Gaming - Page 165

Valve's Steam Deck has been a true success story for the company and a device that helped legitimize PC gaming handhelds as a competitive alternative to consoles like the Nintendo Switch. With its simple-to-use SteamOS interface, affordability, and ability to play countless games, it's quickly become one of the most popular options in the growing PC gaming handheld market. And Valve has already confirmed it's working on a Steam Deck 2.

Before the Steam Deck launched, Valve confirmed it went through several prototypes before landing on the final design. The Steam Deck press kit includes pictures of several of these, and based on a recent eBay listing, "Engineering Sample 34" for the Steam Deck 256GB has sold for $2000. This news arrives via Steam Deck HQ and a Reddit post by Gary_the_mememachine showcasing screenshots and pictures from the listing.

As you can see in the image above, this Steam Deck prototype looks very different from the retail model. It's also missing the right analog stick, and the device does not have an OS installed.

Microsoft and Samsung announce a surprising collaboration to make an Xbox commercial with the director of Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac, and Alien 3.

One of the most unlikely people just made an Xbox ad: David Fincher, the director of grisly psychological thrillers, put together interesting visual commentary on the "rat race" of life. The footage tells the tale of Horatio, just an everyday anthropomorphic bipedal rat caught up in the humdrum rigmarole of modern life. Every scene has that dark and gritty 90s feel that Fincher is known for, complete with analog technology, towering file cabinets, dull fluorescents, and smoky city streets. There's also a message at the end of the video.

This ad isn't for a game or a product, but more of a cinematic slice of interesting visual appeal that promotes the entire Xbox brand. Samsung's partnership with Microsoft has extended to cross-brand promos for cloud gaming, and this is yet another part of that marketing arrangement.

This year's Xbox Games Showcase is all-digital and will go live on June 8, Microsoft has announced.

Xbox Games Showcase 2025 will kick off on June 8 at 1PM EST, complete with a huge in-depth look at Obsidian's comedic sci-fi sequel The Outer Worlds 2 following the show. Expect a thorough look at third-party games as well as more first-party projects making the jump over to Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2 console, potentially even some sort of Halo-oriented announcement. There's also the possibility of more games coming to PlayStation 5 as well.

As for Outer Worlds 2, new preview coverage reveals distinct details about the game; this time around, Outer Worlds 2 has a much more robust stealth system that's akin to Dishonored. There's also stronger RPG mechanics that influence stats, skills, and effects in-game, plus a big revamp of first-person shooter controls.

Tears of the Kingdom's Switch 2 upgrade transforms it into a kind of social experience for friends.

The Switch 2 is coming June 5, and it has two selling points: Power upgrades and social play. The Switch 2 comes with a new C-button (that's tied to the $50 Switch Online+Expansion Pack subscription) that launches GameChat (voice/video chatting) and GameShare (share a copy with a friend). Nintendo is now adding these Switch 2 enhancements to older games, breathing new life in them in the process.

The Switch 2 next-gen game enhancements aim to take advantage of the console's selling points. Older games are getting next-gen re-releases called Switch 2 Editions that offer up to 4K 60FPS performance that takes advantage of the Switch 2's new power upgrades, and social features, like being able to chat with friends while playing in-game. Some Switch 1 titles are getting special new features that open up new ways to play and you'll have to pay extra to access them.

Nintendo will sell the Switch 2 at a loss in the United States even before any potential effect from tariffs, one analyst firm has estimated.

With its new custom NVIDIA Tegra chip, built-in faster storage, upgraded RAM, and other peripheral upgrades, the Nintendo Switch 2 is much more advanced than its predecessor. It's also expected that the Switch 2 is a lot more expensive make than the Switch 1. It's even possible that Nintendo will sell the Switch 2 at a loss in some global markets, including the U.S.

Analyst firm Toyo Securities estimates that the Switch 2 costs at least $400 to make, and that selling Switch 2 consoles with the effects of a 10% tariff (these units would have been made in Vietnam, and US tariffs against Vietnam are at 10% right now) would still be incurred at a loss. Conversely, the Switch 1 was sold at a profit on day one. Nintendo had previously said that the Switch 2 would be priced with profitability and foreign exchange rates in mind.

Nintendo confirms that physical, cartridge-based Switch 2 Editions of games do not require extra downloads.

A bit ago, Nintendo confirmed that Switch 2 Digital Game-key Cards can be shared and resold like any other cartridge. Now the company has answered another burning question, this time regarding Switch 2 Editions of games. Rumor has it that Switch 2 Editions were essentially the original Switch 1 game + a next-gen upgrade pack that had to be downloaded.

Nintendo has clarified that this isn't the case: The Switch 2 upgrade pack is built right into the cartridge and comes pre-loaded on the Switch 2 Game Card.

PC gaming revenue throughout 2024 has grown by 0.1%, amounting to a staggering $37.3 billion in total revenue, according to the 2025 PC and Console Gaming Report from Newzoo.

According to the report, 58% of all PC gaming revenue generated throughout last year came from microtransactions, and the three games that led the rankings in terms of how much revenue they made were: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Roblox, and Fortnite. Microtransactions are quite a contentious topic for PC gamers, as well as console gamers, as in some cases they can border on predatory, such as Diablo Immortal, which locked late-game chests behind paywalls.

Additionally, some gamers have problems with microtransactions in the form of loot boxes, which have been argued as a form of gambling that underage players can take part in. Despite the aforementioned concerns and many others voiced in the community, microtransactions are a massive part of PC gaming and its revenue, with the 2025 PC and Console Gaming Report stating microtransactions have grown by 1.4% year-over-year and account for $24.4 billion of the total $37.3 billion.

One of the more controversial announcements surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2 was the unveiling of Game Key cartridges, which are physical game cartridges that don't contain any data of the respective game, just a key for a player to unlock and download it once it's plugged into the system.

Game Key cartridges are essentially physical access codes to digitally unlocked game, which, for collectors of physical copies of games, is an antithesis, and to those who enjoy the simplicity of plugging in a game cartridge to dodge what could be a nasty download time, a prudent annoyance, especially if the game they are after isn't getting a physical cartridge release. Well, now we may have an explanation as to why Game Key cartridges even exist in the first place, and according to one source, Nintendo could be to blame.

Physical Paradise recently posted a video where he said he has heard from a source that Nintendo is giving fewer cartridge options to publishing partners, with there only being a "smallish cartridge, or a full-fat 64GB cartridge, and nothing really in between". Why does this matter? It doesn't for the bigger games that will use most of that 64GB capacity, or the really small games that are only a couple of gigabytes. It only matters for the games in the middle, possibly between 16GB and 64 GB.

Nintendo, along with every other country besides China, can take a much-needed breath of fresh air after being drowned in President Trump's newly implemented tariffs, after it was announced that a 90-day reprieve has been implemented.

This pause on tariffs has given Nintendo a chance to get as many Nintendo Switch 2 units to the United States as it possibly can before the 90-day reprieve is lifted and the tariffs are reinstated. That is, if nothing the levy doesn't change between now and then.

Notably, Nintendo manufactures approximately a third of its Nintendo Switch 2 systems in Vietnam, which, before the 90-day reprieve, was subject to a 46% levy. But now the levy is 10%, meaning Nintendo has an opening to get more Switch 2 units on US shores before the console launches in June, and it appears the company has already begun ramping up its efforts.

Star Citizen, which launched its crowdfunding Kickstarter campaign in 2012, has now raised over $800 million - with the most recent $100 million raised in the last 11 months. Developed by Cloud Imperium Games, alongside the star-studded single-player Squadron 42, Star Citizen is still one of the most ambitious (and impressive looking) sci-fi space MMO games out there.

After 12 years of crowdfunding and raising money through in-game microtransactions that sell custom ship packs for tens of thousands of dollars, Version 1.0 of Star Citizen is still nowhere in sight. A year ago, Roberts Space Industries boss and Wing Commander creator Chris Roberts said that the full release of Star Citizen "twinkles on the horizon," though there's no firm release date right now.

The Alpha version of the game continues to receive regular updates, adding new features and elements. Back in 2023, we also got a look at the game's impressive new StarEngine with a 20+ minute tech demo showcasing an entire 1:1 universe in stunning detail with a single continuous in-engine shot.

Nintendo is ramping up into the launch of its Switch 2 handheld, and now we're hearing rumors that the future-gen Nintendo Switch 3 will feature an upgraded chip from NVIDIA... but made by Intel on its brand new Intel 18A process node.

KeyBlanc analyst John Vinh wrote in his new "Sector Platform" rating for Intel shares, noting that "we believe Intel has won the GPU gaming socket for the Nintendo Switch 3 on 18A". This is massive news, as it means Intel will be making tens of millions of semi-custom SoCs from NVIDIA inside of the world's best-selling gaming handheld.

The analyst also noted that "Intel 18A is on track to ramp Panther Lake in 2H25 with KPIs including yields and defect densities trending in the right direction and are at acceptable levels". Vinh also said that Intel has reduced the prices of its Lunar Lake CPUs by 20-40% resulting in only small market gain shares.

Powered by the latest Unreal Engine 5 technology, Wild Assault is a new 20 vs. 20 third-person multiplayer shooter with a cast of anthropomorphic animals like pandas, tigers, and rabbits with hair and clothing. It's launching into Early Access this weekend and supports NVIDIA DLSS 4, including Multi Frame Generation with Reflex.

It looks like another hardware-intensive Unreal Engine 5 title that needs DLSS Super Resolution and Frame Generation to hit triple-digit performance on most cards. Playing in 4K, with DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation, GeForce RTX 5090 performance increases from 93 FPS to 415 FPS, while GeForce RTX 5070 Ti performance increases from 52.9 FPS to 276.5 FPS.

Dropping the resolution down to 1440p, you'll need a GeForce RTX 5080 to hit 100+ FPS natively. Here, the recently released GeForce RTX 5070 achieved 79.2 FPS natively, increasing to 301 FPS with DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation. On the plus side, as it supports DLSS 4's new transformer AI model, image quality improves with DLSS Super Resolution enabled.

A Minecraft Movie has taken over cinemas around the world and quickly became the most successful opening weekend for a video game adaptation, knocking off The Super Mario Bros. Movie. A sequel is already in discussion.

The new theatrical release starring Jack Black as Steve and Jason Momoa raked in a staggering $300 million for its opening weekend, and now, unsurprisingly, considering how much money was made, director Jared Hess has revealed discussions are already underway for a sequel.

In an interview with Deadline, Hess was asked how he would approach a sequel, which the director said the film's creators were overwhelmed with how big the game universe is, and that "there were so many things" they weren't able to include -- meaning there is plenty of content for a sequel.

The original Hades, from indie studio Supergiant Games, is one of the modern era's most critically acclaimed and beloved action roguelikes. It's one of those games that has inspired a new generation of indie games, and its sequel is on track for release later this year. Already available to play in Early Access on PC, Hades 2 is also coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and the Nintendo Switch 2.

As part of a new developer deep dive into the game's creation and how the team at Supergiant Games has approached developing the sequel, we also learn that the game's console debut will be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch. This surprising revelation was posted on Nintendo's official YouTube channel because most people expected the full release to debut on all platforms simultaneously.

Hades 2 is still on track for an Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 release; however, the timed exclusivity for Nintendo Switch hardware could mean those versions might not arrive until sometime in 2026. Naturally, PC gamers won't have to wait. In addition to being able to play the game right now on Steam, the full release will also arrive as a big Version 1.0 patch sometime later this year.

Blizzard has unveiled its first roadmap for Diablo 4, with 2025's 'The Age of Hated' roadmap including information on upcoming seasons and new features while teasing what's in store for 2026. The forthcoming 'Belial's Return' season is set to run from April until July, and it will overhaul the Lair Boss system while bringing one of the franchise's major villains to the game - Belial.

The roadmap notes that this season will bring the first cross-franchise "IP collaboration" to the game. "We can't shed light on them currently," Blizzard writes. "But we're extremely excited to meld the Diablo universe with universes that complement its dark themes." The first thing that comes to mind is Dark Souls, Elden Ring, or The Witcher - which would be an interesting addition to Diablo. More than one "IP collaboration" is coming, which is exciting.

This upcoming 'Belial's Return' season also overhauls the Battle Pass and Season Journey system with The Reliquary. Other highlights in the roadmap include some information on the rest of the seasons set to arrive in 2025, including one focusing on the game's Nightmare Dungeons. Also, console players will get keyboard and mouse support, and leaderboards will finally be a thing.

During the Nintendo Switch 2 close-up, Nintendo showcased a surprise addition to the new console, a camera designed for GameChat.

Nintendo revealed GameChat during the presentation, which is a Switch 2 exclusive feature that enables players to join a chat room to play games together, or simply hang out while players enjoy titles separately. However, GameChat also comes with video feed support, which is why Nintendo is launching a camera alongside the Switch 2.

The newly announced camera is a dedicated 1080p camera specifically designed for the Nintendo Switch 2, while technical specifications for the device haven't been fully revealed, such as the sensor it uses, any motion tracking capabilities, etc, another Switch 2 camera has popped up. But this one features the aesthetics of a Piranha Plant. The standard Switch 2 camera is priced at $49.99, while the Piranha Plant camera is currently only available on the Nintendo UK store for £33.99, or $43 USD.

During the Nintendo Switch 2-focussed Direct, gamers were quick to notice that one of Nintendo's main features for the Switch 2 wasn't working as smoothly as the company may have wanted. This feature is GameChat, specifically the game screen sharing option.

The presentation showed a group of players enjoying a game of Mario Kart World, with Nintendo then saying if a player wants to share the screen of their game, they simply need to press the new C button (GameChat button) and select the share screen option. This feature works across titles, meaning players don't have to be in the same game to share their game with other players in what appears to be a Discord-like room that players can join.

Unfortunately, it appears these shared screens, which during the presentation can be up to four at one time have a significantly reduced frame rate. In a recent interview with GameSpot, Nintendo Switch 2 hardware director Takuhiro Dohta explained why these shared screens have a reduced frame rate, saying Nintendo wants game screen sharing to be useful but not get in the way of the main game that's being played.

FromSoftware and Bandai Namco have dropped new gameplay footage for the deadly Duchess class in the new PvE Elden Ring game.

Elden Ring Nightreign is due out next month, bringing a unique PVE co-op spin to FromSoftware's games. Players will choose one of five classes and work together to outlast the night, taking down horrendous bosses and collecting loot along the way. FromSoft aims to capture some of those lightning in a bottle moments that happened with Elden Ring, but on a multiplayer level, and with some roguelike elements thrown in (read more about Nightreign's gameplay here).

Anyone who participated in Nightreign's network test will recognize the Duchess class, and the devs have released some new footage that shows off her skills in action, including the Finale ability that makes her completely invisible to nearby enemies.

Nintendo's new Switch 2 will supercharge first-party games like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom with 4K 60FPS gameplay.

The Switch 2 is apparently capable of some pretty impressive performance, at least when compared to its predecessor. According to hands-on reports from the recent Nintendo Switch 2 event, the handheld-console hybrid can achieve 4K 60FPS in games like Tears of the Kingdom when docked.

The Switch 2's new 4K-ready gaming is made possible by a customized NVIDIA Tegra processor that facilitates DLSS upscaling, allowing much more performance to be squeezed out of the smaller integrated package. The Switch 2's Tegra SoC features both RT Cores for raytracing and Tensor Cores for built-in DLSS support, and is said to deliver 10x the graphical performance of the Switch 1.

Why do some Switch 2 games cost $80? In Nintendo's own words: value.

Nintendo's new Switch 2 software and hardware prices are delivering sticker shock.to consumers; the system was priced at $450 in the US, but could go higher because of tariffs, and software has a new MSRP of $80 on the platform. Nintendo is pricing its own premiere launch first-party Switch 2 game, Mario Kart World, at $80 in a bid to push adoption of this new cost.

$80 is a lot, but it is Mario Kart, and Nintendo has sweetened the pot to get people to buy. Mario Kart World is pretty sizable in scope and content with its interconnected world and new Grand Theft Auto-like free roam mode, mimicking the kind of broader gameplay mechanics, modes, and features you'd typically see in expansions or DLC-driven updates. It feels like Nintendo decided to pack in any sort of future expansion content upfront and charge extra in the process. (Note: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has sold over 67 million copies across the last 8 years at a $59.99 MSRP).