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AppWizard

April 6, 2025

A Minecraft Movie Review: An Imaginative Family Fun Adventure

The recently released A Minecraft Movie is directed by Jared Hess and features a whimsical and campy aesthetic. The plot follows a quirky group of characters, including an eccentric video game store owner, two grieving siblings, and an aspiring petting zoo entrepreneur, as they embark on a classic fantasy quest in the Overworld. Jack Black voices the iconic avatar Steve, while Jason Momoa plays Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison, a comedic lead. The film effectively translates the game's blocky aesthetic into a vibrant cinematic experience, with detailed environments and action sequences that reference in-game mechanics. However, it faces pacing issues, particularly in the middle act, and sometimes struggles to balance humor with emotional storytelling. The movie appeals primarily to fans of Minecraft but remains accessible to newcomers, incorporating Easter eggs without overwhelming them.

Winsage

April 5, 2025

Microsoft’s AI division head wants to create a lasting relationship between chatbots and their users

Microsoft's CEO of the AI division, Mustafa Suleyman, envisions creating a personalized AI companion that will evolve over time and become integral to daily life. This vision was shared during a celebratory event at Microsoft's headquarters, highlighting the importance of AI in the company's future. The flagship product, Copilot, integrates chatbot functionality with tools like Excel and PowerPoint, aiming to foster meaningful relationships with users. Recent updates to Copilot include new visual memory capabilities, while features like an animated avatar are still in development. Suleyman, who has a background at DeepMind and Inflection AI, focuses on personal AI companions rather than artificial general intelligence. The competition in the AI personal assistant space is increasing, with major companies adjusting their strategies. Despite excitement about AI advancements, there are concerns regarding the costs and limitations of generative AI, as demonstrated by Copilot's occasional inaccuracies. Suleyman emphasizes the need for user-friendly tools to encourage adoption and envisions AI alleviating mundane tasks for knowledge workers. During his keynote, he faced protests regarding Microsoft's contracts with the Israeli military but continued to advocate for the potential of AI companions.

Winsage

April 4, 2025

Microsoft unveils AI assistant with ‘memory’

Microsoft launched an enhanced version of its AI assistant, "Copilot," which can remember user preferences and perform tasks autonomously, during its 50th anniversary event. The assistant can independently book tickets, make reservations, and shop online. This update is part of a strategic overhaul to improve Microsoft's consumer image and reduce reliance on OpenAI. The event featured former CEO Steve Ballmer and co-founder Bill Gates, highlighting past challenges in the consumer market. Current CEO Satya Nadella has shifted focus to cloud services, resulting in a significant increase in share price. Copilot will include a podcast-generating feature and a "Vision" feature for processing information from a user's phone camera. Microsoft aims to enhance its Bing search engine to compete with Google, which dominates the search market. The company hired Mustafa Suleyman and invested in his start-up Inflection AI to advance its AI capabilities. Microsoft maintains a profit-sharing agreement with OpenAI and access to its models until at least 2030.

Winsage

April 3, 2025

Windows wallpapers worth celebrating

Microsoft is celebrating its 50th anniversary by inviting fans to reminisce and has released a collection of exclusive products, including limited-edition Windows wallpapers designed by Microsoft designers and Windows enthusiasts. These wallpapers reimagine iconic moments in Windows history, featuring the four-square logo and inspired by nostalgic elements such as the Windows 95 startup screen and classic games like Mahjong and Solitaire. Designer You Zhang created wallpapers that merge retro and modern styles, while art director Yulia Makhmudova designed a wallpaper featuring Solitaire cards arranged in the shape of "50" and revisited the iconic Tulips motif from Windows XP, adding 50 yellow buds. More ways to celebrate the anniversary can be found on Microsoft Unlocked.

BetaBeacon

March 28, 2025

Ever wanted to play games on your Android Auto screen? There’s good news.

The latest beta version of Android Auto now supports a few games, including Angry Birds 2, Beach Buggy Racing, and Candy Crush Soda Saga.

BetaBeacon

March 22, 2025

This overkill Android Game Boy is better than my memories of the real thing

The AYANEO Pocket DMG is a luxury, Game Boy-styled handheld device that offers a classic vertical format for enjoying retro games.

AppWizard

March 18, 2025

Assassin’s Creed: Shadows PC Performance Analysis

Ubisoft has removed the review embargo for Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, which is powered by the AnvilNext Engine. Performance benchmarks were conducted using an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor and 32GB of DDR5 RAM, testing various graphics cards including AMD Radeon RX 6900XT, RX 7900XTX, RX 9070XT, and NVIDIA RTX 2080Ti, RTX 3080, RTX 4090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5090. The game includes a built-in benchmark tool and offers a range of graphics settings, supporting technologies like NVIDIA DLSS 3 and 4, AMD FSR 3, and Intel XeSS, as well as Ray Tracing without requiring an RT GPU. To achieve 60FPS at 1080p with Ultra High Settings and no RT, players need an AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX, NVIDIA RTX 4090, or RTX 5090. At 1440p with Ultra High Settings and no RT, both the RX 7900XTX and RTX 4090 provide smooth performance, while the RTX 5090 is necessary for 60FPS. No GPU managed satisfactory performance at Native 4K with Ultra High Settings and no RT, with the RTX 5090 struggling to maintain frame rates above 50FPS. Lowering graphics settings did not yield significant performance improvements, raising questions about potential CPU bottlenecks. The game is visually appealing but lacks RTGI effects, making it appear flat at times compared to Unreal Engine 5 titles.

AppWizard

March 18, 2025

How to get a Cape in Minecraft? | Esports News – The Times of India

Minecraft capes are decorative items that enhance a player's avatar's appearance without affecting gameplay. They are rare and often linked to significant achievements or events. Players can acquire capes through various means, including: - Migrating Mojang accounts to Microsoft accounts during the 2020 migration for the exclusive Migrator Cape. - Owning both Bedrock and Java editions of Minecraft before June 6, 2022, to receive the Vanilla Cape. - Participating in official events like anniversary celebrations, Minecraft Live, and Minecraft Championships to earn special capes. - Playing the Bedrock Edition to access the Pan Cape and Founder's Cape. - Contributing innovative ideas to Mojang, which may result in a custom cape. - Using mods like Optifine or Advanced Capes Mod on Java Edition for additional cape options. To equip a cape in Java Edition, players must open the Minecraft Launcher, navigate to the Skins tab, select their skin, and choose the cape. In Bedrock Edition, players can access the Dressing Room, select the Capes tab, and equip their desired cape.

AppWizard

March 13, 2025

Steam Spring Sale start time confirmed: Here’s when you can save on latest PC games today

Steam has launched its Spring Sale 2025, starting on March 13 at 6 PM GMT and lasting for one week. The sale features discounts on a variety of games, including AAA titles and indie games. Notable past discounts included games like Baldur's Gate 3, Starfield, Diablo 4, and Resident Evil 4 Remake. The sale may include titles such as The Long Dark, Sifu, Witchfire, and many others, with discounts potentially reaching up to 95%. Steam Deck owners will also find compatible games on sale.

Winsage

March 3, 2025

A Windows 11 update has tanked performance on some Intel CPUs — Here’s what it means for you

Windows 11 version 24H2 has performance and compatibility issues, particularly affecting Intel 11th Gen processors due to a flaw in the Intel Smart Sound Technology driver, causing blue screen errors. Gaming performance concerns have also been noted but appear to have been addressed. Ubisoft titles like Star Wars Outlaws, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and Assassin's Creed: Valhalla experienced unresponsiveness, which has been resolved. A new bug affects users with the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU, causing startup errors linked to a recent CPU or microcode update. Affected users report performance throttling when applications are minimized or out of focus, with significant drops in performance during benchmark tests. This issue seems limited to certain Intel CPUs, as other models like the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and Intel Core i9 12900K are not affected. Users with Intel's Lunar or Arrow Lake CPUs may be vulnerable, and it is recommended to report issues via the Microsoft Feedback Hub.