In 2006, I eagerly attended the first showing of Christophe Gans’ Silent Hill. I loved Silent Hill 2, but was ready to mock the film, as video game adaptations to that point had been underwhelming, to say the least. In one scene, protagonist Rose checked her map, and I leaned over to my friend and said, “Now she just needs to check the map every few seconds to make it really feel like Silent Hill.” To my surprise, Rose proceeded to check the map on every block as she made it to her destination.
The movie leading up to that scene and the rest following it is generally forgettable, but that moment made me pause and realize that Gans had in fact played Silent Hill, and was probably even a fan.
Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil made me recall that moment from Silent Hill. A moment that expressed the feeling of playing Silent Hill more than just being a direct adaptation of the property.
As promised by Cregger in multiple interviews promoting the film, Resident Evil contains very few overt references to the larger Resident Evil franchise. It primarily takes place in Raccoon City, the Umbrella Corporation is acknowledged, there is a typewriter, and protagonist Bryan uses Heavy Field brand shotgun shells. That’s about it. But the whole film expertly expresses the feeling of playing a Resident Evil game. The intense, terrifying highs, the cathartic moments of catching your breath, the frantic pace, the moments of failure as a player, the reward of simply figuring things out, and even building your skill over the course of the game finally paying off in the end.
The movie follows Bryan on the worst night of his life. He is a normal guy (who doesn’t know how to use a gun) trying to make some money on a delivery job while managing his feelings during an emotionally tense event currently affecting his girlfriend and himself.
And then he gets stuck in a Resident Evil game – and there is no Leon to whisk him away on a jet ski.
From that point forward, Bryan reacts to everything not as a Resident Evil protagonist, but as a player of the games. He stares wide-eyed at unbelievable biological horrors; cannot stop comically swearing as he sprints full speed away from danger; screams at embarrassing pitches when monsters leap from the shadows; makes myriad mistakes; searches rooms for anything that could help him; knows he shouldn’t open that scary door even though he has to; is constantly wasting ammo; and during one of my favorite moments, accidentally gets rid of an item he absolutely needed. The whole debacle (which lasts a sublime 90 minutes) is intense, scary, fun, and most surprisingly, often hilarious.
Director Zach Creggor and Austin Abrams, who plays Bryan, nail a very important element of Resident Evil that I believe no other Resident Evil movie has been able to figure out: you can’t take this too seriously. Resident Evil is absurd. The Resident Evil characters are the Leslie Nielsons of this Naked Gun horror universe, and we as the players are the ones that get to scream and laugh and have a good time. Bryan is our stand-in in Creggor’s adaptation, and I love it for that.
I don’t need all video game adaptations to be like this. There is undeniable joy in seeing specific elements of a property you love getting the Hollywood investment and being projected on a big screen. I have no idea if it will be good or bad, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited for the Zelda movie next year. But I love that the emotional experience of playing a Resident Evil game has been so expertly translated into a film here. It officially unseats my previous favorite video game film adaptation, which was, of course, Josh Ruben’s 2021 take on everyone’s favorite Ubisoft game, Werewolves Within.
Control Resonant’s review embargoes have lifted, but I’m still working through Dylan Faden’s sizable paranatural adventure. We’ll publish our scored review sometime next week, before the game’s launch on September 24, but in the meantime, here’s a quick summary of my thoughts so far.
As a fan of Control, I’m having a lot of fun with Resonant. Despite its many differences in combat and world design, it feels the same in several ways. The game’s world and lore are as weird and fascinating as ever; if anything, moving the setting beyond the Oldest House has allowed Remedy to concoct even stranger scenarios now that the general populace is exposed to the full force of the paranatural. While I’m enjoying the main quest, some of my favorite moments in Control Resonant have occurred in the side stories. Many of these optional excursions tell fascinating tales that vary in humor, surrealism, and disturbance, and they sometimes flip the gameplay in unexpected ways, making me excited to experience each one I stumble upon. The game’s myriad recordings and other heavily redacted documents remain as much of a highlight to absorb as in the first Control.
The melee action, which resembles games like Devil May Cry, feels good. Not quite to the level of a DMC or Bayonetta, as points of comparison, but good, even if it feels repetitive during the early hours due to your initially limited options. This improves dramatically as you unlock new forms for your transforming weapon, the Aberrant, and new supernatural powers. Mixing and matching main and side weapons, combo finishers, and superpowers becomes a deeper, more strategic treat that caters to multiple playstyles. The game is more difficult than I expected; enemies’ levels often keep pace with you and swarm in large, sometimes wave-based mobs. But I appreciate how the difficulty pushes me to rely on my ever-growing arsenal of powers, whether it’s igniting foes by unleashing explosion-inducing punches or force-pushing them off ledges and into hazards. I suspect, however, that the difficulty will catch many off guard, as some main missions will seem like wars of attrition if you don’t invest some time into completing other primary objectives and the different tiers of sidequests. Thankfully, those are worth checking out anyway.
The distorted Manhattan is a surreal visual treat. Beyond the predominantly kaleidoscopic sights that make the city resemble the Mirror Dimension from Doctor Strange, other, even wilder locations keep the game aesthetically interesting. Combined with the fun side quests, this makes Manhattan fun to explore over a dozen hours into the adventure. If you miss the Metroid-esque process of unlocking areas of the Oldest House, take some solace in the fact that Manhattan, despite being a large hub, also feels like a bigger version of Control’s main setting (which you do visit in Resonant). Numerous areas are gated by abilities or keys, and other, typically optional locations require careful searching to find their entrances. Though it can be frustrating when the path forward isn’t as obvious as it seems, entertaining traversal powers gradually make getting around easier and more quickly.
At the time of writing, I seemingly have a substantial chunk left before rolling credits on Control Resonant, but I’m largely positive on the sequel at this juncture. I always look forward to jumping back into it; the combat and world continue to become weirder and more interesting to engage with; I have to regularly curb the desire to uncover every hidden mission, area, or secret to get the review done in a timely manner (so much for that, obviously). I’m also enjoying the fun banter and dynamic of the genuinely likable Dylan and his sassy FBC agent partner/handler Zoe (not to mention hanging with returning faces like Pope and Langston). If the remainder of the adventure continues this positive momentum, Dylan’s quest to save the world will rank right up there with his sister Jesse’s.
Heart Machine, an indie developer known for games like Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash, has laid off most of its staff, according to studio head Alx Preston. Preston took to LinkedIn to share the news that the studio was working on a game that was funded by an unnamed publisher, but after that publisher dropped out this week, Heart Machine didn’t have the resources to keep its staff onboard.
Preston doesn’t indicate that the studio will shut down, however, simply stating “I’m not sure yet what’s next for Heart Machine to survive. However, we’ll keep pushing to build a path while we are still here.”
Here’s Preston’s full statement.
I have very difficult news today.
We had been working on an unannounced title, funded by a publisher. This week, they decided to no longer move forward with it. Without this key income for the studio, any other immediate prospects or other funds, nearly everyone at the studio had to be laid off. It’s devastating.
Everyone will be provided with as much support as possible, including assisting with placement. If you know of any roles for extraordinarily talented, kind people, please reach out and we will coordinate.
Thank you so so much to all of the incredible people who contributed their efforts and talents to making amazing things at the studio. Thank you to our amazing community and fans.
Navigating an increasingly challenging industry has been extremely difficult, and I’m not sure yet what’s next for Heart Machine to survive. However, we’ll keep pushing to build a path while we are still here.
Physint, an upcoming game from Kojima Productions, just found its star. The game is set to be a spiritual successor to Metal Gear Solid, a game series Hideo Kojima famously led for many years before parting ways with Konami, which holds the rights to the IP to this day. In 2015, Kojima founded Kojima Productions to make games on his own terms, and Physint is one of those projects. It’s still in the early stages, so we don’t know much, but today the studio revealed it’s got a big name attached to the project; Bill Skarsgård will play the game’s lead. You can take a look at the actor being photographed for a teaser photoshoot below.
Bill Skarsgård is best known for his role as Pennywise the clown in the most recent duology of It movies, but also appeared as Count Orlok in 2024’s Nosferatu and the scheming Marquis Vincent de Gramont in John Wick 4.
Kojima is quoted in a press release published alongside the news. “I’m delighted to confirm the lead role for PHYSINT will be Bill Skarsgård,” said Hideo Kojima. “We are both long-time fans of each other’s work, and we’ve decided to embark on this new adventure together. The costume fittings, scans, and camera tests we conducted with Bill and Charlee earlier this year gave me tremendous confidence in the direction of the project.”
The “Charlee” that Kojima references is Charlee Fraser (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Anyone But You), who was confirmed for the game alongside actors Ma Dong-seok AKA Don Lee (Train to Busan, Eternals), and Minami Hamabe (Godzilla Minus One) last September.
Physint was originally revealed as a PlayStation-published game, but in a dramatic turn of events, PlayStation recently dropped out of the project. A report from Bloombergclaims that Kojima Productions had missed key deadlines and was on track to be “well over budget,” and that sales for the Death Stranding series hadn’t met PlayStation’s revenue expectations. That same day, Xbox was revealed as the game’s new publisher, hence Kojima’s appearance in the video above, which closed out Xbox’s Tokyo Game Show presentation.
We interviewed the World of Warcraft: Forever team at BlizzCon about the return of Blizzard’s classic MMO and where Azeroth’s heroes are headed next. Lead game designer Tim Jones and lead software engineer Nora Mills discuss designing new zones like Mount Hyjal and Riverglades, seeing Azeroth’s new lighting and particle system for the first time, and how they’re planning to improve the leveling experience for all players in Forever.
We also dive into specifics like add-on support, pricing for the new Skyborne elf race, and how Blizzard plans to implement future content like new classes (we asked about the long-requested Tinkerer class).
World Of Warcraft: Forever – BlizzCon Interview:
Interview Topics + Timestamps:
00:00 – What is World of Warcraft: Forever?02:11 – Making New Content for Azeroth04:00 – New Lighting and Visual Effects05:40 – Designing New Gear, Items, and Rewards08:15 – Why A Level 60 Cap Is Great for Players09:31 – New Dungeon Details (Hall of Thanes)10:00 – Improving on the Leveling Experience11:45 – Camping System Buffs13:05 – Designing Social Interactions14:30 – Multiple Factions & PvP Realms15:47 – Add-On Support in WoW: Forever17:05 – Skyborne Elves Cost + Future Pricing Expectations18:59 – Where is World of Warcraft: Forever Headed?
Fire Emblem’s scale has been escalating for some time. From three Fates, to Three Houses, to numerous rings and now, a massive three-act entry for the Switch 2. Those ever-escalating aspirations have led to impressive new heights and ballooning scope. Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is easily one of my favorite settings and stories in the series’ history, with memorable battles and characters, even when repetition and overabundance weigh it down.
Fortune’s Weave starts at the end of all things. After a quick character creator for a mysterious Pale Raven and an in medias res run through a world crumbling and haunted by the living dead, the player’s avatar and Fortuna – a goddess of fate – are some of the only survivors. To save the world, they’ll need to defeat the encroaching lord of the underworld, Balor, and they’ll need help to do it.
So, you retire to a chamber outside of time and zip back through history to the lives of four Flame Lords of Dagda: Cai, Theodora, Dietrich, and Leda. All have found their way to this continent’s capital in Dagsion, where Divine Emperor Solel is hosting the Heroic Games, with a promise that any wish will be granted to the ultimate victor.
Correct the causality of these fallen heroes, and they may survive and rally under your banner in the changed future for the final fight against Balor. You could go challenge the big bad at any moment, but the more lords you assemble, the easier time you’ll have. Showing up ready for the finale probably means bringing at least two lords, and their respective recruits, to the final campaign, and in my case, I wanted to get as many through as I could.
Fortune’s Weave takes on a three-part structure, with each lord getting an individual story through the Heroic Games. They each have their own reasons for fighting: the young Cai wishes to rescue his father from prison and imminent execution; Saraminian queen Theodora wants to reclaim land important to her people; songstress Leda has murder and revenge against her father’s killer on her mind; and Dietrich is just in it for the love of battle.
It’s a little overwrought to explain, but it lends itself well to the size of the tale Fortune’s Weave is telling. All four face trials and strife throughout the course of the games. Faustian bargains, shadowy organizations plotting in the background, and old secrets brought to light by the influx of every interesting and notable person in Dagda to its capital. It’s not required to play any of the routes, as you could go fight Balor on your own if you wish. But each lord’s story adds more context, nuance, and character to this huge tale. I loved moments where I’d see Dietrich and his spell-casting pal Fabio mention something during Cai’s path, and then get to see the events from their perspective when I played through them in Dietrich’s.
Playing through each route is a big task, though. They’re made up of chapters, which each have a big battle or two, with free time baked in for you to spend as you’d like in and outside of the capital. The scope starts small, with shared meals to build rapport within your unit, recruiting others to your team, or training skills at the arena. It soon expands out to encompass the entire continent, though, as you can roam around, fight overworld battles, explore dungeons, and use lord-specific mechanics like Theodora’s battalion recruitment or Leda’s tavern performances to gain resources and power.
This is where Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave starts to weigh itself down. Dungeon exploration, a returning mechanic from Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, turns Fire Emblem into a classic RPG dungeon-crawl with a small party, strike-to-engage exploration, and turn-based combat. It feels like a microcosm of big strategy battles, only they get repetitive and too frequent; I engaged with them for the first lord’s route, but moved to auto-battle soon after, as I was just going through the same motions for each fight in every dungeon.
Free time was most interesting when I was pressed against the clock to finish certain quests, acquire resources, and resolve paralogues before the deadline, but keeping up with the numerous weekly activities and checking in at home for any random events – often only signified by an inconspicuous ripple on my map in Dagsion – meant I was usually just going through the motions. During some periods I’d be stressed out, trying to build up support levels for a new Archer recruit while finishing enough side quests to get the renown level I’d need to get them on my team for a big battle with flying foes coming up. Other cycles, I was just in a loop: train, eat, auto-activities, repeat.
When it finally comes back to the bread-and-butter strategy of Fire Emblem, Fortune’s Weave is excellent. Overworld map fights are fairly straightforward, but the bookending fights of chapters are highlights, especially when they take place in Dagsion’s arena. Developer Intelligent Systems concocted some brilliant coliseum battles that have all the theme and flair you’d hope for: charging chariots, puzzling mechanisms, and special combat arenas that push you to utilize your units as best you can.
There’s no shortage of options for combat, as each unit archetype can go down interesting upgrade lines. In Leda’s path, I had the aspiring mercenary Mu train up into a deadly sword-wielder who could cut through anything with a strong critical strike. In Cai’s path, I secretly trained the lord in magic alongside one of his childhood friends, Thialla, so he could become a spell-slinging mounted Caldarius for the final fights of the Heroic Games. Fortune’s Weave eschews the weapon triangle to place more emphasis on what weapons can handle individually, like magic against armor or lances against horses, and a greater emphasis on Combat Arts makes training within a fighter’s specific strengths rewarding. Lords also pack their own Blaze Arts, like Leda’s spellsongs or Dietrich’s shadowstep, giving them fun tools to enable strategies and close out maps.
The opening act is great, and yet somehow only one part of the pie, as Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave still has two more acts to play out. After leading a lord to the end of their path in the Heroic Games, a second section unlocks, exploring their story in a war that breaks out not long after the Games’ conclusion. See them through that, and the lord – and any units they recruited – can join you for the final campaign against Balor, which has its own cycle of days, activities, and an extra layer of grand strategy over the top.
Pull it all together, and Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is weighty to see through to the end; it took me over 130 hours to see credits, and I still missed some scenes and events. The payoffs are excellent, and certain story beats getting set up in Part One and paid off in Part Three were incredible. But doing so requires a lot of playtime, investment, and repetition. Dungeons never get more interesting or challenging, collecting specific resources can feel cumbersome, and even exploring the map and managing units starts to slow Fortune’s Weave down in its final hours.
What kept me going was the world and its characters. The Romanesque vision of gladiatorial combat, the plucking strings of vihuelas, and a world where gods walk among men all kept me enthralled, start to finish. The story of Fortune’s Weave starts small and grows massive over its runtime, but at its heart, this Fire Emblem asks what our mortality means for us. How do we build our legacies and histories, build up for our future generations, and what do we live for with our allotted time? And what is worth defending and protecting with that time we’ve been given?
Fortune’s Weave has an amazing soundtrack and gorgeous visual designs for its cast and the various classes they can take on. Coliseum fights never failed to excite, and some of them now rank among my favorite all-time Fire Emblem maps. Warriors like Fabio, Lilian, Mu, Anatolia, Dante, Talimun, and Orchel all grew on me through their support and banter, or just developed their own emergent stories in battle.
Support conversations and side quests dig deep into the world’s lore, as well. In Theodora’s route, characters explored the difficulty of abiding by their patron god Yu Phas’ command to never write down their histories, and whether adhering to their long-held practices would cause them to erode over time. Leda grapples with the vices of indulging revenge and what music can bring to those who have lost as much as she has, while Dietrich stumbles into fascinating bits about the wider world and its long-held mysteries.
The scope of Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave allows it to take massive swings at surprising, cool concepts and mechanics that feel fresh and interesting for the series. Packing them all into a single game might have made this the most intimidating entry to jump into since Fates, but putting it all in a single package with some excellent quality-of-life options, like cross-path progression boosts and side quest clears, helps smooth out the road for those who want to see everything.
I’ve no doubt that those who crave a slow-burn epic and can stomach the repetition for the payoffs will love this world and its cast of characters. Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave will easily eat up all your time for months to come, and it’s worthwhile to see these Heroic Games through to their conclusion.
Publisher:
Nihon Falcom, Gungho Online Entertainment, Clouded Leopard Entertainment
Developer:
Nihon Falcom
Release:
Rating:
Teen
Coming-of-age stories are a dime a dozen in video games, especially if you’re talking about the heyday of RPGs in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. But after 80 hours with the Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter remake, I’m convinced there’s not a single coming-of-age story that holds up as well as Estelle Bright’s journey of self-discovery. Building on the already-great remake of the first game, 2nd Chapter masterfully updates a timeless story, accentuating it with visual enhancements and phenomenal voice acting. And while the gameplay additions are few, they are meaningful, adding up to what is now the Trails series’ defining entry, and one of the best RPGs of the year.
2nd Chapter is, essentially, the second half of the story of Trails in the Sky, picking up quite literally where 1st Chapter left off. Although this has long become tradition for the Trails series, this sequel deliberately builds on the events, locations, and systems of the first, ultimately feeling more like an upgrade than a drastically different sequel.
Senior Bracer Estelle Bright, in the wake of a coup to overthrow Liberl’s Queen, now finds herself lost and alone after her adopted brother (and the man she loves), Joshua, reveals his checkered past and shocks everyone with an unceremonious departure. Reeling from multiple revelations, Estelle sets out on a journey to combat the heinous experiments of a shadowy organization called Ouroboros, while discovering her own reason to live on.
Because this game directly and deliberately builds on 1st Chapter, playing through the first game is basically a requirement; but for all intents and purposes, 2nd Chapter is where the big narrative swings come into play. And boy do they pay off.
It may sound a bit hammy, but 2nd Chapter is truly a game about the power of positivity and human connection. Baked into the fabric of this story are strong messages of the power of human choice – the importance of leaning on others and not giving in to despair. Despite 2nd Chapter being a nearly two-decade-old game, its overall message is one that feels more relevant than ever in the modern world: a strong reminder of the importance of community and caring for everyone, even if the systems governing society don’t. These ideas are expertly woven into every facet of the game, illustrated through side quests, the arcs of party members, and especially Estelle’s personal journey. More than anything, Estelle herself remains the biggest highlight of this game as a richly layered and complex protagonist.
It’s honestly a shame that, 20 years later, it still feels so rare to get a brilliantly written female protagonist in RPGs like this, but Estelle’s complex character arc is so smartly explored; from her learning to stand on her own, without Joshua and her father’s help, to her endless optimism. So much of why Estelle works so well is because she’s initially built up as that cheerful, overly optimistic RPG hero stereotype, before that trope is then subverted multiple times throughout the game. This is a story that’s deeply affecting and emotional, with a delightfully slow build-up.
The overall narrative of 2nd Chapter remake is exactly the same as the original game, although it’s been very slightly tweaked here and there and enhanced with some new content. In particular, smart story adjustments help this remake line up with later entries in the franchise, providing extra context on villains and story arcs that have been playing out across a dozen games. And everything in the game is heightened by genuinely fantastic voice acting across the board. 2nd Chapter has some big emotional scenes, and the voice cast pulls them off with gusto. Ray Chase’s Kevin Graham is a particular highlight here as a warrior priest who puts on a bumbling act, hiding an icy personality underneath.
In every regard, the story and writing have been spruced up; the additions here are additive in the best way. That same sentiment then applies to combat and the overall gameplay experience. The hybrid combat system is identical to 1st Chapter, letting you fight enemies in an action system on the map, and then enter a turn-based battle at the press of a button. While the foundation is the same, each character has new arts and crafts. A Brave Rush ability also lets you execute a deadly team strike while fighting enemies in the action system on the map.
On other fronts, 2nd Chapter’s fishing minigame has been completely overhauled and is now surprisingly complex in how you must use different baits and rods at different fishing spots. The enhanced map system and quest tracking also work wonders for finding what were hidden, incredibly easy-to-miss quests in the original game. Again, the intent here is clearly additive, with new elements layered on top. It’s like spreading that extra delicious layer of frosting on top of a cake.
It’s not often that a game succeeds on pretty much every level, but 2nd Chapter is a rare one where it’s hard to find nearly any fault. The only real downside is that occasionally dated RPG design rears its head, in the form of dungeons that can feel just a tad too long. Some minuscule trimming of the original’s game’s content could have benefitted the overall experience, and in that regard, it is perhaps the singular misstep of this remake.
The biggest question any remake has to answer is, why? What about this experience justifies remaking, or reimagining the original? Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter now feels like one of the definitive answers to that question. It’s a game that so succinctly and expertly enhances everything about the original, from a lavish visual presentation that fills the world with extra color and detail, to a perfectly tuned enhancement of the original game’s dramatic storytelling.
The original 2nd Chapter helped establish the Trails series as something special, and it truly feels like Nihon Falcom’s series has now come full circle, folding everything the studio has learned back in on itself. And in the process, it’s created an RPG powerhouse that can stand alongside the genre’s greats.
Fortnite has hosted numerous crossovers with seemingly ill-fitting IPs, so it’s hard to be surprised by any collaboration anymore. That is, until they decided to give Sora from Kingdom Hearts a gun. Fortnite’s latest crossover sees the world of Kingdom Hearts invade the battle royale this week.
On Thursday, September 17, four Kingdom Hearts skins will be available to purchase in Fortnite’s item shop as part of Chapter 7, Season 4. Players can don the looks of Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Roxas, who bear their Kingdom Hearts II designs. Epic has not revealed the pricing for these skins or any additional accessories they may be included with. A cinematic trailer shows the popular characters romping across Destiny Island, battling what looks like Heartless cosplayers.
Valve’s new VR headset, the Steam Frame, is dropping very soon, and today is the first day you can sign up to purchase one of your own. Much like with the launch of the Steam Machine, the console-like PC that dropped earlier this year, today is the first day you can get added to a randomized list to be selected to purchase a headset of your own. Sign-ups are available now and will be live for 72 hours, ending at 1:00 PM ET on September 17.
“We found the reservation system to be helpful with the launch of Steam Machine by improving the purchase experience and limiting resellers, and are implementing it once again for Steam Frame,” Valve stated in a press release. It’s nice that the practice seemingly limits scalpers (the bane of any tech-buyer in the 2020s), but it is a shame that the process is partially left up to luck. Valve says the first wave of customers will be notified starting on September 18.
The Steam Frame is wireless VR headset that allows you to play VR and non-VR games on Steam. It comes with two Steam Frame controllers, one for each hand, and can be connected to a Steam Machine or other PC to stream games. It also comes with the critically acclaimed Half-Life: Alyx, but it doesn’t come with a power supply. You can purchase one for $30 on Steam, but any Steam Deck charger or other USB-C charger that supports 45W or higher can work.
The Steam Frame comes in a 256 GB version and a 1 TB version. Here’s how much each costs, according to the press release:
And if you’re wondering about the Steam Frame’s other features or what games it might be able to run, here’s the store page’s rundown of the headset’s hardware specs:
4 nm Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 – ARM64
16GB Unified LPDDR5X RAM
256GB UFS storage, microSD card slot
Rechargeable 21.6 Wh Li-ion battery
2160 x 2160 LCD (per eye)
72-144Hz refresh rate (144Hz experimental)
Inside-out camera based tracking
Wi-Fi 7, 2×2 – wireless adapter included
Bluetooth 5.4
Dual speaker drivers per ear, dual microphone array
Alongside the Steam Frame, you can also purchase the ergonomic accessories kit for an extra $59 USD. It includes a strap for each controller, a top strap for the headset, and an extended light blocker. Valve describes the kit as “designed for comfort during extended play sessions.” You can check out a breakdown of the accessories in the video below:
You can sign up to get a Steam Frame today, but don’t forget that sign-ups end at 1:00 PM ET on September 17. If you want to learn more about the Steam Frame’s launch game, check out our review of Half-Life: Alyx.
BlizzCon 2026 kicks off today, and its Opening Ceremony contain tons of news about the company’s catalog of games. Whether massively multiplayer, single-player, in cards or through an open world, this was a surprisingly announcement-filled Opening Ceremony.
Here’s everything Blizzard announced at BlizzCon 2026.
Heroes of the Storm Adds Xal’atath
Though Blizzard slowed development on its crossover MOBA Heroes of the Storm a while back, Heroes of the Storm returned today with a new update. Xal’atath, the big baddie from World of Warcraft, is taking to the field on September 28. And Blizzard teases that more could be on the way, too. Maybe Heroes of the Storm isn’t on the back-burner any longer?
Netflix x Diablo
Emphasizing that the company is Blizzard Entertainment, an animated Diablo series was confirmed to be in development with Netflix. No details were given beyond that, but there was a tease for other properties being an option for adaptations as well.
A StarCraft open-world shooter aims for 2030
The universe of StarCraft is back, this time through an open-world shooter currently dubbed StarCraft. Led by former Far Cry lead Dan Hay, the open-world shooter got a cinematic trailer showing off the vibe, which was fittingly grim. Currently, the team is targeting a 2030 launch, which feels just a bit far off, to say the least. But hey, it’s nice to see StarCraft back.
Overwatch Adds Doctrine To The Roster
A new hero is joining the roster of Overwatch: the stylish and vampiric Doctrine. This Support arrives for a limited Hero Trial from September 12 through 14, before his official unlock in Season 5.
Diablo IV Comes To Switch 2
As part of the new season of Diablo IV, dubbed the Age of Hatred, numerous announcements were made for the dungeon-crawling and looting RPG. A new season is on the way, and with it, a Switch 2 version, out on September 15. (Reports have emerged of physical copies already showing up in stores today.)
Diablo V Is On The Way
Diablo V has been officially revealed for spring 2029. Diablo has taken Sanctuary, and there are no towns or safe havens left, which the Diablo team says will change how you approach the game. More will be discussed at a specific Diablo V panel, but it looks like the dungeon crawl will continue unabated.
Hearthstone Gets A New Expansion, And New Class
Blizzard’s Warcraft card game is getting a new expansion called Reign Of The Black Empire, themed around the old gods of Warcraft’s universe. A new mechanic will let you piece together keywords onto a single card, mixing and matching card text to make devastating new effects. Battlegrounds will get Aberrations as well, adding some old god flavor to the auto-battler, and more lore is being dumped into the card game through the Journal. Some more experimental updates are on the way as well, including a new Tavern Brawl that allows for 2v2 Hearthstone.
On top of that, Hearthstone is getting its first new class in quite some time: the Monk. Coming March 2027, the Pandaren Monk should bring some interesting new flavor to the current lineup of classes.
World of Warcraft Teases Both Midnight Eclipse And The Last Titan
The Worldsoul saga continues apace, as Xal’atath’s schemes appear to be coming to fruition. In a new cinematic, Xal’atath gains access to the Worldsoul, which seems like a pretty bad thing for anyone living on the world. Midnight Eclipse, the next update for World of Warcraft, will presumably task players with trying to put a stop to all this.
When it comes to the next expansion, The Last Titan, Blizzard plans to bring a big chapter to close while also laying the groundwork for the road ahead. We did get a brief cinematic teaser, showing very, very large beings walking through the frozen wastes. The Last Titan is aiming for 2027.
Warcraft III: Reforged Gets A New Campaign Today
It’s been how many years since we last got a new Warcraft III campaign? The Reforged edition of Warcraft III adds Forsaken Kingdom today, a new campaign set around the fall of Lordaeron, alongside a number of quality-of-life improvements. This includes some graphical upgrades and engine stuff, too. As a Warcraft III fan, this was pretty exciting for me. And even better, it’s out today!
World of Warcraft Forever Arrives In November
Closing out the show, World of Warcraft’s Holly Longdale stepped out to announce World of Warcraft Forever, a new re-envisioning of the classic MMORPG. You’ll get to explore new zones like Mount Hyjal and the Riverglades, as well as expanded original zones. New raids, dungeons, reputations, skills and talents await in a new journey to 60.
Fresh combinations of races and classes will be available too, as well as a new race: the Skyborne. This massive update is set to arrive on November 4, with Beta opening on September 17.
That’s all for BlizzCon 2026, a surprisingly large one. There’s new content out today, in the near future, and in the far-off future too.
