Gaming

Ex-Forza Horizon Director Traces a Line From the Failure of ‘Well-Meaning’ Game Pass to the Current Xbox Layoffs

• Ex-Forza Horizon director blames Xbox layoffs on Game Pass underperforming
• Xbox cutting 3,200 jobs total; four studios leaving Microsoft ownership
• Comments echo Xbox CEO's own admission that the business "is not healthy"

A former Forza Horizon creative director has said the wave of Xbox layoffs, studio closures and game cancellations stems directly from Xbox Game Pass failing to attract enough subscribers to justify Microsoft's huge investment in acquiring studios and content. Mike Brown, who led Forza Horizon 5 at Playground…

Valve has replaced a Steam Machine for free after it was stolen by porch pirates, saving one UK redditor roughly £1,000

• Porch pirates stole a UK user's newly delivered Steam Machine.
• Valve replaced the console free of charge.
• The gesture saved the customer around £1,000.

Valve has replaced a Steam Machine console for a UK Reddit user free of charge after the device was stolen from their doorstep by so-called "porch pirates" following delivery. The gesture meant the customer avoided having to pay again for the hardware, saving them roughly £1,000, and highlights…

What does the next 10 years hold for Pokémon Go? More mechanics, better gyms, and “multi-generational play”

• Pokémon Go turns 10; Scopely Explore reveals decade-ahead development plans
• Gyms to be reworked; team wants more "core memories" via events
• Long-term goal includes new mechanics enabling "multi-generational play"

Pokémon Go is marking its 10th anniversary, with the game's development team, now rebranded Scopely Explore following Niantic's $3.5 billion sale of its gaming portfolio to Scopely, setting out plans for the next decade. Speaking at a 10th anniversary event in New York, product veteran Michael Steranka outlined…

Xbox Game Pass was a good idea in theory, former Forza Horizon 5 director says, but “the reality is not enough people have subscribed”

• Ex-Forza Horizon 5 director says Game Pass hasn't attracted enough paying subscribers
• Shortfall blamed for Xbox studio closures and layoffs amid restructuring
• New CEO Asha Sharma reversed price rise, added day-one Call of Duty

Mike Brown, a former director on Forza Horizon 5 at Playground Games who now leads development at new studio Maverick Games, has criticised Xbox Game Pass, arguing that too few people subscribed to make the service financially viable. Speaking to MinnMax about the recent restructuring at Xbox, which…

CD Projekt Red confirms Gamescom reveal for new Witcher 3 expansion

• Witcher 3's Songs of the Past DLC debuts at Gamescom on 25 August
• Expansion arrives 2027, on par with Blood and Wine in scope
• Follows Geralt, not Ciri; release delayed from 2026 for quality

CD Projekt Red has settled on Gamescom's Opening Night Live, on 25 August, as the venue for the first proper look at Songs of the Past, the expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The reveal caps months of piecemeal detail since the add-on was announced in May…

Xbox Game Pass Gets Even More New Games In July

• Xbox Game Pass' second July 2026 release wave includes multiple day-one titles
• Halo: Campaign Evolved highlighted as a marquee release for the month

In a year defined by price increases, one spec of Lenovo’s latest gaming laptop could suggest cheaper rigs to come

• Lenovo's Legion R9000P introduces the first Inkjet-Printed OLED display on a gaming laptop, using a novel manufacturing process developed by TCL CSOT
• The new technology replaces expensive vacuum evaporation with liquid-based materials, reducing waste and production costs
• Industry experts believe this breakthrough could drive down OLED gaming laptop prices significantly in coming years

A GamesRadar+ hardware article discusses a new Lenovo gaming laptop, highlighting one particular component specification that hints prices for gaming rigs could ease after a year in which hardware costs have generally been rising. The piece frames this as a notable point of interest for shoppers who have…

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ CG3EM review

• MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ delivers the best gaming handheld performance available with excellent battery life and comfort
• A near-$2,000 price tag severely limits accessibility and contradicts the handheld market's core value proposition
• High cost reflects broader memory and hardware supply constraints rather than justified premium positioning

Redditor uses ‘ticking time bomb’ vial of gallium to stop their GPU sagging

• A Reddit user employed gallium metal in a sealed vial as an unconventional counterweight to prevent their graphics card from sagging in its slot
• Gallium's extremely low melting point and ability to corrode metals like aluminium make it dangerously unsuitable for use inside a computer
• Safer GPU support solutions exist, such as vertical mounting or conventional support brackets

A Reddit user has gone viral in PC hardware circles for propping up their sagging graphics card using a sealed vial of gallium, a soft metal that melts near room temperature. The DIY fix highlights a common problem for owners of heavy modern GPUs, whose weight can bend…