Alarmed at the price increase for Steam Deck, a reader fears gaming hardware is becoming unaffordable for ordinary people and that companies are preparing to replace it.

You probably saw the news during the week, that the price of the Steam Deck has increased by 40% worldwide, meaning a price hike of £200/$300. I have never, ever heard of anything like that and while it’s obvious why it is, with the memory crisis and the whole world in chaos, at the end of the day it’s still a huge amount of money for a bit of hardware that was already not cheap.

I was never going to get one anyway, and I imagine a lot of people are going to think too and just move on, but this is all on top of prices rises for the Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and soon the Nintendo Switch 2. And the price of PC components has gone up by even more, so you can’t just wash your hands of consoles and say you’ll get a gaming PC instead.

All this and we’re at the cusp of a new generation of consoles which always cost more, and which Xbox has specifically said will be expensive. I don’t know about you, but I’ve already gone as far as I can with this. I’m not paying close to a grand for a video game console, especially not when it has almost no chance of doing anything new.

So, this is a problem that has already started and there is no way to do anything about it, because it’s not even specifically a video game problem. It’s also something that’s only likely to get worse over time, unless the AI bubble does ever burst, which it’s really looking like it won’t.

But there is an alternative. It’s one that I don’t like but I think we’re going to start hearing a lot about it very soon, especially as Microsoft is super keen on it, since from their perspective they were already cooked when it came to the console business anyway – so they’ve got very little to lose at the moment.

If you haven’t guessed already what I’m talking about it’s streaming, which we haven’t heard much about at all this gen, even though GeForce Now is trucking along quite happily. Although the fact that Microsoft’s service isn’t actually very good probably explains that, especially as Sony uses the same tech.

But really, like it or not, streaming seems like the only way out of the current problem. It’s not ideal because unless you have a watertight Wi-Fi at home you’re going to have choppy graphics, and that’s definitely going to happen when you’re out and about, so goodbye handhelds that you can use anywhere.

Naturally, it means not owning any of the games yourself, and the complete death of physical gaming, but I’m sure none of the console manufacturers will care about that.

I think there will still be consoles even once streaming takes over but I think, as Microsoft’s Project Helix is implied to be, they’ll just be ultra expensive high-end machines for super fans. That was probably always the plan, given what Microsoft has said so far, but now with the memory crisis they have no choice.

Valve is probably kicking themselves they didn’t get the Steam Machine released a few months earlier but I think that, if they don’t just cancel it outright, they’ll make that just for the 1% as well. After all, that Steam Deck price hike sounds outrageous, but it still sold out anyway at that price. So there are people out there that will pay anything to get the hardware they want.

Most people aren’t like that though. They just want to play games cheaply and conveniently, and that is not where the industry is headed. So when switching to streaming casual gamers will just put up with the downsides because it’s ‘good enough’, which is what most people do about most things they’re not passionate about.

It’s a grim future as far as I’m concerned, especially because I think it’s going to happen a lot sooner than we think. If consoles are already becoming unaffordable for ordinary people, then companies are going to want an alternative as soon as possible, and that can only be streaming. (Or just putting up with what you’ve got and embracing retro gaming.)

By reader Taylor Moon

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

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The message comes from County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) ahead of the school summer holidays, a time when there is often a rise in arson incidents.

Wayne Thompson, station manager at Bishop Auckland, said: “We want to highlight the dangers of deliberate fire setting and the serious consequences that burn on long after the flames have gone out.

“During the school holidays and when the weather is nice, we typically see a spike in the number of deliberate incidents we attend.

“Kids might think that setting fire to a bin or bit of grass is just a bit of fun.

“But we want to stress that not only are they putting themselves and others at risk of injury, but they could also be preventing crews from being available to attend critical incidents like house fires, road traffic collisions, water-related incidents.”

Mr Thompson said 92 per cent of the fires attended by his station in April, May and June last year were deliberate, totalling 126 incidents across West Auckland, Bishop Auckland Town, and Dene Valley.

There were 371 deliberate fires recorded in Bishop Auckland last year, and 40 so far this year.

The fire service has reminded the public that arson is a criminal offence that can result in prosecution and affect future education and employment opportunities.

CDDFRS is urging parents to speak with their children about the dangers of starting fires and the potential consequences.

Working with Durham Constabulary, the service conducts regular patrols in hotspot areas in Bishop Auckland to deter arson and reassure the community.

Anyone with information about deliberate fires can report it anonymously to FireStoppers by calling 0800 169 5558 or visiting firestoppersreport.co.uk.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center and blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations — the latest legal setback for Trump’s efforts to leave his personal mark on the landscape of the nation’s capital.

Trump said in response that he’s backing away from his proposed renovation and returning control of the arts institution to Congress.

“Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into ‘NEVER NEVER LAND,’” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., ruled that the Kennedy Center board’s March 16 vote to close the facility was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained” with no regard for its legal obligations. The administration had announced the work would begin in July and last approximately two years, but Cooper’s ruling halts those plans for now.

Trump has made it a priority of his second term to leave his personal stamp on some of the most historic spots in Washington. He demolished the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom. His name or image has been added to government buildings, including the U.S. Institute of Peace and Justice Department headquarters. He is pushing for a triumphal arch overlooking the Potomac River.

Opponents have challenged other Trump construction projects in court — and won favorable rulings. But the district court judges likely won’t have the final say as the administration pursues appeals.

Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, said Friday the institution is “confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board’s will to recognize President Trump’s historic contributions to our nation’s cultural center.” She said the decision would be reviewed “carefully.”

“Though the reality remains — the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration – a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges,” Daravi said. “With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.”

Cooper held hearings in late April for parallel lawsuits challenging the project. One was filed by a group of cultural and historic preservation organizations. The other was brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who serves as an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board. He ruled in favor of Beatty’s request but rejected the other challenge.

Beatty called the decision a win for the Kennedy Center and the performing arts. “Now hopefully people can come back to work, we can continue to be the Kennedy Center that we were intended to be,” she told The Associated Press.

Justice Department attorneys said renovation plans for the building are limited in scope and well within the board’s authority to make without needing outside approvals.

How much of an overhaul is needed?

The plaintiffs worry the president and his board allies will flout preservation rules designed to maintain the building’s historic fabric. In earlier statements in court hearings, attorneys for Beatty and the preservation groups raised doubts about the limited scope of the project, pointing to Trump’s statements that he would “fully expose” the building’s steel skeleton.

Beatty has said she was “very fearful that we’ll see what happened with the East Wing and what happened with the Rose Garden” if the center is closed and the renovations allowed unsupervised, referring to major changes the president has made at the White House.

Mike Floca, the Kennedy Center’s executive director and chief operating officer, spent several weeks during the spring walking a bipartisan group of lawmakers and their staffs, along with journalists and Washington city officials, through the expansive building that sprawls across 1.5 million square feet.

The tours were intended to show that the Kennedy Center, which began construction in 1965, was in genuine need of an overhaul. The walkthroughs showed severe water damage, apparent in some places through discoloration and pooling. Some pieces of equipment, including several 800-ton chillers that help cool the building, are decades old and in need of replacement.

Floca told reporters in April that he considered doing the repairs individually but insisted it was his recommendation to Trump to close the building and move forward with the renovation all at once.

Trump has taken a keen interest in the Kennedy Center’s operations since he returned to the White House last year. He installed a handpicked board that named him chairman. His name was added to the façade of a building that is considered a living monument to Kennedy.

The Kennedy Center has kept up performances ahead of the closure, though at a much slower pace than in previous years. Trump attended the premiere of the musical “Chicago” in March and other shows, including “Moulin Rouge,” are slated for June.

Bill Maher, the comedian who has had an up and down relationship with Trump, is expected to be awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on June 28, an event that was anticipated to be one of the final big moments at the Kennedy Center before the closure.

___

Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer, Collin Binkley and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

Instead, he must now reset and recharge to go again at Wimbledon next month.

Given he is a seven-time champion on a grass surface which younger players have struggled to master, Djokovic will always fancy his chances at the All England Club.

Djokovic can never be ruled out of becoming the oldest major men’s singles champion in the Open Era, but Father Time has been sat waiting on Djokovic’s shoulder for a good while.

By rights, he should probably be basking in a post-retirement glow by now.

Coaching a young compatriot away from the public glare like Andy Murray, perhaps. Doing a promotional tour for a new Netflix documentary like Rafael Nadal, maybe.

While his long-time rivals move into the next phase of their lives, Djokovic was retching at the side of a court in an attempt to summon the energy to beat a teenager.

It is a testament to his superpower that he still wants to push himself to such limits against much younger opponents.

As we have seen time and time again, Djokovic’s insatiable appetite for the sport’s biggest prizes will never diminish.

But, having reached at least the semi-finals at the past five Grand Slams, this was the clearest sign yet that the ageing process was finally catching up with him.

Djokovic looked in complete control as he moved two sets ahead, but could not maintain his level as Fonseca proved he is the real deal.

“It would be nice if it was best-of-three,” Djokovic smiled.

“I just ran out of gas, to be honest. I didn’t feel good at all on the court in the next couple of sets.”

Djokovic has always thrived in the best-of-five format of the majors, beating almost anybody who has stood in his way for almost two years.

The only exceptions have been Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and the knee injury which forced him to quit against Alexander Zverev at last year’s Australian Open.

Everyone else has not been good enough, or not had the mentality, to see veteran Djokovic off.

The Pentagon is reportedly recruiting service members to sit in the crowd for President Donald Trump’s birthday UFC fight on the White House lawn, requiring that the troops pay their way at the event — and meet exacting physical fitness requirements.

Air Force troops considering taking up the offer were told they must meet the “CURRENT WAIST-HEIGHT RATIO and current physical fitness standard,” according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post.

The effort has reportedly focused on getting service members from across the different branches of the military, pulled from the junior enlisted and officer corps.

Troops will be required to wear their short-sleeve dress uniforms, sources told the paper.

The Pentagon declined to comment.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.

Visible construction at the White House kicked into high gear this week for the June 14 bout, which is part of the American 250th anniversary celebrations in Washington.

A massive temporary arena, complete with a superstructure that towers above the White House, is being erected on the South Lawn.

The president has attended numerous UFC events, and UFC boss Dana White is a close ally of the Republican.

Outside of being in the military, being a friend of Trump — or high-dollar sponsor of the fight — is reportedly one of the few ways to guarantee a ticket to the event, which will feature a crowd of about 4,000 people.

Since taking office, the Trump administration has made a point of emphasizing the physical fitness of US troops.

During a highly unusual 2025 event, in which Defense Secretary Hegseth called hundreds of top US military leaders to Virginia on short notice, Hegseth railed against “fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon” and announced a set of new fitness requirements across the armed forces.

Later that year, Hegseth, who is often photographed doing fitness training with the troops, complained that many Americans are “too dumb” or “too fat” to serve in the military.

“I know it’s not easy on the basic ingredients on recruiting,” Hegseth told a gathering of top recruiters. “Too many of our young people are too fat or too dumb — not dumb, that’s wrong. You know, we’re just not educating them properly or they’ve got criminal records, or ADHD, or all these other things.”

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A federal judge has said that New Hampshire must make voter registration easier by allowing applicants to attest to their U.S. citizenship if they don’t have the documents to prove it.

The case was seen as the first major legal test of an election reform that has been pushed nationally by President Donald Trump and has gained favor among many Republicans, though U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliot said she was not deciding whether requiring proof of citizenship itself is constitutional. Her ruling late Thursday night on a narrower question of New Hampshire law was significant, however, because it underscored the potential perils of implementing strict requirements for voters to document their U.S. citizenship so they can cast a ballot.

Elliot found that changes in 2024 to the state voter registration law unconstitutionally removed one method of proof — namely, a voter’s sworn affidavit attesting to citizenship.

“The evidence shows that this is the only method of proof available to a significant number of New Hampshire voters,” she wrote.

The changes took effect last year, after former Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, signed the bill two years ago. The attorney general’s office said it plans to appeal the judge’s ruling, calling the citizenship requirements a “common-sense approach to voter registration and election administration designed to protect the integrity of our elections.”

The ruling was a win for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire and other plaintiffs who argued that the changes that took effect last year were burdensome and unnecessary.

“New Hampshire’s elections have always been safe, secure, and accurate — and this law could have unconstitutionally and needlessly prevented thousands of eligible voters from casting a ballot,” said Henry Klementowicz, deputy legal director of the ACLU of New Hampshire.

In her ruling, Elliott said eliminating the affidavit option created a significant burden for voters and did little, if anything, to further the state’s interests. She noted that an expert on voter fraud found only 47 instances of wrongful voting out of roughly 8.3 million votes between 1998 and 2024. During that time, only eight noncitizens may have cast ballots, she said.

“If wrongful voting is rare in New Hampshire, wrongful voting by noncitizens is essentially non-existent,” she wrote.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the Coalition for Open Democracy, the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire, the Forward Foundation and five voters, called the state’s voter registration law one of the most restrictive in the nation. During town elections last fall, some voters had trouble gathering passports, birth certificates or other proof of citizenship.

New Hampshire is not the only state with a proof-of-citizenship law for voters. Arizona, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming have similar laws already in effect, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Florida passed a law this year requiring documentary proof of citizenship to vote, but it won’t take effect until next year.

A similar law in Kansas, which required proof of citizenship for state and federal elections, was found in 2018 to violate both the U.S. Constitution and the National Voter Registration Act after it prevented more than 31,000 citizens from registering to vote.

Arizona established a two-tiered system after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that the state could not require citizenship documentation for federal elections. In August 2024, the court allowed some parts of the state’s proof-of-citizenship law to be enforced as the legal fight continued in lower courts.

The ruling comes as Trump is trying to push a proof-of-citizenship bill, the SAVE America Act, through Congress. Voting rights advocates say such a federal requirement could disenfranchise millions of people. A 2025 University of Maryland study estimated that 21.3 million Americans who are eligible to vote do not have or have easy access to documents to prove their citizenship, including nearly 10% of Democrats, 7% of Republicans and 14% of people unaffiliated with either major party.

New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan said he will reimplement the use of voter affidavits for registrants to prove citizenship, but noted the ruling doesn’t affect other 2024 changes to the law, including a requirement that those registering to vote provide documentary proof of identity, age and address. Voters also will continue to be required to show proof of identity on Election Day.

___

Carr Smyth reported from Columbus, Ohio.

It was put up for sale for £210,000 in February

Gavin & Stacey fans can stay in Uncle Bryn’s house as it is set to be transformed into an Airbnb. The humble terraced house became a slice of British TV history when it was featured in the hit comedy.

It was home to Rob Brydon’s fan favourite character Uncle Bryn – and was the spot where he “surfed the world wide web”. The property also set the scene for Bryn hosting Gavin’s Essex mates before they headed out for a boozy night in Cardiff.

The house at Trinity Street in Barry was put up for sale for £210,000 and has now been snapped up by Jaxx Nelson and Tom Bodfish.

The pair are transforming the spot into the ultimate Gavin & Stacey Airbnb – and have named it “Gone Fishin’” in reference to Bryn’s famous fishing trip.

Jaxx said: “We’re now on a mission to Gavin & Stacey-ify it properly. Think cosy Welsh nostalgia, niche references only real fans will clock, a few Uncle Bryn moments sprinkled about, and probably too many omelettes.”

Jaxx said she plans to share the transformation as it happens before it finally opens its doors to fans. She said: “The dream? A place that feels like you’ve stepped straight into the world of the show while still being a genuinely lovely place to stay by the sea.”

Thousands of Gavin & Stacey fans visit Trinity Street to see the homes featured in the iconic sitcom.

The sale comes just months after show fan Lisa Molloy, 42, snapped up the home of fruity pensioner character Doris O’Neill across the street.

Lisa and husband Chris were the first people to view the property after travelling 130 miles from Tamworth to buy it within 48 hours.

They paid just over the asking price of £220,000 for the two-bedroom terrace – and even paid extra to keep the furniture from the show.

Raheem Sterling has been arrested on suspicion suspicion of driving a vehicle whilst unfit through drugs, driving dangerously, possession of a Class C drug and failing to provide a specimen

Ex-Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal forward Raheem Sterling has been arrested for driving whilst unfit through drugs after crashing his Lamborghini. Sterling, a 82-time England international, was stopped by police after crashing his car into the motorway barriers on the M3.

A statement from Hampshire Police said on Thursday: “Just before 9am on Thursday, we received reports that a Lamborghini was in collision with barriers on the M3 southbound, close to the Minley Interchange. No other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported.

“The driver, a 31-year-old man, from Berkshire, has been arrested on suspicion of driving a vehicle whilst unfit through drugs, driving dangerously, possession of a Class C drug and failing to provide a specimen. He has been bailed while our enquiries continue.”

Sterling was eventually released on bail pending further investigation.

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Sterling has endured a very difficult few years when it comes to his footballing career. The winger enjoyed a successful period with Liverpool ahead of a move to Manchester City.

He won four Premier League titles during his time at the Etihad Stadium but was sold to Chelsea in 2022. Sterling spent just two seasons at Stamford Bridge before being loaned out to Arsenal where he scored just one goal in 28 appearances.

His remaining contract with Chelsea was ripped up in January, with the wideman then moving to Dutch side Feyenoord.

But he made just eight appearances and did not score a goal. Speaking about Sterling after his final appearance for the club, Feyenoord boss Robin van Persie said: “Personally, I struggle with the cynicism surrounding him. think respect is more appropriate. In any case, I don’t like cynicism. I can’t stand the whole atmosphere around him.

“Everyone has to know their place in that. And I think we sometimes go a bit overboard in the Netherlands regarding that.”

“He has scored 200 goals in England and played 82 international matches,” Van Persie added. “And that is regardless of whether you think he plays well or not. But I think the way we handle this as a footballing nation is really very bad.”

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Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

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