Steam

Who are the Marvel Rivals characters? With any new Marvel game comes playable Marvel characters, and in Netease and Marvel Games' new 6v6 shooter, there are plenty to choose from. There have been rumors and leaks flying around in the lead-up to the game's announcement, but we have the confirmed Marvel Rivals roster right here. When the Marvel Rivals release date rolls around, you could end up being spoilt for choice as the starting roster will be expanded upon with the game's seasonal model. Who will you be choosing to play as in Marvel Rivals when the multiplayer game lands? Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Marvel Rivals release date estimate, trailers, and latest news Marvel Rivals apologizes for "inappropriate and misleading" contract Marvel Rivals details the mechanic setting it apart from Overwatch View the full article

It's been a pretty glum year for videogame studios across the globe. As the post-Covid contraction has settled in, causing thousands of talented creatives to lose their livelihoods in the process, my excitement about heading over to GDC for the first time was unsurprisingly muted. However, I flew home on the Friday morning feeling a touch more hopeful for the industry's future, and much of that is down to a series of interactions I had with the team at Lightspeed LA - the studio spearheaded by Rockstar veteran Steve Martin and the minds behind upcoming cyberpunk action game Last Sentinel. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: New Soulslike Flintlock the Siege of Dawn is a cultural mosaic Flintlock the Siege of Dawn's medley of systems doesn't miss a beat Dune Awakening has the spice to convert me into a survival game ******* View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

What are the best AFK Journey artifacts? These equipable boons play a major part in a unit's growth path. If you don't make proper time to find and upgrade them, you're sure to start lagging behind on your server. Before you start to spend resources on simple character levels, it's best to ensure your Artifact setup is the best it can be. Still in the early stages of this tactical RPG? Check out our AFK Journey tier list and AFK Journey reroll guide to get your account off on the right foot. And if you're a ways in already, new AFK Journey codes might just give you the pulls you need to stay competitive. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: AFK Journey codes April 2024 AFK Journey tier list - best characters for launch Best AFK Journey team comps for each mode View the full article

How do you get Diamonds and Gold in AFK Journey? These are two of the most essential resources in the game, both more or less acting as a form of currency for various features. Without Diamonds, you'll struggle to get the unit dupes needed to stay competitive, and without Gold, you'll struggle to upgrade even those that you do ascend. Assuming you're just getting started with AFK Journey, you'll want to check out the AFK Journey tier list to ensure the units you're upgrading are worth the time and effort. The AFK Journey reroll guide can help you get the best, and the AFK Journey codes can help in the long term as well. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: AFK Journey codes April 2024 AFK Journey tier list - best characters for launch Best AFK Journey team comps for each mode View the full article

We have just shipped an updated Steam Deck Client to the Preview/Beta channel. General Reduced network traffic at startup and reconnect Fixed support alert messages intermittently producing an error at startup. Fixed sometimes not being able to access the Steam Family Management profile page. Fixed a case where the SD card library would not be detected if added via Desktop Mode. Fixed some applications not appearing in library when shared by a family member. Desktop Mode Fixed regression causing Steam News button to not workView the full article

The Steam Client Beta has been updated with the following changes: General Reduced network traffic at startup and reconnect Fixed regression causing Steam News button to not work Fixed some applications not appearing in library when shared by a family member. Big Picture Fixed support alert messages intermittently producing an error at startup. Fixed sometimes not being able to access the Steam Family Management profile page. View the full article

April 4, 2024: We've further scrutinised the best AFK Journey team comps for all modes. What is the best AFK Journey team? With tactical, team-based combat split across multiple modes, the gacha elements of this cross-platform RPG will ultimately decide the party you're able to piece together. Strength ***** in the characters you own, those you bring into battle, and how you use them. That's where this guide comes in. If you're just getting started, be sure to make use of our AFK Journey reroll guide to get the best characters possible without spending a buck. You can also use AFK Journey codes to help there. Lastly, our expert AFK Journey tier list can ensure you're not blowing valuable resources on low-tier units. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: AFK Journey codes April 2024 AFK Journey tier list - best characters for launch All AFK Journey Artifacts ranked View the full article

When is the Marvel Rivals release date? This 6-vs-6 shooter, developed by Netease and Marvel Games, looks set to be a contender to rival Overwatch 2 with Valorant art style, and varied gameplay. The game has now been officially announced and, despite leaks, there were still some surprises. Marvel Rivals is being worked on by ex-Battlefield and Call of Duty developer, Netease, and aims to blend all the cool things from your favorite superhero games with the frantic fun of 6-vs-6 FPS games. Here's all we know so far on Marvel Rivals and when you can expect to get your hands on it. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: All Marvel Rivals characters and full roster Marvel Rivals apologizes for "inappropriate and misleading" contract Marvel Rivals details the mechanic setting it apart from Overwatch View the full article

April 9, 2024: We checked for new AFK Journey codes to our list and removed any expired. What are the new AFK Journey codes? Making good use of limited-time freebies is the best way to stay ahead of the curve without upsetting your wallet. Stay competitive with the best team compositions, clear the story without issue, and reap the rewards of the PvP leaderboards by keeping up with these generous giveaways. If you're new to AFK Journey, the best way to get valuable AFK Journey Diamonds and Gold is to redeem the latest AFK Journey codes before they expire. We also recommend checking out our in-depth AFK Journey tier list to ensure you're spending your freebies wisely in the anime game. Now that you're all set, here are the AFK Journey codes waiting to be redeemed. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: AFK Journey tier list - best characters for launch Best AFK Journey team comps for each mode All AFK Journey Artifacts ranked View the full article

How do you reroll in AFK Journey? To keep yourself from struggling with a poor character pool later down the line, it helps to reset your mobile gacha game accounts early on, making the most of the generous pulls while they last to form top-tier teams that can stand the test of time. For more on AFK Journey, we have an expert AFK Journey tier list and a list of the latest AFK Journey codes to give you the edge and help you race through the story with as little friction as possible. No need to rely on your wallet and Lady Luck. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: AFK Journey codes April 2024 AFK Journey tier list - best characters for launch Best AFK Journey team comps for each mode View the full article

April 9, 2024: We checked for new AFK Journey codes to our list and removed any expired. What are the new AFK Journey codes? Making good use of limited-time freebies is the best way to stay ahead of the curve without upsetting your wallet. Stay competitive with the best team compositions, clear the story without issue, and reap the rewards of the PvP leaderboards by keeping up with these generous giveaways. If you're new to AFK Journey, the best way to get valuable AFK Journey Diamonds and Gold is to redeem the latest AFK Journey codes before they expire. We also recommend checking out our in-depth AFK Journey tier list to ensure you're spending your freebies wisely in the anime game. Now that you're all set, here are the AFK Journey codes waiting to be redeemed. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: AFK Journey tier list - best characters for launch Best AFK Journey team comps for each mode All AFK Journey Artifacts ranked View the full article

[Hidden Content] Steam Deckbuilders Fest runs March 25th through April 1st (no fooling!) and packs in a ton of deals on deckbuilders of all kinds. You'll find a bunch of different themes to explore all week long in card-like fashion: Navigate dangerous pirate-infested seas; battle aliens; play mini golf; build a cardboard town; and more. Head on over to Steam Deckbuilders Fest now, and have fun! View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

[Hidden Content] Steam Deckbuilders Fest runs March 25th through April 1st (no fooling!) and packs in a ton of deals on deckbuilders of all kinds. You'll find a bunch of different themes to explore all week long in card-like fashion: Navigate dangerous pirate-infested seas; battle aliens; play mini golf; build a cardboard town; and more. Head on over to Steam Deckbuilders Fest now, and have fun! View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

[Hidden Content] Steam Deckbuilders Fest runs March 25th through April 1st (no fooling!) and packs in a ton of deals on deckbuilders of all kinds. You'll find a bunch of different themes to explore all week long in card-like fashion: Navigate dangerous pirate-infested seas; battle aliens; play mini golf; build a cardboard town; and more. Head on over to Steam Deckbuilders Fest now, and have fun! View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

We have just shipped an updated Steam Deck Client to the Preview/Beta channel. General Fixed corrupted fonts showing during early startup for Thai language and a few others Steam Input Fixed inverted axes when using "Setup Device Inputs" Reverted change to default Conversion Style as "PlayerSpace" in "GyroToMouse" mode as it changed existing configs. Fixed SteamDeck Configurator Templates' FlickStick default bindings. (On those controllers with haptics support) a haptic bump will occur when gyroscope is turned on and off due to the Gyro Enable/Disable/Toggle Button, if haptics are not set to "Off". Added Dualsense and Dualshock Gyro Enable/Disable/Toggle "center touch" and "center click" for completeness/to help with certain Paddle Mods. Fix for Quick Settings "Enable Grip" Toggle. Remote Play Improved recovery from network disconnections before starting the stream Steam Cloud Fixed case where files for one Steam account could be overwritten by files from another Steam account if the first account had logged in but not played the game yet on the device. Linux Fixed a situation where Steam would attempt to ******** the Windows version of a title without using Steam PlayView the full article

The Steam Client Beta has been updated with the following changes: General Fixed secondary context menu opening when right-clicking open context menu. Steam Input Fixed inverted axes when using "Setup Device Inputs" Reverted change to default Conversion Style as "PlayerSpace" in "GyroToMouse" mode as it changed existing configs. Fixed SteamDeck Configurator Templates' FlickStick default bindings. (On those controllers with haptics support) a haptic bump will occur when gyroscope is turned on and off due to the Gyro Enable/Disable/Toggle Button, if haptics are not set to "Off" Added Dualsense and Dualshock Gyro Enable/Disable/Toggle "center touch" and "center click" for completeness/to help with certain Paddle Mods. Fix for Quick Settings "Enable Grip" Toggle. Remote Play Improved recovery from network disconnections before starting the stream Steam Cloud Fixed case where files for one Steam account could be overwritten by files from another Steam account if the first account had logged in but not played the game yet on the device. Linux Fixed a situation where Steam would attempt to ******** the Windows version of a title without using Steam PlayView the full article

What are the best Dragon's Dogma 2 Fighter skills? There are plenty of vocations in Dragon's Dogma 2 that can deal damage, but very few who can tank it. The Fighter can, thankfully, do both, and is a vital component of any successful party. With it, you can draw the ire of surrounding enemies so your team can do what they do best. The Dragon's Dogma 2 release date is finally here, and the immense RPG game will eat up tens of hours without issue if you let it. If you're spending that much time traipsing across the Dragon's Dogma 2 map, it might as well be as a powerful Fighter, swatting at foes from the frontline. Here are the best Dragon's Dogma 2 Fighter skills. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Dragon's Dogma 2 is beating Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth in a big way All Dragon's Dogma 2 Thief skills and which to unlock All Dragon's Dogma 2 Magick Archer skills and which to unlock View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Games Workshop has officially announced Warhammer Age of Sigmar 4th Edition is on the way in Summer 2024. Here's everything we know about the new edition, which was confirmed in GW's Warhammer Preview livestream at the Adepticon 2024 convention on Wednesday March 20. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: GW confirms there are female Warhammer 40k Adeptus Custodes New Stormcast Eternals bring their grandkids to the battlefield New Age of Sigmar command points rules let you countercharge View the full article

The Nintendo Switch has entered what is likely its final year in the console market, and it appears to be going out in a blaze of glory with some exciting games to make way for its successor, the Nintendo Switch 2. Whether they’re exclusively developed for the Switch or ported over from other platforms, we’ve rounded up the upcoming Switch games that will make the hybrid console’s final year one of the most memorable. The next big release we've got coming down the pipeline is the HD remaster of Luigi’s Mansion 2. Following that there's a bunch of new games coming that were announced during the June 2024 Nintendo Direct, including the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4. Here are all the new Switch games we can look forward to in 2024 and beyond. Take a look at our guide to all upcoming video games for release dates on every platform. All Upcoming Switch Games With Release DatesSuper Monkey Ball Banana Rumble (June 25, 2024) Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble surprised fans during the Nintendo Partner Direct with cute new character designs for AiAi and the other monkeys and loads of new gameplay features. You can customize your monkey and Monkey Ball in 300 different ways, use the new Spin Dash move to zip past opponents and create shortcuts (a la Sonic) in 200 new levels. And for the first time in the Super Monkey Ball series, you can play with up to 16 people in online multiplayer mode. Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD (June 27, 2024) Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is a remaster of the 2013 Nintendo 3DS title, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. In the game, Luigi is sent to Evershade Valley by Professor E. Gadd to capture ghosts in five haunted mansions with his invention, the Poltergust 5000, and retrieve a Dark Moon fragment hidden within it. Each mansion is built around a specific theme, such as a frozen mine, an overgrown greenhouse, and a sandy clock factory. Get your flashlights ready! Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Deluxe Edition (July 11, 2024) Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Deluxe Edition is an enhanced version of the original game developed exclusively for Nintendo Switch. The game follows fighter pilot Trigger, who gets assigned to a penal squadron after being accused of ******* during a war between Osea and Erusea. The Switch-exclusive deluxe version will come with six DLC packs and bonus content not seen in the original game. Darkest Dungeon 2 (July 15, 2024) Darkest Dungeon 2 is a turn-based roguelite horror game where you ride a stagecoach with your friends up the mountain to escape the impending apocalypse. You can play as one of 12 characters, customize your difficulty, discover 10 companion pets, and explore the progession hub called The Altar of Hope. And if you pre-order the Oblivion Edition, you'll get The Binding Blade DLC, which comes with two new characters, a special storyline, a wandering boss, and more. Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus (July 18, 2024) Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus is a hand-drawn 2.5D action platformer inspired by ********* folklore developed by Squid Shock Studios in partnership with Humble Games and funded on Kickstarter. You play as Bo, the celestial blossom (fox tentaihana) descended from the heavens to embark on a journey through the mystical land to take part in a mysterious ancient ritual. The bo staff helps you bounce and glide seamlessly from place to place throughout the dreamlike realm, and you’ll get to meet yokai and monsters of various types, shapes, and sizes. Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (July 18, 2024) Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is a compilation of 13 classic NES games — including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Ice Climber, **** Icarus, Kirby's Adventure, Donkey Kong, and Excitebike — that are packed with mini-games based on the challenges that were played at the real-life Nintendo World Championships there were held in 1990, 2015, and 2017. There's three modes of gameplay to partake in: Speedrun Mode, where you runthrough sections of games as fast as possible to set a new personal record; World Championship Mode, where you can compete with other players and rise up the global online leaderboard; and Party Mode, where you play locally with up to eight players. The New Denpa Men (July 22, 2024) The New Denpa Men is a free-to-play RPG that will have you scouring radio waves to find other Denpa Men and team up to discover dungeons and ****** monsters. You can also customize your Denpa Men, design your radio wave island Animal Crossing style, and participate in local four-player co-op to fish for even more Denpa Men. Ace Attorney Investigations Collection (September 6, 2024) Ace Attorney: Investigations Collection will have you playing as Miles Edgeworth in his adventures beyond the courtroom in remasters of Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit, the latter of which is making its debut outside of Japan. You can swap between the revamped anime art style or the original pixelated art style, play in additional languages, and discover more bonus content. Funko Fusion (September 13, 2024) In Funko Fusion, you'll play as 60 different characters modelled after the Funko Pop figures you collect from 20 different pop culture franchises, including Jurassic Park, Five Nights at Freddy's, Invincible, Back to the Future, M3GAN, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and The Walking *****. It's a crossover adventure of extremely cute proportions! The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (September 26, 2024) The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom features Zelda as the protagonist for the first time in the franchise's history. The princess is tasked with rescuing Link and other people in Hyrule after strange rifts popped up all over the kingdom and took them. She'll work with a ****** named Tri and use the Tri Rod to create echoes of objects found in her environment to overcome obstacles and solve puzzles. She'll create echoes of enemies she fights and get them to join her team as well! This will be the 8th Legend of Zelda game on Nintendo Switch since it's launch. Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time (October 10, 2024) Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is the long-awaited sequel to the original RPG-style life-sim game that released on Nintendo 3DS in 2014. In addition to working any job you want — from woodcutter, blacksmith, paladin, cook, and more — each with its own set of quests, you’ll get to build your own city on an abandoned island, travel through time, and meet new characters with some mysteries of their own. Super Mario Party Jamboree (October 17, 2024) Super Mario Party Jamboree is the third Mario Party game to come to the Switch following Mario Party Superstars and Super Mario Party. You'll be taken to a large island resort to play over 110 minigames between five new game boards with different environmental hazards, including Rainbow Galleria and Goomba Lagoon, and compete in Koopathlon mode with up to 20 players. Plus, it will bring back Mario's Rainbow Castle and Western Land from Mario Party and Mario Party 2, respectively. Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven -Remake- (October 24, 2024) After 31 years of ********* exclusivity, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is getting a full-blown remake treatment in the West, English voice acting, enhanced graphics and all. You play as an emperor or empress of Avalon, building the kingdom and protecting as you ****** the seven heroes who have returned as villains hellbent on revenge on those who have forgotten their sacrifices. Farmagia (November 1, 2024) From the creator of ****** Tale and Rave Master comes Farmigia, a game about monster combat and farming. In the realm of Felicidad, you play as Ten and help him grow monsters in a garden — seriously — and raise them as an army to ****** against a despotic king of the underworld. Mario & Luigi: Brothership (November 7, 2024) Mario & Luigi: Brothership is the first entry in the Mario & Luigi series to make the jump to the Switch with 3D graphics and a unique animation style. This game will see the Super Mario Bros. go island-hopping across Concordia on a part ship, part island called Shipshape Island, visiting rainforests, cities, and running into other characters from the Mushroom Kingdom, including Princess Peach and Bowser. Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D (November 14, 2024) Announced in 2021, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake has finally been confirmed for the Switch to the delight of Dragon Quest fans. Developed with the gameplay styles of Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D takes you back to where the franchise began as you save the world from the evil Baramos. Chronologically speaking, this is the first game of the Erdrick Trilogy, with Dragon Quest 1-2 HD 2D Remake coming out in 2025. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (January 16, 2025) Donkey Kong Country Returns gets the HD treatment for Switch, and it will have new features that will make you go bananas. You'll play through 80 levels from the original Wii game, additional levels from the 3DS version, and play in two-player local co-op as you ****** the Taki Tak Tribe to win back Donkey Kong's previous banana pile. Upcoming Switch Games With Unknown Release Dates Over the last year, we’ve been hearing rumors about the Nintendo Switch 2 regarding its appearance, release date, and name. Though the Switch 2 should have been released by now per the 7-year console release rule, Nintendo has reportedly delayed its release to March 2025 in an effort to curb scalping and garner enough stock to satisfy demand. There are also rumors that the Switch 2, if that’s its final name, has the same hybrid functionality as the original, but with a ******* screen. Meanwhile, there are other upcoming Nintendo games coming out this year and the next that don’t have a solid release date yet, but will update them as soon as we hear them. Here are the games without release dates. Dragon Quest 1-2 HD-2D - 2025Epic Mickey: Rebrushed - TBAFantasian - Holiday 2024****** Tail 2 - Winter 2024Hello Kitty Island Adventure - 2025The Hundred-Line -Last Defense Academy- - Early 2025Hollow Knight: Silksong - TBAJust Dance 2025 Edition - October 2024LEGO Horizon Adventures - Holiday 2024Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports - Fall 2024Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics - 2024Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - 2025MIO: Memories in Orbit - 2025Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero - 2025Professor Layton and the New World of Steam - 2025Pokemon Legends: Z-A - 2025Stray - Holiday 2024Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game - Holiday 2025 Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. She has contributed her work to various publications, including Digital Trends, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Back in November we announced the Steam Deck OLED. It's available now, and though it's got a bunch of great improvements like longer battery life, faster downloads, and better repairability, the star is its ultra-bright HDR OLED screen. When the launch was on the horizon, we got together and started to plan the announcement trailer. We knew early on that we wanted to ****** something in-house, and we wanted to ****** it practically (with actual cameras) to show off the new screen. Then, as we began to the see the new screens around the office, we were shocked. We knew we'd spec'd bright, OLED screens, but these things were EXCEPTIONALLY BRIGHT. Startlingly bright. So bright, in fact, we wondered if we could use actual Steam Deck OLEDs as the only light sources to light our launch trailer. That seemed fun enough—and ***** enough—to try, so we got to work. Stanley Kubrick lit Barry Lyndon with nothing but candles. Could we light the Steam Deck OLED launch trailer with nothing but Steam Deck OLEDs? And if not, could we get a deal on a LOT of candles? We figured we would need about 100 Steam Decks to pull this off. And as luck would have it, we had that many old OLED prototypes laying around the office. As for how our bounty of OLEDs should frame the central "hero" Steam Deck, we thought it made sense to fully surround it like the lighting in a product photography studio, or a dance club. You're likely thinking exactly what we were: the only way to create this effect was to construct a large, metal orb. At Valve, we will construct an orb at any opportunity. We had the 100 Steam Decks. We knew they absolutely had to be suspended inside a giant orb. What else was required? The Orb shopping list:A combination custom-milled and prefabricated aluminum frame, designed and built by folks in the Valve hardware prototyping lab. Two bonded network switches, long-ago retired from Steam. (That's right! There is a chance that the brain of our orb was once the very same server on which you no-scoped a fool or downloaded Doki Doki Literature Club.) A mobile networking rack left over from an old The International we found in the corner. Every spare network cable we could grab in the IT offices. Dozens of Deckmate Steam Deck mounts (an off-the-shelf Deck peripheral made and sold by a member of the Steam Deck community) Hundreds of tiny 3D printed clips, mounts, and brackets to hold it all together.Once we had all that, it was time... to build the orb: The Orb itself was designed and built by a handful of people responsible for the actual Steam Deck hardware: some who work on the device itself and some who work primarily in the prototyping/fabrication workshop. The networking was a collaboration between people in the IT group and help from Steam networking (including those retired switches from Steam and the rolling rack mount from an old The International broadcast setup) Software was maybe the most fun, because it wasn’t custom. Steam Deck is “just” a Linux PC in a tiny case, which meant we could use a bunch of existing solutions. We wanted to iterate quickly, so ideally any video displaying on the orb would work in real time (as opposed to rendering out individual videos per-screen and playing them in sync). So we ended up using OBS for the whole setup, both from the transmitting computer and running on each receiving Deck in the orb, with the NDI plugin for low latency sync. Our first test of streaming video to all the Steam Decks at once. NDI is a standard developed by NewTek (for all you old-school video production- slash Amiga-heads, they’re the creators of the Video Toaster!) for sending streaming video around a LAN with low latency and good sync. In addition to being used by live broadcasters who prefer networking over dedicated video cable pulls, it's commonly used by modern planetariums and megachurches. It was perfect for our needs. We wanted video that played in the orb to look correct, not stretched out or distorted, so we needed to build a video template that took the spherical shape into account. We took the original CAD file for the aluminum frame and did a quick spherical unwrap in a 3D modeling program to know the approximate screen positions in a flat space. We took that and dropped it into a very wide and high res After Effects project to animate in, and then sent it back out to the orb as a single, tightly packed 4K video. Animating an iris open effect on our motion graphics canvas, and looking at it in the packed video grid that will be streamed to the orb. The result was that we could watch motion graphics on the Orb—playing from an OBS scene, or through After Effects—and then tweak them and try again very quickly. It let us get experimental right away, and start solving problems on the ****** using the orb itself. Not to get too deep into the weeds of video production (way, way too late), but for the final shot in the trailer, we wanted to add rim lights to the Steam Deck in the center of the orb. Because our graphics composition was playing back in real-time, it was as simple as drawing some bright white rectangles in OBS, and dragging them around the canvas until they were providing the lighting we wanted in-camera. Here’s a video of the packed 4K grid streaming over to the orb in OBS: The video grid streaming out to the orb in OBS. It meant we could capture some truly bananas footage, lit entirely in-camera, that both looked beautiful and showcased the power of the displays in the new Steam Deck at the same time. And if we did our jobs right, the results would look good to anyone, whether they noticed how we achieved the look or not. It also meant we got to build a huge video orb, which we know is a life goal shared by many. So there you have it. After all that design, engineering and problem solving, we made an ad. It involved lots of cameras, a smoke machine, a big moveable arm, half a dozen last minute deck swaps, and many edits and gnashing of teeth. Here’s the final product: After the ad we couldn’t bear to tear down the orb, so we put it in the lobby where we presume people from around the globe will make the pilgrimage to bask in its glow. Well, once we plug it back it in. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Back in November we announced the Steam Deck OLED. It's available now, and though it's got a bunch of great improvements like longer battery life, faster downloads, and better repairability, the star is its ultra-bright HDR OLED screen. When the launch was on the horizon, we got together and started to plan the announcement trailer. We knew early on that we wanted to ****** something in-house, and we wanted to ****** it practically (with actual cameras) to show off the new screen. Then, as we began to the see the new screens around the office, we were shocked. We knew we'd spec'd bright, OLED screens, but these things were EXCEPTIONALLY BRIGHT. Startlingly bright. So bright, in fact, we wondered if we could use actual Steam Deck OLEDs as the only light sources to light our launch trailer. That seemed fun enough—and ***** enough—to try, so we got to work. Stanley Kubrick lit Barry Lyndon with nothing but candles. Could we light the Steam Deck OLED launch trailer with nothing but Steam Deck OLEDs? And if not, could we get a deal on a LOT of candles? We figured we would need about 100 Steam Decks to pull this off. And as luck would have it, we had that many old OLED prototypes laying around the office. As for how our bounty of OLEDs should frame the central "hero" Steam Deck, we thought it made sense to fully surround it like the lighting in a product photography studio, or a dance club. You're likely thinking exactly what we were: the only way to create this effect was to construct a large, metal orb. At Valve, we will construct an orb at any opportunity. We had the 100 Steam Decks. We knew they absolutely had to be suspended inside a giant orb. What else was required? The Orb shopping list:A combination custom-milled and prefabricated aluminum frame, designed and built by folks in the Valve hardware prototyping lab. Two bonded network switches, long-ago retired from Steam. (That's right! There is a chance that the brain of our orb was once the very same server on which you no-scoped a fool or downloaded Doki Doki Literature Club.) A mobile networking rack left over from an old The International we found in the corner. Every spare network cable we could grab in the IT offices. Dozens of Deckmate Steam Deck mounts (an off-the-shelf Deck peripheral made and sold by a member of the Steam Deck community) Hundreds of tiny 3D printed clips, mounts, and brackets to hold it all together.Once we had all that, it was time... to build the orb: The Orb itself was designed and built by a handful of people responsible for the actual Steam Deck hardware: some who work on the device itself and some who work primarily in the prototyping/fabrication workshop. The networking was a collaboration between people in the IT group and help from Steam networking (including those retired switches from Steam and the rolling rack mount from an old The International broadcast setup) Software was maybe the most fun, because it wasn’t custom. Steam Deck is “just” a Linux PC in a tiny case, which meant we could use a bunch of existing solutions. We wanted to iterate quickly, so ideally any video displaying on the orb would work in real time (as opposed to rendering out individual videos per-screen and playing them in sync). So we ended up using OBS for the whole setup, both from the transmitting computer and running on each receiving Deck in the orb, with the NDI plugin for low latency sync. Our first test of streaming video to all the Steam Decks at once. NDI is a standard developed by NewTek (for all you old-school video production- slash Amiga-heads, they’re the creators of the Video Toaster!) for sending streaming video around a LAN with low latency and good sync. In addition to being used by live broadcasters who prefer networking over dedicated video cable pulls, it's commonly used by modern planetariums and megachurches. It was perfect for our needs. We wanted video that played in the orb to look correct, not stretched out or distorted, so we needed to build a video template that took the spherical shape into account. We took the original CAD file for the aluminum frame and did a quick spherical unwrap in a 3D modeling program to know the approximate screen positions in a flat space. We took that and dropped it into a very wide and high res After Effects project to animate in, and then sent it back out to the orb as a single, tightly packed 4K video. Animating an iris open effect on our motion graphics canvas, and looking at it in the packed video grid that will be streamed to the orb. The result was that we could watch motion graphics on the Orb—playing from an OBS scene, or through After Effects—and then tweak them and try again very quickly. It let us get experimental right away, and start solving problems on the ****** using the orb itself. Not to get too deep into the weeds of video production (way, way too late), but for the final shot in the trailer, we wanted to add rim lights to the Steam Deck in the center of the orb. Because our graphics composition was playing back in real-time, it was as simple as drawing some bright white rectangles in OBS, and dragging them around the canvas until they were providing the lighting we wanted in-camera. Here’s a video of the packed 4K grid streaming over to the orb in OBS: The video grid streaming out to the orb in OBS. It meant we could capture some truly bananas footage, lit entirely in-camera, that both looked beautiful and showcased the power of the displays in the new Steam Deck at the same time. And if we did our jobs right, the results would look good to anyone, whether they noticed how we achieved the look or not. It also meant we got to build a huge video orb, which we know is a life goal shared by many. So there you have it. After all that design, engineering and problem solving, we made an ad. It involved lots of cameras, a smoke machine, a big moveable arm, half a dozen last minute deck swaps, and many edits and gnashing of teeth. Here’s the final product: After the ad we couldn’t bear to tear down the orb, so we put it in the lobby where we presume people from around the globe will make the pilgrimage to bask in its glow. Well, once we plug it back it in. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Back in November we announced the Steam Deck OLED. It's available now, and though it's got a bunch of great improvements like longer battery life, faster downloads, and better repairability, the star is its ultra-bright HDR OLED screen. When the launch was on the horizon, we got together and started to plan the announcement trailer. We knew early on that we wanted to ****** something in-house, and we wanted to ****** it practically (with actual cameras) to show off the new screen. Then, as we began to the see the new screens around the office, we were shocked. We knew we'd spec'd bright, OLED screens, but these things were EXCEPTIONALLY BRIGHT. Startlingly bright. So bright, in fact, we wondered if we could use actual Steam Deck OLEDs as the only light sources to light our launch trailer. That seemed fun enough—and ***** enough—to try, so we got to work. Stanley Kubrick lit Barry Lyndon with nothing but candles. Could we light the Steam Deck OLED launch trailer with nothing but Steam Deck OLEDs? And if not, could we get a deal on a LOT of candles? We figured we would need about 100 Steam Decks to pull this off. And as luck would have it, we had that many old OLED prototypes laying around the office. As for how our bounty of OLEDs should frame the central "hero" Steam Deck, we thought it made sense to fully surround it like the lighting in a product photography studio, or a dance club. You're likely thinking exactly what we were: the only way to create this effect was to construct a large, metal orb. At Valve, we will construct an orb at any opportunity. We had the 100 Steam Decks. We knew they absolutely had to be suspended inside a giant orb. What else was required? The Orb shopping list:A combination custom-milled and prefabricated aluminum frame, designed and built by folks in the Valve hardware prototyping lab. Two bonded network switches, long-ago retired from Steam. (That's right! There is a chance that the brain of our orb was once the very same server on which you no-scoped a fool or downloaded Doki Doki Literature Club.) A mobile networking rack left over from an old The International we found in the corner. Every spare network cable we could grab in the IT offices. Dozens of Deckmate Steam Deck mounts (an off-the-shelf Deck peripheral made and sold by a member of the Steam Deck community) Hundreds of tiny 3D printed clips, mounts, and brackets to hold it all together.Once we had all that, it was time... to build the orb: The Orb itself was designed and built by a handful of people responsible for the actual Steam Deck hardware: some who work on the device itself and some who work primarily in the prototyping/fabrication workshop. The networking was a collaboration between people in the IT group and help from Steam networking (including those retired switches from Steam and the rolling rack mount from an old The International broadcast setup) Software was maybe the most fun, because it wasn’t custom. Steam Deck is “just” a Linux PC in a tiny case, which meant we could use a bunch of existing solutions. We wanted to iterate quickly, so ideally any video displaying on the orb would work in real time (as opposed to rendering out individual videos per-screen and playing them in sync). So we ended up using OBS for the whole setup, both from the transmitting computer and running on each receiving Deck in the orb, with the NDI plugin for low latency sync. Our first test of streaming video to all the Steam Decks at once. NDI is a standard developed by NewTek (for all you old-school video production- slash Amiga-heads, they’re the creators of the Video Toaster!) for sending streaming video around a LAN with low latency and good sync. In addition to being used by live broadcasters who prefer networking over dedicated video cable pulls, it's commonly used by modern planetariums and megachurches. It was perfect for our needs. We wanted video that played in the orb to look correct, not stretched out or distorted, so we needed to build a video template that took the spherical shape into account. We took the original CAD file for the aluminum frame and did a quick spherical unwrap in a 3D modeling program to know the approximate screen positions in a flat space. We took that and dropped it into a very wide and high res After Effects project to animate in, and then sent it back out to the orb as a single, tightly packed 4K video. Animating an iris open effect on our motion graphics canvas, and looking at it in the packed video grid that will be streamed to the orb. The result was that we could watch motion graphics on the Orb—playing from an OBS scene, or through After Effects—and then tweak them and try again very quickly. It let us get experimental right away, and start solving problems on the ****** using the orb itself. Not to get too deep into the weeds of video production (way, way too late), but for the final shot in the trailer, we wanted to add rim lights to the Steam Deck in the center of the orb. Because our graphics composition was playing back in real-time, it was as simple as drawing some bright white rectangles in OBS, and dragging them around the canvas until they were providing the lighting we wanted in-camera. Here’s a video of the packed 4K grid streaming over to the orb in OBS: The video grid streaming out to the orb in OBS. It meant we could capture some truly bananas footage, lit entirely in-camera, that both looked beautiful and showcased the power of the displays in the new Steam Deck at the same time. And if we did our jobs right, the results would look good to anyone, whether they noticed how we achieved the look or not. It also meant we got to build a huge video orb, which we know is a life goal shared by many. So there you have it. After all that design, engineering and problem solving, we made an ad. It involved lots of cameras, a smoke machine, a big moveable arm, half a dozen last minute deck swaps, and many edits and gnashing of teeth. Here’s the final product: After the ad we couldn’t bear to tear down the orb, so we put it in the lobby where we presume people from around the globe will make the pilgrimage to bask in its glow. Well, once we plug it back it in. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Stardew Valley 1.6 is almost here, so if you've still got a lot of mods installed for the farming game you'll want to make sure everything's compatible ahead of release. Luckily for us, a lot of mods have already been updated for 1.6, but even then it's recommended you play without when diving in. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: New Stardew Valley mods add over 1,000 unique designs for your animals The 21 best Stardew Valley mods April 2024 Stardew Valley blooms into surprise Steam Deck champion View the full article

Stardew Valley 1.6 is almost here, so if you've still got a lot of mods installed for the farming game you'll want to make sure everything's compatible ahead of release. Luckily for us, a lot of mods have already been updated for 1.6, but even then it's recommended you play without when diving in. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: New Stardew Valley mods add over 1,000 unique designs for your animals The 21 best Stardew Valley mods April 2024 Stardew Valley blooms into surprise Steam Deck champion View the full article

Last month, internal Sony documents revealed that the upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro sports improved ray tracing performance and a new upscaling technology. More information surfaced later on, providing a clearer picture of the console's specs. While the PS5's GPU has undergone a full-architecture hardware refresh, PlayStation 5's main computing chip... Read Entire Article View the full article