punch harder on the dinky display, and if you caught my thoughts about playing the Children of the Sun demo previously, you’ll know that it really flaunts the new Deck’s crispy contrast capabilities. However, I think what properly convinced me the upgrade is worthwhile was diving into Tomb Raider Remastered Trilogy, as even playing using classic graphics added so much depth to the caper’s famili🍨ar caves.

Visuals aside, the Steam Deck OLED also makes good on its longer battery life promises, even if the extra runtime isn’t extraordinary. I was able to play continuously without dialling frame rates ღor refresh rate back for almost four hours before reaching for a charger, versus just und🏅er three hours using my original unit. Valve has also made progress when it comes to cooling, as not only did the handheld feel less toasty this time around, reaching around 60°C under load, but its fans didn’t really catch my attention during regular gameplay. 

Should you buy the Steam Deck OLED? 

It’s safe to say that if you’re looking for the best ve✤rsion of Valve’s handheld, the Steam Deck OLED is where it’s at. Swapping out the original LCD for a punchy, faster panel sweetens the deal, but I’d say it’s all the refinements and tweaks to every part of the portable PC that elevate it further.

I’m not ashamed to admit that Valve’s handheld has reclaimed my heart, as with so many compelling alternatives on the market, it’s hard to resist the allure of better performance. However, with SteamOS providing the most robust experience out there in terms of software, and the Steam Deck OLED proving you can teach an older device new tricks, I’m convinced that the mini PC can maintain its place at the top for a little longer, even 🃏if the Asus ROG Ally continues to bite at its🐽 ankles. 

How I tested the Steam Deck OLED 

For a month, I used the Steam Deck OLED to play PC games in place of my original LCD model. During that time, I dived into numerous ga𓂃mes in my spare time, including Tomb Raider Remastered Trilogy and Steam Next Fest 2024 demos like Children of the Sun. I also used Cyberpunk 2077, Hitman 3, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider for benchmarking, having previously used those same releases to test other handhelds like the original Deck, ROG Ally, and Legion GO. 

During all ses𓆉sions, I also kept the LCD model nearby so as to compare its visuals, battery life, and fan noise to the Steam Deck OLED. In addition, I spent time examining the new hardware next to the original to check for physical differences that correlate to s♓pec changes.

For more information on how we test handhelds and other portable devices, check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ hardware policy.

Looking for something with more oomph? Check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming laptops and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming PCs for a selection of powerhouse rigs. Alternatively, swing by the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming monitors for the perfect panel to match your system.

As you've likely already gleaned from the headline above: it was not, in any way, easy peasy. As I'd discover the hard way (by dying, again and again and again), there was far more to this cavern-crawling roguelike than I ever could have bargained for. Because while enemies early doors include a genre-familiar foray of bats, zombies, goblins and orcs, ඣlater levels introduce everything from Minotaurs to Kitten Wraiths, Grim Reapers, Poison Warlocks, Snake Wizards, Vampires (who flit between humanoid form and swarms of bats), Lich Kings (who summon hordes of skeleton minions), physics-defying Unicorns, the actual Devil itself, and a Giant Skull who's described as "the absolute ultimate in Magical prowess." 

Throw in the fact that no two runs are the same, and the fact that Legend of Dungeon is powered by some brutally unforgiving permadeath mechanics, and, yeah, you quickly find yourself up shit creek without a paddle. So much so that I've spent over a decade on and off trying to beat it, and have never once come close. Me waxing lyrical about a game now over 10 years old could be a feature article in itself I'm sure, but the most interesting part this story isn't how challenging Legend of Dungeon is – it's the fact that its develop🐼er, RobotLovesKitty, created the game in a treehouse in the woods using 4G cell phone data.

Night(s) in the woods 

Yes, you read that right. I wrote about development duo Calvin Goble and Alix Stolzer's, let's say, unorthodox, living arrangement-meets-game dev studio several years ago – exploring how the two-person indie outfit traded their Manhattan apartment for a treehouse in the woods in Vermont. In the process, the pair gave up the daily domestic luxuries many of us take for granted (not least instantaneous hot water) for a 350-square foot purpose-built home that sat eight feet off the ground, was powered by homemade solar paneling, within a space shared by v𓂃ery real and very vicious black bears. 

You can read the 2015 interview in full by following the link above, but Goble and Stolzer's decision to up sticks was primarily driven by career goals and efficiency. In 2011🐈, both Goble and Stolzer sought full-time careers in game development, and with friends having𒁃 already moved into similar, more affordable living conditions, the pair could see the value in living remotely from the outside looking in. A couple of years after the move, a combination of cellular 4G internet and a successful Kickstarter campaign – which asked for $5,000 but received $32,999 – brought Legend of Dungeon into the world; initially via Steam's Greenlight initiative before being released on Valve's digital storefront proper in late 2013. 

Which is when I discovered it. Truth be told, Legend of Dungeon has haunted me ever since. It's brilliant, brutal, heartwarming and heartbreaking; one of the most fant☂astic games I have downloaded to my Steam library and yet easily one of the most frustrating. I've spent over a decade trying to crack it, but have never once come close to watching the credits roll. 

I actually couldn't tell you how many times I've tried to guide the 26th-floor treasure back to the surface, and I can go months at a time without trying – putting each ill-fated pilgrimage to the back of mind in the vague hope that distance🐻 will help me return stronger. Bu💞t it never does. If ever I actually make it all the way down to the final floor (which, admittedly, isn't very often), I'm invariably slaughtered on my ascent by any of the bastard baddie shopping list illustrated above. 

And you know what? I love it. Every ill-fated run excites me because what if the next one is the one? So far, that's never been the case, and I'm not even sure that I ever want it to be. What would then become my go-to game when I'm💜 staring at my hundreds-strong Steam library and can't decide what to play? That's an outcome I want to avoid, more than a thousand Poison Warlocks or a seven-foot tall, 400-pound Vermont forest black bear. If you fancy taking Legend of Dungeon for a spin, . And if you manage to return with the treasure💝, keep it to yourself because I don't want to know. 

Check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best roguelikes to play today 

Let's rewind a bit (because I know I need to). As first reported, Midwest Furfest is a furry c👍onvention that took place back in December 2023, and as chronicled by YouTuber and VR enthusiast Brad Lynch, someone was handing out fliers for elaborate෴ - and very fake - Valve headsets called the 'Deckard' at the convention.

The teaser fliers claimed the Valve Deckard would launch on February 14,🦄 Valentine's Day, which was yesterday, in case you didn't notice or forgot. It just so happens that yesterday, promoting a new headset called the Valve Prism went live, claiming to be advertising a brand new headset from the developer boasting micro-OLED displays in a "full-blown PC."

The new headse𝓰t supposedly offers "built-in eye and face-tracking, automatic interpupillary distance adjustment, and foveated rendering," which is seemingly a sentence that can get VR enthusiasts seriously jazzed. The 512GB model of the Valve Prism retails for $1,299.00, while the 1TB model will set you back $1,499.00. That would be if the headset was real, though.

Because the Valve Prism is most definitely fake. Apparently, some VR folk got caught off guard by the website, but as the community note attached to the tweet below points out, "the domain🃏 is registered very recently with Cloudflare, while Valve uses Safenames and Network Solutions for user facing domains." It's also seemingly a complete reskin oꦉf the .

So yes, what started out as a joke at the Midwest Furfest furry convention in December 2023 was used to momentarily fool people tha⛦t a new Valve headset was here in February 2024. Just in case there was anything lingering doubt whatsoever, PC Gamer got a staꦚtement from Valve that says the Valve Prism is most definitely a fake headset. Sorry if you got your hopes up.

Read our guide to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best VR headsets if you're looking to pick up a virtual reality headset that's actually real.

Some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best games of Steam Next Fest showed off truly delectable indie terrors that jumped straight to the top of my wishlist. The event might have wrapped on February 12, but the lingering impact of these bitesize horror demos has stayed with me. Below, you'll find my top three horror demos of this month's Steam Next Fest – as well as insight from each developer on what Valve's event means for indie horror creators s꧒earching for the perfect community.

Crow Country

Developer: SFB Games

"Crow Country was born out of two hobbies I developed over lockdown a few years ago: one was playing PS1 survival-horror games, and the other was making games in MediaMolecule's Dreams," so says Adam Vian, one half of the brotherly duo that comprises SFB Games. Crow Country is one of the indie horror demos from Steam Next Fest that you're likely to have heard plenty about already, but the charm, fluidity, and picture-perfect nostalgia of it cannot be over༒stated.

That being said, it still feels like a fresh experience despite its PS1 graphics – and that's all down to Crow Country's unique conflation of classic survival horror and modern sensibilities. "A lot of retro PS1-style games might make everything low-poly, as was usually the case for 3D games back then. However, I enjoyed decorating the environments so much, they quickly became high poly – but, cruci🏅ally, the filters on the camera made them look like the pre-rendered background art seen in Resident Evil, and in particular, Final Fantasy VII," says Vian.

These are just two of the touchstones SFB Games used in creating Crow Country, with Parasite Eve 2 and all the Silent Hill games (played back-to-back voraciously) as other influences. "Some people have also said Crow Country reminds them of Little Big Adventure, which, I mean, I see it. I love Little Big Adventure," Vian muses. "I love any game where the world feels like a little interact𓃲ive shoebox diorama."

In terms of what Steam Next Fest has done for Tom and Adam Vian, it's almost a no-brainer. "We've had lots of new eyes on the game, lots of new demo downloads and plenty more all-important wishlists. Overall it's been a really, really important step in the run up to the full release. We got quite lucky, actually – Next Fest fell at a good moment for us this year." Does this sound like a little teaser that perhaps we can expect a full release soon? I might be getting my hopes up, but it's a good thing I'll be able to dip back into the Crow Country dꦐemo a few more times in preparation for the grisly full picture.

Beyond Hanwell

Developer: Steel Arts Software

Years ago, I played a little game on Nintendo Switch that endedꦫ up becoming one of my favorite ever indie horror finds. Welcome to Hanwell's upcoming technical sequel, Beyond Hanwell, has only set that bar higher. I say 'technical' because, as Stee♓l Arts Software's solo dev Nathan says, "it's a standalone project being treated as almost a completely new concept."

The Beyond Hanwell demo released as part of Steam Next Fest takes us to the streets of a nightmarish rendition of London. A miasma of evil and decay cloaks every inch as you fight back against the horrors that lurk all around you. "In terms of inspiration, the most obvious I think is the old Condemned series," says Nathan. "I’ve borrowed a lot of the ideas on combat and atmosphere from those games. Also, series like 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Resident Evil (specifically 7 and 8), Bioshock, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Alan Wake, and of course Silent Hill had a major effect on me, which will inevitably seep into how I approach designing Beyond Hanwell." These influences are palpable in its grimy, atmospheric approach to dread and helplessness, and paired wi🍰th its stunning photorealistic graphics, results in the kind of gnarly terror you can almost taste and smell.

Nathan cites the event itself as paramount to Beyond Hanwell's success in many ways, especially in these pre-release stages. "Steam Next Fest has been invaluable, and the value of the visibility increase on Steam can’t be overstated," he says, especially praising♈ the community for all its feedback. According to Nathan, this increased visibility has seen Beyond Hanwell's wishlist numbers more than double over the course of Steam Next Fest.

It all speaks to the horror genre's rಞesurgent popularity, as well as Steam's ability to help indie developers find their passionate communities. "More people interested in horror means more people to create for," says Nathan, "Which ma💯kes me extremely happy!"

Mouthwashing

Developer: Wrong Organ

Mouthwashing is an utterly fascinating indie horror game, and my fellow Staff Writer Jordan Gerblick 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:agrees with me. If the concept i🐬tself doesn't draw you in – a lost spaceship with a cargo hold full of mouthwash, drifting about in the atmosphere as its inhabitants slowly go insane – its stunning point-and-click pixel art stylings will. It punches both the nostalgic and novel cards for me in terms of what I look for in indie horror games, fully leaning into its weirdness and daring you to explore its depths.

This game is a strange, entrancing, ominous little beast, but it's one that the studio has received plenty of attention and praise for. "Gaining traction for your game is tough, no matter how strange and fucked up we make them," says Wrong Organ's Kai Moore, and Valve's indie event "p✤lays a huge role in the low-budget marketing campaigns for small indie studios like Wrong🐲 Organ."

The Mouthwashing demo gives us a taste of its dual storylines in action, the pre and post-crash timelines overlapping and chopping back and forth between each other. After the crash, the ship feels far more ominous. "Vents and pipes grow louder, more ꦍmetal creaks are introduced as well as a low “feel it, don’t hear it” rumble to make the ship feel much more unsafe," says Moore, while special segments and horror sequences are underscored with music to play into a "d🌊reamlike atmosphere." 

"Quite early on in the development of Mouthwashing ♔we zoned in on describing the overall vibe as 'sunset horror' – this concept of a slow, languid type of dread," describes Moore. "We wanted to emphasize the waning hope of the stranded crew and how their professional relationships begin to strain the longer they are stuck." There's a distinct sense of unanchored, temporal loss in Mouthwashing – i🌳t's not a timeless space, but a liminal world that exists beyond the reaches of time. With inspiration drawn from the likes of The Shining, Twin Peaks, and Silent Hill, its untethered characters seem to reflect their drifting space-prison.

These 13 games prove that 2024 is the year of weird horror.

The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming handheld battlefield is anything but standardized, and the Steam Deck and its competition all boast different specs. There are some similarities to be found between contenders, like the fact they all for the most part feature an array of buttons surrounding some sort of touch screen. Naturally, that🍌’s where the common ground ends, as portable PC guns for 𓂃a different performance and resolution target, which ultimately affects how your games will look and feel on the go.

Again, the higher resolution Steam Deck screen upgrade isn’t a new thing. That said, creators are now rolling out an easier way to make it happen. Highlighted by , the display makers have announced that they’re teaming up with The Spark Angels, a team that normally repairs iPhones. In terms of pricing, the service will reportedly set you back $198 but includes the screen and a turnaround time of seven♑ days. If you haven’t got your own panel to hand, there will also be a $99 option. As an added bonus, both offers including💝 shipping.

Steam Deck specs are a balancing act 

Just so we’re clear, I’m not here to outright tell you not to upgrade your Steam Deck screen. As someone who likes tinkering with hardware old and new, I completely get the appeal. What I do want to avoid is anyone thinking the upgrade will both come with no strings attached and magically give Valve’s handheld the same punch as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Ayaneo 2S or 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Ally.

Ultimately, swapping your Steam Deck screen out for a 1200p panel is no different than pairing a modest 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming PC with one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best 4K gaming monitors. Doing so won’t cause any inherent issues, not least until you try and actually run games at native resolution. Simply put, sticking with a displܫay resolution that suits the rig atཧtached matters, as you’ll otherwise have to deal with less-than-stellar performance and an additional inability to boost fps when required.

This is actually something I experienced recently during my 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Lenovo Legion GO review, as I’d argue the handheld’s 1600p 144Hz display isn’t a great match. Don’t get me wrong, there are a bunch of older ♏games out there that you’ll be able to run at QHD to make sure of the higher resolution, but for the most part, it felt like I had to scale things back to 800p to achieve an enjoyable level of performance. 

Rather than trying to get the Steam Deck to perform tricks it wasn’t really designed for, I’d instead suggest picking up a portable that’s already capable. You only need to hook up Valve’s handheld to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Steam Deck dock to realize it doesn’t like venturing beyond 1080ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚp𓄧 in most recent games. Adding a beefier display to the device will also place more strain on its already limited battery life, in turn hampering portability to a hilarious degree.

If you’re planning on solely playin🧸🐬g some PC classics or low-spec indies on your Steam Deck, then opting for a DeckHD upgrade could still be worthwhile. After all, the panel also offers enhanced sRGB coverage and improved touch responsiveness. Otherwise, it’s best not to disrupt Valve’s carefully balanced specs, and there are plenty of alternatives out there for those of you craving to roam with higher resolutions in hand.

It's worth hammering home that this screen is de𒀰signed for the original Steam Deck LCD mod🐽el. Not I can imagine anyone wanting to ditch the new OLED version's punch panel for something that's just higher res, but it's worth touching on just in case.

Looking for something with a portable punch? Check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming laptop for a selection of powerhouse rigs.

That's according to estimates from the posted earlier today (January 7 ) that also claim 10,837,140 players were logged into games during that time, breaking another Steam record. Valve previously topped its player records a full twelve months ago when, for the very first time, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:over 1♒0 million users booted up games concurrently in January 2023. It seems that the year's first full weekend is a prime time for us all to enjoy our freshly-redeemed holiday goodi𒅌es. 

This weekend's most-played chart toppers include the two usual suspects: Counter-Strike 2 at first place, with a 24-hour peak of 1.2 million concurrent players, and Dota 2 in second place, with over 730,000 players logging in today💖. 

Two other big performers include PUBG: Battlegrounds with over half a million players jumping in at its peak this weekend, followed by Baldur's Gate 3 with almost 300,000 concurrent players, a game that’s had remarkable staying power since its 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:record-smashing debut last year.  

The rest of the top ten is r🎉ounded out by indie horror Lethal Company, evergreen hero shooter Team Fortress 2, crime epic GTA V, multiplayer survival mainstay Rust, and Call of Duty - all of which passed at least 140,000 concurrent players this weekend. 

Steam has been on a slight record-breaking streak lately, with the platform hosting 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:over 14,000 games in 2023, a total that surpasses any previous year. The calendar year was probably propelled by the sheer number of games released, as well as games such as Starfield, Hogwarts Legacy, and Baldur’s Gate 🍸3 launching to c🍃hart-topping success. 

Check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming games of 2024 to keep up to date with this year’s newness. 

Update - January 6: Port✅al: Revolution has been delayed, mere hours before the conversion mod was supposed to be unlocked on Steam. 

Modding team Second Face Software published a to clarify that "the game is done" and could "ship at any 🤪moment, but Valve has yet to review and accept the game for release." Second Face attributes the long wait to the holiday period that has Valve running with a skeleton crew, although the wait shouldn't be too much longer since the storefront is supposedly reviewing 🔯the mod now. 

Original Story: Portal: Revolution is the𝓰 newest community-made mod for (arguably) the best puzzle game in existence, and the best part is that it's out today. 

Portal: Revolution serves as a prequel to Portal 2, set in the same crumbling Aperture Science ruins with greenery growing over concrete and clinical wall tiles. But it’s essentially an꧙ ent🥃irely new game with over 40 test chambers, fully-voiced original characters, and a unique story delivering around 8-hours of content. 

According to the mod’s storefront description, the "pu⭕zzle difficulty starts where Portal 2 stops" - so you might want to finish Valve's twisting comedy be❀fore jumping into the unofficial prequel. You need to own Portal 2 on to access the mod either way.

Despite starting on the tougher side, Revolution will still teach you about all its new toys and tricks before throwing you into the deep end with the deadly test chambers. New elements include a las♈er cube variant, rain that cleanses gel, and over 1🦹5 puzzles that somehow only use the blue Portal gun. 

Revolution certainly looks like a worthwhile few hours for Portal fans. Even though Glados’ searing, passive-aggressive jabs will be missed, the prospect of more mind-mending head-scratchers is definitely an exciting one. I'm far from the only one who's pumped for more puzzles, though, as the project's most recent trailer surpassed a million views on YouTube. There's clearly an appetite for more portalling - don't say it - if only Valve could count to three. 

For now, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best puzzlers that remind us of Portal and Portal 2. Or see how Portal speedrunners are ripping through records with the help of a coffee mug. 

Valve separates its into seven categories (Top Sellers based on revenue generated, New Releases, Most Played, Early Access, Steam Deck, Controller, VR), and the company curiously doesn’t rank the entries in order. Instead, ꧂the best-performing games are grouped into platinum, gold, silver, and bronze tiers. 

Baldur’s Gate 3, Starfield, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Hogwarts Legacy, and survival sequel Sons of the Forest were the only new games this year to show up in the platinum tier across the Top Sellers and Most Played categories. That l🐬atter category rewards games that have crossed 300,000 concurrent Steam players, so the only other entrants include the usual evergreen suspects - Destiny 2, PUBG, Counter-Strike 2, Apex Legends, Dota 2, Lost Ark and Goose Goose Duck.

Baldur’s Gate 3, specifically, dominated across the charts, showing up in literally every single group aside from the best-performing VR games - for obvious reasons. Starfield also made quite the splash, sliding into the most-played controller and Steam Deck games list. 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:🅠Microsoft hopes that momentum can continue as it did with Skyrim, which still placed on the top sellers charts, albeit slightly lower down. (It has reached senior citi🦹zen age in video game years, to be fair.)

Among 2023’s other best-performing games are Star Wars Jedi Survivor, Street Fighter 6, Resident Evil 4 Remake, EA Sports FC, Remnant 2, Armored Core 6, Payday 3, and Cities Skylines 2. Early Access graduates that reached platinum include Baldur’s Gate 3, M🏅y Time At Sandrock, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Marvel Snap, Ready Or Not, Sun Haven, Everspace 2, Wartales, Dave The Diver, Demonologist, Against The Storm, and Farlight 84.  

Platinum games in the VR category include musical slasher Beat Saber, fantasy hacker Blade & Sorcery, Pavlov, VTOL VR, Into The Radius, Bone Lab, Ghosts Of Tabor, Gorilla Tag, Fight Nights At Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2, Half-Life: Alyx, and the game that never dies, Skyrimꦡ VR.

Steam’s Winter Sale is still live with discounts on several of the above games, as well as many 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:standout Souslikes and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hidden gems. 

Of course, the subgenre’s big daddy (Fromsoftware) is participating in the festivities with a 40% reduction on its magnum opus, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Elden Ring, slashing the price down to £30/$36. The studio’s Souls-adjacent, ultra-fast, stylish-action game 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is also half price for £25/$30 - should you want something that tests your reflexe⭕s, rather than the quality of your character build.

2023 has been a standout year for the genre, and to celebrate the rare victory, three of this year’s big Soulslikes are also discounted. 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Remnant 2’s standard edition is currently £25/$30, while its Deluxe and Ultimate editions are also down by a steep 40%. The gothic slasher starring Pinocchio - the excellent Lies of P - is now just £40/$48, right in time for 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:more fairytale-themed bosꦺses next year. And finally, this year’s 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Lords of the Fallen reboo🌞t/seque෴l/thingymajig is down 35% and available for £32/$39.

For something with more guns, lasers, and mechanized crab foes, check out The Surge (now only £1.70/$2) and its sprawling sequel The Surge 2 (£5/6), aka the duo that lets you rip apart baddies before stripping them for upgrades. Another excellent duology comes from Blasphemous (£5/$6) and this year’s 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Blasphemous 2 (£18/$22), two unholy side-scrolling gems that have some welcome Metroidvania DNA in the mi﷽x. 

Also, a special shoutout to Death’s Door (£6.70/$8), which exists in the intersection between Soulslike and Zelda homage - interconnected levels, tough bosses, puzzles that utilize all your tools, and secrets that make you audibly “ooo⛄h” and “ahh.” I promise. You can check out more deals .

Steam Winter Sale also has Baldur’s Gate 3 on sale for the very first time.

Earlier this week, Valve pushed this year’s festive winter update, called Frostivus, which promised to gift players on the nice list and punish those on the naughty list. The publisher/developer said that the ban hammer would be coming down hard on♔ thousands of players who used smurf accounts, engaged in toxic behavior, or paid toไ arbitrarily boost behavior scores. 

Twitch streamer “masondota2” was one of the poor naughty list victims, and he opened his chunk of coal gift live on-stream. The clip below sees the streamer open his gift chest, disco🍌ver the Highly Toxic Lump Of Coal, and react to his unexpected permanent ban: “What if I just never opened it? Are they serious?” Not the most jolly Christmas gift.

The streamer then took to Reddit (in a now-deleted post) to talk about the ban and admit to using a behavior booster, which is when someone else plays on your account n⛄icely to increase your behavior score. Players with lower behavior scores will usually be mat𝔉ched together for a toxic showdown, and wait times are also relatively longer. Some viewers had already the streamer’s inconsistent scores a month ago, so it’s no surprise that Valve has clocked on too. 

Valve’𒆙s crackdown on rule breakers comes shortly before the new year and amid complaints around toxicity in Dota 2. Several comments on masondota2’s deleted call out frequently unpleasant interactions in the game over the last few years, but hopefully, that w♎ill change with Valve’s updated stance.

Are you one of the affected Smurfs? Check out the other 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best MOBAs available right now. 

The company mentioned the crackdown on smurf accounts in a hilariously brutal detailing this year's winter-themed Frostivus update. "You might remember back in September, we🍷 got out the ban hammer and permanently banned 90,000 smurf accounts," the post reads. 

Since then, Valve has continued monitori🉐ng behavior and is now "engaged in an even more aggressive ban wave, including many tens of thousands of smurf account bans toda𝔍y alone." It's Santa versus the Smurfs, then.

For those who are yet unsmurfed, smurfinღg refers to the act of creating multiple accounts, usually in competitive games to score easy wins against lower-level players.

"Aꦺnd smurfing isn't even the only naughty thing players are getting up to," the blog continues, citing bad behavior and paid behavior score farmers as other issues. "Regardless of how you've been naughty, we've been watching you (not while you're sleeping, calm down) and we're cracking down on all of it. Punishments will be handed out for all of the above, including behavior score penalties — and in serious cases, main account bannings.𒊎"

Valve explains that the permaban hammer is coming down so hard because "smurfing (and other negative behavior) makes matches worse," and the company wants to move in🎃to the new year with a clean slate. "We'd like to wish everyone a Happy Frostivus Update," says Valve, "except smurf accounts, who we assume will not enjoy the update as they choke♛ on their richly-deserved coal-flavored just desserts." Ouch. 

On the naughty list? Check out the other 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best MOBAs available right now. 

In the recently-released Half-Life: 25th Anniversary Documentaඣry, the Valve CEO reflects on the development and history of the studio's beloved game. During one portion of the documentary, Newell talks about realism in games, and how he's not really a fan for a pretty un꧅derstandable reason. 

Talking about Half-Life's development, Newell said: "You'd have these conversations where you'd be sitting in a design review and somebody [⛎would] say, that's not realistic." The developer continues: "And you're like, 'okay, what does that have?' like, 'explain to me why that's interesting.' Because in the real world, I have to write up lists of stuff I have to go to the grocery store to buy. And I have never thought to myself that realism is fun. I gꦅo play games to have fun." 

I can totally see where Newell is coming from, that being said I am guilty of trying to pay a mortgage to a cartoon tanuki for a house I don't actually own - something many 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans can relate to. 

It seems the Valve foun💖der's words have resonated with a lot of fans. For example, DUSK developer Dillon Rogers shared the quote along with the caption: "I need to pin this at the top of my Steam forums. So many people do not understand the difference between something be🐼ing realistic vs. something being engaging." Continuing in a , Rogers explained: "Something can be a great and in-depth simulation of something real."

Talking about the bread-making goblins in Arkane Studios' Arx Fatalis, the developer adds: "'Realism' is not always the goal. Realism would be 'it should take hours to bake.'" Rogers then goes on to summarise the difference between realism and something being realistic in games: "A simulation evokes the feeling and logic of something, and operates on its believability. It can be de🐎signed to be a compelling representation of an action. But that is not the same as 'it is realistic.'" 

Gabe Newell isn't the only person revisiting Half-Life on its 25th anniversary. Dario Casali, who started working at Valve back in 1996, has also been taking a trip down memory lane over on their YouTube channel - revealing that Half-Life could have been called 'Fallout,' as well as other surprising names liꦇke 'Dirt', 'Bolt', or even 'Trash'.

Elsewhere in the documentary, Gabe Newell echoes that famous (and fake) Shigeru Miyamoto quote: "Late is just for a little while. Suck is forever."

After revealing its brand-new 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Steam Deck OLED on Thursday, longtime Valve employee and product designer Greg Coomer gushed over the Switch OLED in an interview with . Stopping just short of crediting the Switch OLED for paving the way to a Steam Deck OLED, Coomer did suggest Nintendo's updated console 🍒proved there was a market for such a thing.

"[The Switch OLED] definitely sh🎃owed people that the fidelity of an OLED screen is just generally higher," Coomer said, adding that Valve's offices have Switch OLEDs all over the place. "It's just a great product fro𓆏m Nintendo that makes a ton of customers around the world super happy."

The new Steam Deck, available November 16, comes packing an HDR OLED screen, 30-50% better battery life, and faster Wi-fi downloads thanks to a new Wi-fi 6E card. It's also 30g lighter than the original model and has a bigger fan that should help keep t꧟hose internal temperatures down. Otherwise, Steam Deck OLED has the same guts as the original and looks pretty much identical, with the exception of the Limited Edition version, which has a black and red design.

The Steam D♊eck 2, which is still twoꩵ to three years off, is said to be a "next ge🐼neration" power upgrade.

If you're lucky enough to have the best of both worlds, here are the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Switch games you can play and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Steam games you can play at home or on the go.

Steam Deck OLED has been revealed.

The updated mobile console sports an HDR OLED screen, 30-50% better battery life, and faster WiFi downloads thanks to the addition of a Wifi 6E card. Valve says Steam Deck OLED is also 30g lighter than the original model and will run cooler thanks to a bigger fan and updated thermals. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be any significant internal upgrades over the LCD model, and the two handhelds look al🔯most identical at first blush.

"Steam Deck’s HDR OLED display is designed from the ground up for gaming, with striking contrast, brilliant clarity, and a larger picture," reads the description on . "With more colors, pure blacks, ♛and amazing motion rendition, you’ll see your games in a new light."

Notably, the 64GB and 512GB Steam Deck LCD models are being phased💖 out with the launch of Steam Deck OLED. Those models will be permanently discounted and will only be available until V🃏alve runs out of stock.

The 512GB Steam Deck OLED costs $549 while the 1TB version is $649. The 64GB LCD model is now $349 while supplies last and the 512GB LCD handheld is $449, again, just until they&🅘apos;re all snapped up and removed from Valve's storefront. The existing 256GB LCD model will stay in production with a price drop, s✤erving as the new entry level option at $399.

Finally, there's a Limited Edition 1TB Steam Deck OLED with a red and black colorway. Stock on that model is "highlyꦚ limited" and only available in the US and Canada. All models are ava🌜ilable to ship starting November 16.

For now, here are the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Steam games to play on your deck.

Dario Casali, who started as a level designer at Valve in 1996, has been revisiting his time at the studio over on his . In the first episode, Cas♓ali talks about his very first experience with the Half-Life series, referencing old diary entries, screenshots, photos, documents, and other memories from the late 1ꦰ990s. 

One of the first bits of information we get is some alternative names Valve had for its upcoming FPS game. "When I jo🍬ined Valve, the project was called 'Quiver'," the developer recallsও in the video, "a few other names were thrown around when we were trying to settle on Half-Life."

Casali then shares a screenshot of a list of proposed names for the Valve game which were split into two categories: 'The most popular names so far have been' as well as 'Names that are still in the running'. Surprisingly, the name Half-Life is actually in the second column alongside other names such as 'Burn&ꦐapos;, 'Bolt', 'Adrenaline', and my personal favorite, 'Trash'.

As the top section shows, Valve was clearly a fan of 'Bent', 'Dirt', 'Lead', 'Pressure' / 'Pressure Chamber' / 'Pressure Pit', and 'S꧟crewed'. "I think we should have called it Screwed, that would have been amazing," Casali says, working his way down the 🃏list.

Perhaps most surprisingly, 'Fallout' was al🗹so an option in the second half of the list. Although it wasn't revealed why the team decided against the name in the end, it was probably the right decision as Interplay would release their game Fallout in 1997🔯 - a year before the first Half-Life game. 

Want to know more behind-the-scenes secrets? A Valve dev explains why Half-Life 2's eyes were (and maybe still are) the best in the biz. 

Next Fest kicked off on October 9 💮and is running until Monday, October 16. That's just over a week to play as many free demos as you can manage. That's not all though, as well as finall൲y playing the demo for a game you've had your eye on, there are also plenty of developer live streams to tune into. And don't forget to hit that Wishlist button, it's the easiest way to keep track of game releases, and it massively helps out the devs too.

With that in mind, below you'll find our picks for October's must-play Steam Next Fest demos. If you'd like to check one out, we've included a link at the top of each entry that will take you straight to the game's demo page. Played somethinꦉg that you love that's not listed below? Drop GR+ a line and let us know. The more demos the merrier.

Another Crab's Treasure 

Developer: Aggro Crab
Release date: 2024

Another Crab's Treasure is the upcoming game from the Going Under devs, but instead of fighting your way through the dingy dungeons of dead tech startups, you'll be battling through a crumbling undersea kingdom. Don't be fooled by its colorful art style and cutesy mascot, this♛ soulslike is tough-as-nails. Combat is fast and furious, and you'll be fighting underwater giants who are ten times your size. There's humor too, as you'll need to keep scrambling for wearable trash that will buff your defense. Another Crab's Treasure is one of the most polished demos of Steam's event and is perfect for both seasoned souls-like fans and offers an approachable experience for newer players – like giving Kril a literal gun th༺at can one-shot enemies and bosses.

My Work Is Not Yet Done

Developer: Sutemi Productions
Release date: TBA

This investigative horror is a tough recommendation, but if you have the patience to explore this wonderfully dense adventure then it's a must-play. My Work Is Not Yet Done follows the final days of Avery, the last surviving member of a scientific expedition to a strange, haunted landscape. Playing as Avery, you're essentially left to your own devices in the demo. Walking around this eerie woodland, you can find and use different devices, presumably from the group's research. By using these tools – and paying attention to Avery's cryptic commentary – you can get small, abstract insights into what happened to the rest of the team. It's unsettling but also utterly engrossing. This is quite specific but if you love the book Annihilation or the vibe that last year's sci-fi 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Signalis was putting out, then you gotta play this demo.

Jusant

Developer: Don't Nod
Release date: October 31, 2023

If you can't wait for Don't Nod's epic climbing adventure to release at the end of the month, the demo will hopefully scratch that itch. Jusant is all about climbing an impossibly tall tower that was once home to a lost civilization. Scaling this natural structure and reaching the top is your ultimate goal, and to do that you'll need to get 🃏familiar with your climbing tools, as well as a handle on your nerves. The demo covers roughly the first hour of the game, as the boy and his watery companion begin their ascent. Jusant's climbing system is the star of the show here. The controller's two triggers control each one of the boy's hands, and you need to keep switching from one to the other as you climb. It's an incredibly tactile climbing system and together with the other tools and move sets at your disposal, this tower essentially becomes one thrilling, vertical puzzle.

The Thaumaturge

Developer: Fool's Theory
Release date: December 5, 2023

One of the strangest RPGs I've seen in a while is The Thaumaturge, an alt-history detective tale. You play as the titular thaumaturge Wiktor Szulski who possesses the power to discover hidden traits in people and objects. Together with his ghost pal Upyr, the two embark on a journey through 20th-century Warsaw. In the demo, the twꦑo find themselves in a remote Russian mountain village looking for a preacher – who turns out to be Rasputin – as Wiktor hopes this mystic can help him understand his powers. The demo also showed off Wiktor's Witcher-style thaumaturge senses which he can use to solve ghost crimes, as well as the game's turn-based😼 fight system, one where you have the upper hand by having a powerful invisible ghoul on your team. The cutscenes drag a little, but The Thaumaturge's demo is a teaser of what's to come this December when the game releases.

Europa

Developer: Helder Pinto
Release date: 2024

You wouldn't be wrong in thinking that Europa's screenshots look like they were taken from a Studio Ghibli movie. In this whimsical adventure, you play as a robot boy named Zee who has been asked by his creator to travel to the island of 🔜Europa, a terraformed paradise with a  mysterious past. The demo lets you explore the first area of the game, a lush green meadow with rolling hills and glassy lakes. It's all picture-perfect, made even more delightful with Europa's fluid movement system. Using your jetpack you can boost, slide, fly, hover, and surf your way through this utopia, exploring ruins for balls of light to keep your pack fully energized. Together with a handful of platforming puzzles to keep you busy, if you love the laid-back vibe of noodling around a pretty landscape, Europa's got you covered.

Exhausted Man

Developer: Candleman Games
Release date: 2024

In this absurd comedy puzzler,💝 you play through a string of scenarios that feature a person who is exhausted but cannot sleep until they have finished their goal. Each person is too tired to stand up, meaning they mཧust do everything lying down. The result is each person is only able to slither across the floor, which proves to be both nightmare-inducing, but totally hilarious. A task as simple as 'drink a cup of coffee' can turn into a squirmy slap-stick dance. Playing Exhausted Man is like someone has fused Snake Pass, QWOP, and the bizarre work of Keita Takahashi. The second level sees a game developer try and make a demo of their game in time for an online event. Hmmm, sound familiar? 

Turnip Boy Robs A Bank

Developer: Snoozy Kazoo
Release date: 2023

Looks like Turnip Boy is up to mischief again. If committing tax evasion in the first game wasn't enough, his life of crime has led him to rob a bank. Turnip Boy has teamed up with the fearsome Pickled Gang to take on the owner of the Botanical Bank a sleazy mustachioed onion named Stinky. It's a fast-paced action roguelike where you need to scramble guns blazing into the bank, raiding golden vaults, stealing pocket change, and avoiding incoming fire from veggie swat teams. You can surf the dark web for wacky weapon upgrades and collect accessories to kit Turnip Boy out in the best gear. It's fun, frantic, and playing as a small turnip unleashing hellꦺ with a machine gun will never get old.

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

Developer: Funday Games
Release date: 2024

Funday Games have taken their dwarven folks in a totally different di🐻rection with Deep Rock Galactic🧜: Survivor. Where DRG focuses on four-player co-op FPS, Survivor is a single-player survivor-like auto-shooter – and you know what, it works. In a similar style to last year's indie breakout Vampire Survivor, you're attacked by hordes of underground nasties and you need to make them eat bullets with your devastating array of guns. Defeat waves of alien bugs to delve deeper into the caves, complete your mission objectives, and grab loot. One smart ability that makes Survivors different from other bullet-hells is that your dwarven miner can burrow into the group, creating handy escape routes if you get overwhelmed by a horde – a game-changing addition to the formula. 

The Talos Principle 2

Developer: Croteam
Release date: November 2, 2023

If you thought the puzzles of the first Talos Principle were mind-bending, this second one is going to blow its predecessor out of the water. I🍨t's been almost a decade since the first game was released, and Croteam hasn't strayed too far from its foundations. The Talos Principle 2 may have the same puzzle design philosophy as the first, but this time there's a much wider scope concerning worldbuilding and story. It all looks incredibly lavish too. The demo takes place in the opening hour of the game, with a string of fairly straightforward tutorial puzzles. But what's immediately different is the tone, lots of talking about renouncing humanity and not repeating the mistakes of their squishy human predecessors. The Steam page says that new puzzle abilities involve gravity manipulation and mind transference – so we've got those baffling mechanics to look forward to when this thought-provoking odyssey releases this November.

1000xResist

Developer: Sunset visitor
Release date: 2024

With the most dramatic opening of any demo on this list, 1000xResist has quickly become a must-play for those looking for a thrilling, sci-fi mystery. Here's the set-up: humanity has been wiped out by an alien virus, and the only survivor – Iris –  has since built a new society entirely of her own clones. You play one of these clones called the Watcher who has the ability to relive human memories. Suspicious that Iris isn't who she says she is, Watcher explores her memories hoping to find the truth about the alien virus and the one who survived it. The demo takes place in one of these memories and you'll be us🦋ing your memory-jumping ability to travel forwards and backwards in time. This is all on the backdrop of an eerie, surreal retro-tech world, one that hangs in the balance of an important revelation.

Beacon Patrol

Developer: Shapes and Dreams, BrutalHack
Release date: 2024

This laid-back tile-placing puzzle game is a digital adaptation of the charꦑming board game of the same name. If you aren't familiar with it, Beacon Patrol is a relaxing exploration game where you play as a Coast Guard navigating the North Sea. To move your little boat you need to place tiles down on the board, creating pathways for your boat to sail through. The drawings on the tiles must make sense in the context of the surrounding tiles: land must meet land and sea to sea. If you place a tile with a buoy or a lighthouse, you get points. It's straightforward and incredibly charming, not to mention super tactile. Placing your tiles down and watching your little 3D boat mosey across your watery pathways feels oh-so-satisfying. Plus, Beacon Patrol has an online multiplayer co-op, so friends can join in too.

Communite

Developer: JimJum Studios
Release date: 2024

The cutest game on this list (and possibly the entire Next Fest event) is Communite a wholesome city-building multiplayer game. Like other city-building games, you start off with a handful of basic environmental items and, as you place them in the world, you level up and unlock more – starting with some grass, trees, and flowers then progressing to crops, housing, and other terrain types. What makes Communite different though is that you need the help of other players to perform actions, like building a structure or picking fruit from a free. Helping out each other is as easy as clicking on the tile that needs assistance and then poof, suddenly your pile of wood is𓄧 now a home thanks to the kindness of strangers. JimJum Studios has set up a Next Fest-specific server for players to jump into, so if you're looking for some cutesy city-building go check it out.

Laika: Aged Through Blood

Developer: Brainwash Gang
Release date: October 19, 2023

With a release date straight after Next Fest ends, the Laika: Aged Through Blood demo is a great opportunity to see if this western-inspired 'motorvania' is for you. Set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, you play as a coyote biker who sets out for vengeance against the powerful militarised force. The word that best encapsulates Laika is 'slick'. Trials-style bike work has you performing jumps, flips, and drifts as you navigate this Mad Max-inspired haꦬnd-painted world. Shooting enemies from your two-wheeler is as easy as aiming with the mouse or joystick, although it does take some getting used to as you're also taking note of the speed and momentum of your bike. Chapters are bookended with some solid animation work too, a staple of Brainwash Gang's work. Laika: Aged Through Blood is a solid demo, and a great teaser if you're looking to buy the game later this month.

American Arcadia 

Developer: Out of the Blue Games 
Release date: November 15, 2023

American Arcadia was the biggest surprise on this list, and, lesson learned, it shouldn't be overlooked. You can read 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Heather's more in-depth impressions, but in short, this retro-futuristic adventure follows Trevor Hills is an eveꦜryday average man who discovers a not-so-everyday average secret – he's part of the world's most popular reality TV show. The demo follows Trevor trying to escape his workplace with the help of Angela Salano but here's the kicker – you play Tevror's parts as a 2D sidescroller but Angela's bits are in first person. As the perspectives switch back and forth so too do the puzzles, with Angel's focusing more on ha🐠cking cameras and cracking passwords, Trevor's more focusing on puzzle platforming. It's a fantastic idea, with an equally fantastic implementation.

Cataclismo

Developer: Digital Sun
Release date: 2024

Real-time strategy meets tower defense base-building in this dark fantasy game. In Cataclismo you must craft fortresses to defend your warriors against hordes of strange nightmare creatures. Many tower defense games have you stuck in one location, but in Cataclismo you use your crafting and building tools on the move. A big part of the game is leading exhibitions into the unknown, helping your party of humans reclaim ruins in an attempt to rebuild humanity. The demo opens with a group looking for a mysterious scholar and teaches you the basics of building on the go. First, you'll be using your skills to help the group climb over environmental obstacles but it slowly escalates to building a fortress to protect your group against waves of pale mo𝐆nster♔s. Both the RTS elements and building mechanics work solidly together, and the result is one of the most unusual – but smart – game combinations I've seen in a while.

Steam Next Fest for October 2023 concludes on October 16. When you're done checking out all these excellent demos, why not dive into one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PC games.

The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming handhelds scene has changed a lot since Valve launched the Steam Deck last year. Fierce rivals like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Ally and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Ayaneo 2S now offer even better portable 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming PC performance for a premium price, and the Lenovo Legion GO is scheduled to enter the fold thi💜s Halloween. You’d be forgiven for thinking Valve would be thinking about putting together a Steam Deck 2 to quash its newly released foes on the battlefield as a result, but it looks like the company is resisting temptation for the greater good.

In an email conv♊ersation with , Steam Deck designer Pierre-Loup Griffais touches on the portable successor and whether it’ll arrive any time soon. Referring to the technical advancements required to make it happen, Griffais states he doesn’t "anticipate such a leap to be possible in the next couple of years," which suggests we’ll have to wait until at least 2025. 

The reason? Well, Griffais says offering "a fixed performance target for developers" is important, and changing specs will only happen when there's "a significant enough increase to be had." This makes sense given that Valve has put a lot of resources into turning the Steam Deck into its own platform, and adding different configurations could hamper vital things like battery life, efficiency, and its own Verified program. Simply put, the company appears to be prioritising stability and compatibility above p꧙erformance capabilities, and that’s arguably not a bad thing.

For the most pa༺rt, you can play new PC games on Steam Deck, albeit with settings dialled down and frame rate expectations curbed. Valve’s program provides additional incentive to developers to optimise things for the handheld both pre and post launch, and its compatibility list is ever growing as a result.

While swapping out the portable’s 👍custom AMD APU for something like the Ryzen Z1 Extreme would undeniably give it an edge, it could harm the experience for many existing Deck owners out there, as developers may start changing performance targets to accommodate high♎er specs.

Ultimately, it f🅺eels like Valve is taking a very console approach to refreshing its hardware. Unlike PC and laptop manufacturers, both Sony and Microsoft tend to release new systems generationally, and that might be exactly what happens with the Steam Deck. In turn, that means we could see various new Asus, Lenovo, and other branded portable’s arrive before Valve even considers a new Deck. Letting competitors spring up unchallenged may sound a little weird, but Valve is effectively telling customers and handheld fans alike to trust the process. 

If you’re eager to grab a portable right now that can boost fps further than the Steam Deck, and we’ve included some of the best deals below as a handheld helping ha🤪nd:

Sticking with Valve's portable for now? Check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Steam Deck docks and turn the handheld into a desktop hybrid.

In case you’re unfamiliar with Valve’s compatibility checks, allow us to fill you in. The storefront giant uses its own checklist to determine whether a PC game will work properly on the handheld. The system consists of three different categories, Unsupported, Playable, and Verified, with only the latter b🎐eing branded to games the company considers to be ‘Great on Deck’.

Of course, the system is far from perfect, and there are many Unsupporte🎃d games that seemingly work just fine on Valve’s handheld. At the same time, there are Steam Dec🍸k Verified releases that suffer from poor performance that some would deem unplayable, so it’s best to view the system as a helpful heads up than written law. 

As for why Starfield isn't Verified on Steam Deck, it’s likely performance that’s keeping the RPG from the ‘Great on Deck’ list, though we don't know for sure. Starfield is of course still playable on Steam Deck, but you’ll probably experience some frame rate turbu🦂lence. 

Starfield Steam Deck settings and performance tips 

There are a few 🎶things you can do to encourage better Starfield Steam Deck performance, and we’ve got a few tips to share. Just keep in mind th⛦at you won’t be able to miraculously play at 60fps+ just by tweaking settings, but you’ll still be able to ensure everything is optimized for the handheld:

• Select a ‘low’ graphics preset (you can always crank things back up later).
• Turn on AMD FSR 2.0 upscaling in the settings menu.
• Stick to the Steam Deck’s 800p native resolution.
• Consider using ‘Half Rate Shading’ in the Deck’s settings.

You won’t necessarily have to do all of the above to boost fps in Starfield using the Steam Deck, but each step can facilitate higher frame rates. Half Rate Shading in particular can really take the load off, but it can result in pixelated visuals depending on the game. It’s worth noting that if you’d prefer to play using a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Steam Deck dock, you’ll want to pay close attention to resolution, as while 1080p doesn’t sound like mཧuch in 2023, it could prove too much for the portable while running the sci-fi RPG. 

Of course, if you’re looking for a handheld that’ll potentially offer better Starfield performance, there are more options than ever. Not only does the Asus ROG Ally wield an AMD Z1 Extreme APU that can handle demanding Steam games, but the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Ayaneo 2S i💞s also available for those looking for a premium punch.

You could also wait for the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Lenovo Legion GO to land, as the laptop maker is reportedly cooking up its own Steam Deck rival. However, most alternative handhelds are a chunk more expensive than Valve’s portable powerhouse, so there’s no shame in using the heroi⛎c handheld we all know and love to play Starfield.

Check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming laptops and explore space using a portable powerhouse. Alternatively, take a peek at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Alienware gaming PC builds for appropriately themed sci-fi rigs.

Even at full price, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Steam Deck is still one of the best handheld 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming PCs on the market, and its build quality means it's pretty hardy. It’s anything but a piece of disposable tech, and while Valve would rather you didn’t crack open the portable to tinker with it, repairability is one of its biggest strengths. So, the fact the company is now selling official refurbished devices makes tons of sense, and it’s a big win on the sustainability front. Not to mention it’ll free up your budget so that you can pick up the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Steam Deck dock aജnd other handy accessories without breaking the ♐bank.

According to Valve’s shiny new , each handheld sold "has been thoroughly tested to the same high standards" as a brand new device. Simply put, renewed Decks shouldn’t come ✱with any second hand caveats, and the examination apparently includes over 100 tests.♓ Sure, refurbed devices may feature minor blemishes, but the built- in controls, speakers, screen, and other innards should function like new.

Steam Deck Certified Refurbished prices start at $319 (£299), but the base model is out of stock at the moment. The 256GB and 512GB versions are still available for $419 and $519 respectively, and the discount places a wider gap between Valve’s handheld and competitors like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Ally and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Ayaneo 2S. Again, that cheaper unit also costs less than a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch OLED, which is a huge win when you consider its capabi൲lities.

Should you buy a refurbished Steam Deck?

If you’re not particularly fussed about using renewed devices, you should absolutely consider a refurbished Steam Deck. I use the handheld PC on a daily b💮asis, and I honestly don’t think any general use could render it unusable, especially after an official restoration by Valve. Besides, it beats payi🌱ng over the odds at a second hand store, as my local CeX wants £400 for a used one. 

A brand new 64GB Steam Deck will set you back $399, and while $80 perhaps isn’t a lot of money to some peop♔le, it’s going to make a difference. Not that I’d advise absolutely everyone to pick up a refurbed Deck over a new one, but it’s hard to think of a reason why not to give a Deck a second chance at life. Of course, if you’re not into the idea of picking up what is essentially a Steam Machine, you may want to check out deals on other handhelds below instead.

Looking for something with more oomph? Check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming laptops and pick up a powerful, portable rig. Alternatively, take a look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Alienware gaming PCs if you're after a desktop machine.

Both of these offers sit at Amazon, kicking the $399 headset in the US and dropping the £🌸399 model . Aside from a few free games and a $50 / £50 gift card over Black Fridays in years past, we almostᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ never see these kinds of savings - in fact, we've never seen a straight price drop like this at all. 

That becomes particularly impressive when you realize these are discounts from already lowered rates - technically. It's true, the 256GB Meta Quest 2 did start life at this $399 / £399 MSRP, but last year that cost leapt up to $499 / £499 - where it's remained until this month. Those MSRPs were dropped back down agaജin once the Meta Quest 3 was announced at a similar $500 price♏ point. 

All that's to say you're saving $150 / £150 in today's 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Meta Quest 2 deals compared to prices this time last month. If you've been holding out for a discount, now is an exc♐ellent time to take the leap.🐎 

Today's best Meta Quest 2 deals

Should you buy the Meta Quest 2?

The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Meta Quest 2 is the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best VR headset on the market for the majority of people right now, balanc♎ing a relatively low price point with aꦯ high quality experience and plenty of software support. We loved the lightweight headset design and smooth OS experience when we reviewed this giant back in 2022, but the biggest draw is the sheer number of compatible games and apps for the cash. 

Premium VR headsets like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:HTC Vive Pro 2 and Valve Index are in four figure price territory, and don't offer too much of a software boost to go along with it. Yes, you'll be getting superior scree♐n and tracking tech in these more expensive models, but if you're just looking to tinker with the world of virtual reality these specialist devices aren't going to be worth the cash. 

We'd recommend anyone looking to get into an accessible virtual reality gaming ecosystem invest in the Meta Quest 2. Between blockbusters like Resident Evil 4 VR, Beat Saber, and Iron Man VR there&apo🦋s;s plenty of big 🃏name titles available and PC support baked in as well. 

If you're looking to pump more power into your Quest system, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming PCs on the market right now. Or, to round out the experience, take a look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Meta Quest 2 accessories and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming earbuds available now.

Coming in at roughly the midpoint when it comes to the pricing averages of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Steam Deck Docks at a respectable $4👍2.99/🥂£47.99, my two weeks spent putting the dock through its paces presented a solid, if unremarkable option in a buyer's market… though I couldn't help but have a few qualms about the thing's rather odd aesthetic.

Design and Features

Like the vast majority of docking stations out there, this is effectively just a small shelf stand into which your Steam Deck can be placed if you want to use it as one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming PCs, with various ports concea🐻led at the back in which you can plug in chargers, USB peripherals like controllers and keyboards, and hoo⛎k it up to a TV or monitor for big-screen play.

🌳That being said, you'll have to provide all that extra stuff yourself. The JSAUX we got sent came with no cables bundled in whatsoev🔴er - not a rare occurrence, but one worth keeping in mind. There's no USB, no charger, no HDMI cable, or anything, so while it's certainly compatible with all that standard tech, you'll have to meet it halfway in actually linking them together. Still, none of these things are especially hard to obtain (you probably have most/all of them to begin with) and that deficiency goes someway to explaining the less stinging price tag.

And what cables does it work with? All the classics, basically - along with an input for the default Steam Deck charger, there's also an HDMI 2.0 port that should handle 4K images well enough, a Gigabit Ethernet port (on its right flank, oddly enough) for those who don't want to depend on WiFi, and three separate USB 3.0 ports into which you can stick one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PC controllers, keyboards, mice, all that good gaming peripheral stuff. The dock is slightly on the larger side of average, but still smaller than the Steam Deck itself, so it hardly matters for the sake of space conservation. Still, if you want a smaller, less assuming model, maybe check out the puckish 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历⛦史查询:Syntech 6-in-1 Steam Deck Docking Station.

There's also an over-the-top arching cable that plugs into the Steam Deck easily enough, which is your sole connection required for hooking up the Deck to the JSAUX dock itself. Once all the wires in the back end were set up, whenever I wanted to game I could just drop the Steam Deck into place, plug in that one wire in the top and get to it within moments, an agreeably painless process, though hardly out of the norm for most docking stations. The official 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Valve Steam Deck Dock has set a standard that most of the non-official models follow, and the JSAUX clearly sees no reason to fix wha🍌t wasn't broken in the first place. It also꧂ doesn't hurt that at 100W, this is a charger that works pretty quickly.

But the thing that stuck out to me the most was the dock's appearance, and not really in a positive way. There's a mor𒅌e traditional slate-grey model of the JSAUX that I spotted for sale onlin𝓀e, but I was sent the red version for review, and I can't help but wonder what sort of front room they expected me to have that it would fit in seamlessly with the general decor. Most consoles and tech these days look pretty monochromatic rather than coming in flavors of glossy dark red, especially in the living room, which is where docking stations usually end up in my experience. I'm also not personally a huge fan of the techy (but pointless) lines and seams on the case that I think are reaching for a futuristic spacefaring look, but just made me think "Iron Man toy sold separately."

So that wasn't ideal. I wasn't aghast at the appearance or anything, but I did feel a little better shuffling it behind the TV rather than having it on full display. There’s no accounting for taste though, so I’m sure plenty of younger players or those who want to lean into the gamer aesth🌸etic might appreciate the style.

Performance

 The JSAUX works, and frankly I'm not sure what more needs to be said on this front. For all my uncertainty about its appearance, I can't fault the JSAUX's functionality, having put it through a variety of games and never having any problems on the technical side. A simple plug-in-and-play dock, the images that came through my 55-inch 4K 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming TV were a🔯s clear as you&apღos;d hope, there was no delay between the controller and the image itself, and my Xbox controller never had any problems in the process.

The only other thing worth mentioning is that because all the USB-C ports are in the back, you might need to obtain a slightly longer cable depending on your tech setup, or place the dock at an angle for maximum manoeuvrability. It's not a massive asterisk, but at least one front-facing port wouldn't have been a bad idea - again, assuming this is for living rooms, it's what would've been most user-friendly.
 

Should you buy the JSAUX USB-C 6-in-1 Steam Deck Dock?

There's certainly worse options out there right now, and truthfully the choice may come down simply to how much the JSAUX's less-traditional design aesthetic speaks to you, as there's no criticisms to be levied at it when it comes to functionality. I wasn't a fan, but if the "Halo Spartan armor" style appeals to you personally, this could be a worthy purchase𝓡 (oh, and make sure you have all the important cables yourself, because as mentioned, this dock assumes you have th⛄em already). 

How we tested the JSAUX USB-C 6-in-1 Steam Deck Dock?

We spent two weeks testing the JSAUX USB-C 6-in-1 Multifunction Adapter with a 256GB Steam Deck, playing a variety of games including Darkest Dungeon 2, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Baldur's Gate 3, Into the Breach, The Witcher 3 and The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, comparing it to other docking stations we'd used in the pa💟st (mainly the official Valve model).

To read more about how we test the latest gadgets, take a look at our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hardware policy.

Whatever deck you settle on, it deserves the best peripherals to back it up. Check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse, and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PC controllers here!

Of course, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Steam Deck has been out in the wild since February 2022, whereas we're still awaiting release date information for the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Ally. That means this comparison isn't going to be the final word on which handheld 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming PC you should buy in 2023. Rather, we'll be keeping this updated with all t🍎he latest information on the the ROG Ally to help you work out which device m⛎ight be better suited as each new reveal is announced, culminating in a final launch verdict once we've had the ROG Ally in hand. 

And more information is coming soon. The Asus ROG Ally launch event is on the way today, May 11, prom𝓡ising pricing, release date, and spec inform🐻ation in full. That means you'll know plenty more about whether the Ally or Steam Deck is best for you in just a few hours. 

Asus ROG Ally vs Steam Deck: Specs

The Steam Deck may have only released a year ago, but the Asus ROG Ally is about to smoke Valve's offering in the specs department. On paper, this is a far more capable device with AMD Zen 4 processing (vs Steam Deck's Zen 2) and RDNA 3 graphics. Of course, all of that comes with a pinch of salt - we don't 𒈔know how well the Ally will handle all this power in the real wo♎rld. The Steam Deck may well still win in the performance department, but right now, with specs in front of us, this is going to be a hard battle for Valve. 

On top of that, the Asus ROG Ally is also promising a superior display to that of the Steam Deck. They're both 7-inch panels, but Asus has upped the resolution to true 1080p with a much faster 120Hz refresh rate. If all goes to plan, that's going to leave you with crisper ima🔯ges and far less motion blur - especially with AMD FreeSync running in the background. 

We only know about one configuration of the Asus ROG Ally at the moment, a 512G🦋B model. Right now, the Steam Deck is the more flexible option, with models sporting 64GB, 256GB or 512GB of storage space and variable prices to match them. 

Asus ROG Ally vs Steam Deck: Design

The Asus ROG Ally and Steam Deck both share the same design language, the same central screen and side control form factor that has reigned supreme in the handheld space for so long. However, there are some easily discernible dif✃ferences in the🥂 fine print. 

For starters, the Steam Deck is a chunky device, with a width and heft to each side that the Asus ROG Ally is looking to avoid. That means some of the stability we enjoyed with Valve's option may be lost in Asus&ap൩os;s iteration, with less to physically hold onto and reduced grip size around the back. However, the angled sides and skinnier profile to the ROG Ally may prove more comfortable for those with smaller hands. 

Bothꦿ devices have a slick look to them. Whꦕere the Steam Deck opts for a classic black and gray aesthetic, though, Asus is moving into the future with bold white, RGB accents around the thumbsticks, and angular accents along the back. The better design will be down to personal preference, but it's well worth considering the additional LEDs piled into the ROG Ally - for better or worse. 

Asus ROG Ally vs Steam Deck: Features

If you're deciding between a Steam Deck and the upcoming Asus ROG Ally, the feature sets may certainly help you out. While the Steam Deck concerns itself with buttons galore, the Ally focuses its strengths under the hood. If you're looking to keep all your macros right at your fingertips, we'd recommend sticking with Value. There are four additional buttons around the back (double that of the ROG Ally), as well as those two class﷽ic pressure sensitive touchpads. That's a pretty comprehensive control system to serve a massive range of genres. 

However, Asus's option comes with a Windows 11-shaped silver bullet. While the Steam Deck runs off a Linux-based operating system (running SteamOS), the Ally will be able to run far more launchers far easier. From Epic to Game Pass, all your games will be quickly accessible, with special thanks to the Armoury Crate SE software bri🦄nging everything into one scannable home screen. By contrast, Valve requires some pretty time consuming tinkering behind the scenes to be able to fudge anything other than Steam.♋ 

That flexibility is also present in your docking options. Yes, the Steam Deck can connect to꧑ a separate display via its USB-C port, but the ROG Ally will be able to do all that while also boosting its power through an Asus ROG XG Mobile GPU. Budget permitting, that means you'll be playing handheld when on the go and taking advantage of an RTX 4090 graphics card when hooked up to the big screen.

Should you buy the Steam Deck or wait for Asus ROG Ally?

All of this is to answer one simple question. Should you dive in with the Steam Deck today or wait for the Asus ROG Ally this summer? While we're still working with theoretical numbers and a few press shots, I would recommend holding off until we know more about how the Asus ROG Ally handles in the real world. That doesn't mean we should all be rushing out and picking up the Steam Deck while we wait - in fact, the numbers are pointing towards the Asus ROG Ally being the be🏅tter buy in 2023. 

If you're after more portable options, be sure to check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming phones and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming tablets. For more PC on the go, though, take a look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming laptops on the market right now. 

"The Dota map has been massively expanded," Valve explains on the . "The core objective of the game remains the same — your lanes aren't further away🤪 fro𓆏m each other, and everything you need to win is still in the center of the map. But with 40% more terrain, there's plenty of room to reap new resources and discover new strategies."

That's a heck of a lot more ground to cover, and Dota 2 players are, as you might expect, pretty bewildered by the news. "40% bigger map LMAO WHAT," one fan writes over on the . Another says, "Dota had a big map already, damn." Another concerned about the impac🔯t this will have on gameplay comments, "The map being 40% bigger is insane. The game could be totally changed."

Alongside the expanded map, Valve has included a host of major gameplay changes, including a new hero attribute type, extensive reworks to heroes like Muerta, Clinkz, Arc Warden, and Ogre Magi, as well as improvements 🧜to both matchmaking and UI. Judging by the list of changes, New Frontiers could well be theꦡ biggest patch in the game's long history, and many players have been left with the impression that it's more like a full-blown sequel than an update. "This is Dota 3 for sure!" comments one. Another writes, "I feel like this is Dota 3. I've been playing since it began, and I can't remember a patch this big."

Last month, Valve delighted fans of its iconic FPS series Counter-Strike with the announcement that 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:a new instalment is on the way. 

Put your rig through its paces with our guide to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PC games.

"The Takedown Notice is based on claims that are ♓entirely without merit and contains knowing and material misrepresentations that Dark and Darker infringed Nexon’s copyright interests," as Greenberg Glusker lawyer Aaron Moss writes on behalf of Ironmace. Moss argues that Nexon's claims are "nothing more than anti-competitive bully tactics designed to put a small indie game studio out of business."

In February, Nexon - a megapublisher responsible for some of the biggest online games in the Asian market - accused some of its former develo༺pers of stealing assets from an in-development project called P3 as they left the company to found Ironmace and begin development on Dark and Darker. In March, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:police raided Ironmace in search of the alleged stolen assets, but according to the devs found nothing. A few weeks later, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:game was delisted from Steam in response to a DMCA notice from Nexon. Last week, Nexon formally sued Iꦺronmace for "copyright infringement" and "misappropriati♎on of trade secrets."

In Moss's letter, which was distributed to media outlets today, he argues that since "Nexon’s claims relate to a game that Nexon never made and which does not exist," the publisher's claims of copyright infringement are not appropriate. "Nexon claims to have created 'unique concepts, genre, plot, story line, characters, and plans for the game' - almost none of which is subject to copyright protection. While the actual expression of plot, story line, an🍌d characters certainly may be protectable, copyright doesn’t protect coꦕncepts."

In its takedown notice, Nexon pointed to similarities between concept art for P3 and characters in Dark and Darker, though Moss argues that the similarities do not go beyond long-standing tropes for fantasy ch⛎aracters like wizards and barbarians.

Further, Moss says that "what appears in Dark and Darker consists primarily of third-party assets legally acquired from the Unreal Engine asset store. To the extent that Nexon used the same or similar assets, that does not give rise to a copyright claim." A fantasy game is likely to contain plenty of familiar elements ranging from skeletons to spiders, Moss argues, and says that "a game of the magnitude of Dark and Darker uses thousands of third-party assets in the game. Even if Nexon can cherry-pick a dozen identical assets between them, that is only a drop in the bucket in terms of actual game d🧸esign."

With examples like that, the bulk of the letter continues the argument that the similarities between P3 and Dark and Darker don't go any further than the similarities between any two fantasy games. "The reality is that for ev🐼ery comparison Nexon can come up with, one can find half a dozen different games with the exact same feature - and in som♑e cases, the very same asset."

Now, again, this letter is addressed to Valve, asking the company to restore Dark and Darker on Steam in defiance of Nexon's claims of copyright infrin🌜gement. Nexon filed suit against Ironmace in the state of Washington for both copy💜right infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets, but Moss argues that the latter claim only concerns one Ironmace employee - Ju-Hyun Choi - and should be settled in South Korean court, where Nexon has been pursuing the claim "for almost two years."

"At best, Nexon has taken a handful of unprotectable elements and cobbled them together to form the illusion of a copy🤪right infringement claim," Moss concludes. "But in reality, this case comes down to 𓄧the fact that Nexon does not want any of its former employees to work at an indie studio developing a fantasy-themed extraction game. And Nexon will bend copyright law well past its breaking point in order to keep Dark and Darker out of the public’s hands."

Whether Valve takes these arguments and returns Dark and Darker to Steam remains to be seen, but you can bet there's a lot more legal dꦜrama to come before the game makes it to market.

With no Steam page, the Dark and Darker devs distributed its latest playtest via torrent.

The ROG Ally ("a lie" - you can see why folks were confused) will 🐈run on 🦩Windows 11 and supposedly house a custom AMD APU that's dubbed to be the fastest on the market.

Compared to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Steam Deck, the ROG Ally looks like it will have superior specs, at least on paper. The Ally will have a 16:9, 1080p touchscreen display with a 120Hz refreꦅsh🎶 rate. Valve's popular handheld, on the other hand, can only boast 800p and 60Hz on a 16:10 display.

Regardless of the confusion, an official Asus Twitter accoun꧃t confirmed the handheld's existence on April 3rd.

Of course, there's no accounting for taste, but the sleek and stylish white design seen in images contrasts distinctly from the Deck, as its vents, colorful line work, and front speakers all resemble the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Asus gaming laptops.

The ROG Ally will be the latest in a long line of portable 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming PCs to launch in recent years, as the Ayaneo 2, OneXPlayer 2, and Steam Deck have all made inroads into comp✅eting with the on-the-go capabilities on Nintendo Switch and mobile.

While details are 🐼still sparse at present, A♎sus has confirmed that it will run games from Steam and Xbox libraries, as well as other digital storefronts. 

Just as the Steam Deck can be fastened down to a more stationary setup with one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Steam Deck Docks, the A🍎sus ROG Ally can be plugged into an external GPU, or connected to a larger display.

There are no confirmed release dates or prices yet, although one leak found on and rep🥀orted by states that the Ally will launch in two colors – Black and White – and in two storage capacity sizes. If the leak is to be believed, a 512GB model will cost $649, and a 1TB version will set you back $899.

This leak also suggests an October release date, and that the Ally will even support VR. Whether there is much vꦫalidity to this remains to be seen🏅, although we'd expect to hear more in the coming months. 

To sign up to hear more about the Asus ROG Ally, you can join 🥂th🎀e on the Asus website.

Looking for a more stationary setup? Check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming monitors, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming chairs, and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming desks.

Earlier this month, Valve delighted fans with the news that 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Counter-Strike 2, the ne𝕴xt major instalment in its iconic FPS series and follow-up to the incredibly popular CS:GO, is officially on the way. And that might not be all the surprises it's got up its sleeve.

As spotted by Twitter user Faizan Shaikh, the LinkedIn profiles of two Valve employees suggest that the company is currently working on an unannounced game, one that's seemingly been in development since 2021 and features p🤡uzzles and "ambitious, never-before-seen gameplay".

The profiles are that of Michael Anderson, a former level designer at Valve and Boyang Zhu, who has worked as an artist for the company since 2014. According to Anderson's profile, in 2021, he "created a variety of prototypes with my team focused on ambitious, never-before-seen gameplay for an unannounced project." He also says that he "developed AI, ꧙player mechanics, and puzzles from scratch." Zhu's profile is a lot lighter on detail, but he does list an "unannounced title" that he's been working on since January 2022, which may or may not be the same game mentioned Anderson. 

That's all the info we've got so far, but the talk of puzzle mechanics and "ambitious" gameplay has given fans hope that it could be Portal 3. "Portal 1+1+1 confirmed," says meltingpotཧato over on the . Equally sold on the idea, Belmonkey says, "'puzzles' has Portal written all over it." User oxslashxo admits that the details we've got to go on are "pretty ambiguous, to say the least" but still thinks that Portal 3 could be "the next big title for Valve". They write "it's the most accessible game in Valve's lineup, has widespread appeal to all gamers, and has the greatest potential for innovation". 

On a discussing the topic, user xSanderCohen says, "I'd be so genuinely happy for a new Portal". An equally excited Portal fan by the name of MaxTennyson88 is quite literally praying for another entry in the beloved puzzle-platform series, they wꩲrite "For the love of God, let it be Portal, please God". 

Last year, Valve revealed it&apos🐽;s got "mult🐈iple games" in development and "p💯retty exciting ones" at that, but whe🃏ther or not this includes Portal 3 remains to be seen.

If you're in the mood for mind-bending puzzles, check out our guide to 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:games like Portal.

That's right; despite releasing ove🐻r 11 years ago, CS:GO has never ♉been more popular. The shooter has just broken its own concurrent user record - the term given to the number of players logged into a game simultaneously - topping 1,519,457 concurrent players over the weekend (thanks, ). 

Before recent rumors began to fly, sparking renewed interest in the game and pushing u💝p player numbers, CS:GO's last long-held record was 1,308,963 concurrent players, set back during the first pandemic lockdown.

It's likely no coincidence that the record comes the same week the next generation of Valve's iconic FPS, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Counter-Strike 2, was finally announced. It currently targets a summ🌄er 2023🅰 release window, but a limited test is already up and running.

With a concurrent 1,519,457 peak, that makes CS:GO Steam's second biggest game ever💙, second only to PUBG: Battlegrounds, which sports a staggering concurrent record of 3.2m players.

Steam, too, is incredibly popular at the moment. Its upward trend began three years ago, in January 2020, when the world began to self-isolate at the start of the COVID-19 crisis. On February 2, Steam's existing record of 18,537,490 users – set in January 2018 – 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:was surpassed, smashing the existing record by an impressive 300,000 to pe𝐆ak at 18,801,944 player🏅s. 

It's gone on to be broken several times since, including a weekend in March 2020 that saw numbers breach 20 million for the first time. We then saw 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:24.7 million users peak in December 2020, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:26.5 million in February 2021, and at the end of October, the PC platform topped 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:30 million users at once for the first time.

And would you believe it? Yep, the record has been smashed again this weekend, hitting a 😼staggering 33,598,520 concurrent users earlier today, 10.1 million of which were actively in a game and playing at the time the record was set.

Did you see that a Counter-Strike fan thinks they've found a reference to 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:"Left4Dead3" in the files for CS2?

Thankfully, Valve has approached Counter Strike 2 with a lot of respect for those who have sunk thousands of hours into the long-running shooter franchise. CS2 is a free-t♚o-play follow up which wilꦓl transfer all of your weapons and gear over from CS:GO, all while still revamping the entire experience with a sizeable technical makeover. 

You can jump into the game right now on St🎶eam, but keep reading below to find a quick overview of everything you need to know about Counter-Strike 2. 

Counter Strike 2 release date and platforms

CS2 is out now. The game released on September 27 for PC via Steam. If you're wondering whether Counter Strike 2 will be on console, Valve is yet to say either way.  Given that CS:GO did launch on PS3 and Xbox 360, console fans can have some hope that Valve will eventually bring CS2 to PS5 🧸and Xbox Series X, but the publisher is yet to say one way or🦂 the other just yet. 

Counter Strike 2 price

Counter-Strike 2 is a free-to-play game. The game launched as a free upgrade to Counter-Strike: Global Oꦇffensive, meaning the vast majority of any weapons, cosmetics, and gear you already have unlocked 🦄will carry over. 

CSGO skins carry over to Counter Strike 2

Counter Strike 2 will give you access to all your CS:GO equipment on launch. You heard that 🐻right - that you'll be able to "bring your entire CS:GO inventory with you to Counter-Strike 2." That means that you'll not only be able to keep every item that you have collected, but that they will all "benefit from Source 2 lighting and materials" to ensure that they look better than ever.

Counter Strike 2 maps

As part of the upgraded package, the initial set of Counter-Strike 2 maps have been built to take advantage of the new Source 2 tools and rendering featu🔥res. That means you should expect to see a rebuild of some CS:GO favorites and careful updates to others. For example, Overpass is being fully overhauled to leverage new engine tools; Nuke will take advantage of new Source 2 lighting to produce realistic materials, lighting, and reflections; a key touchstone map like Dust 2 will receive improvements to lighting a🍃nd character read, but its foundations will remain otherwise untouched.

Here's a fu♛ll list of the Counter Strike 2 maps that we have picked out from the trailers s✨o far:

• Ancient
• Anubis
• Baggage
• Dust 2
• Italy
• Inferno
• Lake
• Mirage
• Nuke
• Office
• Overpass
• Shoots
• Shortdust
• Train

Counter Strike 2 graphics and VFX

Counter-Strike 2 is taking advantage of the new Source 2 engine, which means that expect tဣo see Counter-Strike like you've never seen it before. Valve has completely overhauled the visual effects with Source 2 lighting and particle systems, and a particular focus has been placed on making bullet impacts more readable at a distance. Environmental effects have been improveℱd too as Valve attempts to create greater visual fidelity and consistency with elements like explosions and fire.

In addition, the Counter-Strike 2 UI has been completely redesigned to better communicate information while you're desperately attempting to avoid getting shot in the face. And𝔍 speaking of getting shot, CS2 will see all stock weapons be given new high-resolution models, something which some legacy weapon finishers will take advantage of too.

Counter Strike 2 smoke grenade changes

One of the more impactful cha✃nges being introduced to Counter Strike 2, smoke grenades are now volumetric objects which will react to lighting, gunfire, and explosions. This means that smoke will move naturally around environmental objects, while bullets and HE grenades will actually push smoke to clear sightlines or expand occlusion for a limited amount of time. You can also expect to see Smoke deploy and spread more naturally, adding more variables to maps for a more tactical and evolving experie📖nce.

Counter Strike 2 gameplay

Valve is expected to reveal more details ꧋about the full Counter Strike 2 gameplay experience on the road towards the summer release, but we do have some idea of what to expect. For startersℱ, CS2 won't be a fundamental change from what you know and love – fast-paced first-person shooter where teams work to defeat the opposing team, disarm explosives, and trade earned-money for better weaponry. While the fundamentals may not be changing, the way Counter Strike 2 feels will be, in that Valve believes it'll be faster and more responsive to your actions.

For a video game which is often won or lost in the milliseconds between inputs, that's massive news. Valve is accomplishing this by overhauling how it tracks player movement, shooting, and throwing, effectively making it so that the tick rate will no longer get in your way. In the past, CSGO would communicate your actions to the server in discrete time intervals (known as ticks), but new ar🦋chitecturﷺe created for CS2 will ensure that the servers "know the exact instant that motion starts, a shot is fired, or a 'nade is thrown" which, , will ensure that "regardless of tick rate, your moving and shooting will be equally responsive and your grenades will always land the same way."

Why not go and play one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best FPS games or check out some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best online games.

Announced alongside the new game, the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test is dওescribed as the start of the journey, available 💟to "select CS:GO players." Valve will be using the testing period to evaluate various features and iron out any issues before launch.

How do I access the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test?

Valve's put together a handy outlining how yo๊u'll be able to get access to the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test. In the guide, it confirms that players will be selected "based on a number of factors deemed important by the Counter-Strike 2 de🤡velopment team." Those factors will include (but will not be limited to) "recent playtime on official Valve servers, trust factor, and Steam account standing."

In short, you're more likely to get access if you're a regular, long-term player who&apo🎶s;s nice to play alonꦉgside.

If you're added to the Test, you'll get a notification in the CS:GO main menu, but if you're not lucky enough to get in the first time round, don't worry - "more p♛layers will be added to th💦e Limited Test over time."

What's in the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test?

The test will run untiꦗl the game's expected launch in Summer 2023, and more features will be added over time. 🐼To start with, however, Valve says you'll only be able to play Deathmatch and Unranked Competitive game modes, via the iconic Dust2 map.

You'll have access to your full C♕S:GO inventory, and will maintain cross-progression with the current 'core' game, with the ability to switch back and forth between them༒.

Valve's been teasing Counter-Strike 2 for a little while now, with a trademark issued earlier this month.

The voracious beasts you'll find below are part of a storied subgenre with a glittering, gutsy history. Resident Evil popularized the zombie genre with one of the first and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best survival horror games way back in the mid🦩-90s and has returned to prominence with its first-person slants on the formula in Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil: Village. Its modern-day remakes of the classics include Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4, but they aren't alone in the realm of truly visceral, memorable zombie horror experiences.

Some of the titles listed here lean heavier on narrative decisions, while others are more management focused. However, all the best zo✤mbie games have one thing in common: they are frightfully fun and inventive. In fact, these days, you'll find that not all games about zombies necessarily feature the shambling bodies with rotting flesh and exposed jawbones you might be picturing immediately. Still, we'll get to the wonderful world of genre evolution later.

For now, here's a collection o✃f the 10 best zombie games for you to chew over if you find yourself struck with a disturbing hunger...

The best zombie games are...

10. Project Zomboid

Developer: The Indie Stone
Platforms: PC

If Project Zomboid wasn't still in early access despite first being put up for sale way back in 2011, it would definitely be higher on this list. Zomboid's old-school isometric pixel graphics belie what may be the most ambitious zombie apocalypse simulation ever created. And don't be fooled; this really is meant to be a simulation of what🥂 would happen to most "survivors" if the majority of their neighbors turned into zombies: they'd die.

There's no evac helicopter coming if you can survive long enough or any other formal objectives (at least not in the main mode): your death is inevitable, and what you do until then is up to you. Buﷺt if you want to live more than a few days, I'd suggest building yourself a nice little fort and maybe getting a farm going. You can only scavenge for so long before the food - or your luck - runs out. Project Zomboid is great to play alone or in multiplayer now, and I can only imagine how grippi𒆙ng it will be if the developers ever manage to complete their vision.

9. World War Z

Developer: Saber Interactive
Platforms: PS5, PC, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One

No one part of World War Z is all that impressive on its own, but if you're looking for a way to mow down hundreds, no, thousands of zombies with a group of friends or strangers, there's no better game for you. It's loosely based on the 2013 Br🦂ad Pitt movie (which was even more loosely based on a 2006 novel), but that's mostly excuse to repurpose t🍬he one memorable thing about the film: humongous hordes of zombies that rush through streets and crash around corners like a river through a broken dam.

It clearly takes some cues from the Left 4 Dead franchise (RIP) but adds in some modern 🐽gaming standbys like selectable classes with persistent progression. You could play as a Slasher who gets extra health from taking out enemies in quick succession, a Fixer who lays down traps to secure areas, or one of four other classes. Whoever you decide to level up first, you'll get to unload plenty of lead into moving walls of rotten flesh.

8. Dying Light: The Following

Developer: Techland
Platforms: PS5, PC, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One

Running over zombies was never so much fun. As the DLC for the main game, Dying Light: The Followi✅ng cuts out most of the parkour from the original and instead puts you behind the steering wheel in a swathe of almost-spotless countryside. Splatter zombies iꦓnto chunks as you speed across the fields and leave tyre-tracks in their guts as you take on daring jumps. We don't really have a zombie-driving game around at the moment, and The Following plugs this niche perfectly. There's even a new, evolved (and much more deadly) version of the Volatiles, who are instant death if you encounter one either whilst in your buggy or sneaking around at night.

Regardless, you'll have to dodge them as you drive around investigating a cult that seems to be immune to the zombie virus. The responsive steering makes careering down roads a delight, but beware: the more you swerve out of the way of zombies, the bigger the horde will get. Techland's follow-up, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Dying Light 2, is another great zombie game - but Dying Light: The Following is where the blueprint for the series really s🌠hines. 

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Dying Light: The Following DLC review, or check out our guide on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Dying Light: The Beast.

7. Urban Dead

Developer: Kevan Davis
Platforms: PC

Wait, one of the best zombie games you can play right now looks like an Angelfire website that still has a Y2K countdown clock? Yep. Urban Dead is a zombie MMORPG that has been running since 2005, hosting an endless war between desperate survivors and roving hordes of undead. Don't let the looks fool you - this game runs in real-time, there's quite a lot to it, and it is intense.

Every in-game action depletes your pool of stamina (no, there aren't microtransactions that let you b⭕uy more), so survivors have to balance traveling, foraging, and barricading tಌo make sure they're always holed up somewhere safe when they tire out. Zombies who run out of stamina far from a horde are just as quick to be cut down. Hopefully, Urban Dead's brilliant take on survival and social dynamics in the apocalypse will keep rolling for another few decades to come.

For more recommendations, read our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best MMORPGs.

6. Left 4 Dead 2

Developer: Valve
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

Any list of the best zombie games ever would simply not be complete without Left 4 Dead 2. Valve's 2009 zombie horde shooter still holds up today as a quintessential zombie FPS, letting you fly solo or squad up with friends or strangers in a PvE mission to escape, survive, and let bullets rain down on the living dead. Navigating a series of smaller maps and combating wave after wave of zombies is the name of the game, including facing off with special zombie types like the explosive Boomers and photosensitive Witches. Unlike the slower gait of zombies in 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:games like Resident Evil, though, these undead don't walk. They absolutely run.

Left 4 Dead 2 is the kind of chaotic free-for-all that doesn't come about often, so it's just as well that its servers are still very much alive and kicking some 15 years later. Having carved out such a vibrant legacy as a computer caf⭕e favorite, you might even find the likes of William "Bill" Overbeck popping up in games like Dead by Daylight and Dying Light, serving as a reminder of one of the best zombie horror games ever that many of us still look back upon with fondness.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Left 4 Dead 2 review for more details!

5. Dead Island 2

Developer: Dambuster Studios
Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One

澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Dead Island 2 did something few thought it could𒁃 achieve: delivered a sequel to one of the best zombie games ever, and actually prove all the naysayers wrong. Dambuster had its work cut out, but thankfully, Dead Island 2 is a mile-a-minute gore-soaked zombiefest that can't be missed. The mean streets of LA serve as the backdrop for Dead Island 2's bloody premise: you're stranded here with little chance of rescue, unless you fight your way through the shambling masses to alert the government.

It's not quite as simple as that – it wouldn't Dead Island otherwise, would it? Between hunkering down with newfound friends, crafting increasingly ambitious weapons that have the ability to quite literally melt zombies' flesh from the bone, and grappling with your deck of Slayer Skill cards, this star-studded neighborhood simply isn't ready for the likes of you. If you're looking for a zombie game that's 🎉all killer, all thriller, you've found it. It's extremely hard not to have a g🤪reat time playing Dead Island 2 – just make sure you have a strong stomach.

Check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Dead Island 2 review for more information.

4. Resident Evil 4 Remake

Developer: Capcom
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One

Capcom's glittering latest addition to the long line of classic Resi remakes, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Resident Evil 4 Remake, is without a doubt one of the best zombie games you can play today. It retains the charm and B-movie shlock horror vibes of the 2004 original but with a gorgeously refined atmosphere, enemy design, and gameplay feel to boot. All your favorites are back, from the Merchant to Ada and, of course, the deceptively brave Ashley Graham, but there's more to RE4R than 𝓀just a bunch of pretty 4k faces. If you've never played Resident Evil 4, this is the best jumping-off point you'll find, even with the original being available for purchase on Steam.

Leon's journey through the plague-infested European village has never felt better, and his enemies have never felt meaner. From the hostile ganados to Dr Salvador (aka Chainsaw Man) and that nasty little goblin Salazar, Leon's pursuit of the President's daughter puts the ex-rookie in a few binds. The "zombies" here are less of the undead kind, more of the infected-with-a-beastly-parasite kind, but they're equally dangerous. Suffice it to say: RE4R is one of the best zombie games if you're looking for s🍃omething a little different yet every bit a modern classic.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Resident Evil 4 Remake review for more insights into one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best shooters around.

3. Telltale Games' The Walking Dead

Developer: Telltale
Platforms: ༺PC, PS5, PS4, PS3, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Xbox 360,  iOS, Android

It would be a grave sin not to include Telltale's The Walking Dead as one of the best zombie games of all 🅠time. While other zombie titles would have you endlessly chopping off heads, or blowing undead brains to bits with a shotgun, this choice-driven adventure explores the human side of the zombie apocalypse. Instead of testing your aim, this adaptation tests your social decision-making and your nerves.

You play as Lee Everett, a convicted murderer who finds himself as the protector of an orphaned little girl named Clementine. As you encounter other survivors, you'll end up making decisions down the line that have dire repercussions for your group members. But the worst part (yet simultaneously the best) is that you develop a connection with the characters in your party. So, when those bad things start to happen, you'll feel like it was your friend that you just saw get eaten alive rather than a mere video game character. People will die, the unexpected will🐬 happen, and decisions will need to be made.

Head over to our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Walking Dead game review if you want to learn more.

2. Resident Evil HD Remaster

Developer: Capcom
Platforms: PC, PS5ඣ, PS4, Xbox Seriesಞ X, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360

The thing that the original Resident Evil still gets right that so many other zombie games miss is the abject loneliness of being one of the only people with a pulse within a several-mile radius. That dreadful desolation remains perfectly intact in Resident Evil HD Remaster, which is a slightly modernized version of the Resident Evil GameCube remake that came out in 2002. Don't get us wrong, the 2015 re-remake could have done more (those pre-rendered backgrounds are loo🅘king a bit blurry these days), but what is there remains a seminal survival horror classic.

Far from sliding into a high spot on our list through nostalgia alone, the Resident Evil remake is one of the greatest zombie games in large part because of the fascinating way it thinks about the undead. Especially what to do with one that you think has stopped moving for good. You'll want to make sure by putting zombies down with a headshot or b𒀰urning their corpse afterward because otherwise, it could rise again later on as the ๊hideously powerful horror called a "crimson head." Just saying the name is shiver-inducing. 

Want more gory details? Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Resident Evil (HD remake) review.

1. The Last of Us

Developer: Naughty Dog
Platforms: PS5, PS4, PS3

Almost six years after earning our top spot for 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Game of the Year for 2013, The Last of Us remains the best zombie game ever made. It 🍸takes you on a dangerous cross-country journey through an overgrown, largely post-human United States. In addition to mushroom-brained zombies that are waiting to⛎ rip your jugular out with their teeth, the world is filled with desperate gun-toting survivalists, a repressive government, and savage rebel groups. And best of all, you get to do the whole thing with a snarky teenage girl, alternately making fun of you and saving your life.

Joel and Ellie's quest is as dark as it is tense. ൩The dilapidated, creepy environments set the perfect tone for the stealth/survival gameplay that cranks up the suspense to almost unbearable levels. This isn't your typical go-in-guns-blazing zombie game. You'll have to sneak past stronger foes, conserve your ammo, and scavenge for supplies. The action-packed moments let you feel every bone-crushing, face-smashing blow, and the dramatic scenes are just as emotionally engaging. If you're looking for the ultimate zombie survival experience, The Last of Us is by far the best you're going to get. 

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Last of Us review for more details about our top zombie pick.

Looking for more games to try out? Here are all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming horror games heading our way. We also have rankings for the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Silent Hill games if you fancy franchises.

At first, there was a lot of outrage at PSVR 2's price, especially seeing as it would be tethered to the PS5, and would launch at a higher price than its sibling console now sits at. Despite this, the range of specs and features on offer boost PSVR 2 well above that price tag within the VR market. Now that I've had a chance to go hands on with the platform for our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:PSVR 2 review, I can make easier 🏅work of answering the question: is PSVR 2 worth it?

In my opinion, PSVR 2 is one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best VR headsets on the market, offering a premium feature set for the money. Down below, I've tried to factor in the biggest questions that need answering when making a buying decision. I've also peppered in a few of the biggest reasons I think should sway you either 𒁃way.

PSVR 2 price

First thing's first; P🧸SVR 2 will cost $549.99 if you're in the US. In the UK,🔜 it will set you back £529.99 inc VAT. For one purchase you get the headset itself, a set of VR2 Sense controllers, and a stereo headphone attachment.

However, that's not likely to be where your investment ends. If you'd like a bundle that gets you at least one game out of the gate, you can opt to pay £569.99 / $599.99 and get 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Horizon Call of the Mountain with your headset🦋. At the time of writing, this is the only bundle that's availꦬable. Also available for purchase is a charging station for the VR2 Sense controllers. This is, so far, the only accessory officially on offer.

If you think of PSVR 2 as a console peripheral, over $500 might seem like a hefty price to 📖pay. Especially when you consider the fact that the PS5 launched at this same price, and has since dropped to be cheaper after two years on the market. If, however, you look at this as a VR platform that happens to be integrated into the PlayStation family, the narrative very quickly shifts. VR is sadly still an expensive gaming platform, and this doesn't look like it&ap𓂃os;ll change any time soon.

For a VR headset that nets you the same type of features as PSVR 2, you'd need to spend $800 or more (usually around a grand), all things considered. Headsets like these - the HTC Vive Pro 2 or the Valve Index, for example - need one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming PCs to access those features. VR gaming can be CPU and GPU intensive, after all. Normally, one of these VR-ready PCs will set you bඣack around a grand, if not far more. So, all-in for a PC VR headset, you're talking a full investment of around two grand 🐼or more.

PSVR 2 may be inextricably tied to the PS5 for the momentﷺ, but altogether you're talking half of the cost of PC VR loadouts. Sony has also been making moves into the PC market in the last year, so it isn't totally out of the realms of possibility that PlayStation opens up PSVR 2 to PC platforms in some way in the near future. If for no other reason, this may help Sony to shift more units. At time of writing though, this may be wishful thinking.

PSVR 2 features

PSVR 2 has some great VR features for the money. Perhaps most notably for VR enthusiasts is eye-tracking and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:foveated rendering, which is usually꧟ reserved for headsets that cost well over $700. This was a particularly tricky feature to test out, but the visual detail wherever I looked on the 120Hz OLED panel looked clear as day. Per eye, PSVR 2 gives you a resolution of 2000 x 2040, and you get a FOV of 110 degrees - only 10 less than HTC Vive Pro 2's gargantuan 120 degree field of view. All that, and you're only tethered by one lo📖ng USB-C cable that doesn't seem to weigh down the headset at all.

The front of the headset has four embedded cameras that assist with PSVR 2's room tracking capabilities. These also aid with keeping track of the controllers and🐓 height of the headset. Room and spatial tracking was definitely a standout feature for me during my testing time with PSVR 2, since it was always a very efficient process that never took long enough to be a faff and didn't once let me down.

PSVR 2's Sense controllers are some of t𒊎he best on the market, for sure. They fit comfortably in the hand, are surprisingly lightweight, and feature haptic feedback, trigger resistance, and capacitive sensors that all make you feel so present when playing games like Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge. PSVR 2 also gives you haptic feedback in the headband itself, which is an ingenious piece of design that feels amazing every time it's used. 

Lastly, but definitely not least, is PSVR 2's Cinematic Mode, which lets you access non-VR PS5 content with the headset on, displaying it on the incredibly sharp OLED panel. 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:This is my fav🅺orite PSVR 2 feature so far, and I t💎hink it goes a long way to adding more value if you don't have the opti💧on to play a lot of VR games. This brings us neatly on to...

PSVR 2 games

At launch, the games offering is perhaps one of the biggest weaknesses of PSVR 2. Although there are plenty of options, especially for folks who haven't experienced a lot of virtual reality before, the only flagship game that's been made specifically for PSVR 2's launch is Horizon Call of the Mountain. This is the only title that properly🙈 makes use of the next-gen features in an all-in-one package, because it's been designed for this VR platform s𝄹pecifically. 

There are absolutely other standouts - Resident Evil Villag💎e VR, No M💛an's Sky, and Gran Turismo 7 are getting free updates to VR. Elsewhere, there are some excellent VR experiences like The Last Clockwinder, Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge, Kayak VR, and What the Bat.

While it's easy to make the argument that the lacklustre game library at launch means PSVR 2 is not worth a buy yet (an argument I can absolutely stand behind), there have been very few big console hardware releases that haven't been met with the "there aren't enough games at launch" line. If Sony gives PSVR 2 the same kind of support that it did PSVR, the games of🌜fering will indubitably be worth it in the long run.

For more information about our top PSVR 2 game picks, check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PSVR 2 games list.

Who should buy PSVR 2?

PSVR 2 is an undeniably expensive piece of kit, ev🦂en if it has great value for money in the VR space. When you weigh up the price of PSVR 2 against the cos🌼t of the average rent cheque, utility budget, grocery shop, or even against the cost of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, you can't deny that it's a lot of money. For that reason, we wouldn't recommend everyone run out and buy a PSVR 2 as a matter of urgency. 

But for a lot of people, PSVR 2 is easy to recommend. Take a look at the list belo🦋w. I think you should buy PSVR 2 if...

• You're someone who has a vested interest in playing VR games.
• If you have the money to spend on it.
• You got a lot of use out of PSVR.
• You want a more accessible VR platform in terms of price without compromising on high-end features and specs.
• If you have enough space in their homes to play VR games standing up - some games require a generous amount of space.
• You're a PS5 owner who wants a futureproofed device that can also act as a second means of displaying PS5 games (Cinematic Mode is excellent for this).
• You don't have the budget for PC VR gaming.
• You're a gamer who is interested in VR, but not interested in the Metaverse.
• You're a PS5 owner who wants a display with a 120Hz refresh rate, but you don't have use for a monitor or a higher-end TV.

Who shouldn't buy PSVR 2?

If you don't fall into the categories above, maybe think about waiting for PSVR 2's price to drop if you're still keen ꦦto get one. On the list below, I've tried to think of people who won't get a lot of value out of PSVR 2, or at least should wait until there are more gam🦩es available to play, and when the price inevitably drops.

• People who are feeling the cost of living squeeze (food is more important, this can wait).
• If you don't have the budget to buy VR games for PSVR 2 - at the moment, these aren't free on PS+, either.
• People who frequently feel nauseous while playing VR games.
• If you aren't actually interested in VR gaming, there's no need to buy one.
• People who feel the pressure to "keep up" with every bit of PlayStation Hardware - no point buying something for the sake of it, especially when it's over $500 / £500.
• People who already have a VR headset for PC - there are likely more games on PC than there will be for PSVR 2.
• People who are interested in owning a VR headset that's geared at Metaverse concepts.

Overall - Is PSVR 2 worth it?

I would argue PSVR 2 is absolutely worth it, both in terms of price and hype. As a VR headset, it has so much value, and is a lot of f🌠un to use. It doesn&ap💜os;t come with half the amount of faff, or money, that PC VR gaming typically brings to the table, and in months and years to come there are bound to be great games on offer.

Even if there aren't that many VR games available, PSVR 2 can still be worth it thanks to the Cinematic Mode, which essentially gives you another display to use that locks you into the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PS5 games and lets you experience them in brand new ways. 

I wouldn't argue that it's an emergency, and that you need to pre-order one right now. This platform will only get better with time and with Sony's support. Even if it isn't worth it immediately for the list of people above, I'd be surprised if PSVR 2 wasn't worth it in the long run. Overall, it's so much more than a console peripheral or even one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PS5 accessories. This, like PSVR, is a new way to play, and an 🐭excellent way to further explore the wor🌱ld of video games.

Gearing up for PC VR? You might want to check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best CPUs for gaming, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best GPUs for gaming, and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best SSDs for gaming.

The popular multiplayer shooter launched all the way back in 2007 and hasn't had a major update in six years now. Thankfully, all that's about to change as Valve has revealed new c♏ontent is on the way this summer. "The last few Team Fortress summer events have only been item updates," reads the on Steam. "But this year, we're planning on shipping a full-on update-sized update — with items, maps, taunts, unusual effects, war paints and who knows what else?!"

The update will also include content made by the community. Those wishing to submit their creations should do so via Steam Workshop by May 1 for this, as Valve puts it, "as-yet-unnamed, un-themed, but still very exciting summer-situated (but not s🍌ummer-themed) (unless you wanted to develop summer-themed stuff) update."

Despite updates being thin on the ground over the last few years, Team Fortress 2 remains one of the most๊ popular games on Steam. A look at shows that, at the time of writing, it&apoꦡs;s got around 90,000 people currently playing, placing it within the ten most played games on Valve's platform. That's certainly not bad going for a game that's now over 15 years old.

Back in May last year, following years of frustration over the lack of updates and severe issues with botting, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:fans started a community campaign to get the ageing title "back in good health". Acknowledging fans' frustration at the time, Valve , "We love this game and know you do, too. We see how large this issue has become and are working to improve things." Shortly after, it released an update that fixed several exploits and other bugs.

See all the exciting titles coming to console and PC this year in our guide to 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new games 2023.

Earlier this week, People Make Games published a documentary putting Valve under the microscope. The full video below delves into Valve's culture, interviꦐewing both current and former employees about the company's culture and policies.

Around seven and a half minutes into the investigation, host Chris Bratt reveals he spoke to one former Valve employee who claims the company doesn't think just anyone can work at it, ♏and only seeks out people who could fit in with its culture and mentality. Valve apparently thinks, according to this employee, that as few as 10,000 people around the world have what it takes to work for Valve.

The employee says that their calculations could be off by t💧wo or four factors, meaning the figure could actually end up being closer to 20,000 or even 40,000, but was confident that the total number of potential Valve employees is certainly in the 🎃five figures. Bratt thinks the fact that Valve employs this mentality for new workers - which you might be expecting to hear at a Silicon Valley company, or even the United States Navy Seals - says a lot about Valve, and it's hard to disagree.

If you're at all interested about the inner workings and the corporate structure of one of the more influential video game companies of all time, I'd recommend watching the whole documentary. It's just the latest in a very long line of though💖t-provoking 𝔉documentaries from People Make Games, who've tackled topics like Roblox, gambling, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and much more.

You can head over to our full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Steam Deck review to see what we made of Valve's latest foray into the hardware space. 

With the Team Fortress 2 bundle of assets alone weighing in at 61GB, the leak - which features assets from Portal, Counter-Strike: Source, Team Fortress 2, Day o�🥀�f Defeat: Source, and Half-Life 2: Episodes 1, 2, and 2's multiplayer - features thousands of assets, some of which originate from modified or cut content.

According to , leaker Lea𒆙kerwanderer appears to have disseminated the files on Discord, saying they'd had the files since 2016 but had held off sharing them because they were "threatened every time"꧑.

"I don't cಞare anymore," the leaker reportedly . "I also did my toying around with it for a few years, and did not upload because I was threatened every time.

"A real shame. I have🔯 no legal binding to these files.ꦏ Not anymore.

"I have held 𓃲onto these since 2016. Most of the file dates are from when I moved them after my computer blew up in 2019."

As the files are sanctioned asset libraries that Valve devs would share with thir⛎d parties, you won't find any Half-Life 3 files in here, but it does give fans a chance to see asset art from their favorite games, and will lik♊ely be a goldmine to modders.

In case you missed it, a mysterio𓄧us new Valve project popped up⭕ on Steam in the New Year.

On January 4, a new listing for something called 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Valve Event Upload was discovered on SteamDB. No, there's nꦡot that much information available right now, but the most important piece of the puzzle is that this is a 'Config' file - something only Valve itself can create. 

According to Tyler McVicker, who has dedicated years to unpicking Valve's secrets, those 'configs' "are specifically done for large releases that [Valve] control". McVicker pointed out that the CS:GO team was making changes around the time that the Valve Event Upload listing dropped, whilst others wonder if it might be linked to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Neon Prime trademark that appeared last year. There's also hype that it may be &♛apos;The Orange Box 2', although 💝there's no evidence of that at this time.

Keep up to date with all the best games set to launch next year with our guide to 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new games 2023. 

What’s clear is that the hardware is a major step forward: its 4K OLED HDR displays combined with PS5’s horsepower allows PSVR2 to hold its own against the best PC VR experiences. With eye-tracking tech, head-mounted haptics and the new Sense controllers proving leagues ahead of those Move wands, it’s certainly a capable bit of kit. But it’s the games that /really/ matter. And so, in our extensive cover featu🔜re, we talk to a range of developers currently making software that will release within PSVR2’s lau♐nch window to find out their thoughts on developing for the hardware. There’s input, too, from analysts and consultants, who offer their expert views on the future of Sony’s second-generation headset. 

Elsewhere in Edge 380, we celebrate 2022’s greatest games, h꧙ardware, studios and more in The Edge Awards. We dive deep into the creation of the year’s most mesmerising mystery in The Secret Of Immortality, go hands-on with Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel’s long-gestating Mewgenics, and reflect on PlatinumGames’ Astral Chain and its fascinating combination of all-out action and routine poli🌄ce work in Time Extend. We also catch up with the team behind Monolith’s FEAR, as they look back at a horror FPS that is still talked about two decades on. 

In𒐪 Play, we deliver verdicts on The Callisto Protocol, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, Need For Speed Unbound and more, and talk to the makers of Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration about how they raised the bar for retro compilations. In Studio Profile, we meet Roll7’s founders to find out the secrets behind the company’s eclectic work culture and their plans for its magnum opus, while in Knowledge we talk to the sibling team behind Dwarf Fortress as their hugely influential game finally comes of age. 

All this and much more awaits in Edge 380, which you can purchase at UK retailers now, or by ordering online . 

The best Steam Deck dock right now is the Baseus 6-in-1 docking station since it offers up excellent features for a reasonable price. You're getting a hub that boasts three USB-A ports (the perfect amount for a keyboard, mouse, and controller), an HDMI 2.0 port that'll output up to 4K 60Hz or 1080p 120Hz if you need faster visuals, and an adjustable cradle that makes it compaible with most of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming handhelds out there.

What I will say though is that while I have a go-to Steam Deck dock that checks a lot of boxes, there's more worth considering. This isn't Highlander, and there can be more than one that'll suit different use cases. Wh𝄹en travelling, I prefer to bring an all-in-one hub that only takes up the same room as a phone charge▨r, whereas it's nice to have DisplayPort to hand at a desktop. So, all the best Steam Deck docks I've tested today, including options that'll even work with the Switch 2.

The Quick List

The best Steam Deck dock overall

The Steam Deck dock scene is abundant with options, buಞt the Baseus 6-in-1 docking station stands tall among its rivals. Featuring an adjustable cradle, fantastic build quality, and a great selection of ports, this dock delivers on multiple f෴ronts, and it's compatible with more than just Valve's portable powerhouse.

Features: Armed 🐈with three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI output, Ethernet, and 100W Power delivery via USB-C, the Baseus Steam Deck dock almost covers everything you'd need for desktop use. It is missing an additional DisplayPort, but that omission is forgivable given that most options ෴out there stick with just HDMI.

Design: When we say the Baseus dock is compatible with other handhelds, we don't just mean you can jam the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Ally or larger 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Lenovo Legion GO onto it and hope for the best. That adjustable cradle we mentioned above moves to suit even the chonkiest handheld gaming PCs out there, whether you're using the Steam Deck or a premium 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Ayaneo 2S portable. It also doubles as a way 𒈔to flatten the dock while not in use, which helps it look the part on your desk and makes it m♚ore streamlined for sticking in a backpack.

The Baseus dock also has sensible port placement on its side, as it avoids sticking the Ethernet port on the side like other docking stations out there. Instead, it places one of its three USB A ports to the left instead, making it easi🌠er to connect things like a PC controlleꦉr or storage drive.

Performance: We put the Baseus Steam Deck dock to the test using a 4K 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming monitor, mouse, keyboard, and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:PC controller, and it provided seamless connectivity across the board. Connecting the Steam Deck's own power adapter supplied everything with enough juice while still charging the handheld PC, which is important given we're looking for hybrid functionality. We also didn't notice any glitches or issues with the dock's HDMI out, as it pro𒀰vided us with a 4K 60Hz when playing classic games like Fable: The Lost Chapters.

Verdict: Ultimately, clever design choices help the Baseus Steam Deck dock stand out in a busy market, and while it's not the absolute cheapest option on the market🐭, it's well worth the money. If your monitor hasn't got HDMI, you might have to opt for an adapter if this docking station takes your fancy, but the accessory is pretty accommodating otherwise.

Read more: Baseus 6-in-1 docking station review

The best cheap Steam Deck dock

The iVoler 5-in-1 Steam Deck Dock has both price and specs on its side, as it packs quite a lot of functionality into a cheap package. If you're not willing to wait for around for discounts and looking to spend under $25, this is෴ probably the docking station you'♑re looking for.

Features: It might cost less than its fancier rivals, but the iVoler Steam Deck dock is packing just as many ports. It's got three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, and Ethernet, but Power Delivery is capped at 65W. That's not going to be an issue if you're only connecting a few peripherals, but heavy desktop use could put th♋ose constraints to the test.

Design: Admittedly, the iVoler Steam Deck dock isn't the prettiest accessory around, and the bold logo at the front cramps its style. Yet, it still manages to be pretty discrete, with its black colorway helping it blend into the background rather than serving as a statement piece. As for build quality, it feels like a cheap Steam Deck dock, wꩲhich perhaps doesn't matter much considering it'll simply sit on your desk or TV unit, but it's notably light feeling compared to alternatives.

Performance: Unlike other Steam Deck docks, the iVoler model we tested was capped at 4K 30fps. That's not a complete deal breaker given th✃an Valve's portable is designed with 800p gameplay in mind, but it does mean you'll have to sacrifice frame rate when playing the classics. Nevertheless, we played Potion Permit, Powerwa♈sh Simulator, Disney Dreamlight Valley, and Cult of the Lamb using this dock, and it performed admirably throughout.

Verdict: If you're looking to pay as little as possible for a Steam Deck dock, iVoler's docking station won't disappoint. So long as you're not looking to run older games at 4K 60fps, or have an aversion to chea🐟p feeling accessories, this add-on will deliver all the basics fo🥃r far less than Valve's official accessory.

Read more: iVoler 5-in-1 Steam Deck Dock review

The best premium Steam Deck dock

It's pretty expensive, but the official Valve Steam Deck dock pairs with the portable powerhouse perfectly. It boasts slightly higher specs than most other docking stations out t✃here, includes a charger, and receives firmware updates from the handheld while plugged in. However, the fact it fit the Steam Deck like a glove hampers compatibility with other handhelds.

Features: Paying $89 for a Steam Deck dock might feel ludicrous given the price of third-party options. Yet, the official accessory provides an extra power adapter, a cradle that contours perfect to Valve's portable, and better specs. Specifically, the dock features three USB 3.1 ports (slightly faster than the ones included in every other dock), HDMI out, Ethernet, and a DisplayPort. The dock will also receive firmware updates from the Steam Deck while connected, meaning you'll be able to easily resolve any out of the box quirks and gain additional features down the line.

Design: Made from the same high quality plastic as the Steam Deck, Valve's official docking station has quality on its 🅘side. It's clear that the accessory and handheld share the same DNA, and it feels like a natural extension of the portable rather than just a compatible add-on. If you're the kind of player than couldn't stand those Mad Catz third party controllers back in the day, you'll appreciate this admittedly pricey docking station for what it is.

The fact Valve's dock is tailor made for Steam Deck is both a blessing and a curse, as while it achieves first-party perfection, it won't accommodate other handhelds like the Asus ROG Ally. That gripe might sound a little silly given the name of the product, but it could matter if you decide to switch out your device with something beefier. Not to mention if a Steam Deck 2 comes along, you may end up needing to pick up another dock.

Performance: Most docking stations provide the same performance, but the Valve Steam Deck dock has a first party edge. That's largely thanks to its firmware catering directly to SteamOS, which will automatically adjust settings respond better to resolution changes. ꦏWe played Wolfenstein 2: The New C𝔍olossus or Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection using the dock and both games ran seamlessly, with the dock providing seamless output to a big screen (albeit with actual PC performance being limited to the Steam Deck itself).

Verdict: Cost aಞside, the Valve Steam Deck dock pairs perfectly with the handheld, and so it should. If you're needing an additional charger anyway, and would raꩵther embrace build quality and specific functionality over compatibility with other handhelds, it's worth the investment.

Read more: Valve Steam Deck Docking Station review

The best HDMI 2.1 Steam Deck dock

There aren't many HDMI 2.1 Steam Deck docks out there right now, but the BenQ GR10 pairs 4K🌼 120Hz output with slick design. Those elevated abilities come at a cost, but if you're looking for a high spec accessory that'll provide next-generation handhelds with even faster refresh rates, it's well worth a look.

Design: Upon getting my hands on the BenQ GR10, I was instantly pleased with its build quality. It uses a car꧟efully balanced blend of aluminium and plastic to achieve a premium feel that doesn't feel needlessly industrial, all while adding a flip down cradle for added versatility. Ke෴eping the front flipped up helps the accessory travel better and avoid any awkwardness when using laptops or devices that won't fit like the Ayaneo Flip DS, all while retaining the perch that earns it the title of "Steam Deck dock".

Little extras like the fact the cable tucks in underneath and features a removable right-angled USB-C connector make the GR10 feel even more versatile. I'd go as far to sa🐬y it doubles as one of the best docking stations for travel, but it is missing an integrated charger, which means it misওses out on that specific award.

Features: The main trick up the GR10's sleeve is HDMI 2.1, and that's a huge boon for anyone looking to play Steam Deck at 4K 120Hz. You'll naturally need a compatible HDMI cable and a screen that supports the input, but if you're already rocking the right setup, you'll be able to set resolutions accordingly in SteamOS. Whether the handheld will hit a matching frame rate in most games is anot꧂her conversation entirely, but it will come in handy for indie games or for those of you with a rival like the ROG Ally.

In addition to its higher spec HDMI 🐟port, the GR10💛 also has faster than average USB 3.1 Gen 2 support, enabling you to hit 10gbps. That's largely going to come in handy with external drives and anything that requires data transfer, but it still helps justify the docking station's higher price tag.

Performance: I put the BenQ GR10 through its paces for a week running various games at 4K 120Hz, and the dock's UHD abilities come in extremely handy. Again, your milage will vary on the Steam Deck itself since it'll struggle to hit 120fps at UHD resolutions, but I did get indie ꦚfavorites like Cavern of Dreams running faster than on other docks. I also hooked up the Ayaneo Flip DS to test even more games and found that I could play a chunk of lighter releases at 120Hz without any hiccups or issues.

The GR10 also provided reliable results outside of hitting 120Hz too, easily hooking up to various peripherals and 4K screens. While I fully expect most docking stations to work on Steam Deck without a hit𒁃ch, it was nice to see no shenanigans occur in either SteamOS or Window🐠s 11, as you never know when a bug will hamper your hybrid PC experience.

Verdict: I'm not convinced everyone will want to splash out on the BenQ GR10 for HDMI꧟ 2.1 alone, especially since there are options out ther﷽e for far less. However, if you are looking to futureproof your handheld setup with 4K 120Hz support and invest in a premium gadget for your device, this docking station deserves your attention.

The best Steam Deck dock for TV

The Syntech Steam Deck Docking Station caters to living room rocking the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming TV with its discrete design and port placement, and it's pretty affordable too compared to t𝓰he real deal. Its smaller stature doesn't compromise specs, but it does admittedly feel a bit cheap compared to other dock's we've tested.

Features: All the usual ports are included with the Syntech Steam Deck dock, including HDMI, Ethernet, three USB 3.0 ports, and 100W Power Delivery. However, this accessory is notably smaller than other dinky docks out there, and manages to include more ports to boot.

Design: Syntech's round approach to docking station design may feel a bit weird at first, but it actually adds a lot of situational functionality. For example, if you're using the Steam Deck as a desktop hybrid, you'll be able to easily connect a wired 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming mouse t💛o one of the side ports without moving the dock. It's a small thing, but when you consider the fact most docks are designed with skirting cables round the back away from surfaces, it's easy to see whyඣ this design might appeal to couch dwellers.

Performance: We tested the Syntech dock with a nice variety of Steam♛ games, including God of War, Have a Nice Death, and Roots of Pacha. The docking station happily provided 4K 60fps output both in game and while using SteamOS, and no weird connectivity glitches or issues occurred while it was in use. That's really all you need when it comes to using the Deck as a hybrid PC, but time will tell whether its cheaper build quality will stand the test of time.

Verdict: If you're looking for a docking station that'll provide living room functionality whileꩵ being discrete, the Syntech Steam Deck dock is waiting to serve. It suffers from the same build quality issues as iVoler's accessory, but if you're not fussed about using plasticy accessories, you'll get alone with this add on just fine.

Read more: Syntech 6-in-1 Steam Deck docking station review

The best Steam Deck dock for travel

Most Steam Deck docks will fit in your backpack with ease, but the Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub is a docking station and power adapter in one. That means you won't have to bring the Deck's original power brick with your on your travels, and it's c🎶ompact enough to slip into your pocket.

Features: Naturally, missing out features like Ethernet and additional USB ports helps keep the Acefast's charger hub compact, but it still packs a punch. Not only will it supply your Steam Deck and connected peripherals with 65W power, but the fact it's a GaN (gallium nitrate) charger means it boasts fast charging without being bulky. Sure, you won't be able to hook up multiple peripherals (unless you use an additional USB hub), but if you're travelling around and staying in ♛hotels, all you really need is HDMI out.

Design: The Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub looks just like a standard smartphone charger, and it'll fit in your pocket without adding much bulk. Its prongs flip inwards when not in use, meaning there's no risꦑk or it damaging other devices when in your backpack. That said, there's no UK version of this accessory yet, and complying with the country's power standards could add extra bulk to that version.

Performance: Despite its extremely compact size, the Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub functions exactly like an ordinary Steam Deck dock. Connectivity was seamless and instant during testing, and it helped us get a few hours in with Indie games like Tunic and Dredge. We even managed to plug in more than one peripher൩al using a hub and experienced no issues in relation to Power Delivery, but keep in mind it provides 65W compared to the usual 100W we've come to expect.

Verdict: If you're looking for a plug and play Steam Deck dock that you can easily use in a hotel or at a friends house, the Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub checks almost every box. Sadly, since there's no UK version of this device, we can only currently recommend it to US handheld players. Nevertheless, it's still a must have accessory for on the go play, and its the perfect travel companion for Valve's Steam Deck.

Read more: Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub review

The best Steam Deck dock for desktop

The Razer Handheld Dock Chroma serves as the accessory maker's debut docking station, and it embodies the same qualities as many of i🍸ts top ranking rivals. It's price, but it will add best in class RGB lighting to your gaming desk and boasts ♔sensible port placement that will empower you to better manage your cables.

Features: Let's be real, the main reason anyone usually buys a Razer accessory is for its RGB🙈. I wouldn't say that's the only thing the Handheld Dock Chroma has to offer, not by a long shot, but it is the one thing it excels at above other docking stations I've tested, including the Jsaux RGB model. A vivid diffused strip of lights his hidden just under the front of the dock so as to bounce light off of your desk, and it's got a side button for toggling through colors and patterns if you've not got access to th🧸e Chroma app.

That largely applies to those of you wanting to use the Razer dock exclusively with Steam Deck, but as the name implies, it's made for a multitude of handheld PCs. You♛'ll be able to tap into the company's Chroma and Cortex apps using Windows 11 devices, and the docking station's adjustable cradle will ensure you can park those often larger options on it too.

Design: Just like other Razer accessories, the Handheld Dock Chroma is pretty subtle. It boasts a mix of black plastic with a splash of metal for the adjustable stand, alongside lots of rubber to protect your handheld from any hard edges. The RGB lighting🔯 underneath is doing a lot of the visual heady lifting, but that's exactly what you might want so as not to cramp your gaming desk a⛦esthetic.

This dock also gets port placement spot on when it comes to desk use. Rather than having some connections at the side, it instead keeps its USB, HDMI, and Ethernet ports at the back. That will mean you'll have to reach round there to hot swap out peripherals, but since your 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming mouse and keyboard will likely stay plugged in permanently, ๊it makes sense to keep them out of the way. I'm especially pleased that there isn't a RJ45 jack firing out of the side for internet connectivity, as that's something I struggle with whꦚen using Jsaux models at my setup.

Performance: As gaming handhelds advance, there's a growing need for 🌞enhanced output performance. We're not quite at the stage where not having HDMI 2.1 is a huge caveat, but I am sad that the Razer Handheld Dock has stuck with 2.0 since it's a premium model. In any case, that doesn't cramp its reliable connecti♐vity, decently fast ports, and excellent build quality, and it's pretty performant in daily use.

What I will say is that I was expecting a little bit more from Razer Cortex when using this dock. The app makes for a surprisingly nice management hub for playing PC games on Windows handhelds, but it lacks any s🦂pecific features that tie to this hub. I'm hoping it'll eventually gain things like an auto-launch feature when plugging in the handheld, but for now it's somewhat lacking.

Verdict: Razer has earned its🎀 place as my go to desktop Steam Deck dock, but it's not a perfect docking station for just under $80. It's solid, provides a nice RGB punch, and its ports help make it a nice option for your desk, and it's really just small omissions that keep it from the top spot alongside itsꩲ higher MSRP.

Read more: 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Handheld Dock review

The best Steam Deck dock alternative

The BenQ BeCreatus is without a doubt the most expensiv෴e docking station listed here, but that's largely because it's not just a Steam Deck dock. This powerhouse desk add-on will actually allow you to hook up to three monitors using a single USB-C cable, and you'll be able to swich to consoles like the PS5 or Xbox Series X using a quick button press.

Features: The main draw with the BeCreatus, and the thing that makes it a great alternative to the usual Steam Deck docks is its multi-device capabilities. Y❀ou'll be able to connect a laptop or handheld to the docking station via USB-C and spread output across up to three screens at 4K 60Hz. You'll also have access to your keyboard and mouse through dedicated ports, alongside a bunch of other connectors that'll keep multiple add-ons charged up.

On top of that, you'll have the option of switching to a device connected via HDMI on the fly using the big button on the front. That could be a huge wi🐠n for anyone who likes to use the same setup for both working and playing console games, or it might even make for a comprehensive way to switch back and forth from PS5 to Steam Deck at your TV.

Design: 🐭BenQ's docking station takes queues from premium hi-fi equipment, with a blend of durable metal and plastic bringing premium vibes to the table. The round button on front sadly doesn't double up as a double knob, but it is placed in a way that makes it easy to bash when you want to switch sources.

While you'll also find most of the ports neatly arranged around back, BenQ has thankfully placed two USB-A, a USB-C port, and a headphone jack at the front for easy access. 🦄This means it'll also be TV setup friendly, providing you with a means to quickly plug in control🔴lers and other peripherals.

Performance: During testing, the BeCreatus happily hooked up to handhelds, laptops, and consoles without a hitch. Switching back and forth between inputs was quick and easy thanks to the big button, and we were able to charge up any USB-C device we could think of using Power Delivery. It e𝄹ven managed to keep an Asus TUF Dash F15 powered when running smaller outings like Another Crab's Treasure with no battery drain, but your milage will vary if you push consumption.

Verdict: The BenQ BeCreatus caters to more than just handhelds for those who need it, and that helps rank as a great docking station for Steam Deck. There's little sense in forking out for this dock if you're not going to make use of all its features, but it provides a nice punch to match its premium price tag.

Read more: 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:BenQ BeCreatus review

How to choose the right Steam Deck dock

Choosing a Steam Deck dock shouldn't ꧋be a chore, but there are some factors that are worth considering before clicking buy. After all, not every player has the same preferences or requirements, and there are some crucial differences between many of the docking stations out there.

• Price: No one wants to pay over the odds for an accessory, but price tags can be a strong indication of whether you're looking at the right dock. Most third-party options with basic functionality shouldn't set you back more than $30 / £30, while premium models with plenty of extra ports, upgradable firmware, and extras like a power adapter will cost a chunk more. Checking specs and functionality correlate with MSRP is a quick way to ensure good value, even if there's often more to the story.
• Ports: Ensuring you have the right type of inputs on a dock is essential, as you'll otherwise struggle to hook up to screens and peripherals. For example, some gaming monitors only feature DisplayPort, whereas many docking stations for Steam Deck only come with HDMI. If you want to turn your handheld into a fully-fledged desktop alternative, you'll also want to pick something with multiple USB ports and a high enough Power Delivery wattage to match.
• Portability: Most docking stations will fit in your backpack just fine, but if you travel a lot, opting for something ultra-compact could be beneficial. Some options out there only take up the same space as a Steam Deck charger thanks to GaN (gallium nitride technology), which effectively allows accessory makers to merge USB and HDMI functionality into a single power adapter.
• Compatibility: Many docking stations are built with the Steam Deck in mind, and chances are those accessories will also work with most portable gaming PCs like the Asus ROG Ally. However, not every dock will come with a cradle that fits all devices, not to mention some laptop-specific hubs might not specifically accommodate new-age handhelds.

Taking those points into consideration should help you find the right Steam Deck dock, particularly if you have specific ambitions in mind. Our top picks cove൩r most use-cases and playstyles, but the above template will come in handy when looking at any docking station.

Steam Deck doဣck alternatives: thin⭕gs to consider before buying

Technically speaking, you won't have to use a Steam Deck dock if you want to output to a display. That's due to the fact the handheld's USB-C is designed to handle video, data, and charging, and some monitors can use a compatible cable in place of HDMI or DisplayPort. You'll e⛄ven be able to access ports on some screens and treat it like a docking station, but there are caveats to doing so.

Firstly, you'll have to find somewhere to sit your handheld if you connect directly to a screen. Admittedly a minor inconvenience, but one that could disrupt your desk setup if you've got a specific layout. The second factor is that not every USB-C cable will enable you to output video via the port, as you'll need one with the right bandwidth. There are plenty of cheap wires out there that are completely incapable, a🐼nd using the wrong lead may fool you into thinking your Steam Deck is faulty.

The final thing to consider when outputting video without a dock is charging, as you'll have to rely on your connected device for power. Some screen♉s like the Dough Spectrum Black will provide Power Delivery to ensure everything stays powered, but if you go with a generic USB-C to DisplayPort cable, you'll find your handheld quickly runs out of juice.

Best steam deck dock: FAQ

Will my Steam Deck dock work with the Switch 2?

The short answer is yes, most Steam Deck docks should work with the Switch 2. That said, just because something technically works doesn't mean it's the best fit forﷺ the handheld, and there are absolutely a few factors I'd consider before relying on a hub designed with handheld PCs in mind.

Most Steam Deck docks should technically work with the Switch 2 🉐since both handhelds use the same USB-C DisplayPort (DP Alt Mode) output. However, it'll be up to you to𝐆 pair said docking station with the right power adapter, as you could run into charging issues and lack the juice to keep everything powered up. Nintendo's official dock also has a fan, so using one without cooling could potentially lead to overheating.

Effec🐼tively, the same rules with pairing the OG Switch with a dock apply to the Switch 2. Annoyingly, Nintendo has confirmed that the top USB-C port doesn't support video output, so you won't be able to plug a cable in the top like with your Steam Deck. That in itself will impact physical compatibilty, so keep that in the forefront 💧of your mind before hitting buy.

How we test Steam Deck docks at GamesRadar+

We spend hours testing the best Steam Deck docks to ensure they provide Valve's gaming handheld with proper hybrid functionality. Our expert team of staff and freelancers test each accessory to ensure great performance and functionality, whether you're using the portable PC with a monitor, gaming TV, or ✅peripherals like a mouse and keyboard.

Gaming takes centre stage at the core of our testing, and we like to pl🐻ay a plethora of different adventures using Steam Deck docks for our reviews. In addition, we also test every docking station with both the Steam Deck, newer Steam Deck OLED, and Windows handhelds to check compatibility, as well as any other portable PCs we happen to have in our labs at the time. The latter helps provide insight into whether new handhelds will actually fit on standard cradles, as weꦦll as identify any quirks tired to using docks with new systems.

Of course, som💯e Steam Deck docks provide a specific use case. For e𒐪xample, there are docking stations that cater to desktop users, while others are more suitable for travel. We take this into account when testing every Steam Deck dock option, and it's something that'll help you find the right accessory for your needs. Our overall best Steam Deck dock pick is selected based on the balance it strikes across all bases, providing value for money and features a majority of players will benefit from.

For more information on how we approach testing and reviews, check out our full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Hardware Policy.

You can also get your portable PC fix with our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming laptops roundup.