Street Fighter 6 is a game that is performing extraordinarily well for Capcom. With its recently announced second season and with a legendary character newly arrived in the game, this fighting game is in top form. That’s why it’s not surprising that Capcom wants to give it more weight. And they have done so with a special collaboration with Valve.
Starting from June 1st, Capcom will set up six stations in six specific locations with Steam Deck where you can play Street Fighter 6 for free. This will serve as a promotion for both Street Fighter 6 and the Steam Deck, which has been available for purchase in Japan and East Asian countries since late 2022.
However, if you think the idea of touching grass and, by the way, playing Street Fighter 6 is cool, we regret to inform you that you will have to be in Japan for that. The six locations where these booths will be set up are in Osaka, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Tokoname, Ishikawa, and Shitoro. Although if you are in Japan, or plan to go to Japan this summer, you can always go to any of these points to play some rounds of Street Fighter.
This makes us wish that this campaign goes well and Capcom decides to do the same with more games—in more places. Because the times when you could play consoles and video games in stores and shopping centers should never have been lost. And now is a good time to get them back.
ASUS ha presentado oficialmente su consola portátil de juegos ROG Ally X, que incorpora tantas mejoras que casi parece la ROG Ally 2. ¡Vamos a verla!
ASUS has officially unveiled its new portable gaming console, the ROG Ally X, which brings a series of improvements to the original design of the ROG Ally, considered one of the best on the market right now with Windows 11, which may be the big issue with these consoles.
Starting with the specifications, the ASUS ROG Ally X utilizes the same AMD Ryzen Z1 APU that offers great performance and efficiency with its 8 cores, based on the Zen architecture of 4 cores and 16 threads.
The chip features 24 MB of L3 cache and clock speeds of up to 5.1 GHz. It also comes with an integrated RDNA 3 iGPU with 12 compute units at 2800 MHz. That’s the only thing that hasn’t changed.
Specifications of the new ASUS console
Regarding memory, the ASUS ROG Ally X stands apart with up to 24 GB of LPDDR5X memory that reaches speeds of 7500 MT/s in dual-channel mode. In addition, the ROG Ally X comes with a full M.2 slot in the 2280 form factor, allowing capacities of up to 1 TB, twice as much as the original variant.
The ASUS ROG Ally X comes with two Type-C ports, one of which is USB4 (Thunderbolt 4). This allows users who want to use the device with an eGPU to do so, and for those who don’t use eGPUs, they have an additional USB port at their disposal.
Regarding design, ASUS has made some notable changes that allow for a much larger battery capacity of 80 Wh, double that of the original model (40 Wh). There are also updates to the zero-gravity internal thermal solution that comes with new fan designs that are 23% smaller, but have 50% more fan blades that allow for a 10% greater airflow.
The new tunnel design is also made to quickly dissipate heat outside the chassis, and for that, there’s an additional third grille to expel hot air. The new design allows for up to 24% more airflow and a temperature up to 10º F lower on the panel.
But ASUS didn’t stop there. They also made modifications to the look and feel of the new ROG Ally X controller, which now comes with a precision D-Pad, a joystick that can support up to 5 million cycles, and an improved range for the D-Pad and joysticks.
It measures 280.2 x 114 x 36.9 mm. The screen is an FHD panel with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and touch design. The new updates will be rolled out in July 2024. Is it the feared rival of the Steam Deck?
PlayStation Vita is a console to be vindicated, as it laid the foundation for what portable consoles are today, even if it didn’t achieve the success it deserved.
Today we are witnessing an evident rebirth of portable consoles. Thanks to Nintendo Switch first, and then the Steam Deck, we have seen the emergence of numerous alternatives, both on the console side and on the laptop side in the form of a console. Retro lovers have Analogue Pocket, those who want something more unique have Playdate, and in between there are all kinds of consoles for each person’s preferences.
It is undeniable that we live in a golden age of laptops. Also, now is the perfect time to reclaim some of the ones that, at the time, we should have appreciated more.
One of those portable devices is the PlayStation Vita. Released on February 15th in North America and February 22nd in Europe, the PlayStation Vita was the successor to the PlayStation Portable, focusing on its large OLED screen, dual touch screens, two joysticks, and a more modern and elegant design. These aspects may sound uninnovative today, but at the time they made it a revolutionary handheld console.
In fact, Sony’s marketing was based on talking about PlayStation Vita as the portable version of a home console. A monster that could play the same games you played in your living room. But many people misunderstood what they meant by that. Although it also has great graphics power, especially compared to the Nintendo 3DS, the revolutionary aspect was in its design and controls.
PlayStation Vita was the first console that had an identical layout to a modern controller. Playing Sony’s handheld console was like holding a PlayStation controller with a huge, high-quality screen, on which you could play the same games as the home consoles. Something absolutely revolutionary, considering that, at that time, the majority of the public associated handhelds with Nintendo. That is, a different style of gameplay than you would have on home consoles, due to both hardware and design limitations.
The great virtue of the PlayStation Vita is that it did twelve years ago what is now valued in the Nintendo Switch or the Steam Deck. Being a home console or a mid-power computer, but portable. The huge screen, the possibility of playing everything anywhere, and the control scheme were already present in Sony’s console. It just arrived ten years too soon.
Because the problem with the Vita was not its catalog. It had all the PlayStation Mobile games, a lot of PSX classics, Sony’s own spinoffs of the big franchises, and all the indie games of the moment. Even today, many people consider that games like OlliOlli or Hotline Miami have their true home on this handheld console. And some classics from the first PlayStation, like Vagrant Story or Final Fantasy VII, have never been played better, legally, than on the Vita.
In addition, being backward compatible, it could also play PlayStation Portable games. And thanks to Remote Play, you could play through streaming on your PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 consoles. One of the great virtues of current handhelds, thanks to programs like Chiaki, but already supported natively in 2012.
Although it is still alive today thanks to the modding community, which keeps it alive and has turned it into everything that the Steam Deck is celebrated for today, the PlayStation Vita ceased production on March 1, 2019. Selling around 16 million units in its lifetime, it fell far short of the 80 million units sold by its predecessor, the PlayStation Portable.
What caused this failure? The use of proprietary memory card system, the perception that PlayStation Portable was a secondary console compared to Nintendo DS, and a marketing campaign that failed to communicate the true virtues of the Vita, did a lot of damage to Sony’s console. This has led to, twelve years later and even after demonstrating that it paved the way for a new boom in portable consoles, Sony still hasn’t dared to release a successor to it.
Because while Sony released PlayStation Portal on November 15th, what the audience really wants is a PlayStation Vita 2. What would have been its successor if they hadn’t let it die. But since that’s impossible, here, today, we celebrate the path that PlayStation Vita opened. Even if it came too soon to succeed.
“Fortnite on the Steam Deck? Tim Sweeney says no, but there’s a catch; although that catch doesn’t make much sense, and let’s break it down.”
Fortnite is one of the most popular games in the world and yet, it seems to be locked in its own ecosystem. Although it can be played on mobile devices, it is heavily restricted to appear on them. And while its home is on computers, it also seems to have many issues reaching outside of the Epic store itself. Although, no matter what the CEO of the company says, perhaps all of this is not always the fault of others.
In an interview with The Verge, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney was asked why Fortnite was not coming to the Steam Deck. Especially considering that they had even gone to court to get their game to appear on mobile devices without any interference from Google. Sweeney’s response has been concise, but not clear: “if we only had a few more programmers… I wish they had tens of millions of users, at which point it would make sense to support it”. A spurious argument that, moreover, is as easy to dismantle as almost everything Sweeney says in the interview.
On one hand, it states that it is a human problem. They don’t have enough programmers. The reality is that, only during 2023, Epic has laid off 830 employees. Around 16% of its workforce. If they hadn’t laid them off, it doesn’t seem like not having enough programmers could be a problem.
On the other hand, he claims that the problem is the installed base of Steam Decks. While he does not give a clear answer to the question, which in itself shows that he is not interested in answering, what he wants to convey here is that Fortnite is not profitable on Steam Deck because it would be very expensive to develop. Which has already been proven to be a lie. First, because both Valve and Epic stated in November 2021 that Epic’s proprietary anti-cheat should be something easy to solve. Second, because even if they don’t want to release Fortnite on Steam, third-party applications allow you to install the Epic Games Launcher on the Steam Deck. Demonstrating that they don’t do it for other kinds of interests.
What are those interests? Tim Sweeney wants to be the Caesar instead of the Caesar. His problem is that he doesn’t want to publish his games on the competition’s store. Which is legitimate, but it makes it absurd, and deeply insulting, that he answers in that way. Because the answer is clear. Fortnite is not possible on Steam Deck because that would make Valve’s device more attractive, and that is something that Tim Sweeney, and his interest in replacing Steam with the Epic Games Store as the ultimate game store, cannot allow.
And sometimes, the most convoluted answers are the most revealing ones.
Valve has asked players to please not snort smokes from the Steam Deck, because it could very well end up affecting your health.
Look, we get it. There are things that smell too good. The ink of freshly bought books. Early morning bakeries. Well-tended gardens in spring. These are scents we chase after, ones we want to inhale whenever possible. Not just to revel in them but actively seek them out and make them our own. But sometimes, it’s inappropriate, if not dangerous. That’s why Valve had to step in and tell us, well, no, we shouldn’t be sniffing the gases from our Steam Deck.
This isn’t new. Since the Steam Deck came out, many people have commented on enjoying the scent emanating from the console’s vents. It’s something that’s made a lot of people actively and consciously sniff that scent, becoming a meme in itself among the user community. The aroma from the Steam Deck’s ventilation is so pleasant and unique that it’s tempting to sniff it. That’s why Valve had to come out and clarify, for the love of all that’s good, let’s not do that.
On December 12th, Reddit user Metapod100 shared a screenshot where they asked Steam support if it was safe to “inhale the gases from the extractor” of the device. Valve responded, with a somewhat resigned tone, stating that “like with all electronic devices, it’s generally not recommended to inhale the gases from your device’s extractor.” They added that “while there are no safety issues with normal use, direct inhalation of these gases should be avoided.”
Of course, Valve hasn’t outright forbidden it. Nor have they said you’ll die if you continue doing it. But it does seem advisable not to do so simply because, you know, we don’t know how it might affect your health. It’s a sound piece of advice from Valve, who might be a bit late in releasing incense with the scent of Steam Deck’s extraction system gases.
These days, the portable console market is heavily dominated by Nintendo Switch and its models, that’s something evident, but they are by no means alone. In fact, in recent times, several alternatives have emerged that, while not solely consoles, can be referred to as portable gaming devices. For example, there are the two featured in this post, Steam Deck and Razer Edge, and we’re going to share some of their most important differences so you can lean towards one proposal or the other.
To be precise, let’s explore several of the key differences between Steam Deck and Razer Edge, something that should help you decide between the two, if you haven’t already. Remember that both portable consoles have been available for some time now (Valve’s since early 2022 and Razer’s since this very 2023), so once you’ve made up your mind, you can go ahead and buy them without any issue.
Steam Deck vs Razer Edge
With the introductions made, we can now delve into these key differences between Steam Deck and Razer Edge that we are going to highlight right here. Before we start, it’s worth mentioning that here we will take a superficial look at their features and some of their differences that we consider relevant when choosing one or the other. However, if you want to know all the details of each one, you can access the official website of Steam Deck and Razer Edge.
Firstly, it’s true that Valve’s portable console has managed to position itself in an advantageous position compared to its competitors (excluding Nintendo Switch, which continues to lead in its own way, as always), but we can’t say that Razer Edge is anything less than a solid alternative. Both devices have screens of a very similar size (7 inches for Steam Deck and 6.8 inches for Razer), although in terms of resolution, there are more differences. Valve’s device has a resolution of 1280 x 800p, while the Razer Edge has one of 2400 x 1080p. Regarding the refresh rate of both consoles, the differences are also very notable, with Steam Deck lagging behind at 60 Hz, while Edge has 144 Hz.
As you can see, in terms of the screen, Razer Edge scores a significant point because what a portable console’s screen can offer is crucial for enjoying the best possible gaming experience. As for the battery life of both, Razer Edge also wins, although by a narrow margin. Additionally, it’s worth noting that while Edge has a 128 GB storage model, its rival comes in three models: 64 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB respectively. However, all of Valve’s models have 16 GB of RAM, whereas Razer Edge has versions with 6 GB and 8 GB of RAM. It’s a closely contested aspect, indeed.
Since we’re discussing the technical aspects, it’s necessary to mention that Valve’s portable console features an AMD APU Zen 2, while Razer Edge has the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1. Regarding operating systems, one runs SteamOS 3.0, and the other runs Android. While Razer Edge wins in terms of screen quality and smoothness during gameplay, it’s worth noting that Steam Deck remains the more powerful option.
Getting into the most exciting aspect of a gaming device, we need to talk about the compatibility of both devices. Steam Deck allows you to enjoy stores like Steam itself, obviously, Epic Games Store, and Ubisoft Connect, along with a few lesser-known stores. It also supports Xbox Cloud Gaming, so cloud gaming has its presence on the handheld. Well, all these mentioned stores can be accessed from Razer Edge, which also allows you to play mobile games since it’s compatible with the Google Play Store, given its use of Android.
Therefore, in this regard, they offer very similar experiences, but Edge wins by allowing you to enjoy many more games, no matter how mobile-oriented they are. Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that Steam Deck gives us the option to play on our TV as it comes with a dock, although this needs to be purchased separately, if desired, at a price of 99 euros. This interesting option is not available on the Razer device, although we understand that if you’re looking for a handheld, this might not be a deciding factor.
Another major difference between the two consoles lies in their design. To put it simply, Razer Edge is similar to the Switch. In essence, this device is an Android tablet that comes with an integrated Razer Kishi controller which can be detached and used with other compatible devices, like our mobile phones. In the case of Steam Deck, the controls are fully integrated into the console, offering a much more secure usage experience.
With all that said, and before we conclude, let’s talk about the prices of both devices. Razer Edge has an official price of 499.99 euros, while Steam Deck is priced as follows: the 64 GB version costs 419 euros, the 256 GB version is around 549 euros, and the 512 GB version is 679 euros. Now that you have all the necessary and relevant information about both consoles, it’s up to you to decide based on what you’ve read in this post. We could recommend what we consider the better purchase, but ultimately, this depends on what each individual is looking for in a handheld.
The Steam summer sales have arrived and we have made a selection of the best offers, taking into account budgets so that you can choose.
It has arrived that time of the year. The moment when our wallets cry because Gabe Newell decides it’s time to coordinate all the studios in the world to lighten our pockets. We’re talking about the Steam Summer Sale. That’s why, so you don’t get lost in the immense sea of games offered by Steam, we bring you a selection of the best games, divided into different budgets, and why you should play them.
My wallet doesn’t hurt (games of 40 euros or more)
This is the Crown Jewel. No deal is going to be juicier than this. The Steam Deck won’t have a replacement anytime soon, and it has a juicy discount depending on the version you’re interested in. 10% off for the 64GB, 15% off for the 256GB, and 20% off for the 512GB. If you’re considering buying a Steam Deck and have the money, this is the moment to go for it. It’s unlikely that you’ll find it cheaper than this in the near future.
This remake of the 2008 game developed by the sadly defunct EA Redwood Shores is one of the most surprising and chilling horror games of the year. Why? Its use of light and sound takes advantage of next-gen technology to make an already claustrophobic game even more intense. In terms of design, it not only hasn’t aged, but its weaker aspects, specifically the puzzle and exploration elements, have been greatly improved in this remake, which serves as a prime example of how a remake should be done when aiming to stay as faithful as possible to the original. Dead Space, the 2023 version, is the game we remembered in our heads as Dead Space from 2008. An absolute must-play for horror fans.
Although it originally released in Japan in 2014, we never got to see Like a Dragon: Ishin! in the West because Sega believed that no one outside of Japan would be interested in Japanese culture or samurai stories. An utterly incomprehensible thought for any Westerner. After the success of the seventh installment in the Yakuza franchise and its name change to the Japanese title, Like A Dragon, they decided to bring the game’s remaster to PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC. Gameplay-wise, it may not be as polished as the latest entries in the Yakuza series, but in terms of atmosphere and storytelling, it is an absolute fantasy. It’s a fun and tense game with a narrative full of bewildering twists that will delight fans of Yakuza, fans of samurai stories, and it also serves as a perfect entry point to the beat ’em up aspect of the franchise.
There’s little to say about Call of Duty that hasn’t been said already. Its fans hardly play anything else, while non-fans are unlikely to take interest in a game from the franchise. Sometimes their campaigns are good, other times they are a disaster, but their multiplayer is always excellent. In the case of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, it was one of those instances where the franchise offered us a decent campaign and a particularly polished multiplayer, making it one of the most solid entries in the franchise in recent years. If it has been a while since you played a Call of Duty game and you’re looking for one to invest hours in for the years to come, look no further: this is your Call of Duty.
Let’s not overdo it (Games between 20 and 30 euros).
Cyberpunk was a disastrous game at its launch, but it has gradually managed to redeem itself in the eyes of players. Let’s not deceive ourselves: it’s still not the marvel we were promised, with gameplay that is not always great and a narrative that sometimes stumbles. Does that mean it’s a bad game? Absolutely not. Cyberpunk is an interesting game, with ups and downs that, if we can overlook, provides us with a classic CD Projekt experience and countless hours of gameplay. Furthermore, with the DLC just around the corner, the game’s universe is only going to expand further.
Among arcade-style racing games that still maintain a touch of simulation, it’s undeniable that Forza Horizon 5 is the current king. Continuing with its open-world style, reinforcing the idea of navigating the map and trying out different challenges and events created by other players, it is an extensive and practically infinite game where the act of driving is not the least important, but rather driving in a specific way. The most important thing in Forza Horizon 5 is to enjoy the act of driving. Discovering what brings you joy, seeking it out, and never stopping unless you want to. Because that’s what the franchise is all about: having fun.
Hideo Kojima is one of the great creators in the gaming industry, and for good reason. Aside from creating the Metal Gear Solid series, he has made an indelible mark on the medium with many other games that have pushed the boundaries of what video games can be. Take, for example, Death Stranding. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, the main mechanic of the game is walking. And Hideo Kojima manages to make walking fun. It’s a beautiful game, excellently written, and incredibly enjoyable to play.
If you enjoy classic J-RPGs in the vein of Terranigma, Final Fantasy VI, or Chrono Trigger, and you’re itching for something in that style but don’t want to play something retro, look no further. Chained Echoes is a game heavily inspired by 90s Japanese role-playing games, incorporating many quality-of-life features and a modernized approach to the genre. It offers both a nostalgic experience and holds up perfectly to the standards of 2023.
Resident Evil is a franchise that has been delivering great games ever since its triumphant return with Resident Evil 7. Thanks to that, we can now enjoy true masterpieces like the Resident Evil 2 remake for just ten euros, which is an absolute steal. Is the game only a couple of hours long, three at most? Yes, for each of the two main playable characters. That doesn’t even include the Mercenaries mode or any of the other additional content. Not to mention the periodic urge to replay it every now and then with the excuse that, hey, it’s actually quite short.
Disco Elysium is the best RPG released in the last five years, and this is not even up for debate. Narratively superb, artistically astounding, and musically awe-inspiring, it is a true masterpiece. What’s the synopsis? We play as a detective who has been sent to investigate a murder case in a neglected district forgotten by the government. Waking up with a deadly hangover, we don’t remember our names and we don’t have our gun, badge, or pants with us. Does it sound like a comedy? Well, this game will make you laugh as much as it will make you cry.
For strategy fans. For those who want to squeeze every ounce of gameplay. For those who want every euro they spend to translate into the maximum amount of gaming hours. Here it is. The ultimate cathedral of lost hours, the “just one more turn” syndrome, the game that makes you start playing at 5 in the afternoon and when you look at the clock again, it’s already 11 at night. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI follows a long lineage of great games, and its sixth installment does not disappoint in hooking us and never letting us go.
If you don’t have the budget for Call of Duty or have always felt that it lacks something, like more solid campaigns and better individual games, we have excellent news for you. Titanfall 2 has the best campaign of any shooter that has been released in many years, and it costs just a little more than a breakfast in a big city. With fabulous gunplay, amazing weapons, and incredible mech scenes, Titanfall 2 is a game that probably will never have, but deserves, a third installment.
Recommending Vampire Survivors is like recommending slot machines or cocaine. It’s simply not right to do so. Why? Because it’s highly addictive. It’s very straightforward: our character shoots automatically, and we have to move them to destroy enemies that appear in endless waves. But the sound, the lights, the effects—everything is perfect for keeping us in a constant trance-like state. And just when it seems like we’re about to lose ourselves, something pops up on the screen—we’ve gained a power, an attack, something new in this round or on this account. Vampire Survivors is addictive because it’s designed to be that way. Run in the opposite direction. Or dive headfirst.
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