November2023
Random Valve's Gabe Newell On Game Delays: "Late Is Just For A Little While, Suck Is Forever"
That sounds familiar...
In Valve's new documentary celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Half-Life series, the company's co-founder Gabe Newell has shared his own thoughts about the differences between a delayed game and a rushed release. He summed it up as "late is just for a little while, suck is forever" when touching on the challenges Valve...
Guide Switch OLED Vs. Steam Deck OLED - Full Tech Specs, Nintendo / Valve Handheld Comparison
Behold the Nintendo Steam OLED... no, that's not right
Valve's latest variant on its range of Steam Deck handheld PCs is the Steam Deck OLED, a system which bears a striking resemblance to Nintendo Switch OLED Model in both name and form. But what's the difference between Switch OLED and Steam Deck OLED? We've looked previously at the differences...
News Valve Announces Steam Deck OLED, Says Switch OLED Paved The Way
"It's just a great product from Nintendo"
Game company Valve, responsible for iconic series like Half-Life and Portal, has today announced the Steam Deck OLED, a follow-up to its original portable device with a longer-lasting battery, faster downloads, and plenty of other features. During an interview with The Washington Post about the updated...
June2023
News Valve Confirms It Contacted Nintendo About Dolphin Emulator Coming To Steam
"We brought this to their attention proactively"
Towards the end of May, the team behind Dolphin Emulator revealed its release on Steam had been "indefinitely postponed" after it was contacted by Valve. Valve spokesperson Kaci Aitchison Boyle has now issued a statement (via The Verge), confirming Valve originally reached out to Nintendo: Given...
December2022
Soapbox The Steam Deck And The Switch Aren't Rivals, They're Siblings
Switch 'em up
I have a Switch. And I have a Steam Deck. I am a fancy lady with two consoles designed for the kind of people who really like to be horizontal when playing games, which suits me just fine, because I am often to be found being horizontal and/or playing games. But I see a lot of folks pitting my two expensive rectangles against one...
October2022
Feature Backlog Club: Portal 2 Made Me Feel Clever, Despite My Minor Case Of Serious Brain Damage
Sweet Caroline
Rule number one of Backlog Club: Work through your pile of unplayed video games one at a time, and discuss them with other people. Rule number two of Backlog Club: Don't talk about Backlog Club. Just kidding! Tell everyone. Please. This article is part of our new experimental series, Backlog Club, where we (Nintendo Life!) pick a...
August2022
Feature Backlog Club: Portal's A Triumph - I'm Making A Note Here: HUGE SUCCESS
It's hard to overstate my satisfaction
Aperture Science. We do what we must, because we can. For the good of all of us — except the ones who are dead — I am going to talk about Portal. It's a puzzle game. It's a 3D first-person shooter. It's a comedy about untrustworthy robot overlords. And yes, it's a modern classic, and yes, I hadn't played...
Feature Backlog Club: Have You Seriously Not Played Portal Yet?
We do what we must
Rule number one of Backlog Club: Work through your pile of unplayed video games one at a time, and discuss them with other people. Rule number two of Backlog Club: Don't talk about Backlog Club. Just kidding! Tell everyone. Please. This article is part of our new experimental series, Backlog Club, where we (Nintendo Life!) pick...
May2022
Random Portal 64 Demake Shows Portal Running On "Real N64 Hardware"
GLaDOS would be pleased
Valve's Portal: Companion Collection will see the release of Portal and Portal 2 on a Nintendo system for the first time ever, but have you ever wondered what the original 2007 game might have looked like if it got a release during the N64 era? Well, there's now a 'Portal 64' demake in the works. It's still in development,...
March2022
News Steam Deck Nintendo Emulation Videos Are Being Pulled From YouTube
Is Nintendo at it again?
Valve has just released the Steam Deck - a new handheld gaming PC. It's capable of running all sorts of games (new and old) and can even run emulators - allowing it to host a huge library of retro systems and games. Nintendo emulation has been covered in the lead-up to the device's release, and now that the Steam Deck is in...
News Don't Panic, Valve Has Already Resolved Steam Deck's Supposed Switch-Like "Drift" Issues
"We just shipped a fix to address the bug"
If you've been able to get your hands on a Steam Deck and are worried about the reported "drift" issues, it seems there's no need to panic. Valve, in record time (not Valve time, thankfully), has already issued a fix to address the supposed issues associated with the Steam Deck thumbsticks. This...
Random Uh Oh, It Looks Like Steam Deck And Switch Might Have One Thing In Common
The two handhelds drift ever closer together
Update: Valve has shipped a fix to address this bug. You can read more about this in our latest story. Original: The Steam Deck review embargo broke last week, with those lucky enough to get their hands on this handheld machine from Valve gushing it with praise. But it looks l
Random Portal 2's Intro Was Apparently Inspired By Super Metroid's Opening
Game's project lead reveals all
The 1994 action-adventure Super Metroid is arguably the best entry in the mainline Metroid series and as a result, it's inspired many other games over the years. One game that you may not have realised took a little bit of inspiration is Valve's 2011 puzzle-platform game is Portal 2. Speaking to YouTube channel Kiwi...
February2022
Round Up The Reviews Of Valve's Steam Deck Are In - What's It Like Compared To Switch?
The critics deliver their final verdict
Valve's new portable gaming computer the Steam Deck might be "going after" a completely different audience but it's still drawn plenty of comparisons to the Nintendo Switch. The final product is now in the hands of various tech and video game outlets, so what's the final verdict, and what's it like compared...
Random Here's Steam Deck Running The GameCube And Wii Emulator Dolphin
Valve's new handheld system arrives next week
Valve's handheld gaming computer the Steam Deck launches next week on 25th February. Ahead of the release, Dolphin Emulator's Twitter account has shared a photo showing the software running on the new system's OS. As highlighted in the Reddit post below, it seems the Dolphin team may have been able to...
Random Portal Fan Celebrates 'Companion Collection' With Themed Switch Concept
Even GLaDOS would be impressed
Perhaps one of the most exciting announcements during this week's Nintendo Direct was Portal: Companion Collection - a two-in-one package containing the first and second game. It marks the first time Valve has ever released its games on a Nintendo platform and it's got the Portal community rather excited. Portal...
News Valve Is Bringing Portal: Companion Collection To Switch Later This Year
The cake is not a lie
Although most of Valve's focus is likely on its new handheld system the Steam Deck right now, it's managed to find time to bring both Portal and Portal 2 across to the Nintendo Switch. Yes, that's right - Portal: Companion Collection is coming to Nintendo's hybrid system later this year for just $19.99 USD or your regional...
Random Here's The Nintendo Switch-Like Steam Deck Compared To Some Other Stuff
It LORGE
The Steam Deck is very big. It is so big, in fact, that we're pretty sure it could beat up your dad and also eclipse the sun without breaking a sweat. People have been having a lot of fun comparing the Large Lad to a bunch of much smaller things, and even some average size things. The Steam Deck is bigger than a Nintendo Switch. We already...
October2021
Valve is the latest company to open up its device
Hardware teardown videos have become so popular, it's got to the point where companies like Microsoft and Sony are now making official ones, or are at least sharing a closer look in a controlled environment. It seems as if it's an attempt to reduce the number of people doing this sort of thing with...
August2021
Round Up First "Hands-On" Impressions Of Valve's Steam Deck - How Does It Compare To Switch?
See what the critics have to say
When Valve revealed the Steam Deck last month, the system was compared a lot to the Switch. It's got to the point where Valve has responded - stating how it's "going after" a completely different audience. What do the critics think about Valve's new system though? A number of media outlets have now gone hands-on...
Random Here's What The Nintendo Switch Looks Like Next To Valve's Steam Deck
And a number of other portable systems...
Last month, after some rumours, Valve officially unveiled the Steam Deck - a new Switch-style handheld gaming system. IGN got exclusive access to the tech originally, but now Valve has opened up "hands-on" play sessions to many other media outlets. It's resulted in the usual comparisons you would expect...
July2021
"High-end" PC gamers are the target
Following the reveal of the Switch OLED earlier this month, Valve announced its new handheld PC device, the Steam Deck. It's drawn plenty of comparisons to Nintendo's hybrid system due to its similarities in design (and has resul
News Gabe Newell: Pricing Valve's Switch-Like Steam Deck Was "Painful"
Cheapest model will be $50 more than the OLED Switch
In case you missed it, Valve's rumoured "Switch-like" handheld device has now been officially revealed as the Steam Deck. While the American company best-known for its digital games platform on PC hasn't drawn any comparisons to Nintendo's hybrid system itself, it's sort of hard to ignore certain...
February2021
Random This Minecraft Recreation Of "Still Alive" Is Packed With Portal Easter Eggs
This was a triumph. I'm making a note here: Huge Success.
We may never get Portal on the Switch. The port is a lie, and all that. But we can attempt to recreate at least some of the joy of throwing sentient (?) cubes into lava and overthrowing a megalomaniacal robot lady in Minecraft in the meantime. Reddit user minoan8128 has been posting their...
January2021
Random Gabe Newell Says Shigeru Miyamoto's Games Made Him A Better Developer
Of course they did
One industry leader that's never released a video game on a Nintendo platform is the American developer and publisher Valve. Despite this, the company's founder, Gabe Newell, is still a big fan of Mario's creator. In a recent interview with outlet 1 News, Newell was asked if he still regularly played games himself and took a...
