barriers Archives

AppWizard

May 24, 2025

‘We’re gonna do right by you’: Splitgate 2 CEO apologizes for server meltdown after the open beta goes live

The open beta for Splitgate 2 was launched on May 22 but faced significant challenges, leading developer 1047 Games to take the servers offline shortly after. CEO Ian Proulx expressed disappointment over the situation and acknowledged that the team had hoped for a smoother rollout. Technical difficulties include slow matchmaking and delays in experience points and progress gains, with player experiences varying widely. The in-game shop is active, but players have faced delays in receiving purchased items, which will be honored upon the game's return. Proulx assured that all transactions have been recorded. The team is addressing various bugs during the downtime, but a timeline for the game's return has not been established. A more comprehensive update is expected later today.

Winsage

May 23, 2025

Windows 10 Support Is Ending: Flipkart says it’s time to upgrade to a Windows 11 PC

Microsoft will end support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, meaning users will no longer receive updates, security patches, or new features. Flipkart is offering exclusive exchange discounts for customers trading in old Windows 10 laptops for select Windows 11 models. Windows 11 provides faster performance, longer battery life, and enhanced security features compared to Windows 10. Copilot+ PCs, which run Windows 11, include integrated AI features and improved battery life, catering to designers, students, and professionals.

AppWizard

May 22, 2025

Revenge of the Savage Planet hits 1m players

Revenge of the Savage Planet has attracted over one million players within ten days of its release on May 8th, as reported by developer Raccoon Logic on Steam. Raccoon Logic was formed by former members of Typhoon Studios, which was acquired by Google in 2019 and faced challenges due to the Google Stadia project's fallout in 2021. The developers expressed gratitude to players and are committed to improving the game with regular updates and a roadmap for future features. The game is available through Xbox Game Pass, but no distinctions have been made between purchased copies and those accessed via the subscription service.

AppWizard

May 21, 2025

UnderDog reveals gameplay trailer for PS5/PC adventure game Mukti

Indian independent game developer UnderDogs Studio has unveiled the gameplay for its upcoming PS5 and PC title, Mukti, through a new gameplay trailer. Mukti is a first-person narrative adventure set in mid-2000s India, where players control Arya, a young woman searching for her grandfather in a museum while uncovering mysteries related to human trafficking. The game is part of Sony’s India Hero Project, with UnderDogs Studio collaborating with Sony for over a year. Players can wishlist Mukti on the PS Store for PS5 and on Steam for PC. The game is designed to utilize PS5 capabilities, offering immersive environments and 4K resolution, with optimized haptics and adaptive triggers for the DualSense controller. The tentative PC specifications include minimum requirements of Windows 10, Intel Core i5-9400F or AMD Ryzen 5 3500, 8 GB RAM, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 or AMD Radeon RX 570, while recommended requirements include Windows 11, Intel Core i7-12700K or AMD Ryzen 7 7700, 16 GB RAM, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT. The Steam version will feature achievements, family sharing, and full controller support. UnderDogs Studio was founded in 2011 by Vaibhav Chavan and has developed over 250 games across various platforms.

AppWizard

May 20, 2025

Google Workspaces gets supercharged with Gemini to help you work smarter

The latest Google I/O event introduced several AI-driven features across Google's products aimed at enhancing user experience and productivity. - Gmail will receive AI-powered personalized reply suggestions, inbox cleanup, and faster appointment scheduling through the new Gemini tool. - Google Meet will offer real-time speech translation in multiple languages for AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, starting with English and Spanish. - Google Vids will enable users to convert slides into videos, generate scripts, and refine recordings using AI, with features like AI avatars for video production. - Imagen 4 will enhance visual content creation in Slides, Vids, and Docs by generating richer images and accurate text rendering. - Google Docs will incorporate Gemini for source-grounded writing assistance, allowing users to link relevant data and documents directly within their writing.

Winsage

May 20, 2025

Windows 10 and 11: Microsoft removes Store fees for individual app developers

Microsoft announced that starting June 2015, individual developers will no longer incur fees to register and submit their apps to the Microsoft Store. This makes the Microsoft Store the first global digital store to offer free app publishing. Corporate developers will still face charges. Additionally, Microsoft is introducing enhancements such as improved hosting for privacy policies, expanded support resources, a policy update for Win32 app installations, promotional campaign capabilities for developers, enhanced health reports, and visibility on when apps were last updated. Microsoft has previously allowed developers to retain all revenue from non-game apps using their billing system, while charging a 12 percent fee for games and a 15 percent fee for apps using Microsoft's retail platform. In 2021, Microsoft expanded the types of applications that can be submitted to the store.

Winsage

May 20, 2025

Microsoft Makes Individual Developer Accounts Free Next Month

Microsoft is removing all onboarding fees for individual developers to publish applications on the Microsoft Store, effective next month. This change allows developers to publish without a credit card, making the platform more accessible. Company accounts will still incur a fee, but individual developers can utilize the built-in developer mode on Windows 10, 11, and Xbox consoles to create unsigned applications. The Microsoft Store will also see improvements in discovery, delivery, and user acquisition processes. While developer mode is popular for running emulation software, it remains limited by the deprecated UWP application platform, affecting Xbox console applications.

AppWizard

May 19, 2025

‘We are doing our best to resolve most of it’: Stellar Blade’s PC release will be restricted in 130 countries as the devs fight to have it lifted

The PC release of Stellar Blade in June is facing region-lock issues affecting players in 130 countries, with six countries—Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, and Vietnam—having no price point listed. PlayStation Network (PSN) requirements have been controversial, with developers stating that PSN connection is optional, despite past titles facing restrictions leading to negative reviews. The disparity in game pricing across regions has led to exploitation by key resellers. Shift Up, the developer of Stellar Blade, is actively discussing the region lock issue with the publisher to resolve it.

Winsage

May 19, 2025

Microsoft Triumphs: Resolves Long-Standing Windows Bug from Last Year

Microsoft's latest Windows 11 update, version 24H2, released in May 2025, resolves a dual-boot issue caused by the Secure Boot Advanced Targeting (SBAT) feature that made Linux partitions unbootable for many users. Additionally, Microsoft has launched a new 13-inch Surface Laptop, which is the lightest and thinnest version ever produced, weighing 2.7 lbs, and emphasizing portability and performance with advanced AI features.

AppWizard

May 17, 2025

Google’s ML Kit GenAI APIs with Gemini Nano: On-Device AI for Privacy-Preserving Android Apps

Google announced on May 14, 2025, the expansion of its ML Kit offerings with new GenAI APIs powered by the Gemini Nano model, aimed at providing Android developers with access to advanced AI features while ensuring user privacy through on-device processing. The ML Kit GenAI APIs include four key capabilities: summarization, proofreading, rewriting, and image description. These APIs process data locally, keeping user data on the device, ensuring consistent functionality without internet connectivity, and avoiding recurring server costs. This development enhances the accessibility of sophisticated AI capabilities for Android developers and aligns with consumer privacy concerns. The architecture allows for future expansion of capabilities as Gemini models evolve.