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"Congrats to the owners of a brand new $6k paperweight": Valorant dev Riot makes players think Vanguard anti-cheat will brick their PCs, causing uproar — here's what's really happening
AppWizard
May 23, 2026

“Congrats to the owners of a brand new $6k paperweight”: Valorant dev Riot makes players think Vanguard anti-cheat will brick their PCs, causing uproar — here’s what’s really happening

Valorant's anti-cheat system, Vanguard, has been controversial due to its interference with DMA firmware devices, which are used to cheat in the game. Riot Games posted a message suggesting that Vanguard was making these devices unusable, leading to backlash from the gaming community. Riot clarified that Vanguard does not damage hardware or disable devices but prevents DMA cheat devices from functioning while IOMMU protections are enabled. Players not using DMA devices are not affected. The situation has sparked debate about the balance between anti-cheat measures and their impact on hardware.
Riot Games Says It 'Would Not and Cannot' Use Vanguard Anti-Cheat to Brick PCs After Rumors Spread
AppWizard
May 22, 2026

Riot Games Says It ‘Would Not and Cannot’ Use Vanguard Anti-Cheat to Brick PCs After Rumors Spread

Riot Games has clarified that its Vanguard anti-cheat system does not have the capability to damage players' PCs or disable their devices. The company stated that the "paperweights" referenced in a social media post were cheat devices that had been rendered ineffective by updates to the Vanguard system, which enforces security features on accounts using Direct Memory Access (DMA) cheating devices. While cheaters may experience hardware faults when using these cheats, this is a consequence of their actions, and only those using DMA-based cheats would encounter issues. Riot Games reassured players that their PCs would not be "bricked" due to Vanguard's operations.
InPVP acquires Feather Client, rebrands as Dawn
AppWizard
May 22, 2026

InPVP acquires Feather Client, rebrands as Dawn

InPVP has acquired Feather Client, a third-party Minecraft launcher, focusing on its in-game technology rather than the launcher itself. The acquisition was announced by InPVP owner Mohamed “PizzaMC” Weheba at the UGCon conference in Las Vegas. Feather Client’s parent company, Silentstack, will launch a new launcher called Dawn. Weheba clarified that the acquisition involves a sale of assets without taking on previous liabilities. The acquisition follows allegations of ad fraud against Feather Client. Weheba plans to reduce reliance on ad monetization and focus on direct-to-consumer revenue streams, including the sale of cosmetics and in-game items. He aims to enhance user experience with features like a profanity filter for voice chat and plans to collaborate with the competitive Minecraft organization MCPVP for tournaments. Aditude, Feather's former ad tech provider, has resumed its partnership with Dawn, expressing confidence in Weheba's leadership and the new direction of the project.
Lords of the Fallen 2 set to potentially release on Steam as developer CI Games and Epic terminate PC exclusivity deal
AppWizard
May 20, 2026

Lords of the Fallen 2 set to potentially release on Steam as developer CI Games and Epic terminate PC exclusivity deal

Lords of the Fallen 2, the third installment in the series, is progressing towards a tentative launch in 2026 after a gameplay showcase at The Game Awards 2025. CI Games has concluded its multi-year exclusivity agreement with Epic Games, allowing the game to potentially launch on Steam while maintaining collaboration with Epic for Unreal Engine and other services. The exclusivity termination is described as "conditional in nature." The console versions will remain unaffected by these changes. The game has sparked discussions due to comments from CI Games' CEO about "political correctness" and the introduction of more revealing armor sets for female characters. Eurogamer's review of the rebooted Lords of the Fallen rated it two stars, noting it as "a perfectly acceptable Soulslike" but critiquing it for "Soulslike clichés and performance woes."
High-octane FPS Deadzone Rogue responds to sudden sequel controversy: "DLC limits how much we can experiment"
AppWizard
May 18, 2026

High-octane FPS Deadzone Rogue responds to sudden sequel controversy: “DLC limits how much we can experiment”

Deadzone Rogue 2 is a sequel to the original game launched in August 2025, and a demo for the sequel is set to be released soon, but the full game will not be available for some time. Prophecy Games has clarified that they are following a similar development cycle as the first installment, which took about a year from announcement to launch. The studio decided against creating downloadable content (DLC) for the original game to avoid limiting innovation and to prevent player base fragmentation in co-op scenarios. Instead, they aim to introduce new ideas in the sequel, such as a broader cast of characters and enhanced gameplay mechanics. The demo will be free and is intended to allow for experimentation and feedback. The sequel is expected to be priced similarly to the original, with optional cosmetic DLC available.
Party Animals' $75,000 AI video contest is a slap in the face to its creative team, and I'm not surprised it's getting blasted on Steam
AppWizard
May 14, 2026

Party Animals’ $75,000 AI video contest is a slap in the face to its creative team, and I’m not surprised it’s getting blasted on Steam

Recreate Games announced an AI video contest called the 'Golden Paw Awards' for players to create short films using generative AI tools, which has led to significant backlash from the community. The contest offers a cash prize of ,000 but has faced criticism for its reliance on AI-generated content, resulting in over 800 unfavorable reviews and a 'Mostly Negative' classification for recent reviews of Party Animals. In response to the negative feedback, Recreate Games issued an apology and proposed three options: canceling the contest, changing it to a non-AI competition, or keeping both AI and non-AI categories. The studio emphasized that they view AI as a tool for creative expression, but this explanation has not alleviated community disappointment.
Meta faces court over Android tracking claims
AppWizard
May 14, 2026

Meta faces court over Android tracking claims

Meta is facing a class action lawsuit for allegedly exploiting vulnerabilities in Android smartphones to track users' private information, linking browsing activity to Instagram and Facebook accounts. The lawsuit claims Meta unlawfully accessed and de-anonymized personal data of millions of Android users to enhance advertising profiling. A US District Court Judge ruled that most privacy-related claims in the lawsuit must proceed, stating that plaintiffs have plausibly alleged a significant intrusion upon their privacy. Meta is accused of exploiting an Android vulnerability to bypass security measures that isolate apps, allowing it to link browsing information to users' accounts. Although Meta has reportedly stopped using this tracking method, it successfully dismissed two claims related to unjust enrichment and the use of modified pixel code. Additionally, the lawsuit includes claims against Google for negligence, with one claim dismissed but another allowed to proceed. In response to regulatory pressures, Meta is introducing new features for parental supervision of teens on its platforms and plans to use AI to detect underage accounts.
Да, так бывает: Forza Horizon 6 утекла на торренты за 9 дней до релиза
TrendTechie
May 13, 2026

Да, так бывает: Forza Horizon 6 утекла на торренты за 9 дней до релиза

The developers of Forza Horizon 6 accidentally uploaded the entire 155 GB game to Steam without encryption, making it publicly accessible before its official release. The game is now available on torrent sites. Forza Horizon 6 is scheduled to officially launch on May 19 for PC and Xbox Series S/X, while PlayStation 5 users will have to wait longer. The game's narrative takes place in Japan.
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