This is a screenless computer, meant to be used with XR/AR glasses or an external display. The Steam Deck motherboard goes in a 3d printed housing underneath the keyboard, giving you a keyboard that only needs to be connected to a display for a portable computer set up.

Here's the hacker news discussion on it, includes comments from the creator of the project

Note: This update is for the Steam Deck Beta and Preview channels, and includes new features that are still being tested. You can opt into this in Settings > System > System Update Channel.

General

* Fixed a WiFi regression with Steam Deck OLED

* Disabled experimental support for Wake-on-Bluetooth for Steam Deck LCD while issues with spurious wake-ups are being investigated

* Fixed a bug where visual corruption could occur with Sharp upscaling with HDR/10-bit applications when interacting with the overlay

* Fixed an issue where the cursor would not be visible in the bottom-right quadrant of the screen when using the magnifier

* Fixed cursor having a line of visual corruption when using Sharp upscaling in certain instances

* Fixed certain overlay key bindings involving Shift, the Super key, Right Alt, or Return/Enter not being able to be triggered

* Fixed input being passed to applications when overlay key bindings are invoked

* Fixed OBS Studio not working with the streaming output provided by gamescope

* Fixed an issue where clicking mailto: links sometimes didn't display the right error

Audio

* Fixed an issue where volume keys would sometimes not properly adjust the volume of the 3.5mm audio connector

* Fixed a SteamOS 3.6 regression causing audio glitches in God of War: Ragnarok

Accessibility

* Added support for optional color filters

* Added Orca screen reader and espeak-ng text-to-speech tools

* Fixed the magnifier producing the correct scale and offset when Sharp upscaling was used

Non-Deck

* Fixed an issue where the Legion Go S with SteamOS could lose trackpad functionality after sleep

* Added power button support for some AYANEO, AYN, GPD, MSI, ONEXPLAYER, and OrangePi platforms

As ever and always, I’m back with a week’s worth of gaming news I’ve spotted and thought I should share with you all!

And this one is a long one!

This one’s got a bit of everything, and it’s my twentieth of these posts! Hard to imagine so many of these have been posted so far, but one thing does remain – writing these makes me super happy to write. So, while we're on the topic, thanks to all of you for even wanting to read along with these when I post them :)

What are these posts?

My aim for these News Posts in general though is to format them in a more clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming manner than most gaming sites do now. Less demanding? My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for:

• image/gif/link heavy (every time I make these, at least 4 GIFs end up being too big for Lemmy to upload, and it always makes me sad)

• personal voice (I can’t help rambling, send help – this won’t be even slightly professionally written)

• mostly news or articles or points which you won’t find on normal gaming sites. These are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I know you’ll have spotted the big news articles, so I’m hoping some of these smaller ones might have been missed by you.

A mixed bag of what I’ve considered news this week, so there really is a bit of everything ahead.

So grab a coffee? Or a tea? Or a fresh juice? And enjoy <3

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General Gaming News:

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GEX:

The Gex trilogy has finally arrived on GOG and Steam. Will it cause a stir? I’d say...not, the games are just poor emulation in a new wrapper. Check the trailer and you’ll see something like polygon stabilization (‘jumping’ textures) we see DuckStation do so well (for ‘free’) is completely missing.

Anyway:

Everyone's favorite tail-whipping, channel-surfing, gecko is back in a collection that features all of his best-selling adventures!

Interestingly, they opted to only use the U.S. voices for this one. The originals had different voices for different markets (Leslie Phillips in the U.K. and Dana Gould in the ‘States).

If you’d prefer something a little lighter, check AVGN’s video on YouTube where he plays the original three games and gives his (angry – it is the Angry Video Game Nerd, afterall!) reviews from three months ago. The link to that video is here!

Just check this image of this newly released Gex Trilogy, it’s directly from the Steam page!

Amazing:

And of course, here’s the link to the GOG page for the game, too!

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Starfleet Academy:

Back in 1997 a game was released, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy: the game simulates the life of a typical Starfleet cadet, with the player learning the basics of flying a starship and engaging in role-playing with a crew of cadets, with the eventual goal of becoming captain of their own ship. The game included full motion video featuring William Shatner, Walter Koenig and George Takei reprising their roles from the original television series and movies, and a multiplayer simulation mode allowing for up to 32 players.

It’s still available on GOG (because, of course it is!) but I’m sharing something interesting I found.

Nick Acosta, a big fan of the game, has remastered the opening to the game.

I’ve reimagined the opening sequence of the 1997 PC game Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, replacing its dated CG effects with recomposited footage from the original ILM model work used in the first six Star Trek films. I also created new matte paintings and redesigned interior backgrounds to better align with the look and feel of Starfleet in 2288.

I’ve always loved this game and felt it was an underrated addition to the Trek timeline—bridging the events between Star Trek V and VI.

Their work is incredible on this one, and seems as official as you could get.

Updates include:

• Original physical models restored and recomposited
• All 3D effects replaced with modern lighting and detail
• New matte paintings for interiors and FX sequences
• Production design aligned with the 2288 Starfleet aesthetic
• Revised title sequence and updated credit order
• I used an animated version of an unused Ralph McQuarrie Matte Painting of Starfleet Command from Star Trek IV

Of course, the link to it being shown off on YouTube is here, and really - you should click this and have a look. This is the kinda thing I love to find, fans caring so much about a fear-forgotten game that they take the time and effort to bring it to life again!

This is a fan preservation and restoration project—a tribute to the timeless quality of ILM’s practical model work and a chance to reimagine this scene using today’s compositing tools.

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Nexus Mods Sold:

You’ve no doubt read all about that by now, it’s going to be old news but...it’s still big news to me. Nexus Mods has been sold:

In ‘An Update From DarkOne’, they stated:

After almost 24 years of running Nexus Mods, the time has come for me to step back from the day-to-day management of the site. This isn't a decision I've made lightly - far from it - but one I think is in both my and the community's best interests.

I started this project back in 2001, in my bedroom, with a 56k modem, an excitement for the upcoming release of Morrowind and with no grand ambitions or intentions. I didn’t set out to build a business, I just wanted to make a place where modders could share their work without worrying it would vanish into the internet either the next time a fansite went offline or a publisher decided they were done with it. That idea grew legs, sprouted arms, and turned into Nexus Mods.

Their entire post is here, you should check it out if you’re interested!

Resetera users discovered that both new owners named by Dark0ne work for a company called Chosen.

It's vague to what extent this is a sale. Dark0ne mentioned the owners have "changed hands", but also mentions "I’ll also be working with the team to help guide the overall direction of the site, just without needing to be the person who signs off on every little thing and without taking responsibility for any and all things Nexus Mods".

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The Deck Trap:

This one’s...pretty typical of the Steam Deck community, you’ll see it generally fall into two categories: those who leave the Deck stock and just, idk, use it, and those who like to tinker. Then there’s this effort, which is tinkering x1000.

Snicker-Snack83 has created an all-in-one effort which, in their own words because they went into great detail, is:

This is the DeckTrap, as I'm calling it, and it's a portable dock with a number of cool features.

It doubles as a kickstand using the dbrand killswitch, with two HDMI ports, Ethernet, and an adapter for use with AR glasses. The battery is 20,000 mAh and all the cables are rated for 65 watts, with an on/off switch to ensure the dock doesn't drain the battery when not in use.

It's something that anyone can build, but all the parts amount to $257, so making them would be kind of expensive. As someone who travels I find it very useful. It lets me use the XREAL glasses on the go without killing the battery and it doubles as a dock when on the go and you're looking for a way to connect it to the TV.

I’ve seen a ton of pointlessly weird and mean comments over this. What is it with gamers who like to just put someone down for sharing their work? It’s weird. This is specific, and they love it. They saw a problem with their own gaming, and solved it! Is it for me? No. But as someone who goes through airport security often with a suitcase full of suspicious looking tech (I’m a pen-tester who works red ream), I know how this kinda thing can grow!

I love it!

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Next-Gen Minecraft (for consoles):

Maybe some remember this. In 2017, Mojang announced the "Super Duper Graphics Pack" for Minecraft, promising enhanced visuals (including shaders) for Xbox consoles. However, this project was postponed to 2018 and ultimately canceled in 2019 due to ‘technical challenges in achieving consistent performance across devices’.

The community felt a little confused why a company like Microsoft, with its infinite wealth, didn’t focus on this idea a little more. Mojang is hardly an indie crew. But, it seems like some good things come to those who wait eight years.

Now, with this next-gen update, all 3,000 textures will be replaced with PBR materials (color, roughness, emission) optimized for Physically-Based Rendering, aiming to accurately simulate the physical behavior of the light source and materials to achieve realism. PBR materials are a very important step if you want to add ray tracing or even path tracing. Until now, Minecraft used only simple color textures, so renderers like the famous Nvidia Minecraft RTX didn’t work with the standard game.

The next-gen Minecraft renderer will be released on June 17, 2025, and will be enabled by default on Xbox Series X.

This is the 5-ish minute video they shared on YouTube, detailing a lot and showing what the update has done. Well and truly an interesting watch, even for me who is not a fan of Minecraft!

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The Thing:

...or maybe, the thing about John Carpenter is that he is a gamer. He frequently shares his thoughts on games, what he enjoys, what provides a good atmosphere. I found that long ago in 2024 he enjoyed Prince of Persia’s The Lost Crown (I did too! I was sad to see the team didn’t get a chance to expand and refine with a sequel), and tweeted this one:

That’s all, IDK, I just though it was neat!

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Switch 2 + Staples:

Did everyone see the drama that happened when the Switch 2 was released? GameStop stapled receipts on the Switch 2 box which damaged screens on launch day upsetting customers. Everyone blames GameStop (yeah, that’s valid), but I’d say some blame lies with Nintendo for having no buffer zone between the cardboard box’s lid and the console itself. It’s literally thin cardboard / soft cover / console screen.

Here’s an artcile (short one) on The Verge detailing that issue.

Anyway, GameStop have leaned into their own issues and have made a pretty funny ad about it. Here you go:

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Coincidence:

VERY briefly, also spotted a user sharing this and it made me laugh:

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Improvements:

The developer of the insanely popular Expedition 33 have stated that they’re working on various bits and pieces:

Bonjour! We're currently exploring a wide range of future improvements — from accessibility features to new content and all sorts of bits and bobs we're actively assessing. Naturally, this also includes expanded localisation options!

While we don't have specific timelines or confirmed languages to share just yet, we wanted to let you know that it's very much on our radar. Wheee!

Their statement which I’ve copied is here, on Bsky

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EmuReady is Ready:

This one is for those who love the SBC gaming handhelds, but there is plans for this to end up on Decky Loader, for the Steam Deck. The release post is so detailed and nice that I’m not even going to bother annoying you with my own words, I’ll just (painstakingly) format it so it looks pretty here on Lemmy. I’ll make a couple of changes (remove some words and embed the links), but nothing changes anything here:

https://emuready.com/ is a platform designed to help users share and find emulator compatibility reports more effectively.

After a lot of feedback, 1000 commits later, EmuReady is now live for everyone to use! By the way, it's open source, so if you want to contribute, check out the GitHub repo. (leaving a star on the repo means a lot to me and helps others find it!)

Features:

• Share emulator settings to get your game running
• Upvote and downvote reports to help others find the best settings
• Search for games and emulators to see compatibility reports/listings
• Configurable your profile with devices and socs you use to only see relevant reports * Performance ratings - See if a game runs "Perfect" or "Potato Quality" before you waste 3 hours tinkering
• Custom fields for every emulator - Because some emulators have 47 different graphics settings and we're not animals
• Device/SoC/Emulator/Console filtering
• Dark/Light mode

Coming soon:

• Trust system (probably shipping tomorrow) - Build reputation by contributing quality reports and get access to approve others' reports, add devices, and more (so this platform isn't held back by how much time I have to spend on it)
• The EmuReady Mobile app (very early stages)
• A Decky plugin for the Steam Deck

Maybe Coming:

• Automated settings export/import (I am experimenting with this for the emulators that support a config file, but it is not a priority right now)

Never Coming:

• Ads.

If your device isn't included yet, please send a message in the discord server or create a GitHub ticket and I'll add it :)

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• Most Played at Next Fest:*

June’s Next Fest is, as we all know is a week‑long digital showcase on Steam—held three times a year (usually February, June, and October), where players can download and play hundreds or thousands of free demos of upcoming PC games, watch developer livestreams, and add their favorites to wishlists .

Next Fest exists to give developers early feedback and build hype, while giving gamers a no-cost chance to explore and discover new titles before they launch, like the age of gaming long before my time, when demos were typical!

Anyway, Steam shared a post giving the top 50 most played demos!

• [Vindictus: Defying Fate (action RPG / souls-like)[https://store.steampowered.com/app/3576170]

Experience intense action brought to life with diverse, unique characters. Read your enemy’s attacks and strike back for maximum impact in Vindictus: Defying Fate. Immerse yourself in signature combat and a gripping narrative.

• Wildgate (multiplayer space/adventure)

Wildgate is a PVP multiplayer shooter that blends tactical ship-to-ship combat with fast-paced first-person action. Evade deadly environmental hazards, search for powerful weapons and ship upgrades, and be the first crew to escape with the Artifact... or the last crew left flying.

• Jump Ship (co-op space PVE)

Jump Ship is a mission based co-op PvE for up to 4 players, where you are the crew of a spaceship. Transition seamlessly from crewing the ship to on-foot exploration and space walks. Engage in intense battles both on the ground and in space, and always keep your ship upgraded and intact.

• Mimesis (online co-op / horror / action)

4 Player co-op survival horror game. When the cursed rain falls, 'Mimesis' appear, perfectly imitating your teammates, bringing a new level of tension you've never experienced before.

• Dead as Disco (single-player / action / rhythm / beat ‘em up)

Martial arts meets music video in Dead as Disco, a neon-drenched Beat ‘Em Up where every punch, kick, and combo syncs to the music. Join Charlie Disco on a quest to confront the villainous Idols and reunite the band.

...figured I’d add the top 5 here for the heck of it (yes, it is an excuse to share some GIFs), but check this link out as it has the whole top 50 covered.

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The Loss of Pak-Sen Lim:

Malaysian-born British actor Pik-Sen Lim died on Monday, June 9 at the age of 80. Lim had an extensive career in British theater, film, and television. PC Gamer readers will recognize her as the narrator of Dark Souls and Dark Souls 3's opening cutscenes.

The opening cinematic to Dark Souls III is here, if you’d like to view it

Her imdb page link is here, if you'd like to see her career

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Farthest Frontier Delay:

Farthest Frontier has pushed back their long-anticipated 1.0 launch until October 2025. They stated that they need time for polish, bug fixes, optimization and posted an updated Road to V1.0 (which you can read here with this link)

Farthest Frontier, from their own game page:

Protect and guide your people as you forge a town from untamed wilderness at the edge of the known world. Harvest raw materials, hunt, fish and farm to survive. Produce crafted items to trade, consume, equip and fight with as you battle for your survival against the elements and outside threats.

It currently holds a Very Positive rating on Steam, with 18,769 reviews (all time)

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3DS at Bob Dylan:

Just another funny quick one, saw this shared about – someone spotted taking a photo at a Bob Dylan concert with their 3DS. Not only that, but taking it a step further and using the circle pad pro attachment!

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Epic Games Delisting:

Epic has removed Dark and Darker from sale on the Epic Games Store, thankfully if you have purchased the game you will be issued a full refund.

Dark and Darker:

An unforgiving hardcore fantasy FPS dungeon PvPvE adventure. Band together with your friends and use your courage, wits, and cunning to uncover mythical treasures, defeat gruesome monsters, while staying one step ahead of the other devious treasure-hunters.

It currently holds Mixed (all time reviews) and Mostly Negative (recent reviews) on Steam, so...maybe you’re not missing out on much. Here’s the statement Epic made:

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Epic’s Languages:

Epic has also added additional language support to their launcher, but not their website (yet). The languages added are:

• Bulgarian "bg" *Czech "cs"
• Danish "da"
• Dutch "nl"
• Filipino "fil"
• Finish "fi"
• Hindi "hi"
• Hungarian "hu"
• Indonesian "id"
• Malay "ms"
• Norwegian "no"
• Portuguese (Portugal) "pt"
• Romanian "ro"
• Swedish "sv"
• Ukrainian "uk"

This information is from the developer documentation which you can read with this link on Epic’s site.

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Animal Crossing / Gamecube / Decompiled!

Another monumental fan effort has been achieved. The team behind the Animal Crossing decompilation have reached 100% progress on recreating the game's code. This isn't a full 100%, as noted by project creator Cuyler, who states that there's still work left to do, but it means Animal Crossing for the GameCube can be modded fully, and soon ported to other platforms, once released. Additionally, the same team has been working on backporting and translating content from the Japanese-exclusive Dobutsu no Mori e+ into a project called Animal Crossing Deluxe.

It's my pleasure to announce that as of <t:1750082820:R>, Animal Crossing's decompilation hit 100% matching and linked game code. While not fully 100%, the way the game is set up means that we can fully mod the game. There's still some work to do on supporting libraries like the GameCube SDK, among others. However, this does not impact modding. HUGE shoutout to everyone who contributed and supported the project along the way! This has been 2.5 years in the making! I'll have a more fitting announcement when we hit complete 100% in the future!

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GameSieve Updated:

GameSieve is, in the developer’s own words:

Full-text search for the entire GOG game catalog, with advanced filters and price-tracking for 12 currencies. I've tried to optimize for information-density without reducing usability. I also put a lot of effort into correcting and enriching the data from GOG's API. Lots more of all of that to come.

They’ve made a lengthy post for what’s next, and what’s been happening with their site, and I’m just going to copy it (almost) verbatim – I love this site, and use it all the time, and I definitely recommend you visit and bookmark if you’re a regular GOG user!

Anyway, in their own words:

Nearly two months ago, I launched GameSieve, my independent price tracker, game discovery service and improved search engine for GOG. In the weeks since then, I've been building some frequently requested quality of life features and new abilities. Highlights include:

• The ability to remember preferred defaults. This could be just the country for which you want to see prices listed, but it becomes particularly useful if there are genres or developers which you never want to see (cough whale rock cough). Just exclude them all, and then click the "remember" button underneath the applied filters.

• Sorting by price, discount, release date (original or on GOG) or title (added to the existing default of sorting by price improvement).

• Showing included products and goodies.

• Filtering for GOG's new bundles with dynamic pricing.

• Filtering GOG’s new modded games.

• Filtering by age rating.

• I've recently created a GameSieve sub-reddit for those interested in following the details of ongoing development. See the changelog for the full details of everything that's new.

The big thing I'm aiming for (which based on initial exploration looks feasible, but will still take a long time to implement correctly, and might still prove to be too complex) is the ability to create various types of lists and then filter by them. I'm quite ambitious there, hoping to eventually allow for wishlists (imported from gog, optionally managed (with priorities) on gamesieve), owned games (on gog or elsewhere), lists of games you never want to see and maybe public "gog mixes".

I'm actively asking for feature requests, both in general, and for such lists. (It really helps me to have a thorough understanding of a wide range of desires and usecases - what are you trying to do, what information do you need to see for that to work? The more details the better!) Feel free to drop them here, or on the roadmap

I make no promises about what I'll implement, but almost all of what I've added since launch was caused by someone asking for it, or at least voicing a desire which made me realize (how) I could implement a related feature.

And that’s that one!

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Kernelbay:

I spotted this game and had to share it, because of how unique it looks and feels to me. There’s (apparently, thought it has to be small and niche) a small but growing trend of games running as overlays on the desktop instead of full-screen apps.

These games float above the desktop, partially transparent, blending into the background while you work. They act more like ambient experiences...always there, but never demanding attention.

This developer is creating Kernelbay, a cozy idle fishing game built around this idea.

It runs as a transparent window, with your fisher upgrading gear and exploring tiny handcrafted dioramas while you go about your day.

Their Steam page is here, wishlist it I guess if you’re interested!

(I did try attach two GIFs here, to show it in action - but both being around 19mb was too much for Lemmy to be able to upload, sad)

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Borderlands 4 DRM:

Borderlands is shipping with Denuvo DRM (yuck), but they’re also applying Symbiote (2K’s custom DRM) – so I suppose we can see why their recommended specs for playing Borderlands 4 are on the higher side.

So, UE5’s often-poor performance + two DRM’s running in the background + higher rec’s for specs?

Hmmmmmmmm.

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RetroAssembly:

There’s a new web-based ‘retro game cabinet’ concept which as launched. Arianrhodsandlot shared a quick post on RetroAssembly, which is just getting started. Again, in the dev’s own words:

Hi! I’m excited to share RetroAssembly, a web-based retro game collection cabinet. It lets you play and organize games from classic consoles—right in your browser. No installs, just upload your ROMs and play!

Price: $0 – RetroAssembly is completely free and open-source. I originally built this for my own use, and now I’m excited to share it with the community.

Getting Started:

• Visit retroassembly.com
• (Optional) Try the demo games
• Login to upload your own ROMs and play instantly in your browser—no extra software needed!

Key Features:

• Supports NES, SNES, Genesis, GameBoy, Arcade, and more
• Auto-detects and displays beautiful box art for your games
• Save and sync your progress, resume anytime
• Some emulators support gameplay rewind
• Navigate your library with keyboard or gamepad (spatial navigation)
• Retro-style visual shaders for that authentic vibe
• On-screen virtual controller for mobile play

Here’s a link to their GitHub

Here’s a link to their Discord

...and if you do try it out, let me know what you think! I’d be curious (haven’t the time myself at the moment!) how it runs and looks!

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FBC: Firebreak Launches:

Remedy’s new multiplayer game, FBC: Firebreak has launched everywhere (for free, if you have Game Pass!) and reviews are rolling in. FBC is a three-player cooperative first-person shooter set within ‘a mysterious federal agency under assault by otherworldly forces’. If you’ve played Remedy’s brilliant game Control then you’ll have an idea of the setting, it’s that game’s universe this one’s set in.

Currently the game is sitting on ‘Mixed’ reviews on Steam, with under 1,000 being submitted. PC Gamer has given it 60/100 (which some take to mean a terrible, terrible, scathing review but to me, idk, 60/100 seems like a fun time?)

I suspect Remedy might have seen this title as a passive income – skins and micro-transactions are the bread and butter of the gaming industry these days, but...we’ll see if FBC stays the course and sticks around I suppose.

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Marathon Delayed:

Looks like Bungie and Sony have delayed the rather universally hated Marathon 'reboot' (hard term to use, since it has nothing to do with their classic, old, single-player titles of that name) It is now delayed indefinitely. Terrible reviews of their closed Alpha tests, a shitty account by an artist where Marathon displayed stolen art assets, it's not hard to see why this has been delayed.

“Through every comment and real-time conversation on social media and Discord, your voice has been strong and clear. We've taken this to heart, and we know we need more time to craft Marathon into the game that truly reflects your passion. After much discussion within our Dev team, we’ve made the decision to delay the September 23rd release.”

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My Interview:

My friend Gardiner Bryant asked me if I’d like to post the occasional thing to his website. For now, some of the interviews I do with developers (typically Steam Deck / Linux / gaming) are going to start popping up on there and...that’s kinda exciting!

To start with I’ve shared an interview you’ll only read there, with another friend of mine, Eben Bruyns who created Junk Store. He and I did that early last year (-ish, my memory of exactly when is hazy!), and roughly covers things like:

• What Junk Store is
• Development motivation
• How the project evolved
• What its like to develop a program for Linux
• Challenges he faces, UI/UX

...and so on. I’d love it if you’d read through, it’s 15 or 20 mins worth of back-and-forth between he and I!

Of course, the link to it is here!

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My next interview:

I’ve approached a developer of a program for the Nintendo Switch. I understand this one might be a sensitive topic for some, but stick with me for the moment.

They run a very successful app, a program which replicates the look and feel of an official Nintendo program, but allows users to download and install games and DLC to their jailbroken Nintendo Switch for free. And they are 100% a pirate. The level which they’re operating is, at the peak, around 1 petabyte of data per month, so this one’s no small fry.

I wanted to ask them about their motivations, their reasons for creating and maintaining such an idea, their experiences with being devs and gamers, how (or *if) they justify what is stealing, whether it is an ideal which motivates them or the money, and the threat of Nintendo’s lawyers.

This isn’t condoning the project (the opposite, I won’t share the name of it, nor that of the developer), it’s something as far as I can tell hasn’t been done before. I can see why it hasn’t, but to me this is the interesting thing – a peek behind a curtain of a shadowy service. I wanted to know the how and the why, so I asked!

This won’t be posted for a few days, and will only be shared on the c/games Lemmy community (since it is outside the scope of others I post to!)

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Prime Gaming’s Bonus:

With Amazon’s Prime Day, they’ve released a bonus pack of games out of the blue as a giveaway.

If you’re unaware (and are one of the three here on Lemmy who don’t pick up a pitchfork whenever I share anything about Prime Gaming), Prime Gaming is a bonus for your Amazon Prime subscription. Each week they give a handful of game codes away for you to keep forever. GOG, Epic Games and Amazon titles are yours to keep. I’ll be crucified for saying it here, but to me its the best deal in gaming at the moment, purely because of the GOG games you get.

This bonus day of games includes:

• Tomb Raider I-II-III Remastered (GOG)

Play the original three Tomb Raider Adventures: For the first time ever, play the complete experience with all expansions and secret levels on modern platforms in this definitive collection. Prime members and Luna+ subscribers who claim Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft can link their Luna and GOG accounts to play via Luna in supported countries.

• Saints Row 2 (GOG)

Saints Row 2 brings true freedom to open-world gaming. Players can play as who they want, how they want, and with whomever they want in this sequel to the much acclaimed and tremendously successful Saints Row. Prime members and Luna+ subscribers who claim Saints Row 2 can link their Luna and GOG accounts to play via Luna in supported countries.

• TOEM (GOG)

Set off on a delightful expedition and use your photographic eye to uncover the mysteries of the magical TOEM in this hand-drawn adventure game. Chat with quirky characters, solve their problems by snapping neat photos, and make your way through a relaxing landscape! Prime members and Luna+ subscribers who claim TOEM can link their Luna and GOG accounts to play via Luna in supported countries.

• Star Wars Rebellion (GOG)

It is a time of great upheaval. The first Death Star has been destroyed, marking a major victory for the Rebellion. But the Empire remains strong. As commander, you must choose to take control of either the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire. Your goal: complete domination of the galaxy.

• Saints Row IV: Re-Elected (GOG)

After a catastrophic alien invasion of Earth, the Saints have been transported to a bizarro-Steelport simulation. With homies new and old, and an arsenal of superpowers and strange weapons, they must fight to free humanity from alien overlord Zinyak and his alien empire, saving the world in the wildest open world game ever.

• Dungeon of the ENDLESS – Definitive Edition (Amazon Games)

Dungeon of the Endless is Amplitude Studios’ take on the demanding Roguelike genre, mixing in Dungeon-Defense mechanics for a unique gameplay experience.

Of them all, I’m actually going to say TOEM is my fav (and I am a HUGE Lara Croft fan!)

It’s a perfect game for the Steam Deck, cozy and interesting and hand-drawn, too. I love this game so much, you’ll have such a nice time playing through, I can’t recommend it enough

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Xbox’s Next Console:

Xbox has released a...idk what to even call this, a ‘hype’ trailer? A promise of what is next? Xbox is patnering with AMD for their next generation system (Xbox console, handhelds, phone gaming, streaming, PC and so on).

We’ve established a strategic, multi-year agreement with AMD to co-engineer silicon across a portfolio of devices, including our next-generation Xbox consoles. Together, we’re delivering deeper visual quality, immersive gameplay, and AI-powered experiences - grounded in a platform designed for players, not tied to a single store or device, and fully compatible with your existing Xbox game library.

But what has most talking is the (seemingly throwaway) line in their statement:

Not locked to a single store

Is this the much talked about Steam integration? I’d doubt it (what manufacturer will let you use their service to give money to another platform?!), but...I do hope I am wrong!

Anyway, here’s the link to the video they uploaded onto YouTube: Xbox + AMD: Powering the Next Generation of Xbox

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GoldenEye 64 DD44 3D Print:

Just something fun, I noticed a user by the name of Arniel86 made a great 3D print of one of the weapons from the old Nintendo 64 game:

Was an interesting design to work with, looks nothing like the TT-33 its supposedly based off. But I chose to keep it looking as in game as possible.

The link to their MakerWorld page where the files are free is here, if you’d like to see more or start your own print!

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Hades II Update:

Hades II which is still in Early Access (but which plays like a damned fully finished game, albeit one without a proper ending so far) has released another big update. Titles Spread Fear in The Unseen:

Our third Major Update for Hades II is finally here, focused on expanding core combat, Guardian encounters, and character relationships, with lots of new visual flair!

Their change-log and notes are extensive, so you’d be better checking them out on Steam with their announcement:

Which is through this link here!

And here is the update trailer on YouTube!

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That’s Enough!

---

I think I’ve ranted enough here by now. I still have more interesting bits and pieces I’ve come across, but I’m told quite often how my posts take a looooong time to get through, and if I keep it up then it’ll never end!

What have you been playing?

One thing I can’t leave out, is asking what you’re all playing right now! I’d love to know what (if anything!) you’re enjoying!

I’ve actually started God of War. Somehow I never really gave it much time, giving up before that opening tree sequence each time, but out of the blue I stuck with it and I’m having a great time. I’m playing that on my desktop PC (for the highest possible fancy settings) and have been enjoying a few of the WipEout games emulated via RetroDECK

But what about you? AAA? AAAA? AA? (this is getting odd), indie? Emulated? Tellll meeee!!!

Previous Posts:

If you’d like to read my previous Gaming News posts (they’re mounting up in number now!), then you can find them here:

• Steam Deck / Gaming News #2
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #3
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #4
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #5
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #6
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #7
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #8
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #9
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #10
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #11
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #12
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #13
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #14
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #15
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #16
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #17
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #18
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #19

Mastodon:

I do tend to post there each day, 99.99% gaming nonsense. If you want more of this, then come drop by!

Thought this might be worth a share here.

The developer of Junk Store (letting you play Epic Games and GOG titles on your Steam Deck) did a podcast with G. Bryant which he's shared on YouTube.

They cover things like:

• What is JunkStore?
• What inspired JunkStore
• What sets JunkStore apart from Heroic/Lutris?
• Original vision for JunkStore
• Goals for v2 of JunkStore
• What are your next goals for JunkStore?
• Recounting the JunkStore/Steam Store thing
• The NSL drama from Eben's perspective
• Eben's interesting living situation
• What everyone needs to know about JunkStore
• Conclusion

Here is the link to the interview on YouTube, which runs at 20:38

But there is also a longer, uncut interview which runs longer on Gardiner's blog for his suppporters:

In this nearly 50-minute interview, Eben Bruyns and I discuss the history and future of JunkStore, plus we chat about his interesting living situation, our favorite video games, his perspective on the Non-Steam Launchers drama from a few months ago, and how Steam accepted (then rejected) JunkStore on Steam.

The link to that longer version, again for his paying members, is here

cross-posted from: https://subscribeto.me/videos/watch/b509a7f3-97dc-4a4e-a974-5fb5306ed014

Learn more about JunkStore from their website: https://junkstore.xyz/?ref=gardinerbryant > Watch the full interview: https://gardinerbryant.com/full-interview-with-junkstore-creator-eben-bruyns/ > > -- Chapters -- > 00:00 Introduction > 01:04 What is JunkStore? > 01:43 What inspired JunkStore > 03:01 What sets JunkStore apart from Heroic/Lutris? > 04:36 Original vision for JunkStore > 06:42 Goals for v2 of JunkStore > 09:41 What are your next goals for JunkStore? > 11:32 Recounting the JunkStore/Steam Store thing > 14:33 The NSL drama from Eben's perspective > 16:22 Eben's interesting living situation > 17:57 What everyone needs to know about JunkStore > 19:49 Conclusion >

Well it’s been a little longer than it typically is for me covering recent gaming news I’ve spotted, and that’s entirely my fault! I am sorry!

But, hopefully you’re still in the mood to read through some bits and pieces I’ve spotted recently!

What are these posts?

My aim for these News Posts in general though is to format them in a more clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming manner than most gaming sites do now. Less demanding? My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for:

• Image/gif/link heavy (every time I make these, at least 4 GIFs end up being too big for Lemmy to upload, and it always makes me sad)

• Personal voice (I can’t help rambling, send help – this won’t be even slightly professionally written)

• Mostly news or articles or points which you won’t find on normal gaming sites. These are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I know you’ll have spotted the big news articles, so I’m hoping some of these smaller ones might have been missed by you.

A mixed bag of what I’ve considered news this week, so there really is a bit of everything ahead.

So grab a coffee? Or a tea? Or a fresh juice? And enjoy <3

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GOG News:

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One-click Mods:

I know some of you have seen this by now, but its still important to highlight. GOG has brought in a simple mod program to their site, which is...quite unlike what is available elsewhere.

While you’re still free to mod your GOG games as you typically do, this method takes one major mod (which itself might be made of a few separate elements) and applies it to the game required. If you’d like to play that modded game, you download it (with one click!) and play! You install selected mods with…well, just one click. No manual setup, no digging into folders, you just hit install and go.

The first batch includes some all-time community favorites:

• ‘Horn of the Abyss’ for Heroes of Might and Magic III
• ‘Phobos’ for DOOM 3
• ‘Unofficial Patch’ for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
• Fallout: London – One-click Edition
• ‘Enderal: Forgotten Stories for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
• ...and coming soon – The Elder Scrolls Skyblivion for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition

So, you’ll need the base game in your library, but if you own it, then you’ll be able to download and install this pre-modded version of the game and just...skip the mod headaches! Everything runs smoothly right out of the box.

These mods aren’t just fan content, they’re part of how games survive. Some restore cut content, others add entire campaigns, new factions, or modern fixes that never made it into official releases. GOG is treating them like the preservation work they are, and they hope this makes it easier for more people to enjoy what the modding community has built over the years.

• GOG themselves made an official announcement on YouTube you can watch here, where they cover it

• And the link to the available (so far) mods is here, too, if you want to read about each one

• Here is a link to the GOG forum discussion on the new one-click mods!

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Some GOG Game Updates:

As always, I try to bring some attention to some games which have had updates (or releases) recently, because...well if you’re a GOG user you’ll certainly know, sometimes keeping games up-to-date can be difficult, or pass you by.

Mostly though, this is probably just going to be an excuse for me to add some GIFs and talk about a handful of games I love?

• Trudograd

Trudograd is an interesting one. This is a kinda ‘expansion’ on the base game (though that base game is not required to play Trudograd) Atom RPG, and is a great take on Fallout 2. Those turn-based post-apocalyptic cRPGs you love? This one is a fantastic example of them. Trudograd was released in 2021, and somehow still having fixes and lil updates. If you love the original two Fallout games, then this might be one you enjoy

• Arctico (-80% off currently on GOG)

Arctico is as independent as you can get, but the dev is so dedicated to the game, which is lovely to see. It’s sitting at ‘Mostly Positive’ (1,913 reviews at time of typing) on Steam, so it is a niche game.

Explore Arctico with your dog sled, kayak, and parachute! Build and customize your base camp, gather resources and samples, set up labs, and take good care of your dogs in this peaceful island.

This latest update is from June 5th, and was the ‘major base building update’. I’d recommend this one, if you want a cute, cozy and kinda relaxing off-kilter game, you can get it on GOG or Steam, and IDK, makes me feel nice to have supported a little venture into game dev!

• Captain Blood

This is a odd game, it was abandoned back in the 360/PS3 era (15 years ago now) and left for dead:

The story of Captain Blood begins in 2003, when Akella, the publisher behind the original three Postal games (including the now-infamous Postal 3) announced it was going to make a pirate game based on the work of novelist Rafael Sabatini. After an initial reveal at E3 2004, production on the game was restarted. Playlogic, which you may remember for cult horror hit Obscure 2, signed on as publisher. But in 2006, progress on Captain Blood again came to a halt and development of the game was restarted a second time. The first trailer arrived in 2008. A website went live in 2010. And after that, silence.

But, somehow the game was reassembled and relaunched and is now available for everyone to play. Is it worth it? I think it needs a few more patches, but I am a total sucker for pirate games (seriously, we have so few in gaming!). It’s very of-the-time, very ‘2006ish’ and rather clunky, but I’m a fan of the novel (which is really only a name-sake for this project), and I’m glad its getting updates and patches!

• Crow Country

I know, I know, I’ve shouted at you all before to play this but...you really should play it! If you’ve any nostalgia (you’re old) or curiosity (me!) for the ‘survival horror games’ from the PlayStation 1 era like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Dino Crisis etc...this one should be one for you!

The year is 1990. It’s been two years since the mysterious disappearance of Edward Crow and the abrupt closure of his theme park, Crow Country. But your arrival has broken the silence, Mara Forest. If you want answers, you’ll have to venture deep into the darkness of Crow Country to find them…

It’s sitting at ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ on Steam right now, out of 5,038 reviews, and...since I’m writing about it here in my ‘recently updated on GOG’ section – you’ll no doubt see that it has been updated!

Puzzles, tricks, riddles, an abandoned theme park, some horror – and even an ‘exploration mode’ for those (like me) who aren’t actually super-duper great with horror scares!

• Timberborn

Want to help beavers create a giant metropolis? If you’re into Sim City-ish games, then this one will tick that box for you:

Humans are long gone. In a world struck by droughts and toxic waste, will your lumberpunk beavers do any better? A city-building game featuring ingenious animals, vertical architecture, water physics, and terraforming. Contains high amounts of wood.

‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ on Steam, with 29,667 reviews, this is one of the coziest ‘just ten minutes more’ games I’ve played, and the water physics in it are incredible - barely any bugs, and obviously updates and support are super consistent. One thing to note though is that this game is in Early Access, but in this case, it is...in my eyes well beyond what you’d expect for E.A.

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Newly Released on GOG:

I also thought it might be nice to just share a tiny copy/pasted ‘about’ for some recent games to arrive on GOG, a snap-shot of what they looks like (or my fav – a GIF!), and a link. This is by no means comprehensive...just something fun :)

• Trident’s Tale

Set sail for an epic action-packed adventure in Trident’s Tale, where you’ll become Ocean, a bold young captain on a quest to reclaim the legendary Storm Trident—a mythical artifact that grants power over the seas. But beware the ocean is vast, treacherous, and crawling with danger at every turn!

(link to the trailer here, on YouTube)

• The Alters

The Alters is an ambitious sci-fi survival game with a unique twist. You play as Jan Dolski, the lone survivor of a crash-landed expedition on a hostile planet. To survive, you must form a new crew for your mobile base. Using a substance called Rapidium, you create alternative versions of Jan—THE ALTERS—each one shaped by a different crucial decision from the protagonist’s past.

(...and here is a trailer for this one, too – if you want to see more!)

• Repose

In the facility, each step, each shot, each mistake costs precious energy. Rendered entirely in black and white, this mystery can be unravelled. The puzzle can be solved. Don't ask who tried to solve it before. Do the job. Find oxygen and sleep. Go deeper. And don't ask about Aaron.

(trailer link via YouTube is here!)

• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition

Step into the armor of a relentless Space Marine and use a combination of lethal weaponry to crush overwhelming Ork forces. Immerse yourself in an intense and brutally violent world based on the richest science fantasy ever created.

(there’s a link to the trailer for it here, on YouTube if you’ve somehow not seen it yet!)

• Anoxia Station

Anoxia Station is a mining management game set in a dystopian near-past. A supervolcanic eruption devastated the Earth’s surface, rendering it uninhabitable. Nations now teeter on the brink of extinction relying on the Terranauts - miners sent into the hellish depths of this dying world-. Their mission: extract petroleum, crucial to sustaining humanity's essential infrastructures and survival.

(link to the trailer here on YouTube)

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This Month on GOG:

Just a recap of a couple things I have covered before, but...this month there really has been a fair lot of GOG news, which is a bit of a rare thing. So if somehow you missed what I shared before, there’s some brief dot-points here for you:

• GOG added authenticator apps for your account

• 5 Warhammer games entered the GOG Preservation Program, along with Armageddon and Sanctus Reach becoming GOG exclusives due to being removed from Steam

• GOG invited the public to apply for jobs at their company, in a range of positions

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GOG’s Meeting Rooms (in their own words):

Every GOG employee is a gamer, so we love to gamify our day-to-day work. Each meeting room in our office is named after a game-related place, so throughout the day, we find ourselves visiting places like Khorinis, Tristram, Night City, Erathia, and more! It makes each meeting feel a bit like an adventure. And yes, every meeting in Tristram should start with “Stay awhile and listen” but that is a work in progress. Bonus fact – we also have a meeting room called Roach and to be fair – it’s as comfortable as riding a horse. Fortunately, Roach meeting room won’t suddenly appear on a roof of a building. Or will it?

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Retro Gaming / Emulation News:

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SBC Gaming (briefly):

I’m not going to go into much detail here, because in at least one of these the specs of the upcoming handheld are presented in one of the pictures. SBC (single board computer) handhelds began as primarily community built and driven Raspberry Pi projects, but now has well and truly become polished handhelds. Running Android or Linux, they’re released (it is joked) every week or two, but sometimes really are magic.

The latest to be announced (or leaked) which are interesting to me are:

Anbernic’s RG Slide:

One thing to note of the RG Slide is that there has been a leak of the price, which will be $189 (USD)

Ayaneo’s Flip 1S DS:

Retroid’s Dual Screen Add-on:

One thing to note on this one is that MelonDS (a Nintendo DS emulator – or the DS emulator!) has released their own update to support this incoming dual screen add-on:

In anticipation of the upcoming dual-screen Android handhelds, I’ve taken the opportunity to implement dual-screen support in melonDS for Android! We now have two great ways to enjoy the Nintendo DS in all its glory: DraStic, and my own fork of melonDS with dual-screen support. 

GitHub link is here

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MGS/17:

Nothing to go into here, but Metal Gear Solid 4 has now turned 17 years old! And...is somehow still locked to the PlayStation 3 platform. I know we’re all assuming (let’s face it, with strong reasons to!) that the next MGS ‘pack’ on Steam will bring it to modern systems, but for now it’s a nightmare to play.

Emulation is still a mess, I have read plenty of people who tell me how easy and fine it is to emulate, even on the Steam Deck – that’s certainly not true. It’s the opposite of easy, and it runs poorly.

Interesting though, that Metal Gear predicted the use of AI and rise of certain global threats. Mechanized walking tanks won’t be too far off, we already have them in miniature form, it’s just scaling them up at this point.

And here’s a little snapshot of the ladies behind the B&B Unit in MGS4:

Anyway, happy birthday MGS, you still remain one of my fav ‘franchise’ of games ever made!

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Game Boy Coasters:

Otzedotze has been making some fun little coasters, as you’ll see:

I wanted to test the color system on my 3D printer, so I quickly turned some titlescreens into coasters. You can download the files here:

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PS2 Jailbreak:

This one is kinda niche, admittedly, but if you've an interest in the PS2 jailbreaking scene, then you'll be excited to hear a new exploit is coming for ProtoKernel models. It will allow for DTL-H10000 and DTL-H10000S to be finally disc-less exploitable.

Took 25 years, but now we can say that all PS2 models are hackable without discs!

I found these images demonstrating the process, but it is coming soon:

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Atari Handheld:

This one’s...curious. While hitting the nostalgia notes for those old enough to have experienced it back before time began, it’s going to be an incredibly niche product.

The criticism I’m seeing (and agreeing with), is the limited-to-three-games idea. I do understand licensing is a nightmare to organize, but when the entire library of the 2600 is maybe 10-16MB big, there’s no excuse for keeping the number of games so low (I suspect it’s a petty attempt to make more money by selling more of these with similarly limited game options)

Regardless though, it is a nice retro design:

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Arari Decanter Set:

IDK, this just made me laugh when I saw it. Done by the same studio that is making (apparently) the handheld above – ThumbsUp — its a glass decanter set for all the fancy Atari fans! Just added this because it was mildly amusing:

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Massive Update for PPSSPP:

No, it’s not the sound of me calling a cat (I know...that old joke), PPSSPP is overwhelmingly referred to as the emulator. It’s been around forever, runs on a potato, performs perfectly.

A few days ago, version 1.19.1 was announced, and is making a lot of people who enjoy emulation very, very happy!

The full release notes are here, via ppsspp.org

And the ‘upcoming changes’ page is here, on the same site

Of interest though:

From now on, major releases will be yearly, instead twice a year. Due to the additional platforms supported, the release process is longer and more complicated than ever, so it doesn't make sense to do it too often. The plan is to make a new major release every spring, probably March or April.

Additionally, upcoming requirements from Android means that we will soon have to update an important development tool (the NDK) to a newer release, which will force us to drop support for the very oldest version of Android. Not to worry too much though, as the current estimation is that we'll still be able to support Android 4.3+, which is still very, very old!

Another new thing is that in the next release, the "Windows ARM64" release will be considered officially supported. This doesn't make much difference though as it already worked well, but I now have a device to test it on! ARM64 is the CPU architecture (or rather, ISA) used by processors like the Qualcomm Snapdragon and Apple Silicon. The former is starting to show up in PC laptops and is performing really well in my testing, much like the latter.

If you’d like more info presented in a far more professional manner, you can visit this blog post by Gardiner Bryant who covered it perfectly!

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Other Gaming News:

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Xbox/ROG Handheld Prices:

I won’t bother covering the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X (horrible naming conventions, typical for the Xbox ecosystem), but I will mention that the pre-order, release date and price for these has leaked.

• Pre-orders for both are set for August, 2025
• Release is October, 2025
• €599 (or $499 USD) price tag for the standard ROG Xbox Ally
• €899 (or $799 USD) for the higher-end Ally X

Full article with the source of the leak, and all kinds of filler to make the article seem to be lengthy is here if you want to read more!

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Another Xbox ‘leak’:

Take this one with more than a single grain of salt, but ‘code strings attached to Xbox Game Pass’ suggest an incoming price hike. Again.

A WindowsCentral link is here if you wanna dig deeper!

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Digital Foundry with Switch 2’s Cyberpunk:

The full video is best, but here’s a brief breakdown of what you can expect (it runs well but Phantom Liberty struggles):

• 720P/810P Handheld (Via DLSS upscaling) or 1080P docked (Via DLSS Upscaling)
• Better Texture Quality than PS4 or Series S
• Better reflections than PS4 or Series S
• Better Framerate than PS4
• Similar FPS to Series S Quality mode except in Phantom Liberty
• Significantly better asset loading speed than PS4
• NPC/Vehicle Density on par with PS4 but behind Series S
• Outdoor shadows less sharp than PS4 Interior Shadows improved compared to PS4
• 40FPS mode is kind of pointless as it doesn't hit it in stress tests and Quality mode is actually more stable

One thing to remember, in handheld mode the game runs at 360p/450p and is then upscaled to 720p.

Here is the link to their video on YouTube, if you’d like all the details!

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Epic Games Browser Library:

A user (jamesyb0y) has created a handy way for you to see your Epic Games library. Currently there’s...weirdly no way for you to see what games you have from Epic on their website. The only kinda workaround to seeing them is to go through the account and transactions pages – which is arduous and stupid.

So they’ve made a browser extension (currently only on Chrome, but it has been submitted to Firefox and is under review for now, so it is coming soon if you’re a Firefox or fork user).

The Epic Games Library Extension addresses those weird limitations by providing:

• Direct access to your games library without navigating through multiple pages

• Built-in search functionality to quickly find specific games

• Sorting options to organize your collection

• A clean, user-friendly interface for browsing your games

Its a nice addition, for those who want to check if they might have claimed a free game before buying it again!

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Crescent County:

The developers stated that after being rejected by over 50 publishers, they instead crowdfunded their game – called Crescent County – on Kickstarter in under 23 hours.

I just thought this game was interesting, and to bring it to some attention, because it shows how darn hard it is to have a game made. Of course the indie game scene is its own gigantic and fruitful world, but the idea that publishers expect a massive amount of hype created before the game is even ready: getting followers and posts to make them even take note? Exhausting.

Anyway, on to Crescent County:

Crash headfirst into this witch-tech open world, drifting and driving on the back of your new motorbroom. Make deliveries, trick out your broom, and race your new friends (and crushes) as the sun sets. Get into gossip, sort your life out, and discover what it means to find home.

During the day you’re a motorbroom courier: delivering packages, herding sheep, and fixing leylines. Help the locals and get to know their struggles and endless drama (plus earning yourself a little bit of cash). Plan your day by picking your jobs and broom setup, and then zoom around getting things done!

There is a demo on Steam now, which has controller support!

And here is a link to their Kickstarter, it only has a few days left and I’m linking it because they’ve got all the info there to better show their game](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/annahollinrake/crescent-county)

---

Firebreak:

I’m so excited for Remedy’s upcoming game, Firebreak!!!

Do you have friends to play this with? ...no, no I do not. But I’ll be jumping in solo and loving it regardless.

Anyway, this one’s for the Steam Deck users – Remedy shared their video showing it playing perfectly on the Steam Deck itself. And fans of their (beautiful) game Control might notice some sticky notes there in the background, too!

The link is here!

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That’s That:

---

I know, not so much covered this time around, but I solemnly pinkie-swear that the next ‘issue’ I write up will be back to form.

I’ve actually gotten some odd news – I’ve got a bit of nerve damage. So that depressing fact is what is weighing on my mind lately, and while I do share daily on Mastodon, writing one of these up just kinda felt a bit too Leviathanesque to me.

I also changed the image I attach to these posts, unsure if this one will be ‘it’ for good, but...idk, do chime in if you’ve any ideas on that!

---

What have you been playing?

Can’t help but sneak this in, as I always do. I’d love to hear what games you’ve been playing. Have you tried anything from Steam’s own Next Fest 2025? Emulating? Have you found a little-known game you’d recommend? I’d love to hear it!

I’ve been gaming a little less than usual. I’ve got a bunch of new games from GOG, and have been playing Death Stranding instead!

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Previous Posts:

If you’d like to read my previous Gaming News posts (they’re mounting up in number now!), then you can find them here:

• Steam Deck / Gaming News #2
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #3
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #4
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #5
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #6
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #7
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #8
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #9
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #10
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #11
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #12
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #13
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #14
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #15
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #16
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #17
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #18

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Mastodon:

I do tend to post there each day, 99.99% gaming nonsense. If you want more of this, then come drop by!

What have been your favorite demos, what demos ran well on Steam Deck, etc

I do find the small bag to be a bit too small. Would be nice to fit the charger in the case in a more secure fashion.

I have a steam deck and it automatically switches to the tv audio. When I installed bazzite on the legion go it automatically would switch too. However both steamos and cachyos do not automatically switch. Idk if this is because they are both arch based, but the steam deck automatically changes.

Any help with this issue is appreciated!

(Sorry if my LeGo blasphemy isn't allowed here :'( )

Wanted to talk about this a bit. I've seen some things showing how well along translation layers have gotten with both proton from windows based games and x86 apps running on ARM. I think it'd be a huge improvement for something like standby time. Although I'm not sure how well it'd be for power efficiency while gaming since it might use the same amount of power for similar performance regardless. Maybe better for low complexity games like balatro or vampire survivors?

This will probably be the biggest competition the Steam Deck has within the handheld PC space.

Most noteworthy is that windows is finally focusing on providing a decent handheld experience, including booting straight to a controller friendly interface, and reducing background processes for better fps and battery.

Edit: The handheld Xbox UI will.come to all windows PCs, but it's not clear if the reduced performance bloat version will be available. It sounds like only Xbox branded devices may get the full benefit of optimized windows.

It's also the ugliest handheld PC yet (imo), but I can appreciate that they're pushing for comfort over looks.

Hello, I've spent maybe 5h+ trying to troubleshoot Remote Play from my Linux (Fedora 42 GNOME) PC host to my Steam Deck OLED client and I keep finding outdated or contradicting information regarding HEVC.

1.) Main crux of my issues with remote play seems to be fixed after solving some WiFi congestion issues and I'm able to get perfectly smooth 60FPS 50Mbps stream without HW-encoding&decoding with the h.264 codec.

2.) The HEVC codec is a major visual improvement for the Remote Play however the frametimes are all over the place when streaming HEVC and I'm at a loss on how to solve this.

It does not matter if I have HW encoding&decoding enabled/disabled, the HEVC streaming experience is just bad. Is it just a limitation within the Steam Deck or is that some SW issue? Any way to try to fix this?

Note: issue is not related to bandwidth for streaming and even for x264 stutters starts to happen the moment I enable HW-decoding

My main PC runs 5800X3D with RX 6800 XT 16GB and 64GB RAM

Note2: For client - If I use HW decoding or if I use just HEVC without HW-decoding I can use the Steam Deck HW overlay just fine but if I just use h.264 with no HW-decoding then I can't access the Steam menu or the "..." menu until I quit the game... what's up with that?

Just got Ogu and the Secret Forest free via the epic games giveaway. And while it is rated gold on proton and verified for Steam Deck I cannot get it to run properly.

Installed it va Heroic launcher, I can start it but as soon as I start a game it keeps freezing on the loading screen. Left it running for a while, nothing happens. I use Proton experimental for that. But switching Proton didn't help. I switched to older ones mentioned on ProtonDB, then it just does not start.

Also tried installation with Lutris, doesn't even start. Anyone who got it running successfully from the Epic games store?

cross-posted from: https://lemmit.online/post/6007005

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/steamdeck by /u/snakeycakes on 2025-06-05 19:18:34+00:00.

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I know a lot of people on here got this Powerbank as this is where i seen it and got myself one

I got an Amazon alert when i logged in.

Product Safety Alert: 5 Jun 2025 Stop using the following item because of a potential safety issue. Visit the public notice or review the safety alert for more guidance. Baseus Powerbank 30000 mAh, PD 65 W

model number BS-30KP365

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2025/Baseus-Portable-Chargers-Recalled-Due-to-Fire-Hazard-Sold-on-Amazon-com-by-Shenzhen-Baseus-Technology

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKv7VIEIkP0

It just occurred to me that the Switch 2’s MouseMode could be the only control method that the Steam Deck is “missing.” I would absolutely love to be able to play DOOM or Halo: MCC or Overkill from the couch. This would be the only thing I’d like more than the rumored Steam Controller 2 design.

Epic Games’ Unreal Fest:

Plenty was shown at this years Unreal Fest, I thought I’d just format this together for Lemmy.

One thing to keep in mind (I'm sure there's at least a few of you here wondering what this has to do with the Steam Deck) is that Epic's platform is playable on the Steam Deck (well, 99% of it is), by using:

• Junk-Store

• Heroic Games Launcher

Unreal Fest Orlando ‘25 gave us an expanded look at Epic's roadmap for the store in 2025 and what's next. So, here’s a summary and a bunch of pictures to show what they’re up to:

From Epic Games Store 2024 Year in Review:

Next year we will continue to make significant investments in the Epic Games Store with the intention of improving both the player and partner experience. Some of the highlights include:

Epic Games Store Mobile App:

The Epic Games Store on Android and iOS will continue to be a focal point of our development roadmap throughout the next year. Initial work on the app will include building an enhanced App Library & Discover Experience to scale against an ever-increasing catalog size, and, for our developers, AAB file type Support. This is only the start; much more is still to be announced!

Non-Gaming Apps: The Epic Games Store aims to allow the publishing of all types of content a gamer might need across PC and mobile offerings. Within our Self Publishing Tools, we’ll be opening up the ability to self-publish non-gaming apps offering a wider variety of content to be listed on all Epic Games Store supported platforms.

Gifting: Sharing is caring, particularly when it comes to gaming, and so in 2025 we’ll be adding gifting to our list of purchase options!

New Download Manager (PC/MAC): Originally planned for release in Q4 2024, the wait is nearly over and our PC Launcher will have an entirely new Download Manager, now arriving in Q1 2025. The functionality will include the ability to control the timing of updates, schedule downloads, and reorder your queue; amongst other quality-of-life changes.

Pre-Loading (PC/MAC): Pre-Loading will allow players to download and install their pre-purchased content ahead of launch, ready to play from the moment a title is officially released.

Search & Browse Overhaul (PC/MAC): New features including predictive search and semantic search are in development along with several under the hood improvements.  Expanded Search will move into full release with improvements.

Multi-Platform Social:  We’re bringing new social features to all of our players with robust support for connecting with your friends. This comes via all new voice chat, text chat, game independent parties, invite/join/play and looking-for-group features across all Epic Games Store supported platforms.

Platform Store Switching: Users will be able to switch from their native platform store view to other supported platforms to browse and shop for apps.  

Beyond these highlights, we're also dedicated to improving your experience through continuous updates to the Launcher and Store, focusing on areas like performance, stability, and ease of use.

The full link is here, so you can see more!

Expanded 2025 Roadmap from Unreal Fest Orlando 2025:

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PC:

• Download Manager (March 2025)

• Pre-loading

• Gifting

• Language Expansion

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Mobile:

• Search and Browse

• Friends, Presence, Text and Voice Chat

• Authenticator and QR Code Login

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PC + Mobile:

• Wallet Cards (POSA)

• EGS Webshops

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Ongoing Workstreams:

• Product Page Improvements
• Improved content discovery and surfaces
• Search Improvements

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Mobile SPT will come Q4 2025

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Up Next Roadmap:

PC:

• Dynamic Merchandising Surfaces

• Regional Storefronts

• Bundling

• Friends Activity and Social Shopping

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Mobile:

• Library Management

• Gifting

• Clip Capture and Sharing

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PC and Mobile

• Remote Install

• Multi-Platform Shopping

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Ongoing Workstreams:

• Launcher Performance

• Improved Wishlist Communications

• Social. Social. Social.

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2025 Roadmap Concepts:

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PC Concepts:

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Gifting:

Pre-Loading:

Expanded Store Localization:

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EGS Mobile Concepts:

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EGS Mobile Improvements:

EGS Mobile Search:

EGS Mobile Browse:

EGS Mobile Social:

QR Code Login:

Authenticator:

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PC + Mobile Concepts:

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Wallet Cards: (Epic's own V-Bucks will work to purchase games on the site, not just as Fortnite's currency)

Webshops:

[The link to the livestream / video on YouTube (presented in 4K) is here, if you'd like to see it in video form](Livestream 2, Day 1 | Unreal Fest 2025 - YouTube)

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Other News:

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The Witcher 4:

The show kicked off with a technical demo we’ve been working on with CD PROJEKT RED — not The Witcher 4 itself, but a showcase of some of the cutting-edge tech powering the new Witcher saga. We also revealed the latest on Unreal Engine 5.6, including major performance upgrades to empower teams to build large-scale open worlds that, just like this tech demo, run smoothly on current-gen hardware.

When we launched Unreal Engine 5 three years ago, CD PROJEKT RED announced they would collaborate with us to bring large open-world support to the engine. Together at the State of Unreal, we revealed what we’ve been working on.

The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo follows witcher Ciri, a professional monster slayer, as she explores the never-before-seen region of Kovir in the midst of a monster contract.

The tech demo provides an early look at a number of 5.6’s powerful new open-world features in action — all running on PlayStation 5 at 60 frames per second with raytracing — including the new, faster way to load open worlds via the Fast Geometry Streaming Plugin.

As Ciri explores the bustling market of Valdrest, we see how 5.6 handles busy scenes full of high-fidelity characters and visual effects like ML Deformer. The tech demo also showcases Nanite Foliage — which provides a fast and memory efficient way to achieve gorgeous foliage density and fidelity, slated for release in UE 5.7.

• one thing to note is that the videos other channels on YouTube have of the tech demo of Witcher 4 are limited to 1080p - not 4K. The only 4K video you can see at the moment is from the Epic presentation itself, but maybe that'll change?!

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Epic Itself:

The Epic Games Store has now paid developer and publisher partners over $2.1 billion since launch. On mobile, EGS now has a library of 70 awesome games and 40 million installs to date, and it’s on track to hit 70 million by the end of 2025. To give publishers an even better deal, we just changed our initial revenue share to 0% for the first $1 million then 12% thereafter.

The facts are just presented by a bunch of pictures, so I'll share them here:

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Obv lots more was announced and covered, including Unreal Engine 5.6, but this is all I can be bothered formatting!

I'm kinda amazed it took this long, but valve finally added:

Added in-game keyboard shortcuts to open the Main Menu and Quick Access Menu.

Default Main Menu hotkey: Shift+Tab
Default Quick Access Menu hotkey: Ctrl+Shift+Tab
Customizable in Settings->In Game