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PC Gaming

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.

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Nvidia’s RTX Spark PCs will get Sega games including Virtua Fighter.

That’s the word from Nvidia today. Sega was already on Nvidia’s big partner list in May — see below — but you can add Virtua Fighter Crossroads to the list alongside Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Fortnite, Pragmata, League of Legends, Valorant, PUBG, Naraka Bladepoint and Alan Wake II. We don’t know which are built natively for Arm.

Capcom, CD Projekt, Konami, Mihoyo, Saber, Wargaming, and Xbox are also on the list.
Capcom, CD Projekt, Konami, Mihoyo, Saber, Wargaming, and Xbox are also on the list.
Image: Nvidia
Cameron Faulkner
Cameron Faulkner
Catching up on Resident Evil on PC is quite affordable.

Fanatical is hosting a build-your-own bundle of Resident Evil games for Steam that costs $6.50 per game, and gets slightly cheaper the more you add. For instance, Resident Evil Village and the Resident Evil 2 remake are $12.99 together. The site has every major game in the franchise, save for Requiem and a few remakes.

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Resident Evil 7
A screenshot from Resident Evil 7.
Capcom
Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
I tried the Asus AR glasses with the OLED Ally — they felt extraneous.

I enjoy plugging Xreal glasses into handhelds for a huge virtual desktop — but that’s no reason to make us buy the priciest version with a 240Hz mode handhelds have trouble powering. Plus, 240Hz halves resolution from 1080p to 540p, which felt weird and ugly in person. (120Hz was fine.) Good thing Asus will now sell the OLED Ally separately!

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The Ally X20 plugged into the ROG 20th anniversary version of the ROG Xreal R1 glasses.
The Ally X20 plugged into the ROG 20th anniversary version of the ROG Xreal R1 glasses.
Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
The OLED Xbox Ally X20 is so good, Asus will sell it solo

You won’t need to buy the AR glasses too.

Sean Hollister
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Jsaux confirms it’s still making front screen accessories for Valve’s Steam Machine.

After first teasing them last November, months before the Steam Machine was released, Jsaux has shared updated designs for its screen-equipped front plates for the console. Pricing and availability haven’t been announced, but the accessory will come in three versions with E Ink, color E Ink, or dot matrix displays.

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Three versions of Jsaux’s screen equipped front plates for Valve’s Steam Machine.
Image: Jsaux
Cameron Faulkner
Cameron Faulkner
Alienware’s 34-inch Penta Tandem QD-OLED is less expensive than I feared.

$799.99 is how much Alienware’s AW3426DW costs at Dell’s site. It’s the successor to its original 34-inch curved 1440p QD-OLED gaming monitor from 2022 that debuted at $1,299.99. The new model has a Penta Tandem QD-OLED panel to make text look sharper and less aliased, plus other improvements (but the same 110 pixels per inch).

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Image: Dell
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Does it run id?

The Doom developer is reportedly the latest Xbox studio to be hit by Microsoft’s ongoing layoffs, prompting a new variant on an age-old question.

Tal Rico:

Can Microsoft run (the studio that makes) Doom? Apparently not very well.

Get the day’s best comment and more in my free newsletter, The Verge Daily.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
This million-dollar Kickstarter will take 18 years to finish.

The RPG Project Phoenix initially raised over $1 million in 2013, when it was slated to launch in 2015. As Kotaku reports, after seven years without any updates, the game’s director now says production won’t be finished until “the end of 2031,” when a release date will be revealed.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
You can turn the Steam Machine into a Windows PC.

As Windows Central reports, Valve has released Windows drivers for the Steam Machine, like it previously did for the Steam Deck, so you can replace its Linux-based SteamOS if you want. However, the Steam Machine still doesn’t support dual-booting, so you can only have one OS installed at a time.

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Valve just open-sourced its e-ink screen for the Steam Machine.

As spotted by Brad Lynch, you can now find the complete instructions, files, and BOM to make the screen we saw at Valve HQ, which it’s now calling the “Inkterface.” (It was previously the “Mango Frunk,” likely a reference to MangoHud.) It uses a battery for power. If you’re not feeling DIY, Jsaux is working on one.

The e-paper display that Valve internally built for this Steam Machine displays system stats like CPU and GPU temperature and fan speed.
The e-paper display that Valve internally built for the Steam Machine.
Photo by Everything Time Studio / The Verge
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Looking for a Steam Controller stand?

Mechanism’s Steam Controller Dock might fit the bill. It has a dedicated place to lock in the controller’s puck, which means you can rest and charge the controller upright while you aren’t using it.

You can preorder the Dock now for $39. It’s set to ship on July 6th.

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A photo of Mechanism’s Steam Controller Dock.
Image: Mechanism
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Where did Dbrand’s Steam Machine Companion Cube go?

Dbrand opened up preorders on Monday, shortly ahead of the actual announcement of the Steam Machine’s price and release date. But the cube appears to have vanished from the company’s website, and the YouTube teaser has been made private, as noted on Reddit.

Dbrand and Valve didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.

Render of Dbrand Companion Cube skin for the Steam Machine
Image: Dbrand
Nathan Edwards
Nathan Edwards
“Let’s make a miracle computer out of garbage.”

At Aftermath, Chris Person (who else?) explains how to hack together a bootleg Steam Machine using a cheap castoff cryptomining GPU. It’s a high-effort, low-cost build made possible by 3D printing, open platforms, and a host of enthusiasts working together. And the power of Linux, of course.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Valve tweaked its wording about what the Steam Machine can do.

A post on Resetera points out that now, instead of claiming that the Steam Machine is capable of “4K gaming at 60 FPS with FSR,” Valve’s website says that the PC offers “Up to 4k gaming with FSR 4.1.”

In our testing, the Steam Machine struggled to hit 4K/60FPS while using FSR with some titles, so this revised claim seems more realistic.

A screenshot from Valve’s website highlighting what the Steam Machine’s CPU and GPU are capable of. The text reads: “CPU & GPU Up to 4k gaming with FSR 4.1, thanks to a discrete semi-custom AMD desktop class CPU and GPU.”
Image: Valve
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
So that’s what Valve was thinking.

After Valve confirmed its Steam Machines all use one 16GB RAM stick, not two 8GB ones, a helpful commenter has explained why.

jsowers:

Gotta leave one motherboard slot open for Jesus

Get the day’s best comment and more in my free newsletter, The Verge Daily.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Valve clarifies: all Steam Machines, for now, will ship with one 16GB stick of RAM.

In an interview with Gamers Nexus, Valve had said that the PCs would ship with either one 16GB stick of RAM or two 8GB sticks of RAM. “We misspoke here - all units will actually have one 16GB stick of RAM,” the company says in a follow-up statement to the channel. “It’s possible that this might change in future builds, but the units that customers are currently signing up for will all come with one 16GB stick of RAM.”

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Valve is leaving the door open to refreshing the Steam Machine more often than the Steam Deck.

“I think it’s a little bit less important to have a fixed performance target for 5 years or something for a product like [the Steam Machine],” Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais tells PC Gamer. “I don’t think we’re thinking about it with quite as long of a time frame as something like a Steam Deck.” Though it doesn’t sound like there are any near-term plans for a refresh of some kind.

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
The Steam Machine paradox.

cantrip:

The Steam Machine is both fairly-priced and too expensive. It’s priced at cost, it’s just that not many people are going to be willing to pay it.

Get the day’s best comment and more in my free newsletter, The Verge Daily.

David Pierce
David Pierce
Today’s Vergecast: Is the Steam Machine worth the wait?

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.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Here’s roughly how much Valve originally wanted Steam Machine to cost:

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.

The Steam Machine is the most ambitious game console I’ve ever played

6

Verge Score

$1,049 buys PS5 performance in a couch-friendly desktop.

Sean Hollister