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Steam Frame – The Valve Interview

Now that the Steam Frame is finally here, Valve's entire hardware lineup is now out in the wild. I got a chance to sit down with Valve software developers Pierre-Loup Griffais and Jeff Leinbaugh to talk about the new VR headset, and it sounds like the launch is only the beginning for the Steam Frame. Because while it is more expensive than something like the Meta Quest 3, Valve is hopeful that as an open platform, the Frame is going to be able to evolve over time, and who knows what it's going to be capable of a couple years down the line.

IGNIGN•Jacqueline Thomas14 Sept

The Steam Frame is $1,059, and Much More Expensive Than It Was Supposed to Be

After nearly a year of waiting, the Steam Frame is finally here. But if you were hoping, despite all the hardware price increases, that the Frame would still sneak under the Valve Index's price, I've got bad news. The Steam Frame will start at $1,059, which will net you a 256GB headset, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and 16GB of RAM. If you want more storage, you can get the 1TB model, which will cost $1,299. Either model of the Steam Frame comes with two controllers, an eye spacer for glasses, and a dedicated Wi-Fi 6GHz dongle for PCVR streaming. Still, that price is likely going to be a dealbreaker for anyone that wanted a Meta Quest 3 killer, but the Frame does have some technology that Meta's headset just doesn't have. The Frame has eye tracking, a dedicated wireless PC dongle, and twice the RAM. The headset is also designed first and foremost for streaming PCVR games, and in my time with the headset, it excels at that. But if you want an affordable VR headset that primarily plays standalone VR games, Meta's headset is probably still the way to go. Still, among dedicated PCVR headsets, the Steam Frame's price isn't really that outside of the norm. Headsets like the $1,799 Samsung Galaxy XR or the $899 Pimax Crystal Light have a lot of the same capabilities as the Frame, though the latter is wired-only. Just like with the Steam Machine, it's clear that the Steam Frame is more expensive than Valve was originally planning. When I got a chance to sit down with Valve and talk about the headset , I was told the same thing as when we spoke about the Machine: that the Steam Frame had a similar sort of price increase as Valve's mini PC and handheld . That shouldn't be too surprising, though. With the ongoing RAMpocalypse , prices have only been going up over the last year or so, and even the PS5 and Xbox Series X have been affected. How to Buy Steam Frame If you do still want to get your hands on the Steam Frame, it's available for reservation today. Just like with the Steam Machine and Steam Controller , Valve has open reservations, and you can sign up for whichever model you want between now and September 17 at 10am PST . Then, when those initial signups close, Valve will shuffle the entries and split people into a reservation list and a waitlist. If you sign up after the 17th, you'll be added to the back of the waitlist. The Steam Frame should start shipping out on September 18, and as people on the reservation list get their units, Valve will email folks from the waitlist and move them to the reservation list. If it's anything like the Steam Machine and Steam Controller, though, you can expect the reservation list to be stretched through the end of the year, and probably into the first few months of next year.

IGNIGN•Jacqueline Thomas14 Sept

LEGO Is Officially Retiring the First Harry Potter Book Nook

LEGO revealed its first set of book nooks back in June 2025. There were only three builds available at the time, all of which have been quite popular since their debut. Now in 2026 there are more LEGO book nooks and bookends than ever before and one of the originals is officially up for retirement. The Hogwarts Express book nook has just been added to LEGO's 'Retiring Soon' page, marking the inevitable end of its widespread availability. It's still discounted at Amazon right now, so if you've been thinking about picking one up as a Harry Potter gift for you or a loved one, now is the time to do so. Although traditional book nooks are meant to be displayed between books, this Hogwarts Express build has a few different ways of being used once you put it together. You can choose to use the two sides of the set as a pair of bookends or fold them to fit neatly between books on a shelf. Both options reveal different aspects of Platform 9 and 3/4 and the train itself. As far as book nooks go, it's a bit on the smaller side with only 832 pieces included. You also get minifigures of both Harry Potter and Ron as they were in their first year at Hogwarts. One important note is that the book nook itself is only 6.5 inches tall. This height is generally fine for most paperbacks and smaller hardcovers, but if you have taller books in your collection it might look a little bit weird. For example, the Harry Potter illustrated books are about 11 inches tall and would absolutely tower over this set on a shelf. While this was the first official Harry Potter book nook, it isn't the only one you can buy anymore. As of June 2026 , there is also the Dumbledore's Office Book Nook. It's a more expensive set than the Hogwarts Express and includes a lot more pieces. You also get an Albus Dumbledore figure and a little LEGO Fawkes. LEGO Recently Announced Its Biggest Book Nook LEGO's line of book nooks have been entirely tied to popular franchises up until now, but that's about to change on October 1. The plastic brick company recently revealed the LEGO Bookstore Book Nook , which is made up of a whopping 1,690 pieces. This is the largest and most expensive LEGO book nook we've seen so far.

IGNIGN•Jacob Kienlen14 Sept

Capcom Opens First U.S. Merch Store as a Pop-Up in Los Angeles

Capcom, publisher of not one or two but three well-received games so far this year (Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword) is opening its first retail store in the U.S. It'll be a pop-up in Little Akihabara in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. The grand opening is this Saturday, September 19, and "a limited number" of attendees have a chance to play the upcoming Mega Man: Dual Override on Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, the first 50 shoppers on the 19th and 20th will receive "a limited-edition Tokyo Game Show handkerchief featuring popular Capcom games."

IGNIGN•Ryan McCaffrey14 Sept

Discover Your Next Must-Play PC Game With Steam Hype

Between respectably powerful, cheap laptops, handhelds like the Steam Deck and the new generation of mini-PCs like the Steam Machine, it’s easier than ever to dip into the vast ocean of PC games. But that also presents challenges and the hardest part is deciding what to play when there’s often upwards of a hundred releases every day on Steam alone. Even if you uncharitably assume that 95% is trash, that’s still five-plus notable, worthwhile games. Every. Single. Day. Filtering out the good from the bad is a full-time job. Luckily it’s my full-time job! I’m Dominic Tarason, and I’m the staff writer on Steam Hype , a brand new website for people who love PC gaming but are bewildered by the sheer volume of new games constantly hitting Steam. I’m here to help you discover your next must-play PC game, whether it’s something that’s been slowly gaining hype over time and has just released, or a brand new indie that’s come out of nowhere. Better still, everything you’ll find on Steam Hype is hand-picked either by myself or someone else on the team – it isn’t powered by faceless algorithms or AI, but by real humans (I promise I’m real!) who have encyclopaedic knowledge of all things PC. Although Steam Hype has only just officially launched, we’ve been working away on it in the background for the last few months. As such, there’s a bunch of interesting stuff to read already, with round-ups meant to get you up to speed with entire genres. The PC can’t be beaten by RPGs, so we’ve got a five-part crash course covering the finest Classic CRPGs , the best Action RPGs , essential JRPGs and–for the oldheads–must-have old-school Dungeon RPGs . We’ve also got an explainer on the ever-booming world of retro first-person shooters , whether you want something from the current crop or are hunting for mods for a ‘90s classic. We’re slowly ramping up our review coverage, too, with a focus on the unusual and the semi-obscure, like PS360 throwback FPS Twisted Tower or cult hit neo-retro horror adventure Endacopia . We’re also looking back at the games that weren’t quite there at launch, but have grown into gems – a real perk of PC development. A great example is the now-excellent mech tactics game Phantom Brigade . The hardest part is deciding what to play when there’s upwards of a hundred releases every day on Steam No PC gamer worth their salt should skip on our list of great PC exclusives either ; over a hundred (and growing) experiences you can’t get anywhere else, and a great place for console folks looking to expand their gaming horizons. And that’s just what we’ve got ready lined up for launch – Steam Hype is going to keep on growing, keep on expanding, and keep on demystifying the world of PC games. We’re so excited to show you everything that Steam Hype has to offer, putting our decades of knowledge to make your day a little more hypeworthy. Join us and be part of the next generation . Steam Hype is the latest site in the Hookshot network, joining Nintendo Life , Push Square , Pure Xbox and the retro-centric Time Extension to cover all corners of the gaming universe. Hookshot is also partnered with the tech experts at Digital Foundry and is partnered commercially with IGN. As Hookshot’s dedicated PC gaming site, it’s got news of the latest releases , updates and mod drops , plus weekly roundups and a must-play monthly playlist to help you keep up with the never-ending deluge of new experiences.

IGNIGN•Alex Simmons14 Sept

Why Humble Bundle Is a Great Place to Buy Digital Comics

If you buy through our links, IGN may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more . In the era of digital media, amassing a huge comic book collection is easier than ever, but it also comes with its share of challenges. File management and storage can be a pain, your comics can be split between several platforms that have different means of access, and building your collection one comic at a time can get expensive fast. Humble Bundle can help solve those problems. If you’re already familiar with Humble, it’s probably because of their video game offers. But they also have books and software, including comic books. And just like their video game offerings, they specialize in variety, flexibility, and getting the best bang for your buck. So Many Comics, So Little Money For the uninitiated, the way Humble Bundle works is right there in the name: They sell bundles of content together that have some kind of link. That could mean comics from the same universe, like the Legends of Valiant bundle . Or it could mean comics that celebreate a certain theme, like the EC Comics Artist Library bundle . These bundles can have dozens of books included, but for a fraction of the price they’d cost individually. For example, the Legends of Valiant bundle includes over 100 comics valued at over $900 total, but you can get the full bundle for as little as $20, or basically 19 cents per comic. The final amount you pay is actually up to you, though. Many bundles have tiers where you can pay less to get a smaller number of comics. Using the Legends of Valiant example again, you could choose to pay $5 for a six-book version of the bundle, or you could pay $12 for a 18-book version. It’s tough to beat that level of flexibility and sheer value, making Humble Bundle a great choice for those wanting to buy comics at a great price. Plus, with so many titles included in each bundle, it gives you a chance to find new books you never would have tried otherwise. Which leads us to our next point. A Journey of Discovery When you’re limited to buying one book at a time, it can make finding new comics tough. You want to know you’re getting value for money, so it’s easy to fall into a pattern where you stick to headliner releases or franchises you’re already familiar with. Buying with Humble Bundle addresses that problem. Bundles often include a mix of different writers, illustrators, and genres, giving you the chance to try a wide variety of styles. It allows you to discover things you might never have considered or even heard of. Bundles will often include a mixture of heavy hitters and smaller comics, letting you have the best of both worlds. Humble's latest comic offerings include bundles like Dynamite Comics' Miniseries, Quick Hits and Speedy Reads book bundle which is filled with mini-adventures, and Image Comics' Image in the '20s: A Megabundle , to name a couple. Variety Is the Spice of Life It’s no secret that superhero comics are the most popular. There’s a reason why Marvel and DC have become household names. Those are fun and all, but there are so many other types of comics out there too. You’re really missing out if you just stick to the most famous franchises. Humble Bundle has selections from a bunch of different publishers of various sizes. That includes bundles like One Shots & Fast Reads , which has Image Comics selections like Jack Kirby’s Silver Star and Grant Morrison’s Nameless, to Dynamite Comics' mini-adventures, featuring stories with classic heroes like John Carter and the queen of pin-up, Bettie Page. That’s only accounting for the currently active bundles, too. New bundles with a wide range of options are consistently rotating in. You never know what the next bundle will bring, which is part of the fun. The Beauty of Accessibility One of the headaches of building a catalog of digital comic books is the number of platforms and apps you have to account for. Your access to the book you bought can be blocked unless you use that specific platform, meaning you have to remember which book is connected to which account. This is a form of DRM (digital rights management), which is intended to protect copyright holders. But for you, the user, it means you have to jump through hoops to read what you bought. And it can mean you don’t really own the things you buy, since your access can be restricted or rescinded at a moment’s notice. Humble’s bundles don’t require subscriptions and often include DRM-free downloads, which means that after you buy a bundle, you get PDF, EPUB, or CBZ files which you can directly download. Whichever type you decide to use, the important thing is that you get to keep those comics. They’re yours forever. To be clear, not every bundle is DRM-free. Under the description of each bundle, you’ll see a group of icons. If that bundle is DRM-free, there’s a book icon that says “Use on Any Device.” If not, there’s a key icon that says “Redeem on Other Platform” and the bundle description will provide more details. Comics for a Cause Humble has always been extremely supportive of charities, for which it has raised more than $280 million since being founded in 2010 . It donates a portion of every sale to charity, but you can also pay extra money for your bundle and choose whether to give that money to the comics’ creators, Humble Bundle, its partners, or a charity of your choice. Each month, Humble chooses a different charity to feature. That charity receives a portion of Humble Choice membership dues and the proceeds of individual bundles (unless you choose a different charity). The featured charity for September is Make-A-Wish, while previous charities include Oceana, The Trevor Project, and No Kid Hungry. On the listing for each bundle, you can see how much has been donated to charity thanks to purchases of that bundle. There are multiple currently available bundles that have contributed more than $10,000 of donations each. And everyone wants to put more good into the world, right? So why not do it while getting to read dozens of comics for cheap? Win-win. Why Humble Bundle Is a Great Place to Buy Comics When it comes to buying digital comics, Humble Bundle is the best option for sheer value, discovery, and flexibility. It combines extremely low prices, flexible downloads, a variety of titles, and a consistently rotating selection so there’s always something new for you to check out without breaking the bank. It’s perfect for newcomers wanting to get their feet wet and see what kinds of comics they vibe with, as well as hardcore fans looking to take their collection to the next level without having to shell out hundreds of dollars at a time. Regardless of your experience level, you can discover new titles you never knew existed. The next time you’re looking for new comics, are you going to give Humble Bundle a look? Let us know in the comments.

IGNIGN•Will Barnes14 Sept