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.

Valve's Steam Machine finally has a price, and it's a high one. But if you're handy with a screwdriver, you can roll your own for a lot less.

PCWorld examines MSI's $1,800 Claw 8 EX AI+ gaming handheld alongside Valve's $1,049 Steam Machine, highlighting escalating costs in PC gaming hardware. Rising component prices and console increases like Xbox Series X jumping to $799 signal affordability concerns for gaming enthusiasts. Testing shows DIY alternatives can save nearly $200 while matching performance, though high storage and memory costs remain challenging. I don't know about you, but I can't remember the last time it was so expensive to surf the cutting edge of PC hardware. I've been thinking about the ongoing pricepocalypse engulfing the computing industry all week, because here at PCWorld we've been testing the remarkably fast (and remarkably expensive) MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ in order to see how it stacks up against other handheld gaming PCs.

PCWorld reports that Valve's Steam Machine ships with a single 16GB DDR5-5600 SODIMM, leaving one memory slot empty and causing a 10% performance loss compared to dual-channel configurations. Users can upgrade to 32GB by adding another 16GB SODIMM for around $200, but the process requires complex disassembly as demonstrated in teardowns. The Steam Machine's high price combined with its single-stick RAM limitation makes it a questionable value proposition for gamers seeking optimal performance. Valve will sell you a Steam Machine starting today, at least if you signed up earlier this week and you have a little bit of luck. Early supplies are expected to be extremely limited, as Valve is dealing with the same hardware issues as the entire industry. It comes with just 16GB of RAM, which is a little light for a gaming desktop. But there's something you should know about it that isn't on the spec list. The Steam Machine is using semi-standard parts, at least for RAM and storage, including familiar SODIMM sticks that go into laptops.

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.

PCWorld reports that Valve's Steam Machine launch faces delays and increased costs due to industry-wide memory and storage shortages affecting component availability. RAM prices have surged significantly, potentially increasing PC costs by 20%, forcing Valve to consider subsidizing the device to remain competitive. The Steam Machine targets 4K/60FPS performance using AMD's FSR technology and will feature user-upgradeable SSD and RAM for flexibility. I had a feeling this was coming. While Valve has never confirmed the price of its hotly anticipated Steam Machine revival, the specs of the tiny, console-style PC indicated something cheaper than a full gaming desktop--and its exact price will be crucial to its success . But a bit of info hidden in a new FAQ page indicates that even Valve is sweating about the price as much as the rest of us are. "When we announced these products in November, we planned on being able to share specific pricing and launch dates by now," says the FAQ . "But the memory and storage shortages you've likely heard about across the industry have rapidly increased since then."

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.

Gather'round, children, and let me tell you a story about the old bugaboo we used to call DRM. Digital Rights Management was the beast under every gamer's bed in the mid-2000s, an invisible bit of software baked into game discs that dictated and tracked player behavior under the guise of preventing piracy. DRM software, like SecuROM, limited the times a game could be downloaded and forced players to regularly connect to the internet for authentication checks, at a time when less than half of American adults had reliable broadband connections. DRM features soured the releases of BioShock, Mass Effect and Spore, and by 2010, anti-piracy software had rendered Assassin's Creed 2 and Splinter-Cell: Conviction unplayable. When Microsoft attempted to release the Xbox One with always-on DRM features in 2013, intense vitriol from fans forced the company to reverse its plans at the 11th hour.

Did you know in Crusader Kings II you can make a horse become ruler of the Roman Empire? And if that doesn't convince you to pick up a copy of the game for free this weekend, then I don't know anything that will. More details on that below, plus Assassin's Creed: Origins adds cheat codes, Shadow of War deep-sixes loot boxes, Path of Exile temporarily goes battle royale, Lawbreakers studio Boss Key starts work on a new project, and maybe some Shaquille O'Neal news too. This is gaming news for April 2 to 6. As I said up top, this week's freebie is a big one: Crusader Kings II, the massive and ever-popular grand strategy game from Paradox, is free (to own) on Steam until early Saturday, Pacific Time.