Google invests in A24 to build AI movie tools
Google's DeepMind AI lab is teaming up with A24 to develop new movie production technologies that aim to help future filmmakers "expand their storytelling possibilities." As part of this new research and development collaboration, The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is investing "around $75 million" into A24, marking the first time the search giant has taken a stake in a film studio.
"The collaboration pairs a world-leading research lab with the industry's most filmmaker-forward studio to help artists develop new workflows and techniques," Google said in its announcement blog. "This ensures the tools of the future are shaped by the …
Valve is working with AMD to bring FSR 4 to the Steam Machine
The Steam Machine is a cool little console that's about as powerful as a PlayStation 5, according to my colleague Sean Hollister's in-depth review. But one area where it lags behind is with its earlier version of AMD FSR upscaler: It's just not as good as it should be. Yes, it can sharpen low-res graphics to make games look higher-res, but the PS5 (and especially the PS5 Pro) render a clearer image in motion with some games we compared.
That's not great news for the Steam Machine, especially since it's launching at $1,049 for the 512GB version - a higher price than anyone hoped for. But there is some hope that games on the console will look …
Here’s how you can reserve a Steam Machine
The Steam Machine is here, but getting one is a little complicated. Valve is taking preorders using a reservation system, which is intended to make the process more fair and harder for bots to exploit. However, it's a bit different than the $5 reservations Valve used for the Steam Deck.
Starting today, you can sign up for a chance to reserve the Steam Machine, choosing from four different options:
- Steam Machine 512GB: $1,049 / $1,509 CAD / €1,039 / £879 / $1,609 AUD / 4,389 zlotys
- Steam Machine 512GB with Steam Controller: $1,128 / $1,628 CAD / €1,108 / £938 / $1,728 AUD / 4,698 zlotys
- Steam Machine 2TB: $1,349 / $1,919 CAD / €1,35 …
Valve will finally let you build your own Steam Machine with SteamOS for desktop
If you don't get lucky with Valve's Steam Machine reservation system, you can make your own Steam Machine instead. Valve says that "starting with the SteamOS 3.8 release, you can put together your own Steam Machine using whatever PC parts you want." SteamOS 3.8.10 launched last week with a slew of updates, including "improved compatibility with recent Intel and AMD platforms." Alongside that improved compatibility, Valve is giving gamers the green light to install SteamOS on their own desktops.
In an interview with The Verge, Valve's Pierre-Loup Griffais said Valve has been "rolling out improvements to [SteamOS] so it's more compatible wit …
Valve explains why it isn’t subsidizing the Steam Machine
Valve finally announced the price of the Steam Machine, and like a lot of new gadgets these days, it's not cheap: It starts at $1,049 for a 512GB model, and a 2TB model costs $300 more. Configurations with a bundled Steam Controller cost an extra $79 each.
Despite Valve offering a console alternative with the Steam Machine - a compact piece of hardware that can easily hook up to your TV to play your Steam library - those prices mean the Machine is much more expensive than console counterparts like the PS5 ($599.99), Xbox Series X ($649.99), and PS5 Pro ($899.99) while performing similarly to a PS5. (Those console prices are also higher than …
Valve prices the Steam Machine at $1,049
After months of waiting, Valve has finally announced that the Steam Machine, its new living room-friendly PC, will start at $1,049 and go on sale beginning June 29th.
You can now register your interest to buy a Steam Machine as part of a reservation system. To offer a fair playing field for people who want to buy one, Valve will randomize everyone in the queue on Thursday at 1PM ET. After that, anyone who registers their interest will be added to the end of the waitlist. The first emails giving people the opportunity to buy will go out on June 29th.
Valve will sell four configurations of the Steam Machine:
- A 512GB model for $1,049 / $1,5 …
The Steam Machine is the most ambitious game console I’ve ever played
My first day with the Steam Machine was a mess. Instead of enjoying a worry-free game console, I spent hours troubleshooting what felt like a finicky PC. That's because the Steam Machine is a PC, with a very important twist.
Since the Magnavox Odyssey came out in 1972, game consoles have been built with the same basic goal: to effortlessly play proprietary games on a TV screen. Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have spent decades essentially selling the same product. A few consoles could do more, but the formula you know and love remains buy box, plug into TV, insert game, play.
The Steam Machine aims to be something bigger. It's a vision of a …
RingConn’s Lord of the Rings promotion assumes smart ring wearers want to be like Gollum
Smart ring maker RingConn's marketing copy says Lord of the Rings' "enduring narrative highlights a simple but powerful idea: that meaningful transformation often begins with the choices we make each day. RingConn embraces a similar philosophy, believing that lasting change begins with everyday awareness and small, intentional decisions."
Of course, the "intentional decisions" Frodo makes in Lord of the Rings include specifically not wearing the One Ring and (spoiler alert) tossing it into a volcano. That's not the idea behind RingConn's smart rings - much like Gollum, you're supposed to wear them 24/7.
The Verge's Victoria Song notes tha …
AMD releases FSR 4.1 upscaling for older graphics cards
AMD is officially launching FSR Upscaling 4.1 for Radeon RX 7000-series GPUs today. The update means that computers with those older graphics cards, which use the RDNA 3 graphics architecture, will be able to see improvements like better image quality and smoother gameplay in their games.
AMD had promised in May that it would be bringing support for FSR 4.1 to the RX 7000 series GPUs - though at the time, it said that support would arrive in July, so AMD is a little ahead of schedule. AMD is also planning to bring FSR 4.1 to RDNA 3 APUs; AMD's Jack Huynh says that the company is "developing lightweight machine learning models to bring FSR …
The Nintendo Switch 2 is up to $50 off for Prime Day
We should have all guessed that Woot might improve on its $15 off sale from last week on the Nintendo Switch 2. Now that Prime Day is upon us, the online seller is now offering the base console for $419.99 when you use the code CHEAPSWITCH2 at checkout. You can save $50 if you’re a new customer using the code, totaling $399.99. Remember, come September the Switch 2 will rise in price to $499.99, so any deal is worth telling you about.
Nintendo Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2 has a 7.9-inch LCD display, magnetically attached Joy-Con 2 controllers, backwards compatibility with most original Switch games, and exclusive titles including Donkey Kong Bananza and Kirby Air Riders. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
Nintendo recently hosted a Direct presentation where it unveiled a bunch of new games — including several remakes and remasters — coming to the Switch 2 this year and in 2027. One of the most notable announcements was a modern reimagining of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that’s coming later in 2026. Even though the Switch 2 is barely over one year old, its future looks bright (even if it seems to be playing things a little safe currently), and there are already plenty of great games to play on the console.