The Steam Deck promises to cram a gaming PC into a handheld format, and now Valve is testing out what games work well on the platform.

Valve is introducing a system of symbols to tell players how individual games perform on Steam Deck. There are four tiers of compatibility within this new system.

Verified

• A green check indicates the game passed Valve's tests for controller input, display, seamlessness, and system support.

Playable

• A yellow symbol means the game is playable, but may need some tweaking to be an enjoyable experience. Valve says this may mean selecting a community-made controller configuration, using the touchscreen, and more.

Unsupported

• A gray symbol means the game does not work on Steam Deck. An easy example of this is Half-Life Alyx, which requires a VR headset to play.

Unknown

• A question mark means Valve has not checked the game for compatibility yet.

This system will also impact how games are displayed in the Steam Store on the handheld. Only games that are Steam Deck Verified will be displayed on the store. The badges will also be displayed on the thumbnail for each game in your Steam Library, telling you how it will run before you launch.

Valve says they plan to release compatibility for many games in the Steam catalog before the Steam Deck launches. The review will also continue beyond launch. You can find more information on this process on the official Steam Deck website.

For more, check out our Steam Deck hands-on from earlier this year. Or, check out Valve's official Steam Deck teardown to get a look at the inside of the device.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

The Steam Deck promises to cram a gaming PC into a handheld format, and now Valve is testing out what games work well on the platform.

Valve is introducing a system of symbols to tell players how individual games perform on Steam Deck. There are four tiers of compatibility within this new system.

Verified

• A green check indicates the game passed Valve's tests for controller input, display, seamlessness, and system support.

Playable

• A yellow symbol means the game is playable, but may need some tweaking to be an enjoyable experience. Valve says this may mean selecting a community-made controller configuration, using the touchscreen, and more.

Unsupported

• A gray symbol means the game does not work on Steam Deck. An easy example of this is Half-Life Alyx, which requires a VR headset to play.

Unknown

• A question mark means Valve has not checked the game for compatibility yet.

This system will also impact how games are displayed in the Steam Store on the handheld. Only games that are Steam Deck Verified will be displayed on the store. The badges will also be displayed on the thumbnail for each game in your Steam Library, telling you how it will run before you launch.

Valve says they plan to release compatibility for many games in the Steam catalog before the Steam Deck launches. The review will also continue beyond launch. You can find more information on this process on the official Steam Deck website.

For more, check out our Steam Deck hands-on from earlier this year. Or, check out Valve's official Steam Deck teardown to get a look at the inside of the device.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Ryan Reynolds has announced he will be taking a small break from acting after wrapping up his new movie Spirited.

In an Instagram post, Reynolds thanked his co-stars, which include Octavia Spencer and Will Ferrell, as well as the crew on Spirited. Reynolds also added that this is a “Perfect time for a little sabbatical from movie making.”

It’s unclear how long Reynolds plans to take a break from acting, but maintaining a healthy work-life balance is important for everyone, even actors.

Spirited is an upcoming Apple TV+, musical retelling of the holiday classic, A Christmas Carol. Reynolds will play the miserable industrialist Ebeneezer Scrooge while Ferrell will play the Ghost of Christmas Present.

In the comments Reynolds’ wife Blake Lively joked that Michael Caine did this first, referencing Caine’s announcement that he is retiring from acting (which his representatives later denied).

The sabbatical could also mean that Reynolds doesn’t have a particularly big project lined up right away. Even though we know a new Deadpool movie is in development at Marvel Studios, Reynolds might not be suiting up in the red outfit anytime soon.

And the timing lines up with today’s news that Marvel has delayed nearly its entire Phase Four slate through 2023, as well as other movies like the next Indiana Jones. Though this could all be just a coincidence.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Ryan Reynolds has announced he will be taking a small break from acting after wrapping up his new movie Spirited.

In an Instagram post, Reynolds thanked his co-stars, which include Octavia Spencer and Will Ferrell, as well as the crew on Spirited. Reynolds also added that this is a “Perfect time for a little sabbatical from movie making.”

It’s unclear how long Reynolds plans to take a break from acting, but maintaining a healthy work-life balance is important for everyone, even actors.

Spirited is an upcoming Apple TV+, musical retelling of the holiday classic, A Christmas Carol. Reynolds will play the miserable industrialist Ebeneezer Scrooge while Ferrell will play the Ghost of Christmas Present.

In the comments Reynolds’ wife Blake Lively joked that Michael Caine did this first, referencing Caine’s announcement that he is retiring from acting (which his representatives later denied).

The sabbatical could also mean that Reynolds doesn’t have a particularly big project lined up right away. Even though we know a new Deadpool movie is in development at Marvel Studios, Reynolds might not be suiting up in the red outfit anytime soon.

And the timing lines up with today’s news that Marvel has delayed nearly its entire Phase Four slate through 2023, as well as other movies like the next Indiana Jones. Though this could all be just a coincidence.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Apple has announced two new chips designed for its 2021 MacBook Pro models: the M1 Pro and M1 Max.

The tech giant promises that M1 Pro-powered MacBooks will promise 70 percent better CPU performance and double the graphical performance than the year-old M1 chip. The mid-level chip includes a 10-core CPU with eight performance cores and two efficiency cores with a 16-core GPU. Support for RAM has also increased, with the M1 Pro supporting up to 32GB with 200 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

Although the M1 Max offers the same CPU configuration as the M1 Pro, the higher-end chip doubles the memory bandwidth and the capabilities compared to the Pro variant, with the flagship chip supporting up to 64GB of RAM with a memory bandwidth of 400GB/s and a 32-core GPU. Because of the additional power included in the M1 Max, Apple says this new chip can connect up to four external displays on a single device that includes the chip.

As far as performance goes, Apple claims that both the M1 Pro and M1 Max "delivers up to 1.7 times" the CPU performance compared to "the latest four-core and eight-core PC laptop chips." Unfortunately, Apple did not specify as to which laptops it was referring to, nor did it dive into how well these new chips can perform from a gaming standpoint.

The M1 Pro and M1 Max announcement come at an interesting time for Apple as the company is closing in on year one of its two-ear transition as more of its products become powered by its own silicon. The transition began late last year following the release of the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, while earlier this year, the in-house chip made its way to Apple's flagship tablet, the iPad Pro.

The M1 Pro and M1 Max will be available as part of the 2021 redesigns of the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro that were also announced today. For more information on everything announced during today's event, check out our roundup of everything announced during Apple's second fall hardware event.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Apple has announced two new chips designed for its 2021 MacBook Pro models: the M1 Pro and M1 Max.

The tech giant promises that M1 Pro-powered MacBooks will promise 70 percent better CPU performance and double the graphical performance than the year-old M1 chip. The mid-level chip includes a 10-core CPU with eight performance cores and two efficiency cores with a 16-core GPU. Support for RAM has also increased, with the M1 Pro supporting up to 32GB with 200 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

Although the M1 Max offers the same CPU configuration as the M1 Pro, the higher-end chip doubles the memory bandwidth and the capabilities compared to the Pro variant, with the flagship chip supporting up to 64GB of RAM with a memory bandwidth of 400GB/s and a 32-core GPU. Because of the additional power included in the M1 Max, Apple says this new chip can connect up to four external displays on a single device that includes the chip.

As far as performance goes, Apple claims that both the M1 Pro and M1 Max "delivers up to 1.7 times" the CPU performance compared to "the latest four-core and eight-core PC laptop chips." Unfortunately, Apple did not specify as to which laptops it was referring to, nor did it dive into how well these new chips can perform from a gaming standpoint.

The M1 Pro and M1 Max announcement come at an interesting time for Apple as the company is closing in on year one of its two-ear transition as more of its products become powered by its own silicon. The transition began late last year following the release of the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, while earlier this year, the in-house chip made its way to Apple's flagship tablet, the iPad Pro.

The M1 Pro and M1 Max will be available as part of the 2021 redesigns of the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro that were also announced today. For more information on everything announced during today's event, check out our roundup of everything announced during Apple's second fall hardware event.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

A character originally introduced in Titanfall 2 is coming to Apex Legends as its newest playable character.

Ash is a Simulacrum Pilot from Titanfall 2. Her other identity is Dr. Ashleigh Reid, who was turned into a Simulacrum after betraying her fellow scientists and getting stabbed in the process. Reid has also already appeared in Apex Legends as the announcer for the Arenas mode. Along with the new champion, there will be new weapons like the C.A.R. SMG, which is also a callback to the Titanfall series.

You can check out Ash's full reveal trailer below.

The new playable character is coming as part of Apex Legends' newest season, called Escape. We don't yet know how Ash will control, as Respawn said it will reveal more details for the season in the coming days. The end of today's trailer announced a launch trailer for the new season coming this Thursday, October 21.

While the Titanfall franchise is living on through Apex Legends, it seems a sequel to Titanfall 2 may not happen any time soon. Last year, we learned that no new Titanfall games were in development. Then, despite Titanfall 3 popping up in the GeForce Now leak, Titanfall's community coordinator said Respawn was working on "too many other games" to make a new Titanfall.

For more, check out IGN's report about EA abandoning Titanfall 2, and what happened next.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

A character originally introduced in Titanfall 2 is coming to Apex Legends as its newest playable character.

Ash is a Simulacrum Pilot from Titanfall 2. Her other identity is Dr. Ashleigh Reid, who was turned into a Simulacrum after betraying her fellow scientists and getting stabbed in the process. Reid has also already appeared in Apex Legends as the announcer for the Arenas mode. Along with the new champion, there will be new weapons like the C.A.R. SMG, which is also a callback to the Titanfall series.

You can check out Ash's full reveal trailer below.

The new playable character is coming as part of Apex Legends' newest season, called Escape. We don't yet know how Ash will control, as Respawn said it will reveal more details for the season in the coming days. The end of today's trailer announced a launch trailer for the new season coming this Thursday, October 21.

While the Titanfall franchise is living on through Apex Legends, it seems a sequel to Titanfall 2 may not happen any time soon. Last year, we learned that no new Titanfall games were in development. Then, despite Titanfall 3 popping up in the GeForce Now leak, Titanfall's community coordinator said Respawn was working on "too many other games" to make a new Titanfall.

For more, check out IGN's report about EA abandoning Titanfall 2, and what happened next.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Apple has announced new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models as part of its second fall hardware event.

As the rumors suggest, the new MacBook Pro models are powered by Apple's in-house M1X chip. The new model refreshes include an SD Card slot, one HDMI port, and three Thunderbolt 4 ports. The MacBook Pro 2021 models feature a liquid retina display, smaller bezels, a notch on top of the device, a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Both laptops have a 1080p webcam, but Apple did not confirm whether or not Face ID is supported with the latest MacBooks.

Apple notes that the MacBook Pro 16-inch with the M1 Max and M1 Pro chip have a significant performance boost compared to previous MacBook models with machine learning have five times the performance than the Intel-based 16-inch MacBook Pro. While the 14-inch MacBook Pro has four times the CPU performance compared to its Intel counterpart.

As far as battery life goes, Apple claims that it offers up to 17-21 hours of video playback between the 14 and 16-inch MacBooks. Both laptops also include fast charge with both getting a 50% battery life in just 30 minutes, according to the tech giant.

These are the latest Arm-based MacBook Pros Apple has made since debuting the 13-inch MacBook Pro powered by an M1 chip released last year, but Apple will not discontinue the 13-inch M1-powered MacBook Pro from its rotation. The 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros price starts at $1,999 for the 14-inch. 16-inch is $2,499. You can order both MacBooks today with shipping beginning sometime next week.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Apple has announced new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models as part of its second fall hardware event.

As the rumors suggest, the new MacBook Pro models are powered by Apple's in-house M1X chip. The new model refreshes include an SD Card slot, one HDMI port, and three Thunderbolt 4 ports. The MacBook Pro 2021 models feature a liquid retina display, smaller bezels, a notch on top of the device, a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Both laptops have a 1080p webcam, but Apple did not confirm whether or not Face ID is supported with the latest MacBooks.

Apple notes that the MacBook Pro 16-inch with the M1 Max and M1 Pro chip have a significant performance boost compared to previous MacBook models with machine learning have five times the performance than the Intel-based 16-inch MacBook Pro. While the 14-inch MacBook Pro has four times the CPU performance compared to its Intel counterpart.

As far as battery life goes, Apple claims that it offers up to 17-21 hours of video playback between the 14 and 16-inch MacBooks. Both laptops also include fast charge with both getting a 50% battery life in just 30 minutes, according to the tech giant.

These are the latest Arm-based MacBook Pros Apple has made since debuting the 13-inch MacBook Pro powered by an M1 chip released last year, but Apple will not discontinue the 13-inch M1-powered MacBook Pro from its rotation. The 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros price starts at $1,999 for the 14-inch. 16-inch is $2,499. You can order both MacBooks today with shipping beginning sometime next week.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.