Valve
Valve business and news from across the web.
Latest coverage
TF2 Americana Contest Crowns Winners in Community Art Showcase
The TF2 Painter's Workshop has announced the winners of its Americana Contest, which challenged artists to create patriotic-themed weapon skins and artwork for Team Fortress 2. Winning submissions and those scoring above a 9/15 have been included in 'The Americana Collection,' a custom war paint case proposal. This event highlights the enduring creativity of the Team Fortress 2 community, which continues to produce high-quality content nearly two decades after the game's release.
You can finally rescue Half-Life's guards and scientists thanks to this mod inspired by Lemmings
A new mod for Half-Life: Source, inspired by Lemmings, allows players to rescue scientists and guards who were previously unrescuable in the original game. The mod enhances NPC navigation and combat capabilities, covering approximately half of the game's content from the 'Unforeseen Consequences' chapter up to 'Apprehension'.
Weekend PC Download Deals for Apr. 10: Triple-i Initiative
Steam and the Humble Store are featuring a sale to celebrate the Triple-i Initiative showcase. This event highlights various PC games available for download.
Evening Tech Bits
Valve developer has improved the Linux gaming experience for hardware with limited VRAM. The update focuses on enhancing performance for users with less video memory.
Half-Life writer was surprised how few FPS games followed Valve's approach to story: "Medal Of Honor, for instance, and Call Of Duty both followed those principles, but it was inconsistent"
Marc Laidlaw, writer for the influential game Half-Life, expressed surprise that more first-person shooter games did not adopt Valve's approach to storytelling. While games like Medal of Honor and Call of Duty showed some influence, their application of immersive, first-person narrative techniques was inconsistent. Laidlaw believes this approach is risky but can be highly effective when executed well.
Counter-Strike Animgraph 2 Beta Cuts Network Lag, Brings New Bugs
Valve has released the Animgraph 2 Beta for Counter-Strike 2, aiming to significantly reduce network bandwidth utilization and decrease in-game lag. While this update promises improved performance, especially in critical moments, the beta also introduces new bugs, including fatal errors that can crash the client when connecting to servers with different builds. This initiative addresses long-standing player complaints about the game's netcode since the launch of CS2.
Valve Reportedly Developing “SteamGPT” AI Tool for Support and Anti-Cheat
Valve is reportedly developing an internal AI system named SteamGPT, discovered through code analysis. This tool is expected to enhance customer support, moderation, and anti-cheat efforts, particularly for Counter-Strike 2. While unconfirmed by Valve, SteamGPT could play a significant role in the platform's backend operations.
Datamined code shows Valve referencing an AI "SteamGPT" tool presumably to help Steam better cope with cheaters and customer support
Datamined code suggests Valve is developing an internal AI tool named "SteamGPT" to assist with customer support and combat cheating on its Steam platform. The tool appears to be connected to account statistics and Steam's Trust Score metric, which is used to manage online game integrity and account restrictions. While the technology could improve efficiency, concerns remain about AI's potential for errors, as seen with past false bans in Counter-Strike 2.
Valve dev fixes up VRAM management on AMD GPUs to improve performance
Valve developer Natalie Vock has implemented improvements to VRAM management on Linux for AMD GPUs, which is expected to significantly boost gaming performance, especially on systems with 8GB of VRAM or less. The work involves kernel patches and utilities to prioritize game memory usage over background applications, potentially benefiting Intel Xe GPUs and seeing patches for NVIDIA's nouveau driver as well.
Proton Experimental brings fixes for classic Resident Evil 1 & 2, Dino Crisis 1 & 2 and more
Valve has released an update for Proton Experimental, bringing fixes for several classic Windows games on Linux and SteamOS, including Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Dino Crisis, and Dino Crisis 2. This update aims to resolve issues that previously required workarounds for these titles to launch and run properly.
SteamVR Beta brings a number of fixes for Linux gamers
Valve has released beta updates for SteamVR, bringing numerous fixes and improvements, with a particular focus on Linux compatibility. Key updates include stability enhancements, resolution of texture leaks, improved GPU synchronization, and better compatibility with games like Pavlov and Into The Radius 2 on Meta Quest via streaming.
Bazzite Linux gets some major upgrades for the April 2026 Update
Bazzite Linux, a popular gaming-focused operating system for handhelds and PCs, has released its April 2026 update. This update includes kernel and Mesa upgrades, improved security features like SBOMs and signed ISOs, and image size reductions. Future improvements will align Bazzite more closely with Valve's SteamOS, featuring a new overlay, smoother updates, and enhanced TDP control.
Valve makes huge changes to the Steam Workshop - now more Mobile and Steam Deck friendly
Valve has launched a beta for significant Steam Workshop updates, enhancing mod browsing with a wider layout, larger previews, and faster filtering. The new design is also optimized for mobile and Steam Deck, featuring a 'Quick View' mode for easier interaction without leaving the browsing page. Valve plans to keep the update in beta for several weeks to gather feedback.
SteamOS 3.8.1 now in Beta for more gamers to test new features
Valve has released SteamOS 3.8.1 to Beta, bringing a significant update with numerous features and fixes for Steam Deck and other handheld gaming PCs. Key improvements include enhanced WiFi performance, better VRR support, updated graphics drivers, and expanded compatibility for various hardware and peripherals. The update also introduces preliminary support for hibernation and Wayland as the default desktop environment.
1000xResist creator: the game industry needs a universal video codec for FMV games
Remy Siu, the creative director behind the acclaimed game 1000xResist, is facing technical challenges with video codecs for his upcoming full-motion video game, Prove You're Human. Siu advocates for a universal video codec standard across all platforms to simplify development and improve the quality of FMV games. He highlights how the current need to support multiple codecs can lead to larger file sizes and compromises in video quality.
Valve rumoured to be working on 'SteamGPT' AI bot for support and anti-cheat functions
Reports suggest Valve is developing an internal AI tool referred to as 'SteamGPT', potentially for customer support and anti-cheat functions. While the exact implementation remains unclear, references in source code indicate Valve is exploring AI for tasks like handling support queries and analyzing player data.
Decades ago, Gabe Newell revealed that Super Mario 64 influenced Half-Life, and it seems future Steam god GabeN was a lot better at Nintendo's platformer than Valve's FPS classic
Gabe Newell revealed in a 1998 interview that Super Mario 64, along with Ultima Underworld and Resident Evil 2, were significant influences on the development of Half-Life. Newell also admitted he was not particularly skilled at Half-Life's multiplayer, contrasting it with his perceived proficiency in Super Mario 64, which he later called his favorite game of all time.
"SteamGPT" mentions in Valve's code flagged by online sleuth, sparking fears of an AI Steam chatbot that will screw up your support requests and hallucinate anti-cheat
Code strings mentioning "SteamGPT" have been discovered in Valve's backend, leading to speculation about an AI-powered chatbot for Steam. This has sparked concerns among PC gamers about potential issues with customer support and anti-cheat systems, drawing comparisons to the AI character Wheatley from Portal 2.
Portal 2 devs went through "nasty crunch" to get Valve's all-time classic out the door, partly because they kept "adding stuff" despite deadlines: "My wife was getting really tired"
Portal 2 lead designer Josh Weier revealed that the development team experienced "nasty crunch" due to continuously adding features despite looming deadlines. Weier mentioned that the intense work environment strained his personal life, leading to a temporary step back from the project near its completion.
Xbox Ally handhelds are finally getting thumb stick mouse controls, but I'm hoping it's not a desktop mode…
The ASUS ROG Ally handheld is receiving a new 'Gamepad Cursor' feature for Windows Insiders, allowing the left thumbstick to control the mouse. While this aims to improve desktop navigation on the Windows 11-based device, the author expresses hope that it leads to a more console-like experience rather than just another desktop workaround.
