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I've spent 5 hours diving into the Steam Summer Sale with our features editor, and these are the 11 best games on…
The Steam Summer Sale is live, featuring significant discounts on a variety of games. This guide highlights 11 top picks, including Resident Evil Requiem, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with many titles reaching their lowest prices to date.
Valve can afford a niche, pricey hardware launch; Sony and Microsoft can’t
The article analyzes the impact of rising hardware component prices on the video game industry, particularly for console manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft. While Valve's Steam Machine can find a niche despite its high price, Sony and Microsoft face greater risks if their next-generation consoles are priced out of the mass market due to these ongoing supply chain and pricing issues.
'Stim Machine' is an alternative build outgunning the Steam Machine with a more powerful GPU, all at the same price — but there are notable compromises
A French retailer, LDLC, has created a PC called the 'Stim Machine' that offers a more powerful RX 9060 XT GPU than Valve's Steam Machine at the same price point. While it boasts superior frame rates and upgrade potential, the Stim Machine is significantly larger, lacks some of Valve's user-friendly features like instant sleep/wake and HDMI CEC, and requires manual SteamOS installation.
10 great games to grab during the Steam Summer Sale 2026
The Steam Summer Sale 2026 offers significant discounts on a variety of PC games until July 9th. Notable deals include Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth at 60% off, Dave the Diver at 50% off, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt at 90% off. The sale features a mix of genres and includes titles like Blasphemous 2, Robocop: Rogue City, and Hotline Miami.
How to Build a Crosshair That Fits Your Aim Style - Walkthrough, Tips, Review
This guide explains how to customize your Counter-Strike 2 crosshair to suit your individual playstyle, rather than simply copying professional player settings. It emphasizes visual compatibility, size, and the difference between static and dynamic crosshairs, advising players to find what works best through practice and trial and error.
The Steam Machine knock-offs begin as Stim Machine attempts to offer a more powerful machine at the same price and shape
French retailer LDLC has launched the 'Stim Machine,' a PC designed to compete with Valve's Steam Machine. Priced identically to the base Steam Machine, the Stim Machine features more powerful components, including an AMD Ryzen 5 8400F CPU and an AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT GPU, offering a significant performance advantage. However, it lacks the Steam Machine's console-like TV integration features, such as CEC support.
Backrooms director Kane Parsons has visited Valve, and the chances of a Portal movie happening just shot up
Backrooms director Kane Parsons visited Valve headquarters, fueling speculation about a potential Portal movie. Parsons has previously cited the Portal series as a major inspiration for his work, including his directorial debut. The visit has intensified fan discussions and hopes for an official film adaptation.
Grand Theft Auto 6 demand may be so high it will "likely outstrip supply" this holiday season, a video game retailer warns
A video game retailer warns that demand for Grand Theft Auto 6, launching November 19, will likely outstrip supply for consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S this holiday season. Ongoing hardware component shortages, exacerbated by the generative AI boom, are limiting the availability of units needed to meet the anticipated surge in interest.
Epic's Sweeney claims Steam AI labels are "really irresponsible of Valve"
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney criticized Valve's decision to label games on Steam that use AI, calling it "irresponsible" and detrimental to developers. Sweeney argued that AI tools enhance productivity and that the focus should be on the game's overall quality rather than the tools used to create assets.
Steam Summer Sale
The annual Steam Summer Sale has begun, featuring discounts on thousands of games, DLC, and bundles. The sale will run until July 9th, with opportunities to acquire free items as well.
Issues and Activism
Valve has removed a 4K 60FPS claim from a Steam page following negative reviews. The company's action addresses user concerns about the accuracy of marketing information presented on its platform.
Steam Machine – Everything You Need to Know Before You Purchase
Valve's Steam Machine is launching with high price points, ranging from $1,049 for a 512GB model to $1,428 for a 2TB version with a controller, due to increased RAM and storage costs. Performance is comparable to the PlayStation 5, targeting 1080p or 1440p for demanding games, with potential for future improvements like FSR 4 support.
As Steam Machine and Xbox are latest to fall to the RAMpocalpyse, Micron CEO says RAM shortages won't ease until…
Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra predicts that global RAM shortages, exacerbated by AI demand and economic factors, will persist until at least 2028, leading to continued price hikes for gaming hardware. This situation has already caused price increases for platforms like Steam Machine, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5, with future consoles like the PlayStation 6 and Xbox Project Helix expected to be significantly more expensive.
Xbox Series X/S to get second price increase in less than a year
Microsoft is increasing the prices of the Xbox Series S by $100 USD and the Xbox Series X by $150 USD, effective August 1st, 2026, due to a global memory shortage driven by AI data center demand. The company is also discontinuing the 2TB Xbox Series X model. This follows a previous price hike in October and comes amid reports of studio closures and other gaming systems, like Valve's Steam Machine, also facing increased component costs.
Microsoft announces even more Xbox Series price increases for 1st August
Microsoft is increasing the prices of Xbox Series X and Series S consoles globally starting August 1st, with some models seeing a 33% hike. The company cites rising component costs, particularly for SSDs and memory, as the primary reason for the price adjustments. This follows similar price increases last year and affects consoles worldwide, with specific US pricing detailed.
Valve has "a nice thing going on on PC," Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney says, but "they're missing out on a lot of opportunity" without the likes of Fortnite and Genshin Impact
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney believes Valve's Steam platform is missing significant opportunities by not including popular games like Fortnite and Genshin Impact. He argues that Steam's closed ecosystem limits its reach compared to more open platforms like the Epic Games Store and Microsoft Store, suggesting Valve could benefit from a more collaborative approach to digital distribution on PC.
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The article indicates a '404 Page Not Found' error, humorously comparing the situation to the non-existence of Half-Life 3. It prompts users who followed a link to report the issue to Eurogamer.net for correction.
Valve clarifies that all Steam Machines have a single 16GB RAM stick — here's what this means, and why I think it's another reason gamers may hold off buying the PC
Valve has clarified that all Steam Machines will ship with a single 16GB RAM stick, correcting previous statements that suggested some models might have two 8GB sticks. While this configuration offers a better upgrade path to 32GB, it sacrifices the performance benefits of dual-channel memory. The article suggests this detail, along with potential pricing issues, might be reasons for gamers to delay purchasing a Steam Machine.
The Steam Summer Sale goes live with 'deep-a** discounts' across thousands of games
The annual Steam Summer Sale has begun, featuring significant discounts on thousands of games, including Mass Effect Legendary Edition. While Grand Theft Auto 6 preorders are also live for some platforms, the article focuses on the Steam sale's extensive offerings and its duration until July 9.
Microsoft raises price of Xbox consoles once again, sunsets 2TB model
Microsoft is increasing the prices of its Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X consoles globally starting August 1, 2026, citing a global memory hardware shortage driven by generative AI companies. The 512GB Xbox Series S will rise by $100 to $499.99, and 1TB models of both consoles will increase by $150, with the 2TB Xbox Series X being discontinued. This follows similar price hikes from Sony and Nintendo, with Microsoft explaining that consoles are typically sold at a loss, making them particularly vulnerable to component cost increases.
