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Steam stops indie developer from releasing a game for infringing the copyright of his own work
An indie developer's game, Wired Tokyo 2007, was blocked from release on Steam due to alleged copyright infringement of third-party intellectual property. The developer claims to own the copyright for all assets, including board game elements used within his own game. Steam support is reportedly demanding proof of licensing or IP ownership, which the developer finds unreasonable and difficult to provide.
And it’s gone: Steam Controller sold out within an hour amid all sorts of server issues
The Steam Controller sold out within approximately 45 minutes of its release due to high demand and significant server issues on the Steam platform. Many users experienced transaction errors, preventing them from completing purchases. Valve has not yet announced a restock date for the controller, which is designed to work with the upcoming Steam Machine.
Gabe Newell's first appearance in months is the most Gabe Newell thing imaginable: a yacht ad
Valve boss Gabe Newell made a brief appearance in a new advertisement for yacht company Oceanco, in which he has invested. The ad features Newell engaging in activities like scuba diving and interacting with other guests on a mega-yacht, and also includes a hand-drawn portrait of him. The promotional video has garnered significant attention and views on YouTube, with many comments referencing Newell and Valve.
The Steam Controller sold out in 30 minutes, utterly breaking Steam in the process
The Steam Controller experienced a sell-out within 30 minutes of its launch, causing significant issues with the Steam Store. Reports of transaction errors spiked around the launch time, with stock appearing and disappearing rapidly. This mirrors the high demand seen during the Steam Deck's initial release.
The new Steam Controller from Valve is out now - some early thoughts
Valve's new Steam Controller offers a comfortable and feature-rich experience, building upon the lessons learned from the Steam Deck. It boasts excellent battery life, repairability, and deep customization through Steam Input, making it a versatile option for PC gaming, especially on Linux. While it has a learning curve and some minor quirks with non-Steam games and specific titles, it significantly outclasses previous controllers for couch gaming and general PC use.
Issues and Activism
An independent developer claims that Steam is blocking their game due to an intellectual property infringement claim, despite the IP belonging to the developer themselves. This situation highlights ongoing issues with IP disputes on digital storefronts.
Morning Tech Bits
Valve's latest Steam hardware survey indicates that 67.74% of users are now running Windows 11. The report also notes the appearance of the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 9965X3D processor on Passmark benchmarks.
Valve breaks down the issues causing Steam Machine launch delay
Valve has announced that the launch of the Steam Machine, a compact gaming PC running SteamOS, has been delayed due to ongoing hardware shortages, specifically RAM and SSDs. Valve UX designer Lawrence Yang cited these issues, along with price hikes, as significant obstacles. Despite the delays, rumors suggest a potential summer launch, and Valve has other hardware releases planned for the year, including the Steam Controller and Steam Frame VR headset.
Steam Controller Quickly Goes Out Of Stock After Payment Processing Issues Plague Release
The Steam Controller quickly went out of stock shortly after its ordering window opened due to widespread payment processing issues. Valve has not yet disclosed when the hardware will be restocked, though some users have reported intermittent availability. The launch problems occurred despite the Steam storefront otherwise operating normally.
Valve’s hardware graduates from side-quest to full-blown ambition
Valve is increasingly focusing on hardware development, with the positive reception of the new Steam Controller highlighting growing anticipation for upcoming launches like a home console and VR headset. Despite supply chain issues causing delays, Valve's cumulative approach to hardware, building on successes like the Steam Deck and Proton compatibility layer, positions its new products as significant growth vectors for the company's ecosystem.
Skyrim has been the most-played 'Unsupported' game on Steam Deck for 5 months
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has maintained its status as the most-played game on Steam Deck for five consecutive months, despite Valve listing it as 'Unsupported.' Players report the game runs flawlessly on the handheld, with no official explanation provided for the change in its verification status from 'Verified' to 'Unsupported.'
In the 33 months since Baldur's Gate 3 launched, it's hardly ever fallen out of the top 5 most-played games on…
Baldur's Gate 3 has maintained remarkable popularity on the Steam Deck, consistently ranking among the top five most-played games for nearly three years since its launch. Despite not being optimized for the handheld, its enduring appeal has kept it in the top ten, showcasing the game's widespread popularity and Larian Studios' success.
I love everything about Valve's Steam Controller except this one major flaw
The Steam Controller offers a comfortable and lag-free experience with excellent battery life, but its customization software is deeply unintuitive and difficult to use. Users face significant hurdles in assigning button actions and configuring layouts, with many solutions requiring workarounds found on forums rather than official documentation. Valve needs to improve the accessibility of its customization options to unlock the controller's full potential.
You're not crazy, that one sewer puzzle in Half-Life 2 really did used to be harder
A YouTube analysis by Ocelot highlights that a specific buoyancy puzzle in Half-Life 2's Route Kanal level was indeed made easier over the game's 20-year history. Earlier versions required more attempts to use floating objects as platforms to reach dry land after raising the water level. The video also touches on differences in console ports and a rare Japanese arcade version.
Valve's Gabe Newell still plays at least one game of Dota 2 "every day" in his 60s, so hopefully he's past the noob phase he was stuck in even "after 800 hours"
Valve co-founder Gabe Newell continues to play Dota 2 daily in his 60s, a habit he has maintained since at least 2011. Newell discussed his ongoing obsession with the MOBA genre, highlighting its compelling PvP sandbox nature and the constant strategic planning involved. He also noted that lessons learned from Dota 2 can be applied to other game genres, including first-person shooters and MMOs.
Steam Survey for April 2026 shows Linux still trending well
The April 2026 Steam Hardware & Software Survey shows a slight decrease from the previous month but maintains a positive trend for Linux usage, which now accounts for 4.52% of users. The survey also details the most popular Linux distributions, with SteamOS Holo 64 bit leading, followed by Arch Linux and CachyOS.
Wine 11.8 brings updates for Mono, MSXML, VBScript and more
The development release of Wine version 11.8 is now available, featuring updates to Mono, MSXML, VBScript, and keyboard layout support. This release includes bug fixes for various games, such as Microsoft Golf 99, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown, and Assassin's Creed Shadows. Valve's Proton, based on Wine, is also expected to receive a version bump.
Valve wants to price Steam Machine as competitively as possible, but fears RAM shortages are "unavoidable" and…
Valve is striving to price the upcoming Steam Machine competitively despite facing unavoidable RAM shortages due to high demand from AI data centers. Hardware designer Lawrence Yang acknowledged that external factors have already increased the price of the Steam Controller and will continue to challenge affordable pricing for the Steam Machine.
The Brotherhood Unveils a Terrifying First Look at Their New Survival Horror Adventure Game ANIMAL USE PROTOCOL - GameHaunt
The Brotherhood has revealed Animal Use Protocol, a new PC survival horror game built on Unreal Engine 5. Players control Penn, an intelligent chimpanzee, escaping a dystopian lab with his rat companion Trip while being hunted by a monstrous chimaera. The game blends elements of Alien: Isolation and Amnesia: The Bunker, focusing on stealth and puzzle-solving with a gravity control device. A release date has not yet been announced, but the game will be available on Steam and GOG.
Control Issues
A tear-down analysis of the Valve Steam Controller reveals its impressive repairability. The article also briefly mentions rumors of a potential 'Superlight' treatment for another popular gaming peripheral.