Niall Walsh
@niallwalsh94.bsky.social
Hardware Editor @ PCGamesN
Writer, reader, gamer, horror nerd and lover of sports.
Writer, reader, gamer, horror nerd and lover of sports.
I spend so much time working with/around handhelds that it's easy to forget how far we've come in just a few years. The Asus Xbox Ally X looks great, but it's hardware upgrades are minimal, so it feels like a missed opportunity to do something really impressive with the battery life.
The Asus Xbox Ally X looks seriously impressive, but there's one improvement I would have liked to see.
www.pcgamesn.com/asus/xbox-al...
www.pcgamesn.com/asus/xbox-al...
The Asus Xbox Ally handheld is real, but it's missing one big upgrade over the Ally X
The Asus Xbox Ally X and Xbox Ally are coming later this year, and both use AMD Ryzen Z2 CPUs, but they're missing one improvement.
www.pcgamesn.com
June 9, 2025 at 9:39 AM
I spend so much time working with/around handhelds that it's easy to forget how far we've come in just a few years. The Asus Xbox Ally X looks great, but it's hardware upgrades are minimal, so it feels like a missed opportunity to do something really impressive with the battery life.
Skeleta is a banger, Ghost are on fire right now.
April 25, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Skeleta is a banger, Ghost are on fire right now.
Gonna celebrate with a can of peans.
The winner of the 2025 BAFTA for British Game is…Thank Goodness You’re Here! 🎮 #BAFTAGamesAwards
April 8, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Gonna celebrate with a can of peans.
I'm not Nintendo's target audience, I get that, but the Direct was really poor. So many games are playable elsewhere for years, and loads of Switch 2 upgrades/content packs, which will cost money. Oh, and no price? It just didn't sit right at all. Sony or Microsoft would have been crucified.
April 2, 2025 at 2:15 PM
I'm not Nintendo's target audience, I get that, but the Direct was really poor. So many games are playable elsewhere for years, and loads of Switch 2 upgrades/content packs, which will cost money. Oh, and no price? It just didn't sit right at all. Sony or Microsoft would have been crucified.
In a market where you can download SteamOS for all handhelds... there is no need for a Steam Deck, and that kinda makes me sad. I can definately see Valve just pushing forward with the OS and dropping hardware once the Deck 2 is out.
We have our first good look at SteamOS running on a ROG Ally, and it's got us worried about the Steam Deck.
www.pcgamesn.com/steam-deck/s...
www.pcgamesn.com/steam-deck/s...
Seeing SteamOS run on a ROG Ally has me worried about the Steam Deck
SteamOS has been tested on a Asus ROG Ally, and the results on the handheld gaming PC are remarkable, if a little shaky on performance.
www.pcgamesn.com
March 25, 2025 at 5:14 PM
In a market where you can download SteamOS for all handhelds... there is no need for a Steam Deck, and that kinda makes me sad. I can definately see Valve just pushing forward with the OS and dropping hardware once the Deck 2 is out.
Really thought I cracked Balatro then purple stakes came along and is crushing me.
March 23, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Really thought I cracked Balatro then purple stakes came along and is crushing me.
Feel kinda stupid for sleeping on Stranger Things for so long, but I just never connected with it when it was first released. Now I'm sitting waiting for tonight so I can finish season 4 and join everyone else in waiting for news on season 5 😂
March 20, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Feel kinda stupid for sleeping on Stranger Things for so long, but I just never connected with it when it was first released. Now I'm sitting waiting for tonight so I can finish season 4 and join everyone else in waiting for news on season 5 😂
Having an incredibly tough time mentally as of late, but I'll be damned if the F1 returning this weekend isn't helping massively. Even if the possibility of another MaxWinsLOL season is very real.
March 12, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Having an incredibly tough time mentally as of late, but I'll be damned if the F1 returning this weekend isn't helping massively. Even if the possibility of another MaxWinsLOL season is very real.
Amazing to see all the love Split Fiction is getting. Hazelight is a hell of a studio and a bright spark in a bleak industry.
March 4, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Amazing to see all the love Split Fiction is getting. Hazelight is a hell of a studio and a bright spark in a bleak industry.
Fuck.
Michelle Trachtenberg, ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Actor, Dies at 39 variety.com/2025/film/ne...
Michelle Trachtenberg, ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Actor, Dies at 39
Michelle Trachtenberg, the actor best known for "Gossip Girl," "Ice Princess" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," died at age 39.
variety.com
February 26, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Fuck.
Reposted by Niall Walsh
Okay this is the single best weaponization of They Live I've seen.
February 24, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Okay this is the single best weaponization of They Live I've seen.
Feel stupid for sleeping on The Crew Motorfest. I know the first two games were hot garbage but this one is hella fun, even if it is just a Horizon clone.
February 24, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Feel stupid for sleeping on The Crew Motorfest. I know the first two games were hot garbage but this one is hella fun, even if it is just a Horizon clone.
So, yeah... not a fan 😅
February 19, 2025 at 3:21 PM
So, yeah... not a fan 😅
Tried to pull myself away from Balatro and ended up playing Heretic’s Fork which is just as addictive 😂
February 15, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Tried to pull myself away from Balatro and ended up playing Heretic’s Fork which is just as addictive 😂
I get to play with a lot of cool peripherals as part of my job, but this NZXT gear is still my go to at the end of the day, can't recommend it enough!
The Best Buy Presidents' Day deals are live and include some underrated NZXT audio gear. www.pcgamesn.com/nzxt/relay-s...
Save $100 on this NZXT headset and audio controller in Presidents’ Day sale
Save $50 on both the NZXT Relay gaming headset and Switchmix audio controller, meaning you can upgrade your entire audio setup for $129.98.
www.pcgamesn.com
February 12, 2025 at 11:49 AM
I get to play with a lot of cool peripherals as part of my job, but this NZXT gear is still my go to at the end of the day, can't recommend it enough!
Genuinely excited to give the Ayaneo 3 a go and see if it lives up to it's price tag.
This Steam Deck rival is packing some serious power, and a feature never before seen on a Windows handheld.
www.pcgamesn.com/ayaneo/world...
www.pcgamesn.com/ayaneo/world...
This new Steam Deck killer has a feature no other handheld gaming PC can match
Ayaneo is bringing the world's first modular gaming handheld to market, but to grab the most powerful model, it will cost as $1,799.
www.pcgamesn.com
February 11, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Genuinely excited to give the Ayaneo 3 a go and see if it lives up to it's price tag.
I’ve defended SI throughout everything regarding FM25, but a 2am statement is just baffling for a predominantly British/European fan base. Feel for the studio though, and pray this doesn’t lead to layoffs.
February 7, 2025 at 3:13 AM
I’ve defended SI throughout everything regarding FM25, but a 2am statement is just baffling for a predominantly British/European fan base. Feel for the studio though, and pray this doesn’t lead to layoffs.
Zero expectations for TGA tonight. One thing about being deep in the newborn trenches again is falling being on gaming news. Hell, the only two games I’ve played in the last six weeks have been RuneScape and F1 Manager 24 😂
December 13, 2024 at 12:25 AM
Zero expectations for TGA tonight. One thing about being deep in the newborn trenches again is falling being on gaming news. Hell, the only two games I’ve played in the last six weeks have been RuneScape and F1 Manager 24 😂
McLaren have given up, the championship battle was fun while it lasted, just need to hope it’s a more competitive field next year. Constructors is coming down to the wire at least.
November 24, 2024 at 6:39 AM
McLaren have given up, the championship battle was fun while it lasted, just need to hope it’s a more competitive field next year. Constructors is coming down to the wire at least.
Grid walks are often hectic but Martin Brundle looking so bemused at someone trying to get him to talk to Jenny McCarthy of all people is hilarious.
November 24, 2024 at 5:43 AM
Grid walks are often hectic but Martin Brundle looking so bemused at someone trying to get him to talk to Jenny McCarthy of all people is hilarious.
Finally got round to reading Ushers by Joe Hill. Fantastic short story with that does a hell of a lot in what is ultimately a 30ish-minute read time.
November 19, 2024 at 4:43 PM
Finally got round to reading Ushers by Joe Hill. Fantastic short story with that does a hell of a lot in what is ultimately a 30ish-minute read time.
I had so many plans for paternity leave and so far it’s mostly been watching The Rookie and reading on my kindle. Not mad at it tbh.
November 13, 2024 at 11:01 PM
I had so many plans for paternity leave and so far it’s mostly been watching The Rookie and reading on my kindle. Not mad at it tbh.
This feels like classic OTT policy design. The concept has a genuinely great cause at its heart, but was made unnecessarily extreme, which will only cause friction and distrust.
Australia is introducing an act that will ban under-16s from online platforms (social media, YouTube, Roblox, Fortnite, PSN/Xbox Live, etc).
The proposed act has support on both sides of government and is expected to pass unchallenged.
(Read more: Press Start AU)
The proposed act has support on both sides of government and is expected to pass unchallenged.
(Read more: Press Start AU)
November 11, 2024 at 12:30 PM
This feels like classic OTT policy design. The concept has a genuinely great cause at its heart, but was made unnecessarily extreme, which will only cause friction and distrust.
In amidst everything that has been going on across the world over the last few days, I’ve been wrapped up welcoming my second daughter to the world. Forever grateful to the NHS and I live in awe of my incredible wife for how she handled what was far from a smooth journey.
November 6, 2024 at 6:31 PM
In amidst everything that has been going on across the world over the last few days, I’ve been wrapped up welcoming my second daughter to the world. Forever grateful to the NHS and I live in awe of my incredible wife for how she handled what was far from a smooth journey.
I know adaptations are hard, but Sweepea (the show) is a complete miss. The book is incredible but its tone is completely MIA and the story is just hacked to pieces to present as a prequel, but it isn’t really because there’s also too much crossover.
October 25, 2024 at 12:09 PM
I know adaptations are hard, but Sweepea (the show) is a complete miss. The book is incredible but its tone is completely MIA and the story is just hacked to pieces to present as a prequel, but it isn’t really because there’s also too much crossover.