The Morning After: Valve's new 'Half-Life' VR game

And Google Stadia is ready to start streaming.

Richard Lawler
·Senior News Editor
Updated ·4 min read

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

This morning we're ready to talk about Half-Life: Alyx as well as the reality of Google Stadia and cloud gaming. Samsung's Kylo Ren-themed Galaxy Note 10+ is stylish but expensive, and you can save some cash on Google gear next week. We'll explain.

There's a but.Valve has finally confirmed a new 'Half-Life' game

On Thursday, we'll meet the first new Half-Life title that Valve has released in a dozen years. The one thing we know so far about Half-Life: Alyx is it's the company's first 'flagship VR game.' Now Valve has its own Index virtual reality headset to offer, it makes sense that the company would use one of its most beloved titles to push the technology, but we'll know more about what's required when the game is revealed on November 21st.

It's impressive, but the game selection is expensive and underwhelming. Google Stadia has landed

Google promised a lot with its streaming game service, and it delivered on most of it. With Stadia, you can stream and play AAA titles like Destiny 2, Red Dead Redemption 2 and, well, 20 other games. We've been playing the new service for a week, and while it all hinges on how fast your home internet works, these games work. Jessica Conditt explains all.

You can also score a Nest Hub for $79.Google details its Black Friday discounts, including Pixel 4s for $200 off

If you've been thinking about picking up some Google hardware, it might make sense to wait. The company has several discounts planned, including a Pixel 4/4 XL offer that cuts $200 so they start at $599, which will be available on November 24th. Deals starting on the 28th include $20 off the usual $49 price for a Nest Mini and a Pixel 3a/3a XL for $100 off.

The batteries are bigger, but you won't be able to fix it on your own.iFixit's 16-inch MacBook Pro teardown reveals only a few changes

We already got a closer look at the new, bigger MacBook Pro's keyboard, but what about the rest? Well, there's less to report beside a new thermal management system and bigger battery cells. If you were hoping for more repairability, like Microsoft's latest machines, then we've got bad news. You'd probably still need some expertise to do any work inside the machine. But hey, at least the keyboard is less likely to jam up.

Why not a baby (redacted)?Samsung made a 'Star Wars' Galaxy Note 10+ for Kylo Ren fans

This Galaxy Note 10+ Star Wars Special Edition will mark the release of The Rise of Skywalker. The phone touts a black-and-red color scheme (plus custom graphics and sounds) to match Kylo Ren's embrace of the dark side, and you'll also get a matching Kylo Ren case, Galaxy Buds and a metal collector's badge. In the US, it'll be available on December 13th in unlocked form for $1,300 at Amazon, Samsung and some Best Buy and Microsoft stores.

We're not the market for this.Sony's baffling wearable speaker heads to the US

Want the convenience of portable tunes but hate headphones and earbuds? Sony has a solution for you in its Immersive Wearable Speaker (SRS-WS1), which is perhaps the company's most aptly named piece of audio kit. The speaker launched in Japan back in 2017 (we caught a glimpse of an earlier version during SXSW 2016), and now it's finally making its way to the US in December. It'll be available for an introductory price of $250 if you pre-order by December 1st, and $300 afterwards. The only tricky part is finding someone who will wear this thing.

Looks like a DualShock 4.Sony's new controller patent reaffirms a familiar-looking controller for the PS5

An early report from Wired said the prototype of Sony's new PlayStation 5 controller looked "an awful lot like the PS4's DualShock 4," and a filing at Japan's patent office backs that up. It's really not much different at all -- although it appears the new accessory won't include a light bar, and there are larger trigger buttons that will reportedly feature adaptive triggers to represent in-game forces and tension. For now, however, this is just a dotted-line diagram. Sony could still shake up the design.

But wait, there's more...

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