2024 Archives

AppWizard

June 13, 2026

Nintendo’s legal battle with Palworld looks shakier than ever: It may only get ‘$30,000 chump change’ if it wins at all

Palworld, developed by Pocketpair, faced a lawsuit from Nintendo in 2024 over alleged infringements on Pokémon patents, with an initial claim for around ,000 in damages. As of nearly two years later, Palworld remains popular on Steam, and legal insights suggest that Nintendo may receive less than half of its original demand if it prevails in court. Pocketpair continues to develop Palworld despite the lawsuit, highlighting its commitment to innovation in the gaming industry. The case may influence the balance of power between indie developers and large corporations regarding intellectual property rights in video games.

Tech Optimizer

June 12, 2026

NordVPN’s next-gen antivirus aces independent testing with a 96% phishing block rate

NordVPN's next-generation antivirus blocked 96% of phishing sites in the 2026 Anti-Phishing Comparative Test by AV-Comparatives, improving by 6% from May 2025. The test involved 275 active phishing URLs targeting personal data across various platforms. NordVPN was the first VPN provider to receive the AV-Comparatives anti-phishing protection badge in June 2024, requiring detection and blocking of at least 85% of phishing URLs without false alarms. Users are advised to verify URLs, read messages carefully, enable two-factor authentication, and check for secure HTTPS connections to avoid phishing attempts.

AppWizard

June 12, 2026

‘Minecraft’ pop-up event coming to Alton Towers this summer

Merlin Entertainments is enhancing its partnership with Minecraft by launching the 'Minecraft Meet the Mobs' pop-up experience at Alton Towers from July 18 to August 28. This event allows guests to interact with baby mobs in six Minecraft-themed scenes and includes activities like a mob trail for exclusive in-game rewards. Guests can also take photos with characters such as Iron Golem and Creeper, and enjoy themed snacks and merchandise. The experience is included with standard park admission. Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time, with over 350 million copies sold, and is set to become the first-ever theme park land at Chessington World of Adventures in a £50 million project opening in 2027. Merlin's collaboration with Mojang Studios was announced in 2024, with plans to invest over £85 million in new attractions in the UK and US.

Tech Optimizer

June 12, 2026

Fake verification pages are stealing Steam accounts from players

Online gamers are being warned about a scam targeting Steam accounts through counterfeit FACEIT verification pages that look authentic. These fraudulent sites feature official branding and functional links, tricking users into entering their passwords. The scam is particularly aimed at FACEIT players, as it exploits the connection between FACEIT and Steam, where players link their accounts. The scam starts with a website mimicking an official FACEIT page, claiming to offer free identity verification. Scammers use lookalike URLs, such as faceit-discord.com and faceit-clubs-verify.com, to deceive users. The site may display subtle errors, like conflicting copyright dates, and encourages users to click a “Sign in through Steam” button, which leads to a fake login window designed to steal user credentials. To protect against this scam, users should verify the website address, be cautious of blurry QR codes, treat urgent messages as suspicious, navigate directly to official sites, and consider using tools like Malwarebytes Browser Guard. If users have already entered their details, they should change their Steam password, enable Steam Guard, and check for unauthorized activity. The scam's effectiveness lies in its convincing presentation and the use of Browser-in-the-Browser attacks, which manipulate the perceived address bar.

Winsage

June 11, 2026

Microsoft fixes BitLocker recovery bug on Windows Server 2025

Microsoft has resolved an issue affecting certain Windows Server 2025 devices that were booting into BitLocker recovery mode after the April 2026 security update. This issue was linked to specific BitLocker Group Policy configurations and required users to input their BitLocker recovery key upon the first restart after the update. However, this key would only need to be entered once for subsequent restarts, provided the group policy configuration remained unchanged. The problem primarily affected enterprise systems rather than personal devices. The issue arose under specific conditions: BitLocker was enabled on the operating system drive, a particular Group Policy was set, the Secure Boot State PCR7 Binding was "Not Possible," the Windows UEFI CA 2023 certificate was present, and the device was not already using the 2023-signed Windows Boot Manager. Microsoft released fixes in the KB5094125 and KB5093998 updates to address this problem, preventing devices with incompatible group policy configurations from installing the 2023-signed Windows Boot Manager. Event ID 1032 in the System event log indicates the issue when Windows updates are installed. For IT administrators unable to deploy the latest updates, it is recommended to remove the Group Policy configuration before installing updates or to implement a Known Issue Rollback (KIR) on affected devices. Additionally, Microsoft had previously addressed similar BitLocker recovery issues in August 2024 and May 2025.

Winsage

June 11, 2026

Microsoft is killing the Copilot+ PC advantage, brings Windows 11’s local AI to RTX 30+ PCs with 6GB vRAM

Microsoft has made its local Language Model APIs for Windows 11 accessible on non-Copilot+ PCs, requiring an NVIDIA RTX 30 series GPU with at least 6GB of VRAM. Copilot+ PCs, which debuted on June 18, 2024, require 16GB of RAM, an SSD, and a minimum of 40 TOPS NPU. The new APIs allow broader access to AI functionalities, including AI-powered text formatting, summarization, text rewriting, text-to-table conversion, and general prompt generation, through a compact language model called "Phi Silica." Users with compatible NVIDIA GPUs can utilize these features locally, enhancing privacy compared to cloud-based models. However, some features remain exclusive to devices with NPU chips.

AppWizard

June 10, 2026

We’re finally getting a Vanillaware game on PC – Muramasa: Revenant Blades, an expanded 4K edition of the gorgeous Japanese action RPG

Vanillaware is set to release an expanded 4K version of their 2009 hack-and-slash title, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, now titled Muramasa: Revenant Blades. This edition will include enhancements from the PS Vita port, Muramasa: Rebirth, and additional content from the Genroku Legends add-on, featuring a DLC where players take on the role of a farmer battling against his landlord. The game will offer a variety of fighting styles from its ensemble cast and is expected to include some racy content, such as hot spring bathing scenes and revealing outfits. The release is scheduled for next year.

Winsage

June 9, 2026

Hybrid AI Agents, Orchestration, and the Real Reason Microsoft is Fixing Windows 11 ⭐

Over the past weekend, the author reviewed session videos from Build 2026, focusing on Windows 11. The sessions were categorized into three areas: Windows app development, developer productivity, and agentic AI. The introduction of hybrid agents, which combine local AI sub-agents, was a notable development. Microsoft's partnership with Qualcomm led to the launch of Windows 10 on Arm-based PCs branded as Always Connected PCs, which evolved into Copilot+ PCs with Nuvia-powered chips for Windows 11. The Copilot+ PCs emphasize on-device AI experiences through powerful neural processing units (NPUs). The introduction of second-generation Snapdragon X2-based PCs is underway, although adoption is slower than expected. Microsoft confirmed that Windows 11 will integrate AI agents, including local AI agents and hybrid agents. The capabilities of local AI models are being enhanced, and Windows AI APIs will now support CPUs and GPUs. New Nvidia chipsets will enable large language models to run locally on PCs. The orchestration of local and cloud AI components is essential for efficient AI workload management. Microsoft is addressing user pain points to support a robust local foundation for hybrid AI, aiming to improve Windows 11 overall.

AppWizard

June 8, 2026

Discover the Gears of War: E-Day Collector’s Edition

The Coalition has introduced the Gears of War: E-Day Collector’s Edition, which includes the Xbox Series X Premium Edition of the game and various collectible items. Pre-orders are open, with the Collector’s Edition launching on October 1, 2026, and the global release of Gears of War: E-Day on October 6, 2026. Key features of the Collector’s Edition include a 15-inch collectible statue of Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, a SteelBook with artwork by Luke Preece, replica COG tags, a photograph of the characters, a premium art print of the Feral Wretch, and a thank-you note from the development team. The package also offers early access to the game, a weapon pack, customization packs, and in-game currency. The Collector’s Edition will be available for Xbox Series X and Steam, with limited quantities for pre-order.

AppWizard

June 6, 2026

Metal Gear-inspired survival horror game SHE (Seraphim Helix Experiment) announced for PC

Publisher Weird Ghosts and developer Rocket Adrift are collaborating on a new project titled SHE (Seraphim Helix Experiment), which is inspired by the Metal Gear series and combines survival horror with tactical action. The game will be available on PC via Steam, but a specific release date has not been announced. SHE is the fourth commercial release from the Toronto-based studio, which has a team of three, and it is their second entry into the psychological horror genre, following the upcoming release of Psychroma in 2024.