In this week's overkill digest, MSI joins the handheld race with two new devices, while Valve quietly lays the groundwork for a SteamOS revolution. Plus, I explain why their living room plans might actually work this time around.
"Hello, friend. ‘Hello, friend?’ That’s lame. Maybe I should give you a name." (Yes, I started watching Mr. Robot again.) Welcome to a new edition of the overkill digest newsletter.
A quick heads-up: this is the second-to-last newsletter of the year before Chris and I take a little break. There will be one additional email between the holidays, which will bring you the results of this year’s State of Steam Deck Survey. With 30% more responses than last year, I can’t wait to dive into the data and share the insights.
Ok, let's get to it!
🗞️ This Week in Handhelds
🚀 Big Handheld Moves
- MSI officially unveils Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ handhelds. You can preorder both on Best Buy for $799 and $899 respectively.
- GPD updates the Win 4 handheld PC. The Win 4 2025 Edition features either a Ryzen AI 9 HX (this name will never not be stupid) or a 8840U. It starts at $840 (ouch!) for the lower end chip.
- Antec reveals the Core Micro handheld. Looks familiar? Because it is, it's basically the AYANEO Pocket Micro Chris reviewed, but with a different name.
🎮 Platform Updates
- Valve reportedly working on a SteamOS console. Early leaks hint at a revival of the Steam Machine. More below. But fittingly:
- Valve's branding guidelines suggest SteamOS expansion. So maybe they are not only launching their own console, but also finally getting ready to release SteamOS to the public. Again, more below.
- Ubisoft shuts down XDefiant and lays off hundreds. Ubisoft is taking L after L after L.
💻 Hardware Corner
- Microsoft partners with iFixit. You can now get parts and guides on how to fix your Xbox straight from iFixit.
- Anbernic is working on a Game Boy Advance lookalike. To say that this design is merely inspired would be a gross understatement. Love the look of it, hate the size of it.
🎲 Gaming News
- Sony is teasing Bloodborne players. Freaking release a remake already!!!!
- Challenging PC puzzle games you should try. Chris curated a list of great PC puzzle games to fight "brain rot".
- Fortnite introduces first-person mode with Ballistic. It's Counter Strike/Valorant but set in the Fortnite universe. I kinda dig it?
- Marvel Rivals runs on Steam Deck despite its verification status. Steam Deck Compatibility is currently set to "Unknown" but it runs on Valve's handhelds, although with a few bugs. It's also insanely popular at 451.000 concurrent players.
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard's character creator gets a standalone release. I'm still loving this game.
📌 Quick Hits
- PC Gaming Show 2024 showcases exciting new trailers. All the highlights from the event.
- League of Legends card game 'Project K' announced. Trading Card Game news numero uno...
- Physical Gwent card set for release. ... and Trading Card Game news numero due. Longtime readers of this newsletter know I'm a Magic player, so I'm definitely intrigued by both these games.
- The new Sony handheld might need dedicated games. Digital Foundry suggests that Sony's rumored PlayStation handheld would need dedicated scaled-down versions of PS5 games since it cannot run them natively at 20 watts (versus PS5's 200 watts), similar to how Nintendo Switch handles portable gaming.
Dig the new format? Hate it? Hit those feedback buttons below and let me know what's working.
🔒 Premium Deep Dive: This time, Valve's living room plans actually make sense
Valve seems to be cooking up something big in their labs, and for once, it's not another Steam Sale (the next one is in two weeks!!!).
As mentioned earlier, they quietly updated their branding guidelines with a "Powered by SteamOS" certification program (here is this new updated PDF). And while that might sound like boring corporate speak, there's more to this story than just a new console.