duo Archives

Winsage

August 11, 2026

Is this Microsoft’s canceled Surface Phone from 2014? Mysterious Windows Phone prototype appears in new photos

Microsoft had plans to launch a Windows Phone device under the Surface branding in 2014, which never materialized. A prototype, known internally as Raven, from the 2013-2014 era has been revealed, operating on an early version of Windows Phone 8.1. The device features an undisclosed Qualcomm chip, a 720p display, a Microsoft logo on the back, and a silver metal frame. It includes dedicated hardware navigation keys, individual volume buttons, a camera button, a power button, a micro-USB port, a headphone jack, and a SIM card slot. Microsoft later shifted focus to other projects, including the Surface Duo, while the Windows Phone platform was abandoned in 2017.

AppWizard

August 10, 2026

Kai Cenat challenges Minecraft Hardcore doubters as IShowSpeed duo faces one rule that could change everything

Kai Cenat and IShowSpeed began their Minecraft Hardcore challenge on August 7, aiming to defeat every boss in 10 days. They addressed skepticism from viewers regarding the feasibility of completing the challenge, with some believing it could take months or years. Kai expressed confidence in their gaming abilities, stating that they could succeed together. They established rules for the challenge, allowing for strategy adjustments if setbacks occur, but any bosses defeated before the 10-day limit would not count towards their final tally. IShowSpeed confirmed that all progress would reset after the 10-day period, ensuring they must complete the challenge within the set timeframe.

AppWizard

August 9, 2026

Upcoming PS5 Games: The Future of PlayStation Exclusives

In May 2026, Sony announced that future single-player titles will remain exclusive to the PlayStation 5, although some games currently in development will launch across platforms. Upcoming PS5 games include: - Spider-Man franchise: A new narrative featuring a character from the Marvel universe, expected to carry an M-rating. - Phantom Blade Zero: Set to launch on October 29, 2026, as a timed PS5 and PC exclusive, with a later release on Xbox and Switch 2 in Fall 2027. - God of War Laufey: Scheduled for release on February 16, 2027, as a PS5 exclusive, featuring Faye on a journey through the Everywhen. - Until Dawn 2: A sequel with a new cast, set for release in 2027 as a PS5 exclusive, focusing on amateur ghost hunters. - Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet: An upcoming PS5 exclusive from Naughty Dog, featuring a rogue bounty hunter in a retro-futuristic world. - Fairgame$: A multiplayer heist shooter for PS5 and PC, facing development challenges but still anticipated. - GTA 6: A timed console exclusive launching on November 19, 2026, not exclusive to PS5 but available solely on consoles for a limited time.

AppWizard

August 2, 2026

Next Week on XBOX: New Games for August 3 to 7

- Beast of Reincarnation: Release Date: August 3; Availability: Game Pass / Optimized for Xbox Series X|S. - Kynseed: Release Date: August 4; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S. - Detective Holmes: Hidden Objects: Release Date: August 3; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere. - Space Tail: Definitive Edition: Release Date: August 3; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S. - Fading Clouds: Release Date: August 4; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S. - Five Hearts Under One Roof: Release Date: August 5; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere. - Mate'Morphosis: Release Date: August 5; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere. - Aery – Surreal World: Release Date: August 6; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S. - Herd Dispatch: Release Date: August 6; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S. - Montabi: Release Date: August 6; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere. - Sokogem: Release Date: August 6; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S. - Vengeance of Mr. Peppermint: Release Date: August 6; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery. - Yellowcreek Stories – The Cabin Watcher: Release Date: August 6; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere. - INK ENIGMA 2: Hidden Object Challenges: Release Date: August 7; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere. - John Fox: Release Date: August 7; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere. - Limbot: Release Date: August 7; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere. - The Relic: First Guardian: Release Date: August 7; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S. - Tailbreak: Release Date: August 7; Availability: Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere.

AppWizard

August 1, 2026

Steam gamers have spoken: innovative indies like Palworld continue to thrive while traditional triple-A flounders for a foothold

In 2026, the gaming landscape shows a significant shift, with smaller development teams gaining popularity among PC gamers, while established franchises face challenges. Palworld 1.0 has become a major success, attracting over half a million concurrent players daily, trailing only behind CS2, PUBG, and Dota 2. Other notable releases include Meccha Chameleon, Windrose, Slay the Spire 2, Deltarune Chapter Five, and Mewgenics. In contrast, Halo: Campaign Evolved peaked at just over 25,000 concurrent players, significantly lower than The Master Chief Collection's peak of 161,000 in 2019. Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced reached 104,000 active players, marking its best performance on Steam. The Summer Game Fest highlighted successful titles like Resident Evil Requiem and Forza Horizon 6, while smaller innovative projects like Vampire Crawlers and Super Battle Golf are also gaining attention.

AppWizard

July 30, 2026

Simultaneously Control Two Heroines in Fantasy ARPG Lunarium, Available Now on PC

Lunarium, a hand-drawn isometric action role-playing game (ARPG) developed by Lunarium Game Studio and published by Imperfect Games, was released on July 29, 2026, for PC via Steam. The game features dual-protagonist gameplay with two heroines, Ave, a knight, and Lune, a sorceress, allowing players to switch between characters to combat dark forces. Players can explore hand-drawn environments, solve puzzles using Lune's powers, and customize their experience through various enhancements and skill trees. Lunarium is priced at .99, £15.99, or €17.99, with a 10% launch discount for the first week and supports multiple languages.

Tech Optimizer

July 29, 2026

After rewriting SQLite in Rust, Turso turns its sights on Postgres

Cloud database provider Turso is developing a Postgres-compatible implementation based on its SQLite-compatible database, which was created from scratch in Rust. CEO Glauber Costa believes Postgres can benefit from modernization for cloud-native applications. Turso's SQLite reimplementation, now called Turso, uses a virtual machine architecture that may eventually support other database frontends, including MySQL and Redis. The company initially forked SQLite into libSQL but later pivoted to a cloud service named Turso. They focused on a virtual machine architecture for their rewrite, which translates SQL queries into a custom bytecode language. Turso has developed a Postgres-compatible prototype named pgmicro, which aims to run existing applications with minimal modifications. The company is also working on a database-as-a-cloud service that will allow customers to use various database types on the Turso platform.

AppWizard

July 25, 2026

Games industry analyst says Meccha Chameleon’s June revenue on PC was second only to Fortnite

Meccha Chameleon, created by lemorion_1224 and Haganeiro, has achieved significant commercial success, ranking just behind Fortnite in select Western markets for June, according to Newzoo data. The game's accessibility and viral popularity on platforms like YouTube have contributed to its rapid rise. Analyst Mert Şahin noted that lower-budget, socially driven multiplayer games can achieve impressive outcomes. Despite challenges such as cheating and AI imitations, the game has received positive reviews, with PC Gamer describing it as "a delightfully elevated take on hide-and-seek." The creators are also planning their first collaboration to further engage their community.

AppWizard

July 24, 2026

Meccha Chameleon ranks second behind Fortnite in PC revenue for June

Meccha Chameleon achieved the second-highest revenue for PC titles in June, selling over 15 million copies since its launch on June 10. It debuted at No. 6 on Newzoo's PC engagement charts. Other notable sales figures include Lethal Company with over 10 million units in its first six months and Fall Guys reaching seven million in one month. In life simulation games, Paralives ranked No. 7, while Dead by Daylight climbed to No. 10. Grand Theft Auto 6 became the highest-grossing console title based on pre-orders, generating an estimated 0 million globally. The engagement rankings showed minimal fluctuations, with established titles like Fortnite and Counter-Strike 2 maintaining larger player bases than recent releases. Grounded climbed over 250 places to No. 16 on the console engagement charts after its PlayStation Plus release. The Top 20 PC games by revenue in June included Fortnite, Meccha Chameleon, and Counter-Strike 2 & Go, while the Top 20 console games featured Fortnite, EA Sports FC 26, and NBA 2K26.

AppWizard

July 24, 2026

Free PC game giveaway will save $20, one for Baldur’s Gate 3 players

The Epic Games Store is offering the game Foretales for free from July 23 until July 30 at 4 PM BST. The game can be downloaded from the Epic Games Store and is yours to keep indefinitely. Foretales is a story-driven card game with turn-based combat, set in a fantasy realm, and features a narrative about a thief named Volepain who must stop a curse. It has a retail price of .99 and is also available on Steam for .99 until July 28. Foretales has a Metacritic score of 74 and an 86% rating on Steam, with gameplay lasting approximately 15 hours for the main story, 20.5 hours including side quests, and up to 32 hours for completionists. The game is narrated by Travis Willingham.