consumers Archives

AppWizard

June 14, 2025

The Outer Worlds 2 director offers the most sympathetic answer I’ve yet heard for the $80 game question: ‘We don’t set the prices for our games,’ and ‘You’d have to honestly talk to the Xbox folks’

Brandon Adler, the director of The Outer Worlds 2, stated that game developers do not set the prices for their games, emphasizing that pricing decisions are made by corporate executives. He expressed a desire for broader accessibility to games but indicated that pricing inquiries should be directed to Xbox executives. The economic landscape has shifted, making home ownership difficult while consumer electronics have become more affordable. Gamers now have various options, including subscription services and budget-friendly hardware. The perceived normal price for games has shifted to the range of to , with being a stretch, particularly for highly anticipated titles. Pricing challenges reflect deeper issues in the gaming industry, including recent layoffs and rising development costs. Obsidian Entertainment has adopted a strategy of working on multiple smaller projects, resulting in more affordable pricing for some titles, while the upcoming Avowed is set at a full retail price. Concerns exist that The Outer Worlds 2’s price might hinder its success, especially given the unclear metrics Microsoft uses to evaluate sales performance.

Winsage

June 14, 2025

Will your Mac or Windows PC still get security updates in 2026? Check this chart

Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system has introduced stringent compatibility requirements, making many PCs, some as young as six or seven years old, ineligible for security updates and upgrades. Apple's MacOS update policies are similarly restrictive, with security updates provided for the three most recent versions. When a new version is released, older systems may become unsupported and stop receiving updates. The upcoming MacOS 26 Tahoe is expected to launch in September, at which point MacOS 13 Ventura will cease to receive updates, affecting older Macs. Unsupported models include MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac Mini from 2017 or earlier, and iMac and Mac Pro models from 2018 or earlier. For Windows PCs, compatibility with Windows 11 generally requires a CPU released in 2019 or later, though some older Intel CPUs may qualify. Microsoft offers a PC Health Check app to assess compatibility, and users can bypass certain checks to install Windows 11. Windows 10 users can pay for security updates for up to three years after support ends in October 2025, a feature not available for Mac users. Security updates for both Mac and Windows PCs are typically available for eight to ten years after the release date.

Winsage

June 14, 2025

You can’t argue with the price when a 95% discount drops Windows 11 Pro to just $10

Windows 11 Pro is available for a limited-time price of , reduced from its original retail value of 9, representing a discount of up to 95%. The Pro version includes features such as Hyper-V Virtualization, BitLocker Drive Encryption, Sandbox, Microsoft Defender Application Guard, and Windows Information Protection. Users also gain access to various AI tools. To acquire the software, one must purchase, download, and activate it with a license key, ensuring hardware compatibility with Windows 11.

Winsage

June 14, 2025

Now You Can Upgrade Your PC to Windows 11 Pro or Home for Only $10

Microsoft will discontinue support for Windows 10 in October 2025, making the upgrade to Windows 11 urgent. Windows 11 Pro is available for purchase from StackSocial for a promotional price, significantly lower than the standard price from Microsoft. Users can apply the promo code MSO5 at checkout to access this deal. The Pro version includes features like DirectX 12 Ultimate, BitLocker device encryption, Azure-AD, and Hyper-V. Upon purchase, users receive a lifetime license, but must ensure their hardware meets the minimum system requirements for installation. The download code must be redeemed within 30 days before it expires.

AppWizard

June 13, 2025

Today’s Android app deals and freebies: Slayaway Camp, The Quest, SOULVARS, more

A new wave of Android game and app deals has emerged, including significant savings on Samsung Galaxy Book5 Copilot+ PCs, Sony’s XM6 ANC headphones with a complimentary Amazon gift card, and discounts on Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and Google Pixel 9. Notable app deals include Slayaway Camp, The Quest, SOULVARS, and LIMBO. SOULVARS features strategic gameplay with vertically held smartphone controls, allowing for battles, dungeon exploration, and collection of enchanted items, where protagonists use a device called the Soul Driver to convert souls into data and eliminate deformities threatening people.

Tech Optimizer

June 10, 2025

Why Instacart Moved to Postgres & pgvector to Boost Semantic Search

Instacart serves 14 million daily users and manages billions of products, necessitating advanced search capabilities that go beyond keyword matching to understand user intent. The search system must reflect real-time inventory changes, leading to significant workloads on the database. Instacart transitioned from Elasticsearch and FAISS to a hybrid architecture using Postgres and pgvector, improving search performance and reducing write workloads by tenfold. This normalization allowed for better storage of machine learning features and improved flexibility. Moving compute closer to storage with NVMe resulted in a twofold increase in search performance. Instacart's migration to pgvector eliminated data duplication and operational complexity, enhancing search quality and user satisfaction, evidenced by a 6% decrease in searches with zero results.

AppWizard

June 10, 2025

Today’s Android app deals and freebies: Cyberlords

This afternoon, the Google Play store is offering various discounted games and applications for Android users. Significant hardware discounts include the Microsoft Platinum Snapdragon X Elite OLED Surface Pro available at a notable price reduction, and the ASUS ZenBook A14 OLED Snapdragon X Plus Copilot+ PC also seeing a price drop. The Galaxy Tab S10 FE and FE+ bundles are discounted by , and the Galaxy Watch 7 is available for 9. Featured app deals include Cyberlords – Arcology, MAYATCH, and Achikaps Pro.

Winsage

June 9, 2025

I tested Xbox’s powerful — and heavy

The ROG Xbox Ally X is a handheld console with a 7-inch display, set to launch during the holiday season. It weighs 715 g (1.58 lbs), making it the heaviest handheld on the market. The console operates on Windows and comes pre-loaded with Steam, Battle.net, and Discord. Despite its impressive features and graphics, concerns about its ergonomics and comfort during prolonged use were raised after a short gameplay session. Feedback from other attendees indicated that some found the device comfortable, likening it to an Xbox controller.

AppWizard

June 9, 2025

The Outer Worlds 2 is Microsoft’s first $80 game

The Outer Worlds 2 is set to be released on October 29th, 2025, and will introduce a new price point as the first title from Microsoft to implement this pricing strategy following a global price hike announced in May 2025. Microsoft acknowledged the challenges of this decision, citing current market conditions and rising game development costs. The original game was published by Take-Two's Private Division in 2019, and Obsidian, the studio behind it, was acquired by Microsoft during its development.

Winsage

June 9, 2025

Hands-On With the Xbox Ally X, the New Gaming Handheld from Asus and Microsoft

PC gaming handhelds, including the Xbox Ally X and Xbox Ally, are designed for the Xbox platform through a collaboration between Asus and Microsoft. The Xbox Ally X features an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme APU, 24GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, while the base Xbox Ally has a Ryzen Z2 A chip, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. Both models have a 7.0-inch 1080p IPS display with a 120Hz refresh rate and support VRR and FreeSync technology. The Xbox Ally X was tested with Gears of War: Reloaded at 1080p and 60 fps. The systems run a streamlined version of Windows with an optimized Xbox app that allows game imports from other platforms. The ergonomic design resembles a split Xbox controller, but its size may affect portability. Pricing details are not yet disclosed, but the Xbox Ally X is expected to be premium-priced.