The Steam Summer Sale is underway, and there are a lot of great games with big discounts.

This year's sale could arguably be considered the first sale where a gamer could buy a title that can be played on their home computer or laptop, a portable consoles such as a Steam Deck or ROG Ally, and thanks to cloud gaming services like GeForce Now, it can also be played on their phone, tablet, or directly on their TV with no cables or console needed.

Still, when it comes to PC gaming, a laptop is the best choice all-around as you can hook it up to a monitor to feel like you're at a desktop or take it with you on the go without losing graphics fidelity or needing good Wi-Fi.

Picking the right gaming laptop really comes down to what you're looking to play on the laptop. Do you want a machine that will play practically every game out there just fine, or do you want a monster of a computer to run any title at the highest settings without a single frame dropped? For me, I would pick these three laptops, but for different reasons.

For power and portability at a low price, there's the Asus TUF Gaming A14 

The Asus TUF Gaming A14 is the laptop to go with if I wanted to play a lot of games well, that's easy to carry and comes with great battery life.

It has solid gaming performance, a decently colorful display that can reach high nits of brightness, and a satisfying keyboard. With its portable 14-inch size, light weight at around 3 pounds, durable military grade toughness, and the best battery life we’ve seen on a gaming laptop in years.

Some of the games the Asus TUF Gaming A14 is able to play at the highest settings that are currently on sale in the Steam Summer Sale are Baldur's Gate 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, and all those games with deep discounts dropping them below $10.

If I didn't worry much about price but want portability then I would need to buy the Razer Blade 16

Razer continues to offer a lot of power in a small package. The Razer Blade 16 (2025) is an expensive laptop with various options, and the RTX 5090 gaming performance being very smooth. There is an option to go with an RTX 4090 or RTX 5080 to save on money while still being able to play games on the highest settings.

The Razer Blade 16 (2025) features a stunning OLED display, Razer’s superb build quality, over 7 hours of web surfing battery life, and almost 2.5 hours of gaming battery life. It’s incredibly portable at just 4.6 pounds and 0.59 inches thick.

Games like Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, and Forza Horizon 5 at the highest graphics settings could bring most computers to their knees, but the Razer Blade 16 can handle them with ease.

The MSI Raider 18 HX AI is the gaming laptop to buy if price is not a concern

Saying the MSI Raider 18 HX AI is expensive is an understatement. This laptop's price is approximately the same as the two previous laptops combined at $4,000.

Still, the Raider has strong general performance, fluid gaming performance, a bright MiniLED display, a comfortable keyboard, powerful audio, and more ports than needed even with a multi-monitor setup. It has a powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 GPU with 16GB of VRAM, which offers the gaming performance one might expect from such a high-end spec. Its 18-inch MiniLED display is bright and vivid, and its 6-speaker sound system is powerful with high-quality audio. But this machine is staying home, as it weighs as much as the Asus TUF Gaming A14 and Razer Blade 16 combined.

The MSI Raider 18 HX AI is more than enough machine to take on the most graphically intense games, such as Monster Hunter Wilds and Alan Wake 2 at their highest settings.

Valve has opened the floodgates on this year's Steam Summer Sale, unleashing thousands of gaming deals onto the unsuspecting bank accounts of gamers worldwide. Including mine, after I accidentally purchased roughly $300 worth of games after testing my luck during our live coverage of the platform's recent service issues.

Yes, we're all guilty of the occasional impulse buy, but if you were to cast your eyes across the vast expanse of my Steam game library, then you'd assume I was less prone to caving to the occasional guilty pleasure, and more inclined to commit war crimes against my wallet.

On the plus side, I now have a fresh new bundle of games to enjoy. Though, countering that, I am left wondering where I'll find the time to play them, and how I'm going to make rent. Still, I regret mostly nothing, and I'm here to share some of the games I'd recommend you could 'accidentally' buy also, with many available for under $10.

Top picks from Steam's Summer Sale

You don't have to be as careless with your cash as I was during Steam's Summer Sale. In fact, you can grab plenty of top titles that offer hours of content for less than $10 or $20.

Let's take a closer look at some of the better deals available right now through July 10, 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT).

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Just as Steam was ready to open the floodgates on thousands of deals during its annual Summer Sale, proceedings have been thrown into turmoil after users reports spiked on outage tracker DownDetector suggesting some substantial issues with Valve's servers.

At the time of writing, users are facing connection time outs when attempting to view Wishlists or purchase items through the Steam Store, greatly disrupting both your and my plans to spend money we don't have on games we'll likely never get around to playing.

This is clearly a massive inconvenience to us all, so follow along as we chase down the cause and connection status to the world's most popular gaming platform.

According to outage tracker DownDetector, user reports have spiked over the last few hours, suggesting that Steam is encountering a service issue.

While users can seemingly browse the storefront without issue, access cloud saves, play games, and even chat to friends, almost all problems currently being encountered seem to revolve around accessing your Wishlist or making purchases.

Of course, this couldn't come at a worse time, with Steam having just launched its annual Summer Sale, one of the best times of the year to save big on AAA and indie games.

Many gamers (like myself) are thus sat staring at a stacked shopping cart and longing for the days, weeks, months, and years they can spend procrastinating on other games and telling themselves they'll eventually get around to playing new ones any day now.

It's been nearly two years since Baldur's Gate III became available. I've yet to even download it.

Still, that won't stop me, and many like me, from adding dozens more games to our libraries once issues clear.

And, when this issue is resolved, its likely that Valve will face an avalanche of digital sales that will rake in more money than most small countries.

Some key highlights tantalizingly out of reach right now, but ready to pounce on once issues clear include the following:

• DOOM (2016): $4 (80% off)
• Sea of Thieves: 2025 Edition: $14 (65% off)
• Oblivion Remastered: $40 (20% off)
• Borderlands 3: $3 (95% off)
• STAR WARS Battlefront II: $4 (90% off)
• Mass Effect Legendary Edition: $6 (90% off)

However, the most impressive deal I've witnessed so far — painfully unable to be taken advantage of right now — has been seeing RoboCop: Rogue City for only $5, a saving of 90% on an absolute sleeper hit of a game.

Meanwhile, problems persist, even though the number of reported issues through DownDetector has dropped. Personally, I'm seeing issues spread to the Steam Store search in recent moments, with timeout issues occurring infrequently.

Oh! Are we back? Wishlists are accessible once more, at the very least.

Look, I promised myself I wouldn't go werewolf during this year's Summer Sale.

I'm something of a recovering addict.

But for the sake of informing the general public about whether or not the issue has been resolved, I will, for science, attempt to buy something to be sure.

The moment of truth.

Guys. I have good news and bad news.

The good news is, that you can now make purchases through the Steam Store.

The bad news is, I may not be able to afford rent this month.

What do this graph of user-reported incidents for the Steam Store and my bank account have in common? They've both suddenly plummeted in number, and both are appearing in the red. Lord, help me.

The problems seem to have been resolved. Let the Summer Sale commence in full.

The last thing I expected to wake up to this morning was over 30,000 players jumping to play one of the most hated AAA games in the past decade.

If you don't already know, Star Wars Battlefront II is on sale on Steam for a measly $4. Clearly, that enticed some folks because the all-time high concurrent player count on Steam charts is over 35K, and that’s just in the last 30 days. Previously, the peak was 10K.

I've got to wonder, is the price really all that's driving players to Battlefront II? Because previously, you literally could not pay me to play that game. Let's take a closer look at the past hate and its recent resurgence.

Why are so many people playing Battlefront II?

When Battlefront II originally launched, fans of the franchise, like myself, were upset by the absurd microtransactions, and rightfully so. However, gamers used their power for good for once and pressured EA into ditching the microtransactions, which actually worked.

Of course, microtransactions weren't the only problem. There was a disappointing single-player mode, and the overall multiplayer content was lacking. However, a few years later, Battlefront II pushed a spate of updates up until 2020, and the game felt a major improvement, at least according to David Jagneaux’s IGN review in 2019.

But if the last major update came in 2020, does that mean the sale really is what’s driving its current player count? Yes and no. It may actually be the byproduct of a slew of Star Wars-related content.

In the past month, we had May the Fourth (basically a Star Wars holiday), Andor Season 2, a Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith re-release in theaters, and even a Star Wars-themed Fortnite season.

Combine that with a steep discount, and it’s not a huge surprise that we’re seeing a massive resurgence. Even Andor actor Muhannad Ben Amor took to Instagram, hoping for a Battlefront III to happen.

Considering what happened with Star Wars Battlefront II, I severely doubted we’d see a Battlefront III anytime soon, at least until today. With this many people jumping to play Battlefront II, it’s not unreasonable to think that EA is going to see this resurgence and start planning on how to capitalize on it.

It’s kinda gross when you think about it that way, but at least people will get what they want. The question is: Will they get it how they want it?

Looking at the price and how far the game has come, maybe I’d give it a try for $4 — I’m sure that’s what 35,000 players thought as well.

AI Frame generation is a controversial GPU technology.

In some cases, frame generation and super sampling tech can make your games worse, but it can also smooth out games that are notorious for being poorly optimized, especially in high resolution.

It's also incredibly helpful on lower-spec hardware and can be a game-changer for handheld gaming PCs.

On Monday, Steam announced a new performance monitor that will let you know exactly how much better your games run with AI-generated frames. You no longer need to use a GPU-specific overlay to view accurate FPS reports with frame generation enabled.

Here's how I learned to stop hating and love GPU upscaling.

How much better is gaming with frame generation?

Gaming can be much better with frame generation enabled, but. It entirely depends on your settings.

Whether you're using Nvidia's DLSS, AMD's FSR, or Intel's XeSS upscaling, you've got a couple of different settings profiles to choose from. You can set your upscaling to the default or balanced mode, or choose to prefer graphics quality or graphics performance.

The performance-focused upscaling profile will definitely yield more frames than your eye can see, but it will also degrade image quality significantly, as it relies on AI upscaling for a greater portion of the frame.

Opting for higher quality gets you fewer frames, but will keep the more impressive graphic flourishes like ray tracing and sub-surface scattering intact.

Barring that, there are times when you won't want frame gen enabled at all. Server-based games aren't the best use for frame gen since all the AI-generated frames are on the client side, which can lead to some additional lag between what you see in your game and what the server sees.

While this isn't critical in most cooperative games, it can cause you to perform worse than you think in competitive PvP games. So I wouldn't recommend enabling frame generation for your next Marvel Rivals match, but it can absolutely improve performance in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Is frame generation really so bad?

In a lot of ways, AI frame generation is a crutch for game developers. Why optimize a game to perform well on native hardware if you can just tell players to enable AI frame generation?

There are plenty of examples of this issue, from Crysis to Cyberpunk 2077, but one of the more recent offenders is Monster Hunter Wilds, which is still being review-bombed months later for poor PC performance.

And while AI-generated frames can smooth out problematic game performance, we shouldn't need frame gen on high-end gaming rigs.

The problem there, as always, comes down to profits and shifting internal priorities, forcing developers to release unfinished games, and then launch the missing content as "DLC" or offering major performance fixes as a "Day One" patch.

But since I can't fix the game development industry, I can at least enjoy games with frame generation on. As long as I'm not playing a competitive PvP game, anyway.

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The new benchmark champ for Cyberpunk 2077 is not a Windows gaming PC, but a MacBook.

Last week, during WWDC, Apple and Cyberpunk developers CD Projekt Red showcased their hard work on the game's ultimate edition, with frame rates hitting 120 fps.

It's not the first time Cyberpunk 2077 has run better on macOS systems than traditional gaming hardware — we saw it in 2023. But that feat was accomplished with dev tools like macOS Sonoma's Game Porting Toolkit.

No tools were used in this achievement. So, has the MacBook become a gaming contender? That answer isn't quite clear in spite of that stunning 120 fps milestone.

CD Projekt developers said the Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition was running on a MacBook Pro with the M4 Max chip at 120 fps using Ultra settings.

Cyberpunk 2077's blazing performance and a native Steam Client indicate big changes in Mac gaming

While getting 120 fps on a MacBook with Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't come close to the 200+ fps we saw with Nvidia's DLSS 4 and Frame Gen enabled, it is still difficult to run the game natively even on high-end gaming PCs.

Cyberpunk is particularly rough at high resolution, even with the latest discrete graphics cards on desktops. On gaming laptops, even the Nvidia RTX 5090 and 5080 struggle to clear 60 fps at Ultra settings and 1080p without software support.

Apple and CDProjekt have worked hard to ensure that the Ultimate Edition runs smoothly on Macs.

Between the Cyberpunk performance benchmark and the news of a native Steam client for macOS, the Mac gaming ecosystem is starting to change.

Of course, the Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition is still in development, and the Steam client is still in beta. However, these latest developments exemplify Apple's genuine progress.

What Apple still needs to do to make Mac gaming competitive

Apple could potentially use something like Valve's Proton translation layer for SteamOS to get more Windows games running on macOS, but this solution may have additional problems.

SteamOS is usually deployed on handheld gaming PCs built with x86-architecture CPUs, such as Intel's Lunar Lake chipset in the MSI Claw 8 AI+ or AMD's Ryzen Z-series in the Asus ROG Ally X. Essentially, x86 architecture is a type of complex instruction set computer (CISC) architecture.

Apple's most recent MacBooks all use Apple Silicon's M chipsets based on the Arm architecture. This means they're an advanced version of the reduced instruction set computer (RISC) architecture, and the Arm architecture cannot handle some tasks.

There's a reason why the Snapdragon gaming ecosystem is comparatively small.

Apple usually circumvents its Arm-based limitations by working with software developers to ensure that software works well in the Mac ecosystem.

Rather than deploy a compatibility layer that may not work on Apple's new hardware, the company would be better off by creating partnerships with game developers to ensure games run on macOS. But this is a long-term solution, and it's not like Apple hasn't been working toward it.

After all, the last several iterations of macOS have included a Game Porting Toolkit and expanded developer tools.

This has led Apple to add more recent games to the App Store, including Assassin's Creed: Shadows and Resident Evil 4 Remake.

However, in the short term, Mac gamers can also employ streaming services like Nvidia's GeForce Now to play additional games on their MacBooks. It's not true Mac gaming, but it works pretty darn well.

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Apple is planning a big gaming announcement for WWDC 2025, but it's still missing the key to taking gaming on the MacBook to the next level.

Last week, Bloomberg reported that Apple will launch a "dedicated gaming app" at WWDC 2025. The app will "serve as a launcher for titles and centralize in-game achievements, leaderboards, communications, and other activity."

That might sound familiar to anyone who remembers Apple's little-used Game Center app. A new gaming app is all well and good, but it doesn't address the core issue holding Macs back from being true gaming devices.

Luckily, Valve has the secret ingredient Apple needs to make gaming on the Mac great.

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Apple's new dedicated gaming app is a step in the right direction, but not enough

According to Bloomberg, Apple's new dedicated gaming app "will feature editorial content from Apple about new titles, offer access to the App Store’s game section and promote Arcade, the company’s $6.99-a-month subscription offering."

It sounds like this app will be a gaming-focused alternative to the App Store, incorporating the achievements and social features that used to be in Game Center. It won't just be for iOS, though.

Bloomberg notes perhaps the most important detail: "Apple is also planning a Mac version of the app that can tap into games downloaded outside of the App Store."

Apple seems to be putting special attention into the macOS version of this new app, potentially even folding in games from other game stores, which may hint that Apple is trying to make another push into gaming on the Mac.

Since the launch of the M-series chips, Macs have gotten significantly better at gaming. However, they still struggle to pose any serious threat to PC gaming on Windows or even handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck. This is largely because there aren't many games that are natively compatible with macOS.

That is why a new game launcher might not be what Apple needs to succeed in gaming. What it really needs is what Valve already has.

Apple needs to take a page from Valve's book

Valve's Steam Deck played a huge role in sparking the rising popularity of handheld gaming PCs over the past several years. But on paper, it shouldn't have been a success.

After all, it runs on Linux, and most PC games are designed for Windows. Most of the games on Steam, which the Steam Deck is explicitly built for, are not natively compatible with the Linux operating system on the handheld.

You'd hardly notice that while playing on a Steam Deck, though, and that's something Apple should be paying attention to.

Valve developed a compatibility layer called Proton to launch the Steam Deck with its own custom-built, Linux-based operating system without sacrificing game compatibility.

This compatibility layer effectively acts as a translator that allows Linux to understand and run Windows games. That means that even if a game isn't natively compatible with Linux, you can (usually) still play it on the Steam Deck.

MacBooks could become far better gaming devices if Apple developed an officially supported compatibility layer like Proton for macOS. If people knew they could play all the same games, more people might consider choosing a Mac over a Windows PC, significantly increasing the player base on macOS. That, in turn, would likely attract more developers to create natively compatible games for Macs.

Apple seems to want developers to come to its platform before gamers, but that's not fair considering the amount of time and resources it takes to create and launch a game, which relies on a good return on investment.

If Apple wants more developers to make games for macOS, it must bridge the gap and make Macs more appealing to gamers. A compatibility layer could achieve precisely this. Apple's new gaming app could even be a launcher for that compatibility layer!

Valve already has the answer here. All Apple needs to do is give Proton a spin and take notes.

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I’ve been a PC gamer all my life. But gaming on the same computer I use for work gets stale quickly.

Now, I considered buying one of the best handheld gaming PCs to play anywhere I want, but I’m still saving up cash to get one.

So, in the meantime, I traded in my gaming laptop for Nvidia GeForce Now. Here's how it went.

The good: I can play on nearly any device

The one thing that I love about Nvidia GeForce now is that I can play on nearly any modern device. I have it installed on my iPad, Samsung phone, Chromecast with Google TV attached to a 20-year-old TV, my bedroom smart TV, and even my MacBook Air.

That means I can play most of my games even if I don’t have the hardware to support it. For example, I can play Age of Empires II on my MacBook Air, even though it was never officially released for macOS.

Because Chromecast with Google TV and my smart TV support Bluetooth connectivity, I can also play games on a large screen without needing to buy a console. All I needed to do was connect my GuliKit KingKong 2 Pro controller, and I’m good to go to play many titles.

If I want to play strategy games that are nigh impossible to play with a controller, I just pair a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard to my Chromecast or smart TV and relax on my sofa or bed.

GeForce Now offers a controller overlay for my tablet and smartphone, allowing me to play on them even if I don’t have any peripherals. This is especially convenient when I’m on the road and waiting, as I can pull up my favorite title and play on the device I have, as long as I have a decent internet connection.

The bad: An unreliable internet connection is the bane of cloud gaming

Since cloud gaming streams a lot of data, you need a relatively fast and stable internet connection to enjoy it. At the very least, you need 15 Mbps to play games at 720p, with the requirement jumping to 25 Mbps if you set the resolution to full HD.

Higher resolutions require even faster speeds, with 1440p@120 needing 35 Mbps and 4K@120 demanding 45 Mbps. By comparison, Netflix only needs 3 Mbps for Standard Definition, 5 Mbps for Full HD, and 15 Mbps for 4K streaming.

Aside from these higher speeds, your provider also needs to be consistent. My internet connection has been quite unstable lately, so even though I’m paying for a 100 Mbps connection, the game’s resolution would drop at times.

I also get a connection warning (which I ignore) when I launch a game, and a sign pops up on the screen a few times, telling me that latency is high.

This is just the unfortunate reality I must deal with, especially because my current internet provider basically has a monopoly on wired connections in my area.

Despite a weak and fickle internet connection, GeForce Now is still playable, even though I sometimes need patience.

I’m still required to buy games (or pay for a subscription)

Unfortunately, GeForce Now does not give you any game titles, even if you pay for a subscription. In fact, it’s not a substitute for any game platform — instead, it’s supposed to replace high-end gaming hardware with a more affordable (or even free) service.

So, if you’re new to gaming and haven’t built up your gaming library yet, you need to do that, or else you’d have nothing to play on the service.

Still, GeForce Now is a great way for you to enjoy games, even on older hardware. The Free tier already lets you play all the games at 1080p resolution and good quality. So, even if your system only has 8 GB of RAM and an integrated GPU, you can still play demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077, as long as you’ve already purchased it or if it’s included in your subscription.

It’s also great that GeForce Now syncs with five of the biggest gaming platforms — Steam, Xbox, Epic Games, Ubisoft, and Battle.net.

Although GeForce Now does not have all the games on those platforms available in its library, you can still access over 2,000 titles, which isn’t half bad for a free service.

Also, note that not all games are playable on all devices. Nvidia says that titles that don't have full or partial gamepad support won’t work on iOS, iPadOS, and Android devices because they don't support point-lock mouse functionality while streaming.

I’ve only seen this on my iPad so far when I tried to launch Captain of Industry, with the app telling me This game is currently not supported on this device, though, so it’s not much of a problem.

So, if you plan to forgo purchasing high-end gaming hardware and rely on your internet connection to play games, it’s best to shop for titles directly on the GeForce Now library. That way, you’re guaranteed that the game you’re paying for will work on it.

You must pay if you don’t have patience, want to play more, or demand better quality

The Free tier on GeForce Now is good enough for most users, but it does have its limitations. The biggest one is that you’ll have to wait in queue whenever you launch a game.

This isn’t a problem for most titles, but if you’re playing a particularly popular game, the wait time can last as long as an hour. This tier is also ad-supported, although I have yet to see an ad during the times that I’ve used it.

You also have a maximum of one hour to play on GeForce Now if you’re not paying. When your time runs out, you’ll have to launch the game and queue up again, although there are no limits on how many times you can do this in a day.

I have zero regrets

If you want to level up your experience, you can pay $49.99 every six months for the Performance tier, which bumps up max resolution to 1440p, gives you RTX, and extends your gaming sessions to six hours. Lastly, the $100/six months Ultimate tier gives you the shortest queue times, lets you play at 4K@240 with RTX, and has sessions that last up to eight hours.

I have zero regrets now that I started playing more on GeForce Now, and I wish I had tried it sooner.

I even find myself choosing it over my gaming laptop if I just want to relax over the weekend.

However, since my internet is not that stable, I’m not willing to pay for a subscription, and I still want to buy a handheld console to serve my casual gaming needs.

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Steam just rolled out a major change to its "Deck Verified" program that might leave some gamers confused, but it's not as complicated as it seems.

When browsing the Steam store now, you might see some games marked "Deck Verified" and "SteamOS compatible." They're related but not exactly the same. This change was part of a recent update to include compatibility for SteamOS-powered gaming handhelds that aren't made by Valve. It could also help PC gamers running Linux.

Here's what "SteamOS compatible" means and how to see which games in your Steam library are compatible with the Steam Deck, SteamOS, and Linux in general.

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"Deck Verified" vs "SteamOS compatible": Steam compatibility tags explained

Over the past few days, you may have noticed a new "SteamOS" compatibility tag on the Steam store. That's the result of an update to Steam's "Deck Verified" program that Valve announced on Monday.

Valve now displays SteamOS compatibility alongside games' "Deck Verified" status. The change is due to the launch of the new SteamOS version of the Lenovo Legion Go S, and future hardware powered by SteamOS that isn't made by Valve.

SteamOS is the Linux-based operating system Valve developed for the Steam Deck, now allowing other hardware brands to use on their gaming handhelds and PCs. Since these devices aren't made by Valve, the "Deck Verified" status doesn't technically apply since they use hardware different from the Steam Deck.

So, now games will also display SteamOS compatibility to indicate whether or not they're playable on SteamOS-powered devices that aren't the Steam Deck.

That might sound a little confusing, but most Deck Verified games will also be SteamOS compatible. According to Valve's announcement blog post, it's expecting some 18,000 games to be SteamOS compatible "out of the gate."

This isn't just a welcome update for handheld gaming PC users. It's also a helpful feature for Linux gamers. While SteamOS is just one of many Linux distributions, SteamOS compatibility can be a good indicator of general Linux compatibility.

SteamOS and the Steam Deck have already done a lot to improve the Linux gaming experience, so it's nice to see Valve taking yet another step to promote compatibility.

If you want to see which games in your Steam library are compatible with Linux and the Steam Deck at a glance, ProtonDB is another great resource for checking performance, compatibility, and bug reports.

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A recent data breach could threaten your Steam account, but luckily, protecting yourself (and your games) is fairly easy.

An estimated 89 million Steam users' accounts were affected by a data breach on Saturday, affecting roughly two-thirds of all Steam accounts. While Steam itself wasn't breached directly, hackers gained access to some account details through a third-party Steam works with, although it's still unclear which one.

Here's what we know about the breach and what you should do to keep your Steam account safe.

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Two-thirds of all Steam accounts at risk after third-party data breach

On Sunday, a user on X by the name of Mellow_Online1 reported a data breach that occurred the day before.

This particular X user is the Sentinels of the Store's community leader, a Steam group that aims "to protect consumers from malpractice and deceit." In this case, that means reporting a major data breach that could put millions of Steam users' accounts at risk.

The evidence so far indicates that this was not a breach of Steam itself, but one of its third-party partners. The leaked dataset, which was seen on a dark web forum for a selling price of $5,000, contains real-time SMS logs, specifically the two-factor authentication codes sent to Steam users' phones to confirm login attempts.

Currently, it doesn't look like actual passwords were compromised, although the one-time codes and their associated phone numbers could potentially put your Steam account at risk.

As Mellow_Online1 pointed out in a follow-up post, the hacker who originally stole this data likely has some sort of back-end access to one of the third-party companies Steam uses for its 2FA services.

Mellow_Online1 originally reported that Twilio was the 2FA company that was breached, but Twilio has denied that, stating there's no evidence that the leaked data came from them. So, it's still unclear which one of Steam's third-party partners was the source of the leak, but luckily, there are a couple of easy steps you can take to protect your account.

How to protect your Steam account after the data breach

There's no way to know for sure if this data breach compromised your account, so it's a good idea to change your Steam password now.

We recommend using a password generator like LastPass to create a strong, unique password. Also, make sure you update your Steam password in your password manager (if you don't use one, now's a good time to start—I highly recommend BitWarden's password manager).

Additionally, keep a close eye on your Steam account, connected credit cards, and email account. The leaked data could be used to send phishing texts or emails, so be wary of any messages asking you to log in or for login info.

It's also a good idea to double-check that no unfamiliar devices are accessing your Steam account. You can do that by opening the Steam app and going to the "Security & Devices" tab in your account settings.

Here, you'll see all the devices currently logged in with your account, when they logged in, and where they are located. If there are any you don't recognize, select "Remove All Credentials" to log out on all devices and promptly change your Steam password.

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Moon Studios may not be a household name among video game developers, but the indie studio has produced two award-winning games: Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Both games were heavily promoted for the Xbox One and eventually made their way to the Nintendo Switch.

Last year, Moon Studios did an early access release for its third game, No Rest for the Wicked. The new game was a departure from the platformer gameplay found in Ori, with its action-roleplaying gameplay that was a mix of FromSoftware's Souls franchise and Blizzard's Diablo. Being a game in early access, those interested in playing the game can pay full price to gain access to the early build of the game as the developer works on it.

The goal of releasing a game for early access is to have gamers help fund the development before the title launches fully. However, Moon Studios appears to be having some issues that could prove detrimental to the studio's future.

The issues began with the release of "The Breach" content update for No Rest for the Wicked on May 1. This update was going to be a large one for the game, including new content, quality of life (QoL) changes, additional quests, and more.

This new update, however, didn't win over the current user base of gamers who paid for early access. In fact, it led to a series of negative reviews on Steam.

The negative reviews since the update offer a wide range of issues with the game from players who say they've played it for an extensive amount of time. Some of the problems include an increase in difficulty, QoL changes that didn't help, and many complaints about the game simply not being fun anymore.

Over the course of a year since the game was released for early access, the largest number of negative reviews have stemmed from the May 1 patch, with the second time period being right after the game's initial release into early access.

On May 10, Moon Studios' CEO and creative director, Thomas Mahler, posted on the game's Discord and left an ominous message about the studio's future, as first reported by Windows Central.

"Folks, if you're writing here and are enjoying Wicked and are excited for future updates, but haven't left a positive review, it's entirely possible that we won't be around in a couple of months to do anything anymore simply because we got review bombed which leads to people not buying the game. Which means we're not making any money and will have to shut down," he wrote.

"Review bombing" is typically an organized, malicious campaign to harm a video game, movie, or even a place of business by leaving negative reviews. Usually, it's a reaction to a company's decision that could be directly related to whatever is being reviewed or related.

Review bombing is common in video games, with some instances involving how a game ended, like with Mass Effect 3, or simply for a game being available in the Epic Game Store, such as in the case with Borderlands 3.

Mahler's Discord comments spread across the internet as the developer is still thought of fondly by many gamers. However, Mahler himself disputed that his company actually had financial issues.

"And no, we’re not in immediate financial danger — but from time to time, I think I’m allowed to speak up about issues within our industry I personally find unbecoming," he wrote on X.

He went on to say he has no issue telling active players who loved the game to leave a positive review. He claimed some negative reviews for No Rest for the Wicked were made by people who bought the game, didn't play it, left the review, and then requested a refund from Steam.

Mahler says that if that is allowed, a developer should also be allowed to ask players to share their real experiences about the game.

According to the game's Steam page, there has been a spike in positive reviews since he made his plea on Discord.

Mahler did say not all negative reviews of the game were part of a review bombing campaign, and that some offered important feedback that the studio is looking to address.

However, he did state that some bad actors are using some of his past statements as a reason to conduct a review bombing campaign.

When Laptop Mag contacted Mahler about his comments, he pointed to his post on X, which you can read below:

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I'm once again repeating a phrase that you've no doubt come across so much that it's burnt into your retinas like the Halo HUD on a cheap plasma TV: Microsoft will be ending support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025.

In other unsurprising news, not everybody is all that keen on the enforced switchover to Windows 11.

So, what are your options? macOS? I've been a Windows user my entire life, and I just can't wrap my brain around those weird traffic light window controls. ChromeOS? Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face.

How about clinging to Windows 10 past its expiry and falling foul to every security pitfall possible? No thanks. Considering all of my passwords are just the word "Password," I'm already walking enough of a tightrope of trouble every time I venture online.

Then, of course, there's switching to Linux — or as I like to refer to it, the hardware driver hellscape whose reputation paints it as so unapproachable it might as well adopt hieroglyphics as its system font.

But, what if, hidden among all of those various Linux distros, there was some lightweight, easy-to-install, bloat-free, alternative to Windows that doesn't require a degree in computer science to handle?

Well, there is. It's Valve's SteamOS, and its latest preview build (SteamOS 3.7.0 Preview) is opening the doors for its adoption on "non-Steam Deck handhelds" and potentially opening up a new lane for disgruntled Windows gamers looking for a genuine off-ramp from Microsoft's ecosystem.

SteamOS: Linux for people who fear Linux

Yes, SteamOS is Linux, but it's not that Linux — or it certainly doesn't feel like it, anyway.

Having spent some time with the OS through my use of the Steam Deck, I have to say that this is one of the most accessible versions of Linux I've come across to date. To power users, yes, this is very much baby's first Linux gaming platform, but to the average gamer, what more do you need?

Built on Arch Linux, SteamOS is a painless gaming companion through its Proton compatibility layer and isolated Gamescope micro-compositor that offers a console-like gaming experience reminiscent of Steam's Big Picture mode.

If the bulk of your computing consists of media, browsing, and gaming, SteamOS has you covered, and there's very little you'll need to do to get the ball rolling.

SteamOS is simple enough that even your grandma could effortlessly launch her way into a game of Stardew Valley, yet flexible enough to accommodate more enthusiast demands for plugins, mods, and more.

SteamOS: What's the catch?

As nicely as I may have presented SteamOS, it's not without its drawbacks. SteamOS wouldn't be for everyone. If your computing itinerary consists of more than YouTube, Steam gaming, and Discord, you're likely going to run into the same hurdle most first-time Linux users do: limited compatibility.

Love your Adobe products or heavily rely on that Microsoft Office suite? Bad news, champ. Beyond web-based versions, you're not going to have a good time when looking to lean on your favorite apps.

Instead, you'll likely have to rely on Linux-compatible alternatives like GIMP and LibreOffice.

That's not to say SteamOS' desktop mode isn't capable of handling a lot of your daily driving on productivity tasks, just that it wouldn't be a frictionless experience.

Factor in Linux's anti-cheat software struggles (effectively locking gamers out of certain titles), typical Linux hardware driver woes, and SteamOS' double-edged immutable system (great for stability, but painful for customization), and you can begin to see where headaches could form.

However, the potential SteamOS still offers, remains.

The underdog option that might be crazy enough to work

Originally designed for Valve's gone-too-soon Steam Machines in 2013, the Arch Linux-based SteamOS has gone on to act as the backbone to one of the most popular handheld gaming PCs to date, the Steam Deck.

Current rumors suggest that SteamOS will return to Valve hardware to handle the company's upcoming standalone Deckard VR headset.

However, later this year, SteamOS will be stepping away from Valve hardware for the first time, with Lenovo's Legion Go S and the GPD WIN 4 among the first third-party devices to adopt the platform — and you'd be fooling yourself to think it will be the last.

SteamOS clearly has potential beyond handhelds, and users (including yours truly) have been eagerly awaiting its broader release to see how it handles desktop and laptop computers. Some have already managed to get SteamOS running on non-Valve hardware, transforming their devices into modern quasi-Steam Machines.

For gamers who don't need to drag around all of the baggage that Windows carries with it, SteamOS might be exactly what a clean break from Microsoft's operating system looks like.

It's an OS designed by gamers, for gamers — a streamlined approach that lets you focus on playing rather than wrestling with bloat, AI, and Microsoft's complexities.

According to Valve's own Steam Hardware & Software Survey for February 2025, only 0.14% of the platform's users make use of "Arch Linux" at the moment, only fractionally more than the number of users still running Windows 7 (0.10%), and leagues below those running Windows 10 or Windows 11 (53.34%, 44.1% respectively).

It'd take some surge in popularity for SteamOS to challenge Microsoft on that front. Windows is still the home of PC gaming, and Valve's primary position is still as the pipeline to accessing those games, not in providing the operating system with which to play them.

However, knowing that the quirky, risky, and oddly compelling SteamOS exists as an alternative is quite exciting — and I look forward to the day I get to take it for a full test drive on hardware of my own.

There's a long road ahead until Windows 10's end-of-support date, and plenty of time for Valve's OS to shape up. When it's time for Microsoft to finally pull the plug, I think I'm ready to take the gamble on this underdog alternative. The question is: are you?

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With Microsoft planning to pull the plug on one of its most popular operating systems to date on October 14, 2025, Windows 10 is living on borrowed time — but it's not going down without a fight.

Over the last month, the aging operating system has made a surprising comeback in one key battlefield, countering the slow but widespread migration of users to Windows 11.

Windows 10's impending end-of-support has been widely known since Microsoft's Windows client roadmap announcement in April 2023. At that time, Statcounter figures suggest that the operating system had a global market share among desktop users of 71.6%. A year on, in April 2024, that market share fluctuated, but ultimately only dropped by 1.7%

However, as of February 2024, updated Statcounter figures suggest that Windows 10's global market share has fallen to its lowest share of the market (58.7%) since August 2019 (59.8%) — a point in time when the then four-year-old operating system was still involved in its own drawn-out switchover from Windows 7. On the flipside of those stats, Windows 11 has climbed to its highest peak so far, claiming 38.1% of the desktop market.

By the numbers, Windows 11 adoption is healthily on the uptick. That said, one corner of the computing world seemingly isn't willing to follow suit: gaming. According to the latest Steam Hardware and Software Survey for February 2025, Windows 11 isn't on the rise. In fact, it's on the decline — and not by mere fractions of a percent, either.

Do gamers still favor Windows 10?

There are plenty of reasons for gamers to upgrade to Windows 11, including DirectX 12 Ultimate which unlocks ray tracing and variable rate shading, Auto HDR which offers older games a graphical facelift, better optimized DirectStorage for loading games faster, Dynamic Lighting control to bring all your RGB peripherals under one umbrella, and improved gaming performance in windowed mode.

However, perhaps the two most important features of that list, DirectX 12 Ultimate and DirectStorage, are also available on Windows 10. Factor in Windows 10's reputation as the more stable platform of the two, and you can understand why gamers might prefer Microsoft's previous operating system.

While the last few months of Steam's Hardware and Software Survey (a monthly survey that collects data on the platform's 132 million monthly active users) have seen Windows 11 on the rise — securing 54.9% of Steam users as of December 2024 — February's survey has flipped the script on its head entirely.

According to the most recent Steam survey, the number of Windows 10 64-bit users has shot up by 10.4%, while Windows 11 64-bit is down 9.3%, practically reversing December's figures and giving Windows 10 the majority 53.3% lead.

The shift is one of the biggest we've seen for some time and could indicate that gamers aren't quitting on Windows 10 just yet. However, with the wider trajectory of Windows 11 adoption pointing in the opposite direction, what's the real cause of this Windows 10 resurgence among gamers?

Could it be that new hardware owners have downgraded from pre-installed versions of Windows 11 following the holiday period en masse, or is there more to consider?

What caused Windows 10's comeback?

Looking elsewhere in the Steam survey, there's an even more impressive shift in Steam user's demographics when it comes to one key area: language.

Over the past month, there has been a more than 20% rise in the number of Steam users selecting Simplified Chinese as their language. This pushes the total population of Simplified Chinese users up to 50% of the platform, with English trailing at 23.8% ahead of Russian at 6.7%.

This influx of Chinese users may be the cause of the sharp uptick in reported Windows 10 users on the platform, with Statcounter data specifically relating to China estimating that only 26.4% of users are operating on Windows 11 systems, compared to nearly 40-42% of European and North American users.

Is Windows 11's dominance an inevitability?

Ultimately, the closer we get to Windows 10's October 14 end-of-support date, the more clear it will become: the Windows 11 take-over is an inevitability.

While China's Windows 10 adoption is still relatively low, Chinese users are seemingly more willing to stand by older operating systems, with Windows 7 still estimated to be run by 16.5% of desktop PCs.

However, with Windows 11 adoption steadily progressing elsewhere, it seems as if all things are going to plan for Microsoft as it seeks to unify its users under its flagship operating system.

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If there's one sad but universal rule in tech, it's that every developer, publisher, manufacturer, or personality will inevitably betray your trust or admiration for them.

Perhaps you encountered it when Konami remade Metal Gear Solid 3 as a Pachinko machine, the moment Xbox sold its soul to PlayStation, or the weird way Mark Zuckerberg drank water that one time. Regardless, heartbreak is practically an inevitability.

However, every rule has an exception. My personal exception is Valve — which, for ethical reasons, I'll freely admit may have something to do with the thousands of dollars I've saved thanks to various Steam Sales.

Of course, no company is perfect, and I can't speak for the people within it. For all I know the Valve headquarters breaks into a fervor on Friday evenings as everybody gathers around a TV to watch illegal dogfights.

What I do know is that Valve has yet to do me wrong on the hardware or software front. I've barely been able to express how enamored I've become with Valve's Steam Deck, and now escalating rumors of the company's plans to release a new VR headset in 2025, codenamed Deckard, have me practically doing backflips as I make heart eyes at the poster of Gabe Newell hanging on my office wall.

(This is hyperbole, I don't have a poster of Gabe Newell on my office wall. It's a cardboard cutout and it stands in the corner of my kitchen.)

I have been, and always will, be a proud champion of VR — thoroughly believing that gaming's future will heavily lean into this medium in good time. I'll save you the same old spiel you'll hear elsewhere about Valve's Deckard potentially being VR's big moment to break into the mainstream because VR headsets already are mainstream.

Instead, I'll simply say this: my time with the Steam Deck has been so good, that even if Deckard is little more than the same handheld with a head strap, I'm still buying one. Here's why.

Valve Deckard: More than a Steam Deck for your face

Thankfully, Valve's Deckard is expected to be so much more. The rumored headset is claimed to include a split-1440p resolution display with a 120Hz refresh rate, running on a modified version of the Steam Deck's SteamOS platform, tailored to retool SteamVR as a standalone experience.

That means on-device PCVR gaming, free from your desktop umbilical. Better still, one reputable tech tipster claims that Deckard will run regular flat-screen games too (like the Steam Deck), using VR to project them onto large virtual screens for maximum immersion.

The cherry on top? Unlike Valve's previous VR offering, the Index, the Deckard reportedly uses inside-out body tracking, meaning you won't need to invest in expensive base stations for accurate upper body tracking.

It sounds fantastic. So, what's the catch? Well, current rumors suggest that the Valve Deckard VR headset may launch with a $1,200 price tag — far above the affordable Goldilocks zone claimed by Meta's Quest headsets.

Can't afford Deckard? Check out this $300 PCVR alternative

Rumored to cost $1,200, Valve's Deckard headset sets a pretty high bar for entry. However, that's not to say you can't recreate a similar experience to the one laid out earlier for far less.

Meta's Quest 3 and Quest 3S headsets cost considerably less, with the Quest 3S retailing for just $299, while also expanding on the Deckard's core features with full-color mixed reality passthrough — though, admittedly, offering lesser performance and resolution as Deckard rumors suggest.

It's a similarly standalone device, but that will restrict you to games and apps available within the Horizon Store. While the Horizon Store library is nothing to sneer at, it is restrictive, and the Quest 3 family's affordability has resulted in a younger population with less cash to burn, causing it to lean into free-to-play and discount titles that risk making HorizonOS the VR version of Android and iOS' shovelware amusement park app stores.

As standalone as it may be, Quest headsets are made all the more better by PCVR. Not only can you play PCVR games on Quest headsets, but you can also use the Steam Link app to stream PCVR games from SteamVR directly to your headset.

While it's a little "The Valve Deckard we have at home," for all but the most hardcore of VR enthusiasts, this is a pretty affordable route to PCVR gaming with a few extra mixed reality bells and whistles for bragging rights.

PCVR needs a 'Steam Deck' moment

Before the Meta Quest 2 rolled around in 2020, it felt like VR had been stuck in early access for years, but that headset's unrivaled success painted a positive picture for the medium. Has it lived up to that hope? Somewhat.

The Quest 3 and Quest 3S were major milestones in VR's continued push for acceptance, but some five months on from the latter's release and it feels like that momentum has stalled harder than a particularly anxious learner driver at their first set of traffic lights.

I'm sure that's exactly the kind of feeling the pre-2022 handheld gaming PC community would resonate with, right up until the moment one healthily bearded Gabe Newell stepped into the market and turned everything on its head.

Now you can hardly move around in the tech space without needing to kick several variations of handheld out of your path, lest you intend to ski-doo your way around on a pair of ROG Allys.

While VR doesn't necessarily need Deckard to spur a new wave of hardware, its focus on PCVR gaming and making that vast and varied landscape of titles available to even more people (especially those who don't own a powerful VR-ready laptop or desktop computer) is vitally needed to ensure momentum continues to build.

Valve's Deckard is unlikely to be the headset that brings VR to the forefront of gaming. However, the company's effort to push PCVR to the forefront of accessibility may go a long way to promote the same mentality from others, marking an important stepping stone to the larger VR goal. One I hope to be a part of.

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The Steam Deck marked its third anniversary on Tuesday, a milestone met alongside reports that estimate Valve has shipped over 3.7 units as of the end of 2024, accounting for 48% of all handheld gaming PC hardware sold that year.

While that's still a fraction of what Nintendo managed to achieve with the Switch — and potentially an even smaller fraction of what it hopes to achieve with the Switch 2 — the Steam Deck has become one of the more important devices of the modern era, an incredible achievement for a product exclusively sold through Steam, with no presence on digital or brick-and-mortar store shelves.

After all, if it wasn't for the Steam Deck, could we really bank on the influx of handheld gaming PCs we see today? Valve's handheld paved the way for the ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and MSI Claw to follow, each now offering follow-ups in the form of the ROG Ally X, Legion Go S, and MSI Claw 8 AI+.

Since the Steam Deck's launch in 2022, the rate of handheld releases has skyrocketed, and their increasing performance potential leaves Valve's handheld further in the dust each time. You'd have to be a stark-raving masochist to settle for the opening-tier performance of a Steam Deck at a time like this. Or so I thought until I finally got my hands on one.

Now all I care about is having a good time.

The Steam Deck: Far from handheld gaming's hand-me-down

Compared to its newer, shinier contemporaries, the Steam Deck could be viewed as an aging relic. And, according to comments from Valve's Lawrence Yang, a freshly Decked out (ahar) hardware follow-up could still be a ways away as the company waits for a "generational leap" in compute that makes it worthwhile. It lacks the raw power of the ROG Ally X, and is dwarfed in resolution by the Lenovo Legion Go, but, in all honesty, none of that really matters.

Some PC gamers won't touch a game unless it's dripping in ray-tracing sweat and boasting a polygon count that could rival Pixar's filmography. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen the comment "Looks like PS2 graphics" from somebody who either greatly misremembers console gaming's sixth generation, or perhaps wasn't even alive for it.

I was, though. In fact, I first started gaming on my dad's Atari ST, and that kind of perspective on graphics and performance is priceless when you look at today's visual splendor compared to the rudimentary wireframe models of the original Elite. It also gives me the right to openly tell those people that they're categorically wrong. Gameplay is king, and that's why Tetris will forever be far more engaging of a game than any moment spent in the cinematically beautiful world of The Order: 1888.

Despite its aging hardware, the Steam Deck reminds me of what matters most in gaming: fun.

One of the best things about the Steam Deck is its limitations. I'm not here to tweak settings until the game looks like real life with reticles, chase frame rates, or crank sliders. I'm here to play games, and great games are defined by gameplay — not graphics.

Sometimes, good enough is good enough

I may have been almost three years late to the Steam Deck party, but I in no way feel like I inherited handheld gaming's hand-me-down. The Steam Deck still thrives, with its OLED refresh giving it the visual edge over others even if it does sport a lower resolution, and the experience is constantly tweaked and refined through Valve's ongoing software updates.

More importantly, I'm playing more games now than I have in years. Its console-like pick-up-and-play mentality makes it incredibly accessible, and, regardless of how a game looks when crammed into its 1280 x 800 screen, the all-mighty Steam Deck verified badge lends me a great sense of confidence in the stability of each title I get myself invested in. All while stripping away the distracting veneer of ultra graphics presets that has led even me down the "good graphics = good game" path of visual hypnosis before.

And if I ever get the itch to enjoy some of the more visually impressive titles in my Steam Library, well, I still have my trusty gaming laptop to fall back on. The Steam Deck doesn't need to do everything. It just needs to do what matters most: deliver fun gameplay.

Sure, more powerful gaming handhelds exist, and even more are just around the corner, but I don't need cutting-edge in my handheld experience.

I'm happy to spend less time obsessing over settings, and more time playing. Sometimes, good enough is actually good enough.

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Microsoft already set the date of October 14, 2025, for the end of Windows 10 support, and it's serious. The company has spent the past three years telling Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11, and so far, it's been a slow process to get people to make the jump.

Only in January did the gap between the number of Windows 10 and 11 users tighten, with the older operating system still in the lead with 60.7% of the market share while the new OS was sitting at 36.6%, according to StatCounter.

That gap between the two operating systems is almost flipped when it comes to Steam users.

Valve released its "Steam Hardware & Software Survey" for January 2025, and it appears that PC gamers have been quicker to adopt the new version of Windows.

PCs using Windows 11 accounted for just over 53% of Windows users while 10 made up almost 43%. Coming in at a very, very distant third place were Windows 7 users at 0.15%.

What are Steam gamers waiting for?

While the number of Windows 10 users is fewer than 11, at 40% that is a lot of gamers who are still riding an older version of the operating system, which will stop being supported in less than a year.

After the October 14 date, Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 10 after a decade since its release. That means no more updates, security fixes, or technical support. Anyone still on Windows 10 after that October is going to be on their own. This could be incredibly risky for those who keep using the old operating system as gaming on PC can be a bit risky.

One of the latest hacks to show up is in the popular hero shooter, Marvel Rivals. There appears to be a new vulnerability uncovered that could be exploited to let some hacker take over another player's PC, according to a report from PC Gamer. Just upgrading to Windows 11 won't solve this hack, but having an operating system with continued support will likely help stop these kinds of vulnerabilities in the future.

For those who insist on keeping Windows 10, Microsoft will offer a year of extra support, but there's a price for this service. Extended Security Updates (ESU) will cost users an extra $30 for the year. After that, they will truly be on their own.

How do I upgrade my gaming PC to Windows 11?

Fortunately, Microsoft is making it very easy to upgrade a PC from Windows 11.

If you're on the old operating system, you're likely already seeing messages about the upgrade. Microsoft is giving away the upgrade to Windows 11 for free, although a blog post from the company went up back in January claiming that this would be a "limited-time deal." Microsoft has since deleted that post, confirming with Windows Latest that the upgrade to Windows 11 from Windows 10 will remain free.

Microsoft claims Windows 11 is safer, has better performance, more functionality, and better features such as the controversial Microsoft Recall, which takes snapshots of the computer allowing users to do a search for actions they've done in the past.

While upgrading to Windows 11 from 10 is easy as it's just a click of the upgrade option, the PC still has to meet the requirements to run it. Most Windows 10 PCs should be able to upgrade without issue, but there are lesser-known hardware requirements that could cause an error requiring users to stay with Windows 10.

When it comes to computers, the name "Valve" should almost certainly have you picturing the Steam digital storefront—which starts 2025 with a peak concurrent player count of 38.8 million, up some five million from roughly the same time last year.

However, Valve is responsible for so much more, and I'm not only referring to the incredibly popular gaming franchises the company is responsible for, including Half-Life, Team Fortress, Counter-Strike, Portal, DotA, and Left 4 Dead.

The Bellevue, Washington-based Valve is also responsible for several pieces of impressive (and sometimes overlooked) hardware, like the Nvidia Shield-like Steam Link, the console-esque Steam Machine, the Valve Index VR headset, and the device that launched handheld gaming PCs into the mainstream, the Steam Deck.

It's the software that has powered this selection of hardware that I expect to come into full force this year, with leaks pointing to the Linux-based SteamOS powering third-party hardware for the first time—not to mention the persistent rumors of Valve's reentry into the VR headset space with "Deckard," a new headset claimed to run SteamOS for a standalone SteamVR experience.

If Valve gets things right, SteamOS could propel the Steam Deck from a singular product into a hardware category, and open similar doors for VR headset manufacturers to adopt its operating system in a similar manner.

Decked out: SteamOS to impress on third-party hardware in 2025

The success of the Steam Deck is evident in more than the "multiple millions" of units it has shipped to date. In its wake, we've seen some of the best handheld gaming devices follow in its footsteps and create a booming handheld gaming PC market.

Devices like the ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and later the MSI Claw have all offered Windows-based handheld gaming experiences in the wake of Valve's Steam Deck, with popular refreshes in both the ROG Ally X and MSI Claw 8 AI+.

However, we may have some time to wait before we get an official Steam Deck refresh, with Valve hardware engineer Lawrence Yang claiming that the company won't be releasing new Steam Decks at a "yearly cadence." In fact, Valve isn't looking to release a Steam Deck until there's a "generational leap in compute" available.

That said, we appear set to receive a new Steam Deck of sorts in 2025—just not one from Valve.

As early as this year's CES 2025, starting January 7, we may be introduced to the Lenovo Legion Go S, a refresh of the original Legion Go that drops its Windows 11 backing in favor of SteamOS.

While it won't be an official Steam Deck, the rumored handheld will be a spiritual successor of sorts, offering improved hardware and graphical capabilities.

Better still, it may just be the first of many Steam Deck-like handhelds, with Valve updating its brand guidelines to include new "Powered by SteamOS" logos, suggesting that the Steam Deck could morph from product to hardware category in 2025 and beyond.

Portable PCVR? Valve's "Deckard" VR headset may use SteamOS for standalone gaming

Like it or lump it, VR is mainstream now. At least that's how I now see things as we head into 2025 expecting to see virtual and mixed reality hardware offerings from several major manufacturers like Asus, Lenovo, and Samsung's Project Moohan.

And as Meta's Horizon OS prepares to face off against Google's new Android XR platform to power this new wave of hardware, Valve may be preparing SteamOS to act as a viable alternative, debuting a standalone SteamVR experience in a new VR headset dubbed "Deckard."

Long-standing rumors surrounding Valve's Deckard headset suggest that Valve may be seeking to mobilize the PCVR experience, ditching the need to use a PC for compute and running PCVR games directly on the hardware—similar to the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S.

If successful, not only will we potentially gain one of the best VR headsets in 2025, but Valve could once again position SteamOS as a potential candidate for third-party manufacturers to adopt, and invite a host of Deckard-like options to help further popularize VR gaming over the coming years.

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Cyber Monday deals are in full swing, and I'm thrilled to see one of my most anticipated deals of the last few months still available. For a limited time, you can save big on Valve's Steam Deck as the storefront kickstarts its Steam Autumn sales.

I'm itching to join the handheld gaming PC revolution, and the Steam Deck has been on my wishlist for a long time. I have a gaming laptop, but I just want something better, and I think handheld gaming PCs are the way forward.

However, maybe I'm just terrible with money because my wishes and my wallet never quite seem to align when there's an undeniable moment to dive in with both feet on Valve's handheld gaming PC.

But today might be the moment that I (and many others) have been waiting for as Valve has slashed the price of the Steam Deck (LCD, 512GB) to just $336, a 25% saving on its regular $449 asking price.

Admittedly, it's the newer OLED models of Steam Deck that people will be itching to see discounted. However, at the time of writing, these models are holding on to their regular pricing. That said, we'll keep a close eye on Valve's Steam Deck for any changes.

• More gaming deals: Best Cyber Monday gaming laptop deals

A world of handheld gaming PCs beyond the Steam Deck

While the scope of the Steam Deck sales is quite narrow, the wider handheld gaming PC space is rife with Cyber Monday deals that are well worth taking a look at.

For example, Best Buy is offering $150 off of the ASUS ROG Ally with the Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, and an extra $50 off of this price for My Best Buy Plus members. That means you can now grab an Asus ROG Ally for as little as $349 at Best Buy.

However, that's just one of the many deals on gaming handhelds you'll find this Cyber Monday. Let's dive into our complete selection below!

Today's best Cyber Monday deals on handheld gaming PCs

If you're anything like me, you're sitting pretty on an enormous stash of Steam games like a dragon's hoard of gold and treasure — likely procured through years of epic Steam Sale discounts that are just too good to turn down.

I own more games than I'm ever likely to play. Between Humble Bundle subscriptions and seasonal Steam sales, my library is a gamer's paradise. Given the price I paid to amass such a collection, it's too good to be true. And that's because it isn't.

While I gawp in wonder at a library of games that I'd need to pass down through my lineage to complete fully, Valve is here to rain on my parade by reminding me I actually don't own anything — and neither do you.

As it turns out, you weren't buying games in those incredible Steam sales, just licenses. Licenses with an unknown lifespan.

Steam digital purchases: The prices are small, and so is the fine print

The news, while not news to many, comes by way of a change to the Steam checkout screen as spotted on Reddit, which now reads: "A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam."

Translated from legalese, you're not buying these games, you're renting them — a statement that platform owner Valve is likely to want to make crystal clear ahead of California's looming AB 2426 law.

The bill focuses on digital product transparency within the digital storefront industry, and ensuring consumers know whether they're buying a product or licensing it, forcing companies to come clean about what's really included with each digital purchase.

It's a sharp wake-up call for anyone who was under the delusion that their Steam digital library was theirs eternal. The truth is, it's been an open secret for the entirety of the digital market age.

This is exactly why counter storefronts that oppose these kinds of digital rights management (DRM) issues exist, with one of the most well-known being Good Old Games (GOG).

On catching wind of Valve's checkout tweak, GOG quickly took to X to get one over on Steam by posting: "Since checkout banners are trending, we're thinking of putting one up ourselves. Thoughts on this one?"

Attached is an image of the GOG checkout page, with the words "A purchase of a digital product on GOG grants you its Offline Installers, which cannot be taken away from you."

Quite the zinger. Buying from a storefront like GOG allows the user to download an offline installer that can be saved to a hard drive, burnt to a disk, or uploaded to online storage and used as many times by as many people as that buyer chooses (within reason).

But let's tap the breaks on the social media dunking competition, because should you delete that file and want to redownload it, then you're only able to do so as long as GOG remains operational.

If GOG were ever to go the way of Blockbuster, well, you can kiss goodbye to that expansive collection of digital titles you own also.

Outlook

Physical media is practically dead. At least when it comes to most software. Valve's disclaimer isn't anything new or revelatory, but it is a bitter pill to swallow for many to be reminded that the years they've spent cultivating their precious Steam library exist only while Steam does.

While it seems like Steam's presence is a pretty safe bet today, who knows what the future holds?

Next time you're stacking your cart sky high with discounted digital goods, pause for thought and know that no platform will live forever (though, not all will go out of business as fast as Google Stadia did), and when it dies, every purchase you made will amount to naught.

More from Laptop Mag

• Steam Deck review: Almost portable perfection
• How AMD could make Valve's Steam Deck obsolete
• Steam statistics prove Windows users can't fight the future

Unfortunately for Microsoft, Windows 11 hasn't proven to be the most popular version of Windows to date. However, the latest Steam Hardware & Software Survey results for August 2024 show that, despite a heavy consensus among many online communities that Windows 10 is the better operating system, Windows 11 is now in pole position as the gaming platform's most used operating system.

According to the survey, 50.81% of Steam users surveyed run Windows 11, with Windows 10 users falling ~3.29% to just 48.66% of users. This is a sharp reversal from the start of the year, with the platform's Hardware & Software Survey for January seeing Windows 10 claim ownership of 51.42% of Steam users, while Windows 10 managed 44.24%.

Windows 11: Closing the gap

Despite Steam's microcosm (which routinely sees an active user count of between ~25 to 35 million players) saying otherwise, desktop operating system market share tracker Statcounter insists that there's a long way to go before Windows 11 becomes the dominant Windows platform for all users.

According to the latest figures, Windows 11 has captured just 31.62% of the market as of August 2024 with Windows 10 sitting pretty as the operating system of choice for 64.17% of Windows computer owners.

While the margin between the two platforms remains fairly vast, it is narrowing. After Statcounter's data showed a surprising resurgence for Windows 10 between January and April 2024 that saw the platform leap from 66.47% to 69.89%, that number has been in steady decline ever since.

Windows 10: A long, slow goodbye

While some believe that Windows 11's system requirements are to blame for its slow adoption, there's also the fact that outside of Microsoft's continued pressure to upgrade through pushy in-system advertisements Windows 10's October 12, 2025 end-of-support date is still over a year away. While that's not an enormous amount of time, many of those who are more familiar with or prefer Windows 10 will only jump ship when their hand is forced (or if a more attractive alternative is presented to them).

However, there's also a large portion of enterprise computers that will likely stick with Windows 10 even after its end-of-support date thanks to Microsoft's extended support program.  For how long remains to be seen, as the program's pricing (which sees the first year of support begin at $61 per device and double each year) isn't all that attractive for long-term adoption.

It would seem that the writing on the wall is plain for all to see. With Windows 10's end-of-support date on the horizon, Steam's Hardware & Software survey is likely an early predictor of what to expect from the wider Windows user base over the next 13 months.

Getting ahead of the curve

With Windows 10's decline practically guaranteed, it may now be time to think about upgrading yourself. If for nothing else than to avoid Microsoft's constant and jarring requests through intrusive and irritating ad placement.

While there'll be some out there who don't meet the minimum requirements for upgrading to Windows 11, laptop users in particular should find some benefit in upgrading their hardware — especially with the recent performance and battery improvements coming from Qualcomm Snapdragon outfitted Copilot+ PCs, or the graphical advancements of Nvidia and AMD's GeForce and Radeon GPUs.

For more information, check out our guides on upgrading to Windows 11 and what to do when Windows 10 support ends.

More from Laptop Mag

• What to do when Windows 10 support ends
• Windows 10 isn't as good as you think — fight me
• Microsoft make major Windows 10 U-turn ahead of end-of-support in 2025

Apple held its WWDC 2024 showcase on Monday, giving us a first look at what's to come from the latest operating systems like iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS, and macOS.

An important part of macOS Sequoia's presentation revolved around gaming. While the company has always struggled in this department, it provided updates on the progress being made with its Game Porting Toolkit, alongside unveiling a collection of new games coming to macOS. This list includes:

• Assassin's Creed Shadows
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
• Resident Evil 7
• Resident Evil 2
• World of Warcraft: The War Within
• Frostpunk 2
• Palworld
• Sniper Elite 4
• RoboCop: Rogue City
• Control Ultimate Edition
• Wuthering Waves

While it's great to see macOS receiving so many new games, the company cannot seem to get a win without it being weighed down by a loss. As spotted by iMore, Valve pushed a patch for many of its developed games, removing their compatibility with macOS.

macOS just lost several classic Valve games

According to SteamDB, a website that tracks key information for the games on Steam, Valve launched an update on Wednesday for some of its games, (Left 4 Dead is the only exception, as it was updated on Tuesday). 

The only change is that macOS was removed from the list of compatible operating systems. This information is visible in a game's update history, so with Portal 2 for example, you can see the details of change list #23944952. 

The list of games impacted by this change are:

• Portal
• Portal 2
• Left 4 Dead
• Left 4 Dead 2
• Team Fortress 2
• Counter-Strike: Source
• Half-Life 2
• Half-Life 2: Lost Coast
• Half-Life 2: Episode One
• Half-Life 2: Episode Two
• Day of Defeat: Source

There might be more titles we aren't aware of, but this is the full confirmed list as of now.

There's a common thread between these games that differs from other Valve titles: Each uses the same version of Source Engine. Newer games that run Source Engine 2 (like DotA 2) and older titles using Source Engine Gold (like Counter-Strike) are not affected by this.

It's only been a day since Valve pushed the update, so it could be nothing more than an issue with Source Engine causing these games to suddenly break on Mac, or maybe the company has intentionally dropped support for the operating system.

Regardless, many players will be confused when trying to boot up titles that are still popular today—like Team Fortress 2 and Left 4 Dead 2—only to find that it won't run on their Mac computer.

macOS isn't the only OS being tossed aside, though. Old games that launched pre-Windows 10, including the ones listed above, feature text reading "Starting January 1st, 2024, the Steam Client will only support Windows 10 and later versions."

Even though these games once worked on Windows 7, Vista, and XP, the company made a decisive choice in shifting the minimum requirements of Steam as a whole.

What this means for macOS Sequoia

Last year, macOS Sonoma brought us the Game Porting Toolkit, and Sequoia, its successor, will further improve what this software is capable of. It allows developers to port games with greater ease, and even if something isn't officially supported on macOS devices, it could make running those games far less of a hassle.

In the meantime, it cannot be understated how severe of a loss this is. It may seem like these old Valve games won't matter to most, but when writing this, Team Fortress 2 has 76,935 players online. Even Left 4 Dead 2, which isn't as big, has 21,935 players online at this moment.

As much as I love the games being ported onto Mac, including Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 7, the former has 2,166 concurrent players while the latter has 1,428. These Valve titles are enormous and people still play them several years after launch, and macOS users losing access will stir unrest.

At the very least, Palworld (which has 23,613 concurrent players as of writing) is a massive title and will make many macOS fans happy. Otherwise, we're hoping that Valve's removal of support for these games is merely temporary.

More from Laptop Mag

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On Tuesday night, Steam quietly updated its return policy so that gamers can no longer exploit a loophole using the Advanced Access feature to play games for free. 

Essentially, players who paid more for Advanced Access could play those games for the entire early access period (typically 2-4 days), then return the game just before the official launch and receive a full refund.

Steam's return policy lets you play 2 hours of a game before you are no longer eligible for a refund. It's not the most generous policy, but for PC games, it does work well. That window gives PC gamers time to determine if the game runs on their PC and gives them time to decide if they want to play it. So it serves as a benchmark and demo in one.

This is what's changed with Steam's return policy and what it means for you.

How it worked

Steam's return policy didn't account for the number of games that provide earlier access to players that pay more. Advanced Access is not to be confused with Steam's Early Access which is a beta-testing period development tool rather than advanced play time before the full release. Advanced Access gives players a 2-4 day period to play the game ahead of the full release.

The problem with Steam's return policy is that the 2-hour refund time clock only kicked in when a game officially launched. So players who paid more for Advanced Access could get full days of game-time before they were no longer eligible for a refund, as long as those days of gameplay happened before the official launch date.

Judging by the Steam Community subreddit page detailing the update, many gamers weren't aware of the exploit until the Starfield launch on September 6, 2023. Due to many performance issues, it became well-known that Steam would honor refunds during the access period.

Since the exploit became well-known, it's no surprise Steam has changed the policy. More and more games offer Advanced Access, so the policy change is no surprise.

What this means for you

Steam's Advanced Access rules now clarify that titles under that program are subject to the standard return policy. Valve stated,  "Today we have updated a portion of our Refund Policy regarding pre-purchased titles. This change covers titles that are in pre-purchase and offer "Advanced Access". Playtime acquired during the Advanced Access period will now count towards the Steam refund period. You can find out more information regarding Steam Refunds here."

So players who pay for Advanced Access to a game will no longer have the opportunity to play for several days and still get a full refund. You'll be limited to only 2-hours of Advanced Access or standard access game time before you no longer qualify. 

This means gamers can no longer exploit Advanced Access for free games or delayed refunds. Outside of that specific case, this should have no impact on the lives of Steam users. This helps level the playing field between players who pay for Advanced Access and those who refuse to pay for early access to the game.

The concept of Advanced Access and other early access periods remains somewhat controversial.

Is that new PC game not all it's cracked up to be? Well, don't worry, we can teach you how to refund a game on Steam. There are a few stipulations when refunding a game on Steam, so read carefully.

You can refund a game on Steam only within 14 days of purchasing and if you've played less than 2 hours of it. Those rules aren't all that flexible, but you can still submit a refund request explaining your situation. Rules as written — Steam states that it'll "Take a look at it."

Here's how to refund a game on Steam. (Unless it's Dragon's Dogma 2, in which case you better get back in there and slay some dragons.)

How to refund a game on Steam

Step 1: Go to the Steam Help page and log in.

Step 2: Click "Purchases."

Step 3: Select the game you wish to refund.

Step 4: Choose the issue you're having. It's either "I purchased this by accident" or "Gameplay or technical issue."

Step 5: Click "I'd like to request a refund."

Step 6: A form will appear. Choose where you want the refund to go (either Steam Wallet or the original payment method). Then you can write the reason for the refund. You don't have to get fancy with it if you're well within the refund window. However, we recommend thoroughly explaining your situation if you fall outside of said window.

Step 7: Submit request.

It's not rocket science to request a refund, although some places make it just as difficult. Ideally, you'll be in the window of the refund, so you won't have any issues. You can also read up on Steam's refund policy if you'd like to make doubly sure you're in the clear when it comes to requesting your money back.

Hope it's an easy refund!

Don't you hate when you need a guide to perform an application's simple function? The answer to that should be a resounding "yes." For some strange reason, redeeming Steam keys and Wallet Codes on Android is buried beneath a collection of settings. I suppose Valve thought users would have no reason to redeem codes while on mobile devices, but that's just a lack of foresight on their part (not everyone is at their PC all the time).

But you don't have to struggle needlessly on your quest to figure out how to redeem Steam keys and Wallet Codes on Android. Without further ado, here's how you do it.

How to redeem Steam keys and wallet codes on Android

The key to this trick is that there is no direct way of redeeming Steam keys. Instead, you'll have to go through the wallet and redeem the code through there.

Step 1. Launch the Steam application.

Step 2. Select the three horizontal bars on the bottom right.

Step 3. Expand the Store option.

Step 4. Select Wallet.

Step 5. Select Add funds to your Steam Wallet.

Step 6. Select Redeem a Steam Gift Card or Wallet Code.

Step 7. Input your Steam Key or Wallet Code here.

And just like that, you've redeemed the code. If you are actually redeeming a wallet code and it isn't in your local currency, it should be converted automatically.

Steam just revealed a massive overhaul coming to its Family Sharing system out of the blue, introducing new methods for parents and guardians to monitor and oversee the other accounts attached to their games library.

While a lot of these features are just great for families in general, certain additions will be highly useful for friend groups who simply have each other linked.

This overhaul is coming with a name change, now rebranding the system as Steam Families. It's now in beta testing, with the release date currently uncertain. Without further ado, here's everything you need to know about the updates coming to Steam Families.

How Steam Families will benefit you

Parents will find the Steam Families update provides a new level of control over what your kids can and cannot play, alongside giving each separate member their own dedicated library, achievements, and save progress. If you're an administrator for the family, you can even monitor playtime and establish limits. 

Family members can even put in requests for more playtime, and the family manager can approve or deny them. They can even make requests for game purchases, with Steam showing an example of a member requesting permission to get Helldivers 2.

While this is great in and of itself, the most exciting change is something that will benefit anyone who uses Steam Families. When players shared libraries in the past, each individual could only access another user's library if that person was not playing anything. 

Since close friends often share Steam libraries, this meant the times when players could play each other's games were rare. Thankfully, Steam has completely removed this restriction, allowing each Steam Families member to utilize one another's library as long as it isn't the exact game they are already playing.

Essentially, if you own Hades but are playing Lethal Company, I can play Hades without being blocked — even if I don't own it. However, I cannot play Lethal Company at the same time. Not unless there is a second member of the family who owns the game also. This means that if two people in the same family own copies of Lethal Company, ANY two members of this family can play the game at the same time. Shared titles can even be played offline and the same game-sharing rules also apply to purchased DLC.

However, there are some downsides. Steam has some caveats on its FAQ page regarding how Steam Family Sharing works. Namely, you won't be able to add a family member if "Your account activity does not show that you are part of the same household as the existing members."

How Steam determines this is, as of yet, unknown, but this could create a massive issue for friends who share games through Steam Families.

Steam Families is available to try right now for free. Simply go to Settings > Interface and then where it says Client Beta Participation, change it to Steam Families Beta, and then restart Steam. Just like that, you can access the new Family Management system.

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Steam Next Fest is here! This means there's a buffet of all-you-can-download game demos to enjoy. I love getting to try out a game before I pay full price for it, so I took a deep dive into Next Fest. 

There are a lot of great games to check out, mainly titles that haven't been released yet, which definitely gives you something to look forward to. Next Fest doesn't last forever, though, and many of these demos are only available for a short while. 

Here are the 7 best Steam Next Fest demos you should download while you still can. 

1. Homeworld 3

The Homeworld franchise is making a comeback with an all-new title over 20 years on from the 2003 release of "Homeworld 2." Whether you're new to "Homeworld" games or a veteran who's been waiting for this new release, it's definitely worth trying out the "Homeworld 3" demo. 

In this space strategy game, you take command of your own fleet to save the galaxy's failing Hyperspace Gate Network. In addition to a campaign, there's also a 3-player co-op mode called "War Games" where you and your friends can take on randomized combat challenges. Plus, there are a few PVP modes including 1v1, free-for-all, and team battles. 

"Homeworld 3" comes out on March 8, 2024 on PC. 

• Download the "Homeworld 3" demo from Steam

2. Pacific Drive

"Pacific Drive" is a supernatural action survival game that puts you in the driver's seat on dangerous forays into the Olympic Exclusion Zone. This strange version of the Pacific Northwest is an abandoned wilderness, so your old station wagon is your only companion. 

On your drives around the Olympic Exclusion Zone, you search for parts and resources to scavenge that allow you to repair and upgrade your car. Along the way, you also search for clues to figure out what happened to the abandoned research site you're exploring. 

"Pacific Drive" is a spooky, exciting driving game that fans of "Stranger Things" and the "Fallout" series will enjoy. It's exciting, but not too scary, making it one of the best Steam Next Fest demos for all types of gamers. 

"Pacific Drive" comes out February 22, 2024 on PC and PS5. 

• Download the "Pacific Drive" demo from Steam

3. Tales of Kenzera: ZAU

"Tales of Kenzera: ZAU" is a Metroidvania-style platformer that mixes exciting gameplay with a vibrant world and a deep story. You play as the warrior shaman Zau as he fights to reclaim his late father's spirit. The world and story are inspired by Bantu tales and feature several different biomes to explore, all in a stunning, colorful 2.5D art style. 

"Tales of Kenzera: ZAU" uses a pair of masks, Sun and Moon, to let you swap between two ability sets. The whole experience is topped off by an epic score by Nainita Desai. This is definitely one of the best Steam Next Fest demos to try out if you like "Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown" or if you're simply looking for a fresh take on the Metroidvania genre. 

"Tales of Kenzera: ZAU" comes out April 23, 2024, on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. 

• Download the "Tales of Kenzera: ZAU" demo from Steam

4. Duck Detective: The Secret Salami

"Duck Detective: The Secret Salami" is one of the funniest games featured on Steam Next Fest this year. This quirky mystery game follows a down-on-his-luck detective (who is also a duck) as he unravels the truth behind a sausage conspiracy. It's a cozy, hilarious story that only takes a few hours to complete. 

If you're looking for a chill, funny game to add to your Steam wishlist, check out "Duck Detective". It's like "Zootopia", but with way more duck-related puns. 

"Duck Detective: The Secret Salami" does not have a specific release date yet, but is scheduled to come out in 2024 on PC, Linux, and MacOS. 

• Download the "Duck Detective: The Secret Salami" demo from Steam

5. Dungeonborne

Fans of the dark fantasy genre should be excited about "Dungeonborne." This first person dungeon crawler is all about gathering as many artifacts as you can and escaping alive while fighting off a range of monstrous enemies. If you're a fan of Dark Souls-style games, you'll definitely want to check this one out. 

There are several character classes to choose from so you can customize your play style, including Fighter, Priest, Rogue, Swordmaster, Pyromancer, Cryomancer, and Death Knight. You can play "Dungeonborne" solo or with up to 2 friends on co-op mode. 

"Dungeonborne" does not have a specific release date yet, but is scheduled to come out in 2024 on PC. 

• Download the "Dungeonborne" demo from Steam

6. Stormgate

"Starcraft" fans should put "Stormgate" at the top of their Steam wishlists. This real-time strategy game has players either fight for Earth or invade it. In a fantasy sci-fi future, you take command of battle mechs for team Earth or lead the monstrous Infernals into battle against Earth. 

There are a few different modes including 3-player co-op vs AI, 1v1, and 3v3. Right now Earth and the Infernals are the only two playable factions, but a third one will be available in the full version of the game. 

"Stormgate" does not have a specific release date yet, but is scheduled to come out in 2024 on PC. 

• Download the "Stormgate" demo from Steam

7. Lightyear Frontier

"Lightyear Frontier" is a relaxing open-world farming game where you use colorful mechs to build a colony on a far-away planet. It's a colorful, upbeat game awash in solarpunk optimism. You don't have to play alone, either. You can build your homestead with up to 3 friends in co-op mode. 

"Lightyear Frontier" is a great pick for fans of "Palia", "No Man's Sky", and the casual farming sim genre. It brings a fresh take to the genre by including sustainability mechanics that reward players for taking care of the ecosystem around their homestead. This is one of the best Steam Next Fest demos to download if you're looking for a more laid-back game to add to your Steam wishlist. 

"Lightyear Frontier" comes out on March 19, 2024 on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. 

• Download the "Lightyear Frontier" demo from Steam

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No matter whether you own an Oculus Quest 2, Meta Quest 2, or the latest Meta Quest 3, you’re lucky enough to enjoy one of the best stand-alone VR experiences there is. However, you may not be aware that your Quest VR headset can also be used to play PCVR titles.

While the Quest headset is rife with games, apps, and media (all available through the Oculus/Meta Store), there’s an even wider selection of games and apps to choose from on PC — especially from storefronts like Steam. Want to know how you can enjoy them on your Quest headset? We’ve got you covered.

Check out our guide below to find out how to play PCVR games on your Oculus/Meta Quest headset below, and enjoy some incredible titles like Skyrim VR, Fallout 4 VR, Star Wars Squadrons, Payday 2, space sim Elite Dangerous, and even Valve’s very own Half-Life: Alyx.

Better still, these games render straight from your laptop or PC, meaning you can get improved graphics, smoother gameplay, and access to mods otherwise unavailable on Meta’s platform. Let’s dive in.

Before you begin: What you’ll need 

Regardless of which method you use to connect your Quest headset to your computer, you need to make sure that your machine is capable of running PCVR games. Meta suggests the following minimum requirements:

Processor: Intel i5-4590/AMD Ryzen 5 1500X or greater

Memory: 8GB of RAM or greater

OS: Windows 10, Windows 11

Ports: 1 x USB 3.0 or greater port

When it comes to supported GPUs, results can vary. However, if you own a desktop PC then graphics cards like the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super / AMD Radeon RX 400-Series and above should suffice. Laptop owners will at the very least need a discrete graphics option from the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 / AMD 6000-Series onwards.

Connecting a Quest headset to a PC or laptop using a method that requires the use of the Quest’s Air Link feature requires a hard-wired internet connection to the host machine, with the Quest headset connected to an AC or AX Wi-Fi router on a 5GHz band. Meta also recommends that the router is positioned in the same room as the headset (or in direct line of sight), and is elevated at least 1 meter from the ground.

Connecting with a cable via Quest Link requires the purchase of a separate cable. Meta’s official Link cable is available online for $79. However, any USB 3.0 cable should work as long as it supports both data and power. For the most comfortable experience, Meta recommends using a link cable of at least 3 meters in length, and to reduce any drag or pull on the cable, try to choose one with a right-angled USB Type-C connection.

Note: If you plan on using the Quest’s Air Link or Quest Link features, then you will need to download and install Oculus’ desktop software. Sadly, laptops making use of Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, 3050 Ti, and AMD Radeon RX 6500 mobile GPUs are not supported. 

Method 1: Steam Link 

Valve has finally gotten around to bringing Steam Link to Quest headsets, and it’s made PCVR gaming on Meta’s VR platform easier than ever. It’s fast, reliable, and super simple to set up, requiring just a simple download from the Oculus/Meta Quest store to get started.

As with any wireless setup, you’ll need both the host machine and headset to share the same network. For best results, make sure your wireless network is set to a 5GHz band. Giving the host machine a hard-wired connection to your wireless router is also preferred as this can reduce any lag during gameplay. Let’s dive into how to set things up:

Step 1: On your desktop PC or laptop, launch Steam and log in. Make sure SteamVR is installed.

Step 2: Put on your Quest headset and make sure it is connected to the same network as your desktop PC or laptop.

Step 3: Head to the Oculus/Meta Quest store and download and install the Steam Link app (or choose to download it through the Meta Quest app on your phone).

Step 4: Once Steam Link is installed, open it on your Quest headset and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the pairing process.

Step 5: After the setup is complete, you should automatically launch into SteamVR on your Quest headset.

It’s that simple! You should now be able to interact with SteamVR directly through your headset and download or launch games as you please. Have fun!

Method 2: Quest Link 

Connecting your Quest headset to your desktop PC or laptop with a link cable is one of the more reliable options when it comes to a smooth PCVR gaming experience on Quest headsets. It’ll keep any lag to a minimum and ensure you don’t experience any immersion-breaking delays in inputs or movement.

That being said, you will be tethered to your machine, so be sure to keep that in mind if you’re playing games using the Roomscale option. Here’s how to set up your Quest headset for PCVR gaming using a wired connection:

Step 1: Download the Oculus Desktop app from Meta’s website, and make sure you have SteamVR installed.

Step 2: Once the app is installed, open the app on your desktop PC or laptop.

Step 3: Turn on your Oculus/Meta Quest headset.

Step 4: Connect your USB 3.0 link cable to your desktop PC or laptop, and then to the Quest headset.

Step 5: Put on your headset and bring up the Universal Menu by pressing the Meta/Oculus button on the right controller.

Step 6: From here, choose Quick Settings > System, and scroll down to make sure that the toggle for Quest Link is set to On.

Step 7: Select Launch Quest Link (or choose Quest Link from the Quick Settings menu).

Well done! Your Quest headset should now link up with your desktop PC or laptop via the Link Cable, once the virtual space loads, you should be able to launch Steam VR games from the on-screen menus.

Method 3: Air Link

Air Link is Meta’s official solution for playing PCVR games wirelessly on your Quest headset, but it’s not without its flaws. Performance can be hit-or-miss depending on your setup, especially if you rely on a lot of wireless connections already.

As per Meta’s recommendations, both the host computer and Quest headset will need to share the same network, with the wireless router close by and elevated by at least 1 meter. Results of the Air Link connection can vary per setup, so if you encounter recurring issues while trying to use it, you may need to eliminate any potential signal interference. If problems persist, then it’s probably wise to switch to another method entirely.

Here’s how to set up Air Link for PCVR gaming on your Quest headset:

Step 1: Download the Oculus Desktop app from Meta’s website, and make sure you have SteamVR installed.

Step 2: Once the app is installed, open the app on your desktop PC or laptop and make sure it is connected to the same network as your Quest headset.

Step 3: Turn on your Oculus/Meta Quest headset.

Step 4: Put on your headset and bring up the Universal Menu by pressing the Meta/Oculus button on the right controller.

Step 5: From here, choose Quick Settings > System, and scroll down to make sure that the toggle for Quest Link is set to On

Step 6: Select Launch Quest Link (or choose Quest Link from the Quick Settings menu), and enable the toggle for Use Air Link.

Step 7: Choose your desktop PC or laptop from the list of Available PCs, then choose Pair. After double-checking the pairing code, choose Confirm.

Step 8: Select Launch (or choose Quest Link from the Quick Settings menu).

Congrats! Your Quest headset should now link up with your desktop PC or laptop via Air Link, once the virtual space loads, you should be able to launch Steam VR games from the on-screen menus.

Method 4: Virtual Desktop

Virtual Desktop is another third-party option for playing PCVR games wirelessly on your Quest headset. In fact, for a while, it was the only way to do it — having released before Meta had finalized the Air Link feature for full release.

Much like Air Link, results can vary per setup with some users claiming it to be the superior way to connect, while others prefer Meta’s built-in method. Virtual Desktop is also the only option in this list that isn’t free.

You’ll have to pay $19.99 for the app on the Oculus/Meta store to connect in this way. However, Virtual Desktop is a bit of a different experience and offers a multitude of virtual environments with full access to your desktop PC or laptop to use however you see fit in a VR space. Let’s go through how to set it up for PCVR gaming on Quest headsets:

Step 1: Download and install the Virtual Desktop Streamer software on your desktop PC or laptop.

Step 2: Once installed, open Virtual Desktop Streamer on your desktop PC or laptop.

Step 3: Put on your Quest headset and make sure it is connected to the same network as your desktop PC or laptop.

Step 4: Go to the Oculus/Meta Quest store and purchase, download, and install Virtual Desktop for Quest (or choose to do so through the Meta Quest app on your phone).

Step 5: Once installed, launch Virtual Desktop for Quest on your Quest headset.

All done! From here you can launch Steam to play flatscreen games in a 3D environment, or launch SteamVR to kickstart your PCVR gaming experience on your Quest headset!

Steam's Winter Sale for 2023 is finally here. From December 21 through January 4 at 10 a.m. (PST), you can grab some amazing games at insane discounts.

You can browse through popular franchises on sale, like Doom, Monster Hunter, Fallout, Star Wars, The Elder Scrolls, The Witcher, Final Fantasy, and more. Or, if you open up your Steam app to look through the Winter Sale, you'll see personalized picks based on what you love to play.

I rounded up 7 of my favorite Steam Winter Sale game deals, including a mix of games on sale that I own and highly recommend and games on sale that I plan to buy and play over the holiday break.

1. Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight is a beautiful, challenging metroidvania, and it was my most-played game in my Steam Year in Review for 2023. This game has a ton of hidden lore, gorgeous hand-drawn 2D art, and unique bosses that'll have you questioning your sanity while also praising the game. I lost track of the number of times I threw my controller down in frustration only to immediately pick it back up and try again.

This game is already insanely cheap at full price, but right now, you can snag Hollow Knight for only $7.49 on Steam. Then, you can join the crowd of players eagerly anticipating the release of Hollow Knight's elusive sequel, titled Silksong.

2. Hogwarts Legacy

I racked up over 100 hours in Hogwarts Legacy on PS5 getting all the possible achievments. As a Harry Potter fan, getting to explore Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and other magical environments was incredibly fun, and the story is set years before the Harry Potter series, which was a unique take. The combat felt great, and I really enjoyed the side quest storylines with supporting characters.

During the Steam Winter Sale, this game's original price is slashed by 50%. You can get Hogwarts Legacy for only $29.99 right now.

3. Cuphead

I originally bought Cuphead for the Nintendo Switch, and the input lag made an already difficult game more frustrating. I've been waiting a while for it to go on sale on Steam, and it's finally 30% off. 

It's described as a "classic run and gun action game," and the entire game is full of stunning 1930s-inspired, hand-drawn animation. The fun visuals and nostalgic music are almost enough to make fighting the same boss for the hundredth time not so bad.

Grab Cuphead for only $13.99 during Steam's Winter Sale, and play it by yourself or with a friend.

4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Released in 2015, The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt probably needs no introduction. But for anyone unaware, The Witcher 3 follows Geralt of Rivia as he traverses a world full of magic, monsters, and some unsavory people. This is an open-world RPG that can easily feel overwhelming because there's so much to do, but if you take the time to understand your menus and focus on one quest at a time, it's worth it.

The side quests in this game are legendary because they don't just feel like fetch quests. At 75% off, this game is an absolute steal right now. The Witcher 3 is a mere $9.99 on Steam.

5. Elden Ring

Elden Ring is an action RPG from FromSoftware, the same developer behind the Dark Souls series. While this game is punishing, there are a lot of fantasy elements that help lighten the mood and make the game more enjoyable for casual players. Plus, if you don't want to go it alone, Elden Ring supports multiplayer and online play.

Currently, Elden Ring is $35.99 on Steam, 40% off its original price. The game's Deluxe Edition is $47.99, also 40% off.

6. Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 didn't launch well, but in the past three years, it's come a long way. This open-world RPG is set in Night City, a dystopian megalopolis that contains a lot of unique, entertaining, and often dangerous characters. Like typical RPGs, you'll take on quests, customize your character as you progress, and forge relationships.

During the Steam Winter Sale, Cyberpunk 2077 is only $29.99, which is 50% off its original sticker price.

7. Coral Island

I love a good farming sim, and Coral Island is about to be my next obsession. This game just released in mid-November, and it's being considered for a few game awards. This looks like the ultimate relaxation game, with classic farming and life sim elements like taking care of animals, cultivating crops, and building relationships with fellow townsfolk.

Coral Island is $23.99 right now, which is only 20% off, but this is likely the most it'll be discounted for a while since it just launched a month ago.

We all love seeing our Spotify Wrapped results every year and reliving which songs and artists we enjoyed the most. Now, you can enjoy a yearly recap for your favorite games as well thanks to the Steam Year in Review for 2023.

Valve's year-in-review tool shows you how many games you played, which achievements you earned, and your longest gaming streak. What's most interesting is seeing how your stats stack up against most other Steam users—mine were surprisingly higher than the median, despite Steam not being my only gaming platform. If you play games through Steam, definitely check out your Year in Review stats!

What you'll find in your Steam Year in Review 2023

You can view your Steam Year in Review for 2023 a few different ways. Either click directly on the Year in Review link provided by Steam and sign into your account, or open up Steam on your go-to gaming laptop or desktop. 

As soon as you open Steam on your computer, you should see a big Year in Review banner at the top of the screen on the Store tab. Select the Review Your Year on Steam button to open up your gaming stats for 2023.

To start things off, you'll see how many games in total you played on Steam, as well as how many of those games were new to you. Another block shows how many achievements you unlocked, how many games you unlocked achievements in, and how many of those achievments were rare. 

You'll see your longest gaming streak, and Valve even outlines which days of the year were included in that streak. Steam shows which three games you loved the most in 2023, and tells you how many play sessions you devoted to each of those top three games.

Scrolling down, Steam shows how you stacked up against the rest of the Steam community. You can see the median number of achivements earned, unique games played, and streak length across all Steam users, and see where your numbers fit into the mix.

A spider graph shows you which style of game was your favorite this year. There are six game styles, like metroidvania, looter shooter, or farming sim, that make up the points of the graph. Inside, a white color indicates how much of each game style took up most of your time.

You can also see stats on how many badges you earned, friends you added, gifts you gave, reviews you wrote, and more. 

Finally, there's a breakdown of each of your top-played games. You'll see similar stats repeated here, like the percentage of time you played that game compared to your other games, number of play sessions, and achivements earned. 

Then, a calendar bar graph shows which months you loved playing that game the most. Many of the games have a fun subtitle too. For example, under Hollow Knight, the subtitle reads "Silksong can't possibly get here soon enough," which is an ongoing sentiment about the next game in the Hollow Knight community.

You can also see your playtime by month throughout the year in a bar graph, as well as how much of your gaming was done with a controller or mouse and keyboard. At the bottom of your Steam Year in Review, you can quickly save an image to share with friends or feature it on your Steam profile.

Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo have similarly created a year in review, so if you're like me and Steam isn't your only gaming platform, be sure to check those out too.

The stand-alone gaming experience of the Meta/Oculus Quest 2, Quest 3, and Quest Pro is impressive, but Meta's platform can only go so far. While impressive for the cost of entry, the Quest's hardware is still limited. Thankfully, Meta's headset has a secret weapon: PVCR compatibility.

There's no denying that the best VR experiences will stem from the PCVR market, which offers top-tier graphics, smoother performance, and a wider selection of titles to enjoy. That's why the Meta/Oculus Quest headsets have been ideal devices for a best-of-both-worlds approach to VR.

Steam Link: Bypassing your headset hurdles

However, just because PCVR gaming has been possible, doesn't mean it's been easy. More often than not Quest users have had to strike the perfect balance of making use of SteamVR, the not-particularly-splendid Oculus PC client, and the actually splendid Virtual Desktop made by developer Guy Godin. And not to mention forking out up to $80 on a reliable link cable.

Until now that is. Valve has recently released Steam Link for all Quest headsets, your one-stop solution to wireless PCVR gaming. Steam Link is now available for free on the Oculus/Meta store and will allow users to directly stream SteamVR titles from their PC or laptop directly to their Quest headset quickly and easily.

To make use of Steam Link both devices need to be on the same 5Ghz network (to avoid any unnecessary lag, make sure that your laptop or PC is connected by ethernet to your wireless router), you need to have a machine outfitted with a GTX970 or better GPU, and be running Windows 10 or above.

Outlook

With SteamVR installed on your host machine and Steam Link on your Quest headset, you'll be able to stream your favorite PVCR titles instantly and effortlessly. There's no better time to give this a shot either, as today marks the opening of Steam's VR Fest — a week-long celebration of PCVR gaming featuring incredible discounts and demos kicking off at 1 p.m. ET.

The launch of Steam Link on Quest is great news for aspiring PCVR gamers, and brings about one of the most direct ways to enjoy top titles on Meta's VR headset without needing to jump through any hoops along the way. It's been a long time coming, but as Quest owners we can finally enjoy a direct feed to our VR library in the easiest way possible. 

The launch of the Asus ROG Ally this year revealed a monumental first step in the future of handheld Windows gaming devices, letting users jump between their favorite games on Xbox Game Pass, Steam, Epic Games Store, and more. But the model we tested back in May (and re-tested in July) was the higher end version featuring an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor.

We always knew a lower end model was coming, but Asus has finally delivered with a $599 Asus ROG Ally featuring its base AMD Ryzen Z1 processor. Outside of that difference, both models feature 16GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage and the same 7-inch 1920 x 1080-pixel glossy IPS display.

The fundamental changes between these two processors are the only things that should inform your purchase, so is it worth the $100 extra for the Z1 Extreme, or is the base model enough?

Asus ROG Ally Z1 vs Z1 Extreme: Geekbench 5 

Pitting the Z1 and Z1 Extreme against one another in processor performance revealed a pretty intense gap. When we re-tested the Z1 Extreme in July, it managed an impressive Geekbench 5 multi-core score of 11,542 and single-core score of 2,096. The base Z1 processor could only hit 7,639 in multi-core performance, while its single-core score was 1,754. This is a striking contrast, revealing the truly massive difference between these two processors in power.

However, the Asus ROG Ally is a gaming machine, so how it plays is more important. Sure, it might not be as zippy as the higher-end model, but do you really need it to be? Once you get your games downloaded, that’ll be all you focus on (unless you plan to use it as an all-in-one device).

Asus ROG Ally Z1 vs Z1 Extreme: 3D Mark 

The Z1 Extreme did phenomenally during our re-tests in July, revealing that Asus had been hard at work to improve performance on the software end. It managed a score of 7,980 in the Fire Strike benchmark, while achieving 3,556 in the Time Spy benchmark. You’d think a $100 difference in price would lead to only minor shifts in performance, but you’d be wrong: These two models performed quite differently here.

The Ryzen Z1 did way worse in the Fire Strike benchmark, achieving a score of 4,448. This is more than 3,000 less than the Z1 Extreme. Things get even worse with its 1,800 score in the Time Spy benchmark, as it’s nearly half the performance seen in the more expensive model. 

It’s hard not to look at these scores and come to a swift conclusion: Is this massive performance difference worth saving a meager $100? For some it will be absolutely worth it, while others might prefer the more powerful model. This depends entirely on what you plan to use the handheld console for, but these are merely benchmarks and the real performance differences can be seen in testing actual games.

Asus ROG Ally Z1 vs Z1 Extreme: Gaming

I launched Dirt 5 and was curious if it could survive, as the Z1 Extreme managed a pretty impressive 32 frames per second on Ultra High graphics settings at 1080p. Unfortunately, if the previous section wasn’t enough of an indicator, the base Z1 did far worse. Performing the same benchmark at the same settings, I managed an average of 11.5 fps. Ouch.

Even from my introductory in-game race, driving throughout the world felt choppy and my eyes hurt after five minutes of driving. This is mostly because I was playing on Ultra High settings, and if you don’t have as much interest in experiencing the game that way, it probably won’t bother you. I spent hours playing Lies of P on it at low graphics and managed a solid 50 to 60 fps with occasional stutters. But the gap in power between the two models is massive.

We also tested Grand Theft Auto V on both machines, with the Z1 Extreme managing an impressive 34.5 fps at Very High settings and 59 fps on Normal. The base Z1 hit 15 fps at Very High and 27 fps on Normal, which continues to showcase the massive differences in performance.

Asus ROG Ally Z1 vs Z1 Extreme: Battery life

These massive gaps in performance might make you think the two consoles will have vastly different battery longevity, but that’s not the case. We ran the PCMark 10 test, which runs the battery in a window on a continuous loop until the system dies, and it lasted 1 hour and 46 minutes. The Z1 Extreme was only three minutes less at 1 hour and 43 minutes, so that’s not much of a difference.

PCMark 10 is meant to provide a metric closer to actual gaming, but the base battery life utilizing the Laptop Mag battery life test, which consists of continuous web surfing at 150 nits of brightness, was a tad different. The ROG Ally Z1 lasted 6 hours and 17 minutes, while the Z1 Extreme managed 5 hours and 51 minutes. This difference is marginal.

Bottom line 

There is no world in which we’d recommend the base Asus ROG Ally to a majority of gamers. If you plan to exclusively play smaller indie titles that won’t require particularly strong hardware, or just want to emulate older games, you won’t notice the performance difference.

But if you have any interest at all in playing more demanding titles on higher graphics settings, you will walk away from this machine full of disappointment. It’s important to keep in mind that the initial Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme also had performance issues before an update helped smooth things out, but unless Asus can pull a similar trick with the ROG Ally Z1, we would recommend everyone pay the extra $100 for the Z1 Extreme. 

Chances are, Valve's Steam Deck is on your radar if you're looking for the best handheld gaming console. Rarely on sale, our favorite portable PC gaming machine is cheaper than ever. 

For a limited time, Valve offers the 512GB model Steam Deck for $519 which is $130 cheaper than its regular price of $649. Bundle it with the Steam Deck Docking Station for $71 more ($18 off). That's a total of $148 in savings and the Steam Deck's lowest price yet. 

In fact, this is one of the best gaming deals we've spotted outside of Black Friday. 

Today's best Steam Deck deal

Valve's Steam Deck puts PC gaming in your pocket and offers a great value for the price. It features a 7-inch (1280 x 800) 400-nit 60Hz display, 2.4-GHz AMD Zen 2 quad-core CPU, 8-core RDNA 2 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and high-speed 512GB NVMe SSD.

In our Steam Deck review, we praise its comfortable design, tactile buttons and customization options. Although we wish it had longer battery life, we gave the Steam Deck a high 4.5 out of 5-star rating and our Editor's Choice Award.

So, what can you play on the Steam Deck? Short answer: more than you think and the majority of what you’d want to play on the go. The deck feels great in the hands, advanced internals are tuned for peak performance that manage to make the most of any title thrown at it.

Its user-friendly UI puts Sony and Microsoft to shame while an open source Linux base means users will be expanding what it can do for years to come.

Now up to $65 off, the Steam Deck has never been more affordable. It's worth considering if you're looking for a Nintendo Switch alternative for PC gaming on the go. 

NBA 2K24 celebrating Kobe Bryant, is out now as of Sept. 8, 2023. While it's too soon for a price drop, one of the best gaming deals so far includes a freebie.  

For a limited time, get a free $5 Domino's gift card when you buy NBA 2K24: Kobe Bryant Edition (Steam Game Code) for $59 from Newegg. Or, get a $10 Domino's gift card when you buy the $99 NBA 2K24 Black Mamba Edition for PC. For you Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One owners out there, get up to $35,000 VC for free with your purchase of an NBA 2K24 digital code at Newegg. 

The latest release of the fan-favorite NBA 2K franchise improves upon the series with responsive gameplay and enhanced graphics. NBA 2K24 aims to deliver the most realistic NBA 2K gaming experience to date complete with new defense and dribble combo controls. 

In celebration of the late, great Kobe Bryant, Mamba Moments mode lets players replicate Bryant's signature skills. During gameplay, you'll execute his most legendary performances on the court. Rise from his days as a young, up and coming phenom to one of the greatest NBA players of all time.

New to NBA 2K24 is ProPLAY, an innovative imaging technology that converts actual NBA footage into NBA 2K24 gameplay right on your screen. 

Newegg's NBA 2K24 offers end Sept. 17 whereas the NBA 2K24: 25th Anniversary Edition promo ends Sept. 10.

Today's best NBA 2K24 deals

NBA 2K24 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One

• NBA 2K24 Xbox One w/ 15,000 VC: $59.99 @ Newegg
• NBA 2K24 Xbox Series X|S w/ 15,000 VC: $69.99 @ Newegg
• NBA 2K24: Black Mamba Edition w/ 35,000 VC: $99 @ Newegg
• NBA 2K24: 25th Anniversary Edition: w/ 35,000 VC: $149 @ Newegg  (ends Sept. 10)

I woke up this morning to the fascinating news that Huawei, the corporation behind the MateBook series of laptops, would be developing its own operating system for PC called HarmonyOS (via ghacks). But the news of this wasn't a simple announcement of its occurrence, but instead spun by some websites with an angle regarding the current dominance of Windows.

Apparently HarmonyOS could pose a serious threat to Windows, but does anyone believe this for a second? It sounds like nothing more than an attempt at stirring up a pot that barely exists within its current form. In reality, HarmonyOS doesn't stand a chance against Windows.

HarmonyOS can't compete and it won't have to

Everything stated within this article is speculation. It's entirely possible that HarmonyOS will dominate the market, but I have serious doubts. This is the equivalent of saying Linux has a chance at finally dethroning the unstoppable champion that is Windows. But the truth is that Microsoft has its hands within nearly every corner of a PC user's life.

Chromebooks have become popular because they fulfill a specific niche within the market for those in need of inexpensive, lightweight operating systems which let them focus on a specific suite of apps. Does anyone truly think that Chromebook can compete against Windows? Of course not, and it doesn't need to. The same can be said for HarmonyOS.

These two don't have to be in competition just because both are PC operating systems. We can already see how much both ChromeOS and macOS have struggled within the gaming space regardless of their many attempts to try and appear relevant. I'm sure many of us have seen those awful Chromebook YouTube ads showcasing celebrities gaming on ChromeOS.

Gamers are nowhere near the exclusive population making up PC users, but they're a factor that cannot be ignored. 30 million Steam users are currently online at the time of writing this article. 96.61% of users in August have played using a Windows device according to Valve's hardware surveys. I've seen arguments that Windows 11's lack of popularity will ensure HarmonyOS can thrive, but 39.22% of those who contributed to the survey were using Windows 11.

Can Windows be a total pain the in butt sometimes? Absolutely. But what makes it the most popular consumer choice is that it is everywhere and can be used for everything. HarmonyOS would not only need to be a system that can do everything, from running the biggest games to having compatibility with important applications, Huawei would need to make deals with the biggest manufacturers in the world. 

If Acer, Asus, Lenovo, Razer, HP, Dell and far more aren't using HarmonyOS for a line of laptops, this system launch will feel like the company has tossed a pebble into the ocean. And that's completely okay.

HarmonyOS doesn't need to be a grandiose masterpiece that undoes the reign of Windows. It's fine for it to have its own special use case, like how ChromeOS fulfilled a market niche for those who need inexpensive hardware. Apple also continues to thrive with the sleek simplicity of MacOS, alongside its incredible line of apps. Huawei doesn't need to be the next Windows, it can simply do its own thing and that's more than enough.

Which is the better gaming handheld: Lenovo’s Legion Go, Asus ROG Ally, or the Steam Deck? It’s a tricky question to answer for a few reasons, but regardless, all three make it onto the list of best handheld gaming devices.

This category of handheld PC gaming has exploded over the past few months, which was ushered in by Valve’s own machine, and quickly adopted by the likes of Asus and (most recently at IFA 2023), Lenovo.

So now that the competition is really starting to heat up, which one is best? Let’s get this triple threat match underway.

Lenovo Legion Go vs Asus ROG Ally vs Steam Deck: Price

It should come as absolutely no surprise to know that the Steam Deck is the cheapest option by far. Pricing starts at $399 for 64GB and rises up to $649 for the 512GB, but you can find discounts quite regularly on the system too.

Meanwhile, the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go are price matched at $699. There is a base version of the Asus model for $599, which is what I expect the lower tier Go to cost too. But if you’re keen to get the best bang for your buck as far as keeping costs super low, Valve is the way to go.

Winner: Steam Deck

Lenovo Legion Go vs Asus ROG Ally vs Steam Deck: Specs

So let’s take a look at what you’re getting in these devices.

Of course, there are a lot of similarities between the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go, but there are two secret weapons that push the latter into pole position. That would be the improved display and increased battery capacity, which is sure to improve the stamina.

One key thing we’ve always felt a little disappointed about in the ROG Ally is just how power hungry it can get, which when paired with a 40Whr cell means you’re seeing it die quickly. Hopefully that additional bit of capacity helps.

Winner: Lenovo Legion Go

Lenovo Legion Go vs Asus ROG Ally vs Steam Deck: Design

This one comes down to personal preference: what are you looking for from a PC gaming handheld?

If the answer is an unassuming slab that has been sculpted for optimal gameplay over a long period, then the Steam Deck is a good way to go. The ergonomics make it a console that just slips into your hand’s natural grip with ease. Nothing is too far out of reach for your fingers and thumbs, vents and fans are strategically placed to avoid heating up your hands too much, and the weight is evenly distributed, so as to not feel imbalanced. 

Plus, the right to repair goodness here means it's super easy to open and fix/replace any broken parts — something that is a struggle elsewhere.

The Asus ROG Ally doesn’t quite have the same sculpted edges of the Steam Deck, but more importantly to those who want better portability, it is smaller and lighter. I also greatly prefer the in your face futurism aesthetic of the Ally over the more muted presence of Valve’s machine.

However, our winner is the new kid on the block — the Lenovo Legion Go. Why did we pick this? It’s rather chunky, and that size is definitely going to be polarizing. Well it comes down to three things. The ergonomics are equally as sound as the Steam Deck, while also offering the option to completely detach the controllers for easy multiplayer a la Nintendo Switch.

Second, that heftier build seems to instill a higher confidence in the rigidity of this machine — something that the ROG Ally definitely needed since the company offered no free case whatsoever. And finally, that integrated kickstand gives this far more gameplay possibilities, such as setting it up on the plane tray table rather than feeling the fatigue of holding the device for hours on end.

For its versatility, the choice is obvious.

Winner: Lenovo Legion Go

Lenovo Legion Go vs Asus ROG Ally vs Steam Deck: Performance

While we don’t have any gameplay benchmark results for the Legion Go, it shares a near identical component DNA to the Asus ROG Ally. The recent results can give us a good indicator of just how much of an improvement you’re getting in framerate and fidelity between the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme of the two Windows handhelds, and the custom APU in the Steam Deck.

In the lowest improvement in performance (DiRT 5), you’re getting a 17% jump. And for GTA V, you’re seeing an over 100% increase in frame rate. These are the numbers I’d expect for what money you drop on a system like this, and they make me optimistic for what the Legion Go could pull off.

Winner: Tie between Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally

Overall winner: Lenovo Legion Go

Well, you obviously saw this conclusion coming from a mile away. The Lenovo Legion Go takes its place at the top of the gaming handheld mountain with its Switch-esque design, gorgeous screen, stellar internals, and a bigger battery.

When it comes to PC gaming on the go, there’s really no better choice right now. The Steam Deck is starting to feel a little tired, and while the Asus ROG Ally is able to hang with the Legion Go in terms of power, its battery is a little lacking at a smaller capacity.

It’s almost as if the extra few months of time working on this compared to Asus beating everyone else to market has benefitted Lenovo in making quite the gem of a handheld.

IFA 2023 (or Internationale Funkausstellung if you’re nasty) is easily the biggest consumer electronics show outside of Vegas — giving us a glimpse at the future of gadgets at home and on the go.

After a couple of wobbly years amidst the pandemic, the show is back to full strength and you best believe the announcements did not disappoint. From Lenovo’s big Steam Deck competitor in the Legion Go to Honor giving Samsung a run for its money with the Magic V2 foldable, this has been an important show.

We have scoured the show floor to find the cream of the crop. Here are our favorite pieces of tech for this year’s IFA.

Best of Show: Lenovo Legion Go

Could the Lenovo Legion Go be the best gaming handheld of 2023? Right now, it’s a strong “maybe.” There’s plenty to like about the Legion Go, starting with its stunning 8.8-inch, 2560 x 1600, IPS display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and 144Hz refresh rate. Then you’ve got the powerful AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor with AMD RDNA 3 Graphics, removable controllers, 10 mappable buttons and the ability to accommodate just about every PC gaming platform out there. 

And while some will definitely ding the Go for it’s hefty dimensions, if more powerful thermals and a larger battery life really live up to the hype, it’s an easy trade-off for me. Plus, the device is priced at a very competitive price. And while it’s not a perfect mobile gaming solution, but taking cues from other companies in the nascent space, Lenovo’s put the Legion Go in a prime position to be crowned king of the PC gaming handhelds. 

Sherri L. Smith, Editor in Chief

Best Laptop: Lenovo Legion 9i

Lenovo has come out of the woodworks with a staggeringly powerful gaming laptop oin the Legion 9i. Boasting an Intel Core i9-13980HX processor, Nvidia RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, up to 2TB of SSD storage, 64GB of 5600Mhz DDR5 RAM and a 16-inch Mini-LED 3.2K display with a 165Hz refresh rate, it's no understatement to say this is one of the strongest gaming laptops out there.

We're looking forward to pitting this beast against our various performance tests, and personally, I'm excited to see how its Mini-LED display does. I'm a sucker for bright and vivid screens, and while Mini-LED is definitely not OLED, it can be wonderful nonetheless.

Momo Tabari, Staff Writer

Best Smartphone: Honor Magic V2

Honor’s latest foldable has stolen the IFA spotlight with its impressively slim, sleek design that has put the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 on notice. At just 0.39 inches when folded, with a weight of 8.1 ounces (the Z Fold 5 is 0.53 inches, and 8.9 ounces), this is quite the engineering feat — especially when you take a look at the spec sheet of this beast.

You’ve got a 6.43-inch display upfront, and opening the phone will reveal a 7.92-inch panel (both OLED 120Hz). On top of that, Honor has stuffed this with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, a triple rear camera system with a 50MP main, 50MP ultra wide, and a 20MP telephoto. Up front, there’s a 16MP selfie snapper, and all of this is kept powered with a 5,000 mAh battery (a bigger capacity than the bigger Z Fold 5). 

One thing is clear. Honor is really taking the fight to Samsung this year for foldable supremacy.

Jason England, Content Editor

Best Innovation: Lenovo Legion Glasses

Yeah, gaming on an 8.8-inch display can be fun. But why settle for that small, albeit pretty screen when you can get a large display right in front of the face without taking over the TV? That’s where the Lenovo Legion Glasses come in. The relatively lightweight glasses utilize micro-OLED lens technology in order to deliver a high-resolution, virtual display that can range between 82  inches at three meters and 163 inches at 5 meters. It’s the difference between your average living room experience and a premium home theater.

In addition to swappable nose pads, there’s a lens holder that you can take to the optometrist to be fitted with prescription lenses. It’s a great way to enhance your mobile gaming experience.

Sherri L. Smith Editor in Chief

Best Headphones: Soundcore Space One

Since the Soundcore Space Q45s impressed me next year, I’ve been wondering just what Anker is going to pull out the bag to continue this Space lineage. Well, now we know, as the Soundcore Space One headphones look set to continue the trend of offering impressive ANC while upgrading some key features.

These include an expanded battery life to 40 hours, tweaked 40mm drivers, and a change in codec support that brings LDAC to the party. On top of that, the ANC in here has been tweaked to bring 2x stronger human voice reduction, and Bluetooth 5.3 guarantees a far stronger, more stable connection.

Jason England, Content Editor

Best Monitor: Lenovo ThinkVision 27 3D Monitor

3D glasses are a pain, especially for someone who already has to wear glasses daily. But with new 3D technology, you can snap those lenses in half and experience the future with the Lenovo ThinkVision 27 3D Monitor. Unlike some stagnant pieces of tech, the monitor is paired with real-time eye-tracking to create 3D visuals. Lenovo ships the monitor with a 3D Explorer software designed for 3D creation and consumption. 

Its 3D functionality and ease-of-use is only one of its compelling features. This 27-inch monitor offers a 4K resolution with 99% coverage for both DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB color gamuts. It also features built-in speakers, USB Type-C docking and modular camera support. 

Rami Tabari, Editor

Best TV: TCL X955

IFA is usually a show full of TVs and washing machines. While we don’t cover the latter, I can safely say that the TCL X955 is the breakthrough choice for the best big screen in Berlin. The key here is MiniLED, which is offering an insanely good picture quality — available in both 85 and 98-inch sizes.

One key selling point here has to be the screen’s brightness. We’re used to seeing a number hovering around 500-1,500 nits in laptops, but over 5,000 nits of peak brightness? That’s insanity, and makes for a super bright HDR quality, which paired with the increased number of dimming zones makes for super deep contrast.

Jason England, Content Editor

As someone who owned a PlayStation Portable and then a PS Vita, the whispers of a new handheld from Sony were tantalizing. No, I didn't think they could squeeze PS5 performance into a handheld, but Sony often pushed the boundaries with its handhelds and I hoped to see that again.

Sadly, that is not an apt description of the PlayStation Portal, which Sony has now announced will arrive later this year starting at $199. Now if you've considered a Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, or even a Nintendo Switch OLED you are probably thinking that sounds like a steal.  You're not entirely wrong, it's a nice-looking piece of hardware for $199, but it's crucial to understand that, unlike those others, this is purely a PS5 accessory.

Portal to PS5 gaming

I own a PS5, but between my son's hostile takeover of the console and my own limited time for gaming, I only infrequently find the time to use it. A new PlayStation handheld could fix all of that. (Ok I still probably wouldn't have time and my son would likely take that over too, but let me have my dream.)

So it was with wrapt attention that I checked out the early first impressions that a few had of the PlayStation Portal. At first glance, I was thoroughly impressed with the design, but as we dug into the actual features I found myself sorely disappointed. You see the PlayStation Portal is strictly a Remote Play device, there is absolutely nothing happening on the handheld itself. Now to be fair it looks like the best possible Remote Play device with a high-resolution 8-inch display, built-in DualSense controls, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C port, and a pair of speakers, however, it's still dependent on running off of your PS5.

Outlook

Now this isn't bad for everyone, if you are the sole user of your PS5 this could be a nice little extension of your console for when you want to game in bed, in your kitchen, in a bath (no, probably don't do that one), or away from home if you have a good enough connection in both locations. It even has the ability to power on your PS5 by simply turning on the Portal, every other Remote Play device is dependent on your having left the console on or in Rest mode.

For me, I simply wanted more. At a minimum, I would have hoped the console could stream games from PlayStation Plus Premium, but no you are only able to play games that you have installed on your PS5. We do have some outstanding questions about the Portal as well, Sony hasn't offered any guidance on how long it will last on a single charge. Overall I can see the appeal of the Portal for some users, but for those of us who had dreams of a new PlayStation handheld, this isn't it.

Chromebooks are the vegans of laptops. They're lean and light machines that are designed for users with simplistic, Google-based workflows: browsing Chrome, checking Gmail, exploring YouTube, and playing Android apps from Google Play.

However, in recent years, there's been a push to force-feed hearty, resource-intensive tasks (e.g., gaming) down ChromeOS' throat. Laptop manufacturers have been trying to make fetch happen with so-called "gaming Chromebooks." For example, I reviewed the world's first gaming Chromebook — the Acer Chromebook 516 GE — earlier this year.

However, "gaming Chromebook" is a bit of a misnomer. "Chromebook optimized for cloud-gaming services" would be a more fitting name; it's just a ChromeOS system that features the best specs for Nvidia GeForce Now and its ilk.

Now when it comes to running games natively on ChromeOS, and I'm talkin' intensive games (not the lil' Subway Surfer games you may like to play), Google has been working on it — and it's been struggling.

How it all began

We first knew about Google's ambitious plans to bring a native Steam client to Chromebooks in 2020 after an interview Android Police.

Last year, Google reiterated those plans at the Google for Games Developer Summit, adding that an alpha-quality version of Steam would be coming to Chrome OS. When the alpha version finally launched, Google announced that it could only support seven Chromebooks.

"Because many games have high performance demands, we’ve focused our efforts thus far on a set of devices where more games can run well," Google said. The search-engine tech giant says that Steam requires at least 8GB of RAM and a Core i5 processor.

Chromebook users who tested the alpha version, including Nathan Ingraham from Engadget, reported what we expected. Chrome OS handled older, lighter games (e.g., Half-Life 2 and Portal 2) with ease, however, triple-A games are too meaty for such vegan-esque machines. "[2018's God of War] was a totally unplayable slideshow. That's no surprise, though, as God of War calls for either Nvidia's GTX 960 or AMD's R9 290 graphics cards," Ingraham said, who played the title on an Asus Chromebook CX9.

Chromebooks have integrated GPUs that simply don't have adequate power to handle some of the best triple-A PC games. So the solution is, "Let's get some discrete GPUs inside some Chromebooks," right? Not to fast! Nvidia reportedly axed its not-yet-announced plans to bring its dedicated GPUs to Chromebooks.

"It seems like someone within Google or at the PC companies has decided that Chromebooks with dedicated GPUs aren't worth the effort," Ars Technica commented.

Let's dive into the other roadblocks Google has been facing with releasing a native Steam app on Chrome OS.

5 roadblocks to Steam on Chromebooks

It's 2023 and Steam still hasn't upgraded to a stable channel version for Chromebooks. It entered beta in November 2022, but since then, there hasn't been much progress.

On the plus side, Google has made some headway with bringing the Linux-based Steam app to Chrome OS because the operating system is based on Linux, too. However, Steam on ChromeOS is still running into a gaggle of issues. Let's talk about 'em.

1. ChromeOS' Steam app doesn't play nice with external monitors

Don't bother trying to hook up one of the best external monitors with your Chromebook to play games. Users have reported a drop in performance, cursor misalignment, steam notifications blocking one's view, incorrect aspect ratio, game crashing, rendering glitches, and more.

2. Some games only work with 16GB of RAM

If you want to try to play a memory-intensive game on a Chromebook with 8GB of RAM or less, you'll run into some issues. There are a great number games that will crash or perform terribly on such under-powered Chromebooks, so either get yourself a Chrome OS system with 16GB of memory or settle for less RAM-intensive titles.

3. Steam sometimes freezes if the Chromebook goes into sleep mode

Imagine taking a break to make yourself a sandwich before coming back to your Chromebook to wake it up. When you try to exit sleep mode, you notice that your game is no longer responding. Yikes! If you didn't save your game, that means you'll have some lost progress and you'll have to restart the Steam app and the game.

4. First few minutes of gameplay is poor

For some titles, users have reported poor gameplay within the first few minutes as the title renders shaders. However, after some time, the performance increases to a reasonable level. This has been particularly an issue with Grand Theft Auto V and Dota 2.

5. Games with anti-cheat do not work properly

Games with anti-cheat software often found in multiplayer games don't work properly on Steam for Chromebooks, including Elden Ring, Brawlhalla and Arma 3. Users are reporting launch fails, crashing, or hanging.

Bottom line

With Nvidia backing out of the Chromebook GPU game, Google's struggles with Steam seem insurmountable. However, as it stands now, it looks like you can still enjoy some light Chromebook gaming with Steam's casual games.

Just make sure you have a Chromebook with minimum of 16GB of RAM. And don't use an external display. Oh, and don't download games with anti-cheat software. And try to preventing your Chromebook from entering sleep mode. With these tips, you should be juuuust fine.

Qualcomm has just announced its next-gen gaming handheld chipsets — named the Snapdragon G Series, which is primed to take on the likes of the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally.

With hardware-accelerated ray tracing for the first time, and impressive power efficiency capabilities, I don’t think Valve is Qualcomm’s competition. In fact, I believe we may see this chip make the jump to Steam Deck 2, but more likely in the next gen Nintendo Switch.

More was announced than the top of the range Snapdragon G3X, though. The company is staking its claim in three key areas, alongside building a reference model to point OEMs in the right direction.

Snapdragon G1: The game streaming option

Think the Logitech G Cloud class of system — a fanless handheld that is built purely for game streaming. The Snapdragon G1 Gen 1 is the lower end option from Qualcomm’s family, which comes packed with an 8-core Kryo CPU, and an Adreno A11 GPU that supports full 1080p cloud gaming at up to 60 FPS.

Would I have preferred to see Wi-Fi 6 support for higher data streaming rates, over the Wi-Fi 5 support it does offer? Sure. Plus, with no 5G support, cloud gaming on-the-go is a bit of a distant fantasy outside of areas with a wireless network to connect to.

But for all intents and purposes, this offers the right amount of power for remote play and cloud gaming.

Snapdragon G2: The happy medium

Moving up the range, we come to the Snapdragon G2 Gen 1, which brings some tasty upgrades to mobile gaming performance. 

Key upgrades over the G1 come in the form of that upgraded A21 GPU, support for Wi-Fi 6, and the Snapdragon X62 5G modem for mmWave data wherever you are. This boost in power allows for a max display support of a FHD+ resolution and up to 144 FPS. 

I know that Qualcomm points towards this being designed for dedicated gaming devices, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the likes of RedMagic to use something like this in its future gaming-focussed smartphones — the absolute mad lads.

Snapdragon G3: The flagship killer?

The cream of the crop for gaming handhelds. Quallcomm’s Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 is an absolute beast when compared to the first generation of this chip — offering over twice the GPU performance and a 30%+ faster CPU.

This comes courtesy of a tuned up 8-core Kryo CPU and Qualcomm’s top of the range Adreno A32 GPU, which work to make this the first G Series chip to support hardware-accelerated ray tracing and super resolution tech. Enhancing the experience is support for low-latency audio thanks to Bluetooth 5.3, and support for Wi-Fi 7 (and of course 5G support.

What does all of this mean to you? Well, with what this chip is capable of doing, we could see this chip used in more than just Android-based handhelds — maybe even stretching its legs into PC gaming handhelds. This is why I have a hunch about Valve and Nintendo’s upcoming handheld systems. 

Outlook

With these new chips, Qualcomm is making big bets on three key areas: game streaming, mobile gaming, and handheld PC gaming. OEMs including AyaNeo, Inventec, and Thundercomm are already on board to build some new handheld gaming devices, but I think the new Snapdragon G Series has its eyes on bigger prey.

With rumors pointing to a Nintendo Switch 2 launching as soon as April 2024, and the Steam Deck 2 being in the works, this could be the kind of chipset these companies are looking for — powerful, yet power efficient.

Of course, all I can do is speculate as of this moment. But I’d be willing to buy my editor a pint if at least one of these systems doesn’t come packaged with a Snapdragon G Series chip. (Editor note: You're on.)

Google faces another setback in its seemingly never-ending Odyssey to find the first rung of the gaming ladder. Today marks the death of one of the brand's more promising ventures, Chromebooks with Nvidia GPUs.

Listen closely and you might just hear the flump as the body of the most anticipated Chromebook feature to date falls lifelessly into Google’s gaming grave. Stadia can rest in peace, no doubt keeping a spot warm for the upcoming launch of YouTube Playables.

Gaming on ChromeOS? ChromeO-No

There were Great Expectations for gaming on ChromeOS after it was reported that Google would be bringing Nvidia RTX graphics to Chromebook. Combined with an ongoing collaboration with Valve to bring Steam to the machine’s Linux-based operating system, the dream of Chromebook gaming was closer than ever.

However, the best-laid plans Of Mice and Men often go awry and Google's plans may have amounted to Moby Dick. According to comments found in Google code spotted by About Chromebooks, projects "Herobrine", "Hades", and "Agah" have all been canceled. The latter two being codenames of the Chromebooks said to have housed Nvidia RTX GPUs.

Holding out hope, or clutching at straws?

No doubt the news will leave Chromebook fans Les Misérables, but that's not to say that Google's dedicated graphics goals are completely Gone With The Wind - just that their partnership with Nvidia could no longer be on the cards.

It kind of defeats the idea of a Chromebook anyway, as the budget, small-form, on-the-go device would have to balloon in size, power, and price in order to accommodate such an upgrade. It’d still be a Chromebook, but the book in question would likely be War and Peace.

However, all hope might not be lost. In an entirely speculative notion, with no backing in reality whatsoever, While it was the technology of the Steam Deck that propelled Google to chase better gaming performance in its Chromebooks, there's potential for the technology that powers the ROG Ally to be what has made their Nvidia RTX dreams come to an end.

Other options exist

Powerful chipsets like the AMD Ryzen Z1 might be designed for handheld gaming, but they're considerably more powerful than integrated options and draw a level with desktop Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics cards. Could it be that Google has been lured away from Nvidia's ray-tracing GPUs by AMD's handheld workhorse?

Another option is Intel's new discrete option the Intel Arc mobile GPU. Intel's Arc may be a newcomer to the mobile laptop scene, but its first-gen offering hasn't been the disaster many thought it might be. While on the low end of the mobile GPU scale, future generations could greatly improve performance and eventually make Intel a key player in the mobile GPU space. Though, admittedly, at present it's practically The Invisible Man.

Outlook

It's unsure if Google has bid A Farewell to Arms comes to the Brave New World of true gaming Chromebooks, but this is a definite sign that things aren't going as smoothly as hoped. While there's still some hope for Google to make good on its plans, for now at least ChromeOS gamers may have to come to terms with a Paradise Lost.

For news, rumors, and updates on all things Chromebook and tech, follow Laptop Mag on Twitter, Facebook, and Flipboard for the latest word as it arrives.

We found out Lenovo is working on its own Steam Deck competitor a while ago — known as the Legion Go. And now, images of the device have been seemingly leaked by Windows Report.

One thing seems to be clear about this new gaming handheld, especially given the fact that after one year, Valve’s Steam Deck is starting to feel tired. Simply put, Lenovo could toast Valve. Let me explain why.

Large and (sort of) in charge

The first thing you’ll notice from these leaked images is its resemblance to the Nintendo Switch, thanks to those detachable controller pads. Pair that with the kickstand round back, and I’m already seeing the huge benefits over the Steam Deck. 

No longer do I have to carry around a couple controllers for multiplayer action, and I won’t have to try and play this uncomfortably on my lap during long haul travel! Trust me when I say that the neck pain of craning over a display is real after a few hours.

Then we get onto the size of this device — this thing is thicc. Other devices like the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally have been kept slim at the sacrifice of battery life, but the fact this has been made a little chunkier makes me confident we’ll see an improved stamina in this machine. Although, the additional screen real estate (it’s an 8-inch display) may counteract that slightly.

And finally, the controllers themselves. Beyond the touchpad on the right-side, there are so many more programmable buttons on Lenovo’s machine — covering the edges and the back. For some PC titles, this is going to be a godsend in terms of simplifying interactions that you just can’t pull off on the Steam Deck.

Outlook

There is a lot to be encouraged by here, and a lot for Valve to sweat about. From the Windows 11 support of all games libraries and the detachable controllers, to the thickness suggesting a bigger battery and that 8-inch screen, Lenovo has seemingly covered all bases with the Legion Go.

As for when we may see this device appear, there’s no rumored launch window for it just yet. But when we do start hearing the rumbles, you best believe we’ll be reporting on all the latest news.

It’s been one year since I got my Steam Deck, and it was fun for a while, but it now collects dust as a system that just can’t hang anymore. My friend once said a very generic quote: a romance that burns twice as bright burns half as long. I never knew she would be referring to a handheld gaming PC.

I remember it like it was yesterday — hurriedly trying to buy my Steam Deck in the middle of a field with poor signal, back when we were given a limited window to secure one. It was an amazing feeling to finally get the confirmation email, and the first few months of use were spectacular!

But as the months carried on, newer games came out that either stressed the system too much or required the graphics be turned down to full-on potato mode (hello, The Last of Us Part I). My love for the Steam Deck was short-lived.

What’s the problem?

It comes down to a paradox between the way Valve is treating the Steam Deck, and the constantly evolving state of the games on Steam. Put simply, it’s being treated as a console while the visual fidelity of PC games continues to move forward.

You see, following this kind of method works for gaming laptops because there is enough room to stuff it full with power. Laptop GPUs are able to play AAA games for a few years. The rather limited power of the APU in the Steam Deck has already seen its limits exceeded by a lot of games.

Developers have thought preemptively about this, and there are lower graphics options across some current games. But while some games do manage to look fantastic (Spider-Man for example), most titles end up not looking so hot. Cyberpunk 2077’s visual artifacting paired with a lack of detail is a huge distraction from the storytelling.

However, this won’t be the only victim. Given how locked down other systems are, it’ll happen to the likes of the Asus ROG Ally, too.

What can Valve do to fix this?

The answer is simple on paper: make its power futureproof. However, it’s rather complicated. Valve has already talked openly about a Steam Deck 2 — focussing on providing a bigger screen and better battery life, but with no set release anytime soon.

One interesting thing that came out of these comments is the fact that game developers prefer developing to “one spec” rather than having a ton of different configurations to adapt to. While this is true for console gaming, Steam Deck doesn’t play console games. It plays PC titles, and developers are already creating all the graphical variabilities for different levels of power.

So since this argument doesn’t hold much water, allow me to propose two scenarios for the second generation Steam Deck that could keep its prime position in the handheld gaming PC fight:

• Going OP on power: The AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme is working wonders in the Asus ROG Ally (as you saw from the comparison tables from above), so Valve will need to double down on its performance capabilities for Steam Deck 2. My dream would be to see some form of Nvidia-based APU (or even a smaller dedicated GPU) that is able to support DLSS 3.0.
• Modularity: This one is probably going to be next-to impossible to pull off, but hear me out. We’re playing PC games on the Steam Deck, so why not treat the hardware like a PC? Valve already celebrates how easily repairable the Deck is. To give users the option to switch out the APU module when a new one is released, upgrade the RAM, and make the battery replaceable would be huge for future proofing the system.

Time is running out

Unlike console gaming, playing on PC is ever-evolving. Because of that, after a year of owning a Steam Deck, it already feels tired when it comes to trying to play new releases.

Don’t get me wrong. If you are conscious about your use case for a Steam Deck (indie titles, older games, and emulation), you’ll have a fantastic time with it. Not only that, but select developers are working hard on making their AAA games work well on the handheld.

However, this admirable effort can’t make up for the fact that the power potential of this device has been far exceeded. I am holding on to my love for my Steam Deck, but Valve has a lot of catching up to do with its next generation hardware.

The gaming PC handheld market is about to get a new competitor, and it’s coming from Lenovo. As reported by Windows Central, the Lenovo Legion Go is gearing up to enter the battle for superiority.

We’re hearing a lot of encouraging news about it, such as the use of AMD’s new Phoenix Processors that are usually turbo boosting gaming, AI, and graphics in ultrabooks, and the larger 8-inch display.

But what will it actually need to do to beat the current strong competition from the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally? Let’s take a look.

1. A better Windows 11 experience

Let’s be honest here, Windows 11 has not translated well onto a gaming PC handheld. I know Asus tried its best with the Armory Crate overlay, but it’s still a desktop OS running underneath that feels awkward to navigate on a small device like this.

And when it comes to the G.O.A.T of handheld PC gaming UIs, nothing Windows-based has come close to the slickness of the Steam Deck. Something’s got to give, and whether it’s a new skin that opens as default on the Legion Go, or a new version of Windows 11 built for this kind of device, hopefully Lenovo gets something better.

2. Better battery life

What would we consider to be good battery life for a PC gaming handheld? It’s an interesting question that nobody has really put a number on yet. 

We can do all of our benchmarks, which confirm that the ROG Ally lasts for one hour and 32 minutes on our PC Mark 10 test. We can also put them through their proper paces, and see the Steam Deck tap out after 50 minutes of Cyberpunk 2077.

But these numbers have always felt disappointing to me, and they should. You want this kind of device to last a long commute without freaking out about the stamina and losing a save.

So, let’s put a number on it. If the Lenovo Legion Go is able to last 2-3 hours on one charge in real world use (playing AAA games), then I would consider this a win.

3. Better cooling

The Steam Deck runs hot, and the Asus ROG Ally runs like the surface of the sun. It’s always going to be hard to maintain a good surface temperature when you’re packing so much power into something so small. 

But something needs to be done because just being able to eliminate thermal throttling is not enough in a handheld. You need to keep that entire surface temperature at a good level to factor in everyone’s use case — be it resting the device on their lap as they play, or holding with one hand for touchscreen games.

Lenovo has been fantastic with thermal management in past systems I’ve tested like the Legion Pro 7i. All I ask is that the team pulls something special out of the bag again for this, and gives us a performance champ that keeps its cool under pressure.

Outlook

Software, battery, and cooling. These are the three mountains that Lenovo has to conquer in order to stand a chance of sitting atop the throne of handheld gaming PCs.

Is it an impossible task? No, but it sure is difficult — those last two points especially are an engineering challenge for sure. But if Lenovo pulls it off, I will be demanding that the company takes my money!

Steam Cloud is a fantastic feature that allows you to store data from your favorite games on the cloud, letting you pick up from where you left off on other devices without needing to lug around your saves on external memory. At least, it is when it’s working.

The “Unable to sync” error is the bane of multi-platform Steam users and a headache to solve due to its genericness. However, at Laptop Mag we’ve brought together the best ways to eradicate this error and get yourself back in the game as fast as possible. So, read on for our guide on how to fix Steam Cloud’s “Unable to sync” error.

How to fix Steam Cloud’s “Unable to sync” error

Due to the near-infinite combinations of hardware and software that Steam users make use of, we can’t give specific instructions or diagnosis on what might be causing the “Unable to sync” error. However, we can give general options that should get your files synced up again nicely.

Before we begin, in true troubleshooting fashion, let’s make sure you’ve turned your system off and back on. It’s cliche, but it’s a cliche for a reason — a large chunk of computing issues can be resolved with little more than a system restart.

Once your device has powered back up and the Steam client is running again, check to see if this has resolved the issue. If not, then read on for more troubleshooting.

Option 1: Check if Steam is having service issues

Sometimes, faults like this are entirely out of your hands and may simply be a result of Steam having service issues on its side of things. There’s no direct way to find this out through the Steam client, though if it is the case you may also notice issues with loading your friends lists or connecting to the Steam Store.

In order to check, open a browser and head to any of the following sites:

• https://steamstat.us/
• https://www.issteamdown.com
• https://downdetector.co.uk/status/steam/

If there are reported outages then these pages should be able to let you know. In this case, it’s best to simply wait the problem out for now and see how things go. You may be experiencing issues due to Steam’s routinely scheduled maintenance. These service blips usually only last about an hour and you’ll be good to go from then on without a hitch. 

Option 2: Attempt to Retry Sync

This one is short and sweet, but often overlooked. When Steam Cloud fails to sync there’ll be an option next to the offending title that offers a chance to “Retry Sync”. Click this, and wait a moment to see if it has been successful.

If you can’t find the option, select the offending title in your library and then, in the right pane, click on “Out of Sync” and “Retry Sync” next to the green “Play” button. 

Option 3: Turn Steam Cloud off and on

It could be a case that Steam Cloud is either disabled on the machine you’re currently using or simply needs a refresh. In any case, let’s quickly hop into the Steam settings menu to toggle it off and on.

To do this, click on the Steam menu at the top left of the Steam client. Then click on “Settings.” In the window that opens, click on “Cloud” on the left-hand pane, and you’ll now see the toggle option to “Enable Steam Cloud” on the right pane. 

If this is pointing to the left with a grey background, then Steam Cloud is currently disabled — in which case, clicking it will enable Steam Cloud. If the toggle is pointing to the right with a blue background, then Steam Cloud is currently enabled, however, click it once to disable the feature, wait a moment, and then click again to re-enable Steam Cloud. 

If this has resolved the issue, you should already see titles from your Library turn blue and begin to sync with Steam’s servers in the background. Close the settings window and wait for your files to sync. 

Option 4: Check your internet connection

If you’re having intermittent connection issues or your connection is slow and spotty this could be the cause of your issues. If you’re using Wi-Fi, try connecting via an Ethernet cable and see if the problem persists.

If you’re on a laptop and don’t have access to an Ethernet port then it’s always handy to have a hub or dock on hand to broaden your port selection. Check out our list of the best docking stations or best USB-C hubs for help with that. 

If there’s no way you can access an Ethernet connection at the minute, try power cycling your modem and router to refresh your connection. To do this, unplug your modem and router.

Wait around 30 seconds before plugging the modem back in on its own. Wait until the lights on your modem have steadied, and then plug your router in. Once your router is up and running, reconnect to your Wi-Fi. Then, repeat the steps found in Option 3 again.

Step 5: Verify game files and repair the Steam Library

This problem can also be caused by damaged files within the game or Steam Library folders. Thankfully, Steam has built-in functions to check the integrity of your game files and to repair the Steam Library folder in an event like this.  

To verify game files, head to your Steam Library and right-click on the game giving you issues. Click on “Properties,” then in the left pane select “Installed Files” before clicking on the button in the right pane that says “Verify integrity of game files.” Steam will then perform a scan of the game’s files and ensure everything is as it should be. 

If that still hasn’t resolved your Steam Cloud sync issues then it’s likely time to repair your Steam Library folder. To do this, click the Steam menu at the top left of the Steam client and choose “Settings,” then, in the pane on the left, click on “Storage.” 

In the right-hand pane, you’ll see a rundown of your device’s storage, at the end of that will be a button with what looks like three dots “···”, click this and choose the option that says “Repair Folder.” 

Option 6: Temporarily disable your firewall

Depending on how your security is set up, your antivirus and firewall software could be preventing a connection to the Steam Cloud servers. You may want to check the settings of your antivirus or firewall software to ensure Steam has access.

To quickly test this, you may want to temporarily disable your firewall and see if Steam can not sync your files with Steam Cloud. The method to do this varies depending on the software, however, if you’re using Windows Defender in Windows 11 then the following steps should allow you to disable your firewall and quickly test if it’s causing an issue.

1. Open the Windows menu in the taskbar.
2. Click “Settings.”
3. In the left pane, choose “Privacy & Security.”
4. At the top of the right pane, choose “Windows Security.”
5. In the right pane, choose “Firewall & network protection.”
6. In the right pane again, select the network with “(active)” next to it.
7. Look for the toggle box under “Microsoft Defender Firewall” and disable it.

Just remember to re-activate your firewall after testing, as your device may be left vulnerable beyond this. You may also wish to close and re-open Steam while your firewall is off before testing.

Steam on Chromebooks finally moves to beta on ChromeOS. After the alpha build of Steam on Chrome OS arrived earlier this year, allowing select Chromebook users to play iconic PC games such as Portal 2, Half-Life 2, Stardew Valley, and more, it's now more widely available on the ChromeOS 108.

Available in the beta channel of ChromeOS 108, which many spotted in the Chromium Gerrit, Steam can be accessed by a select list of Chromebooks outlined in Google's Chromium page. As developers note: "When borealis enters the beta development phase we will allow compatible Chromebooks on the beta channel to install it."

As gaming Chromebooks are starting to emerge, including Acer's first gaming Chromebook announced in October, bringing Steam support makes playing on Google's laptops a reality. While the full release of the popular gaming platform has yet to arrive, a selection of Chromebooks will be able to access the beta, which aims to be more stable than the alpha build. 

Chromebooks that support Steam 

Steam already came to a small set of Chromebooks with specific specs. Chromebooks needed to have at least an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU and a minimum of 7GB of RAM. However, a new generation of Chromebooks now offer an updated list of specs.

According to Acer, the updated list of Chromebooks that support Steam in beta include models that are powered by 12th Gen Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 5000 C-Series Ryzen 3 and higher CPU, with at least 8GB of RAM. This list includes the following: 

• Acer Chromebook 514 (CB514-1W)
• Acer Chromebook 515 (CB515-1W)
• Acer Chromebook 516 GE
• Acer Chromebook Spin 514 (CP514-3H, CP514-3HH, CP514-3WH)
• Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (CP713-3W)
• Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (CP714-1WN)
• Acer Chromebook Vero 514 

During the alpha build, Chromebooks needed to have at least an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU and a minimum of 7GB of RAM. The list included:

• Acer Chromebook 514 and 515
• Acer Chromebook Spin 713
• Asus Chromebook Flip CX5
• Asus Chromebook CX9
• HP Pro c640 G2 Chromebook
• Lenovo 5i-14 Chromebook

We'll update this page with more Chromebooks that support Steam when they become available, as the list is expected to grow closer to the official release of Steam on Chrome OS.

Previously, news outlets 9to5Google (video) and Chrome Unboxed (video) have both showcased hands-on impressions of how Steam runs on Chrome OS, playing a selection of titles Google recommends and more. Games such as Portal 2 and Half-Life 2 reportedly ran smoothly at 60 fps without any input lag or performance issues. Other titles including Stardew Valley and Slime Rancher also played well, but settings needed to be adjusted or put on low graphics settings.

Now that Steam is available in the beta channel, more games are set to be available with stable performance. However, since it is in beta, users are expected to run into some errors and hiccups.

You can check out the full list of games available on Steam in the ChromeOS beta here, which includes Portal 2, The Witcher 3, Fallout 4, Disco Elysium, Tekken 7, Hollow Knight, and plenty more.

We can't wait to try out Steam on Chromebooks capable of running the gaming client, espeically once it's officially released. In the meantime, check out the best gaming Chromebooks on the market. 

Watch out, PC gamers! Hackers are on the prowl for your Steam account and they're using slippery methods to snatch it from you. According to a report from Group-IB, a cybersecurity firm, malicious actors are using a sneaky phishing strategy that lures unwitting users into inputting their credentials into sign-in pages.

Of course, you may be thinking, "There's no way I'd fall for that!" Although some phishing campaigns use half-baked, unconvincing, fraudulent pages to bait victims, Group-IB claims that the technique in its report, called "browser-in-the-browser," uses legitimate-looking windows that look indistinguishable from its authentic counterpart.

What is a 'browser-in-the-browser' phishing attack?

Steam uses a pop-up window for user authentication — not a new tab. As such, hackers take advantage of this by luring unwitting victims into interacting with a pop-up that mimics Steam's UI, but of course, it's a trap.

How do they get victims to click on these inauthentic, faux Steam pop-ups to begin with? Well, many cybercriminals masquerade as League of Legends, DOTA 2, PUBG, or Counter-Strike gamers and ask users to join their team. They also offer discounted cybersport tickets, ask users to vote for their favorite teams, and more.

Once the user clicks a button on the "bait webpage," as Group-IB calls it, it launches a data entry form that mimics a legitimate Steam window. It even has an additional Steam Guard window for two-factor authentication (and a fake SSL certificate lock icon).

"Unlike traditional phishing resources, which open phishing webpages in a new tab (or redirect users to them), this type of resource opens a fake browser window in the same tab in order to convince users that it is legitimate," Group-IB said.

Some fraudulent Steam windows go as far as warning users that they're linking their account with a third-party company, adding an added layer of faux legitimacy to the deceptive phishing scheme.

Oh yeah, these cybercriminals are that sneaky. Group-IB said that this phishing scheme is only available to select groups. The hacking teams who have access to this phishing kit offer phishing-for-hire services. In other words, cybercriminals sell access to Steam accounts, and Group IB reported that some pro-gamer accounts are valued at nearly $300,000.

How to protect yourself

Group-IB offered a checklist in its report to help Steam users spot a browser-in-the-browser phishing attack.

1. Check whether a new window opened in the task bar. If not, the browser window is fake.

2. Try to resize the window. If the window is fake, you won't be able to resize it.

3. Minimize the window. If the window is fake, the "minimize" button will close it.

4. Click on the SSL certificate lock icon. If it's fake, nothing will happen.

5. The address bar in fake windows are not functional.

Avoiding this phishing attack is fairly easy. Always be skeptical of unknown users requesting you to join their team or making other requests. If the message involves you clicking a URL, your suspicions should be heightened. No matter how legitimate or authentic a webpage may look, refrain from inputting your Steam credentials, especially if the link was sourced from a total stranger.

Everybody is celebrating Steam adding an ‘Add to library’ button to free-to-play games, but I’m left feeling a little disappointed they didn’t go further with this feature.

Why? Well, if they just put the same button across all games, including those that are not free, Valve could get rid of one of the biggest pain points of the Steam Deck UI — redeeming game codes.

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Where should it go?

Don’t get me wrong, the fact you have an option to just add free to play games to your library rather than just installing them immediately is warmly welcomed, both for convenience and for taking advantage of any limited time free game promotions.

But let me take you through the process of redeeming a code on Steam Deck right now. It involves heading into the settings, scrolling down to the bottom to Library, and entering the code. To me, that’s not great UI design, as it hides this behind a few taps. 

If the option to "Add to library" was on every game’s store page, which took you to a code redemption screen, that would eliminate all of the rigmarole. I’ll even take a quicker option to redeem a code in the Steam button side menu!

So I ask of you, dear Gabe, please give us all greater simplicity. Take what you’ve got here and go all in on streamlining the entire experience of adding any game to a Steam library.

If you are a PC gamer who is tired of the same old games on Steam and Epic Games Store, look no further as we present the best indie games that aren’t on Steam. We are living in an age where there are countless games available to us. Yet, the major storefronts present only a fraction of what games are out there. 

Despite not being on large storefronts, many of these creators are still spending a lot of their time creating work and deserve to be rightfully compensated. Unlike larger storefronts, a lot of the pages for games you find on this list will offer the option to pay what you want for them. While this lets you play many of these games for free, consider how much it would help a creator work on their next project if you decide to pay for their work. For other methods to support these devs, I suggest checking out game bundles such as the Queer Games Bundle 2022, Indiepocalypse, Locally Sourced, and others. 

We shared the best PC games, the best PS5 games, and the best Xbox Series X games. Now, we look beyond – where art and experiments are transcending boundaries and expectations (this list is not ranked in any particular order).

The best indie games that aren’t on Steam

1. First Land by fotocopiadora

You are trapped in an underground dome of secrets. As you wander around, you end up in tunnels with entrances you can’t find a second time. Portals to other worlds present themselves. There is no one directing you where to go; you just need to feel the walls of the caves and wonder where exactly you have ended up.

Wandering around the tunnels of First Land, searching for hidden passageways and worms feels claustrophobic. The sounds of the ocean clashing against the outside and the visions of a world with a visible sky rings inside one’s head. Low synths moan upon entering rooms, as if you aren’t wandering through a cave that’s alive, responding to your actions. 

First Land looks and sounds like a lost Sega Saturn game. Yet, to categorize it as such neglects the game’s ambitions. First Land aims to provoke the player through space and text to think about language, place and time. 

2. Seek Magician by Moss Salamander

In the smaller independent game scene, the 2D RPG aesthetic has remained popular due to the accessibility of development software such as RPGMaker and RPG Paper Maker. While this aesthetic can be seen in popular titles such as Omori and Undertale, the range of possibility expands so much more beyond popular storefronts, from experimental emotional subversive titles to colorful worlds of wonder.  

Described by the developer as an RPG inspired by Space Funeral about creatures they would like to hang out with, Seek Magician is a game of joy and wonder in the 2D RPG genre. The player follows Pax the frog magician as he aims to become the best magician while his little demon pal Lincoln tags along. Over the course of the journey, the aquatic creatures fight and hang out in skeleton-filled caverns and neon critter 80’s arcades. It’s a game about enjoying the good times — and all the friends you make along the way. What more could you ask for? 

3. Decay by Freya Campbell and Grim Baccaris

Independent game engines and frameworks rarely make it to storefronts like Steam, but the accomplishments which they achieve in experimentation and style deserve equal, if not more, appreciation. Decay brings together the talent of two seminal authors in the world of interactive fiction, bitsy and Twine to create a game exploring histories, libraries and witchcraft.  

Decay is a library of words that asks the player to question the construction and reconstruction of history and the ways we come to understand ideas of evil. In the background, a twinkling soundtrack plays over a low humming tone, leaving a haunting feeling as they continue to learn of this world of magic. Over the course of the game, the player reads more about the world and you may begin to question just what part you have played in it all. One could take as much away from Decay’s world as we can about our own.  

4. A Star Called Sun by Cecile Richard

Speaking of seminal authors in interactive fiction, Cecile Richard is another who has consistently released bitsy titles that absolutely astound. A Star Called Sun is one of Richard’s best works and one of the most emotionally resounding titles made with itch.io. It follows someone who is all alone in space going through their daily routine and thinking back on their memories of loved ones. As you water plants, sit in the elevator, and look out into space, you may start to look back on your own memories of the people you cherish.

The game can be played within 10 minutes, however, those 10 minutes are densely rich. Each frame of the game is packed with an emotional atmosphere that is unparalleled. A Star Called Sun is the perfect argument for how lo-fi games uniquely express their emotion and tone in ways that higher fidelity games cannot. 

5. 10 Beautiful Postcards by thecatamites

For over a decade now, thecatamites has been creating games filled with charm and enthusiasm for the ways games can present character. 10 Beautiful Postcards is the developer’s most recent work and the charm hasn’t gone away a bit. 

Thecatamites games take some of the most charming aspects of games and find ways to make them metaphorical and theoretical without making them into serious theoretical texts. For example, just making it so the player can walk through dialogue, feels like you are walking through what the characters are thinking. Or even just making it so there are nine worlds, like playing through nine levels of a retro platformer. 

10 Beautiful Postcards brings thecatamites’ prowess to the flag game genre to create a series of thoughts about images, memory, capitalism, and creatures. 

6. Flesh, Blood and Concrete by io

Through a swirling labyrinth of concrete and memories wrapped in flesh, Lera searches for a way home. In Flesh, Blood, and Concrete the player follows Lera as she has gotten lost in front of a creepy looking apartment building with a character wearing a maid outfit. Over the course of the game however, the apartment building ends up becoming much more connected to Lera than she initially believed. 

Like many other indie RPGMaker titles, Flesh, Blood, and Concrete does not present any complex mechanics for the player to learn. It is completely made up of walking through rooms, picking up items, and reading dialogue. However, it doesn’t detract from the emotional beats or themes from the game one bit. Flesh, Blood and Concrete presents one of the most compelling and complex metaphors about depression, inner turmoil and suicide. Be careful before you play this one; it will leave you feeling heavy. 

7. Madotsuki’s Closet by Bagenzo 

One of the wonderful things about making games outside of a gated market is that there aren’t many restrictions on what content creators can put in their game. This means there are a ton of games outside of Steam that are adaptations, critiques, fan games, and remixes of existing games. These games bring their creators to pre-existing games to express the ways they touch us, be it literally or expressed through new ideas of what they could be. 

Madotsuki’s Closet is a game essay about the game Yume Nikki. It plays like a conversation between you and the author, Bagenzo, as she recounts the history of the game’s theories along with her own. What makes Madotsuki’s Closet transcend its historical retelling is that it recognizes history is personal. It’s more than just a moment in time — it’s also how the creator experienced that moment and discovered herself. 

8. The Crying Game by Sophie Mallinson

The Crying Game is a playable essay game about Sophie Mallinson’s experiences with crying. In it the player presses the simple button to continue the animation of crying on screen. This pushes forward dialogue, which is implied to be Mallinson. Each play of The Crying Game doesn’t only feel like an observation of Mallinson’s tears but a chance to be with our own. 

The Crying Game isn’t the only essay game out there. If you find yourself touched by the combination of personal anecdotes and play, you should seek out others on the site. However, The Crying Game is on this list because it is so concise, relatable and poignant. 

9. Curtain by dreamfeel

It follows a lesbian woman navigating and surviving through days of an abusive relationship. As you walk around the apartment, you begin to learn the story of a couple who has had their fill of good times together along with extremely unhealthy ones. Rooms are filled with playlists, guitars, music posters, and records. Midway through it, however, there is a twist, allowing gamers to see everything in a different light. Curtain specifically handles this situation by creating metaphysical hallways for the protagonist to walk through time and experience different periods of the relationship. 

Curtain was the game that changed games for me. It presented a new way for me to think about how space and objects can present narrative. It set the idea in my head that games can be packed with ideas from the filters that we see the world through to the colors of the walls and the objects laid around. Curtain experiments with the idea that behind every waterfall there is a treasure, except instead of a stat increase or item, there is emotional exploration and metaphor. 

10. Butterfly Soup by Briana Lei

Butterfly Soup remains one of the most influential titles on itch.io to this day. One look at the endless comments could be enough to show that. Set in 2008, it follows four Asian-American queer women falling in love with one another and playing baseball. 

The story addresses the state of queerness, how homophobia and racism persists, and how each character copes with discrimination and identity. There are no real impactful choices the player can make throughout the game, but this doesn’t take away from the emotional beats that the game presents.

11. EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OKAY by alien melon

EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OKAY is a lot all at once, but for a good reason. It’s a game about living online and all of the ways coping — and consequences come with that. As you browse through a series of programs, unfinished text files, and pop ups, a pained series of events presents itself. Little bunny creatures beg you for answers to their pain as they are impaled on one screen, and on another, rabbits wander around questioning why no one seems to love themselves. 

On top of that, poetry pops up in the midst of it all, leaving you overwhelmed. You end up with sensory overload, a couple chuckles, and a heavy feeling of pain. It all feels painfully familiar, not too dissimilar from how your disorganized browser tabs may have made you feel. 

12. The Sleeping Light by Valerie of DOMINO CLUB

Funnily enough, there are actually two games on this list about long distance relationships in space. However, don’t be fooled into skipping this one. 

The Domino Club is a collective of game creators that anonymously creates games under a unified theme. It’s difficult to know that many of their games are created from collaborations, conversations, and inspirations behind the scenes. However, that’s just what makes many of their games stand out. It’s a collective of game makers who already have individual style, and they come together to create these works. 

The Sleeping Light follows an astronaut who manages increasingly complex systems aboard their ship. As the game goes on, it is intermixed with dialogue from a relationship that one assumes was in the past. The images of space increasingly become more lonely as you watch your astronaut juxtaposed with the light of a single star in space. 

13. Homeland by Ada Rook 

The protagonist of Homeland recounts the letters they have sent to a friend. They talk about everyone around them trying to convince them that their friend is gone, but they continue to write to them. We could assume we are the blur moving through the blue-violet caves of Homeland, but it could also be believed to be a metaphor representing an endless void of hope and despair. 

Homeland is a sound art piece about someone who has lost a friend and is not sure how to accept that they are gone. The caves are shaped like soundwaves that you are moving through. You almost forget that you are in control of the character as you move through the cave listening to the protagonist’s voice. The voice is taking you on a journey as much as pressing the down key is. 

14. BINKY IX: BUBBO I by gisbrecht 

It’s hard to say which game in the BINKY series one should start with. Spanning 25 games, each with a different approach to design and genre, one could start with any one of the BINKY titles. The BINKY series each provide insight into the world of BINKY, but also a metacritique of games themselves. Each lasts anywhere between a few minutes to an hour depending on the time you decide to spend on them. 

For this list, we recommend starting with BUBBO I, which is one of BINKY’s first “grand” adventures if you don’t count BINKY’s journey through the human body in BINKY VI or being stranded on Robot Island in BINKY VII. BUBBO I follows BINKY, who ends up on a mysterious island full of dragons and wizards. The distinct camp and lightheartedness that are iconic to the series return for this entry as you make friends with every dragon you meet.

15. Riba by nbmach1ne

Fishing has been a large part of games for decades and spanning across genres. However, Riba is a unique approach to fishing in video games because of the way it treats fishing as a time to wander one’s memories. 

The entirety of Riba takes place inside a single frame containing a lone fisher sitting at a pond. Over the course of the game, the fisher pulls out some fish and bones, which tell the story of a loved one they lost. I won’t go into the details of it all because it isn’t too long and it works a lot better going in blind. However, with each bone fished out, another part of this fisher’s life and their loved ones become more clear. The pond slowly transforms from a place for aquatic creatures to a memorial. 

16. ANATOMY by Kitty Horrorshow

ANATOMY asks the lifelong question of what it would be like to travel through the body. However, in ANATOMY, the body becomes an increasingly horrific house one travels through as they listen to cassette tapes found throughout the house. The longer one plays, the more one questions their own relationship to their body — to their own house and its rooms. 

Unlike many horror games, ANATOMY does not contain any jump scares nor chase scenes to scare the player. Instead it digs deep into the player’s own fears, and creates an environment and narrative that is increasingly discomforting to navigate. With each step you take, you will be terrified knowing that you have to take another. 

An alpha-quality build of Steam on Chrome OS is finally arriving on select Chromebooks, with videos showcasing iconic PC games such as Portal 2, Half-Life 2, Stardew Valley and more running smoothly. Although, the feature is still very much "in progress."

Google released full details in Chromium, stating that since this is an early, alpha-quality version of Steam on Chrome OS, "anything can break." Users aren't recommended to test out Steam Alpha on a Chromebook you rely on, as it could lead to "crashes, performance regressions, and never-before-seen bugs." Still, the long-rumored gaming platform on Chrome OS is here, and the results are positive. 

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Tentatively announced during Google's Game Developer Summit and later confirmed via a small update, Steam has come to a small set of Chromebooks with specific specs. Chromebooks will need to have at least an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU and a minimum of 7GB of RAM. Chromebooks include:

• Acer Chromebook 514 and 515
• Acer Chromebook Spin 713
• Asus Chromebook Flip CX5
• Asus Chromebook CX9
• HP Pro c640 G2 Chromebook
• Lenovo 5i-14 Chromebook

This is only an initial list and is expected to grow closer to the official release of Steam on Chrome OS. There are also issues Google is investigating, including devices with 8GB of RAM encountering issues in games that require 6GB of RAM, along with devices with display resolutions greater than 1080p having performance and scaling issues. 

News outlets 9to5Google (video) and Chrome Unboxed (video) have both showcased hands-on impressions of how Steam runs on Chrome OS, playing a selection of titles Google recommends and more. Games such as Portal 2 and Half-Life 2 reportedly ran smoothly at 60 fps without any input lag or performance issues. Other titles including Stardew Valley and Slime Rancher also played well, but settings needed to be adjusted or put on low graphics settings.

9to5Google also tried Cities: Skylines, but crashed Chrome OS on its first launch and continued to be unplayable. Risk of Rain 2 was also another contender, and even though it was reportedly slow to start, it still ran at 40 fps.

Google outlines a list of 50 games the team has tried and work well, including Hades, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Left 4 Dead 2, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Cuphead, Tekken 7, Fallout 4, Disco Elysium, and more.

There currently isn't a specific date when Steam will come to Beta or Stable channels, and Google even states that some Chromebooks lack the necessary hardware to support the gaming client. However, it does say: "as new, compatible devices come out, we will update the supported device list."

It's exciting to see Chromebooks being viable gaming laptops, and we can't wait to check out the official version once it arrives. While we don't expect Chromebooks to match the performance of the best gaming laptops, Steam coming to Chrome OS offers more affordable ways to play PC games. 

Gaming Chromebooks are two words that don't feel like they belong together. Even with the rise of Chromebook detachables that can offer a solid Android gaming experience, it's a nice bonus rather than a focus for the device.

It appears that may be set to change soon as a new report from 9to5Google revealed three codenames for what they believe are gaming Chromebooks due in no small part to the presence of RGB keyboards on all three (via The Verge). 

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The team at 9to5Google first uncovered a new RGB Keyboard flag in Chrome OS, but further digging revealed the feature was associated with a specific trio of Chromebook codenames. The per-key RGB lighting flag can be found with Chromebook's codenamed Vell, Taniks and Ripple.

The first two feature Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake processors and are believed to be an HP Omen and Lenovo Legion Chromebook, respectively. The final codename is more of a mystery: it is identified as a detachable, so think Asus ROG Flow Z13 Chromebook edition, but there are no clear indicators regarding which manufacturer is making this Chromebook. 

While there are a number of game streaming services that could be leveraged by Chromebooks, the presumed key to this puzzle is Steam support on Chrome OS, something that was first tipped back in January of 2020. The encroaching release of the Linux-powered Steam Deck lends further credence to the gaming Chromebook concept perhaps finally becoming a reality.

While the best Chromebooks are excellent devices for productivity and general computing, it's going to be a significant hurdle to convince buyers that the once online-only OS is ready to be your next gaming laptop.