Hey, everyone! We're excited to bring you some big (and heartwarming) news today! Today is the day! Get ready to trade in John's bang-bang gun for a watering can, and embark on a tranquil new life in Octopia. (Don't worry, you'll still need that frying pan 🍳). In Eastward: Octopia, Sam and John return in a parallel world adventure, leaving the miasma and monsters behind them, to start a simpler life, living off the land. Get ready to trade swords (or may we say rusty pans?) for shovels and embark on a tranquil world of rural life, fishing, and culinary magic in Octopia, the brand-new DLC for Eastward, landing on Steam and Nintendo Switch TODAY at $5.99 / £4.99 / €5.89 / 700円 / ¥22 CNY, with a special launch offer of 15% off the DLC running from today until February 14th! We're also running special limited-time offers on the base game & bundle too.

"I haven't played Eastward! Do I have to play the base game to get the most out of the DLC?"
Eastward: Octopia takes place in a parallel universe, so there's no need to have finished (or even started) Eastward's base game story to enjoy the simple life—you can even play it straight from the menu. However, please note that a copy of Eastward is required to access the DLC. Although many familiar faces appear in Eastward: Octopia, the plot, gameplay and character 'settings' will be a completely new experience. Once you've purchased and downloaded the DLC, make sure the DLC is 'checked' in the base game properties. After starting the base game of Eastward in your Steam Library, you can then travel to the pastoral time and space of Eastward: Octopia is a single click from the main menu interface! 🚞

MSI has officially confirmed the price for all three Claw gaming handheld SKUs, including two SKUs with the Intel Core Ultra 7-155H CPU and one equipped with the Core Ultra-135H CPU. The MSI Claw starts at $699.99 for the base version with an Intel Core Ultra 5-135H CPU, 16 GB of LPDDR5 memory, and 512 GB of PCIe Gen 4 M.2 storage. The other two SKUs, are priced at $749.99 and $799.99, both come with a Core Ultra 7-155H CPU, 16 GB of LPDDR5 memory, and either 512 GB or 1 TB of PCIe Gen 4 M.2 storage. Unfortunately, there is no word on the rumored SKU with 32 GB of LPDDR5 memory.

These prices make the MSI Claw just a tad bit more expensive than the ASUS ROG Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go, but it should do well if the performance is there. MSI has also confirmed to The Verge that the Claw's 7-inch 1080p screen comes with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) operating between 48 and 120 Hz. The MSI Claw is rumored to launch in February or March.

Here's the first picture of the MSI Claw, an upcoming handheld gaming console that's out to eat the lunch of category rivals Valve Steam Deck, and the ASUS ROG Ally. The Claw features a familiar handheld console layout with two thumb-sticks with their orbits that have RGB lighting, a D-pad, four action buttons, and some triggers. It's hard to tell from this angle, but the touchscreen in the middle could be of a 16:10 aspect ratio. We know this is a game console, and not a cloud gaming device like the Logitech G Cloud, looking at the 350 RMB Steam voucher offer in this marketing poster. This device is functionally identical to the ASUS ROG Ally, it's a Windows-based handheld that's backed by storefronts such as Steam and EGS. Precious little more is know about it, but given the teasers we're seeing, MSI should give us the details at the 2024 International CES.

The electronics brand JSAUX has a New Year's treat for Steam Deck, ROG Ally and Legion Go users. The transparent RGB dock adds a black transparent case to the popular RGB docking station: now you can match your transparent handheld device with a dock that not only shows its inner workings but that also lights your living room. The 8-in-1 transparent RGB docking station is available for $69.99 (discounted to $49 during its release) while the 12-in-1 transparent RGB docking station is available for $99.99 (discounted to $70 during its release)

About the RGB docking station
This new transparent RGB docking station is not only adding a black transparent casing to the former product. JSAUX has upgraded the product to better show its internal structure as well as the RGB lighting effects. A new chip now supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) functionalities, two new features that will improve the user experience.

Half-Life launched 25 years ago this Sunday (November 19, 1998 to be exact) and we felt like a celebration and some attention to the game itself was long overdue. We're marking the occasion by making Half-Life free-to-keep for anyone adding it to their library this weekend, and putting the rest of the games in the franchise on discount during that time.

Plus, we've worked on sprucing up the overall player experience and added or restored content for the game. You can read about the updates in detail on our new webpage created just for this occasion. We also got folks from the original dev team together to talk about their experience making it, and luckily time has not been cruel to their memories.

Valve has announced an updated version of the Steam Deck and the headline feature is the new 7.4-inch OLED display. That's a mere 0.4-inches bigger than the original Steam Deck LCD display and it retains the same 1280 x 800 resolution. However, everything else related to the display has been improved and the refresh rate is now 90 Hz rather than 60 Hz. The display is also a lot brighter, with an SDR rating of 600 nits and an HDR rating of 1000 nits. Valve also claims a 110 percent P3 colour gamut, a one million to one contrast ratio and a sub 0.1 ms response time. On top of that, Valve has added what the company calls "high performance touch" which is said to improve the responsiveness of the display.

It's not just the display that has been improved, as Valve has moved to a 6 nm AMD Zen 2 based SoC which seems to allow the GPU to run at 1.6 GHz at all times, as Valve no longer lists a frequency range for the GPU. The power envelope remains the same though, with a range of 4-15 Watts. Paired with the new SoC is faster LPDDR5 memory at 6400 MT/s, up from 5500 MT/s, which should provide a small boost in gaming performance. An improved cooling solution is also part of the package, which is also likely a reason for the more constant GPU clocks. Gone are the entry level storage SKUs and the OLED version of the Steam Deck only comes with 512 GB or 1 TB of internal storage. The WiFi and Bluetooth module has also been overhauled and now supports WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. The battery has also been boosted from a 40 Whr pack to a 50 Whr pack and Valve now claims three to 12 hours of battery life during gaming, as well as faster charging times. Finally the weight has dropped by 29 grams, which might not be much, but still impressive considering the larger battery pack. The downside you ask? That would be the price, as Valve is asking for US$549/€569 for the 512 GB version, with the 1 TB coming at US$649/€679 when it becomes available on the 16th of November.

With a simple mod, Storage Review got a Valve Steam Deck handheld gaming console to work with the world's highest capacity SSD, the mammoth 61.44 TB variant of the Solidigm D5-P5336. At its core, the Steam Deck is a highly compacted x86-64 PC powered by an AMD Ryzen mobile processor that features an industry standard PCIe interface, which it uses for an onboard M.2-2230 NVMe SSD. Storage Review used a simple adapter that converts M.2 to U.2—the interface of the D5-P5336—and the Steam Deck just worked.

Out of the box, the Steam Deck uses Valve's SteamOS, although it's fairly straightforward to install Windows, and get the Steam application to present its user interface (with which you can play just about any Windows PC game that's not yet available on SteamOS). A quick benchmark with KDiskMark (the Linux analog of CDM) sees the D5-P5336 post sequential read speeds of 3.6 GB/s, with 2.8 GB/s sequential writes. There's a catch here, though. It's not practical to lug the D5-P5336 along with your Steam Deck, the Solidigm drive is designed for servers, and besides the U.2 connection, requires a power input that a U.2 enclosure can provide.

Today we are excited to ship SteamVR 2.0 to all users! In this release we're bringing all of what's new and exciting on the Steam platform into VR. This is our first big step in a larger ongoing effort to better unify the Steam ecosystem for all users, providing a more consistent experience across devices. This update also allows us to add new Steam features in the future much faster and more frequently.

Some things you'll discover today:

• Most of the current features of Steam and Steam Deck are now part of SteamVR
• Updated keyboard with support for dual-cursor typing, new languages, emojis, and themes
• Integration of Steam Chat and Voice Chat
• Improved Store that puts new and popular VR releases front and center
• Easy access to Steam notifications

Lords of the Fallen got plenty of patches in the last few days, with two of them, Patch 1.1.199 and 1.1.203, launched yesterday, and the latest, Patch v1.1.207, launched earlier today. The previous two fixed GPU crashes on AMD graphics cards, as well as a big fix for the issue in communication between the drivers and DirectX 12. The Patch 1.1.203 also brought a reduction in VRAM usage that should provide additional headroom for GPUs operating at the limit, which in turn should provide a substantial performance improvement, at least according to Paradox Interactive.

The latest Patch 1.1.207 brought further stability improvements, fixing several crash issues as well as implementing various optimization, multiplayer, gameplay, AI, Quest and other improvements. The release notes also note that the fix for the issue that causes the game to crash on Steam Deck has been fixed, and should be published as soon as it passes QA.

Seagate Technology Holdings plc, today introduced the new FireCuda 520N NVMe solid state drive (SSD) with 2230-S2 M.2 form factor. The new drive is a perfect storage upgrade for Valve's Steam Deck, Microsoft Surface, ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and other compact devices with 2230 M.2 slots.

Available in 1 TB and 2 TB capacities, the FireCuda 520N is a PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD specifically designed for high performing hand-held gaming devices with high octane read/write speed of up to 5,000 MB/s for the 2 TB capacity and up to 4,800 MB/s for the 1 TB model. The drive offers PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD performance of desktop gaming, and it is backward compatible with Gen 3 and Gen 2 PCIe slots. The FireCuda 520N includes Seagate's three-year Rescue Data Recovery Service plan and a five-year limited warranty. It is available now for $109.99 (1 TB) and $189.99 (2 TB).

Hello, Doods! We're very excited that Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless is out now! For console as well as PC players, the development team has worked hard to provide a version that can be enjoyed by everyone. Unique considerations have been made for playing the game on PC so that it works on decked-out rigs, the portable Steam Deck, and everything else in between.

Celebrate the launch of Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless with exclusive launch savings for a limited time! Take advantage of discounts up to 30% as well as exclusive giveaway items now through October 16, 2023. Save an additional 5% on the Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless Deluxe Edition, and an additional 10% on the Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless Ultimate Edition which comes with loads of added bonuses including cosmetic and weapon DLC, Bonus Stories, a digital soundtrack and Art Book, and more!

Valve has not kept the prospect of a Steam Deck successor very secret—their Proton-based handheld gaming system will eventually become a "multi-generational product." Gabe Newell (going back to early 2022) outlined some initial ambitions for the second iteration, with a teaser: "what are the capabilities that mobile gives us, above and beyond what you would get in a traditional desktop or laptop gaming environment?" One of the project's main architects, Pierre-Loup Griffais, has discussed the prospect of a "Steam Deck 2" with The Verge and CNBC—his team's progress hinges on striking an optimal balance between performance and power efficiency (on battery). The follow-up is not arriving any time soon, despite rival companies preparing alternative portable gaming experiences—Griffais said: "I don't anticipate such a leap to be possible in the next couple of years."

Steam Deck, in its current form, seems to be the main priority for the immediate future. Griffais was a keynote speaker at Tokyo Game Show 2023, so communicated with Verge via email: "It's important to us that the Deck offers a fixed performance target for developers, and that the message to customers is simple, where every Deck can play the same games. As such, changing the performance level is not something we are taking lightly, and we only want to do so when there is a significant enough increase to be had...but we're still closely monitoring innovations in architectures and fabrication processes to see where things are going." Griffais re-confirmed this stance in an interview with CNBC (at TGS 2023)—Valve wants more gamers to adopt the platform before a push into next-gen—with improved user interfaces, more development partners and an ironing out of supply chain issues: "We're looking at this performance target that we have as a stable target for a couple years."

Since its launch, the Valve Steam Deck gaming console has seen multiple price adjustments. Over some periods, Valve has dropped the prices of its Steam Deck SKUs from the initial launch day numbers. Today, we have information that Valve will lower Steam Deck prices again to celebrate Steam's 20th anniversary. Starting at $359.10 for the base 64 GB model, Valve will also offer 256 GB SKU for $449.96 and 512 GB SKU for $519.20. This is a 10%, 15%, and 20% discount on the original $399, $529, and $649, respectively. The offer will last until September 21st, when the prices revert to normal.

Potential buyers can visit Valve's website here and check for the discounts.

The rumors of Nintendo's next-generation Switch handheld gaming console have been piling up ever since the competition in the handheld console market got more intense. Since the release of the original Switch, Valve has released Steam Deck, ASUS made ROG Ally, and others are also exploring the market. However, the next-generation Nintendo Switch 2 is closer and closer, as we have information about the chipset that will power this device. Thanks to Kepler_L2 on Twitter/X, we have the codenames of the upcoming processors. The first generation Switch came with NVIDIA's Tegra X1 SoC built on a 20 nm node. However, later on, NVIDIA supplied Nintendo with a Tegra X1+ SoC made on a 16 nm node. There were no performance increases recorded, just improved power efficiency. Both of them used four Cortex-A57 and four Cortex-A53 cores with GM20B Maxwell GPUs.

For the Nintendo Switch 2, NVIDIA is said to utilize a customized variant of NVIDIA Jetson Orin SoC for automotive applications. The reference Orin SoC carries a codename T234, while this alleged adaptation has a T239 codename; the version is most likely optimized for power efficiency. The reference Orin design is a considerable uplift compared to the Tegra X1, as it boasts 12 Cortex-A78AE cores and LPDDR5 memory, along with Ampere GPU microarchitecture. Built on Samsung's 8 nm node, the efficiency would likely yield better battery life and position the second-generation Switch well among the now extended handheld gaming console market. However, including Ampere architecture would also bring technologies like DLSS, which would benefit the low-power SoC.

Valve has announced that refurbished Steam Deck consoles are now available. As "Certified Refurbished" Steam Deck devices, these are tested, get full factory reset, and come with the same one-year warranty as a new Steam Deck. Valve was keen to note that these might come with "minor cosmetic blemishes", but still "provide a reliable, high-quality gaming experience at a lower cost."

Of course, refurbished Steam Deck devices are cheaper than the new ones, and actually depends on the model, as the discount is higher on the most expensive SKU. In most of the Europe, the refurbished 512 GB version goes for €539, a good €140 less than the price of the new one, while the 256 GB is down by €110, at €439. The least expensive 64 GB model is priced at €339, €80 less than the new one. In the US and the UK, the 512 GB model goes for $519 and £459, the 256 GB one goes for $419/£369, and the 64 GB model sells for $319/£279.

Valve's Steam Deck handheld gaming console has launched with 16 GB of LPDDR5 memory running at 5500 MT/s. This is distributed over four 32-bit channels for 88 GB/s total bandwidth memory bandwidth. While the storage option can be upgraded, the memory is limited to 16 GB, and the memory chips are soldered. However, it seems like that problem can also be solved only if you are a professional and can solder well. Thanks to the Balázs Triszka on Twitter/X, we have witnessed a mod of Steam Deck, where memory gets upgraded from 16 to 32 GB.

The modder successfully bumped up the system memory using Samsung's LPDDR5 K3LKCKC0BM-MGCP memory chips. All it was needed was some experience with ball grid array (BGA) resoldering. No glue was under the chips, and they were easy to remove. You can see the pictures below, and the system shows the higher memory count.

Happy launch week, folks! We hope you've printed out your lawyer-approved special dispensation form to explain your mysterious absence from work on August 3rd to your boss, because there are only two days to go before release. After six years in the making, Baldur's Gate 3's PC launch is right around the corner and we couldn't have gotten here without you. So let's have one last Community Update before then to wrap things up, answer some of your biggest questions, and reveal a few final surprises before you finally get stuck in.

Launch Day
So just how big is this game, anyhow? What time should you expect the game to release? And where did I put my keys? The answers to most of these questions can be found below.

Electronics brand JSAUX is celebrating its seventh anniversary during July and it has announced a new batch of Steam Deck accessories: the RGB Docking Station and the RGB transparent backplate are now available, following the release of the transparent front plate and the redesigned transparent backplate. JSAUX is also planning to release an anti-glare screen for Steam Deck later this month. More info about each product below:

The RGB docking station is the latest feature on JSAUX's family of docks for the Steam Deck. This new product features better compatibility, a total customization of the RGB lighting, and comes in two versions: 12-in-1 and 8-in-1, offering different connectivity options.

Last week the European Union agreed on the provisional adoption of a new regulation that "strengthens sustainability rules for batteries and waste batteries. The regulation will regulate the entire life cycle of batteries - from production to reuse and recycling - and ensure that they are safe, sustainable and competitive." More specific terms include: "by 2027 portable batteries incorporated into appliances should be removable and replaceable by the end-user, leaving sufficient time for operators to adapt the design of their products to this requirement. This is an important provision for consumers." Although gaming handhelds are not referred to in specifics within the European Council's (very general) press material, Overkill (a site specializing in Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch and adjacent platforms) sought to investigate this matter further.

The publication was able to get in direct contact with an unnamed source at the European Union, who confirmed that: "the batteries of gaming handhelds are covered by the batteries and waste batteries regulation." The article proposes that future battery requirements will likely not affect current generation products—a Steam Deck successor and Nintendo's hypothetical Switch 2 are perhaps the prime candidates for internal design revisions according to EU legislation set for 2027. Overkill anticipates that portable gaming device manufacturers are going to question some of the new rules—similar to how smartphone makers have appealed against certain decisions. A compromise could be agreed upon, with slightly refashioned handhelds not conforming 100% to the new standards.

The PC market is dominated by the Windows operating system. There are alternatives, but most commercial applications run Windows OS, and the usage for the average user makes sense. However, Linux users often dream of the "year of Linux on desktop," where Linux starts dominating the PC market and mass adoption starts. In reality, this isn't the case as most people use the default or install the Windows OS. Today, we learn that Linux broke the 3% market share number after 30 years of presence. Being the highest market share it ever recorded, the OSes based on the Linux kernel now represent 3.07% of the entire market.

The survey data conducted by StatCounter shows that Windows holds 68.23%, OS X for macOS holds 21.32, ChromeOS has a 4.13% share, while unknown OSes hold 3.24%. This includes BSD-based alternatives and others. It is worth noting that Linux adoption could be a part of Steam Deck, which runs on a SteamOS 3.0 distribution based on Arch Linux. It also includes a Proton compatibility layer, which helps Windows games run on Linux, so users have an easier time running their favorite applications.

After our long acclaimed transparent back cases, we couldn't resist and we released the transparent front case plus a new transparent back plate with new ventilation and cooling features. Now you can fully customize your Steam Deck and embrace the retro-gaming style. But that's not all, along with the Transparent Front Plate a new version of our Transparent Back Plates will all be on sale too, starting today!

THE LONG AWAITED TRANSPARENT FRONT PLATE
This highly anticipated front cover will be released in three colors (crystal, brown, and purple) finally allowing you to own a fully transparent Steam Deck. This item will come with a full complimentary tool kit and an installation guide. Before exposing the guts of your Steam Deck, keep in mind that the installation process (around 3 to 5 hours long) is trickier than the one for the back cover and that you should consider seeking help from a professional - or proceed by yourself at your own discretion. Get your Transparent Front Plate here.

The Steam Deck handheld console has been once again discounted as a part of the Steam Summer Sale. The base 64 GB model is now priced at $359.10, a 10 percent discount from the usual $399 price. The 256 GB one is down by 15 percent to $449.65, and the top 512 GB model is discounted by 20 percent, down from $649 to $519.20.

This is a bigger discount compared to the one we have seen in March, especially for the 512 GB model. The promotion will run until the end of the Steam Summer Sale on July 13th. Steam has also published a list of the top 100 most-played games on Steam Deck this year, and some of them are also a part of the Summer Sale. These include Hogwarts Legacy, Vampire Survivors, Elden Ring, Resident Evil 4, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and many more.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the next step in device customization - Razer Skins. Offered in a range of designs and precision cuts for a factory-like fit, Razer Skins are easy to apply and safe to remove, making them the ultimate way for users to personalize and accessorize their devices. "Unleashing personal style and increasing the device's defense - that's the game-changing combination that Razer Skins bring to the table," said Travis Furst, Head of Laptop Division at Razer. " We're enabling gamers to put a unique stamp on their tech tools, all while giving their high-value gear the protection it deserves."

Made with premium 3M vinyl materials, Razer Skins protect against scuffs and scratches and can withstand rigorous temperatures. Thorough testing ensures each skin offers a seamless fit and finish to maintain full device functionality. Designed and manufactured by Razer in the USA, Razer Skins feature a toolless design that can be applied effortlessly without a heat gun or blow dryer and are easily removed, leaving no residue or damage to the device surface. Razer Skins are currently available for an extensive range of Razer-made devices, including the Blade gaming laptops, Razer Edge, and the Razer Kishi line. Compatibility extends to popular devices such as the Valve Steam Deck, Sony PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox Series X|S consoles, and select Apple MacBooks. Nintendo Switch owners will soon have the opportunity to customize their consoles with Razer Skins, with more devices joining the lineup in the future.

Hello! We're excited to announce that we've just shipped a new version of the Steam Client to everyone. This update includes all the new Steam Desktop features that have been tested and fine-tuned in the beta branch. Before we get into the details, we want to thank our beta testers really quick - we couldn't have shipped without all of your invaluable feedback and bug reports!

New framework, new foundation
The most impactful changes in this update aren't immediately visible; much of the work went into changing how we share code across the Steam Desktop Client, Big Picture mode, and Steam Deck. These changes also means quicker implementation and iteration of new features. For example, many of the features in this update (like Notes in the overlay) are simultaneously shipping on Steam Deck because of the shared codebase.

Naughty Dog and Iron Galaxy have proudly announced a major set of improvements for their PC port of The Last of Us Part 1. A social media message from yesterday stated: "Patch 1.1 is now live for The Last of Us Part I on PC, including performance improvements, fixes for various crashes, and more. Read the patch notes here. We are also happy to announce that Part I is now Steam Deck Verified.✅"

The development team has outlined a significant number of improvements for the PC version—just in time for the game's tenth anniversary celebrations this week. The patch notes mention tweaks for global CPU and GPU performance, texture and environment load times, a full shader rebuild as well as fixes for multiple types of game crashes. General performance on Steam Deck has been improved, and a memory leak issue has been addressed which previously caused crashes on the handheld system. These fixes very likely got Valve's attention, hence the granting of Verified status.