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The Framework Desktop and Linux have shown me the path to PC gaming in the living room
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The Framework Desktop and Linux have shown me the path to PC gaming in the living room

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I’ve long dreamed of doing all my gaming on PC — a single platform that’s easily upgradeable and lets me play my overstuffed Steam library wherever and however I like. The Steam Deck is a fantastic handheld, but for my living room, I want something more powerful that works as well on my TV as it does at a desk. Believe me, I’ve tried. Gaming laptops are noisy and awkward, desktops are too chunky, and Windows is annoying to navigate without a keyboard and mouse. I had hoped that Valve’s Steam Machine experiment was my ticket, but it crashed and burned long ago. Nothing’s ever been as easy as a PlayStation 5.

But I’m newly optimistic. I’ve spent the past couple weeks using the Framework Desktop with a clever Linux distro called Bazzite: an open-source take on SteamOS. It’s a lot like installing the Steam Deck’s game mode and Proton compatibility layer for playing Windows games, and you can still optionally access a desktop for work too. It took me less than an hour to set up, and I’m now able to play PC games on my TV at 4K / 60fps — on a box that is smaller than a PS5, doesn’t get too noisy, and can be woken up from my couch with a gamepad.

This combo matches the simplicity of a docked Steam Deck, but it’s so much more powerful. And while a Framework Desktop isn’t as portable as a handheld — or even a laptop — it’s easy to move from room to room. I’ve even taken to working from it at my desk during the day, then moving it to the living room for after-hours game time. Sometimes you don’t want to play games in the same place you just worked for nine hours.

I so very badly want this to be the future of PC gaming.

It’s the year of Linux on the desktop in the living room.

The Framework Desktop is an ideal vessel for a Steam Machine-like experience. At 4.5 liters, it’s much smaller than most living room gaming computers, and much more powerful than your average home theater PC or streaming box. It’s way more expensive than a PS5 Pro — the Desktop starts at $1,099, or $1,999 for the AI Max+ 395 version I tested here with 16 CPU cores, 40 graphics cores, and 128GB of RAM — but it’s also much more than a gaming console.

I loved the Framework Desktop as a full Windows PC when I reviewed it earlier in August. And Bazzite is one of the easiest and most user-friendly desktop Linux incarnations. Bazzite makes it easier than ever to break away from Windows if you’re boycotting Microsoft, looking for an escape from Windows 10 before it’s cut off from updates in October, or just tired of Windows 11’s incessant pushing of services you don’t care about and attempts to extract recurring revenue from your wallet. The installer is easy, there’s a very capable OS if you switch over to desktop mode with a mouse and keyboard, and if you still need Windows for specific apps or games, you can always dual boot, like I did.

The Framework Desktop makes a nice fit in a TV stand with a Switch 2 and PlayStation 5.

Most people are not going to move a PC back and forth from the living room to the office, but this convertible setup works great with the Framework.

The only drawbacks I found were when I needed to run apps that aren’t compatible (like Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite) or the inevitable moments I had to open the Terminal to run simple commands. Many essential apps have native Linux support, like Chrome, Slack, Signal, Spotify, and Discord. And plenty of others can run with some compatibility help via Wine. But if much of your work and everyday computing needs are web-based, you’re good as gold on Linux.

Using Bazzite in desktop mode took me back to the days when I experimented with Ubuntu “Gutsy Gibbon” in college. (Didn’t we all give in to the temptation of the cube back then?) Linux is genuinely fun to use and tinker with. And Bazzite has a nice, somewhat no-frills aesthetic I admire.

1/4Bazzite has a clean and tidy look in desktop mode.

Linux can and will drive the uninitiated down many rabbit holes, with lots of Googling how to do little things you take for granted on Windows and macOS, like understanding what the hell the KDE Wallet Service is (it’s for managing passwords) or remapping the Caps Lock key. I gave up on the latter and just remapped it at the hardware level on my keyboard with VIA.

But small frustrations aside, both the gaming side and desktop side of Bazzite are fantastic. While my job of reviewing laptops will always mean extensively using Windows, macOS, and some ChromeOS, it’s been kind of freeing to break away (even if just for a little bit) from the oppressive grips of the big three.

Now, if you’re interested in trying Bazzite and living a bit of that Linux life yourself, here’s how I set it up. It’s not totally foolproof, but it’s straightforward if you’re the tinkering type and can follow some simple guides (which I’ll link to).

The second NVMe slot on the Framework Desktop’s main board makes the Windows and Linux dual boot setup super easy. Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

A Noctua fan is ideal for the Framework Desktop, especially if you’re using it in your living room. It’s a lot quieter than the cheaper Cooler Master option. Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

Since I already had Windows 11 installed from my review of the Framework Desktop, I opted to install Bazzite on the second internal NVMe drive. You can dual boot from a single drive, with some precautionary measures, but it’s not uncommon to find forumgoers warning that Windows 11 can disrupt things like the boot order after running an update. Since sharing game files across Windows and Linux is also complicated, I decided to keep the OSes completely separate — which helped reinforce my work / play separation. I use the Bazzite drive for most of my gaming needs and boot into Windows when I need it for work (running Lightroom Classic for photo editing) or games that require it (PC Game Pass games, multiplayer titles with stricter anti-cheat measures, etc.).

I followed Bazzite’s official guide, cross-referenced Framework’s tutorial for the Laptop 16, and I was living the Linux life in less than an hour. Bazzite’s site has a user-friendly ISO picker for downloading the file you need to install the OS — typically by burning the ISO to a USB flash drive using a tool like Rufus. If you prefer video to written guides, Mike’s Tech Tips on YouTube is an invaluable resource, with a pleasant, calming voiceover to boot.

I only encountered one technical issue running Bazzite: There was no audio coming through the HDMI connection to my TV, despite my attempts to select “External Device” or “Default (External Device)” as my source. For some reason, this was fixed by entering desktop mode and switching the source there. It’s worked fine since.

It’s easy to alter the boot order of the Framework Desktop to prioritize the Bazzite drive. Booting up puts it right into Bazzite and its Steam Deck-like Big Picture Mode. And then, to access Windows without restarting and mashing an F-key to get to the boot menu, you can set up a script to reboot into Windows right from Bazzite’s Steam interface. You just go into the Bazzite desktop, open the Terminal, and type in the ujust code below. It does the work for you and adds a “boot-windows” option to the Steam Library.

Code: ujust setup-boot-windows-steam

Bazzite’s Game Mode Home Screen is basically Steam’s Big Picture Mode. You can see my “reboot into Windows” shortcut in the top row.

As far as Linux has come, the Framework Desktop, or any other PC running Bazzite, probably isn’t the one gaming PC to rule my living room. Setting aside the requisite tinkering, there are still games it cannot play, either because they’re from services that aren’t supported (like PC Game Pass) or they reject Linux because they fear cheaters (like Fortnite or Valorant or the Battlefield 6 beta).

But color me impressed by Bazzite and even further by the Framework Desktop. I see why Bazzite has been gaining popularity with PC gamers. The time is ripe for Steam Machines to make a triumphant return, and I think this time it can work. Bazzite and devices like the Steam Deck and Framework Desktop are all showing the way.

Photography and screenshots by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge.

Cyberpunk 2077 is demanding in 4K, but the Framework with Bazzite runs it decently. Image: CD Projekt Red

In my review, I found that the Framework Desktop is best equipped for 2.5K gaming, but the top-end Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 APU I’m using in this “Steam Machine” setup can do 4K at 60-ish frames per second on a TV. How smooth it runs and how good it looks depends on the game. Here’s a brief overview of some games I’ve been playing on it:

  • Cyberpunk 2077: Playing Cyberpunk at 4K at around 60fps meant setting it to medium preset (no ray tracing, of course) with FSR set to balanced, and it looked and played great. Flipping on some “fake frames” with frame generation pushed it into the mid-80s. Not bad at all!
  • Helldivers 2: It plays and looks great in 4K with medium settings and render scale set to balanced, hovering around the mid-60s. In busier areas it sinks to the 50s and briefly into the 40s when there are big explosions.
  • Street Fighter 6: SF6 is meant to be locked at 1080/60, which is no problem. You can push it to 4K and still get a solid 60fps with most details and settings set to “normal” (medium).
  • Monster Hunter Wilds: This is a bit of a torture test, due to Wilds’ infamously poor PC performance (though it’s been slowly improving). The game defaulted to FSR Ultra Performance mode and the lowest texture settings, which makes it look like a PlayStation 3 game. To keep things in 4K and actually looking decent I used FSR Performance and medium textures and turned on frame generation — this kept frame rates in the 70s or close to 80, which could bump to over 100 by dropping down to 2560 x 1440. Textures still aren’t great, but that’s just kind of how Wilds is unless you’re on top-tier hardware. It manages to play well overall and look solid.
  • Elden Ring Nightreign: Just as on Windows, Nightreign plays at 4K / 50-ish on medium settings, or locked in at the 60fps max if bumped down to 2.5K. (Boy, what I’d give for a FromSoftware title with FSR / DLSS support.)
  • Peak: A-okay at 4K on medium settings, with frame rates well into the 80s or higher.

Although some Windows games run better on Linux than on Windows, not all do. Black Myth: Wukong was about the same on either platform, but Cyberpunk 2077 actually ran 15fps slower in my benchmarks on Linux than in Windows with the same settings.

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ESA Predicts Humans Living in ‘Space Oases’ on Mars in 2040

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In brief

  • Technology 2040 Vision envisages humans living in “autonomous habitats beyond Earth.”
  • The destinations could include the moon, Mars, and beyond.
  • In a tweet, ESA Director-General Josef Aschbacher billed the document as a “call to action.”

The European Space Agency (ESA) has outlined expectations for humans living on other planets as soon as 2040 in a newly published document.

Technology 2040 Vision envisages humans living in “autonomous habitats beyond Earth” on the Moon, Mars and beyond, following what it predicts will be a “rapid evolution of technology” in the coming years.

In a tweet, ESA Director-General Josef Aschbacher billed the document as a “call to action,” as part of a roadmap to building a “resilient European presence across Earth orbit and beyond.”

The document was released to clarify what space exploration—and habitation—could look like in the near future. The next steps in human exploration beyond Earth’s orbit “will involve longer stays and farther destinations,” its authors wrote.

This new wave of exploration will be underpinned by “space oases,” self-sustaining habitats that will protect astronauts using “circular management of resources.” The result should enable astronauts to spend far longer in space compared to current missions that are limited to around six months at most, the authors added.

Future space habitats will make use of “smart materials” and “in-situ manufacturing,” while supplies will be delivered using “high-velocity logistics” and technology such as mass drivers.

ESA Technology 2040 is not just a roadmap – it is a call to action. The document defines an integrated tech stack that keeps supply‑chains sovereign, scales through serialisation and modularity, and locks in European leadership from LEO to deep space.

By 2040, we envision a… pic.twitter.com/pK2DLPOByH

— Josef Aschbacher (@AschbacherJosef) June 17, 2025

Doing all this while keeping the environmental impact to a minimum will pose challenges, the report’s authors noted. “Achieving true sustainability requires the kind of circular thinking increasingly seen on Earth,” with a “holistic” approach to using resources.

“The ability to repurpose and recycle materials in orbit is not only key to sustainability but will also enable new markets and capabilities and add additional commercial value to space assets,” the report said, building on predictions from ESA Director of Space Technology, Engineering and Quality at ESTEC Dietmar Pilz that the global space economy could be worth as much as €1 trillion by 2040.

Communications will also be improved, with “optical communications links” and “relay spacecraft” enabling “trunk lines” carrying communications and network data streams as far as Saturn.

The ESA predicted that AI and quantum technologies would play large roles in the leap forward, with smart materials, long-sustainability and modular payloads all expected to advance in the coming years.

Nevertheless, with this huge endeavour to achieve—and a recent SpaceX rocket test failure demonstrating that space travel is still fraught with risks—2040 may sound a little closer than expected.

Edited by Stephen Graves

Generally Intelligent Newsletter

A weekly AI journey narrated by Gen, a generative AI model.





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Microsoft says it's working on next-gen Xbox "consoles" you'll play "in your living room and in your hands"
Game Updates

Microsoft says it’s working on next-gen Xbox “consoles” you’ll play “in your living room and in your hands”

by admin



If recent reports are true, we likely won’t be seeing Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox console until 2027 at the earliest. But that hasn’t stopped the company from teasing a couple of details – including backward compatibility and vague handheld allusions – as it announces a partnership with AMD to co-engineer the bits inside.


Microsoft first confirmed an Xbox Series X/S successor was in the works last February, as the company rushed to assure fans – amid the start of its multi-platform release strategy – that it wasn’t abandoning the console market. At the time, Xbox president Sarah Bond insisted Microsoft was “invested in [its] next-generation road map” and “focused on… delivering the largest technical leap that you will have ever seen in a hardware generation.”


And it now transpires AMD will be the company helping make that bold promise a reality. Microsoft announced its “strategic, multi-year agreement” with AMD in a short video shared earlier today. In it, Bond explained Microsoft is “investing in [its] next-generation hardware line-up across console, handheld, PC, cloud, and accessories”, and would be working with AMD to “co-engineer silicon across a portfolio of devices including our next-generation Xbox consoles in your living room and in your hands”.

Xbox + AMD: Powering the Next Generation of Xbox.Watch on YouTube


There is, of course, quite a bit to unpack in that last sentence, starting with Bond’s clear reference to multiple next-generation “consoles”, and continuing on with the distinction between a machine “in your living room” and “in your hands”. While it’s entirely possible “consoles” refers to a dual release strategy similar to the Series X and S, it’s hard to ignore the additional allusion to an Xbox-branded handheld. But whether that might be an internally development machine – as previously rumoured – or something similar to AMD’s recently unveiled Xbox Ally, remains to be seen. Notably, Windows Central recently reported Microsoft’s internal handheld project had been “sidelined” in favour of more third-party partnerships, while The Verge went further, saying the project was “essentially cancelled”.


Bond’s spiel continued by insisting Microsoft’s new AMD partnership would result in “the next generation of graphics innovation” and will “unlock a deeper visual quality”. That’s alongside “immersive gameplay and player experiences, enhanced with the power of AI”, and “compatibility with your existing library of Xbox games”.


“This is all about building a gaming platform that’s always with you, so you can play the games you want across devices anywhere you want, delving you an Xbox experience not locked to a single store or tied to one device,” Bond concluded. “The next generation of Xbox is coming to life and this is just the beginning. We can’t wait to show you what’s next.”



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All Living Things is a stop-motion artbook puzzle game based on a 600-year-old alchemical manuscript
Game Updates

All Living Things is a stop-motion artbook puzzle game based on a 600-year-old alchemical manuscript

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Have you ever immediately wishlisted a game on Steam based on aesthetics alone? I ask because that’s just happened to me with All Living Things, a stop-motion game inspired by The Ripley Scroll, a 15th-century alchemical manuscript. Doesn’t that just seem like a guaranteed feast for the eyes? Developer MOXO self-describes it as an “animated art-book puzzle game”, which feels perfectly apt for it. The general presentation is simple, this strange, alluring art book on a black background waiting for you to click around.


There’s apparently 12 puzzles to solve in total, “each reflecting a stage in the alchemical process.” You have to select certain parts of the art book to set certain sequences in motion, resulting in some wonderfully tactile looking animations. The wild thing is that despite looking like real, hand-made claymation, it’s all been digitally sculpted. You could have fooled me quite easily into believing otherwise if I hadn’t confirmed it for myself.

Discover the secrets of alchemical processes, the hidden secrets of world and even deeper secrets hidden within us…

All Living Things has a steampage, wishlist to be notified for the upcoming early demo!https://t.co/A68GqHk0o2 pic.twitter.com/D3xJDSLRI2

— 𝖘𝖆𝖎𝖓𝖙 𝖛𝖚𝖑𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖊 (@stvulture) May 22, 2025

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I’m not entirely sure how the puzzles work, the Steam page for the game is suitably vague and cryptic, hinting at how you’ll be able to figure it all out but not quite laying things in front of you. There’s no release date for the game just yet, not even a release window. That’s ok with me, as a demo is due out June 10th, meaning it won’t be long before I can try and suss out what exactly this strange artbook game wants from me.


The thing that appeals most of all to me, outside of its aesthetic sensibilities, is that it’s quite plain about there only being 12 puzzles. It really sounds like a game you could just spend your evenings ticking away at, figuring them all out in small doses, with the end quite close in sight. Love a game that knows when to stop, will definitely be checking this one out.





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