Новости за 25.02.2022

Greetings! I’m coming to you on this frigid, gray morning somewhere in frigid, gray Pennsylvania, where the ice has formed a sleeve around tree branches like those weird condom things you put on a Wii Remote, to tell you that next week Jalopnik will be playing video games with cars in them live for your viewing…

This new handheld console has a lot of flaws out of the gate, but that could change over time.

Hey everyone! Andrew here. Welcome to the Friday edition of Internet Insider. 

FABRICE MUAMBA believes Christian Eriksen will need to keep his emotions in check as he prepares to make his stunning return in the middle of a relegation scrap. Eriksen, 30, died for FIVE minutes after collapsing in Denmark’s opening game against Finland at last summer’s Euros. The former Tottenham midfielder looked likely to retire after […]

WE all know racing is full of unsung heroes who do a great job but never get the headlines. And on Thursday I met up again with one of the best – Eric the chef. He works at Huntingdon, and is the man who keeps us fed and healthy whenever we’re riding there. Eric is […]

The Eugal pipeline, part of the larger Nord Stream 2 system, under construction near Deutschneudorf, Germany. The system was intended to bring Russian natural gas to Europe, but was put on hold when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

I recently had the chance to grill Gabe Newell – Valve president and co-founder, plus brain tech enthusiast – about the Steam Deck. What followed did indeed start with a look at Valve’s portable PC, including the lessons learned from the company’s past hardware attempts, but it soon swerved into a wider-ranging discussion on cryptocurrency, NFTs, consolidation issues affecting the games industry and whether there might be whole new Steam Decks in the future. Come and read the full Q&A below.

The consolidation of the games industry – that is, games companies being bought up and absorbed by bigger games companies – has been increasing, intensifying, and giving poor Ed the aches. Exhibited most dramatically by Microsoft stumping up $69 billion for Activision Blizzard, this trend towards conglomerification has raised worries about both creative expression and the potential locking-down of more games to certain platforms.

Praise and curse the Steam Deck, for it has stolen 20 years of my life. A few minutes into playing on this – the first serious attempt at a handheld PC from a major gaming entity - and I am once more a child, alternating between sinking into the sofa to redirect energy into my thumbs and wanting desperately to rush round my friends’ houses to show them the cool new thing.

From Ubisoft to Konami to the Epic Games Store, games companies are doubling down on NFTs as fast as others are backtracking on them. Valve, on the other hand, aren’t likely to get involved any time soon, owing to “a lot of criminal activity and a lot of sketchy behaviours”. That’s according to co-founder Gabe Newell, who recently spoke to us about his concerns around crypto.

Over the course of my Steam Deck review testing, the majority of games I tried ran without issue. Some didn’t get on with SteamOS’s Proton compatibility software, and others needed a bit more work on the ol’ anti-cheat, but I wouldn’t be surprised if most Steam games end up rated as Verified or Playable in Valve’s compatibility review programme.

Last Friday I asked you, our loyal readers, if you had any burning questions about the Steam Deck. The aim was to answer as many as possible in time for the system’s official launch, which is today! After scouring through your questions and posing them to hardware editor James - who's been putting the system through its paces for a week or so now - we've created a mammoth 19 minute long video that's bursting at the seams with new information about Valve's first handheld PC.

From long COVID to Alzheimer’s, all manner of health woes are increasingly thought to have inflammation in common. Now, great medical minds are on the case.

Cat-Thao Nguyen was shocked to learn white performers still wear traditional Asian make up to play characters such as Ping, Pang and Pong in 2022.

Lynelle Briggs says the federal government was warned of an impending staffing crisis in her report a year ago, as new polling shows most voters support ADF help.

When Michelle’s beloved dog died, she was shocked by the comments from others.

Mike Cannon-Brookes’ audacious bid to takeover AGL signals the next, more aggressive, chapter in the evolution of activist investing.

When we saw each other on the street, we didn’t “know” each other, but we knew each other.

It might seem old fashioned, but I believe it is my right to be in charge of how, when and where my image is used, and whether my private moments go public.

Since the lockdowns, we’ve been more open to exploring other ways of being active. But, will these changes last as we all return to the office?

Nobody expected Daniel Andrews to dump his government’s latest $800 million Robin Hood policy after a few days. Insiders say he was left with little choice.

The Labor leader is the model of moderation - but if he gets the chance to govern will the mask come off?

Vladimir Putin is no ranting Hitler nor monstrous Stalin, he is howling at the loss of the former Russian Empire and will do everything in his power to regain it.

Mike Cannon-Brookes is one of the 100 richest people globally, and he wants to speed up Australia’s transition to renewables. But is big money the answer?