Valve is meant to disclose pre-order choices for the Steam Machine in early 2026 however PC gaming costs are getting uncontrolled. Ubisoft is already hyping up The Division 3. And a thriller recreation is ready to seem on the first Xbox showcase of 2026. Pentiment 2? It’s one other version of Morning Checkpoint, Kotaku‘s day by day roundup of gaming information and tradition.
Whereas it’s been the case for years now that bodily video games include virtually nothing contained in the case however the disc, I nonetheless really feel a brutal pang of disappointment every time I encounter it. I just lately purchased a handful of discounted video games over the vacations and whereas their presence on my cabinets pleases me, I can’t completely shake the disturbing void hiding inside. It makes the uncommon recreation that does come packed stuffed with inserts all of the extra particular.
A Czech retailer has placeholder pricing for the Steam Machine beginning at $950
Clawsomegamer discovered the element within the supply code for the net itemizing at Smarty.cz. That’s not an official retail companion for the system, making it further unlikely that that is really reflective of Valve’s pricing technique slightly than retailers simply inserting placeholder guesstimates (Smarty.cz has $1,070 for the 2TB model). Nonetheless, it does have folks anxious about what sort of sticker shock they may finally see as latest RAM shortages propel PC gaming part costs by way of the roof at the beginning of 2026.
Massive grain of salt:
A Czech retailer (https://t.co/XIPdLHBOif) has already put up a preliminary itemizing for the upcoming Valve Steam Machine (512GB) 👀
The product web page does not show a public worth but, however checking the location’s supply code by way of browser developer instruments reveals a… pic.twitter.com/QRqJxbnT6x
— Clawsomegamer (@Clawsomegamer) January 9, 2026
Valve beforehand promised to disclose extra details about its new lounge console early this 12 months, however these plans could possibly be pushed again if the present provide chain points are making it more durable to get the primary wave of units manufactured at an reasonably priced worth level. Whereas Valve has hinted that Steam Machines can be priced extra like a gaming PC than a $500 console, nobody is aware of if meaning nearer to $700 or nearer to $1,000. The corporate did trace that it’s not going to be utilizing earnings from Steam to subsidize the worth.
An Xbox showcase later this month hides a thriller recreation reveal
A fourth recreation on the Dev Direct happening on January 22 was first teased by Shinobi602. VGC corroborated the trace and reports that the thriller launch is “a smaller-scale authentic recreation from one in every of Xbox Sport Studios’ first-party builders.” That means it could possibly be a facet mission within the mildew of Obsidian Leisure’s Pentiment.
Fable will come to PS5, too
However there’s extra! Alongside Forza Horizon 6 and Sport Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation, each already confirmed for PS5, VGC also reports that Fable is in growth for the Sony platform as nicely. Xbox exclusivity is lifeless, sure, however the query stays whether or not Microsoft will push to begin getting these multiplatform releases out day-and-date or nonetheless stagger them the place it sees match.
Helldivers 2 kicks off its deadliest 12 months but
Unusual new Illuminate constructions are popping up within the extraction shooter after Arrowhead Sport Studios promised gamers that 2026 can be even bloodier for the forces of house fascism. “Plenty of Helldivers will die,” CEO Shams Jorjani just lately teased on the sport’s Discord when speaking concerning the studio’s upcoming plans. Arrowhead could have its work lower out for it after followers spent the early a part of final summer time beating again an invasion of Tremendous Earth.
The place Winds Meet begins 2026 off sturdy
The shock open-world hit on console and PC has dropped its 1.2 update that provides a brand new boss battle, Guild Battles, and different actions forward of further chapters coming later this month and subsequent.
The Division 3 is shaping as much as be a “monster”
That’s in line with govt producer Julian Gerighty. “It’s shaping as much as be a monster,” he advised followers in a new Ubisoft vidoc. “I can’t actually say something greater than that. However inside these partitions [at] Huge, we’re working extraordinarily exhausting on one thing that I believe will [have] as large an impression as The Division 1 was.” There’s no launch date in sight for the sequel and Huge remains to be producing new content material for The Division 2. Discovering a method to mix the innovation and novelty of the primary recreation with the gameplay polish and scope of the second could possibly be a recipe for one thing particular. Additionally one thing that takes a very long time to make.
Warner Bros. Video games has laid off workers at its San Francisco studio
Game Developer reports that an unknown variety of workers on the cell studio that works on video games like DC Worlds Collide have been fired again in December.
