Gaming

Steam clarifies that you don’t own your games

New wording officially clarifies this

Published

October 14, 2024

Luigi Leonardo

Back in the day, if you buy a physical game from a brick-and-mortar store, you’ll get an actual box and a disc. Regardless of what happens to the studio, you actually owned the game you bought. Because of digital stores today, it’s almost impossible to claim the same. Now, Steam is making users painfully aware that they don’t actually own any of their games.

Throughout the past few months, Steam has added new features to help users within the same household share their games with one another. In other words, your games are objects you can legally share with others.

On the other hand, the platform also made dying more complicated by making it legally difficult to bequeath your library to a loved one after you pass. Do you or do you not own your games?

Now, Steam has cleared the air. Through a new addition on Steam’s shopping cart page, users will now see that “a purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam.”

You’re not buying the game itself. Rather, you’re buying a license to play it.

Recent developments in the industry have complicated game ownership for everyone. Some studios, including Ubisoft, have started delisting and taking away their games from the platform, even if you already paid for them.

The incidents have prompted lawmakers to force platforms to divulge if users actually own a digital product they purchased, starting in California. Steam’s latest addition is a response to the new laws.

Other platforms have clapped back. GOG, for example, has officially stated that users own their games. Even if the service goes down, the platform cannot take away the offline installers given to players upon purchase.

Gaming

Horizon Hunters Gathering is an upcoming co-op roguelite spinoff

If you liked Nightreign, you might like this.

Published

February 6, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Like Valve, the PlayStation’s tentpole franchises are allergic to the number 3. The Last of Us, the ongoing God of War arc, Spider-Man, and Horizon all don’t have a third game yet. These franchises, however, have all gotten rumors of spinoffs. Now, Horizon is getting more than just a rumor; an official co-op spinoff is happening. Say hello to Horizon Hunters Gathering!

Today, Guerilla unveiled Horizon Hunters Gathering, an official co-op roguelite set in the Horizon universe. The game will feature multiple players working to take down difficult enemies, bosses, and dungeons.

The title shares similarities with Elden Ring Nightreign. For one, players can choose between six characters with different roles. The main mode, called Machine Incursion, takes players to a wide map with powerups and roaming monsters. The map then has a shrinking ring that… well, you know what a shrinking ring does.

Horizon Hunters Gathering also has a different game mode called Cauldron Descent. Compared to the Nightreign type of gameplay, Cauldron Descent is a more traditional roguelite mode. Players enter a dangerous dungeon and choose alternate paths that vary in challenges.

Both game modes will be available through an upcoming closed playtest through the PlayStation Beta Program.

Because this is from Guerilla themselves, this is an official game. But it’s far from the only spinoff for the universe. Previously, NCSoft, a South Korean gaming studio, announced Horizon Steel Frontiers, an MMO set in the Horizon universe. Like Horizon Hunters Gathering, Steel Frontiers has an unknown launch date.

Gaming

Valve is delaying the launch of the Steam Machine

But it’s still scheduled for the first half of 2026.

Published

February 6, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Overshadowed only by the Nintendo Switch 2, the upcoming Steam Machine was one of the most exciting gaming devices announced last year. Unfortunately, especially if you were waiting intently for the console’s launch, Valve is delaying the device by an undisclosed amount of time.

Initially, Valve anticipated a launch for the Steam Machine sometime in the first half of 2026. However, as the calendar rolls on into the second month of the year, the company has yet to announce either a price or a launch date for the console. Valve says that both should be out by now.

In a recent update, the company confirms that ongoing chip shortages have forced a reevaluation of the Steam Machine’s price and shipping date. This also goes for the Steam Controller and the Steam Frame. Valve is going back to the drawing board to figure out what is feasible for the console market.

On the bright side, Valve is still aiming to launch all three devices in the first half of the year. It’s just a matter of determining when that is.

The Steam Machine is just the latest in a growing line of devices affected by the chip shortage. Today, chipmakers are funneling their supplies to the supposed demand for AI servers. Naturally, more infrastructure means less chips reserved for regular consumers.

Also recently, NVIDIA was rumored to skip this year for a new GPU launch because of the AI “boom”. It’s the first time that this has happened in thirty years.

Gaming

No new NVIDIA GPUs this year, report says

Once again, it’s because of AI.

Published

February 6, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Yesterday, AMD made the bold claim that the next-generation Xbox is coming next year. In a world drowning in manufactured hype for AI, hearing about GPUs going back to gaming is refreshing. NVIDIA, however, still has its pipelines clogged with artificial intelligence. According to reports, the company will not release new graphics cards this year.

This is unprecedented. A new graphics card is often a highlight for gamers every year. Even in recent times when prices beggar belief, a newly launched chip still generates hype.

Now, for the first time in thirty years, NVIDIA will not launch a new card in a calendar year (via The Information). Like a lot of things happening this year, AI is the culprit.

Buoyed by the dreams of billionaires, GPU companies are busy dedicating their stock of chips for AI servers. Because these servers artificially blew up the demand for GPUs, everything else that needs such a chip is projected to see a price hike this year. This includes smartphones, gaming consoles, and cars. Regular consumers have been left to deal with the aftermath of the imaginary AI boom.

According to The Information, NVIDIA’s current lineup is only partially composed of chips meant for gaming. Only around 8 percent of its revenue came from that segment in the first nine months of last year. In its defense, AI chips are much more profitable right now, but it’s still a big blow against consumers who just want to play games.