Well the purpose of it is to make the barrier to entry for PC gaming lower. You try to say go to bestbuy or newegg or anywhere else and search for new portable PCs for $399 or even $529 that have 16GB of ram, you will not find any. Not even chrome books which are supposed to be the cheapest of the bunch will give you that. Even prebuilt Desktops won't give you that if you are trying to buy new. Not to mention the CPU/GPU specs that the Steam Deck comes with.

So imo, it's target audience is a) Gamers on a budget and b) Those that want to play PC games on the go

Now as for it's gaming capabilities, currently it can play Jedi the fallen order at high settings according to IGN and we have seen it play other games as well. Now will it be able to play every game that comes out at mid to high settings? Probably not. And I am sure as time goes on, there will be some games that will down right not work on it without adding some mods to tweak the graphics to make it compatible. But that's the price you pay for $399/$529 price point. That doesn't mean the Steam Deck will be useless however. There will still be a wide selection of games that will work on it even by the end of the generation. And if you follow someone like Low Spec Gamer, he shows you plenty of ways to make even the most demanding games run reasonably on even Intel iGPUs.

And yes, if this is a success, Steam deck will get iterations every few years to upgrade it's internals like other PCs do. Realistically, if you want the best longevity, you should wait for the second iteration assuming it's a success. I pre-ordered this one however because for the types of games that I am going to be playing on it, it's perfect. And I do have my 5950x + 3080 for the games that require a bit more power.

Good news that they are at least trying to make sure they don't fall into the pitfall Nintendo has (and refuses to do anything about, like at all).

https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/omx5dq/steam_deck_valve_is_doing_its_best_to_avoid/

In other news DirectStorage coming to Windows 10. For those on older PC's or just don't want to make the jump for whatever reason

https://www.pcgamer.com/windows-11-directstorage-windows-10/

STALKER 2 is good example - so far, its minimum GPU requirement (AKA it will barely run) is 1060, which is quite above Deck  - eager to see something like that tested on it.

Oh, and I'm talking about hypothetical MS handheld and their exclusives as an incentive for 3rd parties to go an extra mile and make another version apart from XSX/XSS. But who knows, maybe 3rd party publishers will start making profiles/adjustments just for Deck.

The thing with those minimums is that the devs are assuming you will be running at a reasonable resolution like 1080p as no one has been making 720p monitors for a long time. They typically don't look at 720p (which the Steam Deck is) as most people don't have a 720p screen. If the Steam Deck is popular enough, we may see it be taken into account for future releases though.

The Monday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam's Top 10

1. Monster Hunter Stories 2- Wings of Ruin
2. F1 2021
3. Steam Deck Reservations
4. F1 2021 Deluxe
5. Save 40% on She Will Punish Them
6. Valve Index VR Kit
7. Swords of Legends Online
8. Total War: WARHAMMER II - The Silence & The Fury
9. Pre-purchase New World SKU 1
10. Pre-purchase New World SKU 2

GOG starts the week with two new releases and three week-long sales!

• Let's start with the classic Weekly Sale, with up to 95% discounts: https://www.gog.com/promo/20210719_weekly_sale
• Next is a Team17 Publisher Sale, with up to 90% discounts: https://www.gog.com/promo/20210719_team17_sale
• There's also a Team17 Bundle Sale with selected titles, with an extra 10% discount if you buy 3 and 15% if you get 5 or more: https://www.gog.com/promo/20210719_team17_essentials
• The last week-long sale is a Special Sale featuring Board and Card games with up to 85% discounts: https://www.gog.com/promo/20210719_board_and_card_games
• The game Phoenotopia: Awakening launches on the store with a 25% discount until July 26: https://www.gog.com/game/phoenotopia_awakening
• And 9th Dawn III arrives with a 50% deal until July 26: https://www.gog.com/game//9th_dawn_iii

Steam has two new deals:

• The new daily deal is DIRT 5, 60% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1038250/DIRT_5/
• And 嗜血印 Bloody Spell, still in Early Access, will be 50% off until July 22: https://store.steampowered.com/app/992300/_Bloody_Spell/

There are two new deals at Humble:

• The new Humble Bundle, the Humble Sakura Series Bundle, comes with up to 16 titles to get during the next 11 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/sakura-series-bundle
• And at the Humble Store, the Racing Sale features up to 90% discounts during the next 4 days. The keys are for Steam, EGS and also there's one for GOG: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/racing-sale/

And at Fanatical, the new Star Deal is The Falconeer, 67% off during the next 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/the-falconeer

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Fan Remake in Unreal Engine 5 available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/counter-strike-global-offensive-fan-remake-in-unreal-engine-5-available-for-download/
Counter-Strike fans, here is something special for you today. Modder ‘Cloacked’ has recreated the Dust2 and Inferno maps from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in Unreal Engine 5. And, contrary to other fan remakes, you can go ahead and download this project.
Do note that you can only explore these maps. Right now, there aren’t any weapons, enemies or gameplay mechanics. And, to be honest, I don’t expect Cloacked to add such things.
>> You can download it from Discord.

Skyrim Special Edition Mod adds the Taarakian race from Heavy Metal
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/skyrim-special-edition-mod-adds-the-taarakian-race-from-heavy-metal/
Laerithryn has released a cool mod for Skyrim Special Edition that adds the Taarakian race from Heavy Metal. This mod features Taarna and 7 more optional hypothetical Taarakian followers. It also includes five RaceMenu presets for both males & females, as well as an opening quest.
In order to properly intergrade this race to Skyrim, the modder created nine cell locations with coc markers in each, and Ysgramor’s Journal, the Taarakian complex (which has it’s own crime faction with a Taarakian jail), and Taarakian Temple guards.
>> Available from Nexus Mods.

Take-Two takes down GTA Underground and other GTA San Andreas & Vice City mods
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/take-two-takes-down-gta-underground-and-other-gta-san-andreas-vice-city-mods/
It appears that Take-Two is currently shutting down a lot of mods for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and San Andreas. Earlier today, the GTA: Underground development team got in touch with us and told us that it has received a DMCA notice from T2 through its ModDB page.
GTA Underground is a mod that combines the maps of GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, Manhunt & Bully. It’s a pretty cool concept and it’s unfortunate that Take-Two has decided to take it down.
However, Take-Two has not specifically targeted GTA Underground. As the team told us, VCS: PCE and the LCS PC port have also been taken down. Thus, Take-Two is currently shutting down multiple mods/projects for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
>> Could it be that Take2 is working on remakes of those GTA games and wants to get rid of "competition"?

Prey 2006 gets a 4.4GB HD Mod that overhauls all of its textures
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/prey-2006-gets-a-4-4gb-hd-mod-that-overhauls-all-of-its-textures/
Modder ‘merendas235′ has released a 4.4GB HD Texture Pack for the original Prey game. In other words, this HD Mod is for Human Head Studios’ Prey game that came out in 2006 and used id Tech 4, and not for Arkane’s Prey game.
This mod uses AI upscaling techniques in order to overhaul all of the game’s textures. The result is better and sharper textures that retain the art style of the original versions.
>> You can get it from Nexus Mods.

Fallout New Vegas Zombies Mod V2.0 adds new map & gameplay mechanics
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/fallout-new-vegas-zombies-mod-v2-0-adds-new-map-gameplay-mechanics/
In December 2020, we informed you about a Zombies Mod for Fallout New Vegas. And today, we are happy to report that a new major version of it is available for download.
Going into more details, Version 2.0 adds a new map (Sierra Madre) and new perks. It also brings some new zombie models and five new songs.
Additionally, Version 2.0 features some new mechanics. For instance, it packs a new death system, an explosive system, and box weapons. It also has a new teddy bear system, real-time dismemberment, and allows zombies to climb ladders.
>> You'll also find this one from Nexus Mods.

GAMING NEWS

Rainbow Six Extraction and Riders Republic delayed until January 2022 and October 2021, respectively
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/rainbow-six-extraction-and-riders-republic-delayed-until-january-2022-and-october-2021-respectively/
Ubisoft has announced that Rainbow Six Extraction and Riders Republic have been delayed until January 2022 and October 2021, respectively.

Marvel’s Avengers is the first game that supports both NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/marvels-avengers-is-the-first-game-that-supports-both-nvidia-dlss-and-amd-fsr/
Square Enix, Crystal Dynamics and EIDOS Montreal have released a new patch for Marvel’s Avengers that adds support for AMD’s FSR. As such, this game is the first that supports both NVIDIA’s DLSS and AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution.

Monday news, part two:

In city-builder Dice Legacy, your dice eat, drink, and have sex on a medieval ringworld
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/in-city-builder-dice-legacy-your-dice-eat-drink-and-have-sex-on-a-medieval-ringworld/
Recently I wrote a little roundup of indie city-builders with interesting twists that had caught my attention. And the one that turned my head the most was Dice Legacy, mainly because it takes place on a medieval ringworld. I've seen plenty of sci-fi ringworlds but never an olden times one, with creaky wooden ships and cozy taverns and peasants working in the wheat fields. It's quite a concept.
>> Sometimes I worry about the mental health of some people.

War Thunder fan says tank is inaccurate, leaks classified military documents to prove it
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/war-thunder-fan-says-tank-is-inaccurate-leaks-classified-military-documents-to-prove-it/
The Challenger 2 is a main battle tank that's been in service with the British Army since 1994, during which time it has seen operational service in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Iraq. It can also be found in War Thunder, (...)
Things got out of hand earlier this week, however, when one player demonstrated a little too much commitment to realism. The player, who claims to be a real-life Challenger 2 tank commander and former member of the British Army's Armored Trials and Development Unit, complained that War Thunder's in-game model is significantly off the mark in ways that leave it much more vulnerable to enemy fire than it is in the real world—and then to prove the point, they posted classified images from the Challenger 2 Army Equipment Support Publication, which is basically the tank's user manual.
>> See my previous comment, which also applies here quite well.

French game workers union sues Ubisoft for 'institutional sexual harassment'
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/french-game-workers-union-sues-ubisoft-for-institutional-sexual-harassment/
The Solidaires Informatique union has filed a new complaint against Ubisoft with the courts in Bobigny, France, alleging that executives including CEO Yves Guillemot enabled and encouraged a culture of "institutional sexual harassment" at the company.

Warframe's The New War expansion revealed in an explosive 30-minute gameplay trailer
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/warframe-the-new-war/
During Warframe's TennoCon 2021 fan festival, Digital Extremes finally unveiled its next major expansion: The New War. Though it was first announced years ago, The New War was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic—but it's finally coming this year, and to prove it Digital Extremes showcased over 30 minutes of gameplay of the new quest. It looks incredible.
>> Maybe that's why the servers crashed, of all the attention from its viewers.

Warframe is getting crossplay and cross-save across all platforms, is coming to mobile
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/warframe-cross-play-cross-save/
After years of fans begging for it, Warframe is finally getting both crossplay and cross-saves, meaning its player base will no longer be separated by what console they're playing on. This also means that Warframe's console updates (starting with the release of The New War later this year) will happen simultaneously with the PC update. In addition to that, Digital Extremes is also working on a mobile version of Warframe.

Grab a shotgun, demon slaying tactical roguelike Jupiter Hell has a release date
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/grab-a-shotgun-demon-slaying-tactical-roguelike-jupiter-hell-has-a-release-date/
Who's ready for some ripping and tearing? What's that? Everyone?
Jupiter Hell finally has a release date, chainsawing its way out of Early Access on August 5, 2021. This is the spiritual successor to the original Doom, the Roguelike project from back in the day, which made the old shooter into a turn-based tactics game—later called DoomRL and then DRL after some, you know, Zenimax legal threats.

After 30 years, Japanese tactics series Super Robot Wars is finally coming West
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/after-30-years-japanese-tactics-series-super-robot-wars-is-finally-coming-west/
Super Robot Wars has been a mainstay tactics RPG series in Japan for 30 years, ever since the release of the first game in 1991, and has had over 50 releases across various consoles and spinoffs since. You've probably never heard of it, though, because it has never gotten an official localization and release in the majority of the English-speaking world.
That's not the case any more, as after three decades the latest in the series is coming to PC in the US and Europe via Steam: Super Robot Wars 30 will release on October 27, 2021.

No Skate at EA Play Live, but 'a little something' is coming tomorrow
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/no-skate-at-ea-play-live-but-a-little-something-is-coming-tomorrow/
EA Play Live happens this Thursday, and it'll be worth tuning in if you're interested in Battlefield 2042, EA Sports games, or the rumored Dead Space remake. If you're interested in Star Wars, Mass Effect or Dragon Age you may be disappointed, because the publisher has already confirmed that none of these will appear.
Now you can add Skate to the list of EA Play Live no-shows. The official Skate Twitter account confirmed as much, though something Skate-related will be shown or announced this week, just not at EA Play Live.

Call of Duty: Cold War PC now supports PS5 haptic triggers, but you should probably turn it off
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/call-of-duty-cold-war-pc-now-supports-ps5-haptic-triggers-but-you-should-probably-turn-it-off/
When the PS5 came out last year and everyone was gushing about how cool the DualSense controller's haptic rumbling and resistive triggers are, my first question was: Will it work on PC? The answer seemed to be yes, but only if developers bother to implement it. Treyarch became one of the first to do just that with the latest update to Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War.

Call of Duty: Warzone banned 50,000 more cheaters last week
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/call-of-duty-warzone-banned-50000-more-cheaters-last-week/
Over 50,000 cheaters were banned from Call of Duty: Warzone last week, developer Raven announced on Friday.
Posting a brief anti-cheat update on Twitter, Raven revealed that this latest batch of cheaters were given the boot over two separate ban waves. These waves were targeted largely (but not exclusively) at repeat offenders, accounts that Raven had already caught cheating.

EA doesn't want to exclude some of FIFA 22's PC players, so it's excluding all of them
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/ea-doesnt-want-to-exclude-some-of-fifa-22s-pc-players-so-its-excluding-all-of-them/
You want the truth, by which I mean FIFA 22's next-gen Hypermotion technology? You can't handle the truth!
(...)
"Bringing HyperMotion technology and Immersive Match Day features to PC would have raised the minimum spec requirements and resulted in a large proportion of players unable to run the game. This would have significantly impacted our PC community who enjoy FIFA each year, with many players being excluded or forced to upgrade their machines to play the game. We are looking forward to all our PC players experiencing the gameplay advances and new season of innovation on offer in FIFA 22."

Solve a murder by flicking through a fake future Wikipedia
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/solve-a-murder-by-flicking-through-a-fake-future-wikipedia/
It's October 1st, 2049. Two corporate big-wigs have just been assassinated in a helicopter crash, and all the clues to this mystery have been left scattered across a fake, future successor to Wikipedia.
Neurocracy, released last week, is a narrative murder mystery that takes place entirely across the entries of Omnipedia—a future take on the free online encyclopaedia. Buried between entries on reality TV shows, neural implants and fatal diseases are clues hinting at foul play behind the deaths of the two executives.

Tencent to acquire Sumo Digital for $1.27 billion
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/tencent-acquires-sumo-digital-for-dollar127-billion/
The voracious Tencent is set to acquire the Sumo Group, a UK-founded developer with 14 studios worldwide, for $1.27 billion (£928 million, thanks Guardian). Tencent already had a minority stake in Sumo before this but, presuming Sumo's shareholders accept 513p per share (they're currently selling for just under 500p thanks to a 40% spike following the announcement), will soon add it to the simply enormous list of developers it owns.
>> And the list goes one.

Fall Guys turns Spelunky Guy into a terrifying bean tomorrow
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/squads-and-spelunky-guy-come-to-fall-guys-tomorrow/
Fall Guys will let you stumble through the jungle with friends tomorrow, as squads arrive in Season 5's jungle adventure.
Debuting via a community-solved jigsaw puzzle last week, the next season of Mediatonic's bean-stumbler was fully explored in a lengthy reveal trailer earlier today. One of the biggest features coming with Season 5 is the introduction of squads, which will let you jump into the game with three friends—though Mediatonic also wants to experiment with limited-time duos and trios modes.

NVIDIA RTX 30 & AMD RX 6000 price decline enters a slowdown

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-rtx-30-amd-rx-6000-price-decline-enters-a-slowdown

Now to be fair, there are tariffs still in place that increases the GPU prices but still. I think retailers haven't quite gotten the memo, especially in NA. So before you hit that buy button...

Intel Core i9-12900K Alder Lake-S Qualification Samples available on black market for 1064 USD

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-core-i9-12900k-alder-lake-s-qualification-samples-available-on-black-market-for-1064-usd

NVIDIA demonstrates RTX and DLSS technologies working on ARM architecture with RTX 3060 GPU

https://videocardz.com/press-release/nvidia-demonstrates-rtx-and-dlss-technologies-working-on-arm-architecture-with-rtx-3060-gpu#disqus_thread

Sounds like a preparation for future switch sequel... Just with something less powerful than a 3060 of course. But perhaps, there is a different end game as well?

NVIDIA DLSS SDK is now available for all developers with Linux support

https://videocardz.com/press-release/nvidia-dlss-sdk-is-now-available-for-all-developers-with-linux-support

I sure hope Valve is watching this and maybe give us an option of Nvidia GPUs if the Steam deck succeeds! Assuming Nvidia can bring a GPU low power enough.

Hopefully Valve can make this work. There have been rumours about drift affecting the PS5/Xbox controllers as well. Only time will tell if they are as bad as the Switch.

That's good news as new Windows launches do intend to be buggy, especially before the first major OS update.

i was wondering why bloody spell sounded familiar but the thumbnail has drawn my interest before hehe