Development

AppWizard
September 4, 2026
BlizzCon 2026 is scheduled for September 12-13. Nexon is reportedly close to finalizing a deal to create a new game in the StarCraft series, following a long hiatus since StarCraft Remastered in 2017 and the last original installment, StarCraft 2, in 2010. There is skepticism within the StarCraft community regarding whether the new title will be StarCraft 3 or a shooter. The official StarCraft website has shown unusual activity, suggesting an imminent announcement. Additionally, there is an unexplained one-hour gap in the BlizzCon main stage schedule that fans speculate could be for a StarCraft reveal. Blizzard has also been reportedly developing its own StarCraft shooter since 2024. Recent hiring efforts and a major patch for StarCraft 2 have further fueled speculation about the franchise's future.
AppWizard
September 4, 2026
A bug in SMS and RCS messaging for Android users causes old messages to be appended when sending new communications, leading to potential data privacy concerns as sensitive information may be shared with unintended recipients. The issue affects a broad range of devices and manufacturers, and Google is working on a gradual fix that may take several weeks to implement. Users are advised to consider alternative messaging platforms to mitigate risks.
Winsage
September 4, 2026
The tech community recently celebrated the 31st anniversary of Windows 95, sparking discussions about its design influences, particularly regarding the potential British roots of its interface. Former Microsoft engineer Dave Plummer's post on X led to exchanges among ex-Microsoft employees, including Joe Belfiore, who clarified that the Windows taskbar was not inspired by the NeXT dock but rather by developments from the Cairo team, specifically a persistent "tray" for file transfers. The debate references Paul Fellows, who led the Arthur project at Acorn, which introduced the first "icon bar" in 1987, influencing both NeXTstep and Windows. Acorn's Arthur, initially a BASIC demo, became RISC OS by 1989, maintaining its foundational design elements. The timeline shows that Acorn's icon bar predated NeXTstep's dock and the Windows taskbar, with Windows 2.0 and OS/2 1.1 released in late 1987 and 1988, respectively, showing visual similarities to NeXTstep. The Microsoft Cairo project, which ran from 1991 to 1996, coincided with Windows NT 4 development. The Windows 95 taskbar and NeXT's dock served different functions, but their historical context is significant.
AppWizard
September 4, 2026
Google is developing a feature called Weekly wrap for its Digital Wellbeing app, which will provide users with a summary of their phone usage over the week. In the beta version 1.47.964183037.beta, code strings indicate that Weekly wrap will generate insights based on phone activity, presenting notifications that summarize usage in a contextual manner. The feature will highlight significant changes in usage trends, utilizing Gemini Nano to process data on users' devices while ensuring privacy. It will convey changes in a user-friendly format, avoiding overwhelming statistics and using descriptive language. Users will have the option to manage notifications related to the Weekly wrap feature.
AppWizard
September 3, 2026
Harvey Smith discussed the development of Deus Ex on the NoClip podcast, emphasizing the benefits of allowing extra time for game development, particularly in post-production. He noted that Ion Storm Austin received additional time, which enabled the team to refine the game and enhance the character Gunther Hermann, who initially had a limited role. Smith creatively integrated Gunther into a mission in a Paris cathedral, allowing for a more dynamic interaction and a dramatic moment where Gunther's presence added emotional weight to the gameplay. He highlighted the importance of providing game development teams with extra time to improve quality and creativity, suggesting that this approach could lead to greater success and recognition in the industry.
AppWizard
September 3, 2026
Double Fine is set to release its game Keeper on the PlayStation 5. A new set of Trophies for Keeper has appeared on Exophase, suggesting an imminent release, potentially announced during an upcoming State of Play livestream. Double Fine has retained the rights to its intellectual properties, allowing for the PS5 port without Microsoft’s backing. Keeper originally received a Metacritic rating of 80 and features a narrative where players control a lighthouse that awakens to embark on an adventure with a seabird.
AppWizard
September 3, 2026
The RPCS3 development team has stated they will not incorporate the recently leaked DLSS 5 technology into their PS3 emulator, despite some users testing it. They expressed a preference to distance themselves from DLSS 5, criticizing the use of upscalers and frame generation that they believe obscure optimization issues. The team previously integrated AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), leading to discussions about their stance on different upscaling technologies. The leaked DLL from an early build of NBA 2K27 has been used in various PC titles with mixed results, but RPCS3 remains committed to game preservation, asserting that DLSS 5 does not align with their mission.
AppWizard
September 3, 2026
Bandai Namco has released a new game titled The Blood of Dawnwalker, developed using Unreal Engine 5. Players are experiencing significant stuttering issues, particularly in the village area, which affects gameplay in this third-person action RPG. The game features a 30FPS cap on cinematic cutscenes, although some decision-based cutscenes run at an unlocked framerate. The prologue area runs smoothly, but performance deteriorates in the village, with frame rates dropping to 45-50FPS at Native 4K resolution. Enabling DLSS Quality allows for a consistent frame rate above 60FPS. The game's visual fidelity does not meet expectations for titles using the same engine, indicating potential optimization issues. A comprehensive performance analysis is forthcoming, testing various AMD and NVIDIA GPUs.
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