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Deadlock's Magical Setting Carries On A Storied, And Welcome, Tradition
Deadlock's "Cursed Apple" setting reimagines New York City as a magical urban fantasy landscape, drawing inspiration from various fictional works and the city's own history. The game, a MOBA/hero shooter hybrid from Valve, features a diverse cast of characters that reflect the city's melting pot nature, with a particular focus on representation. The article praises the game's rich setting and its ability to make players feel part of a larger, magical narrative.
The Future of CS2 Betting in 2026 - Walkthrough, Tips, Review
The landscape of Counter-Strike 2 betting is undergoing significant changes in 2026 due to Valve's stricter regulations on intellectual property and promotion of unregulated sites. The focus is shifting from skin-based gambling towards traditional, licensed sportsbooks and vetted platforms, aiming for increased professionalism and legitimacy within the esports scene.
Rog Xbox Ally X dyrare i flera länder
The ASUS ROG Ally X handheld gaming PC has seen price increases in Japan and Australia, with the X model becoming more expensive while the base model remains unchanged. These price hikes are speculated to be due to rising costs of storage and memory components, potentially impacting other devices like the Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X.
Steam Vs Epic Game Store
This analysis compares Steam and the Epic Games Store, highlighting Steam's dominance in PC gaming with its vast user base and extensive features. Epic Games is challenging Steam through exclusivity deals and offering weekly free games, aiming to capture a significant share of the market despite Steam's established ecosystem and customer loyalty.
Is Gaming A Cheap Hobby?
This analysis explores whether gaming is an affordable hobby by comparing its entry costs to other leisure activities. It details the expenses for setting up consoles like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, including the cost of games, and contrasts this with the long-term value and per-hour entertainment cost of gaming compared to hobbies like skydiving or traveling.
MMO Week in Review: The clock strikes Midnight
This week's MMO news roundup covers the early access launch of World of Warcraft: Midnight, BitCraft entering its second early access phase, and Gamigo reviving Gloria Victis. The article also touches on layoffs at Corepunk, Discord's postponed age verification rollout, and various updates and issues across numerous other MMO titles.
This Linux tool was the last thing I needed to wave goodbye to Windows
This article details how the ScopeBuddy tool simplifies the process of enabling High Dynamic Range (HDR) on Linux for PC gaming. The author, who previously struggled with HDR on their LG OLED TV, found ScopeBuddy and its GUI frontend to be an easy-to-use solution that finally allowed them to fully embrace Linux over Windows.
SteamInputDB is a new site to help you find Steam Input configurations for your gamepads
SteamInputDB has launched as a third-party community site to help users find Steam Input configurations for various gamepads and Steam games. The site utilizes the Steam API to pull community configurations and is open source with future features planned.
Steam Survey for February 2026 shows a big swing to Simplified Chinese
The February 2026 Steam Hardware & Software Survey shows a significant increase in Simplified Chinese language users and a notable drop in Linux adoption. Valve may issue a correction to the data, which also indicates a rise in Windows 10 64-bit usage.
Here's some of the most-played demos during Steam Next Fest - February 2026 edition
Valve has revealed some of the most played game demos during the Steam Next Fest event, which concludes on March 2nd. Popular titles include Marathon, Burglin' Gnomes, Windrose, Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard, and Wanderburg. Some games will retain their demos after the event concludes.
Proton Experimental gets improvements for Vermintide 2 and more controller support for launchers
Valve has released an update for Proton Experimental, enhancing compatibility for Linux and SteamOS users. Key improvements include making Warhammer: Vermintide 2 and METAL GEAR SURVIVE properly playable, alongside expanded controller support for various game launchers and applications.
How the video games industry will finally destroy itself - Reader's Feature
This reader's feature argues that the video game industry is unsustainable due to a financial system that disincentivizes innovation and leads to conservatism and consolidation. The author suggests that increasing costs, reliance on finance capital over productive labor, and the rise of AI threaten the industry's long-term survival, potentially leading to a crisis similar to broader economic issues.
Steam Deck OLED prices will rise in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan next week, but it's tough to tell whether that's a harbinger of wider hikes
Valve's Steam Deck OLED models will see price increases in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan starting March 6th due to rising logistics costs and exchange rate fluctuations. Distributors cite these persistent conditions since the handheld's launch as the reason for the difficult decision. The price hikes bring the affected regional costs closer to UK and US equivalents, though the exact impact varies by country.
Deadlock Hits 125,000 Concurrent Players After Old Gods Update
Valve's unreleased hero shooter Deadlock has reached 125,000 concurrent players following its "Old Gods, New Blood" update. This surge in player count places it near competitors like Overwatch 2, despite Deadlock lacking an official release date or marketing. The update added new heroes and a 4v4 mode, demonstrating Valve's commitment to the game as a live service.
Valve in hot water, Discord begs forgiveness, and more game media layoffs - Patch Notes #42
This week's gaming news roundup covers significant industry events including Microsoft's Xbox leadership changes, Valve facing a lawsuit over gambling in Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2, and layoffs at companies like Riot Games and Eurogamer. Additionally, Krafton appointed a chief AI officer, Embark Studios' CEO became Nexon's executive chairman, and Discord delayed its age verification rollout.
New York Sues Over Valve Loot Boxes
The State of New York has filed a lawsuit against Valve Corporation, alleging that its loot box mechanics constitute illegal gambling. The suit targets the "cases" and "keys" system, seeking to halt the practice and recover profits derived from it. This legal action could significantly impact the monetization strategies of PC games and the broader live-service industry.
New York sues Valve over loot boxes, alleges gambling law violations
New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against Valve, alleging that loot boxes in Counter-Strike 2, Team Fortress 2, and Dota 2 promote illegal gambling and harm minors. The lawsuit seeks to stop Valve's promotion of illegal gambling and impose fines, citing the company's billions in profits from these in-game mechanics.
Valve accused of "letting children and adults alike illegally gamble" via loot boxes in New York state lawsuit
New York State Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against Valve, alleging the company violates gambling laws through loot boxes in games like Counter-Strike 2 and Team Fortress 2. The lawsuit seeks to stop Valve from promoting these features, disgorge ill-gotten gains, and impose fines, citing potential harm and addiction, especially to young people.
New York sues Valve over "illegally promoting gambling" for loot boxes
New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued Valve, alleging that the company illegally promotes gambling through loot boxes in games like Counter-Strike 2, Team Fortress 2, and Dota 2. The lawsuit claims these mechanics, which allow players to buy chances for valuable virtual items that can be sold for real money, are akin to slot machines and are particularly harmful to minors. Valve is accused of facilitating third-party marketplaces for these items and profiting significantly from this practice.
Valve is getting sued in New York, this time over loot boxes in Counter Strike and Dota 2
The New York State Attorney General, Letitia James, is suing Valve, alleging that the company facilitates illegal gambling through loot boxes in Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2. The lawsuit claims that Valve profits from allowing "children and adults" to gamble on virtual items with real-world value, potentially leading to addiction. The state is seeking to permanently stop Valve's alleged illegal conduct and obtain restitution and damages for consumers.
