Ars Technica Gaming

1. Hundreds rally at Bethesda HQ to protest Xbox layoffs, and Ars was there

   Union wants to halt a "perpetual cycle" of layoffs, get back to contract bargaining.

2. Hackers quickly prove that Neo Geo Doom ports are not "impossible"

   Clever coding and graphical compromises get a classic game on more classic hardware.

3. Valve's new Steam Machine verification system is silent on these Steam Deck-busters

   Dozens of titles too taxing for Steam Deck are still unrated for the new hardware.

4. Bethesda, id Software reportedly hit hard by Microsoft layoffs

   As much as 50 percent of some teams affected by reductions, and more could be coming.

5. The Nintendo Switch's days are numbered—but what is that number?

   Ars analysis suggests the 9-year-old console could keep selling for years.

6. The incredible shrinking Xbox: Five studios, 3,200 employees let go

   Move affects ~20% of the gaming division, which will refocus on its biggest franchises.

7. Wing Commander IV and the FMV future that never quite was

   C:\ArsGames takes a look at the time Chris Roberts more or less made a whole movie.

8. Sony announces end of PlayStation discs, parts of digital store in the same day

   “We will own nothing, it's truly sad.”

9. Hotly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI will cost more than other AAA games

   GTA6 might be an outlier, though—at least for now.

10. Valve's Steam Machine ships June 29 for $1,049, but you probably won't be able to buy one yet

    Valve says it's using a randomized purchase queue to make the experience "less frustrating and more fair."

11. Pokémon Go players unwittingly contributed to tech with military drone uses

    The repurposing of Pokémon Go data for AI training continues to draw scrutiny.

12. "This cannot continue": Xbox leaders lay out "hard truths" behind sagging brand

    Brutal self-assessment paints a picture of a Microsoft gaming division in crisis.

13. Valve kills its retail gift card program due to scammers

    Move also cuts off a massive market of legit users who buy cards with physical cash.

14. Review: AMD's Radeon RX 9070 GRE is a disappointing way to spend $549

    The superior RX 9070 also launched for $549 just over a year ago.

15. Why a Neo Geo port of Doom is functionally impossible

    Sprite-based graphics architecture makes first-person 3D a challenge.

16. AMD extends Socket AM5 support through at least 2029; AM4 refuses to die

    The 5800X3D returns at $349, while the 7700X3D debuts at $329.

17. ROG Xbox Ally X20 adds OLED screen, control upgrades

    But the hardware refresh is tethered to a bundle with pricey AR glasses.

18. Nvidia RTX Spark comes to Windows PCs with Arm CPU, RTX GPU, and unified memory

    Nvidia's new chips will power laptop workstations and mini desktop PCs at first.

19. A respectable port of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition invades macOS

    The port seems solid, and all DLC is supported—but there's no crossplay, sadly.

20. Intel makes a bid for handheld gaming PCs with new Arc G3 processors

    Intel's Arc B390 integrated GPU has offered impressive performance in laptops.