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If you want your Switch of Steam Deck to melt, take it outside in a heatwave

If you’ve ever looked at your Switch OLED model or Steam Deck and thought to yourself, “I wish I could make this gaming handheld device melt,” now is your chance.

Nintendo and Valve warned users not to take their respective portable consoles outside amid the ongoing heatwaves currently ravaging regions around the world, including Canada, the U.K., Japan and more.

Nintendo’s official Japanese Twitter account tweeted out a diagram to help prevent overheating that tells players they should only use the Switch in an environment between 5 and 35-degree Celsius and that they should avoid blocking the handheld’s rear intake and exhaust vents (via Nintendo Life).

Valve also recently tweeted a warning to Steam Deck users, stating that the console should be used in temperatures between 0 and 35 Celsius and that running the handheld in conditions warmer than this range above this will hinder the handheld’s performance. In fact, if the Steam Deck gets too hot, it will shut down altogether.

Given it sometimes feels like I could cook an egg on the Steam Deck’s back while playing resource-intensive games like Elden Ring, this isn’t surprising.

So what should your key takeaway be here? Don’t take your Switch or Steam Deck outside in the middle of a heatwave unless you want to watch it melt.

Source: @Nintendo_CS, @OnDeck Via: Nintendo Life

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Steam Summer Sale discounts a variety of titles until July 7

PC gamers rejoice, Steam’s Summer Sale is back with hundreds of titles under every genre on sale.

Check out some of the notable titles on sale below:

Forza Horizon 5: $63.99 (regularly $79.99)

The Sims 4: $7.49 (regularly $29.99)

Resident Evil Village: $39.99 (regularly $79.99)

Jurassic World Evolution 2: $34.49 (regularly $68.99)

Ghostrunner: $15.99 (regularly $39.99)

Need for Speed Heat Deluxe Edition: $17.99 (regularly $89.99)

Mafia: Definitive Edition: $19.99 (regularly $49.99)

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE: $66.38 (regularly $93.49)

God of War: $47.99 (regularly $59.99)

Red Dead Redemption 2: $39.99 (regularly $79.99)

It Takes Two: $21.99 (regularly $54.99)

DOOM Eternal: $13.49 (regularly $26.99)

Yakuza 0: $7.49 (regularly $29.99)

Battlefield 2042: $39.99 (regularly $79.99)

Metro Exodus: $12.21 (regularly $37)

FAR CRY BUNDLE: $61.84 (regularly $270.92)

STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order: $13.74 (regularly $54.99)

Mortal Kombat 11: $13.99 (regularly $69.99)

Steam’s Summer Sale started today, Thursday, June 23rd and ends on Thursday, July 7th. Check out the event page and all titles on sale here.

Image credit: Steam

Source: Steam

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Steam finally arrives on Chrome OS in alpha, only for select Chromebooks

After a long wait and a premature announcement, Chromebook owners can finally install Steam on their devices.

Well, some Chromebook users. Those with a specific and short list of devices. Moreover, the version of Steam on Chrome OS is in alpha, and it requires running a beta version of Chrome OS (specifically, the ‘Dev’ channel of Google’s operating system).

In other words, if you’ve eagerly awaited the arrival of Steam on Chrome OS, you likely will have to wait a little longer unless you have a supported device and are willing to deal with bugs, glitches, and tons of other potential problems running beta software.

According to a Google blog post, the supported Chromebooks include:

  • Acer Chromebook 514 and 515
  • Acer Chromebook Spin 713
  • Asus Chromebook Flip CX5
  • Asus Chromebook CX9
  • HP Pro c640 G2
  • Lenovo 5i Chromebook

Moreover, you’ll need to have one of the above Chromebooks with Intel Xe graphics, an 11th Gen Intel i5 or i7 processor, and at least 8GB of RAM. Plus, the company notes that games that require a lot of RAM — for example, 6GB — may not work well on Chromebooks with 8GB of RAM. Finally, Google warned of performance and scaling issues on devices with screens with resolutions higher than 1080p (the company is working on a fix).

Google also has a list of recommended games that people can try with Steam on Chrome OS, some of which come with caveats. Further, the company says that Chrome OS will “typically” play the Linux version of a game, but there is Proton support for running Windows games too. Proton, for those unfamiliar, is a compatibility layer developed by Valve to help run Windows games on Linux.

As for the install process is that users need first to switch their Chromebook to the Chrome OS Dev channel, then change a flag in ‘chrome://flags.’ After that, rebooting and punching in a terminal command will start the Steam install process. Once installed, users should be able to install games through Steam as they would on Windows. You can find more details on the process here.

It’s great to see Steam finally arriving on Chrome OS, even in such an early state. However, I wouldn’t recommend trying it to anyone not comfortable with using alpha software and contending with bugs. Still, now that it’s actually available, it hopefully won’t be much longer before Steam moves from alpha to beta, and then to full release.

Source: Google, (2) Via: The Verge

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Upcoming Chrome OS update could bring support for variable refresh rate displays

With Steam support on the horizon (but still vaguely distant), now seems like a great time for Chrome OS to get variable refresh rate (VRR) support.

First spotted by About Chromebooks, Chrome OS 101 is now hitting the Dev Channel with VRR support. The functionality isn’t enabled by default — instead, it appears to be hidden behind a flag (on of Chrome’s semi-hidden settings available by typing ‘chrome://flags’ in the URL bar).

The feature boasts the following description:

“Enable Variable Refresh Rate

Enable the variable refresh rate (Adaptive Sync) setting for capable displays”

9to5Google suggests the feature might only work with external displays rather than Chromeboooks’ built-in screens. Still, if the support is there, it opens the door for Chromebooks with built-in VRR-capable displays down the road.

For those not familiar with VRR, it allows displays to adapt the refresh rate (the number of times the screen refreshes each second) to match the frames per second (fps) of content. VRR is particularly useful for games, where the framerate can vary depending on what’s happening.

For example, a pre-rendered cutscene might run at 30fps, while a walking section of the game could run at 70fps. When a more intense encounter happens — say, an explosion — the framerate could drop suddenly. VRR enables the display to match, reducing screen tear and making things feel smooth.

Typically, displays run at a set refresh rate (most run at 60Hz, or 60 refreshes per second). If content doesn’t sync with that, you can see tears (where the screen refreshes mid-frame, splitting the image) or other artifacts.

9to5 also points out the VRR will be a bigger deal when Chromebook hardware catches up. Most Chromebooks use integrated GPUs that aren’t as powerful as, say, discrete AMD or Nvidia GPUs popular among PC gamers. VRR could still be helpful, but may not be as significant a factor on lower-end hardware.

Either way, it’s good to see the feature make its way to Chromebooks as Google prepares to push the platform into gaming.

Source: About Chromebooks Via: 9to5Google

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Google announces Steam for Chrome OS, but you can’t get it yet

Google officially announced the Steam for Chrome OS alpha, but it seems like it isn’t quite available yet.

As reported by Android Police, a presenter at Google’s Games Developer Summit offhandedly announced the program, saying it “just launched.” However, it doesn’t appear to be available on the web yet, with Ars Technica’s Ron Amadeo tweeting that Google said people can learn more on the Chromebook community forum, but that there doesn’t appear to be anything on the forum about Steam yet.

That information should arrive eventually (hopefully). You can check for that here.

Until more official info becomes available, all we have to go on is what we’ve learned before. That includes an initial list of Chromebooks that will support Steam (you can check that out here), and general requirements of an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 and at least 8GB of RAM.

Although the requirements will likely rule out many lower-end Chromebooks, they could change going forward. Aside from the requirements, Steam for Chrome OS will likely be available for Chrome OS Dev or Canary builds to start before it moves into a beta and eventually stable release down the road.

Source: Android Police

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Valve’s Gabe Newell ‘more than happy’ to bring Microsoft’s Game Pass to Steam

Valve co-founder and president Gabe Newell isn’t interested in doing a Steam game subscription service but is open to bringing Microsoft’s Game Pass to Steam.

Newell did an interview with PC Gamer about the recent Steam Deck release. However, the publication also asked him whether Valve wanted to make its own subscription service like Microsoft’s Game Pass.

“I don’t think it’s something that we think we need to do ourselves, building a subscription service at this time. But for their customers it’s clearly a popular option, and we’d be more than happy to work with them to get that on Steam,” Newell said.

“We’ve talked to people there quite a bit about that topic. If your customers want it, then you should figure out how to make it happen. That’s where we’re at.”

So, it sounds like we won’t see a “Steam Pass” subscription (or whatever Valve would call it). However, Microsoft’s Game Pass on Steam is also quite intriguing. Some people have had issues with how the service handles installing and managing games on PC, while other games have had issues or missing features on Game Pass. If people were able to use Steam to handle game installs instead, it might make Game Pass more popular.

Moreover, as PC Gamer points out, there is precedent for Steam hosting other subscription services. EA added its EA Play subscription to Steam in 2020. Moreover, Steam support for Game Pass could open the subscription up to Steam Deck owners. Currently, Steam Deck runs Linux, which means Game Pass isn’t available — it uses Microsoft’s Xbox app, which doesn’t exist for Linux.

That said, PC Gamer notes that Steam Deck owners may be able to play Game Pass without the need for Linux support in the future. Valve and AMD are reportedly still working on driver compatibility to allow installing Windows on Steam Deck — once that’s sorted out, Steam Deck owners may be able to install Windows and access Game Pass that way.

Regardless, Game Pass on Steam depends on Microsoft too. Valve is clearly open to the idea, but it remains to be seen if Microsoft is — judging by previous comments, it might be. In August 2021, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said there were “no plans to bring [Game Pass] to any other kind of closed platforms right now” in response to questions about putting the subscription service on the Nintendo Switch.

Instead, Spencer said the team was focussing on “open platforms” but acknowledged that Xbox was open to discussions about bringing the “full experience to a device that players want.” Maybe that sentiment includes game distribution platforms like Steam too.

Source: PC Gamer Via: VGC News

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Chrome OS code change reveals initial list of Chromebooks getting Steam

Google is closer than ever to rolling out support for Steam on Chrome OS. Now, a newly uncovered list details which Chromebooks will initially support Steam.

Spotted by 9to5Google, the list was included in a recent code change submitted to the Chromium Gerrit, an online collaborative tool for reviewing code. The list mostly contains devices from Acer and Asus:

  • Volta – Acer Chromebook 514 (CB514-1H)
  • Volet – Acer Chromebook 515
  • Voxel – Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (CP713-3W)
  • Delbin – Asus Chromebook Flip CX5 (CX5500)
  • Drobit – Asus Chromebook CX9 (CX9400)
  • Lindar – an unknown/unreleased Chromebook from Lenovo

Moreover, 9to5 discovered that there will be other requirements for Steam. Chromebooks will also need, at minimum, an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU, and at least 7GB of RAM.

It’s worth noting, however, that these are initial requirements and they could change. For example, 9to5 notes it’s seen evidence of Google testing Steam on Chromebooks with 10th Gen Intel CPUs and with AMD chips.

Another interesting tidbit of information is that Nvidia appears to be directly involved with developing Steam support for Chrome OS. The graphics card maker submitted several code changes, according to 9to5, and has also worked on making Chromebooks capable of using a discrete graphics card specifically for Steam.

Considering there aren’t any Chromebooks on the current list that have discrete GPUs, that suggests there will be more Chromebooks coming to the list in the future.

This all marks fairly strong ambition from Google to enable gaming on Chrome OS. We’ve tracked the company’s efforts for a while now, and it may not be much longer until Chrome OS is a potential alternative for PC gaming. That said, Steam support on Chrome OS seems at odds with Google’s struggling Stadia platform — maybe it’s another sign that Google’s moving away from Stadia.

Source: 9to5Google

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Steam brings back ‘Games From Quebec’ sale, featuring 150+ titles

Last year, Steam ran its first-ever “Games From Quebec” sale to offer discounts on a slew of games from French-Canadians.

Now, the storefront, in partnership with GamePlay Space and La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec, has brought Games From Quebec” back to spotlight 150-plus released and upcoming Quebec-made titles. It should be noted, though, that some games are featured at regular price, although many are discounted.

See below for some the deals:

The deals run from February 3rd to 7th.

If you weren’t aware, Quebec is Canada’s leading province by far when it comes to video game development, housing more than 290 studios in total. This makes it one of the top five game development hubs in the entire world.

Image credit: EA

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Steam’s Lunar New Year Sale discounts hundreds of games

Steam is currently holding a Lunar New Year Sale which offers discounts on thousands of PC games.

The sale started yesterday, January 27th and will end on Thursday, February 3rd.

Check out some notable titles available at discounted prices below:

A full list of titles currently on sale under Steam’s Lunar New Year promotion can be found here.

Image credit: Steam

Source: Steam

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Valve says the Steam Deck will now launch on February 25

Valve has confirmed that its Steam Deck handheld PC will go on sale starting February 25th.

This lines up with the February window the company had promised last year when the system was delayed out of the holiday season.

In a Steam blog post, the company says customers who have reserved the system will be sent emails after 10am PT/1pm ET on that date. Upon receiving the email, you’ll then have 72 hours to place their order. Otherwise, their reservation will be released to the next person in the queue.

Valve says the first units will then be shipped to customers starting on the 28th, with subsequent order email batches being set out on a weekly basis. Therefore, if you’ve reserved the Steam Deck but aren’t in the first wave of people on the 25th, you should stay tuned during March for an email.

It’s worth noting that Valve says the review embargo for the Steam Deck also lifts on February 25th, should you be waiting to hear more hands-on impressions before buying.

The Steam Deck starts at $499 CAD in Canada and goes up to $819 depending on the bundle. However, new reservations (at the time of writing) for the device aren’t expected to ship until “after Q2 2022,” per Steam.

Source: Valve