Valve's $1,049 Steam Machine launches June 29 with limited availability
Valve's long-awaited Steam Machine is set to ship on June 29 starting at $1,049, but initial units will be extremely limited, making them hard to buy. Reviews highlight that the device straddles an awkward line between a console and a PC, offering flexibility at the cost of plug-and-play simplicity. Valve itself suggests some users may be better off with cheaper alternatives or building their own system. The device ships with 512GB storage and notably no included controller.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into a Tesla crash in Texas where a vehicle allegedly operating on Autopilot struck a home, killing a woman inside. Tesla has pushed back on the narrative that Autopilot was responsible, but the incident has reignited scrutiny over the safety of the company's driver-assistance systems. The crash marks another high-profile case that could influence regulatory action on autonomous driving technology.
Chinese manufacturers of multilayer ceramic capacitors — a humble component now called the 'rice of electronics' — are heading to Hong Kong for listings, capitalizing on surging demand from AI servers and data centers. Meanwhile, Apple supplier Lingyi is seeking a $1.1 billion Hong Kong IPO to fund expansion into AI servers, smart glasses, and robotics. A Beijing expo featuring Nvidia, Apple, and Micron underscores China's strategy to secure its AI supply chain.
The founder of Zhipu AI told Elon Musk that China will be able to match Anthropic's leading AI model within the year, as the country accelerates its race against US tech giants. China is set to host the 2026 World AI Conference in Shanghai this July, signaling its ambition to be a global AI hub. Japan is meanwhile seeking AI alliances with France and India to counterbalance US-China dominance in the sector.
Amazon Prime Day 2026 is driving significant discounts across gaming monitors, GPUs, and laptops. Sceptre gaming monitors are seeing up to $100 off, and the Asus Prime RTX 5070 Ti is available for $900. The MSI Cyborg 15 gaming laptop with an RTX 5070 and 1TB SSD is priced at $1,089, making it a compelling mid-range option for gamers looking to upgrade.