With temperatures spiking on either side of the Atlantic, now seems like a great time to go on holiday. Possibly to Antarctica. But if you're as avid a gamer as I am, I'm sure that no matter where you end up taking your summer vaycaysh, you'll want to make sure your handheld gaming gear is juiced up and protected. Fortunately, with Amazon Prime Day underway, there's never been a better time to pick up some upgrades.

• View the full Amazon Prime Day sale

As a handheld gaming fan and TechRadar's reviews editor, I've personally selected some of the best upgrades I can find for your Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch 2 or other portable gaming devices. Whether you want to keep your console charged for days on end, immerse yourself in that fantastic soundtrack or prevent a clumsy moment cracking your screen, I've got some great finds for you.

If you want to know about the hottest US gaming deals as soon as they drop, make sure to follow our Amazon Prime Day live blog for all the latest price drops. Based in the UK? Don't worry: our Amazon Prime Day UK deals roundup has got you covered.

Handheld gaming accessories sale – quick links

• SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds: now £89.95 at Amazon (was £159.99)
• Ugreen Steam Deck Dock (6-In-1): now $31.99 at Amazon (was $45.99)
• Turtle Beach Rematch Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2: now £39.99 at Amazon (was £49.99)

Handheld gaming accessories — US deals

Handheld gaming accessories — UK deals

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

Tactical role-playing game (RPG) Divinity: Original Sin 2 has been in my backlog for a couple of years now. Ever since I completed developer Larian’s next game, the superlative Baldur’s Gate 3, I’ve been looking for something that scratches that same itch. And when Larian announced its sequel, Divinity, I knew I had to stop dragging my heels and find out what I’d been missing.

Having racked up a slightly terrifying 257 hours on my first playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s safe to say that I was going to like Divinity: Original Sin 2. It’s the franchise that helped Larian hone their formula after all. And yet for all the similarities it shares with the game that followed it, the franchise is its own beast.

Far from being the same formula denuded of its D&D dressing, Divinity: Original Sin 2 very much stands apart, hewing closer to the CRPGs of old than Baldur’s Gate 3’s tabletop-imitating trappings. It feels far more tactical and strategically freer than the later game — if Larian is able to add to its solid bones some of the fantastic polish and depth it brought to BG3, I’ll be very excited about the upcoming Divinity.

Class action

Building a character in Divinity: Original Sin 2 feels incredibly fluid. Nominal classes exist as a starting point, with each focusing largely on two families of combat abilities. And these skill families steer away from CRPG cliches just enough to feel novel — yes, you can create standard rogue, cleric, or fighter builds, but others are more of a departure.

Each of the elemental magic schools feels unique and deep, while polymorph allows you to transform your limbs and body parts to suit the situation, and summoning lets you call up totems and demons that match elements on the battlefield, making it super versatile.

But it goes deeper than this. For those who are tired of being railroaded into specific class combinations, Divinity largely tears down class boundaries entirely. You can invest points in whichever stats and combat abilities you see fit, then learn any skills you meet the criteria for by using consumable skill books. That allows you to create complicated classes for every character that suit your playstyle — or create unworkable builds that will get pulverized in every battle.

Not every element of its roleplay feels this deep and rewarding, though. The character creator feels limited, even for a game released in 2017, making it feel a little less immersive than it could have. And while the story and voice acting are perfectly decent, I rarely felt the kind of close connection with my party members and their struggles that I did while playing Baldur’s Gate 3. I engaged with Divinity: Original Sin 2’s lore as much as I could, but often Rivellon felt more like a gauntlet to run with my party than a living, breathing world in its own right.

Fight me, bro

While I have a lot of praise and some reservations over the roleplay elements, the area where I think Divinity: Original Sin 2 is unimpeachable is when it comes to combat.

Read almost any user comments about the game online, you’ll see people talking about how they struggled to get to grips with its combat system. I’ll happily admit: battles can be gruellingly hard if you’ve made mistakes with your build. And if you tangle with enemies above your level, you should expect to be spanked down hard – as anyone whose party ended up in the belly of a teleporting crocodile can attest.

Fortunately, once you understand the tactics involved, things start to slam into place like Tetris pieces. First off, enemies and allies have two types of shield, physical and magical, that soak up damage of each type before it reduces health. As a result, you have to focus on specific damage types for each enemy to ensure you’re maximizing the wounds inflicted. Rather than focusing on buffing or defence, this really rewards gung-ho, high-damage playstyles — that really appeals to me as someone who’ll always opt for a glass cannon over a bard or paladin.

But combat is at its most rewarding once you learn how to dominate and utilize the battlefield. Abilities like teleport make it easier to kite enemies or group them together to be pulped by an area of effect (AoE) spell. Higher terrain gives you a damage advantage over enemies in ranged attacks, while low terrain gives you a corresponding penalty.

Even more critical, the battlefield is splattered with a range of surfaces, including blood, poison, ice, and fire. Depending on your resistances and weaknesses, many of these can either heal or harm your allies and enemies, meaning where you stand is often as important as the attacks you choose.

And each surface causes its own effect. For instance, oil slows people down, but it’s also flammable, making enemies standing there vulnerable to a tossed flame. Water can be frozen into ice to trip characters, evaporated into steam, or electrified to stun enemies drenched in it. There’s a complicated interplay of these elements — and that’s before we even get into their blessed or cursed variants…

While most CRPG battles come down to the interplay of attacks and status effects, Divinity: Original Sin 2’s battlefields are an ally and an enemy in their own right. That makes every encounter satisfyingly knotty, and it’s something I’m glad I’ve mastered for the day that Divinity finally drops.

• Valve just announced a Steam Deck price hike
• It'll go up by over 40% in the US, and over 30% elsewhere
• No hardware changes are coming with the price increase

Price hikes, even for older gadgets, are standard practice in 2026. None, though, warrants as loud a ‘WTF’ as Valve saying its Steam Deck OLEDs are going to cost close to 50% more in some regions, with smaller but still major price hikes landing elsewhere.

Per a blog post announcement where Valve revealed the handhelds are back in stock, it also dropped the pricing bomb. The $549 / £479 / AU$899 512GB model will now set you back $789 / £649 / AU$1,199 — representing a $240 / £170 / AU$300 increase or a 43% increase in the US (and closer to 35% in the UK and Australia).

Meanwhile, the 1TB OLED Steam Deck will cost $949 / £779 / AU$1,429. That’s a $300 / £210 / AU$380 increase on its former cost of $649 / £569 / AU$1,049 — representing a 46% price hike in the US and 36% elsewhere.

Notably, these price hikes don’t come with any hardware upgrades. Instead, Valve explains they’ve been introduced to "reflect the current state of component costs and other global logistical challenges across the industry as a whole.” The component prices specifically blamed are “rising memory and storage costs.”

A warning of more to come?

If you’re after a handheld run, don’t walk, to grab one before further price hikes arrive.

This Valve announcement follows similarly catastrophic hikes from Lenovo back in April. We saw the Lenovo Legion Go 2 Ryzen Z2 Extreme 2TB jump up over $1,000 to $2,849.99 (from $1,479.99). Meanwhile, the 1TB model rose $650 to $1,999.99. The less high-end AMD Ryzen Z2 16GB RAM model also saw a hike to $1,499.99 — up from $1,099.99.

Outside of Australia, where the PC handheld rose in price in February, the Asus Rog Xbox Ally X has so far dodged serious hikes, though that will probably change soon.

I’ve been loving this Asus x Xbox PC handheld, and I predominantly use it for Steam games. I have it set up so that Steam’s Big Picture mode boots up as soon as my handheld switches on to better mimic the simplicity of the Steam Deck, and I’ve found the console comfortable to play for as long as the battery can last — which is a decent number of hours even for chunkier AAA titles.

So far in 2026, it’s been where I’ve enjoyed Resident Evil 9, Slay The Spire II, Zero Parades for Dead Spies, and 007: First Light among plenty of others, and while the meatier games don’t run as beautifully as they do on my static gaming rig, they still look solid and play very well — especially after a few visual settings tweaks.

An alternative approaches?

Alternatively, you could nab a different kind of handheld: the Nintendo Switch 2.

It’s not a PC gaming machine and lacks the incredible breadth of the Steam catalog, but it does have three key advantages over PC handhelds.

First, you get access to Nintendo exclusives like the Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon series. Yes, console exclusivity is frustrating, but it does give Nintendo an edge for fans of its franchises.

Secondly, and more importantly, I’ve found the Switch 2 is perfect for co-op. The Joy-Con pair you get with every console can be used together for single player, or as individual controllers for many couch co-op adventures, whether it’s a competitive brawl in Smash Ultimate, racing through Mario Kart: World, or teaming up in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. You can play co-op games on PC handhelds, but both players will need a console, making it a much pricier endeavor.

Thirdly, crucially, the Switch 2 costs a lot less but still packs a punch. It comes in at $449.99 / £395.99 / AU$699.95 and has yet to incur a price hike. That said, one is coming in a few months.

We know this because Nintendo itself has warned that the console will go up by $50 in the US on September 1, 2026. A UK and Australian price increase is yet to be formally confirmed by Nintendo, though it is likely its cost will increase there too.

So you have a little longer to decide on a Nintendo console, but when it comes to the PC handheld market, I’d act sooner rather than later if you’re desperate to nab one — or risk some serious disappointment when, not if, prices get hiked for the few remaining machines yet to see one.

• Discord has released a major update for Linux users
• Game and screen sharing has been improved with hardware-accelerated video encoding now supported via Nvidia, AMD, and Intel GPUs
• It comes as users remain frustrated about global age verification plans

Discord on Linux, particularly on the Steam Deck or SteamOS handhelds, has been plagued by functionality issues, and a new update has finally addressed them — but users aren't buying it.

As reported by TweakTown, Discord announced a new major update for Linux in a video titled the 'year of the Linux desktop', providing significant improvements to game (or screen) capturing capabilities, including smaller updates to notifications and game detection.

Notably, hardware-accelerated video encoding is now supported on Nvidia, AMD, and Intel GPUs for Discord, for better video quality without a drawback on game performance.

Discord will also capture games using Vulkan or Valve's Gamescope, and that's great news for devices like the Steam Deck or the Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS, as more system resources can be used on games, ultimately improving performance and battery life while streaming to friends.

That's all good and well in the eyes of Discord users on Linux, and it has even joined in on the year of the Linux desktop meme (essentially the hope that Linux will surpass Windows) — and sure, this update has definitely taken it a step closer to that, but it's not enough to win fans over.

Instead, the comments on the video are consistent with users stating it's the 'year of age verification', criticizing Discord for its global age verification plans, which are still slated for late 2026.

This major Linux update comes around the same time as the Discord and Xbox collaboration, which gives Nitro users access to a starter edition of Xbox Game Pass. It seems as though Discord is trying its best to soften the blow from its controversial move, but it's quite clear that users aren't willing to let the age verification issues go.

• Valve has been importing (literal) tons of "Game Consoles"
• Weights and details suggest they aren't Steam Decks
• HDMI 2.1 VRR and 4K 120Hz could be delivered via firmware update

With the new Steam Controller now shipping, attention is turning to Valve's hotly anticipated Steam Machine — and, fingers crossed, it appears to be nearing launch too. Valve has reportedly brought around 50 tons of "game consoles" into the US, at least according to import records seen by The Verge, .

Although it's possible that these imports are Steam Decks, which used the same label for their shipments, the shipping records detail different weights and patterns this time around. And that's led to speculation, or perhaps wishing, that the Steam Machine's US launch is imminent.

But if it is, you can expect them to sell out quickly unless Valve has a lot more containers coming or here already: as Notebookcheck.net calculates, 50 tons of shipments works out at about 20,000 Steam Machines.

That's not the only Steam Machine news circulating this week. It also appears that Valve's new console could come with HDMI 2.1, including full-quality 4K at 120Hz and variable refresh rate support, which was feared to be impossible.

If so, that makes it an even more serious rival to the Xbox Series X and the PS5 for playing on the best gaming TVs, because it makes the Steam Machine an even more impressive gaming platform for big 4K screens.

Will the Steam Machine have HDMI 2.1?

The Steam Machine is currently listed with a spec of HDMI 2.0 and 4K at 120Hz with a reduced color spectrum. That's because true 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 with the AMD graphics and Linux OS wasn't possible: as Valve explained late last year, the HDMI Forum had blocked open-source Linux drivers for HDMI 2.1.

Valve said that the hardware was certainly HDMI 2.1 compatible, but the software wasn't, and it was helping AMD try to "unblock things there." And according to reports on Phoronix, AMD has done just that.

AMD has released a series of Linux kernel patches that add support for HDMI Fixed Rate Link, aka FRL, a feature that's exclusive to HDMI 2.1. That's currently working on AMD GPUs on Linux systems. The next step is to develop a full implementation of HDMI 2.1 to potentially deliver 4K at 120Hz (or higher) with HDR, variable refresh rate and auto low latency mode.

There's no timeline for that full implementation, so it's unlikely that we'll see HDMI 2.1 at launch, whenever that actually turns out to be. But HDMI 2.1 is clearly possible on the Steam Machine, and that suggests it's a question not of whether Valve will support the standard, but of when that support will be delivered, so it can truly match what the consoles can do.

We're still waiting for a launch date for the Steam Machine, but hopefully it'll be announced very soon: the launch has been delayed because of memory and storage shortages, so the early 2026 launch has been pushed back. However, Valve was still hoping to launch in the first half of 2026, so we may see what's in those shipping containers very soon.

• Psyonix's Rocket League now has Easy Anti-Cheat, but still works on SteamOS
• Multiplayer online games with anti-cheat often don't work on Linux, due to a lack of support
• Psyonix's Linux support is a step in the right direction to have other developers and publishers follow suit

SteamOS is continuously growing in popularity, and it is on the verge of expanding even further with the arrival of the Steam Machine, which is why game developers and publishers must act on one major factor.

As reported by GamingOnLinux, developer Psyonix has implemented Easy Anti-Cheat in Rocket League and maintained the game's support on Linux. Notably, the game is no longer available on Steam, but can still be played on SteamOS via Epic Games, which runs using Proton.

Psyonix has followed in the same footsteps as 1047 Games, the developer of Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, which added support for Linux with its RedKard anti-cheat. Both cases are now rare occurrences that stand as a significant matter for Steam Deck and all SteamOS users on other devices.

Most of the popular AAA multiplayer online games, such as Battlefield 6, Call of Duty, and EA Sports FC 26, don't work on SteamOS, as EA and Activision have failed to make their anti-cheat system compatible with Linux.

What that means is that Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go S, Lenovo Legion Go 2, and eventually, Steam Machine users cannot play any of those games. Since the Steam Machine is clearly competing within the gaming console space, there are likely non-PC gamers who will be looking to buy the mini-PC, which will likely result in a noticeable boost in SteamOS users.

If the Steam Machine is indeed successful, there will be a huge section of gamers who can't play the most popular live-service games, so long as game developers and publishers refuse to spend time on addressing compatibility.

Fortunately, there are growing cases of support made for Linux, such as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded and Rocket League, and there may be more in the near future if consumers are vocal about incompatibility.

However, it's a tough ask, as publishers like Activision have been hellbent on preventing cheaters and are seemingly happy to sacrifice compatibility to ensure it — so gamers shouldn't hold their breath on the matter.

• Valve's new Steam Controller could be releasing before the Steam Machine
• A new public import record shows Valve has a 'wireless PC controller' shipment, with multiple packages
• An early Steam Controller launch could massively benefit PC users planning custom Steam Machine builds

Gamers are still awaiting the launch of Valve's Steam Machine, which has been delayed from an early 2026 launch as previously promised by the company. However, its most important accessory could be in gamers' hands very soon.

As reported by VideoCardz, Valve's Steam Controller could launch very soon without the Steam Machine, according to Valve insider Brad Lynch. This isn't mere speculation, as Lynch spotted a public import record showing a large batch of a 'wireless PC controller' coming from China.

The VideoCardz report highlights that Valve's shipment record, presumably of the Steam Controller, includes 40 packages weighing 12,970 kg, but it's still not exactly clear how many units are in the shipment.

What is clear from this public record is that Valve is at the very least preparing the controller's launch for consumers much earlier than the Steam Machine's eventual launch date — or, the highly anticipated console-like PC is already having bundle preparations (since the Steam Controller will come with the Steam Machine).

The Steam Machine is still slated for launch in 2026, but the memory and storage crises are as active as ever, ultimately forcing the hands of Valve and other reputable PC hardware companies to restrategize plans for product sales.

However, an early launch of the Steam Controller may be a good move as a head start, specifically for those looking to build a custom Steam Machine using either SteamOS or Bazzite (effectively a SteamOS clone).

Official SteamOS compatibility on PC hardware is also expected to be strengthened once the Steam Machine launches, and if the controller's launch truly is imminent, it will help both SteamOS and, notably, Windows users on Steam become accustomed to its double-trackpad layout.

The best-case scenario would be a surprise reveal from Valve with an official Steam Machine launch date, but with the unstable state of the PC hardware market, that's certainly wishful thinking.

• Valve's latest Steam Client references a 'Framerate Estimator'
• This feature apparently gives you a projected frame rate based on how a game runs for other Steam users
• It could go live with the launch of the Steam Machine

Valve is continuously looking at new ways to provide a better experience for Steam gamers, whether that's Windows users running the Steam client, or those on SteamOS, and a fresh discovery suggests a smart new feature is on the way.

Nothing official has been announced by Valve, but as TechSpot noticed, a post on the ResetEra forum pointed out a reference to a 'Framerate Estimator' in the latest Steam Client update.

A text string explains that you will be able to "select an app and a PC config to get a chart of estimated framerates, based on the framerates of other Steam users".

This comes a month after Valve began asking users to share frame rate data (anonymously) on the games they play (which was also highlighted on ResetEra). And that definitely makes it seem more likely that this rumored Framerate Estimator is a feature that's in the pipeline — and it's already left Reddit users rejoicing at the idea.

Comment from r/Games

Comment from r/Games

Full steam ahead

It seems as though Valve is going all-out with its Steam Machine preparation, as this will directly benefit the console-like PC. It'll help users to make an informed decision on a game's likely performance level on their hardware before committing to buy.

The same applies to the Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go S, and all other SteamOS-based handhelds (running alongside the Deck Verified check system Valve already has in place).

However, and arguably more importantly, the addition of a performance estimator will significantly help desktop PC owners, regardless of whether SteamOS or Windows is installed.

There's a massive array of different PC configurations, of course, and the Framerate Estimator would help any PC owner easily see how a game might run on their particular system.

Furthermore, those looking at buying a PC would be able to gauge the hardware components they'd require based on the games they want to play. Ultimately, that should make it easier to budget and buy the right PC for their needs, avoiding overspending (or underspending for that matter).

It's possible this new feature will be brought in for the release of the Steam Machine — and we can only hope that launch happens soon.

• Valve has released SteamOS 3.8.0 preview for initial Steam Machine support ahead of launch
• Its also introduced major fixes, like improved Discord screen share functionality in game mode
• The update indicates the Steam Machine's release date or price could be announced soon

Valve is still hard at work behind the scenes for the release of its Steam Machine, after plans were stifled via a delay due to the ongoing RAM crisis. Fortunately, a new update could be a strong indication that its launch date announcement might be closer than we expected.

Announced on Steam, Valve has released SteamOS 3.8.0 preview with 'initial support for the upcoming Steam Machine'. It comes with numerous graphics driver, performance, and stability fixes, and notably, improvements for both the Steam Deck and non-Steam Deck handhelds that use SteamOS.

Unfortunately, the RAM crisis and its impact across the PC hardware market are seemingly ever-present, and an indefinite delay has been looking more likely in recent months (and could arguably be the ideal solution), especially since the Steam Deck OLED, which uses similar memory and storage, has been affected by sudden drops in availability.

Nonetheless, the patch notes suggest the 3.8.0 preview is a 'small update', but there are a significant number of improvements that may prove to be massively beneficial to the Steam Machine's functionality from day one, once it finally launches.

One of those fixes is the long-anticipated improved support for screen sharing and casting on Discord and OBS while in SteamOS game mode. This should make Discord much easier to use for both handheld and Steam Machine users.

More importantly, these updates are indicative of a potential release date or price announcement being imminent, but that doesn't necessarily mean consumers will be able to get their hands on it anytime soon.

It's quite evident that Valve doesn't want to make a mistake by announcing a price that isn't feasible.

If Valve's Steam Machine has a higher price than what most are anticipating, it will likely be a major dealbreaker for consumers. However, a more affordable price might not be ideal for Valve, considering the unstable state of the market and prices for memory alongside storage, but please its customers.

It's a tough situation for Valve, but there's a good chance it's poised to take another step towards the Steam Machine's much-anticipated launch.

• The Lenovo Legion Go Fold is a new handheld concept from MWC
• It can unfold into an iPad-sized screen
• You can use it like a handheld or a laptop

I’ve been loving the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X PC handheld, but the screen isn’t the largest, and it doesn’t have the versatility of my Nintendo Switch 2 — so perhaps I need the newly unveiled Lenovo prototype handheld with a massive unfolding display, even if it does look a bit silly.

Showcased at MWC, the Lenovo Legion Go Fold Concept can transform between a more standard 7.7-inch display size and an 11.6-inch size in a 16:10 aspect ratio. Strapped between the controllers in handheld mode this iPad-sized screen looks absurd when in portrait orientation, but it can be turned landscape for a more sensible gaming experience (though it doesn’t look like it’d be very comfortable).

Best of all, you can remove the screen entirely. You could then use the screen as a laptop with a portable keyboard, or keep on gaming using the Joy-Con-like Lenovo controllers.

A pricey upgrade, probably

In addition to its flexible screen, this Lenovo handheld is outfitted with 32GB of RAM, an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V Lunar Lake processor, and 1TB of storage. Plus, if one extra-large display wasn’t enough, the controller has a built-in circular touchscreen that can be used to swipe through some UI elements, or provide some extra fun and utility as a clock or to play an animation.

As this is a prototype, Lenovo hasn’t outlined a price (nor a release date) for the Legion Go Fold, but if this were to launch, don’t expect it to be cheap. A regular Lenovo Legion Go 2 would set you back $1,049 / £1,000 / AU$1,609, and after you consider the premium that comes with foldable displays (just look at the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 which is around twice the price of the Samsung Galaxy S26 for an idea) it wouldn’t be absurd to see the Legion Go Fold come in at close to or over $2,000.

That’s not even speaking of the RAM crisis of it all. The ongoing component shortage and resulting price spike are causing our favorite tech to surge in price, and 32GB of RAM won’t come cheap in today’s climate.

What I’m saying is, while many concepts do eventually see the light of day, I’m not expecting Lenovo’s foldable PC handheld to launch anytime soon — if at all. I’m a foldables convert, and I adore my gaming handhelds, so this should be a slam dunk product for me, but I couldn’t conceive of dropping close to $2,000 on this thing — at that point, I could get a very solid gaming laptop instead, which seems like a way better value for money.

If you are that desperate for a larger portable screen for your handheld, a much more affordable option would be a pair of XR smart glasses from the likes of RayNeo or Xreal.

We’re tracking all the news from MWC — including more tangible upgrades that aren’t simply concepts, plus some big Apple launches — so be sure to follow us for updates.

The RAM crisis is a thorn in the side of many PC hardware manufacturers and companies, actively causing disruptions to launch schedules, pricing plans, and availability. Unfortunately, Valve knows that tale all too well, and the memory shortages and price hikes couldn't have come at a worse time for the corporation.

Valve initially slated its Steam Machine console-like PC for an early-2026 launch, but the ongoing memory crisis has forced it to delay a specific release date and pricing announcement.

The RAM crisis (or what I like to call, the RAMpocalypse) and storage shortages have both led to the Steam Deck OLED's drop in supply, as Valve announced the handheld console's stock is delayed indefinitely.

It's quite clear, then, that the PC hardware market is in disarray, which could threaten Valve's plan to launch the Steam Machine at a reasonable and affordable price — at least in a similar way to the Steam Deck's modest cost.

While the Steam Machine's launch is still slated for the first half of 2026, the impact of memory shortages across the market tells us otherwise.

Until the AI boom settles down and RAM becomes readily available again, I don't see how Valve won't disappoint fans with the Steam Machine's price, even if it's no fault of their own. However, there's one decision Valve could make to save its mini gaming PC from annihilation, even if it's a choice that likely won't sit well with consumers.

Valve has to delay the Steam Machine indefinitely

Nobody wants delays when it comes to PC hardware or software, and we've seen the negative reactions that often come as a result (a prime example being Rockstar's GTA 6). However, I fear that the safest choice Valve could make is to indefinitely delay the launch of the Steam Machine.

That won't be a straightforward decision either; there's no way to accurately predict when this RAM crisis will finally be put to bed, and an indefinite delay could mean Valve will be waiting beyond 2026 to commit to its Steam Machine launch plans.

As it stands, the AI boom is still going strong and isn't showing any signs of slowing down, as investors and companies turn their attention to data centers and all other tech involving AI.

Even if Valve launched the Steam Machine now, and it came with a surprisingly affordable price, I could see it being hit with an eventual price hike in the near future. That's supposing that the RAM crisis is still ongoing over the next few months, of course. We've seen the likes of Microsoft and Sony implement price increases on Xbox (including the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X) and PlayStation consoles, respectively, and Nintendo is rumoured to be considering a similar measure for its Switch 2 system.

Valve was unsuccessful with its previous Steam Machines, which were developed by its partners, such as Alienware. While its failure was down to multiple factors, one of the main reasons was pricing, especially considering the strong competition from popular game consoles at the time.

It would be a massive shame if history repeated itself, and I'm really hoping that the Steam Machine's potential isn't destroyed by a high price, resulting from the RAM crisis. But I'm afraid that's where matters might be heading if Valve sticks to its first half of 2026 launch plan.

The Steam Machine looks poised to bring the required competition to the game console market, and it's a chance for Valve's SteamOS to grow and push for more game compatibility on Linux. So, let's hope that the RAM crisis doesn't spoil that.

• The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X's price has increased in Japan and Australia, amid a RAM crisis
• The handheld's price appears to be gradually increasing across multiple regions
• Neither Asus nor Microsoft has confirmed why the price increases have occurred

The ongoing RAM crisis is taking the entire PC hardware market by storm, with prices skyrocketing and manufacturers forced to rethink their launch strategies, notably Valve and its Steam Machine — and we may already be looking at the next victim.

As reported by PC Gamer, the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X's price in Australia has increased by AU$200, from its original AU$1,599 ($999 / £799) retail price, to AU$1,799. This is very similar to the recent price increase in Japan by 30,000 yen, which places the handheld's price at 169,800 yen for consumers.

Neither Microsoft nor Asus has confirmed why these price increases have occurred, but it's worth noting that the lower-tier ROG Xbox Ally is still at its original price in both Australia and Japan, which features 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage space.

Meanwhile, the Ally X features 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, and based on those specs, we can infer that the reason for the price hike in both regions is likely due to the memory and storage shortages.

Valve is the latest to be impacted by the shortages, with the Steam Deck OLED now out of stock intermittently in multiple regions. We've also seen that Sony is reportedly delaying the launch of the PS6 to 2029, while Nintendo is considering a Switch 2 price increase, all of which are a result of the RAM crisis.

It's not a coincidence then that the ROG Xbox Ally X's price has suddenly increased in Australia and Japan in the same week, particularly for the model using more RAM and storage. Those higher-tier components will naturally be more sought after by both consumers and AI data centers, and are more costly for manufacturers to produce due to the shortages in the PC hardware market.

Unfortunately, that spells potential bad news for other regions outside of Japan and Australia.

Price hikes in other regions beckons

PC hardware has seen price hikes across the board since the start of 2026, and the impact from the memory and storage shortages seems to be hitting multiple regions at a breakneck pace, with no signs of stopping.

I'm willing to bet that other regions are next in line for price hikes on the ROG Xbox Ally X, and these issues may very well last throughout 2026, as the AI bubble (which is why RAM kits are so expensive now) continues to grow.

The RAM crisis also has the potential to encourage scalpers, particularly with upcoming and current systems like the Steam Machine or the Steam Deck OLED, respectively, as the latter is still in stock in the UK and other regions. The crisis is a messy situation for all companies, manufacturers, and consumers, which appears to be getting worse each day with new reports of halts in production, unprecedented price hikes, and shortages.

The sooner the AI bubble bursts and shortages aren't as prevalent, the more stable the market will become — but judging by the current state of affairs, that's not happening any time soon.

• Valve has confirmed the Steam Deck OLED's stock woes are indeed due to the RAM crisis
• The Steam Deck OLED is out of stock intermittently in some regions
• The Steam Machine may be in danger of another delay, an unaffordable price point, or low availability at launch

Valve is currently working on its upcoming Steam Machine device, which is a hybrid gaming PC and console and slated for early 2026, but many of us have been concerned that the memory crisis could scupper those launch plans. Unfortunately, a recent development regarding the Steam Deck confirms our suspicions.

On the Steam Deck store page, Valve has admitted that the Steam Deck OLED is out of stock intermittently in some regions, "due to memory and storage shortages", as we previously predicted. Both the 512GB and 1TB OLED models are currently out of stock in some regions, specifically the US, with the LCD model having been discontinued a while back.

While the RAM crisis being the driving force behind stock woes isn't a huge surprise, it's potentially bad news for Valve's future hardware plans, especially as it could force the company to also discontinue the Steam Deck OLED, without having a Steam Deck 2 in the works.

More worryingly, though, it places the upcoming Steam Machine in danger of another delay, an unaffordable price point, or low availability. The console-like mini PC has already faced some scrutiny due to its 8GB VRAM GPU, which is arguably insufficient for modern gaming.

With the current memory and storage shortages, Valve likely won't be able to replicate selling at a loss like it did with the Steam Deck.

Valve is damned either way

If Valve decides to launch the Steam Machine at a high price (I now expect it to be at least $1,000), it's not going to sit well with most consumers. However, if Valve still manages to keep prices within a reasonable range — or in other words, sell the Steam Machine at a loss — the financial strain may be more damaging to the company than ever, due to the unstable PC hardware market.

It leaves Valve in a position where an indefinite delay of the Steam Machine may be the best option; to avoid the RAM crisis from impacting its retail price, but all signs suggest the memory shortage isn't slowing down, or rather, it's only just getting started.

However, the intermittent stock supply of the Steam Deck OLED actually hints at Valve temporarily halting the handheld's production and prioritising its inventory for the Steam Machine, particularly in the storage capacity department.

This is the worst time for Valve to launch the Steam Machine, especially since the Steam Frame is also slated for an early 2026 launch. Valve has earned its reputation as a consumer-friendly company, and I doubt that unaffordable pricing for the Steam Machine will completely change that.

However, I'm certain it will rub some consumers the wrong way, and the RAM crisis could once again cause pain for PC gamers looking forward to new tech.

• Valve's Steam Deck OLED is out of stock in the US, and reportedly in some regions in Asia
• The RAM crisis appears to be the culprit, as Valve is likely facing memory and storage shortages
• Valve is yet to officially confirm why its OLED handheld is out of stock

As Valve continues to prepare for its upcoming Steam Machine 'console-style' PC and the Steam Frame VR headset, concerns about pricing and availability are growing – and a recent development may not do much to ease fears.

Valve's Steam Deck OLED is currently out of stock in the US, and apparently in Japan too, as reported by Tom's Hardware. This includes the LCD model that was discontinued in December 2025 (for US consumers), and is on the verge of leaving the market in all regions once stock finally runs out.

While Valve hasn't confirmed why stock for the Steam Deck OLED has suddenly dried up, we can infer that the ongoing RAM crisis may be the culprit – or at the very least, that it's having a significant impact on the matter.

There's a significant memory shortage for many PC manufacturers, ultimately driving up the cost of production for devices like the Steam Deck OLED, as demand for RAM has skyrocketed due to the rapid expansion of AI data centers.

It's also worth noting that stock in the US for the Steam Deck OLED was stable in the latter half of 2025 and earlier in January this year, until a sudden major drop in February. The sudden shift to no stock is a telltale sign that the RAM crisis has either forced Valve to reconsider pricing for the OLED models or push for a bigger production focus on the Steam Machine – or worse, an early sign of the Steam Deck OLED's discontinuation.

While Valve hasn't directly commented on the Steam Deck stock issues yet, the RAM crisis is confirmed to be a direct cause of the Steam Machine's recent delay, as Valve is taking its time to consider pricing and availability, citing 'memory and storage shortages' (no surprise there).

It's not a reach, then, to suggest that Valve's beloved handheld could be facing the same issues right now, especially since the PC hardware market is in such an unstable state. We've seen the likes of Microsoft and Sony forced to increase prices for the Xbox Series X | S and PS5 consoles, respectively, but this was seemingly for different reasons (including the recent US tariffs imposed by Donald Trump), as Sony recently stated that it has 'secured stock' of PS5 units and won't be raising the price due to RAM shortages... not yet, anyway.

With the Steam Machine's release still slated for early 2026, Valve should be sharing updates soon on pricing and availability, which should finally address consumers' concerns about affordability. However, the Steam Deck OLED's lifespan on the market might finally be in question, especially if this memory shortage continues.

• A new Decky Loader plugin for SteamOS has made it easier to play and install non-Steam games
• It allows for syncing multiple game libraries on SteamOS without needing to use other third-party launchers
• It's available for download now via GitHub

SteamOS users are likely well aware that playing games from other launchers like Epic Games involves tinkering, and that can be cumbersome. Game libraries can only be accessed after starting those launchers, and there are plenty of issues you might run into when attempting to install them.

That's why community-made tools like Decky Loader are very handy, which I've previously covered when it helped improve access to frame generation for games. Now there's a new plugin in town known as Unifideck and made by mubaraknuman, which is available on GitHub.

I've used it on my Lenovo Legion Go S handheld gaming PC, and it's nothing short of brilliant. Put simply, Unifideck removes the need to install other game launchers outside of Steam, and instead takes your game libraries from those third-party launchers, placing them in your Steam library within separate categories.

It has the easiest setup process compared to any of the previous auto-installers for game launchers that came early on in the Steam Deck's lifecycle.

As you would install any other Decky Loader plugin (before it's available on the main store), you simply download the Unifideck ZIP file from GitHub, go back into SteamOS game mode, ensure developer mode is enabled in Decky Loader's settings, and install the plugin from the ZIP file.

Currently, Unifideck only allows you to add your GOG, Epic Games, and Amazon Games libraries, but that's still a major benefit, especially when it comes to avoiding the much complained about Epic launcher.

That said, Unifideck has still got a way to go: download speeds are noticeably slower compared to downloads on Steam itself, and it's missing Battle.net and Rockstar Games Launcher, but I'd imagine those implementations will take a little more work.

However, it's a great start, and there isn't much to complain about. Unifideck makes not only handheld gaming so much easier, but it'll be ideal for any system running SteamOS – and in that respect, it's arrived at the perfect time.

Analysis: the Steam Machine may benefit from this massively

Valve's Steam Machine is on the horizon, set for launch in early 2026, and while the majority of the discourse surrounding the console-like PC is about its potential price tag, Decky Loader's Unifideck plugin is one of the many advantages that await Steam Machine buyers.

Unifideck will allow gamers moving over from consoles to PC to utilize more than just the Steam library, with access to GOG, Epic Games, Amazon Games, and potentially even more by the time the system launches.

And for current PC owners using Microsoft's Windows 11, having all game libraries easily accessible in one place will keep gaming experiences streamlined without the need to mess around using other launchers.

Really, the only major downside that remains for the Steam Machine is the lack of support for games using kernel-level anti-cheat on SteamOS. However, the hope is that the Steam Machine will encourage game developers to consider making these anti-cheat tools compatible with Linux. If that happens, SteamOS will take another significant step forward in terms of its potential to grab defectors from Windows 11.

Towards the end of last year, Deus Ex Remastered got delayed, with no new release date offered and refunds for preorders issued. Developer and remaster specialist Aspyr noted that it had taken on board negative feedback about the remastered graphics, and noted that the game would not be released on February 5, 2026.

Now, given I still consider the original Deus Ex a masterpiece and one of my favourite games of all time, this was a bit of disappointment. I’d rather like to play the game again, but with a coating of modern graphical paint and some quality-of-life updates.

But screenshots and video from Aspyr’s remaster didn't showcase a slick rework of developer Ion Storm’s 2000 original game, but rather something that looked like it was from the mid-2000s, with visuals that would look at home on an original Xbox or the early days of the Xbox 360, rather than for modern hardware in the year 2026.

I’m sure that taking a 26-year-old game and remastering it is no easy feat. But reworking textures that look out of place and in keeping with the dark and stark look of Deus Ex’s original graphics isn’t the way to do it. I’d rather see the game remade in the Unreal 5 engine or the Dawn Engine Deus Ex: Mankind Divided used; getting access to the latter might be a bit of a pipedream given its under the ownership of Square Enix.

But the negative reaction to Deus Ex Remastered, and Aspy’s arguably wobbly record when it comes to remastering games, got me thinking: Do we actually need a remaster of Deus Ex?

Art and ambition over graphics

Even when it launched, Deus Ex was hardly a good-looking game; textures were blocky, and the game was rather dark in a lot of places. But this was part of the art style of the game that was capturing the conspiracy theories vibe of the late 90s and early 2000s, with a sprinkle of Matrix-esque and cyberpunk feel.

Moreover, a lack of cutting-edge fidelity for the time meant that Deus Ex didn't demand very powerful hardware and could have large, expansive maps and hub areas to explore. Even playing it years later, I’d uncovered a secret place, with some solid story implications, that I’d missed the first time around.

And by not prioritising graphical flair, Deus Ex had the mass of immersive sim elements and systems that could be manipulated and exploited to get around all manner of obstacles. The amount of variation and immersion here outpaces many more modern immersive sims.

So part of me thinks that to experience Deus Ex properly, one should play it in as much of its original guise as possible. The Game of the Year Edition makes the most sense, as that has support for modern controllers – though I advocate for playing Deus Ex on mouse and keyboard – and should run on a lot of hardware.

Heck, I managed to get it running reasonably well on my Steam Deck, though there’s a need to use the trackpads to handle some of the mouse cursor bits.

For people who might want early Xbox-era graphics, there's Deus Ex: Invisible War; it’s a lot more streamlined than its predecessor, but I still think it has plenty of systems to exploit and is perhaps more underappreciated than it deserves.

More fidelity, and a simply amazing art style in my opinion, can be had with Deus Ex: Human Revolution. It’s a prequel to Deus Ex but captures a lot of the game’s essence, with some neat systems.

Then Mankind Divided builds upon that, especially with a great hub area in the form of near-future Prague. Mankind Divided ended somewhat abruptly, which didn’t win it masses of fans. But its areas felt more like playgrounds of opportunity with a myriad of routes to take and systems to explore, whereas Human Revolution felt occasionally like you could only take a couple of different routes through a mission.

So with that all in mind, I don’t really think we need Deus Ex Remastered, but rather a brand-new Deus Ex game, one that builds on the story of the prequel or explores an alternate sequel to the direction Invisible War took.

Those are my musings; were you looking forward to Deus Ex Remastered, or would you rather have a different Deus Ex game? Let me know in the comments below.

Valve's Steam Machine is poised for an early 2026 launch following its November 2025 reveal, and questions have lingered regarding its potential pricing. However, a recent discovery might give us an idea of what to expect.

A Czech retailer's pricing for the Steam Machine has surfaced online, suggesting $950 for the 512GB model, and $1,070 for the 2TB model, spotted on Reddit (by a user going by the name of Pajman64).

It's important to note that these purported third-party prices are based on conversions made from Czech Koruna (Czech currency) to US dollars before tax, so if legitimate, it likely won't be the exact pricing once the mini-gaming PC is available.

Perhaps a more important aspect here, though, is that Valve is likely going to be the only seller of the Steam Machine, as it was for the Steam Deck, which is only available via third parties at much higher prices.

This means that these rumored prices for the Steam Machine are either placeholders that won't have anything to do with the final price (as it's an external retailer) or they're slightly higher than what Valve has planned for the console-like PC, since external retailers often charge more than buying direct from Valve.

That may be enough to provide hope that the Steam Machine won't be as costly as most were expecting; slightly lower pricing than the rumored $950 and $1,070 would place it around the same ballpark as the PS5 Pro, which many (including me) may see as a big win.

However, we can't forget that there's a major ongoing RAM crisis impacting the PC gaming market, which has seen pricing for RAM kits (and even GPUs) skyrocket, and I'd be shocked if this didn't have a significant impact on the Steam Machine's price.

Fortunately, Valve has been generous with pricing in the past, specifically with the Steam Deck, by selling at a loss. While I'm sure that would have been possible with the Steam Machine before, this RAM problem has likely changed the entire plan for Valve, and I suspect that's why the company has been so quiet on pricing so far.

Frankly, the rumored pricing would be a big surprise (though a welcome one), as I expected it to cost over $1,070 just for the 512GB model alone.

I'm still very concerned about pricing

The current RAM crisis couldn't have arrived at a worse time, as this is Valve's second attempt at introducing PC gaming to the console space, and it may very well be marred due to the AI bubble, resulting in a higher demand for memory.

Only 8GB of VRAM will be available on the Steam Machine, which has already been a point of contention among consumers. With my recent MSI Katana 15HX B14W gaming laptop test, I can say that those concerns aren't unwarranted, as 8GB isn't obsolete yet, but is very much in danger of being so as the system requirements demanded from modern games increase.

Unfortunately, there are also no USB 4 or Thunderbolt ports on the Steam Machine, so there's no room to use an eGPU for more GPU horsepower. All of these factors may end up being major blunders if the Steam Machine's price is out of whack, and I'm already bracing myself for that to be the case.

I'm actively hoping that the rumored Czech retailer prices have some legitimacy to them, because it would likely mean Valve's official pricing will be cheaper, but I'm not afraid to admit that that's wishful thinking.

Of all the older games getting a reboot, refresh or remaster lately, I didn’t have 2009’s Plants vs. Zombies on my bingo card or wish list. In its original form, it’s a fantastic puzzle-meets tower defence game, where sentient and weaponized plants are used to protect an unseen dweller (the player) of a simple suburban house against an expanding variety of zombies.

With cartoon-like visuals and a simple presentation, there wasn’t much more I wanted out of the original PvZ. It also works very well in mobile form on both Android and iPhone.

But along came Plants vs Zombies: Replanted anyway, and I simply had to give it a go to see if it has stood the test of time, albeit with a lick of paint.

Starting with those visuals, from what I can see support for higher resolutions and HD textures do make this version of PvZ look cleaner and sleeker that the 2009 one. But that arguably comes at the cost of a little charm and art direction, with the bold lines and shadows that helped lower-res assets stand out, somewhat flattened and dulled with an HD sheen. This gives the impression of the graphics looking both more and less refined in certain cases, with mild inconsistencies between the seed packets of plants and how they appear when planted.

This extends a little into the menus too, which seem to mix elements from different versions of the game over the years. In general this is fine but they occasionally felt like something was off with them, perhaps throwing too much into the mix compared to the purity of the original PC version.

A lack of precise refinement might be a bit of a theme here, as various bugs and glitches initially popped up around the release of Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted. Not many stood out to me other than the odd placement of an asset or two (see the screenshot above), but subsequent patches seem to have paved over a suite of these issues; obviously not ideal, but at least PopCap is taking action.

Art style choices aside, in motion PvZ: Replanted looks fantastic in my eyes. The way the ‘peashooters’ – a cute sentient pea plant that fires, you guessed it, peas – bop to the game’s fun, light and a little jingly music still brings a smile to my face. As does the huge creativity of all the other plants at the player’s disposal.

Unlocked as you advance through the game's levels, which take place on from the front and back lawns, and escalate from there, these plants vary from offensive, defensive, support and augmenting variants. All have a unique design that shows off the creative and left-field ideas that smaller developers had a bounty of, and the scope to explore, in the noughties.

The same applies to the zombies, which start off with that classic Shaun of the Dead shambling style and evolve into all sorts of fun, and challenging, variants. Developer PopCap’s sense of humour extends from just the design to a virtual almanac that describes the plants and the zombies, along either their individual personalities, in a very wry and quirky way.

Tower defence with brains

All this means Plants vs. Zombies is a lot of fun today. Not only is the idea of beating back a zombie invasion of a lawn or back yard amusing, it’s rather in-depth too.

Having played PvZ on multiple platforms I’m well-versed at forming established patterns of vegetable, spore, or fruit throwing plants, supported by defensive walls of nut plants, and paid for by carefully laid out grids of sunflowers – sunlight is the main currency of PvZ battles, and needed to fund the deployment of your selected plants.

So far this is all very much the same as the original. And maybe to a fault, as there are the occasional difficulty spikes amid a normally very balanced progression, which I recall being present in the original game.

As an experienced PvZ-er, I’m not against these, and I do enjoy some of the levels that change up how you tackle your defence, such as being given random plants on a conveyor belt rather than pre-selecting them. This injects a dose of chaos, but can fall foul of randomization not landing in one’s favour.

Small changes, like being able to speed up the game’s action can up the challenge, and help speed past the odd slow section where you’re left waiting a wave of zombies but have already got your core defensive lines and sunlight economy sorted. Equally, the light and fun music and just general pleasant vibe of Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is so nice, I never felt like I wanted to hurry through it.

The meat – or should that be marrow – of Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted lies in how it’s combined all of the content from other versions of PvZ into one. There’s the co-op and versus multiplayer modes of console versions, the option to maintain a plant garden that came with the original, and all manner of mini games.

The latter shine, with one offering bigger sums of sunlight falling from the sky, which means a turbocharged economy and thus a lot more scope to mix up your defences with a host of plants that might be too expensive to use in volume in the standard game mode.

Another mode introduces cloud cover that can reduce the output of your sunflowers or put them to sleep, meaning you need to economise for such eventualities or make use of plants that aren’t directly reliant on sunlight to produce sun. It’s a fun mode that offers a nice challenge for PvZ veterans.

All these modes and mini games will keep your attention well after the main adventure part is completed. Some are better than others, but all are worth a quick spin and make Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted a great game to dip into, especially as it even works reasonably well on a Steam Deck.

I still reckon the core adventure mode remains the true highlight, with its charm, style, creativity and well-paced progression on enemies and plant powers.

Part of me wishes PopCap hadn’t played it so safe with a few more fresh nuances to the adventure to really pull back players well-versed in Peashooter placement, even if that extended to refining the visuals that little bit more.

Nevertheless, I think Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is easily the definitive version of a left-field game that I’ve sunk plenty of time into. And even putting aside nostalgia, it’s a fantastic puzzle and tower defence game that’s so very much worth your time today.

Should you play Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility

There’s no dedicated accessibility menu in Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted, but you can tweak a few settings like lowering the game’s speed to half speed and opting for a high contrast viewing mode.

As the game is available on multiple platforms, you have the option to play on the platform that most suits you, with PC and mouse control being the one I’d recommend.

How I reviewed Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted

I played some five hours of Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted, getting through most of the adventure mode, which I’ve already finished in previous versions of PvZ, and trying out various mini-games.

I’ve not flirted with the multiplayer options, but they follow the form of previous console releases. I played PvZ: Replanted on my Steam Deck and on my desktop gaming PC, and over that time the game received several updates, which appeared to squash some bugs and refined the remaster. As such, my review covers what I’d consider to be the most complete version of the game.

First reviewed December 2025

Cyber Monday is over, which means most PC hardware deals are gone (likely until Boxing Day), but it's not the same story for some handheld gaming PCs.

Unfortunately, the Steam Deck 256GB sale has ended, alongside the Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme and its Z2 Go counterpart in the US.

However, the MSI Claw A1M Intel Core 135H is still on Best Buy for $564.99, while the Intel Core 135H is also available for just $389.99, so there's room to land stellar deals if you're looking to make an immediate move.

UK folks are also in luck, because both the Lenovo Legion Go S and MSI Claw A1M and 7 AI+ sales are still alive and well on Very UK.

At just $599, the MSI Claw 7 AI+ deal is the one to highlight, offering the best gaming performance out of all other handhelds on the sale list.

Handheld gaming PC Cyber Monday deals – US quick links

• MSI Claw A1M Intel Core 155H: was $749.99 now $564.99 at Best Buy
• MSI Claw A1M Intel Core 135H: was $649.99 now $389.99 at Best Buy

Today's best handheld gaming PC Cyber Monday deals in the US

Handheld gaming PC Cyber Monday deals - UK quick links

• Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme: was £699 now £599 at Very
• Lenovo Legion Go S Z2 Go: was £459 now £449 at Very
• MSI Claw 7 AI+ Intel Core 258V: was £799 now £599 at Very
• MSI Claw 7 AI+ Intel Core 258V bundle: was £879 now £719 at Very

Today's best handheld gaming PC Cyber Monday deals in the UK

It's a shame that the Steam Deck sale has ended, but both the Lenovo Legion Go S and MSI Claw handhelds (especially the MSI Claw 7 AI+) are better offerings at their sale prices over Valve's handheld.

You'll be getting much higher resolution displays and more powerful, some of which already have official SteamOS licenses, and others that can utilize Bazzite (a SteamOS clone).

It may very well be your last chance at landing any sweet deals in time for Christmas, so it's now or never.

More Cyber Monday deals in the US

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $119
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
• Lowe's: up to 30% off appliances, holiday decor & tools
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off appliances, TVs & phones
• Target: 40% off Christmas decor, clothing & furniture
• T-Mobile: up to $1,100 off latest iPhone 17
• Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
• Wayfair: 54% off Christmas, furniture & decor

More Cyber Monday deals in the UK

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Boots: save on 1,000s of beauty products
• Currys: deals on Ninja, Shark & Lenovo
• Dell: laptops from £279
• Dyson: up to £550 off vacuums
• EE: Switch 2 bundles from £20/month
• John Lewis: up to 50% off tech & fashion
• Lego: sets & accessories from £2.99
• Samsung: deals on appliances & phones
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion

It wouldn't be a normal Black Friday without any major deals on handheld gaming PCs, and two of my favorites happen to be in the mix of alluring deals. The Steam Deck LCD 256GB is now available for just $319.20 / £279.20 (previously $399 / £349), thanks to another generous 20% discount from Valve, saving you $79.80 / £69.80.

It doesn't stop there, though: the Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme is available for just $649.99 (previously $899.99) on Best Buy, with a significant $250 price drop.

Shop Best Buy's Black Friday sale

While the Steam Deck LCD 256GB may seem like a dated handheld at this point, among the more powerful and recent devices, it arguably remains the best handheld gaming device in terms of value, with an affordable $399 price. This makes it a no-brainer, with an approachable price point for a capable gaming system that you might otherwise not see in the current turbulent PC market.

The same sentiment applies to the Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme, my personal favorite handheld, which delivers a great SteamOS experience and fantastic ergonomics. Tariffs and constant market changes have led to its price increase, but with this $250 price drop, it's such an easy recommendation.

(Not in the US or UK? See today's best deals in your region below)

Today's best Steam Deck & Lenovo Legion Go S Black Friday deals in the US

Today's best Steam Deck & Lenovo Legion Go S Black Friday deals in the UK

I won't sugarcoat it; my recommendation out of all choices here is definitely the Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS Z1 Extreme, as this is going to provide you with the best performance among all of the options I've listed.

Since it's currently only on sale in the US, I'd advise UK folks to opt for the Steam Deck LCD 256GB. While it's certainly not as powerful as Ryzen Z1 Extreme handhelds, it's still worthwhile at such a low price, and is more than capable of playing popular games like Cyberpunk 2077 when adjusting graphics settings.

That's not to say that the Z2 Go model of the Legion Go S isn't good, but I'd argue its price needs to drop slightly lower to tango with its rivals.

Shop more of today's best Black Friday sales

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Boots: save on 1,000s of beauty products
• Currys: deals on Ninja, Shark & Lenovo
• Dell: laptops from £279
• Dyson: up to £550 off vacuums
• EE: Switch 2 bundles from £20/month
• John Lewis: up to 50% off tech & fashion
• Lego: sets & accessories from £2.99
• Samsung: deals on appliances & phones
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion

• Steam's first-ever Black Friday sale is now live until December 1
• Players can save on some of the biggest and best games thanks to storefront-wide discounts
• The Steam Deck 256GB LCD is also on sale

Valve has launched its first-ever Black Friday Steam sale, offering discounts on thousands of games from now until December 1.

While Steam typically has holiday and event sales throughout the year, including its annual Winter Sale every December, Valve has decided to start the celebrations earlier with a Black Friday sale for the first time in its long-running history.

From indies to shooters, to action-adventure and story games, there are plenty to choose from, including some of this year's biggest hits, like Battlefield 6, which is now 15% off from $70 to $59.49 (AU$109.95 to AU$93.45), and The Game Awards 2025 indie nominee Blue Prince, which has a 34% discount and is down from $29.99 to $19.79 (AU$43.95 to AU$29).

Both Silent Hill 2 and Doom: The Dark Ages are now 50% off, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is 30% off, and even Silent Hill f, one of the best horror games of the year, is 20% off from $69.99 to $55.99 (AU$116.95 to AU$93.56).

If you've been biding your time for the right moment, the Steam Deck 256GB LCD edition is also 20% this Black Friday, bringing one of the best gaming handhelds down from $399 to $319.20 / £349 to £279.20 / AU$649 to AU$519.20.

Valve isn't offering pre-order discounts for its recently announced Steam Machine, its new controller, or its VR Steam Frame, which are all set to launch in 2026, but fingers crossed for next Black Friday.

For more offers, stay up to date with TechRadar's best Black Friday deals guide, which includes everything from laptops, TVs, headphones, PS5 consoles, games, and more.

Valve has sent waves of excitement across the gaming world with the unveiling of its new mini gaming PC, the Steam Machine, which runs SteamOS and surprised gamers across both the PC and console ecosystems. Valve seems intent on providing a console gaming experience while maintaining a large slice of its PC gaming identity.

With hardware that may just about challenge both the PS5 and Xbox Series X, we're looking at a potential serious contender within the console gaming market space. While the Steam Machine isn't an outright gaming console, it's essentially placed within a hybrid PC console space, which (on paper, according to specifications) looks like it could get close to the Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo consoles.

For now, though, that's not the focus. For current PC gamers, the Steam Machine has the potential to introduce many solutions to gaming on SteamOS, and a variety of them are improvements we're actively seeing (specifically for handhelds).

However, two potential huge impacts stand out that the Steam Machine could have on PC gamers on Linux – whether that be those currently using the Fedora-based Linux distro, Bazzite, or any other SteamOS clone, with the hopes of moving away from Microsoft's Windows 11 for good.

The Steam Machine could force better anti-cheat support for Linux

I've covered this topic before, with very little hope that any changes would come from it; publishers such as EA and Activision are seemingly very stubborn with their anti-cheat systems. While the aim is to eliminate cheaters in multiplayer games, anti-cheat is already frowned upon since it doesn't completely work, and poses some potential security vulnerabilities.

Perhaps the bigger issue, though, is that these anti-cheat systems are not designed to work on Linux, as they require kernel access that can easily be bypassed there, meaning SteamOS gamers miss out on big titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6.

These games can run on SteamOS, but until publishers and developers decide to alter their anti-cheat systems to work on Linux, nothing can be done to solve it.

That's exactly where the Steam Machine is a big player; if this new hybrid gaming PC console can manage to perform well in the gaming market, and make the likes of Sony and Microsoft sweat a little, then it increases the chances of EA, Activision, and many other game developers and publishers having their hands forced to make their anti-cheat run on Linux.

It's been done already with games like Splitgate 2, where the developer updated its anti-cheat system to work on SteamOS using Proton. This is arguably the biggest reason why gamers like me are reluctant to move away from Windows 11 – and once that changes, so will my main operating system.

Valve may consider full SteamOS desktop PC support

While I absolutely love SteamOS and what it has to offer for handheld gaming PCs, there's not so much luck when it comes to desktop gaming PCs.

Valve currently doesn't offer official SteamOS support for desktop PCs, and yes, Bazzite exists exactly for this – however, that's still in beta with major caveats for Nvidia GPU users, and official SteamOS support from Valve itself is more reliable than an unofficial alternative.

I'm not suggesting Bazzite is bad, far from it, but Valve's support could open the door for the likes of the Epic Games Launcher or Rockstar Games Launcher coming to the OS with official versions. Game launchers might be a far fetch, but what isn't is a better Discord version for Linux that can be used in SteamOS game mode, without streaming issues or random crashes.

With the Steam Machine, that potential reality is made possible, as this is essentially the first time Valve has created a mini PC (outside of the Steam Deck) that is using the latest and arguably the best version of SteamOS.

It wouldn't be a surprise, then, if we saw an official announcement where support is offered for a wider range of PC setups, especially since this is already the case with the Lenovo Legion Go S handheld.

Ultimately, these factors would put the final nail in the coffin for me with Windows 11, making gaming on PC much easier and simpler, without the frustrations of highly frequent bugs or bloatware.

• Valve's new gaming Steam Machine is slated for launch in spring 2026, but prices have not been announced yet
• Specifications highlight major differences between the new system and the Steam Deck
• The Steam Machine's processor and its specs suggest it could challenge current-gen consoles

It's been literal years since rumors began about Valve's plans for new hardware after the Steam Deck's launch in 2022, with whispers growing about a system that acts as a hybrid gaming PC and console setup. And now we finally have our answer: the new Steam Machine slated for launch in spring 2026. However, one of the main questions is, how does this compare to the Steam Deck?

As per the specification sheet, the Steam Machine (not to be confused with the discontinued series that started in 2014) is "over six times more powerful than the Steam Deck", thanks to a new processor and GPU that are capable of performance that's set to exceed anything the handheld can deliver.

Fundamentally, the Steam Machine isn't a handheld, so while a comparison between the two systems may not seem natural, it's the first system to follow after the Steam Deck OLED while running SteamOS, and one that could potentially indicate what lies ahead for a handheld successor in the future.

It's worth noting that the specifications may very well change ahead of its eventual launch. But for now, let's discuss the key differences between the Steam Deck and the new Steam Machine...

1. Steam Machine has a significantly stronger CPU and GPU

The Steam Deck LCD and Steam Deck OLED have never been considered powerhouse handheld gaming devices, but have managed to stay within the charts among the best handheld consoles – where some might even say they're the best, thanks to their affordability and ease-of-use.

Valve is not kidding when it says the Steam Machine is over six times more powerful than the Steam Deck; both LCD and OLED models use a Zen 2 4-core CPU and RDNA 2 GPU with only eight compute units (CPU and GPU are combined on the APU).

With the Steam Machine, Valve is aiming for much more power, using an AMD 6-core Zen 4 CPU, and a 'semi-custom' AMD RDNA 3 GPU, with 28 compute units. Not only is there a major step up in architecture from Zen 2 to Zen 4, resulting in faster clock speeds, but the Steam Machine has 20 more compute units, closer to what can be found in the PS5 (36 compute units) or even a low-end Nvidia RTX GPU.

While those specifications aren't the be-all and end-all, it's enough to place the Steam Machine and the Steam Deck far apart from each other in terms of power and performance, as you would expect for a PC built for desktop and couch setups.

2. Steam Machine has ray tracing support and 4K gaming at 60fps

While the Steam Deck can play some games with ray tracing settings enabled (or at a 4K resolution while maintaining decent frame rates), there aren't many games where that would be possible without running into single-digit frame rates or having to use aggressive upscaling.

The Steam Machine seems set on changing that, with its spec sheet explicitly mentioning ray tracing support, and 4K gaming at 60fps using AMD's FSR upscaling method.

For now, this should be FSR 3, since AMD hasn't yet backported FSR 4 to RDNA 3 hardware, but that may change by the time the Steam Machine launches (especially since FSR 4's source code was accidentally leaked).

With ray tracing and 4K gaming at its forefront, this places it well beyond the Steam Deck's reach yet again.

3. Steam Machine has more RAM for system and games

While the Steam Deck has 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, the maximum that can be used for the games (or more specifically, the GPU) is 4GB.

With the Steam Machine, the specifications indicate that 16GB of DDR5 RAM will be available as general system RAM, while 8GB of GDDR6 seems set as RAM allocated for gaming.

This should generally improve performance alongside the upgraded processor and GPU, and give it more headroom for sustained frame rates by reducing stuttering issues – and this is what helps the Steam Deck when increased to 4GB from its 1GB default.

4. The Steam Machine's connectivity highlights a hybrid PC and home console nature

If it wasn't clear enough already, the Steam Machine is a departure from the Steam Deck's handheld nature, where a couch or desktop gaming setup is the way to go. The Steam Deck could be docked and used on a gaming monitor or TV, but that came with the handicap of losing performance at higher resolutions than 800p.

With the Steam Machine, Valve has clearly designed this to be a designated home console that can either be used on a gaming monitor or TV, with two display output ports via DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0, and others such as 4x USB-A ports, and 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port.

There is no sign of HDMI 2.1, but HDMI 2.0 (with chroma subsampling) still allows for 4K 120Hz gaming. DisplayPort 1.4 also supports 4K 240Hz, a huge boost for any gamers on monitor setups.

There is still plenty more information to come, as there is no word on pricing yet, and the question remains whether Valve's new gaming system will replicate the Steam Deck's affordable price template.

• The once Sunday Dragon 3D One prototype handheld is now launching mid-November as the abxylute 3D One
• The company claims it will be the 'world's first' glasses-free 3D handheld gaming PC
• Its retail price will be $1,799, costing nearly as much as GPD Win 5, which is the most powerful handheld gaming PC

The handheld gaming PC market is seeing new additions in quick succession, with the recent launch of the Lenovo Legion Go 2 and the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally devices – and this new, ambitious one might just be the most ludicrous yet.

As reported by Notebookcheck, the abxylute 3D One handheld is launching on Kickstarter (a crowdfunding platform), with an estimated November 13 release date. Retail pricing is $1,799, while early-bird pricing is $1,499 for a limited time.

The abxylute 3D One handheld has a 10.95-inch screen, possibly the biggest handheld gaming PC screen we've seen yet, with a 2560x1600 display resolution, using Intel's impressive Lunar Lake Core Ultra 7 258V (also found in the MSI Claw 8 AI+) – and abxylute also claims this is the 'world's first' glasses-free 3D PC handheld.

This device might ring a bell if you tuned into CES 2025 coverage, as there was a handheld called the Sunday Dragon 3D One in its prototype phase from Tencent – and there was a chance that it wouldn't have even seen the light of day, but here we are, with the abxylute 3D One based on the concept.

It certainly isn't the world's first glasses-free 3D handheld gaming device, given the Nintendo 3DS. Still, it can technically be the world's first glasses-free 3D handheld gaming PC if it launches before the DigiEra HoloMax laptop-handheld hybrid PC, which appears possible, as the latter hasn't launched yet.

If it wasn't obvious already, I think this is quite ludicrous, just as I first thought when the prototype was revealed earlier this January, alongside the Acer Nitro Blaze 11 (priced at $1,099). Both of these handhelds have a ridiculously oversized 11-inch screen, which disregards any idea of portability (mind you, that's one of the most important aspects of a handheld), but what makes the abxylute 3D One arguably the worst offender is the $1,799 retail price.

There's already plenty of criticism from consumers (and me) about handheld prices, and this manages to cost almost as much as the most powerful handheld on the market, the GPD Win 5 (using AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395), without meeting the same performance capabilities.

Many may feel that the glasses-free 3D capability isn't warranted, and especially not the 11-inch display size, which pushes a handheld into the territory of a gaming laptop. It's another clear reminder of why Valve's Steam Deck has been so successful, sticking to affordability, with a reasonable display size, and a processor that does more than enough for handheld gaming.

There's no doubt that there will be an audience for an 11-inch handheld, but as I mentioned before, let's hope this is the limit for handheld devices, because it's not a great look as it stands.

• Valve has released a new Steam Deck 'display-off low-power download' update
• It's currently only available for Steam Deck users via the beta and preview channels
• Microsoft's Windows 11 Full Screen Experience doesn't feature a functional sleep and quick resume mode, but this could spur it on

Valve recently introduced its useful Steam calendar update, via its Steam Labs project, and it already has another long-awaited update for Steam Deck users that highlights one of SteamOS's best features.

Announced on its community page, Valve is introducing a new 'display-off low-power download' mode, which allows Steam Deck users to continue game downloads before setting the device to sleep, ultimately saving power and making downloads easier to complete while away from the handheld.

This new feature is currently only available on the Steam Deck via beta and preview channels, and can be enabled through the 'power' tab in settings. You'll know it's active once you press the power button to put the system into sleep mode, and a new prompt asks if you want to continue downloading while the screen is off.

Valve states that if you press a button or move the Steam Deck, a new status screen will appear (see below) showing download progress – and when on battery power, the device will go into full sleep mode if it drops below 20%.

This takes the popular and beloved sleep and quick resume features on SteamOS to a new level, as you can simply queue a list of games to download, and not have to worry about increased temperatures or fans getting louder from placing the Steam Deck down on a soft surface like a blanket (which I normally do with my handhelds in bed).

I've tested to see if this new beta feature works on the Lenovo Legion Go S, which is an officially licensed SteamOS handheld, but there's no sign of it, so it seems like this will be exclusive to the Steam Deck for now.

It may very well eventually make its way to SteamOS entirely, which could turn out to be beneficial for clones like Bazzite on Windows handhelds like the ROG Xbox Ally X, especially as a request that gamers on Windows 10 and Windows 11 have voiced for years.

Analysis: Microsoft, now is the time to work on a genuine sleep and resume function

I applaud Microsoft's efforts to attempt a handheld-friendly Windows 11 mode with Full Screen Experience (FSE), and while I'm not particularly interested in using it instead of SteamOS, now would be the ideal time for it to get a sleep-resume feature.

Valve's SteamOS is growing with new features consistently, and there's no debating that it's dominating the new FSE mode from Microsoft. Since the Xbox Series X | S consoles both have quick resume features, it's reasonable for fans to expect Microsoft to get this up and running on Windows 11 in some capacity, at least with the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, but there's been no luck so far.

While there's a framework already laid down for Windows from the Xbox consoles for quick resume, there isn't one for putting systems to sleep. Well, I should say there is one for Windows 11, but it doesn't and never has worked very well, since resumes while in-game almost always end up resulting in game crashes or strange UI errors.

I'm just glad that Valve isn't slowing down with bolstering its Steam Deck handheld and SteamOS, as it's only going to increase the pressure on Microsoft to improve its new FSE, and hopefully in a quick fashion.

• Valve's Steam Deck LCD has dropped in price amid handheld price hikes
• The price drop comes ahead of the ROG Xbox Ally X launch, with rumors of a $1,000 price
• It further cements Valve's handheld as the most affordable handheld gaming PC around

Both handheld gaming PCs and game consoles have seen a sudden shift over the last year, with prices skyrocketing due to market conditions – but there's one popular giant among them that continues to impress, even in the midst of pricing chaos.

Valve has just dropped the price of the Steam Deck LCD, amid game console price increases and the launch of other handheld gaming PCs at high prices. The latter include the Lenovo Legion Go 2 and ROG Xbox Ally X, which is rumored to start within the same $1,000 price ballpark as Lenovo's device.

The Steam Deck LCD is currently available with a 20% discount, reducing its price to $319.20 / £279.20 / AU$519.20 from the previous $399, and this makes Valve's popular handheld much more approachable than the Nintendo Switch 2, ROG Xbox Ally X (with its expected price), and the Lenovo Legion Go 2.

While it certainly doesn't provide the same level of performance as the likes of the ROG Xbox Ally X, it's enough to get the job done across several games – and most importantly, it's affordable.

Most gamers are already irked by Microsoft's recent Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S price hikes, which are yet another increase after previous ones earlier in May this year.

The Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme SteamOS model (which I highly recommend) has suffered yet another price increase on Best Buy, now at $899 (around £665 / AU$1,360), which is the original retail price of the more powerful MSI Claw 8 AI+.

Many of these price jumps are likely due to tariffs, and it doesn't look like they'll simmer down any time soon. So, besides the Asus ROG Ally and the original Lenovo Legion Go, which will likely see price jumps too, the Steam Deck appears to be the only handheld gaming PC that doesn't require overspending for a solid gaming experience.

Analysis: I'm hoping the Steam Deck can keep this going for years to come

If there's anything that handheld gaming PC fans need right now, it's hope that affordable options won't suddenly surge in price – and that's exactly what Valve has done with the Steam Deck.

It's not a pleasant sight to see a device like the Lenovo Legion Go 2 become so costly, despite the minor performance improvements using AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor coming from the Ryzen Z1 Extreme, and its OLED display does very little to justify such a high price in my book.

The current state of the market makes me clutch my Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go S even tighter, because it genuinely seems like pricing will gradually enter the gaming laptop territory and become a normality. And like I've said before, I don't want to see handhelds becoming niche again, at least from mainstream manufacturers.

I'm aware that whatever Valve does with the eventual Steam Deck successor's hardware will ultimately result in a higher price, but I'm confident that Valve is waiting for a chip powerful enough to warrant an upgrade – something that handheld manufacturers like Asus and Lenovo seemingly haven't considered.

Until then, Valve deserves every bit of praise it can get.

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The Nintendo Switch 2 is a seriously impressive piece of hardware. It feels like a more mature console, offering the same level of flexibility and whimsy as Nintendo’s original versatile handheld, but with guts that are more capable of handling higher-end games. The more I’ve gotten to use it, the more I’ve become convinced that the console’s difficult second album is every bit the hit that its debut was.

But while I find the upgraded console deeply impressive on paper, my gaming habits don’t seem to reflect this. Contrary to all of my expectations when first getting hold of it, nine times out of ten, when I reach for a gaming handheld, it’s not for the Nintendo Switch 2. It’s for my Steam Deck.

Clearly, my head and my heart are in conflict here about which is the best handheld console. But what is it that’s compelling me to stick with Valve’s gaming behemoth, even though Nintendo’s offers a sleeker and often more attractive gaming experience? Really, what I’m asking is: how do these two consoles stack up – and is one inherently superior to the other?

Nintendo Switch 2 vs Steam Deck: price & value

The Steam Deck first launched back in February 25, 2022, with the Steam Deck OLED being appearing a little while later on November 16, 2023. In contrast, the Nintendo Switch is a mere stripling, launched just a few months back on June 5, 2025, allowing it to make use of more cutting-edge components than the older Deck.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has a list price of $449.99 / £395.99 / AU$699.95, while the Steam Deck has a list price of $399 / £349 / AU$649 and the Steam Deck OLED goes for $549 / £479 / AU$899 for the 512GB edition and $649 / £569 / AU$1,049 for the 1TB edition. That makes the OG Steam Deck a little more affordable than the Switch 2, while the OLED goes for a fair bit more.

When it comes to value though, things are a lot more subjective. I'd argue that the Switch 2 is a bit of a bargain when compared to the standard Deck – they both pack a 256GB SSD, but for that tiny bit of extra spend Nintendo's console also gives you a higher res, more vibrant screen that's capable of hitting 120Hz.

Conversely, stepping up to either of the OLED Steam Decks is going to cost you roughly $100 / £80 / AU$200. I'm not sure the OLED screen makes that extra spend worth it – but the increased disk space might. Being able to double or even quadruple the space you have reduces how soon you'll have to add a microSD, something which becomes even more pressing when you consider just how many games your Steam library may contain.

Nintendo Switch 2 vs Steam Deck: performance

Don’t get me wrong: there are plenty of praises to sing about the upgraded Switch – just check out our 4.5-star Nintendo Switch 2 review if you need convincing. While weighing Steam Deck’s AMD Zen 2 CPU up against the Switch 2’s ‘custom Nvidia processor’ is like comparing apples and non-specific, proprietary citrus fruit, subjectively, it seems to hold its own. High-end titles like Street Fighter 6 and Cyberpunk 2077 run smoothly and, although they hardly run at the equivalent of Ultra graphics settings, neither do these kinds of titles on the Steam Deck.

Having said this, I’ve always been impressed with how competently the Steam Deck has been able to run many titles that you’d think would be a stuttery mess on a handheld. In our Steam Deck review, we found it was able to smash out Control Ultimate Edition at a consistent 60fps (frames per second) at medium settings, while God of War looked gorgeous on High settings while still reliably running at 30fps. Newer ‘Deck Verified’ titles are still pretty hit and miss, though; for example, it took an inordinate amount of settings tweaking just to get Deathloop running at a massively inconsistent 40fps.

The Nintendo Switch 2’s display is gorgeous: it offers an impressive 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and max frame rates of 120Hz. whereas the Steam Deck’s is a pretty meager 1200 x 800, capped at 90Hz. That makes a big difference, even when factoring in that the newer iteration of the Deck has an OLED display, while the Switch 2 has reverted to an LCD. And this definitely shows: Mario Kart World looks wonderfully crisp, vibrantly colored, and, even though it doesn’t run at the Switch 2’s max frame rate, it still moves more smoothly than a swordfish coated in vaseline.

Nintendo Switch 2 vs Steam Deck: design

To make room for its larger screen, the Nintendo Switch 2 is a bigger beast than its predecessor, having been scaled up from 4 x 9.5 x 0.55 inches (102 x 241 x 14mm) to 4.5 x 10.7 x 0.55 inches (114 x 272 x 14mm). Despite this, the Switch 2 is still a lot less cumbersome than the Steam Deck, which measures a gargantuan 4.6 x 11.7 x 1.9 inches (117 x 298 x 49mm) and weighs in at 1.41lbs (640g) versus the Switch 2’s 1.18lbs (535g).

One of the things that’s impressed me most about the Switch 2, though, is how much more premium it feels in your hands. A big part of this is the improved Joy-Con 2s – their magnetic connectivity is significantly sturdier than the original Joy-Cons’ rail system, which used to flex and rattle far too easily. There’s something seriously pleasing about how the Joy-Con 2 slip into place that makes the handheld feel much more luxe as a result – it really is a well-engineered and satisfying solution.

Conversely, the Steam Deck is a brute. It’s still a lot lighter than its substantial bulk would imply, but ‘sleek’ is not the first word that pops into mind when using it. While I rarely find it actively uncomfortable to use, it’s not the kind of handheld you can hold up at eye level for extended periods of time. As a result, I often stare down at it in my lap, and that means it can sometimes exacerbate my already pronounced tech neck.

Nintendo Switch 2 vs Steam Deck: Controls

My next point may prove a lot more contentious. Even with its removable Joy-Cons, I still think the Switch 2’s control system can’t quite rival the Steam Deck’s for sheer flexibility.

Yes, the Joy-Cons already have a wide variety of use modes – whether they’re attached, separate, or connected as a gamepad. And that’s only been extended by the addition of the Joy-Con 2’s new mouse control functionality. It’s not the first handheld I’ve tested that has offered this functionality – the Lenovo Legion Go offered something similar with a cradle that converted one of its controllers into a vertical mouse – but this addition certainly opens the Switch 2 up to whole new genres of game that would previously have been too clunky.

In contrast, the Steam Deck only offers dual trackpads, which you’d think would less accurately replicate the feeling of using a mouse. But over the years I’ve been using the console, I’ve found there are very few control schemes it's combo of trackpads, thumbsticks, touchscreen, and back buttons can’t handle, whether I’m playing God of War or Planet Coaster 2. Even mouse-heavy strategy games like Old World have felt perfectly fluid to control, without ever having to pop a controller out or switch my grip. Fundamentally, using the Steam Deck still feels intuitive in a way so few of its rivals can compete with.

Nintendo Switch 2 vs Steam Deck: Games library

OK. As hot takes go, what I’m about to say has warmed over so many times it’s little more than tepid mush at this point. But I’m far from the first to observe that the Nintendo Switch 2 game roster isn't exactly filled with killers yet.

Nintendo’s flagship titles are both super-charming and just effortlessly fun in a way that their competitors are rarely capable of. The sheer, shell-tossing chaos of Mario Kart World’s Knockout mode makes the game so compelling, while the sheer terrain-smashing inventiveness of Donkey Kong Bananza has made it the character’s most compelling outing in well over a decade. The Switch 2 is a gateway to one of the best quality gaming catalogues out there in terms of polish. But currently, there’s still not any one title that would whip me up into a fever of FOMO if I couldn’t play it – at least until Metroid Prime 4 is released later this year, anyway.

The Steam Deck doesn’t necessarily have loads of exclusives either, particularly compared to a console like the PlayStation 5. But what it does have is a truly staggering breadth – the Steam library has been expanding exponentially for over two decades now, and the vast majority of its titles are compatible with the Steam Deck, even those that were released many years back. That means there are games I bought at 20 years old that I can still download and play at a whim, something much rarer on the Switch 2, even with a Nintendo Online subscription.

As a result, my Steam Deck is crammed with amazing games, whether they’re cutting-edge titles I picked up on sale and have yet to tuck into or stone-cold classics I want to experience afresh. For example, I recently fired up the colony sim Rimworld for the first time since 2018, and I’m utterly obsessed with it all over again, spending many evenings creating bleak stories with my doomed colonists. While Nintendo’s oeuvre absolutely still gives me a nostalgic buzz more intoxicating than any other, it simply can’t keep feeding my desire for variety quite like the lifetime of Steam games I’ve collected at this point.

Nintendo Switch 2 vs Steam Deck: Battery

Something that’s often criticized about the Nintendo Switch 2 is its battery life. Occasionally lasting as little as two hours, it’s left a fair few purchasers unhappy, especially compared to the Switch OLED’s estimated 4.5 to 9-hour span. But I’m honestly less worried about this, for a couple of reasons.

First off, hardware improvements don’t just come for free. Part and parcel of getting boosted components is that you need to power them somehow. I’ve already explained how svelte the Switch 2 is for its spec – ultimately, your choice here will be additional bulk or battery life, and I think Nintendo made the right decision here.

And there’s one important piece of context that got missed out on this debate: how the Switch 2’s battery life compares to another premium handheld like the Steam Deck. Because it’s worth emphasising, the Steam Deck’s battery life is also very poor. Playing any title with 3D graphics and even moderate CPU demand – whether that’s Planet Zoo or Baldur’s Gate 3 – and I find my battery scarcely lasts longer than 70 minutes. This makes two hours look extensive in comparison.

Nintendo Switch 2 vs Steam Deck: Operating system

There’s a more fundamental difference between the two consoles, though, and, in part, I think this is largely down to the underlying ideology of their makers. While Nintendo is cutesy autocratic, Valve is much more corporately anarchic. There’s nowhere the philosophical divide between their developers is more apparent than in the different attitude the two consoles have to modifying their software or hardware.

Perhaps understandably, Nintendo takes a dim view of those who crack open or jailbreak their consoles. But it has also responded harshly to owners who used the Mig Flash tool to legally back up their purchased games to a single Switch cartridge, in some cases permanently revoking access to all online services, including the Nintendo eShop. Conversely, Valve has left the Steam Deck wide open for you to tweak as you see fit, a process that can be as overwhelming as it is liberating.

Once you’ve headed over into SteamOS’s desktop mode, there are very few limits on what you can do. You can install third-party games. You can download mods for games that don’t have Steam Workshop access. You can even set your Steam Deck up to emulate non-PC games – although I know you’d never do something so delinquent. While working out the process on how to add graphical mods and quality of life upgrades to my original copy of Mass Effect was like reading a Wikihow article on how to give yourself a tension headache, I love that the Steam Deck treats me like an adult and allows me to improve my gameplay experience, should I choose to.

Nintendo Switch 2 vs Steam Deck: verdict

As the new console on the block, there are naturally areas where the Nintendo Switch 2 beats the Steam Deck hands down. Its display is of better resolution and feels far more fluid, while its design is definitely slimmer and more manageable. Performance-wise, it can happily go toe-to-toe with Valve’s console and, I’d argue, even its battery life is more generous than the Deck’s mayfly-esque lifespan.

But there are areas where it still can’t compete. Whether it’s my massive Steam Deck gaming library, its fluid controls, or its moddable operating system, the thing that keeps me coming back to the Steam Deck again and again is that sense that there’s always new things to discover and new ways to play. And while the Nintendo Switch 2 will absolutely catch up in terms of new titles and become a beloved part of my mobile gaming lineup, for me, I don’t think it will ever quite dethrone the king.

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• I might be a Steam Deck fanatic, but I can’t deny the Nintendo Switch 2 is still the king of easy, fun gaming

• A rumor claims the Steam Deck 2 may not be here until 2028
• However, this feels like tentative speculation for a couple of reasons
• It's entirely possible that we might be in for a long wait for the Steam Deck sequel, though

The Steam Deck 2 might not arrive until 2028, or that's the latest theory floating down from the rumor mill regarding the sequel to Valve's handheld.

KitGuru noticed that Kepler has again dropped another rumor via the Neogaf forums (there've been a few hardware-related nuggets this week), and it's a very short and not-so-sweet revelation that: "Steam Deck 2 is 2028".

The comment came in a post that's actually about the Asus ROG Xbox Ally, when somebody commented about buying one of those - the portable arrives in October - weighed against the prospect of Valve bringing out something better in the near(ish) future.

Kepler quickly put paid to the idea that the Steam Deck 2 might be even remotely on the horizon. If the leaker is correct, we are going to be waiting three years for the next take on Valve's gaming portable - with it arriving six years after the original Steam Deck debuted - but that is, of course, a significantly sizeable if as I'll discuss next.

Analysis: Speculation drawn from AMD, not Valve?

Obviously, this is just a rumor, and the nature of it - a throwaway one-liner in a forum post - should give more than a brief pause for thought.

As KitGuru points out, Kepler probably didn't tap a Valve contact for this info - though we don't know that for sure, it seems likely to be the case. This is because Kepler primarily deals in GPU (or CPU) rumors and so the likelihood is that they're basing this on information drawn from an AMD roadmap - which pertains to the expected chip to be used as the engine of the next Steam Deck.

So, that makes this speculation feel a littler shakier, but that said, Kepler has proved to be one of the more reliable leakers for GPU info - so I wouldn't dismiss this nugget out of hand, by any means.

Valve is already rumored to be working on a Steam Deck 2 - which is hardly a surprise - but seemingly the development road could be a long one. Back in 2023, a year after the Steam Deck launched, the expectation was a next-gen version of Valve's handheld wouldn't arrive for a few years from then - meaning people were hoping for 2026, not 2028.

If this rumor is true, what it also indicates is that Valve is planning on making the Steam Deck 2 a huge uplift with performance, with a much beefier SoC inside - the hardware available in 2028 is going to be a lot beefier, of course. And that aligns with previous chatter suggesting the company doesn't want an incremental release with the sequel to the Steam Deck, but a big stride forward.

All that said, I would underline that we should be very cautious around this speculation for now.

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• SlickBuys Mods and Repairs showcases a tutorial on how the process works
• It involves soldering and BIOS programming, not meant for beginners

Valve's Steam Deck has undergone numerous upgrades on both hardware and software levels, with unofficial mods like Decky Loader, and, of course, the Steam Deck OLED, which offers a faster display and improved battery life. However, there is an unofficial hardware mod that I'd suggest staying away from, unless you know what you're doing.

As reported by VideoCardz, the Steam Deck OLED's RAM can now be upgraded to 32GB from 16GB, thanks to SlickBuys Mods and Repairs, who showcased the process in a YouTube video (available below).

The modification is intended to improve in-game performance, with more memory allocated to games, ultimately reducing stutters and frame rate drops in certain games. However, it's an extremely delicate process that I would not recommend attempting unless you're familiar with soldering and BIOS modifications.

You'd also need to find and buy a 32GB memory chip that's suitable for the OLED model, which is costly, as the one SlickBuys Mods and Repairs uses in the video costs $110 (around £82 / AU$170).

Then, you'll need to remove the original chip and solder the new one. Perhaps the worst aspect of this is that it requires a firmware block, meaning you won't ever be able to update your Steam Deck, as doing so will wipe settings and revert RAM to 16GB.

I think reading that alone should be enough to deter most of you from even attempting the process. It'd be much easier to go and buy a new handheld entirely, like the Asus ROG Ally X, than risk destroying your handheld for good.

Fortunately, if you are interested, the service can be done via SlickBuys Mods and Repairs, but it's worth noting that it's not available just yet, and it will likely be expensive.

Analysis: Please, don't do this... just buy a new handheld

I'm sure I won't be the first one to warn you against doing this, as it's very easy for something to go wrong during this process, unless you're well-versed when it comes to soldering and BIOS programming. Even if you are (or have it done via a service), it's still too early to see how this will operate long-term in terms of thermals and battery life.

You could miss out on new and important SteamOS updates in the future. It doesn't mean you can never upgrade your Steam Deck again, but just be ready to repeat the BIOS programming process again afterwards.

I've been very critical of recent high handheld prices, but I'd still choose buying new over this. After all, I don't think the upgrade is significant enough to warrant taking the risk, as it only really applies to specific situations or games that need more RAM for better frame rates or frame-time stability.

There's no sign of a Steam Deck successor releasing any time soon, despite recent rumors, but I'd advise either sticking with your OLED model or taking the leap towards the new Lenovo Legion Go S.

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• EA executive vice president Vince Zampella has confirmed that Battlefield 6 won't work on the Steam Deck
• He says there are other "non-Steam Deck handheld platforms that it will work on"
• There are no current plans to bring the game to Nintendo Switch 2

EA has confirmed that Battlefield 6 won't work on the Steam Deck, but that there are other PC handhelds on which the game will run on.

That's according to EA executive vice president Vince Zampella, who verified the lack of Steam Deck support in an interview with PCGamesN at the Battlefield 6 multiplayer reveal event, when asked about the game potentially running on PC gaming handhelds like Valve's console or the ASUS ROG Ally.

"It does not work on Steam Deck," Zampella said. "I think there are some non-Steam Deck handheld platforms that it will work on, probably, right? But I don't think, you know, it's probably not the best way to play the game."

Although the executive didn't offer a reason why the upcoming first-person shooter won't run on the Steam Deck, it's likely due to EA's anti-cheat software, which is incompatible with Linux.

In terms of the Nintendo Switch 2, Zampella also confirmed that EA doesn't have any current plans to bring Battlefield 6 to the latest console.

"We're not doing Switch yet," he said. "Well, I'm not saying we are. I'm just saying we're not considering it right now."

During the multiplayer reveal event, it was announced that Battlefield 6 will launch on October 10, 2025, for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

There will also be an early access period beginning August 7-8, followed by open betas on August 9-10, then again on August 14-17.

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It's fairly well known now that the source behind the success of handheld gaming PCs in the past few years is Valve's Steam Deck. After launching in 2022, it went on to become a huge success, stemming from its affordability, making it the easiest and one of the most inexpensive ways to play PC games.

SteamOS is a huge factor in its success, with a simple console-like UI that allows gamers to jump straight into games without tweaks or configurations. At $399 / £349 / AU$649, it is arguably the best handheld gaming device on the market, keeping gaming experiences fun with reasonable performance at a price that a large majority of gamers can afford.

While it would be naive of me to expect much more powerful hardware to release at the same price range as the Steam Deck, it doesn't change this one matter: handheld gaming PCs are becoming far too expensive, specifically from mainstream manufacturers like MSI, Asus, and Lenovo.

It's not like expensive handhelds are suddenly a new thing; handhelds before the Steam Deck were more niche and up in the $1,000 department. However, the reason handhelds have suddenly become popular again is because of the Steam Deck's pricing, while still being able to deliver good performance in multiple Steam games.

You could argue that the jump in pricing is justified, since new handhelds wield more powerful hardware. That's true. Still, the difference in performance capabilities between something like the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme versus the MSI Claw 8 AI+ isn't enough to warrant such a huge retail price for the latter device.

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ and MSI Claw A8 are prime examples of steep pricing

Don't get me wrong, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is the best handheld I've used so far, as you'll eventually see in an upcoming review. The performance boosts coming from an Asus ROG Ally are very noticeable, and the battery life gave me a sigh of relief.

Unfortunately, that's not enough to go from a device like the Asus ROG Ally that has a $649 / £599 / AU$1,299 retail price (which often has significant discounts now), to one that's just under $1,000, at $899 / £899 / AU$1,799 (and the price has now increased to $999 for US consumers). It's also worth noting that the Claw A8, using AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, is around the same price based on listings at European retailers, and early benchmarks suggest it may be on the same level as the Claw 8 AI+ or slightly worse in performance.

It makes matters worse when you realize that there's little to no availability for these handhelds in many regions – and in all fairness, this is likely due to the recent issues with tariffs, but frankly, consumers won't care about that.

Perhaps, an easy solution would be to ensure that expensive handhelds have much cheaper counterparts; MSI (and others) have done this with its Claw 7 AI+ that uses the same Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor as the Claw 8 AI+, but just has a smaller 7-inch screen and a 54.5 WHr battery.

Its retail price is $799.99 / around £700, which is still a hefty sum, but far more reasonable compared to $899. The problem is I've yet to come across a single listing of this device at any retailer in the UK – and if you're in the US, its price has jumped up to $899 on Best Buy, the same retail price the MSI Claw 8 AI+ was at before it saw an increase.

It's not just the MSI Claw either, as rumors about the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally suggest we could see similar price patterns of between $800 and $1,000, depending on the configuration.

The Asus ROG Ally X is also a culprit, priced at $799.99 / £799 / AU$1,599, and it's another device that has seen a $100 price increase, available at Best Buy for $899.

The same also applies to the Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme model, which has seemingly almost disappeared off the face of the earth, with one of the only listings I've seen available at Best Buy. That's available for $829.99. Do you see what I mean now?

We're fast approaching a stage where Valve's template of keeping its Steam Deck models affordable is forgotten, and instead, taking handheld PC gaming back to its old niche status. I understand that some will be willing to bite the bullet and pay these prices for stronger gaming performance, but the longevity of the handhelds will likely suffer, as a large majority of gamers won't be able to afford them.

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• Sorry MSI, but you blew it – the Claw A8 is overpriced and could struggle to compete against cheaper rivals like the Steam Deck

I know Amazon Prime Day is long gone now, but that doesn't mean the fun has to stop. You may have missed some of the best deals, but I've found one that would make you think Prime Day was still up and running.

The Lenovo Legion Go S is now available for just £349 (previously £415.78) at Amazon in the UK, thanks to a generous 16% discount. It's at the same price as Valve's Steam Deck 256GB LCD configuration, but has a bigger and better 8-inch 1920x1200 screen, and better performance with its AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor.

Having used both the Steam Deck and the Asus ROG Ally, as well as the MSI Claw 8 AI+, I can say that the advantage of an 8-inch handheld significantly improves the experience over a 7-inch handheld. Playing competitive shooters and games where spotting foes is vital, it's a game-changer.

It appears as though the retail price of the Lenovo Legion Go S is what left reviewers unimpressed with the Ryzen Z2 Go processor, considering its close proximity to the Asus ROG Ally's price (which offers much better performance). However, now that it's at the same price as the Steam Deck, it's a no-brainer choice.

Not in the UK? Scroll down to see the best Lenovo Legion Go S deals in your region!

Today's best Lenovo Legion Go S deal in the UK

While I'm personally waiting for the Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme (since it's still not available in the UK), at £349, you honestly can't go wrong with the Ryzen Z2 Go model. Of course, that's if you're out for a device that has a little more juice for performance than the Steam Deck – what I'm saying is don't expect top-tier performance, but at such a low price, it'd be a hard option to turn down if I didn't have a handheld already.

Lenovo has its Legion Go 2 in the pipeline using the new AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, and possibly Z1 Extreme configurations, but I'm expecting those prices to be the direct opposite of affordable. So, why not take your chance at this while you still can?

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• Moore's Law Is Dead's Broken Silicon 319 podcast includes speculation about a Steam Deck successor and a Valve home console
• Valve is rumored to be working on both systems, with the console supposedly using AMD's upcoming Zen 6 APU
• MLID guest speculates that Sony is working closely with Valve for more Deck Verified PS titles on Steam

It's no surprise that Valve's Steam Deck has been largely successful since its launch in 2022, with multiple configurations available at affordable prices and the popular SteamOS at the helm. Now, new speculation suggests Valve's plans for a successor may be bigger than we thought.

As reported by NotebookCheck, Valve is rumored to be working on a successor to the Steam Deck and a dedicated home console, with the latter potentially utilizing AMD's upcoming Zen 6 APU, codenamed Magnus. That's based on speculation and internal leaks from host Tom and Jimmy Champagne on Moore's Law Is Dead (MLID).

Speculation from Jimmy Champagne also hints at Sony working closely with Valve going forward, specifically with ensuring that PlayStation titles have full support on the Steam Deck. This isn't far-fetched either, as Sony has made a clear effort to make its first-party titles Deck Verified – and that's evident with games like The Last of Us Part 2 and God of War Ragnarok.

The AMD Zen 6 APU is also reportedly being used for either Sony's PS6 or Microsoft's Xbox next-gen consoles, and is projected to be a powerful chip for gaming performance with 11 CPU cores. When referring to the prospect of a home console, MLID mentions: "All I can say is I was told [years ago] full stop they're [Valve] are using AMD, it's going to be really powerful, and they're going to treat this like a proper console launch to compete as a console".

If this is indeed the processor used in the purported dedicated Steam home console, it hints at Valve shaping up to move matters beyond portability with a handheld.

Analysis: If Sony won't make a native PlayStation handheld, a more powerful Steam Deck will do

Besides the classic Sony PlayStation Portable (or PSP), Sony has yet to make a strong effort to battle in the handheld market. I say this because the PlayStation Portal is far from what I want from Sony, as I'd much rather have a handheld that can play games natively instead of streaming them.

While you could say it's just based on speculation, Sony and Valve have clearly been working closely since a large majority of PlayStation titles on PC go straight to Steam.

As I've mentioned, there's a sense that Sony puts extra effort into optimizing games for Valve's Deck Verified system, especially with its Nixxes Software developers, who are known for great optimization, at the helm of PC ports.

I don't see Sony bringing its blockbuster first-party titles to PC on day one, but if it sticks with the staggered release trend and it doesn't bother creating a native handheld experience, I'll happily settle with a Steam Deck 2 as an alternative, with a more powerful processor for better performance.

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• New pre-order listings for the MSI Claw A8 have appeared at European retailers online
• The prices suggest the Claw A8 will cost just under $1,000 / £1,000, similar to the Claw 8 AI+
• It may be a tough sell, in the same vein as its Claw 8 AI+ counterpart

Handheld PC gamers have been eagerly awaiting the debut of AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, which promises enhanced portable gaming performance. Fortunately, the MSI Claw A8 is officially the first to launch using the powerful chip, but early listings indicate an unsightly price tag.

As reported by VideoCardz, European retailers have pre-orders available for the MSI Claw A8, with listings indicating a price tag in the same ballpark as the MSI Claw 8 AI+. On Alza.de, it's available for €976 (excluding tax, €820). There are still no listings in the US or UK, so it's not exactly clear what the final price tags will be – but all signs point towards a price tag just under $1,000 / £1,000.

Based on early benchmarks, the Claw A8's performance is very similar to the Claw 8 AI+'s, which uses the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor. As evident below (thanks to Lines Tech on YouTube), Shadow of the Tomb Raider has an average of 52fps at 1080p on the Claw 8 AI+, while the Claw A8 has an average of 49fps at 1080p on the same graphics settings.

Whether this comes down to the Claw A8's Ryzen Z2 Extreme being slightly weaker than the Core Ultra 7 258V, or the former's 24GB of RAM (which is strangely 16GB of RAM in the benchmark video) instead of 32GB, isn't clear just yet. However, it looks set to be priced just slightly under the MSI Claw 8 AI+ ($900 / £899 / AU$1,799), and that's not a good look.

Analysis: If the MSI Claw 8 AI+ at $899 is a hard sell, then so is the MSI Claw A8

Having finally used the MSI Claw 8 AI+ (review coming soon), it's easily one of the best handhelds of this generation with solid gaming performance.

Unfortunately, though, it's still a very hard sell at $899 / £899 / AU$1,799. If the Claw A8 with less RAM alongside a potentially weaker processor for gaming performance is at the same price or only slightly cheaper, then I doubt it will compete well in the handheld market.

Again, I must stress that there aren't any UK or US listings for the MSI Claw A8, but the price at European retailers gives us a strong idea of what they could be. It's also worth noting that tariffs on China goods will likely affect pricing, as we've already seen with the MSI Claw 8 AI+, so it could place the new Claw in a weaker position on the market.

While the Steam Deck OLED is a weaker handheld performance-wise, it still offers enough for a great portable gaming experience at $549 / £479 / AU$899. That's also in the same region as the Asus ROG Ally at $649.99 / £599 (currently $449.99 on sale) using the Ryzen Z1 Extreme.

If the Z2 Extreme doesn't prove to be a huge jump from its predecessor, then I can't see the new Claw A8 outselling its Claw 8 AI+ counterpart – especially, if stock and availability issues arise.

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The Nintendo Switch 2 is finally here, and while there are still games like Pokémon Legends Z-A and Metroid Prime 4 coming to the first Nintendo hybrid system, it’d be fair to say many of us are letting the console shuffle off across Rainbow Road (or at least being traded in).

Still, the Switch 2 launches in a very different world than its predecessor. Nintendo’s only real handheld to compete with in 2017 was, well, its own 3DS, and the ghost of the PlayStation Vita (RIP).

Now, things are much more competitive. Valve's Steam Deck wasn’t the first handheld PC by a long stretch, but the Linux-based system has kicked off a sort of arms race that’s seen the likes of MSI, ASUS, and even Microsoft get involved.

As a journalist with some big trips across the globe next month, I’m left with an admittedly envious conundrum. Do I pack my Steam Deck OLED? Or the Nintendo Switch 2? To my surprise, it wasn’t as tough a choice as I’d expected.

A very large paperweight

I’ve taken my Steam Deck OLED pretty much everywhere I can since I got it, and the non-OLED version before that.

It’s been on flights, on work trips, and even on my honeymoon, along with my wife bringing the original version. The first time I travelled with it, however, was a disaster.

That’s because unless you switch the console to offline mode, you’re essentially left with a very large paperweight. I made the mistake of not switching to it before a roughly 12-hour flight, and had to just sit and stare at my console while I tried to find other ways to pass the time.

What’s perhaps most infuriating is that you need to be online to even enter offline mode. The trouble is that Steam Deck can struggle to connect to Wi-Fi networks at airports or coffee shops, meaning if you forget to toggle that one single thing before you leave home, you could be completely stuck.

Nintendo does what Valve, uh, doesn’t?

It’d be fair to say that Nintendo lags behind its console contemporaries in terms of online infrastructure (we’ve finally got a form of party chat on Switch 2 akin to what Xbox 360 offered in 2005), but you certainly can’t knock the way the console works offline.

In the last week, I’ve been living as though I’m in a Switch 2 commercial: I play some Mario Kart World, grab my console and put it in a bag, and pick up where I was when I power it on again on the train.

It just works, and while mileage will always vary with more online-focused games (see our Hitman: World of Assassination Signature Edition review for more), at no point did I have to dig into settings to play a game I own on a console I also own.

Want to play one of the latest Zelda games with all the Switch 2 bells and whistles on a plane? The only thing you need to remember is the console, and that’s a huge boon that removes the mental barrier of entry for packing a console for a long trip.

Just another excuse to Switch

I should clarify that my Steam Deck OLED isn’t going anywhere. I adore Valve’s handheld games console marvel, and there will always be a place for it in the rotation of a man who needs to play games for work, wherever he is.

Still, the offline mode isn’t the only reason I’m leaving it behind this summer. While I’d have loved an OLED panel on the Switch 2, it’s a much more portable system in terms of its size and weight (or lack thereof). Steam Deck (OLED or not) is a chunky beast, and that’s before factoring in a carrying case.

Switch 2 is slimmer, lighter, and you can detach the Joy-Cons to feasibly fit it in a big enough pocket (if you’re some kind of tech-breaking lunatic).

Battery life is better on Switch 2, as well, but once those fans on the Steam Deck kick on, you could feasibly find yourself drawing eyes from fellow passengers.

And, taking away the OLED consideration, Steam Deck has a lower refresh rate than Nintendo’s new console and a higher resolution (although, depending on your game of choice, you might not really notice).

All things considered, then, my Steam Deck OLED might end up becoming a “stay at home handheld”, while the Switch 2 becomes my de facto way to play games on the go.

Well, maybe at least until the Xbox-branded ROG Ally lineup arrives, anyway...

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It might not have officially revealed anything yet, but multiple leaks and rumors strongly suggest that Valve has some kind of VR headset on the way soon – and right now we know it as the Valve Deckard.

Some of those claims are older, some more recent, and it’s becoming difficult to keep track of everything that's been rumored – so we’ve gathered everything we've heard so far about the Valve Deckard here.

Bear in mind – and we'll remind you throughout this article – that, as with all leaks and rumors, you should take these details with a pinch of salt, and until Valve makes an official Deckard announcement there’s no telling what it could have in store for us.

With that warning out the way, here’s what we know about Valve Deckard, including its possible price, specs, and release window.

1. Deckard likely won’t be cheap

Valve has yet to even announce the Deckard, let alone reveal pricing, but leaks suggest it could be pricey, with a Valve Deckard bundle costing $1,200 (around £900 / AU$1,850).

That bundle would include the headset itself, a few 'in-house' games, and a pair of the new 'Roy' controllers – more on those in a minute.

Despite it costing three or four times as much as a Meta Quest 3S, and more than the Valve Index, which was $999 / £919 (around AU$1,550) at launch, the source for this leak, content creator Gabe Follower, says the hardware will be sold at a loss.

Even if those claims are in the ballpark, given the ongoing global tariff uncertainty we could see Valve adjust its original pricing plans – but it’s probably safe to assume that the Deckard won’t be cheap.

That said, it is rumored to be an impressive device…

2. The Deckard is “quite amazing” standalone hardware

Gabe Follower said Valve wants “to give the user the best possible experience without cutting any costs,” and Stan Larroque – the founder of Lynx, which created the inventive Lynx R1 headset we tried out back in 2023 – described the headset as “quite amazing.”

This is supported by details such as the headset reportedly being able to double as a wearable Steam Deck, again according to leaks.

We’ve also heard that it’ll be a standalone device – so, like the Meta Quest 3, it'll be able to run without being hooked up to a PC or console – and that it’ll support eye-tracking.

A leaked Valve Deckard concept (via Upload VR) boasted 2K LCD panels for its display setup, and was powered by a SnapDragon 8 Gen 3 – the same chipset as the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

That chipset is newer than the one in the Meta Quest 3, which suggests the Valve Deckard will benefit from a power boost.

3. Bye-bye knuckle controllers

The Valve Index impressed many thanks to its knuckle controllers that can individually track each of your fingers. It was this controller, and support for it in amazing titles such as Half-Life: Alyx that helped cement the Index as one of the best (if not the best) headset for PCVR.

Unfortunately, the Deckard's rumored Roy controllers look like they'll be a downgrade in some respects, as they look set to borrow the design made popular by the Meta Quest 3, Pico 4 Ultra and basically every other VR headset.

So they would have a more standard gamepad layout for their buttons, but wouldn't require you to set up any base stations, and should be more intuitive to use for Steam Deck gameplay.

It’s unclear if the Deckard would support knuckle controllers if you have those and the base stations – our best guess is that PC SteamVR will, but standalone VR probably won’t.

4. A new Half-Life is (maybe) coming

When Valve launched the Index it made sure to get off on the right foot by also releasing Half-Life: Alyx, and Valve is rumored to be doing the same thing with a new Half-Life. It might even launch two new games in the series.

The first would reportedly be Half-Life: 3, though that’s not to say the long-awaited threequel will be a VR exclusive. Instead, it might be playable on Deckard via its Steam Deck-like abilities.

The other, said to be codenamed Half-Life: X, would be a co-op adventure with a PC player. They would play as Gordon Freeman, while the VR player would be Alyx Vance, and each character would have their own story, with shared cooperative elements (via Road to VR).

Apparently these games are in the later stages of development (again according to Gabe Follower), though of all the leaks here it's the one I’m least confident about.

I believe that where there’s smoke there’s fire, and I’d put money on a Half-Life game coming to Deckard one way or another. But, having seen conflicting rumors that we’re getting these two games; a single title which combines elements of both 3 and X; and simply a standalone port of Alyx, I’m not sure what Valve has in store – especially as rumors about the games appearing at various gaming showcases that have come and gone have proved incorrect.

For now we’ll just have to take everything we hear about Half-Life with a pinch of salt while we wait for Valve to make some kind of official announcement.

5. Is Deckard set for 2025 or 2026?

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly: when will the Valve Deckard launch?

A few signs point to it coming soon. Gabe Follower teased a 2025 launch, and details from SadlyItsBradley corroborate this rumor, as Valve has been taking delivery of many component and manufacturing machinery shipments related to VR.

However, other leaks point to a launch in late 2025, or even 2026.

Stan Larroque – who was able to comment on Deckard’s impressiveness because Valve is already sourcing components from suppliers Lynx also uses – told Road to VR that the Deckard wasn’t yet at the mass-production stage, and so was more likely set to land in 2026.

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I love everything about the Steam Deck. It's a (mostly) open-source console with the ability to launch (but not necessarily run) all games on the Steam platform, and it became the perfect companion to my gaming PC when I first bought it. However, it wasn’t until my first week with the Nintendo Switch 2 that I was reminded why I liked handheld games to begin with.

There’s nothing overwhelmingly new about the Nintendo Switch 2. Yes, the console is considerably more powerful than the original device that launched in 2017, with a larger screen, more comfortable controllers and an overall better design, but it also didn’t need its own show-stopping new feature. Nintendo’s world of gaming is unique and unmatched, tapping into aspects (portability, couch co-op-ability and a strong focus on first-party games) that leaves any other company, at best, hopelessly behind.

It’s why the argument over whether or not the Steam Deck will stand a chance against the Switch 2 makes me groan. It's of no importance. It's not worth caring about. They might be similar devices overall, but they have different intentions in the games space.

What does matter is making your experience unique – and the Nintendo Switch 2 is far-reaching in its distinctiveness, making for both the perfect gadget when entertaining my niece or the ideal party trick when hanging out with friends.

You should read our in-depth Nintendo Switch 2 review if you’re more interested in the specs, performance and features. I’m here to tell you why I like the console.

Switch it up

My lovely niece Zoey is five years old – she’s hyperactive and a terror, constantly running around and yelling, excited about little things and bored with boring things. She’s the world to me.

And being her only uncle, there’s a lot of responsibility placed upon me! My brother and his fiance are constantly exhausted by Zoey’s antics, so I’m put on ‘Zoey duty’ whenever I’m in town or when they come to visit. She’s lovely – but she gets bored easily.

For a long time, the best gizmo I had for keeping Zoey preoccupied was my Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – its integrated S Pen stylus and well maintained first-party PENUP app offer countless hours of drawing fun for a little kid.

The Nintendo Switch 2 strikes the same niche. Pulling the console out at a family event on the weekend, Zoey’s restlessness was quickly brought under control once I introduced her to the new Mario Kart World. Sure, she's part of this new generation of kids that have been first introduced to Mario through the 2023 Illumination film, but like the Galaxy S Pen, there's an instant appeal to kids when the gadget is so tactile, and you can physically touch and interact with it in a really cool way.

Similarly, the ability to whip the console out both in the office, on a meeting room TV, or at a party and have friends play on it effortlessly using the removable controllers is such a boon. It’s the best console to have when playing with people in person, and its compact form allows you to take it anywhere.

Even without the deck, the new Joy-Cons are sufficiently large that they’re no longer too uncomfortable when held horizontally. The display is larger, brighter and more clear than the original Switch too, making splitscreen gameplay on the console alone much more enjoyable.

The whole motion of snapping out a magnetically-attached Joy-Con to go head-to-head with a friend in person is infinitely more thrilling than whipping out a much smaller game on your phone, or even a high-performance game on your Steam Deck, and playing on your own. It’s a tactile difference and, with its performance improvements across the board, the Switch 2 aces the assignment.

I can’t be won over with everything

The Nintendo Switch 2 is a pretty well-rounded console that knows exactly what it’s trying to do, but there are issues here. The main one is the price – the high cost of the Switch 2 is, in a word, inaccessible to many folks, and the lack of any tangible difference to the original console would leave many preferring to save money.

Though the console is noticeably bigger this time around, with a larger display than even the Steam Deck’s (yet a smaller overall size), it’s still a bit uncomfortable for adult hands in its standard handheld mode. The bumper buttons in particular feel just a tad too big and have often led to accidental presses during my use.

On this note, the ability for the Switch’s Joy-Cons to quickly turn into wireless mice for more precise gameplay at a desk or table, utilising sensors down the side to track the Joy-Con’s movement as it slides across the table, feels like one of the biggest jumps in recent first-party gaming hardware. My only criticism is that it’s limited by the same issues as when holding the console in handheld mode – it’s a bit awkward for bigger hands. Thankfully the Switch 2 supports third party mice.

Having most of my gaming on PC, I’m also massively against subscription services for online play, but this is likely a non-issue for many, given that there are many other great bonuses to be had with Nintendo Switch Online.

But my biggest point of criticism remains the dock – the thing I liked the least about the original Switch. I get that it’s supposed to be big to support console play at home, but for my use case, I would like a more portable solution for projecting to a TV at a friend or family member’s home. Surely all of the internal components can be condensed into a smaller form factor, just as we saw with third-party Switch accessories after 2017? This would be a massive boon to me, as lugging the sizable dock around solely for the ability to project onto a TV is kind of annoying.

On gaming and identity

The Nintendo Switch 2 is the ultimate social console. That I can entertain my niece for hours on end with this gadget, playing games in a more portable form than any alternative console, is so cosmically important to me that I can’t help but love this quirky, multi-purpose handheld. That I can show up to a house party of introverts and have buckets of fun is of similar importance.

In 2025, there are alternatives for dedicated gamers after greater performance. The Steam Deck most prominently (particularly for how it too can be used as a co-op console, albeit less. elegantly without removable Joy-Cons), but even the PlayStation Portal can be regarded as a decent in-home handheld.

But none of these will ever achieve the all-encompassing brilliance of the Nintendo Switch 2. Try as Microsoft might with its latest console, the ‘ROG Xbox Ally X’, a name so comically bad that only Xbox and Asus could have come up with it, it’ll never be this.

These handheld consoles, while cool and capable of great gameplay, lack the physical appeal that makes the Switch 2 so brilliant in the first place. Nintendo has mastered the balance between hardware and software to make different modes of play quickly achievable, without annoying OS difficulties (like in former Windows-based handhelds), streaming reliance (like the Portal and cloud-based services) and bulky hardware tradeoffs (like when pairing controllers with the Steam Deck). Rather than spend a couple of minutes pairing controllers to the Deck, for example, the Switch 2 only requires a split-second detaching of a Joy-Con. It's seamless.

It’s an expensive console, no doubt about it, but the Nintendo Switch 2 has taken the mantle of the best casual console on the market – while also catering to more dedicated gamers too. It’s easy to love, but if you can’t afford it (or justify the high price), then I would highly recommend still picking up either the original Switch or the Switch OLED, as they continue to provide a sufficiently capable family gaming experience.

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Hades 2 was comfortably the biggest reason that I wanted to get my hands on a Steam Deck OLED.

The indie game, which is currently available via PC early access, is easily one of the most anticipated upcoming games right now, and for good reason. Its predecessor offered a wonderful reinterpretation of Greek mythology, with a moreish ‘one more run’ gameplay loop and an enthralling world filled to the brim with memorable figures.

So far, Hades 2 has delivered by introducing the magical new protagonist Melinoë and shifting towards a more complex, but more rewarding, combat experience. As the first Hades was such a massive hit on the original Nintendo Switch (the platform where I and many others first experienced it) when I heard that its sequel would be coming to PC I was desperate to play it on the go with Valve’s PC handheld.

Up until today, I have been completely satisfied with the experience. The Steam Deck OLED is a good fit for the game and I’ve spent many a happy hour grinding through the initial batch of dungeons and experimenting with different abilities.

Having just gone hands-on with the game on Nintendo Switch 2 at the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience in London recently, however, I’m starting to think that Nintendo’s next handheld hybrid is going to be the ultimate way to play.

Pick up and go

First and foremost, the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game wins out overall on the portability front. When I stepped up to the demo station and took the console into my hands, I was struck by how sleek it is. It’s impressively thin, with no bulbous protruding grips to worry about getting caught on anything if you want to quickly shove it into your bag after a cheeky play session on the train - something that I frequently love to do with roguelike games like Hades 2.

As much as I like the Steam Deck OLED, there’s no getting around the fact that it’s quite fatiguing in the hands - at least for me. The Nintendo Switch 2 weighs roughly 0.23lbs / 106g less than the Steam Deck OLED, which might not sound like much but does make the act of physically playing a bit more comfortable.

The more conventional button layout of the Nintendo Switch 2 is just a lot better if I’m being honest, too. The symmetrical stick design of the Steam Deck OLED is fine enough, but the choice to position the main face buttons so close to the right-hand edge of the handheld that they look and feel like they’re almost about to slip off is just plain weird.

In a game like Hades 2, where you’re constantly going to be mashing buttons to dodge or trigger your attacks and abilities, I can’t overstate how ergonomically superior the positioning of the Nintendo Switch 2 buttons is.

On the subject of the buttons, it was definitely easier to spam attacks while playing on the Nintendo Switch 2. While the Steam Deck OLED has quite spongy buttons with a fair amount of travel which might suit your personal preference, the more low-profile, clickier Joy-Con 2 buttons are more practical and make Hades 2 seem more responsive - especially in the moments where the action heats up and there are lots of enemies on screen.

Sore eyes

At the event, I was only able to play Hades 2 in handheld mode, which was a little disappointing as I was keen to see it blown up on a big screen for the first time, though it did give me plenty of time to evaluate the Nintendo Switch 2’s 1080p display. The Nintendo Switch 2 might be smaller than the Steam Deck OLED, but it still boasts a larger screen at 7.9 inches compared to the OLED’s 7.4 inches.

Then there’s the fact that the Steam Deck has a native resolution of just 1280x800 - which is not too far off 720p. The Nintendo Switch 2, on the other hand, is a Full HD 1920x1080. Both of these factors really helped the smooth hand-drawn look of Hades 2 shine and meant that it was significantly easier to appreciate the many details in its charming character designs and lush environments.

Before I tried the Nintendo Switch 2, I was worried about the vibrancy of the display. After all, it is an LCD panel - which traditionally offers worse contrast and less rich colors than the OLED panels found on the latest Steam Deck or the Nintendo Switch OLED.

Luckily, my concerns were unwarranted as the Nintendo Switch 2’s screen is bright and seriously punchy. It’s hard to say for sure without a side-by-side comparison (and without knowing exactly what brightness setting was used for the demo) but it does appear comparatively vivid thanks to Switch 2’s enhanced brightness and HDR support.

There are a lot of things that I want to dig deeper into with the Nintendo Switch 2, like the speakers, for example, which were nearly impossible to hear in the loud event setting. Still, I walked away from the Hades 2 booth seriously excited; I think the Nintendo Switch 2 has a real shot at becoming the definitive way to play it. Clearly, Nintendo thinks so too, as Hades 2 is set to launch for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 as a timed console exclusive later this year.

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• Valve is reportedly ramping up facial interface production
• These parts are essential for VR wearables, suggesting that Valve Deckard is coming soon
• Valve's move could also be teasing future VR headsets beyond Deckard

Nearly six years since the launch of the smash hit Valve Index, it appears the Steam team is gearing up to start making the long-awaited standalone sequel according to new rumors.

Codenamed the Valve Deckard in leaks, the headset was initially believed to have a late 2025 release date, but details were few and far between, suggesting it might slip later.

However, new details from SadlyItsBradley – a source of several VR hardware leaks in the past – suggest that Valve could be steaming ahead with production, as the company has been importing the equipment needed to manufacture VR headset facial interfaces.

In a later post SadleyItsBradley pointed out that Valve has been receiving facial interface shipments since last year – suggesting that this new equipment may not just be to produce Deckard interfaces, but prototype designs for its next VR headset.

Alternatively, this might be an attempt by Valve to avoid some of the increased tariff costs that US President Donald Trump has been horsing around with recently.

Admittedly facial interfaces don’t tell us much about the headset itself, but given they're only used for devices like VR headsets and not anything else in Valve’s hardware line-up (such as a Steam Deck), Valve investing in their production suggests it has plans to make a new VR headset.

And since the Valve Index reportedly exited production sometime last year (via SadlyItsBradley, again) it’s unlikely these interfaces would be for its existing tech.

Beyond this latest rumor, other leaks are teasing something special, with Deckard said to not only be a standalone headset (like the Meta Quest 3) but also a wearable Steam Deck that you can use for playing flat games.

Just be prepared for it to be pricey. We’re talking around $1,200 (around £950 / AU$1,950), though this would include a few games in a bundle.

This isn’t as cheap as a Meta Quest 3, but with Steam’s incredible software support the Valve Deckard could be a shoo-in for our best VR headsets list.

It’s worth remembering that all leaks should be taken with a pinch of salt, but with Valve Deckard it feels like where there’s smoke there's likely fire.

We’ll just have to wait and see if that’s the case as we roll through 2025 and the rumored Deckard release date approaches. If Deckard is announced you can sure we’ll be ready to keep you up to date on everything you need to know.

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It's that time again; there's a new episode of the TechRadar podcast, where we're asking if the Nintendo Switch 2 has the moxy to take on some of the biggest names in handheld gaming like the Steam Deck and the Asus Rog Ally X.

The short answer is "yes", but the long answer is much more fun and interesting, so make sure to join us as we dive into the biggest stories in tech, including newly leaked images of Apple's rumored iPhone 17 Air, Microsoft's 50th Birthday celebrations and Copilot's new tricks.

To take us through all this and more, I'm joined as always by Hamish Hector and Lance Ulanoff, as well as TechRadar's Hardware Writer Dash Wood and Computing Editor Christian Guyton.

You can catch the episode in the video player above, or you can stream it directly via our YouTube channel, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

While you’re there, you can also catch up on all our previous episodes, including our CES and gaming specials, and if you’re on YouTube you can watch all of our fun and informative video reviews of the latest tech.

Our next episode is set to feature some interesting behind-the-scenes insights from one of the best-known names in mobile tech, as well as a celebration of 10 years of the Apple Watch. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss it, and let us know in the comments below if you have any topics you want us to cover!

The best Assassin's Creed Shadows graphics settings for PS5 and Xbox will make a huge difference on how good the huge open world looks and runs. Thanks to new dynamic seasons, the game really sings if you get it looking right, which is where we come in having played the game collectively for hours and hours.

On most platforms, players will need to choose between three main modes, before further tweaks can be made to clean things up. I personally am still fairly early in Assassin's Creed Shadows, but I've already been floored by how good the coastal towns of Sakai look, with the PS5 Pro really offering a boost to all the puddles and beaches found in the area, and Rob, our managing editor is more than 60 hours in now.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is a real step forward for the franchise, offering up the best open-world yet, as well as some truly excellent action and stealth mechanics. You can read what we thought of the full game in our Assassin's Creed Shadows review, but needless to say, we hugely enjoyed it, and it's now ranked highly in our best Assassin's Creed games list. Personally, I've been particularly enjoying the exploration, which is bolstered by just how great the graphics are.

Here are the best Assassin's Creed Shadows graphics settings for PS5, PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X|S. I'll cover whether to choose the Fidelity or Performance mode or if it's worth selecting the Balanced Mode. Then, you'll find some specific settings that can be tweaked to clean up the image a bit, though the game definitely looks great by default anyway.

Update (April 8, 2025): I've made some changes to the PS5 Pro best graphics setting section of this page, following an update for Assassin's Creed Shadows that dropped on April 7. This update now enables the PS5 Pro's PSSR technology, further enhancing visual fidelity. Balanced Mode now features Raytraced Specular as well, bringing the mode more in line with the Quality Mode.

Assassin's Creed Shadows best graphics settings for PS5

On PS5, you'll have the choice between three main graphics modes in Assassin's Creed Shadows. You can see the key info on each in the table below:

Assassin's Creed Shadows is an action-stealth game. As such, I'd recommend playing it in Performance Mode on PS5, given that you'll get 60fps (frames per second). Generally, you'll need to have quick reaction times to stay out of sight, and take down any enemies that are about to spot you. Higher frame rates definitely help with this, and in fighting multiple enemies at once, as well. The cutscenes and Hideout section are all at 30fps anyway, but the gameplay will be silky smooth, making stealth a lot easier.

If you do have a display that supports HDMI 2.1 and is either 120hz or 240hz however, we think you should go for Balanced Mode. You'll get access to standard Raytracing, at 40fps. This keeps the game looking beautiful while giving you some extra performance required for action.

Assassin's Creed Shadows best graphics settings for PS5 Pro

Now onto PS5 Pro, which, in terms of graphics settings at least, is the best place to play Assassin's Creed Shadows on console.

In fact, it offers a massive upgrade when compared to the base console. As before, there are three settings to choose from:

If you're playing Assassin's Creed Shadows on PS5 Pro, and have access to a 120hz/240Hz display then you have what we think is the best way to play the game: Balanced Mode on Sony's enhanced PS5.

This setting allows for a decent frame rate, and thanks to the Pro's extra power, you'll get to enjoy the game's Standard Ray Tracing features. The reason to go with the Balanced Mode is additional visual fidelity, like a strand-based hair system. This is the mode I've played most on so far, and find it to be the best of the three.

Since launch, Ubisoft has improved the PS5 Pro modes further (April 7, 2025). Now, PS5 Pro makes use of PSSR technology in Assassin's Creed Shadows, enhancing visual quality. In addition, Balanced Mode now features Raytraced Specular, making it even closer to the Quality Mode.

If you find that you'd rather have a higher framerate, then you can switch to Performance Mode - you'll still get to enjoy the standard Ray Tracing features there - and while the Fidelity mode looks incredibly beautiful, it being locked to 30fps has us going for the Balanced mode all day long.

Assassin's Creed Shadows best graphics settings for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S

Finally, let's take a look at the best Assassin's Creed Shadows graphics settings for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S:

As you can see, the Xbox Series X is in line with the PS5 settings for Assassin's Creed Shadows. As such, I recommend the Performance Mode. There's only selective Ray Tracing to take advantage of here, but the 60fps really improves the gameplay.

Just like with the PS5, there's also a Balanced Mode, which is great for those using a compatible display.

For those with an Xbox Series S, there are no modes to choose from, with the game locked at 1620p upscaled and 30fps. There are some selective Ray Tracing features however, which is a nice touch.

Other graphics settings to change for Assassin's Creed Shadows

Aside from the main graphics setting in Assassin's Creed Shadows, I recommend switching off Motion Blur and Chromatic Aberration for a cleaner image. In addition, HDR should be tuned for your display. Try to bring the Exposure slide down a bit and see how it looks, as some areas of the open world have very intense lighting and bloom effects.

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Thanks to a recent Monster Hunter Wilds Showcase event, many fans have been left clamoring for more information on a certain sea monster. But is Lagiacrus coming to Monster Hunter Wilds later this year?

Monster Hunter Wilds is another step forward for the long-running co-op action franchise. For one, its huge open world is more seamless, and more alive than ever before, with distinct seasons that promise to mix up hunts in interesting ways. Now that we've published our Monster Hunter Wilds review, the game has landed on our list of best multiplayer PC games.

Furthermore, Capcom has now detailed the next few months of post-launch updates, which you can read about in our Monster Hunter Wilds Roadmap. New monsters are the headline additions set to arrive, including Mizutsune and a new Ray Dau variant.

Here's everything you need to know about Lagiacrus being added to Monster Hunter Wilds. As more info is revealed, we'll be sure to update this page. For now, let's break down the recent teaser trailer, and look at when the fan-favorite monster last appeared in the series.

Is Lagiacrus coming to Monster Hunter Wilds?

Capcom has teased the return of Lagiacrus, showing the sea serpent at the end of a recent showcase event for Monster Hunter Wilds. Given this, I'm confident in saying that yes, Lagiacrus will come to Monster Hunter Wilds in the future.

The only caveat here is that while Lagiacrus is indeed shown in the teaser, Capcom is yet to actually confirm that the monster shown is Lagiacrus, or the details on when they could arrive. As such, keep an eye on this page for updates once we get them.

The reason I'm confident that Lagiacrus is coming to Monster Hunter Wilds is that the brief tease showed a green-scaled monster, with plenty of underwater sound effects. Lagiacrus debuted in Monster Hunter Tri, notably featured in a hunt that made use of the game's underwater combat. Hopefully this style of hunt returns for Wilds.

This is all great news for Monster Hunter fans, who voted Lagiacrus the overall third favorite monster from the series in an official 2023 poll.

When could Lagiacrus arrive in Monster Hunter Wilds?

We don't know exactly when Lagiacrus will launch in Monster Hunter Wilds. What we do know is that the Lagiacrus teaser mentioned previously was paired with the text "Second Title Update".

This is likely Title Update 2, which is set for Summer 2025. As you can see in the image above, the roadmap for Monster Hunter Wilds extends into the end of May, before things get a bit murky. I expect Capcom to air another Monster Hunter Showcase in June that'll detail Title Update 2, and hopefully give some more info on what to expect from Lagiacrus.

Monster Hunter Wilds Lagiacrus FAQ

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As much as I love my Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck, I’m not convinced the handheld gaming console exercise has been nearly perfected from-wise since Nintendo’s Game Boy.

Sure the need for batteries and the chunky build of the original model wasn’t ideal, but later models made the cosine more pocketable. And the Game Boy Advance SP took it even further with a flippable design.

Foldable phones arguably make some headway giving a bigger screen for gaming but also a device that fits into a jacket pocket. But the software and gaming experience has yet to be perfected here. And for proper modern gaming power one needs a larger console.

So what’s the solution to this? Well, I think it might be a foldable console.

Sounds a bit odd doesn’t it? But my fellow managing editor and gaming fan, Josie Watson, got a look at a foldable console concept from Samsung Display. Check the video out below.

I have to say I’m rather sold on this design. Usually, I’m skeptical about such concepts; last year we saw a flexible display that could be worn as almost a sci-fi-like smartwatch and I wasn’t convinced by it.

But a foldable console that takes a Switch-style design and helps make it more pocket-sized is pretty compelling.

Obviously, there would be concerns over cooling and how much performance could be extracted from such a device. Yet mobile tech has advanced enough to cleverly split chipsets into modules and use batteries that are separated but provide a single pool of power to tap into.

So I feel that there’s more scope for a foldable games console to become a practical reality.

What’s more, I reckon Microsoft could be the one to make it happen, given it’s partnered with Samsung before on the gaming side; I just don’t expect this to happen with the rumored Xbox handheld.

If nothing else, I’m still glad to see Samsung Display coming up with intriguing concepts, especially when the mainline company is increasingly treading the path of releasing iterative products, as seen with the Samsung Galaxy S25.

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• Valve's SteamOS 3.7.0 Preview comes with "beginnings of support for non-Steam Deck handhelds"
• Non-Steam Deck handheld PCs could soon use SteamOS instead of Windows 11
• Such a move could unleash more power from handhelds made by the likes of Asus, Lenovo and MSI

I’d be lying if I said I’d not been wishing for ages that Valve opened up SteamOS to other handheld PCs and machines beyond its excellent Steam Deck. And after some waiting, that looks to be finally happening with the recent SteamOS 3.7.0 Preview coming with the "beginnings of support for non-Steam Deck handhelds."

Now that’s not a vast amount to go off given it's only for a preview version of SteamOS. But with a model of the Lenovo Legion Go S being powered by SteamOS and set to arrive in May, we could see the advent of a new range of SteamOS-based handheld PCs.

There are already ways to run SteamOS on non-Steam Deck machines, but support for them is unofficial and they lack the slick handheld integration of Steam in the same vein as the Steam Deck. The best handheld PCs tend to run Windows 11 with a form of handheld interface on top of the operating system and then tap into Steam’s Big Picture Mode to enable a console-like handheld gaming experience.

Having native SteamOS support would surely make all this slicker for new handheld PCs and those that could be retrofitted or dual-booted with Valve’s Linux-based operating system. In our hands-on time with the Lenovo Legion Go S, we were certainly sold on the idea of the SteamOS version.

Steamy dreams

While I still want Microsoft to work on refining Windows 11 to work more smoothly on handheld PCs, especially if it does indeed make a form of Xbox handheld, I feel SteamOS is more up to the task of supporting handheld PC gaming, especially given it’s had some three years to mature.

What excites me further, is that by dropping Windows 11 reliance, handheld PCs from the likes of Asus, Lenovo and MSI could tap into an operating system that requires less overhead resources and can thus unlock more power out of the chips on handheld PCs.

The Steam Deck’s AMD Zen 2 and RDNA 2-based APU isn’t as powerful as other chips in other handhelds, such as the Asus ROG Ally X that sports a more powerful AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor and RDNA 3-based graphics. But the Steam Deck arguably offers the slickest and smoothest gaming experience when one takes into account software and hardware in tandem.

Letting SteamOS take care of the operating system and interface could be the best of both worlds, with, say, a next-generation ROG Ally sporting a powerful APU with silicon horsepower that can be readily accessed thanks to a smaller need for overhead compute resources.

All this could open up a new avenue for handheld PCs that could finally challenge the Steam Deck, at least in my eyes.

The only caveat would be access to third-party game services. SteamOS and the Steam Deck were built around users tapping into the wide array of games supported on the Steam Store, rather than enable easy access to Xbox Game Pass or the Epic Games Launcher.

However, there are already workarounds to get the likes of Xbox Cloud Gaming running on the Steam Deck; Valve doesn't appear to discourage this. So I’d not be surprised to see hardware makers work to build on SteamOS to integrate other launchers in a neat, easy-to-use fashion.

It's hard to say when we could see more SteamOS-based handhelds. But given we’ve just got the latest SteamOS preview, it shouldn’t be long before a full version is let out into the wild; that could come in April.

If that happens we could see a bunch of handheld PCs that eschew Windows 11 for SteamOS this side of 2025; I’m crossing my fingers.

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• Assassin's Creed Shadows will be playable on Steam Deck at launch, Ubisoft has confirmed
• The publisher revealed that it's currently awaiting the level of classification from Valve
• Ubisoft previously stated that the game wouldn't be available on the handheld because it was below the minimum specs for PC

Ubisoft has confirmed Assassin's Creed Shadows will support Steam Deck at launch.

In February, the publisher shared a lengthy Q&A where it answered a number of questions about Shadows, its PC and console features, as well as whether the game would be available on Steam Deck.

"At launch, the game will not be compatible with Steam Deck, due to the fact it is below our minimum specs for PC," it said at the time.

However, one week before the game's launch, Ubisoft has now announced in a new X / Twitter post that its next Assassin's Creed game will be playable on Valve's handheld.

"Many of you have been asking about Steam Deck. We are happy to say that we are supporting Steam Deck at launch and are currently awaiting the level of classification from Valve. More info to come soon."

Valve typically grades new and upcoming games based on Steam Deck's compatibility classifications, so we won't know just yet if Shadows will be fully Verified at launch.

After being delayed once again in early January, Assassin's Creed Shadows is now set to launch on March 20, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

Last month, it was reported that the game had leaked ahead of time after some players were able to get hold of early copies. Some footage and screenshots were shared online and Ubisoft later responded to the situation, saying that any footage shared online is not representative of the final product.

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You'll need to catch a Gravid Bowfin in Monster Hunter Wilds to complete the Fishing for a Favor side mission. This is actually much harder than it sounds, given that the Gravid Bowfin can be found all over the world map, but doesn't always appear. As such, I've done some testing, and have found the quickest and easiest route to tracking down this shiny orange fish.

Once you've progressed a decent way through the campaign, you'll start to unlock side missions, one that involves seeking out different fish for a character back at camp. You'll need to head out and explore many of the deep water areas found around the map, using a specific kind of bait to bag your target. It's this world, teeming with life, that really makes the game stand out from others in the series, and it's a big reason why we've added Monster Hunter Wilds to our list of best crossplay games. To see what else we loved about it, check out our Monster Hunter Wilds review.

Here's where to find a Gravid Bowfin in Monster Hunter Wilds, including some info on the best areas to search in, and how to catch one.

Monster Hunter Wilds Gravid Bowfin location

According to the in-game monster guide, Gravid Bowfin can be found basically anywhere in the world. This is great, but also means that tracking one down does mean you'll be at the mercy of RNG (random number generator/generation), with the Gravid Bowfin being a rare find. I've managed to find a great spot in Wyveria that consistently spawned Gravid Bowfin, however, regardless of the season.

To make things easier, construct a pop-up camp at Area 8: Gap in the Rubble in the Wyveria region. This camp is right next to the fishing spot, meaning you can fast travel to and fro, resetting the fish spawns. Now fast travel there, and look into the water. You're looking for the fish highlighted below:

If you find the fish, then move on to the next section. If it's not there, then open up the world map, and fast travel to another region. It doesn't matter which, though I recommend choosing Area 13: Oasis in the Windward Plains, as there's a chance to find Gravid Bowfin there too. Once you're there, quickly check the Oasis. If the Gravid Bowfin isn't there, then it's back to the Gap in the Rubble camp. Eventually, a Gravid Bowfin will spawn, and I found this Wyveria spot to be the best place for it.

How to catch a Gravid Bowfin in Monster Hunter Wilds

To actually catch a Gravid Bowfin in Monster Hunter Wilds, you'll need to use your Fishing Rod. Do not use the Capture Net, as it won't count for the mission. By now, you'll know how to use the rod, but with the Gravid Bowfin, you need to equip the Emerald Jitterbait for the best chance of catching it.

The main issue you'll run into is that the gunpowder fish is found in the same area as the Gravid Bowfin, and will also be attracted by the same lure. Just keep fishing, catching gunpowder fis,h and clearing the pond until the Gravid Bowfin is clear to bite. Have patience, slowly reel in the bait by shifting the left stick up and down slowly (W and S on PC), and the fish will bite. Press the right trigger (left click on PC) and it's yours.

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The Assassin's Creed Shadows requirements for PC and Mac have finally been revealed. In general, you'll need to know the minimum and recommended specs to work out whether your setup can run the game, and how different levels of ray-tracing can be achieved in-game.

From what we've seen so far, Assassin's Creed Shadows looks to be a bold new step for the long-running action franchise. There are dual protagonists this time around, and even dynamic systems that will affect combat and stealth. We're still waiting to get ahold of the game, but it has a chance of ranking highly on our list of the best Assassin's Creed games from what we've seen so far.

Here's everything you need to know about the Assassin's Creed Shadows requirements for PC and Mac, including a breakdown of what you'll need for each level of ray-tracing in-game. We'll also explain whether AC: Shadows can run on Steam Deck, and some key info on everything from GPU requirements to the resolutions and frame rates that you'll be targeting.

Assassin's Creed Shadows requirements for PC

Here are the Assassin's Creed Shadows requirements for PC, broken up by the kind of Ray Tracing you want to achieve:

Now, we have the PC requirements for Assassin's Creed Shadows with Standard Ray Tracing switched on:

For those who want to go for extensive Ray Tracing, you'll need the following setup:

Assassin's Creed Shadows requirements for Mac

Now for the Assassin's Creed Shadows requirements from Mac, which will allow players using Apple silicon to get in on the fun.

Now, here's the requirements for those wanting to target Selective Ray Tracing on Mac:

Finally, here are the Assassin's Creed Shadows requirements for achieving Standard Ray Tracing on Mac:

Can you play Assassin's Creed Shadows on the Steam Deck?

Assassin's Creed Shadows is officially Steam Deck verified. This was confirmed via the game's official Twitter account. This comes after Ubisoft had previously ruled out the game for the handheld platform, but it seems it has since found a way to make it work. Great news all-round.

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GameSir Kaleid Flux: one-minute review

The GameSir Kaleid Flux is a wired controller in the mold of the official Xbox Wireless Controller, adopting a similar layout but with a few extra features and functions to set it apart.

The large front panel and asymmetrical analog sticks will be familiar aspects to many gamers at this point. However, the D-pad is one point of difference, as it adopts a more traditional four-prong design rather than a circular one a la the Xbox controller. It’s also gold in color, as are the trigger buttons.

The Kaleid Flux further distinguishes itself with RGB lighting visible behind the transparent front panel, which offers high levels of brightness. Like the best PC controllers, this can be adjusted and customized.

You’ll also find some extra buttons, including an 'M' (multifunction) button that can be used to make various tweaks when used in combination with other inputs. These include changing audio and mic volumes of connected headsets, toggling the analog functionality of the triggers, and configuring the RGB lighting.

This M button can also be used to assign inputs to the back buttons, which are located underneath the grips. This can also be done using GameSir’s Nexus software, which contains various other adjustments, including those for the analog sticks, triggers, vibration and lighting.

When gaming, the Kaleid Flux performs well for the most part. It feels light and comfortable, fitting my hands without issue. Although it’s a wired controller, it features a detachable USB cable, but thankfully the deep recess and secure hold of the port means there’s very little danger of it coming loose.

The face buttons are snappy yet well-damped, and so too is the D-pad, making for accurate and satisfying inputs. The back buttons are also easy to use, thanks to their tactile nature and positioning, which makes them hard to mispress. The sticks are similarly smooth and precise as well.

What’s more, the ability to set the triggers to always vibrate, with the intensity based on their travel, is a useful one, helping in situations where precise feedback is important – although the feel of this vibration isn’t the most pleasant sensation.

However, it’s a shame there aren’t more advanced tweaks available within Nexus, such as the ability to change the curve profile for the analog sticks. And while there is an option to swap the D-pad and left analog stick inputs, there’s no option to switch both sticks with each other, which I would’ve found more useful.

For a wired controller, the Kaleid Flux is a little on the expensive side. There are wireless gamepads with similar prices, such as the official Xbox Wireless Controller. It also lacks the same level of compatibility and advanced adjustments of some of its rivals, such as the Manba One.

The Kaleid Flux is by no means a bad controller, since it offers good performance and ergonomics, but you’ll have to consider whether you can live with its limitations given its asking price.

GameSir Kaleid Flux review: Price and availability

• $46 / £59 (about AU$75)
• Available now in a single colorway
• Wireless rivals are similarly priced

The Kaleid Flux costs $46 / £59 (about AU$75) and comes in one colorway: black with gold accents.

If you’re looking for one of the best Xbox controllers, then you can’t do much better than the official Xbox Wireless Controller. This nominally costs about the same as the Kaleid Flux, but it can often be found for less. However, it doesn’t come with a rechargeable battery – you’ll have to use AAs or pay extra for the optional rechargeable battery pack. The official software also lacks even basic customization options, such as button remapping.

If your heart is set on a Hall Effect controller, then the Manba One is a viable alternative to the Kaleid Flux. What’s more, it features more advanced customizations, including multiple curve profiles for the analog sticks. It’s also wireless and has Nintendo Switch and mobile support, yet the price difference (at least in the UK) isn’t much greater.

GameSir Kaleid Flux review: specs

GameSir Kaleid Flux review: design and features

• Wired only
• Useful multifunction button and back buttons
• Mixed software

The Kaleid Flux adopts a familiar gamepad design popularized by Xbox controllers, with its substantial front panel and asymmetrical analog sticks. However, it adds some panache with its gold D-pad and shoulder buttons, as well as RGB lighting, which sits behind the transparent front panel, offering plenty of luminescence should you want it.

The overall construction of the body is solid and the materials feel durable. This extends to the membrane face buttons, which are reassuringly damped and smooth in operation. Despite its solidity, the Kaleid Flux also feels quite light.Although the grips aren’t rubberized, the plastic has a dotted texture which I found offered plenty of grip during my play sessions.

The included braided USB cable is similarly well-made. Since the Kaleid Flux can’t be used wirelessly, it’s a little curious the cable is detachable, but thanks to the deep recess of the port on the controller, it’s very secure and I had no concerns at all about it coming loose in the heat of the moment.

You’ll find the usual gamepad buttons on the Kaleid Flux, including an Xbox home button in the middle. However, there are some extra buttons, including a share button just below the home button, and an M button, which acts as a modifier allowing you to adjust various settings on the fly when pressed in conjunction with other inputs.

You can switch profiles, adjust RGB effects and brightness, toggle the triggers between analog and digital modes, and adjust audio output and microphone volumes when a headset is connected via the 3.5mm jack. The M button is well positioned, making it easy to reach with your thumb.

The Kaleid Flux also has two back buttons located under the grips. These can be assigned inputs by using the M button or GameSir’s Nexus software on a Windows PC.

This software allows for further customizations, including button remapping and various other tweaks. For the analog sticks, there are dead zone adjustments and an option to toggle raw input mode. However, there’s no option to swap the left and right stick inputs with one another, which is a shame. You can swap the left stick with the D-pad, but personally I find this switch less useful.

For the triggers, there are alterable parameters for their travel distance, and you’ll also find a toggle for switching between analog and digital modes here too. Vibration intensity can be adjusted as well, and there are independent settings for trigger and grip vibrations, which is more than many other controllers and their companion software offer.

GameSir Kaleid Flux review: performance

• Good trigger feedback
• Reasonably precise sticks
• Some performance tweaks missing

The Kaleid Flux performs well when gaming. The aforementioned damped buttons make for satisfying yet snappy presses, with the D-pad being a particular highlight in this regard. Its long prongs also meant that mispressing certain directions wasn’t an issue for me, yet it still retains that rolling ability when adjacent directions need to be hit in quick succession – which made Tekken 8 more pleasurable for me to play.

Offering sufficient precision and feedback, the Hall effect analog sticks perform well too. It’s a shame, however, that their response curves can’t be altered, as they can on other controllers, such as the Manba One.

The triggers also employ Hall effect technology. They offer just the right amount of travel in my view, and allow for both precise, gradual actuation, which I welcomed when playing Art of Rally for maximum car control. However, they're still amenable to snappy inputs when required.

Should you require more snappiness, however, the ability to toggle the triggers between analog and digital modes is a useful one, as it allows you to perform quickfire presses – useful in shooters where you might not need the full travel of an analog trigger. However, if you want to switch modes quickly you’ll be disappointed, as there’s some delay when using the M button method for toggling between them (it may prove quicker using Nexus instead).

The triggers also have a vibrate function, and in Nexus you can set the Kaleid Flux to override in-game settings and instead vibrate them whenever they’re pressed, with intensity based on their travel. I found this particularly useful for racing games, where the feedback this provided made accelerating and braking more tactile.

However, the nature of this vibration is a little strange, feeling more like a buzz, which isn’t the most pleasant sensation under the finger. Also, there’s a slight dead zone at the start, meaning the vibration doesn’t kick in until the triggers are a certain way along. However, both of these are minor gripes and weren’t enough to derail the experience.

One particular quirk of the Kaleid Flux I noticed (at least in the unit I reviewed) is that the left grip vibration was notably stronger than the right. This could be an issue with the motor, but regardless, this again wasn’t immersion-breaking.

Should I buy the GameSir Kaleid Flux?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

There's no shortage of PC and Xbox controllers out there, so take a look at these two wireless alternatives.

How I tested the GameSir Kaleid Flux

• Tested for a week
• Played a variety of games
• Plentiful gaming experience

I tested the Kaleid Flux for about a week, during which time I used it to play a variety of games on PC.

I played Art of Rally – a racing game that provided a good test for trigger feedback thanks to the accelerating and braking controls – and Tekken 8, which is great for putting the D-pad and face buttons through their paces, since the game requires quick and precise inputs. I also played the Mafia: Definitive Edition to test the precision of the analog sticks when shooting.

I also made sure to use as many features and functions on the Kaleid Flux as possible, including the two back buttons and M button, and tried to make every tweak and adjustment on offer via GameSir’s Nexus software tool.

I have been gaming for over 25 years across a variety of platforms, and have experienced many controllers over this time, including models that I’ve reviewed.

• First reviewed January 2025
• Read more about how we test

Where to find Sharp Fang in Monster Hunter Wilds? This is likely the first question you'll be asking when trying to craft your first full armor set after a monster hunt. The trouble is, until you hunt a small monster that drops the resource, you won't know where to look. Thankfully, I've tracked down a number of beasts that'll drop Sharp Fang, speeding up the process significantly.

To seek out certain resources in Monster Hunter Wilds, you'll need to venture out into the brand new seamless open world. You'll find a whole host of creatures, from Large Monsters like Chatacabra to endemic life like the Rufflizard. It's this world, teeming with life, that really makes the game stand out from others in the series, and it's a big reason why we've added Monster Hunter Wilds to our list of best crossplay games. To see what else we loved about it, check out our Monster Hunter Wilds review.

Here's where to get Sharp Fang in Monster Hunter Wilds, including some info on which monsters to track down and carve. We'll then go on to detail what you can craft with Sharp Fang.

Monster Hunter Wilds Sharp Fang location

The best place to get Sharp Fang in Monster Hunter Wilds is from Talioth in the Windward Plains. These are long reptilian small monsters that can be found in small groups. Early on, in Low Rank, you'll receive an Optional Quest called The Reset is Demanding, that'll lead you right to Talioth, though you can also just head to the Plains and open your map to find them. Take them down and carve them to get Sharp Fang. Note that you'll only get it from Low Rank Talioth. Other small monsters also stop sharp Fang when carved:

• Gaijos (Low Rank): Plains, Forest
• Kranodath (Low Rank): Basin
• Piragill (Low Rank): Forest
• Porkeplume (Low Rank): Wyveria, Cliffs

What to use Sharp Fang for in Monster Hunter Wilds

You'll need Sharp Fang to craft certain Low Rank armor pieces in Monster Hunter Wilds. The first you'll come across will be the Chatacabra Coil, a lower armor piece that grants the Botanist Skill. Given how early on you fight and hunt the Chatacabra, its armor set is a great one to spend a bit of time crafting by seeking out its requisite resources. Sharp Fang is one resource that cannot be craved from the Chatacabra itself, though Talioth is often found in the same area.

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The best Monster Hunter Wilds controller setting can help you customize your combat and traversal, making hunts and Field Investigation easier. By making slight tweaks to some of the new mechanics like Focus Mode, you can seriously streamline the sometimes complex control schemes associated with weapons like the Insect Glaive, and even make moving around on your Seikret feel much more intuitive.

Monster Hunter Wilds is another step forward for the long-running co-op action franchise. By offering up a seamless open world teeming with flora and fauna, the game really switches up the look and feel of hunts. You can read our full Monster Hunter Wilds review to find out why we've placed the game on our best multiplayer PC games list.

Here are the best Monster Hunter Wilds controller settings to change when you first load the game up. We'll cover everything from making the most of extra back paddles to making sure you can always access items quickly.

Monster Hunter Wilds best controller settings

After spending dozens of hours playing the beta and the main game for review, here are my recommendations for the best controller settings to change in Monster Hunter Wilds. I'll then go into some more detail on each, so you can decide which settings you want to run with.

• Focus Mode - Toggle
• Seikret Manual controls - Type 2
• Back Paddle setup (Basic) - prioritize evade and attacks for melee
• Map Zoom settings - Disable
• Monster sighting camera - Disable
• Hold Confirmation Duration - Short
• Focus Mode Sensitivity - raise to your preference, but start with increasing by one for both horizontal and vertical

Focus Mode (Toggle)

First up, there are the controller settings related to Focus Mode. These relate to the new targeting system that's on the left trigger by default. Generally, you'll need to hold down the trigger to enter Focus Mode, but there is an option to set it to a toggle button press. This can really help with some weapons like the Insect Glaive, where you'll need to be holding down multiple buttons at once. Similarly for weapons like the Long Sword, where you'll generally always want to be in Focus Mode, this can save you from having to hold the trigger down for most of a fight.

Seikret Manual Controls

Next up is the Seikret Manual Controls. This option relates to how your Seikret moves when it is not in Auto-Move mode. I find that having this work in Type 2, which is the same as your Hunter moves, is much more intuitive. By default, you'll need to hold R1/RB to speed up, and R2/RT to slow down. If this feels weird to you, as it does to me, then switch to the other option.

Back Paddles

While we're on the topic of best controller settings, it's worth mentioning some back paddle bindings that'll help those with more premium controllers like the DualSense Edge and Xbox Elite Series 2:

• Evade - having the evade button (A on Xbox, X on PlayStation) on a back paddle can really help, as you can move the right stick while dodging, allowing you to quickly refocus your aim
• Attack 1 - the first of your main attacks (for non-bow-gun users) will likely be on Y for Xbox and triangle for PS5. You'll want this on a back paddle so that you can aim while attacking, without having to take your thumb off of the right stick
• Attack 2 - the second of your main attacks can also be mapped to a back paddle for easier use. As a Long Sword main, I find this setup really helps me focus my aim while using Focus Mode
• Sheathe weapon - sometimes, you're going to want to be sheathing your weapon to switch to item use, or triggering environmental effects with the hook shot.
• Sprint - another option for a back paddle mappable button is the sprint. This is on the left stick click by default.

Of course, how you set up your back paddles will ultimately come down to personal preference. For some tips on the controllers that are best suited for Monster Hunter Wilds, be sure to check out our best controllers for Monster Hunter Wilds guide.

Map Zoom settings

Monster Hunter Wilds features an extremely detailed map, which reveals different points of interest depending on how zoomed in you are. The problem that I ran into was that I use adjustable trigger action on my DualSense Edge, so there's less of a press to activate them. This means that trying to zoom in would automatically make the map jump to the highest zoom, or the lowest zoom, making it very difficult to hone in on what I'm actually trying to see. Disabling this really helps, especially when combing the map for resources.

Monster Sighting Camera

Finally, we have the Monster Sighting Camera, which will zoom in and present a more cinematic shot of large monsters when first encountering them. I prefer to turn this off, as it can lead to you losing control over the camera while riding into battle. More than once, this has led to me losing the element of surprise on a monster at the beginning of a hunt, due to my character continuing to move while the Monster Sighting camera is active. Disable this to avoid this animation from triggering.

Focus Mode Sensitivity

Finally, a note on Focus Mode sensitivity. By default, Focus Mode is supposed to be a slower, more precise aiming mode. This can work for most weapons, and most hunts, but for faster monster you'll want to experiment with upping the sensitivity. This will allow you to swing the camera around faster, especially with ranged weapons. Increase the Focus Mode sensitivity by one for both horizontal and vertical, and see how you get on. Weapons like the Bowguns and Long Sword really benefit from this small change.

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