Google Cloud experienced outages today that led to disruptions for many online services. Reports of issues for Google products and others began around 2 PM ET. The company was able to restore function to its own apps, but several other businesses have continued to experience problems for some users.

In an update at 4:16PM ET, Google said, "We have identified the root cause and applied appropriate mitigations. Our infrastructure has recovered in all regions except us-central1. Google Cloud products that rely on the affected infrastructure are seeing recovery in multiple locations. Our engineers are aware of the customers still experiencing issues on us-central1 and multi-region/us and are actively working on full recovery. We do not have an ETA for full recovery."

Spotify, Discord, Snapchat, Etsy, UPS and OpenAI all experienced a high volume of reports on DownDetector, with some informing users of disruptions. Even the Pokemon Trading Card Game and Pokemon Go weren't spared issues. Snapchat acknowledged the ongoing issues on its support page. OpenAI has posted that users may have trouble logging in due to "issues affecting multiple external internet providers." AWS also experienced a higher-than-usual volume of reports on DownDetector during the outage, but Amazon clarified in a statement to Engadget that it has no broad service issues and noted that its AWS Health Dashboard is a better indicator of its current status than DownDetector.

Almost all services have now returned to normal operation. By 5PM ET, Spotify's main page loaded for our editors and reports of outages on DownDetector had fallen back to close to their baseline. Other platforms like Snapchat and Discord also seemed to be functioning normally for us. Google said at the time that its products were coming back online across multiple regions and that it expected the recovery to be complete "in less than an hour." However, as of 7:13PM ET, the company noted that several Google Cloud components were still experiencing "residual impact." Google Cloud Dataflow, Vertex AI Online Prediction and Personalized Service Health are all still somewhat affected, and the company did not provide a timeline for when everything will be back to normal. At 9:18PM ET, all issues were resolved.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-cloud-outages-spotify-discord-snapchat-and-more-were-down-for-hours-193156868.html?src=rss

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© Reuters / Reuters

After several years, Google has released a major update to the iOS version of its Snapseed photo editor. Version 3.0 is the program offers a complete redesign of both the iPhone and iPad apps. All of the images that have been edited with the tool are displayed in a grid. Navigation has been rearranged into three tabs, with a new Faves section for the photo tools that you want to quickly use on the regular. It boasts more than 25 different tools and filters for altering photos, including some newly added film filters. Snapseed also has a refreshed its logo with a more streamlined look.

Google acquired Snapseed all the way back in 2012. The new take on the app is a surprise, since Snapseed hadn't received any major updates on iOS since 2021. One thing has not changed: the app is still free and has no advertisements. For now, the listing for Snapseed in Google Play is still a version from last year; it's unclear if or when 3.0 will arrive on Android.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/google-completely-remade-its-snapseed-ios-photo-editor-222003395.html?src=rss

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© Google

We've been covering all the news Apple announced at WWDC 2025, but possibly the most exciting element coming to iOS 26 wasn't discussed on stage. The next update to the operating system will let people set custom snooze times. MacRumors reported that iOS 26 will offer anywhere from one to 15 minute snoozes that users can select when setting the alarm.

For years, Apple has kept the snooze timing locked at nine minutes. If you wanted to doze at a different interval, you'd need to set separate alarms or use a different app than the iPhone's built-in Clock. It was an odd choice for Apple to not allow personal preferences on this aspect of its smartphones, so anyone who's been frustrated by the nine-minute restriction will have a little extra treat to look forward to in the mornings when iOS 26 becomes publicly available this fall. And since there's been some recent research showing that snoozing may not be a terrible thing, we can take full advantage with zero guilt. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-will-at-long-last-let-you-customize-snooze-times-on-alarms-in-ios-26-190001600.html?src=rss

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© skaman306 via Getty Images

During a showcase at Summer Games Fest, developer Dinosaur Polo Club announced that it will be adding a creative mode to Mini Motorways. The new mode will be available in a free game update coming to Apple Arcade, Steam, and Nintendo Switch on August 26, so you can get imaginative on whatever platform you've been playing this excellent strategy game.

Like its predecessor Mini Metro, the core gameplay of Mini Motorways has a lot of calm, meditative elements in the experience of placing those first few roads. But as your city grows and the street network gets more convoluted, things can turn hectic real quick. And if you're like me, you've definitely run out of road tiles because you just couldn't stand making painfully illogical city plans. Creative Mode offers the welcome option to focus on aesthetics, letting players recolor, move and pivot houses and destinations to develop a city with more order. Or with more chaos, you do you!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/mini-motorways-is-getting-a-creative-mode-233031208.html?src=rss

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© Dinosaur Polo Club

One of the best things about an indie game showcase is that you'll see at least one preview that makes you think "huh?" and "lol!" in equal parts. For the Day of the Devs presentation at Summer Games Fest 2025, Tire Boy definitely fits the bill. Mechanics-wise, it's an open-world action-adventure game, which is pretty standard fare. However, like the name says, you play it all out as a tiny anthropomorphized tire. It looks super goofy, but in a way that might also be super great.

The trio from GameTeam6 who presented the early build of the game explained that they wanted to do some odd things with scale in the world, and that's definitely been accomplished. Most other characters tower over little Tire Boy, whether they're a friendly owl, an enemy frog or just a really big heckin bunny. But there's also some sweetness promised as Tire Boy tries to uncover the secrets of his past and his tire people. It's the sort of wacky combination that can be a lot of fun in practice. 

The studio has a ways to go before it's ready to play; they didn't suggest any time frames for a demo or release window, but Tire Boy can be wishlisted on Steam if you want to keep tabs on this quirky project.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/tire-boy-is-a-wacky-open-world-adventure-game-you-can-tread-all-over-000036605.html?src=rss

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Drinkbox Studios is back with a new title called Blighted, a 3D Metroidvania that promises to take the concept of generational memory to some bizarre and compelling new places. It will have a solo or co-op story that sees players fighting their way through a world full of monsters and secrets as they attempt to control the blight that corrupts them. And maybe eat some brains. The game was announced during the Summer Game Fest kickoff stream.

The team describes Blighted as a "psychedelic western nightmare," which is pretty much exactly what I love to see from Drinkbox Studios. This company is probably best known for the excellent 2D platformers Guacamelee! and Guacamelee! 2, but don't sleep on the surreal dungeon-crawler Severed either. Drinkbox games have a powerful sense of place and clever action mechanics, so I'm very curious to see how they'll bring those sensibilities into this genre.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/blighted-is-a-trippy-metroidvania-from-the-team-behind-guacamelee-000030687.html?src=rss

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© Drinkbox Studios

Virtual and augmented reality are still pretty new frontiers with a lot of potentially cool ideas yet to be developed. The latest product in the mixed reality space could be coming from a startup called Dopple Works. Lowpass reported that the secrecy-shrouded business from Etsy co-founder and former CEO Robert Kalin is working on a new device called Loop.

Dopple Works has submitted an application to the Federal Communications Commission. Many of the details are not publicly available, but that filing indicates that Loop is battery-powered and will use both WiFi and Bluetooth networks. Lowpass also unearthed a patent application that dubs Loop a "dedicated hand-held spatial computing device." The application comes with images that show a camera, speaker and tracking sensor that could capture details on an environment, along with a screen for viewing the mixed reality content.

At this stage, there's not enough information available to speculate on what Loop's purpose will be. But the photos from the government filings do spark some entertaining mental images of a future where people wandering about doing their best Sherlock Holmes imitations with mixed reality magnifying glasses. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/etsy-co-founders-new-startup-is-making-what-really-looks-like-a-mixed-reality-magnifying-glass-224247515.html?src=rss

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It's a big day for everyone who has successfully acquired their Nintendo Switch 2, but few hardware launches go off without a single hitch. In addition to some surprising hidden costs to finishing the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, players have also discovered a compatibility problem in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

The conditions for this issue to occur, luckily, appear to be pretty narrow. It's happening in online matches of the fighting game where one person is on a Switch 1 and the other is on a Switch 2. If one of the players choses the Mii Fighters as their character, the match may immediately end. Also, thumbnails aren't always saving correctly for the Mii Fighters, which are customizable for each person.

Nintendo is aware of the problem, according to a translation posted on X by user OatmealDome. The game company said that an update for this Smash compatibility issue will be released "soon," although no more specific date has been provided. Basically, if you're going to spend launch day with your Switch 2 playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, just don't pick Mii Fighters.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/mii-fighters-are-breaking-super-smash-bros-ultimate-matches-on-the-switch-2-212304774.html?src=rss

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© Nintendo

"Avengers assemble" isn't just a call to action for superheroes; it's also the basis for a new tag fighting game. The reveal of Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls closed out PlayStation's State of Play presentation ahead of Summer Games Fest 2025. PlayStation Studios and Marvel Games are teaming up with Arc System Works, the studio behind the Guilty Gear fighting game series, for this project. The game is scheduled to launch some time in 2026 on PlayStation 5 and on PC through the Steam and Epic stores.

The trailer shows several members of the Marvel roster — Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Doom, Storm, Ms. Marvel, Star-Lord and Ghost Rider — cycling on screen and showing off their abilities. Team-based fighting games have a long lineage, but those are commonly trios of characters controlled by a single competitor. Marvel Tōkon ups the ante with a 4v4 team system.

The additional team member creates even more potential for flashy combination attacks. "One of the appeals of Marvel comics is seeing the vast cast of characters coming together to create all kinds of unique team-ups," Game Director and Lead Battle Designer Kazuto Sekine said of the design choice. "With these two ideas in mind, we concluded that creating a 4v4 team VS system would be the best way to not only create those over-the-top moments, but to further evolve the tag fighting genre."

Marvel is having a bit of a moment in gaming, with the team shooter Marvel Rivals becoming a surprise sensation in recent months despite heavy competition from established titles. (Unfortunately, that success didn't save several members of the North American dev team from being laid off in February.) It should be fascinating to compare how the two genres interpret the iconic characters and their powers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/marvel-tokon-fighting-souls-is-a-new-tag-fighting-game-from-the-devs-of-guilty-gear-223633976.html?src=rss

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© PlayStation Studios / Marvel Games / Arc System Works

Remasters and remakes seem like they're a dime a dozen these days, but here's one I'm selfishly pretty stoked for. Square Enix announced during PlayStation's State of Play event that is revisiting the 1997 strategy RPG chapter from its famous franchise. Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles is due out on September 25, 2025 for both the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.

This updated version of the turn-based strategy game introduces some welcome additions to the original. You'll find new graphics, an updated user interface and voiced dialogue in the enhanced version. It also brings some quality of life improvements, such as a more beginner-friendly Squire difficulty level. But if you want to immerse in the nostalgia and the challenge, you can swap back to the original graphics, gameplay and English translation. The original version also boasts a few modern upgrades, like an auto-save system.

As someone who has clocked several hundred hours in the Fire Emblem series, I've always had Final Fantasy Tactics hovering in my to-play queue. Whether you're a first-timer like me or are already well versed in the political intrigues of Tactics, this fall seems like an excellent change to check out the game.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/final-fantasy-tactics-is-getting-a-remake-in-the-ivalice-chronicles-215000718.html?src=rss

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© Square Enix

The summer State of Play presentation from PlayStation kicked off with the announcement of Lumines Arise. It's a gorgeous puzzle game being made by the same team as Tetris Effect, Enhance, so for the many of us who fell in love that game, this is a banger development from Sony.

The trailer shows the same dynamic blend between block drops, music and visuals that were the hallmarks of Tetris Effect. However, Lumines Arise is ditching the tetriminos for the slightly different box-dropping mechanics of Lumines. Bringing a new take on the core puzzle mechanics should make this feel like a nice blend of fresh and familiar. And considering how well their first go at reimagining a spatial puzzle game went, I have high hopes for this project. 

The game is slated for release in fall 2025, but we may get a chance for a sneak peak with both single and multiplayer demos later this summer. It's coming to the PlayStation 5 with optional PS VR2 support for those who want the ultimate immersion experience. (And yes, you really do want that.)

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-tetris-effect-team-is-back-with-lumines-arise-211729116.html?src=rss

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© Enhance

We are on the eve of the Nintendo Switch 2 launch, and a few last-minute details are still trickling in. Like many other Nintendo consoles, you'll create a Mii to represent you during setup. With the Switch 2, the Mii isn't given a gender. My Nintendo News first noticed this detail, and we were able to confirm it independently.

When you're creating a new avatar, the console simply asks you to "Select a style for your Mii." The styles look like the same stock models that several previous hardware generations used as their male and female models, but the Switch 2 has no pronouns or other gender signifiers attached to either one. Although Nintendo isn't making any assumptions about Mii gender, it does acknowledge that some games might do so. The second line of the creator screen says, "Some games may use style as a gender indicator."

Nintendo has previously used genderless language within individual games. That was the case for character creation in recent titles Splatoon 3 and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, so it seems in line with the company's current approach to put that neutral attitude at the hardware level.

If you haven't ordered your Switch 2 yet, here's all the details you need to know about how to buy a console of your own. And be sure to read our hands-on preview so you can make an informed decision about whether or not you need to upgrade right away.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-miis-are-post-gender-on-switch-2-200426912.html?src=rss

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© Sam Rutherford for Engadget

TikTok no longer shows search results for the hashtag #SkinnyTok. Critics who supported this block said some videos with that label were promoting disordered eating and other unhealthy or risky diet behaviors. We've reached out to TikTok for comment on this development. 

France's Minister of State for Digital Affairs Clara Chappaz was one of the politicians leading the pushback against this particular hashtag. She has been campaigning against #SkinnyTok with both French and EU regulators since April. "These videos promoting extreme thinness are revolting and absolutely unacceptable," Chappaz said. "Digital tools are marvellous in terms of progress and freedom, but badly used they can shatter lives … the social networks cannot escape their responsibility."

A TikTok spokesperson provided Engadget with the following statement: "We regularly review our safety measures to address evolving risks and have blocked search results for #skinnytok since it has become linked to unhealthy weight loss content. We continue to restrict videos from teen accounts and provide health experts and information in TikTok Search."

The company also notes that when people search for the term now, no results are displayed and users are instead directed to resources. As for when this content started cropping up, Tiktok says that it detected an increase of usage earlier in the year, but things spiked in March in April, at which it started taking more action like the aforementioned search changes and direction to resource content. It also started limiting related search suggestions and made the content ineligible for teen users.

While blocking search results for potentially harmful hashtags is a positive step, it only places hurdles in the path of people who want to seek out similar videos. "Users are savvy," Cornell University professor Brooke Erin Duffy told The New York Times. "They know how to work these platforms and how to evade their content moderation systems."

A block on one hashtag is just the latest in TikTok's piecemeal approach toward content that could encourage eating disorders. In 2020 it placed restrictions on ads that might "promote a negative or harmful body image," such as fasting apps and weight loss supplements. TikTok began a partnership with the National Eating Disorder Association in 2021 to offer more resources for users with eating disorders. Later that year, it also introduced a new approach to the For You page in an effort to reduce the impact of watching too many repeated clips on a negative topic.

Update, June 4, 2025, 2:41PM ET: This story was updated with a statement and additional details from TikTok.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-now-blocks-search-results-for-skinnytok-222836828.html?src=rss

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© REUTERS / Reuters

Microsoft introduced an AI-powered video generator to its Bing search engine. Bing Video Creator is powered by OpenAI's Sora, which creates short clips based on text prompts. The free feature is rolling out to the Bing mobile app starting today and is slated to arrive later on desktop and to Copilot Search.

Microsoft has invested multiple billions of dollars into OpenAI in support of its artificial intelligence endeavors over the years. The tech giant integrated the DALL-E image generation capability from OpenAI into the Bing search engine in 2023, so it's not surprising that it has followed a similar path with the company's Sora video tool.

However, Sora had a rocky launch with a rebuke from YouTube's CEO not to train on its videos and protests from several of its early testing participants. The model became broadly available at the end of last year. It's also facing more competition from other video AI models offering more complex features, such as Google's Veo 3.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/microsoft-integrates-openais-sora-video-creator-into-bing-215421408.html?src=rss

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© Microsoft

Game developer and publisher IO Interactive is participating in Summer Games Fest 2025 with its own showcase. The presentation will take place on Friday, June 6 at 9PM ET/6PM PT. You can watch the IOI Showcase live on multiple platforms: Twitch, YouTube and TikTok. We've also got the YouYube stream embedded above, so that you can watch here while keeping up with our coverage of all the other developments happening during this year's packed Summer Games Fest lineup.

IO Interactive parlayed its work on the excellent Hitman trilogy into a gig making a new James Bond game. Today, the company teased the title, 007 First Light, and it seems like there will be a game reveal during the showcase on Friday. The presentation will also introduce new content for the studio's Hitman World of Assassination and as well as a game called MindsEye from its publishing branch. "We've prepared some truly exciting surprises" for the event, IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak said, so there will probably be additional announcements beyond those three titles. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/how-to-watch-the-ioi-showcase-at-summer-games-fest-2025-200751318.html?src=rss

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© IO Interactive

Anthropic is continuing to trickle down features to its free users. The latest one to make the leap out of subscriber-only mode is web search, which the company introduced to its AI chatbot Claude in March. According to Anthropic, connecting Claude to the web allows it to deliver more accurate responses based on the most up-to-date information available online. This feature is available to all Claude users starting today.

In addition, Anthropic has begun beta tests for voice mode on its mobile apps. This option lets users interact with Claude in natural conversations in an expansion of the platform's existing dictation tools. There will be five voice options available to assign to Claude, and the AI assistant can provide full transcripts and voice mode summaries after a conversation.

May has been a busy month for Anthropic, which just launched two new models last week. Opus 4 is a powerful coding-focused system that can use multiple tools in parallel and can run for several hours at a time, while Sonnet 4 is a hybrid reasoning model designed to move between quick queries and more complex ones. The current beta testing of voice mode will default to Sonnet 4.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-brings-web-search-to-free-claude-users-224222689.html?src=rss

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© Anthropic

The saga of Cities: Skylines II has involved a lot of frustration, and the years-long ride still doesn't appear to be over. The latest news from the developer is yet another delay, this time for the planned Bridges & Ports DLC. Colossal Order will release a small free update to the game on June 11 as planned, but the full expansion is now being pushed back to some time in Q4.

A post from the team on publisher Paradox Interactive's forum explained that the delay was based on early access feedback that the DLC still needs more polish. "That left us with a difficult choice: delay the release once again to add more depth, or release it as-is, knowing players may feel it falls short," the update states. "We believe the current content is enjoyable, but we’re not blind to what’s missing, and to bring it to the level you deserve, we need more time."

The last players heard from Colossal Order was also a delay, in that instance for the console port of the city-builder. The studio said the version wouldn't be available before summer 2025, but a more specific date hasn't been shared yet. Cities: Skylines II has had a challenging life cycle for both the players and the developers, so it's particular tough to hear that the game is still struggling.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/cities-skylines-ii-delays-bridges--ports-dlc-to-q4-200052345.html?src=rss

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Texas is the latest state to adopt an age-verification law for app stores. Despite lobbying from big tech, reportedly including a personal call from Apple CEO Tim Cook, Governor Greg Abbott has signed a bill that requires app stores to verify users' ages and obtain parental approval for a minor to download software or make in-app purchases.

The sponsors of the Texas bill said it was intended to protect children and teens from inappropriate content. "This puts tools in the hands of parents to make decisions for their own children," said bill author Angela Paxton. The Republican state senator is married to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. 

Utah was the first state to enact legislation that places responsibility on app store operators to check users' ages. Similar to the Texas endeavor, Google also petitioned Utah's governor for that bill to be vetoed. Apple and Google have pushed back against these age-verification measures, arguing that they pose privacy risks for all users by creating a new infrastructure where they need to submit personal information. "We believe there are better proposals that help keep kids safe without requiring millions of people to turn over their personal information," Apple said regarding the new Texas law.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/texas-enacts-age-verification-law-for-app-stores-190603522.html?src=rss

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© USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect / Reuters

The Federal Trade Commission has finally given up the ghost on challenging Microsoft's $68.7 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard. "The Commission has determined that the public interest is best served by dismissing the administrative litigation in this case," the agency said in an order issued today.

The federal regulator had attempted to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard both before and after the deal closed back in October 2023. The FTC just lost out on its latest appeal against the merger earlier this month. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the FTC had not successfully argued several points of its case for a preliminary injunction against the merger, which is one of the biggest acquisitions in the video game industry.

"Today’s decision is a victory for players across the country and for common sense in Washington, D.C. We are grateful to the FTC for today’s announcement," Microsoft President and Vice Chair Brad Smith posted on X about the dismissal.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-ftc-will-finally-stop-challenging-microsofts-purchase-of-activision-blizzard-225212384.html?src=rss

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Valve officially added support for the Lenovo Legion Go S in its latest SteamOS release. The handheld, which begins shipping this weekend, is the first hardware other than the Steam Deck to formally run Valve's gaming-centric operating system.

Valve has been laying the groundwork to bring SteamOS to more devices. Earlier in the month, it introduced a separate verification program to show players when a game is supported by the operating system. While the Legion Go S is the only third-party handheld to have official support, the patch notes for the recent update note that there is now "improved support for other AMD powered handhelds (like the ROG Ally and original Legion Go)."

Another standout item in the software update is the introduction of SteamOS support for the Proteus Controller. This is a nifty modular gamepad that can be arranged to address players' individual accessibility needs.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/steamos-now-officially-supports-a-second-handheld-221702983.html?src=rss

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© Sam Rutherford for Engadget