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Gabe Newell reportedly snapped 'What the f*** do I pay you for if that's your opinion?' at Valve lawyer pushing for more content moderation on Steam
Valve co-founder Gabe Newell reportedly admonished Valve general counsel Karl Quackenbush for advocating a stricter content moderation policy on Steam. The anecdote suggests Newell favors a more laissez-faire approach to NSFW content, which Steam has largely maintained despite occasional pressure from payment processors.
Gabe Newell hits back at claims that Steam has a monopoly on the PC marketplace
Valve President Gabe Newell has testified that Steam does not hold a monopoly in the PC gaming market, despite facing antitrust lawsuits from Wolfire Games and others. Newell claims consumers have numerous purchasing options and denies Valve enforces price parity obligations on other platforms. While Steam holds a dominant market share, Valve attributes its success to continuous innovation rather than a monopoly.
Latest Steam update brings Steam Controller firmware updates and bug fixes
Valve has released a new stable Steam Client update that includes firmware updates and bug fixes for the Steam Controller. The update addresses potential charging issues, adds LED dimming support, and reduces trigger deadzoning. Additional improvements are included for Steam Input, Downloads, Remote Play, and Steam Networking Sockets, with specific fixes for Steam Deck and SteamOS.
Valve reportedly threatened Ubisoft with a total delisting of Rainbow Six Siege "by end of day tomorrow" when it tried selling it cheaper on Uplay
Valve reportedly threatened Ubisoft with delisting Rainbow Six Siege from Steam if it continued to sell the game cheaper on its Uplay storefront. This incident is part of an ongoing antitrust lawsuit against Valve, which also involves allegations of pressuring Warner Bros. Games over pricing for Middle-earth: Shadow of War.
Valve Boss Testifies “Consumers Have Enormous Choice” on PC During Antitrust Lawsuit
Valve president Gabe Newell testified in a 2023 antitrust lawsuit filed by Wolfire Games, asserting that PC consumers have extensive choices for purchasing games. Newell denied claims of an unwritten rule preventing developers from offering lower prices on competing platforms, despite evidence presented to the contrary. Wolfire Games' lawsuit alleges that Valve's practices harm developers and gamers by leveraging Steam's dominant market position.
RPG devs apologize to "Steam staff and all of our players" after their game draws 164,000 concurrent players…
The free-to-play idle RPG TBH: Task Bar Hero has achieved significant player numbers on Steam, reaching over 164,000 concurrent players shortly after launch. However, the game's popularity led to server issues and a mixed review score, prompting developers Tesseract Studio to apologize to players and Steam staff for failing to meet server usage guidelines. The developers have since reduced the variety of tradeable items to stabilize the service.
Gabe Newell on Steam monopoly accusations: Gamers have 'enormous choice' about where to buy games
Valve chief Gabe Newell testified in an antitrust lawsuit, denying that Steam holds a monopoly on PC gaming and stating that customers have 'enormous choice' in where they buy games. Newell also denied an alleged unwritten rule preventing developers from offering lower prices on competing storefronts, despite internal communications suggesting otherwise.
New Xbox handheld revealed with OLED screen and AR glasses
Asus has revealed the ROG Xbox Ally X20, an updated handheld gaming device featuring a larger 7.4-inch OLED screen and improved thumbsticks. The device shares its internal specifications with the ROG Xbox Ally X, including an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor and 24GB of RAM. A bundle option includes ROG XREAL R1 Edition AR glasses, though pricing and a release date are yet to be confirmed.
Valve's Gabe Newell argued gamers "have enormous choice" when grilled over Steam's alleged monopoly…
Valve boss Gabe Newell testified in a lawsuit alleging the company holds an illegal monopoly on PC gaming, denying claims that Valve dictates pricing on other platforms or punishes developers for offering discounts elsewhere. Newell argued that gamers have "enormous choice" in where they purchase games, citing Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox, and direct developer sales as examples.
Yet another rad gaming tool parts ways with Microsoft
The open-source compatibility tool Luxtorpeda has migrated from GitHub to Codeberg due to ongoing issues with GitHub's stability and its AI initiatives. This move follows similar departures by other projects like Ghostty and Gentoo, citing concerns over platform instability and forced AI tool usage.
We may learn the Steam Machine launch date very soon, as Steam's backend just got updated with a welcome tour
Valve has updated Steam's backend with a 'welcome tour' for the Steam Machine, suggesting its launch date and price may be revealed soon. This follows previous delays and uncertainty surrounding the PC-console hybrid's release. The article also touches on global supply chain issues impacting consumer electronics prices.
The Asus Xbox Ally X just got a massive screen upgrade, days after the Steam Deck OLED price rise
Asus has unveiled the Xbox Ally X20, a special edition handheld celebrating 20 years of Republic of Gamers. This new model features a slightly larger 7.4-inch OLED display, a translucent chassis with gold accents, and comes bundled with ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 Gaming AR glasses. While it shares the same AMD Ryzen AI Z2 processor and 24GB of RAM as the original, the X20 boasts a redesigned cooling system and new joystick technology.
Proton Experimental gets fixes for Forza Horizon 6, Homeworld 2, SHOGUN: Total War and more
Valve has released an update for Proton Experimental, a compatibility layer for running Windows games on Linux and SteamOS. This update includes fixes for issues in Forza Horizon 6, Homeworld 2 Classic, and SHOGUN: Total War, as well as improvements for other titles like Hyperdevotion Noire and Warhammer 40,000: Dakka Squadron.
There's one game Don't Nod narrative designer Nina Freeman won't ever uninstall from her PC, because it's banned on Steam: 'It's tragic, because everyone should play this game'
Narrative designer Nina Freeman discusses her PC gaming habits, highlighting Devotion as a game she will never uninstall due to its quality and controversial Steam ban. She also shares her most played game, Dota 2, and her appreciation for complex branching narratives in titles like Scarlet Hollow.
The device in my hands feels like the standard all new handheld gaming PCs will be judged by
The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is a new handheld gaming PC powered by Intel's G3 Extreme processor, aiming to set a new benchmark for the category. While its performance, quiet operation, and comfortable design are praised, the projected $1500 price point is a significant concern, especially following recent Steam Deck price increases. The device features a 14-core Intel chip, 32GB of RAM, an 8-inch display, and promises improved battery life over its predecessor.
Wine 11.10 is out with vkd3d 2.0, VBScript compatibility improvements and more
The latest development release of the Wine compatibility layer, version 11.10, is now available. This update includes an upgrade to vkd3d version 2.0, reimplemented XPath support, and further VBScript compatibility improvements. Several bugs were resolved, affecting games like Star Wars Racer, Age of Empires III, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
SteamOS 3.8.6 Beta brings expanded handheld support, initial HDMI VRR for devices with native HDMI output
The SteamOS 3.8.6 Beta introduces expanded hardware support for various handheld devices, including MSI Claw, OneXPlayer, and ASUS ROG Ally. This update also brings preliminary support for HDMI VRR on devices with native HDMI output and includes numerous fixes and improvements for controller support, audio, Bluetooth, and desktop mode functionality.
Video game hardware is dead and there’s only one alternative - Reader's Feature
A reader expresses concern over the rising costs of gaming hardware, citing the Steam Deck's significant price increase and the anticipated expense of next-generation consoles. The author suggests cloud gaming, particularly pushed by Microsoft, as the likely alternative despite its drawbacks like reliance on stable internet and lack of game ownership.
MMO Business Roundup: Steam Deck’s price hike, Microsoft’s ActiBlizz settlement, and Rockstar UK’s union
This MMO business roundup covers several industry developments, including Valve's Steam Deck OLED experiencing significant price hikes. Microsoft has settled a $250 million class-action lawsuit related to its Activision Blizzard acquisition. Additionally, developers at Rockstar Games have officially formed a union, the Rockstar Game Workers Union (RGWU), and plan legal action over alleged union-busting.
Business and Finance
Elaine Green has been appointed as the new Chair of TIGA. Analysts are observing unusual market behavior from Valve regarding Steam Deck price increases, prompting discussions about the potential cost implications for upcoming hardware.