Summary
Overview
This TechLinked episode covers Valve's Steam Deck headset launch at a premium price point, AI industry leaders calling for development slowdowns amid safety concerns, Apple's iOS 27 release featuring an improved Siri AI, and various tech news including privacy concerns around police surveillance tools, OpenAI's human contractors reviewing chat prompts, and a major data leak at neobank Revolut.
Valve Steam Deck VR Headset Launch
Valve has officially released the Steam Deck VR headset at a significantly higher price point than Meta Quest 3, starting at $1,060 for the 256GB model. The device features impressive specs including a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and 144Hz refresh rate, but Valve has prioritized gaming over mixed reality features. The headset is designed to excel at wireless streaming from PC rather than running AAA titles natively, and comes bundled with a streaming dongle to enhance that experience.
- Base 256GB model priced at $1,060, terabyte model at $1,300 - significantly more expensive than Meta Quest 3
- Specs include 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, and LCD screen with up to 144Hz refresh rate
- Uses monochrome tracking cameras which makes pass-through quality wonky, showing gaming-first focus
- Wireless streaming is the priority with bundled dongle and foveated rendering support
- Reservation lottery queue closes September 17th
" You can think of the extra cash as a premium for a Zuckerberg-free standalone VR experience, which is arguably worth it. "
AI Industry Leaders Call for Development Slowdown
In a significant development, CEOs from major AI companies including Anthropic, OpenAI, and others have publicly called for slowing down AI development due to safety concerns. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei initiated the discussion with a blog post warning about risks from recursive self-improvement and AI agents. However, President Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson have pushed back against these calls, with Trump calling it a "sick conspiracy" and Johnson suggesting companies should self-regulate rather than seek government intervention.
- Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published blog post calling for AI development slowdown due to safety concerns
- Amodei's three-step plan includes third-party evaluators, government regulation, and global standards body
- Elon Musk and Sam Altman both supported the call to slow down development
- President Trump called the move a 'sick conspiracy against AI and data centers'
- Speaker Mike Johnson said AI leaders should self-regulate without government involvement
" The combination of recursive self-improvement and open AI's agent's hacking hugging face is, well, a s*** sandwich. Or a doomsday sandwich with s*** bread. "
" Stop asking Congress to do work. Everyone's very old and so tired. "
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