Plus, pretend you're moderating a forum like it's 2007 again. Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. As ever, we've got some neat new games for you to dive into this weekend, as well as a peek at some of the goodies headed our way in the near future. In between playing and trying to figure out whether the Steam Machine that's now under my TV actually fits into my life at all, I've been dipping into a -inspired project. is a simulation game that tasks you with moderating a forum in the mid-2000s, with a Windows XP-style UI adeptly setting the scene. There's even a desktop music player called Winump and a screensaver that kicks in after a period of inactivity. You'll have to review users' posts to determine whether they comply with a set of ever-changing rules, all while dealing with distractions like pop-ups and NSM Messenger pings.

Plus, the Steam Summer Sale is under way. Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. If you're looking for something new to play this weekend, we have several options for you to check out. We've also got news to bring you about upcoming games, including one with sword-wielding dinosaurs. Despite already having more games in my various libraries than I can ever conceivably play, I'm sure I'll at least pick up a few things from my wishlist.

PCWorld reports the Steam Deck has returned to market with nearly doubled pricing, featuring only OLED models at $789 for 512GB and $949 for 1TB versions. Valve discontinued cheaper LCD models and attributes price increases to rising memory and storage costs driven by AI industry demand affecting consumer hardware. This trend extends beyond Steam Deck to other gaming handhelds like Lenovo Legion Go, signaling broader affordability challenges in PC gaming hardware. The Steam Deck, harbinger of a portable PC gaming revolution, has been out of stock for three months. Now it's back at almost double the price of the original model. It'll cost you $789 USD to get the 512GB OLED version, $949 for the 1TB upgrade. The original LCD model, which debuted at $400, is resigned to the dustbin of history . Welcome to PC gaming in 2026, where the K-shaped economy has claimed the last remaining affordable option. The 512GB OLED model now costs $1,129 in Canada, 649 pounds in the UK, 779 euro in Europe, $1,199 in Australia, and 3,279 PLN in Poland.

Valve's £85 Steam Controller divides gamers ahead of May launch Valve has announced its new Steam Controller will be available to order from 4 May, and will cost £85 in the UK and $99 in the US - prices that have raised eyebrows among some gamers. The second generation of the gamepad, it will be compatible with PCs and Valve's handheld console, the Steam Deck. It is also designed to work with the company's own upcoming gaming PC, the Steam Machine. The Steam Controller may be more expensive than the standard controllers from Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation, but we do live in a time where companies including Sony and Microsoft are selling premium controllers for £150-£200, said Chris Scullion deputy editor of Video Games Chronicle. There has been a negative reaction from some gamers on social media though.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Valve has spent the last decade tunneling into Microsoft's vault. Now, the heist is on. Microsoft's big focus for Windows is AI integration . Meanwhile, Valve has been not-so-quietly pilfering the entire PC gaming ecosystem from Microsoft, turning the Linux-based SteamOS into a real competitor to Windows.

This premium gaming handheld loads up with features for power users, but Windows still holds it back from being the easy option. Performance is better than previous-generation handhelds. Detachable controllers are comfortable and improve usability. Windows on a handheld is still frustrating. Many companies have tried and failed to produce gaming handhelds that run Windows, and it's not hard to see the appeal.

Is Microsoft's first ever handheld Xbox console worth the wait? For almost two decades, rumours have swirled about a handheld Xbox console to rival Nintendo and PlayStation. The ROG Xbox Ally has been released worldwide, putting an end to the speculation. It works natively with Xbox's Game Pass subscription service out of the box, meaning members will start off with hundreds of games in their library. But its big trick is that it's really a portable computer running Windows, meaning most digital PC games people already own will work too - so long as they don't need a keyboard and mouse to play.

These are high-power, high-performance handhelds--but steep pricing and a cluttered UI hold Xbox's first portables back from greatness. All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Cloud gaming works better than ever. Terrible AI "assistant" in Gaming Copilot (but can be turned off).

After the smash hit that is the Steam Deck, all eyes are on Valve for its next hardware move. A console to take on Sony and Nintendo? A new trademark filing for the "Steam Frame" has gamers and press alike turning the speculation up to 11. And yeah, I couldn't resist doing some of my own. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has a public filing for the Steam Frame name, assigned to Valve Corporation and its corporate office in Bellevue, Washington, and began on September 2nd.

AMD's Radeon 9060 XT is generally a win: The mid-range has needed a graphics card like this, especially in counter to Nvidia's RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti. But not all reviewers are happy with the pricing--the MSRP appears to be another aspirational number for now. Will AM4's stunning run come to an end because of DDR4 RAM prices? Between reduced production, trade war fallout, and economic uncertainties, DDR4 memory prices have shot up as much as 50 percent recently. That could have sad effects on our good ol' reliable pick for budget PC builds, which leaned on AM4 mobos.