Valve announces SteamOS will power Lenovo Legion Go S (8", 1) - Powered by SteamOS, making the upcoming handheld the first official licensee for the Linux-based gaming OS. The headline is "SteamOS expands beyond Steam Deck," so this is not being called a third-party Steam Deck, but with a sexy name like "Lenovo Legion Go S (8", 1) - Powered by SteamOS," what else do you need? A straight Windows edition of the handheld is due this month for $729.99 USD, while the SteamOS version is expected in May starting at $499.99 alongside less expensive configurations for Windows. Here are details from Lenovo:

Available also is the world’s first officially licensed handheld powered by SteamOS—the Lenovo Legion Go S (8”, 1) – Powered by SteamOS. This new handheld combines the powerhouse features of the Lenovo Legion Go S (8”, 1) with the flexibility and console-like experience of SteamOS, Valve’s operating system that is optimized for gaming. Featuring cloud saves that mean a seamless transition between PC gaming and handheld, Remote Play that streams games to the device from a PC, full Steam Store and Steam Library access, the Lenovo Legion Go S (8”, 1) Powered by SteamOS is a big step forward in freedom of choice for gamers who are looking for an OS that is optimized for handheld gaming.

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Steam now features the launch of Chocolate Factory Simulator, offering a golden ticket to this steampunk confectionary game for Windows from Games Incubator and PlayWay. This features a 15% launch discount as long as you indulge your sweet tooth over the next two weeks. The Official Release Trailer takes a look, and here's more on this variation on a world of pure imagination:

In Chocolate Factory Simulator you will enter a world where steam technology meets confectionery art. With your faithful assistant automaton named Nougat you will create delicious sweets that will delight even the most demanding customers.

From colorful pralines to exquisite chocolate sculptures - each creation will become a masterpiece of taste and design. Don't forget about the right packaging - it's the key to the hearts (and palates) of customers from all over the world!

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• Save 50% on Prince of Persia The Lost Crown on Steam.
• Save 30% on Endzone 2 on Steam.
• Save 40% on Supernatural on Steam.
• Save 75% on Deceive Inc. on Steam.
• Indie Games Promo is now live! - GOG.com.*
• January Humble Choice - Humble Bundle.*

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item.

• Rocksteady ended its tumultuous 2024 by laying off staff - Game Developer.
• Report: Ex-Annapurna Interactive staff taking charge Take-Two's Private Division label - Game Developer.

Official trailers.

• Destiny 2: Revenant - Act III Trailer.
• Dune: Awakening - 4K NVIDIA DLSS 4 Comparison - Captured on GeForce RTX 5090.
• RailGods of Hysterra - Hunt and Sacrifice.

• Here Are The Nominees For The 14th Annual New York Game Awards!

• Star Wars: The Old Republic - Galactic Seasons Objectives: January 7 - February 17.

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows – Parkour System Overview.

• The Zenbook A14 is Asus’ MacBook Air - The Verge.

Thanks Frans.

• Meta Follows Elon Musk’s Lead, Moves Staffers to Billionaire-Friendly Texas - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Meta Now Lets Users Say Gay and Trans People Have ‘Mental Illness’ - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• My Problem With Sponsorblock & the people who use it - Louis Rossmann (NSFW). Caffeinated Louis. Thanks RedEye9.
• Mozilla Firefox 134.0, See All New Features, Updates and Fixes.
• Mozilla Firefox ESR 128.6.0, See All New Features, Updates and Fixes.
• Mozilla Firefox ESR 115.19.0, See All New Features, Updates and Fixes.

• Nvidia's Blackwell flagship GPU uses liquid metal instead of thermal paste to reign in the 575W TGP - Tom's Hardware.
• The 5070 is NOT as fast as the 4090...marketing BS explained - JayzTwoCents (video). Thanks The Flying Penguin.

• Razer Project Ava- would you pay an AI to help you get good at games? - The Verge.
• Why World Foundation Models Will Be Key to Advancing Physical AI - NVIDIA.
• How AI Query Engines Unlock Enterprise Data - NVIDIA Blog.

• Buying a smart home device- Look for this new cybersecurity seal - here's why - ZDNET.

• US sues six of the biggest landlords over “algorithmic pricing schemes” - Ars Technica.

Last Link of the Day: Turtle sex: Dog spooked by grunts coming from doggie door (video) - Boing Boing.

Obituary: Peter Yarrow, of Folk Legends Peter, Paul & Mary, Dies at 86 - Variety.

After months of anticipation and rumors, NVIDIA officially announces the GeForce RTX 50 series, saying it will live up to expectations and be "the most advanced consumer GPU for gamers, creators, and developers" powered by "the fastest GeForce RTX GPU to date." The first cards debut on January 30th alongside new DLSS 4 that promises up to an 8x performance improvement over DLSS 3. The flagship RTX 5090 (USD$1,999.00 MSRP) will feature 92 billion transistors capable of over 3,352 trillion (3.3 quadrillion) AI operations per second (TOPS), and is said to over double the performance of a 4090 GPU, while the $999.00 GeForce RTX 5080 promises 1,801 AI TOPS. In February the $749.00 RTX 5070 Ti (1,406 AI TOPS) and $549.00 5070 (988 AI TOPS) will arrive, and RTX 50-powered laptops should follow in March, promising power savings along with improved performance. These are powered by new Blackwell architecture, which NVIDIA calls "the engine of AI" and "the most significant computer graphics innovation since we introduced programmable shading 25 years ago." Here's the overview:

NVIDIA today unveiled the most advanced consumer GPUs for gamers, creators and developers — the GeForce RTX™ 50 Series Desktop and Laptop GPUs.

Powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, fifth-generation Tensor Cores and fourth-generation RT Cores, the GeForce RTX 50 Series delivers breakthroughs in AI-driven rendering, including neural shaders, digital human technologies, geometry and lighting.

Continue here to read the full story.

NVIDIA announces the expansion of its GeForce NOW cloud gaming service, improving support on Steam Deck, Apple Vision Pro, and Meta Quest 3 and 3S and Pico mixed-reality devices. This comes along with the launch of a new GeForce NOW datacenter in India to enhance coverage. Here is a video and here are details on native Steam Deck support, which includes an Ultimate Membership tier:

The Steam Deck’s portability paired with GeForce NOW opens up new possibilities for high-fidelity gaming everywhere. The native GeForce NOW app will offer up to 4K resolution and 60 frames per second with high dynamic range on Valve’s innovative Steam Deck handheld when connected to a TV, streaming from GeForce RTX-powered gaming rigs in the cloud.

Last year, GeForce NOW rolled out a beta installation method that was eagerly welcomed by the gaming community. Later this year, members will be able to download the native GeForce NOW app and install it on Steam Deck.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Bethesda Veteran Says Players Are "Fatigued" By Seemingly Endless Games - GameSpot. Post-Starfield clarity.

• Another PlatinumGames director has confirmed they’ve left - VGC.

• Horizon Zero Dawn and Helldivers 2 movies announced - GamesIndustry.biz.
• The Last Of Us Season 2 - April 2025 - Max (video).
• George Romero's Resident Evil - Official Trailer.
• Ghost of Tsushima: Legends anime by Aniplex announced - Gematsu. Thanks Max.

• Pirates VR: Jolly Roger on Steam. Will set sail (and sale) in one week.

Official trailers.

• Tails of Iron 2 - Magic & Monsters Trailer - Out 28th Jan on PC, PlayStation, Xbox & Nintendo Switch.
• The Thing: Remastered Accolades Trailer - Nightdive Studios. Thanks Ant.

• Activision spent almost $1.8 billion developing three Call of Duty titles - Game Developer.

• New Midnight Black Collection of PS5 accessories launches next month – PlayStation.Blog. Shades of black.

• Goodyear’s smart tires can sense rain and ice for improved emergency braking - The Verge.
• Europe Wanted to Lead the World on EVs. Its Carmakers Can’t Keep Up - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Segway is finally launching e-bikes at CES 2025 - Engadget. Logical step after revolutionizing urban mall cop travel.

Thanks Ant.

• Taiwan investigating Chinese vessel over damage to undersea cable - Taiwan - The Guardian. Thanks Max.
• Meta is ending its fact-checking program in favor of a 'community notes' system similar to X - MSNBC. Facts are so 20th century.
• Dana White, U.F.C. Head, Joins Meta’s Board - The New York Times (free account required).
• Mozilla Thunderbird Desktop Version 128.6.0esr Release Notes.
• SeaMonkey 2.53.20 is out.

• NVIDIA Reflex 2 With New Frame Warp Technology Reduces Latency In Games By Up To 75% - GeForce News - NVIDIA.
• NVIDIA DLSS Now Accelerating Performance In EVE Frontier & Panicore - GeForce News - NVIDIA.
• LG's new UltraFine monitor is the world's first 6K display with Thunderbolt 5 connectivity - Neowin.
• Razer Redefines Gaming at CES 2025 With Groundbreaking Innovations and Futuristic Technologies. "Groundbreaking" is in the eye of the promoter.
• Project Arielle is a new Razer gaming chair that can heat or cool you - PCGamesN. See?
• Anker’s ‘AI party speaker’ can automatically remove vocals for karaoke nights - Engadget.
• Alienware finally ditches proprietary parts with the new Area-51 desktop - The Verge.
• windirstat version 2.2.0. Thanks Reddit via Ant.

• NVIDIA Redefines Game AI With ACE Autonomous Game Characters - GeForce News.
• Nvidia’s $3,000 ‘Personal AI Supercomputer’ Will Let You Ditch the Data Center - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Project G-Assist- An AI Assistant For GeForce RTX AI PCs, Comes To NVIDIA App In February - GeForce News.
• OpenAI's o3 model for ChatGPT leaves computer science students anxious - Axios.
• NVIDIA Media2 Transforms Content Creation, Streaming and Audience Experiences With AI - NVIDIA Blog.
• Nvidia’s ‘Cosmos’ AI Helps Humanoid Robots Navigate the World - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Apple will update iOS notification summaries after BBC headline mistake - Ars Technica.
• Apple steps up expansion of its News platform - Financial Times. More headline mistakes inbound.

• Vulnerability Summary for the Week of December 30, 2024 - CISA. Thanks Ant.
• 5 browser extension rules to live by to keep your system safe in 2025 - ZDNET.
• Widely used DNA sequencer still doesn’t enforce Secure Boot - Ars Technica.

• Ahead of SCOTUS Hearing, Study Finds TikTok Is Likely Vehicle for Chinese Propaganda - Gizmodo. Thanks Reddit.

• Graphics Card: Intel Arc B580 review- Late arriving, still welcome - Rock Paper Shotgun.
• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi Review - TechPowerUp.
• Printer: Creality Ender-3 V3 3D Printer - Nikk Tech.

Extremely Loud Music Is One Hell Of A Way To Remove The Snow From Your Car - Digg. Just when you thought you've seen everything. Okay boomer (see what I did there?), just let the haters complain about your subwoofer now! Though it's too bad the vehicle wasn't a Chevy Avalanche. Anyway, it's pretty wintry here in the northeast, so I guess you do what you can.

Oh yeah, don't forget to join our ESPN Pigskin Bracket Challenge Group if you want to compete for bragging rights. Feel free to share the link.

Booming Round-up
Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.

Stories

• Unemployed Office Workers Are Having a Harder Time Finding New Jobs - WSJ/MSN.
• Brazil eliminated daylight saving time. It’s having second thoughts - WSJ/MSN.
• Medical debt soon will be banned on credit reports under Biden administration rule - CNN Business.

Science

• How astronomers used gravitational lensing to discover 44 new stars in distant galaxy - ABC News.
• Storm-Surfing Bats Seen Using The Weather to Cover Astonishing Distances - ScienceAlert.

Media

• Fresno shoe store owner makes break-in 'pointless' with simple trick.

Creature Features

• L'il pup sasses big dog — until even bigger doggo steps in to set things straight (video) - Boing Boing.

Follow-up

• Correcting Genetic Spelling Errors With Next-Generation Crispr - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).