Gaming

If you’re looking for a compact Switch 2 travel dock, go with GuliKit’s new $30 option. If you want more functionality, Jsaux’s new $60 6-in-1 solution can connect the Switch 2 to a TV, access the internet over ethernet, charge four additional Joy-Cons plus Nintendo’s Pro controller, and fold up for travel.

Valve has been trying to crack the living room for more than a decade, and the new Steam Machine is its best attempt yet. It’s a little bit PC, a little bit console, and a lot pricy — starting at $1,049, it had a lot to live up to. The Verge’s Sean Hollister has been testing the device, and shares his findings on whether the Steam Machine can hang with PlayStation and Xbox. He also explains why, despite a never-ending list of challenges, Valve is still trying to make this device work.

According to Aftermath’s Chris Person, Valve pointed to the Steam Deck’s recent price increase as an indicator. Following those changes, the PC handheld costs $789 for the 512GB version and $949 for the 1TB version. The Steam Machine, on the other hand, starts at $1,049.

It’s one of a few new tidbits in a splashy Entertainment Weekly profile about Xbox, which comes at a curious time for Microsoft’s gaming division with troubles including looming layoffs and studio closures.

The family-friendly Nex Playground game console is available in the UK and Ireland today, but perhaps the bigger news is “a unique BTS-branded music experience” that’s launching on the device later this year.

It costs $129.95, ships late July, and includes a few goodies beyond the dedicated chassis for Steam’s upcoming console. You can save $30 by buying the “Poverty Cube,” which ditches the extras, but you’ll have to wait until October to get it. Does this mean the Steam Machine itself is imminent?

Guillemot founded Ubisoft in 1986 with his four brothers, Yves, Michel, Christian, and Gérard. The company has struggled recently, but is behind some of the most popular gaming franchises, including Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry. 69-year-old Claude was one of two reported victims in the crash of a small Cessna.

In addition to creating the heavy-metal soundtracks for Doom and Doom II, Prince also worked on the music for Wolfenstein 3D, Rise of the Triad, and Duke Nukem 3D.

Looking at the data suggests as much. The average number of guesses drops from 4.3 to 4.1, and the failure rate drops from 4.3 percent to just 2.5. It might be because more confident players are choosing hard, but the constraints might also keep players from making bad guesses.

Rockstar Games says preorders will be available “on digital storefronts and at other select retailers,” and revealed the game’s cover art in a teaser video:

SanDisk has a new 8TB PS5 drive, which will cost you a mere $2,959.99 (thanks, RAM crisis!). But that might not be enough for every game.

Three months after Valve’s doozy of an update arrived in preview — the first with support for the Steam Machine and a whole lot more — it’s getting a full stable release. Here’s the changelog. But when will the Steam Machine arrive? Valve’s had quite a few shipments now...

The battle simulator is now available on Android and iOS — and it runs a lot better than it did when it was first released on the Switch in April. The mobile release comes alongside a new regulation that’s added more pokémon, including both Mega Raichu forms and the Hoenn starters, plus items like the long-awaited Life Orb.

In response to the Stop Destroying Videogames initiative, the European Commission said it can’t propose legislation to keep games playable after they’re removed from sale due to intellectual property rights. Instead, the Commission will work to develop new industry standards for video game shutdowns.

That’s according to Silicon Motion (SMI) vice president Nelson Duann, who told Tom’s Hardware the memory shortage is pushing PC makers to buy third-party SSDs, while saying suppliers expect it will get worse in 2027:

With EA Advertising, companies can place ads across stadium signage, scoreboards, sponsored replays, and other in-game content in “a way designed to enhance, not disrupt, the player experience,” according to an announcement. EA has already partnered with brands like Visa, Lowe’s, Red Bull, and Xfinity to embed ads in its games.

Pixel foldables get the new feature first, which is being added to Android 17 alongside native controller remapping, but only rolls out “in the coming months.” We’ve seen control options like this in other foldables before, but it’s welcome to see Google bake it into the OS.

In this video detailing the company’s concept and character design process, Epic says that AI tools like Google’s Nano Banana and its own internal GenMedia Bridge, allows “creative control to stay in the hands of the creator.” Given artists also have to fix stuff that AI generates without being asked to, we’ll let you be the judge of that.

Roblox announced Kids Accounts (for ages 5-8) and Select Accounts (for ages 9-15) in April, and it has been testing them in select countries. Kids Accounts will have chat turned off by default, though parents can turn it on.

That’s according to Best Buy’s listing for the MSI Claw 8 EX AI Plus — and it’s “early bird” pricing, MSI’s Anne Lee tells The Verge. After retailers run out of their first batches of units, MSI expects them to sell the handheld for $1,799, like MSI’s US store already is.