The PC is one of the most popular gaming platforms in the world, and one that’s constantly changing. Here at The Verge we cover every aspect, including the latest hardware developments from companies like Nvidia and Logitech, massively popular games like Fortnite and Overwatch, and hugely influential digital platforms like Steam and itch.io.
Steam’s monthly top-releases charts will now let you look back all the way to November 2004, when Half-Life 2 first released. Valve made a few other improvements, too, including automating the process so that the charts will come out on a more regular cadence.
[steamcommunity.com]
The gaming GPU market desperately needs real competition — perhaps Intel will bring it to Computex? Officially, the company’s only teasing new Arc Pro GPUs for pros, but its X account mysteriously keeps saying “stay tuned” to commenters who ask about an unannounced B770 gaming GPU!
If the Arc B770 is real — and follows the path laid out by the B580 and B570 before it — it could give Nvidia and AMD a run for the money.
Its recent updates addressed a slew of problems that have emerged following the launch of Nvidia’s RTX-50 series cards in January. But today’s 576.40 driver just includes a fix for some Asus displays booting to black screens, a stutter on LG TVs with G-Sync enabled, and “random stability issues” in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Nvidia’s new Game Ready driver also optimizes your PC for Doom: The Dark Ages, which will support idTech8 ray tracing and DLSS 4 with Multi-Frame Generation when it launches on May 15th.
The new feature just launched in the Preview and Beta channels. “Limiting the charge limit to 80% can be beneficial for long term battery health,” Valve says. “This can be useful if your Steam Deck is constantly being charged (i.e. docked), or very rarely has its battery depleted.”
[store.steampowered.com]
Including Ghost of Tsushima, F1 25, and The Finals. Check out the full list on AMD’s website.
You can turn on your Steam Deck LCD from across the room with a Bluetooth controller (only the OLED model did that at launch!) and I’m personally excited to finally use my Bluetooth headset’s microphone for chat while I game (sadly just in Desktop mode for now). Plus much more!
All these changes already arrived in the Preview branch back in March and in April, but there be dragons that way. Much more accessible now.
[store.steampowered.com]
AMD, like Nvidia, is becoming an AI chip company. In February, I showed you how even Nvidia’s networking business is now bigger than gaming. Today, AMD’s (largely rosy!) Q1 2025 earnings show how far gaming has shrunk compared to its desktop and laptop CPUs.
Gaming used to be its own reporting segment, but that just changed this quarter. Gaming is also now smaller than AMD’s embedded business, which did $0.8B in revenue.
Intel’s XeSS 2 launched last December with just two games in tow — but five months later, your Series 2 Core Ultra laptop chip (e.g. Ultra 9 285H) or Battlemage desktop card (e.g. Arc B580) can can do tailored low latency frame gen in a full 19 titles.
Most are listed in the chart below. Intel tells us the others are Black Myth Wukong, Civilization VII, Fragpunk, Naraka Bladepoint, Steel Seed, The Talos Principle Reawakened, and Wild Assault.
So says Tyler McVicker, a Valve watcher who held a Q&A session last week, answering questions about the development of the game. He says the game could be announced by this summer.
While reporting McVicker’s video, Engadget noted other recent hints the game is actually happening, including a Valve concept artist claiming to have been present where development on the game took place, and Valve leaker Gabe Follower “signaling a non-cliffhanger ending” to the game.
6
Verge Score
A great GPU and an excellent screen for the money, if you can deal with the fan noise.
The first non-Steam Deck but authorized as “Powered by SteamOS” handheld is supposed to ship this month, joining the Windows version of the Legion Go S that we reviewed in February. Now the latest SteamOS preview (3.7.5) shows Valve’s ongoing preparations with new support for its trackpad.
That was on the to-do list of items Valve had at CES, so it’s good to see it being checked off, even if the Steam version is still only listed as “coming soon” at Best Buy.
[store.steampowered.com]
7
Verge Score
Don’t buy one unless you need both.
Intel might have already shifted its path away from building AI PCs with on-package memory, but if you have a laptop (like Dell’s XPS 13 9350) with the Core Ultra 200V chipset inside, then this news is for you.
Following last week’s Arrow Lake update, Intel claims the 32.0.101.6734 and newer drivers bring noticeable performance boosts to Lunar Lake machines thanks to a power management update enabling “higher average GPU frequency and improved frame pacing.”
FromSoftware has shared the minimum and recommended PC specs for Elden Ring Nightreign ahead of the game’s May 30th release. Personally, I have my fingers crossed that it will be verified for Steam Deck like Elden Ring is.
EA started accepting applicants for the game’s alpha playtest in February, and gameplay video keeps leaking, frustrating developer DICE, as Insider Gaming noted earlier this month.
You can see some videos in the outlet’s story today (while they’re still available) via embeds of a few posts from X user goodboy. Here’s one showing what it’ll be like to fly an F-16 fighter jet in the game.
After playing red light, green light with Blade 16 sales, Razer is finally selling all versions of its latest gaming laptop. Those who choose to study the Blade can pick from configurations with the RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080, or our $4,500 review spec with an RTX 5090 GPU.
Razer never responded to The Verge about the gap in availability, but we can all take one big guess for the reason.
AMD SVP and GM of computing and graphics Jack Huynh shared that the company will hold a press conference livestream at the trade show in Taipei, Taiwan on Wednesday, May 21st at 11AM local time (Tuesday, May 20th, 11PM EST). Huynh says AMD will “unveil groundbreaking AI advancements” that redefine gaming, PCs, and professional workloads.
