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The Verge’s gaming section brings the latest video game news, reviews of the most exciting releases, and interviews with the industry’s biggest names. We cover everything from PlayStation and Xbox blockbusters, to quirky Nintendo games, to the cool indie gems on PC and Android that you might otherwise miss.

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There is no fix for Intel’s crashing 13th and 14th Gen CPUs — any damage is permanent

We got some answers from Intel, and more are on the way.

Steam is getting some big upgrades for game demos

They now behave more like standalone games, making them easier to find, install, and remove from user libraries.

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Netflix’s Bioshock movie is still coming, albeit with a smaller scope and budget.

Netflix has been so quiet about its Bioshock film adaptation that it almost seemed as if the project might have been put on the back burner. But during a panel at this year’s SDCC, producer Roy Lee assured fans that, while Netflix has “reconfigured” the movie to be smaller and more personal, it’s still very much in the works.


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I haven’t charged my wireless gaming mouse in two and a half years.

That’s no exaggeration, it’s just me checking in on my 2022 story about the Logitech Powerplay Wireless Charging System, now on sale at Amazon for its best price in two years.

Mind you, that price is $94, not including a compatible mouse... but in hindsight, I’d gladly pay it.

Note: If you buy something from this link, we might get affiliate revenue.


A Logitech G502 Lightspeed mouse on Logitech’s epic wireless charging mousepad.
A Logitech G502 Lightspeed mouse on Logitech’s epic wireless charging mousepad.
Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
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No one rivals Doom...except another Doom.

San Diego Comic Con is in full swing starting off strong with new trailers from Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and now Marvel Rivals. The new cinematic trailer lays out the stakes for the game with multiple Dr. Dooms from different timelines summoning teams of Marvel heroes from across the Multiverse. Their job: fight in order to determine which Doom is the doomiest of them all.


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Jackbox’s “Megapicker” for PC comes out next week.

The free launcher, announced last month, will let you access Jackbox games you own from one place instead of having to hunt around through individual party packs.

You can wishlist the Megapicker on Steam right now ahead of its release on July 29th. It won’t have controller support at launch, but that should follow “pretty quickly after,” according to a developer AMA.


A screenshot of the Jackbox Megapicker.
The Jackbox Megapicker.
Image: Jackbox Games, Inc.
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8BitDo’s $24.99 dock makes your Xbox controllers rechargeable.

The officially licensed dock includes an 1,100 mAh rechargeable battery designed to replace a pair of AA batteries inside Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One wireless controllers. It also comes with replacement battery doors adding charging contacts and magnets for easy docking.

The battery takes about three hours to charge, after which the dock’s adjustable LED lighting will switch from amber to white.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission.


Two Xbox controllers sitting on 8BitDo’s Charging Dock for Xbox accessories.
8BitDo’s new charging dock is compatible with Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S and One wireless controllers.
Image: 8BitDo
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Dragon Age: The Veilguard has been verified for Steam Deck.

Also, “we’ll be Steam native — meaning the EA App will not be required to play the game,” according to BioWare. This is great news; I’ve loved Mass Effect: Legendary Edition on the Steam Deck, but logging in to the EA App can be a pain.

The Veilguard is set to release this fall. More launch details are coming “later this summer,” BioWare says.


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Pokémon Horizons is ready to level up.

Ahead of a new batch of Pokémon Horizons episodes debuting on August 9th, Netflix has dropped a new trailer for San Diego Comic-Con teasing just how much more intense the series’ battles are about to get.


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Yes, again.

It’s another delay for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, but at least this one is relatively short: the game is now coming out on November 20th instead of September 5th. The developers says that “these two additional months will give us the chance to fix more ‘unexpected anomalies’ (or simply ‘bugs,’ as you call them).”


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Pre-orders for Ayaneo’s modern takes on the Game Boy and Game Boy Micro start on July 31st.

First revealed earlier this year, Ayaneo’s Pocket DMG and Pocket Micro will be available for pre-order starting on July 31st at 8AM ET through Indiegogo.

Pricing details are still unknown, but the Pocket DMG will feature the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 platform paired with an OLED screen, while the Pocket Micro will have an aluminum housing.


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Bullying works.

Last week, Apex Legends announced a new battle pass structure. Among the changes — like splitting the battle pass into two halves and increasing the number of levels — was the news that battle passes could no longer be purchased with Apex coins. Everyone disliked that, so much so that Respawn has issued a new statement saying that it will once again allow Apex coins to purchase battle passes.


image of Respawn Entertainment’s statement on the use of Apex coins to purchase Apex Legends battle passes.
Image: Respawn Entertainment
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A quip barrage.

If Deadpool & Wolverine isn’t enough to satiate your need for one-liners in a blockbuster movie, Borderlands is here for you. The latest trailer is full of even more Guardians of the Galaxy-style humor, much like the game it’s based on, and you can check it out in theaters on August 9th.


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Close enough, welcome back SimAnt!

Inside me there are two video game wolves: one that loves to blow up ants, and one that loves to build their colonies. While the Earth Defense Force series satisfies one, the other has remained hungry until now. Launching November 7th, Empire of Ants is a new, hyper-realistic ant management simulator that has you finding food, fighting enemy insects and generally living your wildest A Bug’s Life fantasies.


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Beloved indie game publisher Humble Games has reportedly laid off all staff without warning.

They published gems like Slay the Spire, Signalis and Void Bastards, just released Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus, and were set to publish Monaco II here’s a full list of games.

But now Humble Games, an offshoot of the Humble Bundle, is apparently just the latest casualty of crippling video game industry layoffs.


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Nintendo levels up its controller button keychains.

The original collection featured buttons from the NES and Famicom’s gamepads, but it’s now expanding to include buttons and joysticks from the Super Nintendo, Super Famicom, N64, and GameCube.

The retro keychains don’t actually work as controllers, but could be excellent fidget toys. Unfortunately, they’ll only be randomly available in gashapon machines at Nintendo stores in Japan, as well as Tokyo’s Narita airport.


Nintendo Japan’s expanded controller button keychain collection, including N64 and GameCube joysticks.
You’ll need to book a trip to Japan or find a friend there to score these new retro controller keychains.
Image: Nintendo Japan
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Warner Bros. Discovery has acquired the developer behind MultiVersus.

The deal will bring Player First Games, the developer of the free-to-play fighting game, under the WBD umbrella. According to Monday’s announcement, Player First Games will keep its current leadership while continuing to build upon MultiVersus, which officially launched in March.


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The Asus ROG Ally X is now available for $799.

Can a Windows handheld beat Valve’s Steam Deck OLED? This sequel to last year’s ROG Ally answers with more storage, faster RAM, double the battery, and USB4. We’ll need more time for benchmarking and battery testing before we can publish our review, but if you can’t wait, it is available now from Asus and Best Buy.

Note: If you buy something from these links, we might get affiliate revenue.


America’s long Street Fighter drought ends with a win at Evo 2024

Victor ‘Punk’ Woodley became the first American to win a mainline Street Fighter tournament at Evo in over 20 years.

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Modders miniaturized a Nintendo Wii small enough to fit on a keychain.

Hardware hackers Wesk Mods and YveltalGriffin created the Nintendo Kawaii by trimming the console’s motherboard and adding custom PCBs.

Games are loaded on a microSD card, but the Kawaii is fully functional and includes video and GameCube controller connections though a dock. Its creators plan to sell copies of their custom shell, but warn this is a mod requiring very advanced skills.


A rendered version of the Nintendo Kawaii attached to a dock with a keychain loop.
Modders have found a way to shrink the Nintendo Wii so it’s small enough to carry with your keys.
Image: X
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What kind of charging infrastructure does the Fortnite island have?

I guess we’ll find out soon, as Tesla’s Cybertruck is being added to the battle royale game starting July 23rd. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Fortnite going old-school with low-poly graphics.


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Halo: Combat Evolved has been devolved for the Game Boy Color.

The game that helped launch the original Xbox has been reimagined for the 26-year-old 8-bit GBC.

You can play two completed levels of Halo: Combat Devolved in your browser, or by downloading a copy of the game for handhelds like the Analogue Pocket or emulators such as Delta on the iPhone. The game includes a drivable Warthog, weapons from the original, and the Covenant.