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Where can Australians buy R18+ PC games without a credit card? Pretty much everywhere but Steam
Valve's new age verification policy for R18+ PC games on Steam in Australia requires users to provide a credit card, a method not commonly used by Australians. This has caused frustration among players and confusion for banks, as alternative verification methods have not been offered. Players are advised to purchase games from third-party sellers like Fanatical and Green Man Gaming, though not all R18+ titles are available there.
The mythology of Gabe Newell now includes Mongolian throat singing
Former Valve employee Minh Le shared anecdotes about co-founder Gabe Newell's eccentricities, including a five-month phase of practicing Mongolian throat singing in the office. Le also recalled Newell's collection of medieval weapons and his habit of posing difficult questions to employees.
Gabe Newell once spent months loudly throat singing in the Valve office, Counter-Strike co-creator says, and "a lot…
Counter-Strike co-creator Minh Le shared an anecdote about Valve lead Gabe Newell spending five months practicing Mongolian throat singing loudly in the office. Le described Newell's eccentric hobbies, including throat singing, knife collecting, and acquiring medieval weapons, as sometimes annoying to coworkers but ultimately part of his quirky personality.
Gabe Newell apparently spent "five months" singing Mongolian throat songs around the Valve office
Former Valve developer Minh Le recalled Gabe Newell's fascination with Mongolian throat singing, which he practiced around the office for about five months. Le shared this anecdote from his early days at Valve, a period he described as an incredible learning experience surrounded by top talent. Newell also developed interests in collecting swords and knife crafting during that time.
A developer with no games on Steam now has the store's third-most-wishlisted game, behind Light No Fire and…
The airline comedy co-op game Dear Passengers, developed by the mobile-focused studio Flexus, has become Steam's third-most-wishlisted game, surpassing titles like Fable and Resident Evil Veronica. Flexus, which has never released a game on Steam before, has achieved this remarkable feat with Dear Passengers, a game fitting the 'friendslop' trend, amassing 2 million wishlists by July 31st.
Former Valve writer says "giant teams just don't work" in video game development, unless you're…
Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek argues that large teams are detrimental to video game development, citing his experience with Left 4 Dead 2. He believes that while massive games like Grand Theft Auto 6 might necessitate huge workforces, most projects suffer from indecision and backtracking caused by excessive team sizes and remote work.
Steam Frame SteamOS 0.3.0 patch notes improve charging in off & sleep modes
Valve has released SteamOS version 0.3.0 for the Steam Deck, addressing a slow charging issue reported by users when the device is turned off or in sleep mode. The update also includes improvements to controller tracking, system stability, and VR performance.
The Steam Frame’s first post-launch update speeds up charging and ungarbles a mic bug
Valve has released the first post-launch software update for the Steam Frame VR headset, bringing improvements to charging speed, controller tracking, and fixing a microphone audio bug. The update, SteamOS 0.3.0, also enhances system stability and addresses UX issues related to motion smoothing.
Steam Frame's odd charging behaviour gets patched: cuts recharge times in half in some instances
Valve has released a new SteamOS update for the Steam Deck that significantly improves charging times when the device is off or sleeping. Previously, charging could take over two hours, but the update addresses an issue where charging was slower when the device was powered down, effectively cutting recharge times in half in some instances.
Over 10 years later, Gabe Newell's advice to devs still holds up
Valve head Gabe Newell's decade-old advice to game developers about distinguishing between genuine player creativity and malicious hacking remains relevant. He highlighted the Ultima Online incident where a player killing Lord British was treated as a hack, arguing that such player-driven events can create more compelling lore than planned narratives.
MMOs You’ve Never Heard Of: Pigs and Wolf, Tidefall, and Invokyr
This article rounds up lesser-known multiplayer games, including Pigs and Wolf, a co-op survival game with wolves; Tidefall, a browser-based maritime MMO; and Invokyr, a co-op horror title involving a mystical board game. Pigs and Wolf and Invokyr are heading to Steam Early Access soon.
Wardogs drops Steam Family Sharing as CEO claims its $40 price tag is "the best anti-cheat"
The multiplayer shooter Wardogs has removed support for Steam Family Sharing, with developer Bulkhead citing its exploitation for cheating as the reason. CEO Joe Brammer stated that the game's $40 price tag is the best anti-cheat measure. The studio is also teasing Season 2 content and engaging with the community for feedback.
Valve devs "can't believe we get away" with such small updates for Team Fortress 2 and Counter-Strike,…
Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek expressed surprise at how little content updates were needed for games like Team Fortress 2 and Counter-Strike 2 to satisfy players. He noted that even within Valve, teams were often amazed by the positive reception to minor updates compared to the substantial content delivered by other Valve projects.
Portal could've had "a bunch of gore and dead bodies" if one dev had his way, says Valve veteran, but Gabe Newell considered it "the stupidest question ever"
Valve writer Chet Faliszek revealed that a developer once proposed adding gore and dead bodies to the original Portal, an idea that was strongly opposed by the team and Gabe Newell. Newell reportedly dismissed the suggestion as 'the stupidest question ever,' and the team ultimately decided against the concept, finding it unfitting for the game's tone.
The Pimax Dream Air costs double the Steam Frame, and while its visuals are worth every penny, its performance demands and inconsistencies make it hard to recommend
The Pimax Dream Air VR headset offers exceptional visual fidelity and a lightweight design, but its high price, performance demands, and software inconsistencies make it difficult to recommend. Despite its stunning visuals, frequent crashes and volatile performance, even on high-end hardware, detract significantly from the experience.
Denuvo are suing a prolific cracker for bypassing their DRM on 26 videogames, despite not knowing their real identity
Denuvo is suing an anonymous individual known as "voices38" in the US District Court for the Northern District of California for allegedly bypassing DRM on 26 video games, including Black Myth: Wukong and Doom: The Dark Ages. The company is seeking damages and an injunction, while also attempting to identify the cracker through subpoenas to platforms like Valve, Reddit, and Discord. Concerns are raised about Denuvo's impact on game performance and preservation.
Over 35,000 people say they signed up for a Steam Frame, and less than half have one reserved
Valve has begun allocating the first batch of Steam Frames through a randomized lottery, with over 35,000 people signing up. Community data suggests approximately 44.7% of respondents received a reservation, while 51.6% were placed on a waitlist. The article also touches on storage options and user preferences for the 256 GB model.
Steam Machine's official repair guides reveal the true trickiness of some upgrades — the RAM especially is…
Official repair guides for the Steam Machine, published by iFixit, reveal that upgrading components like RAM can be a complex and time-consuming process. The guides highlight the intricate steps involved, suggesting that less tech-savvy users might risk damaging the device.
"One of the biggest mistakes game developers make," Valve's Gabe Newell warns in an unearthed clip, is treating "genuinely entertaining" player actions as hacking
Valve boss Gabe Newell warns that a significant mistake game developers make is misinterpreting entertaining player actions as hacking. He cites the "Lord British assassination" incident in Ultima Online as an example where developers should have embraced the emergent gameplay rather than rolling back the server.
Denuvo is on the hunt for DRM cracker 'voices38' as the company attempts to take one of its biggest foes to…
DRM producer Denuvo is suing an individual known as 'voices38' for allegedly circumventing its anti-piracy measures on games like Hogwarts Legacy and Black Myth: Wukong. Denuvo is using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to pursue the case, seeking to unmask the anonymous actor through subpoenas to platforms like Valve and Discord. The move comes as Denuvo's software is generally unpopular with gamers.
