Steam Deck Battery Saving Tips: Five Things You Can Do To Extend Playtime

Depending on what you’re playing, Valve’s new Steam Deck battery can last as long as eight hours or as little as two. More graphically demanding games require more power to drive the hardware that enables them, with SteamOS doing a pretty decent job of load-balancing everything dynamically in the background. If you are looking for a few other settings you can tinker with to get the best out of your Steam Deck’s battery life, we’ve got a few hints.

Limit your framerate

The Steam Deck’s 1200×800 display is beautiful and bright, featuring a native 60Hz refresh rate that benefits less graphically intensive games. But running at a higher refresh rate requires more power for both the display and the APU spitting out each frame. Thankfully, SteamOS features a system-level 30fps frame rate cap in its quick settings menu, letting you bypass any similar settings in games that might not work as well.

It’s a useful feature that can be toggled on at any time, and you’ll likely see a significant uptick in your expected battery life as a result. This setting alone can claw back an hour or two when playing some smaller games like Spelunky 2 or Celeste, and a little less with more demanding games like God of War (where just running at 30fps is the target anyway).

Turn down your in-game settings

This might go hand-in-hand with the recommendation above, but like any other PC the Steam Deck will draw less power if the game you’re playing isn’t demanding it. That means some changes to your graphical settings can yield some better battery life, and without as much of a visual hit as you might think.

Although the display is of a fairly high resolution, the 7-inch size means you’re less likely to notice smaller changes in overall detail in the same way that you might on a 27-inch monitor. That means knocking down settings like anti-aliasing and shadow quality, for example, will require less processing power and not greatly impact the visual quality. It’s worth messing around with this in each game you play to find a balance that suits you.

Limit your total TDP

If you’re looking for a more brute-force method of forcing the Steam Deck to consume less power, you can set a new maximum TDP (Thermal Design Power) for the handheld within the system settings menu. TDP refers to the thermal performance of a processor, and is often used as a basic indicator for power consumption. The more watts, or higher TDP, a processor uses, the more heat it produces and more power it consumes. Reducing the maximum TDP will force the APU to adapt in turn, turning down its base operating clock speed with respect to the amount of power it now has access to.

The Steam Deck’s battery life varies quite a lot depending on a number of factors.

Of course, you have to be careful with how you use this setting. Setting a TDP value too low will negatively impact performance in a big way, and, in some cases, crash games altogether. But if you want really granular control over how the Steam Deck operates, this is one of the two easiest ways to achieve that.

Set a maximum base clock speed

The other thing, predictably, is setting your GPU’s basic clock speed to a static value, preventing the APU from boosting up and down dynamically. This can, in some cases, make battery life worse if you’re not careful, forcing the APU to run at a higher speed than is necessary for lighter games.

In more demanding titles, the opposite can be true. Performance can degrade based on how low you set the clock value, but this in turn can help you extend battery life without a small performance hit. If you aren’t keen on tinkering around with values for each new game you try, limiting your Steam Deck to 30fps will almost always do enough to allow the Steam Deck to react dynamically in this regard, but it’s still nice to have this option.

Tone down screen brightness

Like pretty much any other electronic device with a screen, the brighter you set the Steam Deck’s screen, the more power it’s going to drain. So this isn’t so much a hint as it is a reminder: ake sure to have the Steam Deck’s screen brightness set to automatic so that it can properly dim depending on the ambient light in the room you’re playing it in.

The good thing is that, unlike some other portable gaming devices, the Steam Deck’s screen retains a lot of its detail without much brightness. It also scales down very low, letting you get a comfortable viewing experience in bed, for example. Never discount how much more gaming you can get in just by dimming your screen. For more on Valve’s impressive new toy, read our Steam Deck review.

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Stalker 2 Dev, Based In Ukraine, Gives An Update Amid Russia Attacks

Stalker 2 developer GSC Game World, which is based in Ukraine, has provided an update on how the studio is reacting to and handling itself amid Russia’s invasion of the country. GSC Game World’s main office is in Kyiv, which has been attacked and continues to be by Russian forces.

Understandably, developers at GSC Game World have focused more on protecting themselves and their families during this time, the studio said in a newly published video. Development on Stalker 2, meanwhile, has taken a back seat. “We are now striving to help our employees and their families to survive. The game development shifted to the sidelines. But we will definitely continue after the victory. Glory to Ukraine,” the team said.

The video contains harrowing video of the attacks in Ukraine and the devastation left in the wake. It also demonstrates just how quickly things can change, as GSC Game World said it was editing a video about Stalker 2’s motion capture studio up until the attacks began on February 24.

GSC was among the world’s first major developers to respond to the crisis in Ukraine, releasing an initial statement in which it expressed optimism that Ukraine’s armed forces would prevail.

“Through pain, death, war, fear, and inhuman cruelty, Ukraine will persevere. As it always does,” the studio said.

The developer is planning to release Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl later this year, though whether or not the project will be delayed remains to be seen.

In the wake of the attacks, Ukraine has asked PlayStation, Xbox, and eSports organizations to stop supporting Russia. Multiple movie studios have stopped releasing new films in the country, while Apple no longer sells any products there.

If you want to help relief efforts, we’ve assembled a list of humanitarian organizations like the Ukrainian Red Cross and Unicef that you can donate to.

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Xbox Exclusive Microsoft Flight Sim Trailer Hypes Cloud Release With PlayStation Controller Footage

The appeal of Xbox cloud gaming is further coming into focus. Microsoft Flight Simulator, a very ambitious title with significant hardware requirements, is now playable on original Xbox One hardware thanks to Xbox Cloud Gaming. It’s the Xbox Series X version of Microsoft Flight Simulator, so players can expect a high-end, good experience, provided their internet connection is strong and stable enough to support it. A trailer announcing the cloud version shows off more of what to expect, including how it supports all manner of wireless controllers, including Sony’s DualShock.

Over the cloud, Microsoft Flight Simulator runs at a maximum of 1080p/30fps, while there is of course no need for a local install because it’s being played over the cloud. Additionally, Microsoft Flight Simulator is now playable beyond consoles through mobile phones, tablets, and PCs with lower specs that otherwise wouldn’t be able to support it.

Microsoft also clarified that the multiplayer experience for Microsoft Flight Simulator over the cloud compared to PC and Xbox Series X|S is “identical.” All players, no matter what platform they’re on, will be flying in the same airspace.

Additionally, Microsoft Flight Simulator’s World Updates 1-VI are available over the cloud, and any and all purchases made on another device carry over to the cloud.

Microsoft Flight Simulator is available through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which also includes access to cloud streaming.

Xbox Cloud Gaming is such a big focus for Microsoft because there is a limited audience for traditional consoles. There are far, far more mobile phones, tablets, and PCs in the market, and Microsoft is keen to grow the Xbox brand by meeting players where they are. That’s why Microsoft sorta doesn’t really care if you buy an Xbox console or not.

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New Destiny 2 Gun Sound Made With Beef Mac And Cheese

Destiny 2‘s new grenade launcher Parasite has a fun and unexpected backstory to it. Specifically, its sound design was made using the sounds of cooking beef mac and cheese. Yes, really.

Audio lead Evan Buehler revealed this unexpected piece of trivia during an interview attended by GamesRadar. “I know if you’ve ever made some fresh pasta, specifically beef mac and cheese, and kind of mixed it around a little bit, some of those sounds were used to create that,” Buehler said. “Maybe not so great or weird, but it’s something you could experience or understand in your own home.”

This is not the first story about the outlandish methods of capturing sounds for video games. For Halo Infinite, developers at Microsoft recorded a pug’s snuffs and scruff sounds for alien enemies.

In other Destiny 2 news, Bungie has clarified that anyone trying to play the game on Steam Deck will be banned.

For more, check out GameSpot’ Destiny 2: The Witch Queen review-in-progress. “The centerpiece is the laudable story campaign, making a lot of the game’s best design more approachable for a variety of characters, but The Witch Queen also invokes the best parts of Destiny’s past, as well–like the secret-laden, dense, and fascinating locations found in The Taken King and Forsaken expansions,” reviewer Phil Hornshaw said. “The Witch Queen is a massive step forward for the game, the culmination of a recent history of great refinements and additions, resulting in a Destiny 2 that’s in its best form yet.”

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Nintendo Switch Sports Preorders Are Available Now, Comes With A Joy-Con Leg Strap

Nintendo Switch Sports, a spiritual successor to the Wii Sports franchise, releases on Switch on April 29. Though it definitely makes sense that Nintendo would return to the world of motion-controlled sports on Switch, no one likely expected the announcement during February’s Nintendo Direct. Nintendo Switch Sports is available to preorder now, with t the digital edition costing $40 and the physical edition going for $50.

If you’re a soccer fan, you may want to opt for the physical edition of Nintendo Switch Sports. The physical edition comes with a leg strap accessory for the Joy-Con controllers that can be used to mimic kicking a ball in a Soccer Shoot-Out.

Nintendo Switch Sports preorder bonus

No preorder bonuses have been announced at this time. Major retailers tend to have exclusive bonus items for a lot of first-party Switch games, so we’ll make sure to update this article if any bonuses are revealed.

Nintendo Switch Sports will feature six sports at launch: soccer, bowling, volleyball, tennis, badminton, and a sword-fighting game called Chambara. Bowling and tennis were Wii Sports staples, but where’s golf? Thankfully, motion-controlled golf is also returning this fall as a free update. The graphics look a lot different than they did back on the Wii, because ditched the Mii characters with floating hands in favor of more realistic avatars (they are still cartoonish, though).

Nintendo Switch Sports will have local and online multiplayer. But please make sure to wear the Joy-Con wrist straps–we say this fully expecting to see YouTube clips of people chucking their Joy-Con controllers at their nice TVs.

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Returnal Developer Housemarque Reveals It’s Working On A New IP

Developer Housemarque is working on its next game, an unannounced new IP to follow 2021’s Returnal. We’re likely still a long way out from knowing what it is, however, seeing as the game is still in the early days of development.

“It’s early days with us starting a new game, a new IP, concepting it out,” Housemarque managing director Ilari Kuittinen said at the DICE Awards, according to VentureBeat. “We’ll see what comes with that.”

“At this stage, we’re quite proud of what we accomplished with Returnal, and we’re quite excited to pursue that same trajectory as a company,” Returnal game director Harry Krueger added.

Whatever Housemarque is working on next, it will likely be console-exclusive to PlayStation hardware seeing as PlayStation acquired Housemarque back in June 2021. Prior to the acquisition, Housemarque had already closely collaborated with PlayStation on a number of titles, such as Super Stardust HD, Dead Nation, Resogun, and, most recently, Returnal.

In regards to the acquisition, Kuittinen said, “This gives our studio a clear future and a stable opportunity to continue delivering on gameplay-centric approaches, while still experimenting with new methods of narrative delivery and pushing the boundaries of this modern art form.”

For now, we’ll have to be content with playing more Returnal. Which isn’t a bad thing–that game is superb. In GameSpot’s Returnal review, Mike Epstein writes, “Do you need to be a little brave to play Returnal? Yeah. Do you need to be glutton for punishment? It helps. They say that anything worth doing should scare you at least a little bit. I’m not sure if that’s always true, but Returnal makes a strong case.”

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Call Of Duty: Warzone’s Iron Trials Mode Is Returning–Here’s What You Need To Know

Iron Trials returns to Call of Duty: Warzone on March 3, which serves as the battle royale’s “hard mode” for the game’s most competitive players. This mode drastically changes the feel of Warzone with faster circle collapses, increased player health, changes to equipment, and more. Here we highlight everything you need to know about Warzone’s Iron Trials.

Iron Trials is a mode that was previously introduced on the Black Ops Cold War version of the Verdansk map as Iron Trials ’84, but this time the experience is being made available on Warzone’s smaller Rebirth Island map in a duos playlist.

At its core, Iron Trials is still a battle royale experience built around fighting to be the last team standing, with circle collapses, looting, and unfortunate trips to the Gulag. However, the Iron Trials ruleset tweaks Warzone’s standard battle royale formula to provide a much more grueling experience. The ruleset will be similar to the past iteration of the mode, but some adjustments were made for Iron Trials to better fit the smaller and quicker-paced Rebirth Island map.

Health and pace changes

One of the most notable differences in Iron Trials resides in player health. Players’ base health is bumped up from the normal 100 health to 250 base health. While this sounds like a drastic change, the health regen delay timer is increased from five to seven seconds, and the regen per second rate is decreased from 120 per second to 40. So, players have a lot of health in this mode, but they won’t regenerate quickly if they’re taking damage in a fight.

Matches are also much faster in Iron Trials. The match duration and circle collapses are adjusted with round timers being decreased, while the speed of the circle collapse is increased. Transportation is also scarce in Iron Trials, as ATVs will be the only vehicles on the island.

Weapon and equipment changes

All players will drop into matches with Vanguard’s Top Break pistol and Sawtooth melee weapon equipped, so everyone starts on an equal playing field. Additionally, there are significant changes to sniper rifles in Iron Trials, as a single headshot from a sniper will only down an enemy if they are within 30 meters.

For equipment changes, stun grenades have less of an impact in the mode, as the stun effect duration is decreased by 50%. Medical syringes are also nerfed with a decreased regeneration rate of 50%, which is a change that is likely made to keep players from relying on syringes to compensate for the mode’s decrease to players’ health regen rate.

Iron Trials on Rebirth Island

Ground loot changes

Ground loot is also a bit different in Iron Trials, which includes the floor loot and items scavenged from supply boxes. Common weapons start with one attachment, while epic and legendary rarity weapons with more attachments will have a decreased spawn rate. You’ll likely notice less ground loot in general, as the drop rate of killstreaks and large cash piles are both reduced here.

No freebies

Iron Trials removes Warzone’s free loadout drops. The only way to equip custom loadouts in Rebirth Iron Trials will be to purchase a loadout drop, and this feature comes with a price increase to $10,000.

Buy Station inflation

In addition to the rise in price of the loadout drops, everything else made available for purchase from Buy Stations has a price increase for Iron Trials as well. On the bright side, the amount of money retained on death has been increased from 20% to 30%, so players will get to keep more of their hard-earned cash.

The Buy Station price increases:

Armor Bundle: $1,500 to $2,000Gas Mask: $3,000 to $4,000Cluster Strike: $3,000 to $4,000Precision Strike: $3,500 to $4,500Self-Revive: $4,000 to $5,000UAV: $4,000 to $6,000Loadout Drop Marker: $7,500 to $10,000Specialist Token: $30,000

New Gulag rules

Iron Trials still has a Gulag, but the 1v1 arena does limit the weapon pool for the mode. To keep things in line with Iron Trial’s more skillful fashion, weapons won’t include anything akimbo, nor any semi-auto or fully auto shotguns. Players can also expect a limited selection of tactical equipment. Additionally, players who survive their Gulag match will redeploy with whatever weapon they were given and equipment left over from that fight.

Overall, Iron Trials really does bring an entirely new feel to Warzone, and everyone should give the mode a try to see if it’s right for them. Just like Iron Trials ’84, Rebirth Iron Trials will award players with a unique and animated calling card for winning a match. A calling card doesn’t sound like much, but it might be worth the bragging rights for being victorious in Warzone’s most grueling mode.

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Destiny 2 Deepsight: How To Unlock Tier 2 And Tier 3 In The Witch Queen

Deepsight is a new mechanic–akin to Season of the Lost’s Truesight–that lets Guardians seek out secrets of Savathun’s queendom, and it’s a core part of Destiny 2: The Witch Queen’s adventure. They’re the black, smoky auras with a bright center that you can activate to reveal things that are hidden. Guardians get access to Deepsight Tier 1 in The Witch Queen campaign–which lets you see through walls, follow footsteps, see runes, and reveal platforms to reach places you normally couldn’t.

These are scattered everywhere, and you’ve probably stumbled upon Deepsight locations that ask for Deepsight Tier 2 and Tier 3–but the story doesn’t progress your Deepsight Tier rank, our Hive Ghost friend Fynch does. You can unlock additional Tiers by leveling up with Fynch; players get Deepsight Tier 2 at Rank 11 and Deepsight Tier 3 at Rank 13.

Deepsight Tier 2 and Tier 3 push for further exploration of Savathun’s Throne World–beyond what The Witch Queen campaign offers–where players can find chests and other secrets. One of the main uses for Deepsight is to find timed Deepsight chests–you can check your Throne World triumphs to keep count–these timed chests are puzzles that use jumping, lighting torches, or runic mechanics to open chests while Deepsight is active.

Leveling up with Fynch

Each Throne World Reputation Rank for Fynch is 1000 points, and ranking up with Fynch gives you reputation rank engrams when you reach a new rank. You can also get Throne World weapons, the new Veritas armor, access to replayable weekly missions, and the higher-difficulty Wellspring activity from the Rank Rewards category, which goes to Rank 30. Gear unlocked in your Rank Rewards can drop in Wellspring too.

Leveling up Fynch may seem overwhelming, but you have many ways of ranking up and figuring out the best method for your playstyle. We have a few different ways to climb up the Throne World Ranks and how much you earn from completing various activities and collecting items.

Getting the most reputation rank points

You can get 250 points from regional chests in Savathun’s Throne World–these golden chests are marked on the map–but you are only allowed to loot each regional chest once. Completing Altars of Reflection weekly missions and finding secrets like Lucent Moths gives 250 points, as well. Throne World activities and weekly missions at high difficulty give 225 rank points.

Deepsight chest farm in Alluring Curtain, Miasma, and Queen’s Bailey

You can earn 200 from Deepsight timed chests–these chests will always give you 200 rank reputation points. It quickly became an easy farming method to rank up with Fynch after acquiring Deepsight Tier 3. Players found farming the chests in the Alluring Curtain area of Savathun’s Throne World a methodical way to reach rank 30 without needing to rely on other activities.

There’s a Deepsight Tier 3 location on the bridge right when you enter the Alluring Curtain from the Quagmire area and another Deepsight point when you jump down from the tall pillars onto the platform near there. If you’re able to, you can grab the first chest above the bridge and float over to the location of the second one within the Deepsight time limit. Collecting both chests gives a total of 400 points, players can then leave the region and re-enter to rinse and repeat.

The two Deepsight Tier 3 locations in Alluring Curtain used for farming Throne World Rank points

You can also head down to Witch’s Echo, near the back of the Miasma region, which has a chest in the round hall after the tunnel. After grabbing that chest, enter the nearby portal to grab the next chest right beside you by completing the torch lighting puzzle. Run back out of the portal and re-enter the Witch’s Echo to repeat the steps.

Queen’s Bailey, which is right above Fluorescent Canal, has three Deepsight Tier 3 locations that give 200 points per secret chest, as well. There are two chests outside and one inside the building. Just like the others, you can exit the area to refresh Queen’s Bailey and do it all over again–you can’t summon a sparrow here so run back to Fluorescent Canal as fast as you can. This farm lets you grab three chests which give a total of 600 rank points, whereas the other two methods give 400 in a single run.

Even if farming for chests isn’t your thing, doing a few helps progress through the ranks, and you can always go back to doing other activities.

Throne World activities and ranking up before Deepsight Tier 3

Although farming secret chests is reserved for players that already have Deepsight Tier 3, you can do a multitude of activities to get to that point. Wellspring is another activity where you can earn 125 points from completing it on normal difficulty–if you’re trying to get complete Report: Relic Data quest you might be raking up these reputation ranks. Also, completing replayable story missions on the lowest power level rewards you with 150 rank reputation points, Heroic public events give 130 points, and normal public events give you 120 points.

Throne World patrols, defeating a Lightbearer Hive enemy, incomplete public events, doing regular Lost Sectors, defeating high-value targets, and completing bounties from Fynch don’t give too many points, but these objectives can be done in conjunction with other activities when roaming around the Throne World. For example, Fynch’s quest called Trust Goes Both Ways asks Guardians to find regional chests, and while working on that, players should grab patrols and join public events–it’s like killing two Hive worms with one stone, lessen the grind by doing the most with your time.

Farming Fundamental Osmium and chests

The least amount of rank reputation points come from picking up Fundamental Osmium and opening chests–they give you 20 rank points each–yet they’re the easiest way to farm your way up the ranks. You won’t really even need to try to find them most of the time because you’ll come across these when running around the Throne World. However, to efficiently locate Fundamental Osmium and chests you need to apply the Combo Detector or Wombo Detector mod in the second slot on your Ghost that detects chests and resources within a couple of meters range. Deepsight Tier 2 chests also give you 20 points.

Getting Rank 30

At Rank 30, you get the Throne World Engram Upgrade as your Rank Reward which gives you Throne World weapons you’ve acquired and a stack of Resonant Alloys–engrams will no longer give you weapons from the general world drops anymore. If you want a better rolled Funnelweb SMG or any new Foundry weapon from increasing your reputation rank with Fynch then do not pick up the Rank 30 Throne World Engram Upgrade.

If you’ve completed The Witch Queen campaign and need something else to do beyond ranking up with Fynch, you can catch up on weekly seasonal challenges and activities for Season of the Lost, work towards the Dead Messenger Exotic grenade launcher, or prepare for the upcoming Vow of the Disciple raid on March 5.

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CoD: Warzone Patch Notes Reveal Major Changes Coming To Vanguard Royale

Raven Software has released early patch notes that reveal major changes are coming to Call of Duty: Warzone‘s Vanguard Royale modes. The update will take effect on March 3, bringing a major adjustment to core player health and UAV pricing for the Vanguard playlists.

With Vanguard’s integration into Warzone, the battle royale gained new Vanguard Royale playlists, which are modes restricted to only include Vanguard weapons and operators. According to Raven Software’s patch notes, the core player health of these modes will be increased from 100 to 150, meaning players will now have a total health pool of 300 with armor included. This change will affect all squad sizes of Vanguard Royale playlists.

Another major change comes with the increased price of the UAV streak at Buy Stations, with a price jump from $6,000 to a whopping $9,000 per UAV. Raven Software says this change comes from a balancing of feedback. Some players like the UAVs being less frequent, while others wanted them to stay accessible. The developer says the price increase is the compromise, making them always accessible but less readily exploitable.

The update will also include some more bug fixes. The patch notes detail a fix for an issue that is causing some players to get stuck while going prone underneath certain environmental elements, and it will squash a bug causing Wade’s Bundled Up operator skin to appear headless. Additionally, elements will be adjusted at Chemical Factory to improve system performance and reduce hitching.

The full patch notes can be found below, as shared by Raven Software.

MODES

Vanguard Royale Adjustments – COMING MARCH 3RD!

We have been happy with the response to the Vanguard Royale LTM and are releasing further balancing refinements this week based on your feedback on the gameplay experience to date.

When Vanguard Royale re-enters the Playlist rotation for all squad sizes tomorrow, March 3rd, you can expect the following changes:

Core Player health will be increased to 150, up from 100 Including Armor, Players will now have a total health pool of 300, up from 250

We agree with the feedback that the Time-to-Kill (TTK) has crept beyond the sweet spot and hope that this adjustment will improve Player experience and sentiment. This change comes parallel to additional Weapon balancing that remains a key focus for the team.

UAV’s are now available in Buy Stations for $9,000, up from $6,000

We’ve seen both sides of feedback with the previous change to remove UAV’s wholesale from Buy Stations; some players liking the more traditional battle royale pacing, whilst others missing the ability to more readily push a team in the mid-game. We are excited by this compromise where UAV’s will remain accessible but less inclined to be so readily exploitable.

Our goal with both of these changes is to deliver a more balanced, fair and engaging experience. We will continue to monitor the impact of these changes and make additional updates where required.

BUG FIXES

Fixed collision issues with various elements across Caldera allowing Players to exploit/peek/shoot through them.Fixed an issue causing Players to get stuck while proning underneath certain environmental elements such as stairs.Fixed an issue with elements at Chemical Factory to improve system performance and reduce hitching.Fixed an issue causing the Wade Bundled Up Operator Skin to appear headless.Fixed an issue causing the Submachine Gun Charlie (VG) VDD 189mm Short Barrel to incorrectly affect Locational Multipliers.Fixed an issue causing the Light Machine Gun Charlie (VG) Queen’s 705mm Royal Barrel to bypass its intended Damage Falloff.Fixed an issue causing optics on the Sniper Rifle Alpha (VG) Baltic Blueprint to appear opaque.Fixed an issue that allowed Nebula V Rounds to penetrate Riot Shields.Fixed an issue that allowed Nebula V Rounds to be applied to certain Melee Weapons.Fixed an issue causing Nebula V Rounds to lack a visual effect when used with various Launchers.Fixed an issue causing placeholder images and descriptions to appear in various Store Bundles.Fixed an issue causing placeholder descriptions to appear for the Whitley (VG) Camo Unlock Challenges.Fixed an issue causing placeholder text to appear on the Party tab of the Social menu.Fixed an issue causing certain restricted Operators to be usable in Vanguard Royale modes.Fixed an issue causing the Bomber Plane ADS UI to remain stuck on the Player screen when landing the plane while holding ADS.

WEAPONS

XM4 (BOCW) Neck Damage Multiplier decreased to 1.33, down from 1.5

For additional Weapon & Attachment changes, please refer to the Bug Fixes section above.

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Valve Has Multiple Games In Development Right Now

While they may not see the light of day for some time, Valve apparently has “multiple games” in development right now according to an interview conducted by Axios with Valve designer Greg Coomer.

In the interview, which mostly deals with Valve’s newly released handheld console, the Steam Deck, Coomer touched on Valve’s upcoming games. “There are multiple games in development right now at Valve,” he said, “and I think they’re pretty exciting ones.”

Valve is infamous for the infrequency with which it releases new games. Jokes about Half-Life 3 aside, (when’s it coming, Gabe?) Valve’s releases are truly few and far between. The company’s latest major release was Half-Life Alyx, a VR exclusive that further fleshed out the long-running franchise’s story.

For anyone wondering where Valve gets the money to create its own console when its releases are so few and far between, the company also owns and operates Steam, the largest video game marketplace on PC.

Valve does seem to be getting more comfortable with releasing games, however. Just yesterday, the studio released Aperture Desk Job, a Portal spin-off, to mark the launch of the Steam Deck. While the 30-minute-long free title isn’t Portal 3, at the very least it’s a new game in that universe.

As for what Valve may have in the works there are simply too many options to consider, most of which end with the number 3. Half-Life 3 has been eagerly awaited by fans for over a decade and seems even more probable thanks to Valve’s Source 2 engine. At the same time, new entries in the Left 4 Dead, Portal, and Team Fortress franchises would send the entire games industry into a fit of excitement. We simply won’t know what Valve has in store until the studio makes an announcement.

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