The Galleon 100 SD is the keyboard I’ve long wished Corsair would make: a full-fat gaming board crossed with a Stream Deck, the powerful macro box made by Corsair subsidiary Elgato. The result is a keyboard that takes up an inordinate amount of space – and costs as much as both products put together – but does exactly what it should.

You get all of the nice-to-haves you’d want from a great modern gaming keyboard, like 8000Hz polling, pre-lubricated mechanical switches and FPS-focused features like SOCD, plus that unparalleled control and customization that a Stream Deck provides, all in a chassis that is among the best Corsair’s ever built. Still, there’s also room to more fully realize the potential in a future design here, with magnetic switches being a curious omission and software improvements to be made.

Corsair Galleon 100 SD – Design and Features

The Galleon 100 SD continues the modern styling trend Corsair introduced with the Vanguard Pro 96, with textured knobs, thin fonts and a rounded black aluminium chassis. The MLX Pulse mechanical switches inside offer a smooth keypress, with moderate 45g actuation force and a linear action that is well-suited for gaming and pleasant enough for typing as well. The RGB-backlit PBT keycaps provide a bit of texture for the finger and a long lifetime versus ABS alternatives, while a gasket mount arrangement, the aluminium chassis, and layers of sound dampening provide a pleasantly deep sound signature. In short, the Galleon ticks all of the boxes I’d expect for a premium mechanical keyboard in 2026, without quite challenging more boutique typing-focused examples built for enthusiasts. Magnetic switches would unlock extra FPS-focused functionality, but it seems that Corsair is targeting a broader audience for this one.

The big change here is the addition of a 12-key Stream Deck into the right-hand side of the board, replacing the number pad from a full-size layout with a four-zone LCD display above and two chunky knobs at the top. The 5-inch 1280x720 display is vibrant and crisp, with text and icons that are readable (if not pin-sharp) from a normal viewing distance, and of course the keys are physically closer and more convenient to press than they would be on a separate Stream Deck unit.

Everything here is customisable in the Stream Deck software, which I’ll cover in detail later, but the default upper arrangement includes media information from Spotify, a weather forecast, volume levels and an app launcher. Holding down either knob will toggle between the two zones beneath it; with a regular press and rotation performing different functions depending on the widget selected. For example, the Spotify widget skips tracks and plays or pauses, while the weather widget lets you scroll through the weather of the day and see additional information for a certain time period.

The lower section is more standard Stream Deck fare, with each of the 12 keys displaying live information (like your CPU, RAM and GPU utilization) or serving as a static app shortcut. With folders, pages and profiles that can automatically activate in specific PC applications, there are few limits to the amount of control you can build out. As well as official integrations for Elgato products, games and so on, you can also find free and paid community-made options in an online marketplace or code your own.

If you don’t have the Stream Deck software running, you get a barebones arrangement that’s still fairly useful, packing in media controls, toggles for polling rates, profiles and game modes, and instructions for downloading the Stream Deck software.

The rest of the keyboard contains some good ideas, including an RGB-backlit strip along the top of the keyboard with a Corsair wordmark and tri-spoke elements; a similarly wordmarked palm rest made of a soft, squidgy material; flip-out legs to adjust the angle of the keyboard; and, somewhat unusually, two extra USB-C ports. You get two USB-C cables in the box, and the idea is that by running that extra cable and plugging it in the bottom of the keyboard, you can then plug in other USB-C accessories like mice or flash drives into a more easily accessible USB-C port behind the two knobs. Of course, you could just plug in whatever USB-C thing you wanted directly, without involving the keyboard, but the end result arguably looks cleaner by using the extra port.

I did worry that the Galleon would feel a bit cheap or flimsy with its Stream Deck addition, but Corsair’s designers have done well to integrate everything together into a robust and cohesive whole that feels as expensive as it actually is. If you’re a streamer or macro enthusiast, this is a very sleek way to keep the options you need within easy reach.

Corsair Galleon 100 SD – Software

As you might have guessed, the Galleon requires you to visit two places to control it: the Web Hub for changing the keyboard’s settings and Stream Deck for setting up that titular portion. Both are generally well-designed, though complex enough that finding your way around does take some time. I’d suggest starting with the Web Hub software first, updating your firmware if available, and then you can dig into the settings.

Here, you can set up the keyboard for gaming, including selecting polling rates up to 8000Hz (to fractionally reduce the delay between a key being pressed and registered) and enable SOCD, short for “Simultaneous Opposite Cardinal Direction” (letting a press of A override a press of D, for example, to aid counter-strafing in FPS titles). There are also more garden-variety controls for remapping keys, choosing lighting schemes and so on, though you won’t find features like adjustable actuation points, rapid trigger, or other common FPS-focused features due to the lack of magnetic switches. (The sockets here are hot-swappable, but only for other 3-pin or 5-pin mechanical switches, so you can’t change the core tech inside.)

The Stream Deck side of the equation is a bit more involved, with a live feed of what’s being shown on each dial area and button on the left and a menu of available widgets on the right. Adding or moving widgets is as simple as dragging and dropping, and all but the simplest widgets have further settings to customize their functionality and appearance. Icon packs make it easier to have a consistent appearance, but you’re free to go with custom icons, emojis, text and so on to suit your own preferences.

As mentioned earlier, the default set of widgets can be extended through the Elgato Marketplace, though relatively few third-party options are available for the new dial areas versus the original Stream Deck keys. Both of the third-party widgets I was hoping for did exist – YouTube Music and a calendar – but the latter was only available as a £5 or £10 purchase. I found that creating third-party widgets for the slim infobar on the Stream Deck Neo wasn’t even possible when I reviewed that device last year, so I hope that the dials here are easier to develop for.

In terms of what you can actually do with the Stream Deck, it’s a long list, including creating and playing macros, controlling music or audio devices, and supporting live streams. Controlling other parts of the Corsair ecosystem is especially well catered for, including adjusting Elgato lights, mics and cameras, Corsair peripherals, and now Fanatec sim racing gear.

Game integration feels like a bit of an afterthought, with no easy way to find what games on your system are supported by the keyboard – you have to search through all Galleon-compatible profiles or manually search by game title instead. Some third-party integrations are also expensive, with a Star Citizen profile pack costing £25 and Flight Simulator 2024 requiring an £18 investment. This feels like an area that could be improved substantially if Corsair intends to keep building out support for games, or incentivizing third-party developers to do so instead.

I did experience a few bugs in the Stream Deck software, most notably every installation of a new plugin requiring two attempts to successfully install – a pain when the default loadout for the Galleon requires eight or so plugins. Thankfully, the core functionality of assigning functions to each button and triggering them worked like a treat in the Stream Deck software, while the Web Hub provided all of the functionality I needed on the keyboard setup front.

Corsair Galleon 100 SD – Performance

The Galleon 100 SD is a strong option for gaming, with a particular alacrity for more complex simulation games where you benefit from having a large number of available keys. Throwing lesser-used (and easily forgotten) keys and key combos on the Stream Deck pad is handy, as is having an otherwise full layout to use as normal. The key action is well-tuned, with reasonable travel, good audible feedback, and a smooth action, so games like League of Legends or StarCraft 2 that can punish mispresses heavily are easier to play than they would be on a softer and shorter-travel keyboard.

I also found occasion to use the extra Stream Deck keys in FPS games like Counter-Strike 2 (for buying weapons), but I tend to prefer narrower keyboards without a number pad to ensure plenty of mousing space for the low-sensitivity gameplay that most players adopt. That led to a shade of frustration in Battlefield 6, as it wasn’t as comfortable to play with my arms spread wide across the desk. The inclusion of SOCD and a snappy 8000Hz polling rate was something of a salve, and I have no qualms about the keyboard’s overall performance for all but the most competitive FPS players. Still, I can’t help but dream about a Galleon 100 SD in a southpaw layout, with the macro pad on the left side of the keyboard.

There’s a few movie questions on everyone’s lips these days, and after F1’s surprising Best Picture Oscars nomination, folks are now asking if there’s going to be a sequel. Thankfully, Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and Apple exec Eddy Cue have you covered with an answer, or at least most of one.

“I got one last question that they asked,” Cue said during Apple TV’s recent press day, during which he had a live conversation with Domenicali. “It’s my favorite question of all, and it’s kind of a boomerang because both of us will answer: Is there going to be another Formula 1 movie given the success and how great the first movie was?”

Domenicali gave fans some hope. “Stay tuned,” he replied. “We’re going to tell you something more in the future. Never say never. But we need to digest more the success of this movie because it was something unique. And if you want to think of a new one, it has to be really, very, very good. Therefore, if this will happen, it will not be for next year. But maybe next year we’re going to be here [at the press day], and hopefully we have something more to announce [then].”

Cue made sure to highlight what Apple is doing with F1 right now, giving the fans something to sate them until a sequel arrives. “I’ve got a great announcement for it. We’ve got 24 F1 movies this year on Apple TV,” he explained, comparing the 24 actual F1 races coming this season with the high octane Brad Pitt film. “I don’t know the ending, and so it is the best unscripted drama that there could be in the world.”

Domenicali added of the first film, “I remember very clearly in February 2021, when you, together with [Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer] came to my office to discuss this new idea. I was fascinated by it, of course, but also worried about creating the right ecosystem and making sure that the project was real and authentic.

“Because for us, it was really crucial to make sure that we could present our world in a context of Hollywood and a movie and be real,” he added, before confirming they were able to accomplish just that through “an incredible experience” for both F1 and Apple.

All of which leads us to believe an F1 sequel is likely on the horizon — and frankly, with the first film's success, how could it not be? The movie, which was released in June 2025, is officially Apple TV’s highest grossing project thus far, netting approximately $630 million globally. It’s also Pitt’s highest grossing movie ever and the largest earning sports movie to date. There’s seemingly no way any executives on either side are going to let that slide without tapping the cash cow at least one more time, but it remains to be seen how long we’ll have to wait for a second installment.

F1 is now available to stream on Apple TV+.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.

The Outer Worlds 2 fans are lamenting the news that developer Obsidian is not working on a sequel, and have blamed Microsoft's initial decision to price the game at $80 for helping kill the series' hype, despite the later U-turn.

Yesterday, Bloomberg reported on the state of veteran RPG studio Obsidian following an exhausting 2025. Over the course of eight months, the company launched Grounded 2 in early access, followed by both The Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed after protracted developments.

Of the three games, only Grounded 2 was qualified as a success — and while further titles in the Avowed universe are planned, a third Outer Worlds title is not in production. Unsurprisingly, this news has disappointed fans of the space-based role-playing game series, who have offered their own opinions on what went wrong.

"I feel like TOW2 paid for the sins of TOW 1 and Avowed," Godlike013 wrote in a lengthy thread on The Outer World's main subreddit, suggesting that The Outer Worlds 2 had deserved a better reception. "After two mid games in a row negative sentiment unfairly fell on TOW2 when it is a genuinely good game."

"I'll be honest, it's not surprising in the least," countered Lafitte1812. "TOW2 is, in every possible way a better game. It's a night and day difference, and most of my problems have been fixed, but at the end of the day I still don't really give a damn about the universe, and positive word of mouth alone is only so impactful."

"I'm not surprised," agreed CardTrickOTK. "I think it was better than the first in a lot of ways, but when BG3 drops and lets you do some frankly insane things with the companions, I think a lot of people had their standards raised for RPGs, and this game is just okay."

Several other fans noted the recent launch of other RPGs — and particularly 2025's beloved Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — as having provided tough competition and even tougher comparisons in some areas such as story and fully-fleshed out characters. Others suggested that the lengthy wait for The Outer Worlds 2 had also raised expectations, which were not met by the sequel.

"The first game was incredible but lacked content," wrote RUKnight31. "We excused that due to limited budget and dev time for a new franchise. Given the increased resources and development time that went into OW2 we expected to have a lot more content than OW. It didn't and the obvious 'business decisions' that led to chopped content sucked to see."

A larger number of fans expressed frustration at Microsoft for the game's pricing fiasco, which initially saw The Outer Worlds 2 set to become the company's first $80 game — before the company put the initiative on pause and backtracked. While the game ultimately launched at $70, fans say that the snafu dominated headlines and killed hype that the game struggled to win back. Some even pointed out the irony of the situation happening to The Outer Worlds 2, a game which tells the story of people caught up in the actions of megacorporation.

"So capitalism was the true villain all along," QQBearsHijacker quipped.

"They overshot asking $80 and that turned a lot of gamers off," RUKnight31 continued. "The backtrack to $70 was too little too late. In this economy $60-$70 is already a lot. Trying to push $80 as the new norm was outlandish for leisure."

"Did not help at all that the biggest splash this game made on the overall gaming lake was the stupid 80 bucks fiasco that Microsoft tried to push," agreed ElGodPug. "Like, even after they reduced to 70 (still too much IMO), first impressions are pretty important, and to many it was 'oh hey, it's the sequel to that 7/10 game asking us to pay 20 bucks more'."

"There were a lot of great RPGs this year and unfortunately this one was forgettable," Philosophers-Bone bluntly summed up. "Not horrible or anything, just didn't stand out. I'm glad I played it on Game Pass and didn't shell out $80 or whatever insane price they listed it for."

IGN's The Outer Worlds 2 review returned an 8/10, and stated that "once you get past a weak first act, The Outer Worlds 2 sharpens Obsidian’s RPG formula with smarter writing and better combat." We continued: "[It] doesn’t try to rewrite Obsidian’s RPG playbook, but it’s yet another strong refinement."

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Check out new gameplay from Vegelypse, a new 2.5D roguelite beat-'em-up with a hard-rock soundtrack and multiple game modes that is perhaps best thought of as "Super Cactus Boy."

Hand-painted 2.5 visuals will certainly remind you of Super Meat Boy, and if the action is anywhere close to as good, we'll all be in for a treat. Developer Jumble Cat Studios sets up the fun and lighthearted story for this action game as such: "The Hard Rock Cacti band was rocking out when they were rudely interrupted by an onslaught of mutated produce monsters, and only they can punch, smash, and chop your way through this invasion of predatory produce."

Perks, randomized modifiers, and an evolution system aim to keep the action fresh, while a score-driven Arcade Mode and challenge-based Arena Mode await after you've had your fill of the primary Story Mode.

Wishlist Vegelypse on Steam if you're interested.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our semi-retired interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Pokémon will air a "special video" to mark the franchise's 30th anniversary during this weekend's Super Bowl LX.

A teaser trailer published online this afternoon includes fan-favorite Jigglypuff seemingly backstage, performing vocal warmup exercises. And yes, we do hear the original Jigglypuff song from the first season of the Pokémon anime.

Exactly what Pokémon's Super Bowl spot will contain, we can only guess — though fans will certainly be hoping the franchise takes advantage of the event's huge global audience to offer a glimpse at its widely-anticipated 10th generation.

Celebrate 30 years of Pokémon with a special video debuting during Super Bowl LX on February 8! #Pokemon30 pic.twitter.com/gOgvTnlkdW

— Pokémon @ Lumiose City 🥐 (@Pokemon) February 4, 2026

2026 is expected to be an enormous year for Pokémon, as the world dominating series celebrates the fact it has been three decades since its original games launched in Japan on the Game Boy. We know for sure that at least one new Pokémon game will arrive this year, too — the promising-looking life sim spin-off Pokémon Pokopia — but fans are hungry for more.

While not announced yet for certain, it's widely-expected that a full Pokémon Presents broadcast (akin to a Nintendo Direct) will air on the series' actual anniversary, February 27. A similar broadcast has taken place regularly over the last few years. It's here that fans are anticipating the next generation of Pokémon games and creatures to get their proper reveal, exactly four years on from the series' ninth generation games for Nintendo Switch, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet.

Last year, leaked information hit the internet that purported to reveal work-in-progress details of the upcoming games. Now, all eyes will be on Pokémon itself to make its next generation official. Could we get a glimpse of all that at the Super Bowl? Or is Jigglypuff simply planning a half-time show-style recital? It would be a lot of money to spend just for a singalong.

There's no word yet exactly when during the hours-long event that the Pokémon video may appear.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Nintendo will broadcast a Partner Direct later this week, showing off more games coming to Switch and Switch 2.

The Nintendo Partner Direct will air tomorrow — Thursday, February 5 — at 6am Pacific / 9am Eastern / 2pm UK and last around 30 minutes.

As with all Partner Direct shows, this will be focused on games developed by companies other than Nintendo — so there's no suggestion that we'll see the next big Mario platformer here.

Another game you shouldn't expect to see more of anytime soon is Borderlands 4, development of which has now been placed on indefinite "pause." Take-Two, the franchise's publisher, has said this has been necessary to focus resources on the game's other platforms — but that it is also keen to launch other games on Switch 2 in the future. Could Nintendo finally get a new GTA?

What could we see? With Resident Evil Requiem now just weeks from launch (and tomorrow's Partner Direct seemingly rated 18+) a look at Capcom's highly-anticipated new survival horror seems a safe bet. It is set to launch on February 27, the same day as its arrival on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Fans will also hoping to see more of The Duskbloods, the upcoming Switch 2 exclusive developed by Elden Ring studio FromSoftware. Nintendo announced the game with fanfare back in April 2025, though little has been seen of it since.

There's some expectation too of a bigger push from Microsoft, which has so far brought a couple of its games to Switch platforms, while others seeming remain waiting in the wings. Could a Nintendo console finally get Sea of Thieves, following its successful launch on PlayStation 5? And what else from Xbox's back catalogue might Nintendo fans get to enjoy?

Upcoming third-party Switch 2 games with firm release dates include Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties (February 12), Reanimal (February 13), Resident Evil Requiem (February 27), Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake (March 12), Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection (March 13), Pragmata (April 24) and 007 First Light (May 27).

Join us tomorrow for all the announcements as they happen.

Image credit: Nintendo.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Nintendo has discussed the fact that Switch 2 hardware sales were lower than expected outside Japan towards the end of 2025.

Speaking to shareholders this week, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa acknowledged that "overseas sales were slightly weaker than our expectations," something that had previously been reported and discussed with IGN by analysts, though not stated out loud by the company itself.

Still, in an investor meeting following the release of this week's latest financial earnings, Nintendo shareholders repeatedly questioned the company on its western sales shortfall, even as the Switch 2 overperforms within its homeland of Japan.

"While our forecasted global hardware and software sales volume remains unchanged, the breakdown by region and product is based on different assumptions from the revised forecast announced at the time of our second-quarter financial results announcement," Furukawa said, via machine translation.

"Furthermore, as you understand, domestic hardware sales volume exceeded our expectations, while overseas sales were slightly weaker than our expectations," he continued.

Sales figures collated by The Game Business last month showed that U.S. Switch 2 sales over the holiday period were down around 35% versus the Switch 1's first holiday sales performance back in 2017. In the UK, a similar comparison saw Switch 2 lagging Switch 1 by 16%. Even in Nintendo's homeland of Japan, Switch 2 holiday sales couldn't match Switch 1, and were down by 5.5% over the year's final nine weeks.

In France, 2025's final tally of Switch 2 sales was down by "over 30%" versus the amount Switch 1 notched up back in 2017, meanwhile.

While these numbers may take some of the shine off of a successful first year for Switch 2 overall, it's not all doom and gloom. Switch 2's lifetime sales in Japan are still above what Switch 1 managed in its first year, with less time on sale. And in the UK, Switch 1 continued to sell well enough that it made up Switch 2's holiday sales deficit.

Asked for more detail on why hardware sales in Japan were doing better than expected, Furukawa has now highlighted the release of two games in particular that had resonated with the country's audience: Pokémon Legends: Z-A Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and the Switch 2 exclusive Kirby Air Riders.

"We believe that the reason for the stronger-than-expected hardware sales in Japan is that, amid the continued momentum of the initial launch of the Switch 2 hardware, new titles such as Pokémon Legends: Z-A Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Kirby Air Riders, released during the holiday shopping season, [leading] to a relatively high trend of existing Switch owners switching to the Switch 2 compared to overseas."

While the Pokémon franchise is hugely popular globally, it enjoys a particular level of devotion within Japan. Kirby games also sell especially well in the country, with mixed success historically overseas. Essentially, then, Furukawa is suggesting that the Switch 2's level of success in Japan has been fuelled by two titles that have resonated particularly well with Japanese audiences.

It's a statement that gels well with what a recent, unnamed western Nintendo source reportedly said of the company's softer Switch 2 sales overseas, which were blamed on the lack of a key first-party game for the holidays. The remark raised eyebrows at the time due to the fact it appeared to overlook Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (as Metroid Prime has traditionally been seen as a sub-franchise with a stronger western following than in Japan). However, as we learned this week, Metroid Prime 4 has indeed gotten off to a slow start sales-wise, something Nintendo appeared to have anticipated to some degree.

There was next to no mention of Metroid Prime 4 in Nintendo's financial results this week, and no sign of its Switch or Switch 2 versions on the company's lists of million copy-selling games. Switch 2 exclusive Kirby Air Riders was recorded as having sold 1.76 million units since its arrival on November 20, but there was no mention of how well Metroid Prime 4 had fared following its arrival on December 4.

Following the launch of Metroid Prime 4, Nintendo admitted that it knew the game's open-world concept risked feeling outdated. Last month, Metroid Prime producer and Nintendo veteran Kensuke Tanabe abruptly announced that the game would be his last project for the company after four decades of service. When contacted for more detail by IGN, Nintendo did not comment.

Overall, Switch 2 remains Nintendo's fastest-selling console at launch ever, with an explosive arrival propelled by the recent success of the original Switch (something it, in turn, didn't have as it followed Wii U). But all eyes will be on Nintendo now to shore up its line-up of Switch 2 games for the rest of 2026 — when fans hope they'll finally get a new 3D Mario platformer in time for Christmas.

Upcoming first-party Switch 2 games include Mario Tennis Fever (February 12), Pokémon Pokopia (March 5), Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park (March 26), Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream (April 16), and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, which has a vague "spring" launch window. Simply listed for 2026 are Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, Rhythm Heaven Groove and Pokémon Champions, while Splatoon Raiders has a "TBA" launch date.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

What’s going on with Steam Machine? Valve has been relatively quiet on the upcoming hardware since announcing it last year, and it remains without a release date or a price. But AMD, which powers Steam Machine itself so you’d like to think it’s in the know, has said Valve is “on track” to begin shipping early this year.

That’s according to comments made by CEO Lisa Su in AMD's latest earnings call (the same one that mentioned the next-gen Xbox was set for launch in 2027). To be exact, here’s the quote:

In gaming, revenue increased 50% year-over-year to $843 million. Semi-custom sales increased year-over-year and declined sequentially as expected. For 2026, we expect semi-custom SoC annual revenue to decline by a significant double-digit percentage as we enter the seventh year of what has been a very strong console cycle. From a product standpoint, Valve is on track to begin shipping its AMD-powered Steam Machine early this year.

That sounds pretty clear cut (early this year suggests by the end of March, if we consider early to be the first quarter), but Valve has yet to rubber stamp the launch window, and has remained quiet on potential price points, likely due to the rising cost of PC components. So, what’s the latest?

The Steam Machine is a mid-level gaming-focused PC designed to be more accessible than a standard desktop PC, with a sleek, cube-like design and SteamOS on-board. We here at IGN have offered our thoughts on how much the Steam Machine will cost, suggesting it’ll probably be higher than people think. Chatter about pricing ramped up last year after Linus Sebastian of Linus Tech Tips suggested it wouldn’t follow a “console pricing model” of $500, after mentioning the figure in a meeting with Valve staff.

In an interview with Skill Up from last year, Valve's Lawrence Yang and Pierre-Loup Griffais discussed the price of Steam Machine without actually confirming what it would be. The conversation began with software engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais confirming that Steam Machine is more powerful than 70% of gaming PCs that Valve registers on its hardware survey, in terms of general GPU level, saying: “We have looked at that number as part of speccing the machine, so it’s possible it’s evolved a little bit over time, but I think ballpark, it’s about there.”

He then said that fans should expect the Steam Machine price to be around the same as if you were to build a PC from parts to get “basically the same level of performance.”

“I think that if you build a PC from parts and get to basically the same level of performance, that's the general price window that we aim to be at,” he said. “Ideally we'd be pretty competitive with that and have a pretty good deal, but we're working on refining that as we speak. Right now is just a hard time to have a really good idea of what the price is going to be because there's a lot of different things… a lot of external things.”

In that context, Valve’s Steam Machine will likely cost above $750. We’ve suggested Steam Machine will cost $700-$800. To put that into perspective, the base PS5 with a disc drive currently costs $549.99, while the PS5 Digital Edition costs $499.99. The PS5 Pro, meanwhile, costs $749.99.

Skill Up then asked Valve to rule out the Steam Machine being subsidized hardware, saying, “like Valve is not going into this thinking we're going to eat a big loss on this so that we can grow market share or category or anything like that, correct?"

Pierre-Loup Griffais’ answer here was unequivocal: “No. It's more in-line with what you might expect from the current PC market. Obviously, our goal is for it to be a good deal at that level of performance.”

He then went on to make the case for Steam Machine at that sort of price, pointing to the value you get from the various features it includes that simply wouldn’t be easy to replicate if you were to build your own PC from similar parts.

“And then you have features that are actually really hard to build if you're making your own gaming PC from parts, right?” he continued. “Like things like, obviously the small form factor and I think the noise level that we achieved — or lack thereof — is really impressive, and we're excited that the people are going to find out how quiet this thing is. But also some integration features like HDMI CEC, right? Like being able to turn on your TV, turn off your TV, control it with your TV remote, change the volume, all that kind of stuff.

“Like the Bluetooth and wireless work that we've done, the four antennas, the very deliberate design to make sure that you can have a great experience with four Bluetooth controllers from any manufacturer, plus our Steam Controller receiver integrated as well — that’s all hard to do. But more importantly, you can turn on the machine from your controller, which is not something that is actually straightforward depending on the type of PC you have or the main chipset and all that.

“So being able to sit down on your couch, press one button on your controller, and the whole thing lights up like you'd expect for a thing that's in your living room, I think that's really valuable. And there's not really a price point to that because it's not really something that exists in the PC market right now.

“There's people that are going to be perfectly happy building their PC at whatever level of spec, and that's going to be a great experience for them. We're building Steam OS so that if they want to use it for that they can and they can have essentially the same experience. And if they're happy with that, that's perfectly good with us. But we expect the machine is a nice baseline offering that lets you have some features that are really hard to get to otherwise.”

Valve designer Lawrence Yang then chimed in with his own thought: "for me one of the benefits of Steam Machine is, I'm someone who used to build my PC in college and I am too old and tired to do that now!”

Some have questioned Valve’s refusal to subsidize the Steam Machine and thus theoretically at least miss out on having a greater number of people buying games through Steam. Larian publishing director Michael Douse, who is in charge of business development regarding the likes of Steam megahit Baldur’s Gate 3, took to social media to suggest Valve will lose “far more” than the approx. $200 difference by not having more users on the Steam storefront, “which is essentially a money printing machine.”

“That said it isn't stupid to not sell things at a loss, just peculiar in this case,” Douse continued.

We’ve got plenty more on all Valve’s recent hardware announcements, and have a handy roundup. We went hands-on with Steam Machine and Steam Controller, and if you’re wondering about Steam Deck 2, we asked Valve about that as well.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

With the Fallout Season 2 finale out now on Prime video, we know which location Season 3 is headed towards. But don’t pack for snow just yet, because co-showrunner Geneva Robertson-Dworet and even Todd Howard himself are suggesting it may take some time to get there.

Warning! Spoilers for Fallout Season 2 finale follow:

As we now know, the ending of Fallout Season 2 sets up Colorado as the location for Season 3, with The Ghoul, played by Walton Goggins, already on his way. So, should we expect Season 3 to kick off in Colorado? Or will there be more to the journey?

In a new interview with IGN, co-showrunner Geneva Robertson-Dworet explained why the decision was made to head to a brand new location in the first place. It turns out it was inspired by the Fallout video games themselves, which are typically each set in a different location. Fallout 3, for example, is set in the Capital Wasteland, a post-apocalyptic version of the city of Washington and the surrounding areas. Fallout: New Vegas is set in the Mojave Wasteland, which includes post-apocalyptic Las Vegas. Fallout 4 is set in the Commonwealth, which takes in the surrounding area of Boston, Massachusetts. And Fallout 76 is set in Appalachia, although updates have expanded its borders.

Indeed, one of the thrills of playing a new Fallout game is discovering and exploring a post-apocalyptic take on a brand new location, and getting to see how it's doing hundreds of years after the bombs fell. This, Robertson-Dworet said, influenced the showrunnners' thinking.

“Well, it came out of many conversations about how the games are of course regional. One of the delights of finding out there's going to be a new Fallout game is immediately the question of like, well, where is it going to be set? And of course, our first season being LA, second season being New Vegas, we were excited to go to fresh snow.”

Now onto the tease. Robertson-Dworet made a point of teasing that we will see The Ghoul’s journey to Colorado, and that there will be plenty of twists and turns along the way. In doing so, she referenced one of The Ghoul’s most famous lines from Season 1, when he tells Lucy the Wasteland’s 'golden rule': “Thou shalt get side tracked by bullshit every goddamn time.”

“We want to remind viewers that just because The Ghoul is heading to Colorado, of course this is the Wasteland where you always get sidetracked by bullshit every goddamn time,” Robertson-Dworet quipped. “So how long will it take him to get there, or will he get there in the first episode of the next season? We will have to wait to find out. It may not be as linear a journey as one would hope.”

Bethesda development chief Todd Howard echoed Robertson-Dworet’s comment, adding: “Yeah, look, there's a lot of surprises coming. We talk about it a lot. And so what I'd say is geography plays such a part into the world of Fallout, and seeing what's there. And there's a lot of land out there, there's a lot of places to explore yet. It's exciting for us to do that in games. And it's really exciting to do it in a TV show where we can jump locations. I wouldn't presume too much yet, I know we're hinting at stuff, but there's a lot of surprises to come.”

So, it sounds like The Ghoul and friends are set for some meaty sidequests as they trade in the sand-filled Mojave Wasteland for the snowy peaks of post-apocalyptic Colorado. This is an area that has yet to be explored by the mainline Fallout video games, so everything will feel brand new to an army of Fallout fans, and we can expect a significant expansion of the Fallout canon.

While we wait to find out more, in the same interview with IGN, Howard touched on the ongoing debate about Fallout canon and the TV series avoiding picking an ending of New Vegas. This has been a hot topic ever since Fallout came out, really, but it was fueled by Mr. House’s appearance in Season 2 and the state of not just the Strip itself but the various factions operating in the area.

Todd Howard and the showrunners have been clear throughout that no ending was made canon, despite the events of the show. And Robertson-Dworet and Howard reiterated the point speaking to IGN ahead of the Season 2 finale.

“It's probably the trickiest thing, right?” Howard said. “You want to go to Vegas, such an iconic location, and you really want to honor the game and honor the players' journeys that they have there while pushing things forward. And look, it's really, really tough. So I think the general approach was, leave things open for interpretation. So I know people want to say like, ‘Hey, what was the ending?’ Or, ‘What's canon and what's not canon before?’ And some of that's intentionally open to interpretation. If you take a character like Robert House, who's as smart and ingenious as he is, well logic says he would find a way to live on. And so that's just one element or things like that. And I think Geneva and Graham [Wagner], the writers, have done a great job of pulling the threads from the world of Fallout, letting you see some of it while also moving it forward. And ultimately it's really about the journey of our main characters.”

We’ve got plenty more on Fallout, including our Fallout Season 2 finale review, and an explainer on how the post-credits scene at the end of Fallout Season 2 teases something huge from the games. Oh, and here’s what that Amazon Fallout countdown turned out to be.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.