Michael Crider

Michael Crider covers PC gaming and PC hardware through detailed, hands-on reporting with a clear focus on value and practicality. He combines platform and business analysis with concrete advice on gear, games, and upgrades that ordinary players can act on. His work at PCWorld draws on more than a decade of technology reporting across devices and ecosystems.

Steam Machines and DIY gaming rigs

Crider treats Steam Machines and PC gaming rigs as projects to be built, tested, and compared in real use. In his review of a compact SteamOS console, he reports on performance, pricing, and the trade-offs of a small form factor machine that costs over $1,000 while chasing console-level power.

Follow-up pieces walk through issues like RAM configuration and launch pricing, and he tracks the system from announcement to release with specific figures and dates.

Alongside review coverage, he builds his own alternative hardware and documents the process in detail.

In one feature he constructs a DIY rival to Valve’s Steam Machine for roughly $150 less, explaining component choices, assembly, and where savings come from without sacrificing playable performance. In broader gaming coverage he shows how SteamOS can be installed on a spare-parts PC, emphasizing that Steam Machines are sold out and overpriced, then demonstrating how a custom SteamOS gaming PC can be built from existing hardware.

He extends this hardware-first approach to emerging platforms, reporting on Valve engineers working with Nvidia on SteamOS driver support and flagging timelines and technical constraints. The through-line in these pieces is clear: Crider tests hardware himself, explains what it is like to build or buy into it, and gives readers direct comparisons between official consoles and home-built PCs.

Xbox and PC gaming platforms

Crider writes frequently about Xbox and the wider console and PC gaming business, using specific news events to examine platform strategy. In a feature on Microsoft and Xbox learning from the Sega Dreamcast, he uses the earlier console’s exit from the market to frame Xbox’s current competitive position and decision-making. He follows up with reporting on Xbox’s business struggles, covering news of 3,200 job cuts and a planned 20 percent reduction in gaming staff as a response to pressure on the division.

His coverage connects software and interface changes to the broader ecosystem as well. In an article on the “Xbox Fullscreen Experience” becoming “Xbox mode” for Windows, he explains how a Windows feature is being repositioned to serve console-style use and what that means for PC players who mix keyboard-and-mouse and controller play. He also reports on new handheld gaming PCs such as MSI’s Claw and Asus’s ROG-based handhelds, outlining specifications, form factors, and what these devices mean for portable PC gaming.

Across these stories, Crider links platform decisions - naming specific hardware, services, and staffing changes - to their impact on people who play games on PCs and consoles. He keeps the focus on how corporate moves and operating-system tweaks change the practical experience of buying, launching, and playing games.

Deals, budgets, and best picks

Crider’s beat includes a steady stream of value-focused coverage, from gaming monitors to laptops and game libraries.

He highlights price cuts on displays such as a Samsung QHD gaming monitor discounted to around $150 and an Alienware OLED ultrawide priced at about $650, offering concrete specs and speed details alongside the discount. In PC performance coverage he flags an MSI 4K OLED gaming monitor deal around $600 and situates it among other display options for players who want high refresh rates and HDR without overspending.

His deal reporting extends beyond monitors to full systems and accessories. He covers a HP EliteBook laptop with 16GB of RAM at a sharply reduced price of about $245, spelling out memory, processor, and suitability for everyday use and light gaming. In a guide to the best college laptop accessories for 2026 he assembles mice, monitors, and other gear under $100, explicitly aimed at students who need functional setups on tight budgets.

On the software side, he writes about discounted PC games and low-spec-friendly picks, including roundups of Steam sale titles with deep percentage cuts and lists of “best PC games of 2026 that don’t need a graphics card,” framing choices for players without recent hardware upgrades. These pieces consistently pair clear price information and thresholds with performance expectations, making budget and capability the central axis of his recommendations.

Keyboards, controllers, and PC performance advice

Crider is described as the resident keyboard specialist at PCWorld, constantly rotating hardware for reviews and building new mechanical boards for his personal setup.

That background shows up in reviews of gaming peripherals such as the Razer Ornata V3 X, where he assesses design, typing feel, noise, and build quality while emphasizing that the keyboard is “surprisingly good” at around $40. He reviews controllers as well, including a $30 PC controller that he judges superior to Microsoft’s $70 Xbox gamepad, weighing features like wireless connectivity, bundled dongles, and Hall effect thumbsticks against price.

His contributions to PC performance coverage extend beyond peripherals to cooling and memory. In a piece advising readers not to buy a water-cooling system, he explains why most gamers do not need liquid cooling to achieve strong performance, comparing real-world gains against cost and complexity. He also writes about rising RAM prices, charting how memory costs impact upgrade plans for gaming rigs.

Within the PCWorld performance guide, his stories cover builds, benchmarks, and tuning tips for gaming rigs and power-user setups, always tying technical detail back to what players actually see on screen.

Crider’s long tenure in technology journalism underpins this work. He has more than 15 years of experience covering topics from Apple devices to ZTE phones, with previous bylines at outlets including Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he has reported live from major trade shows such as CES and Mobile World Congress.

That breadth of coverage feeds into his current focus on gaming, hardware, and performance, where he writes with an emphasis on tested experience, clear pricing, and the practical implications of platform and hardware choices.