engine Archives

AppWizard

September 28, 2026

This ambitious Half-Life 2 mod asks: what if Iron Lung had a submarine and an airship?

Iron Lung is an acclaimed indie horror game that has inspired a film adaptation by Markiplier. The genre of vehicular horror is largely unexplored, with few titles like Barotrauma and Klekta. The Temple is an upcoming total conversion mod for Half-Life 2 that allows players to navigate a horror-filled submarine and expands the experience into space. It is part of MapLabs and promises over two hours of gameplay, featuring three vehicles and a visually impressive environment. The mod includes elements inspired by Amnesia: The Dark Descent, such as invisible water monsters and a talking crow companion. The creator, Klems, has hinted at a potential release "very soon, possibly next month."

AppWizard

September 28, 2026

William Pugh, co-designer of The Stanley Parable, has over 1,600 hours in Dota 2: ‘It’s not a game made of love. It’s a game fuelled by hate and a desire to conquer’

William Pugh began his journey in PC gaming with shareware titles on Mac and has fond memories of playing Worms 4: Mayhem, which introduced him to online multiplayer. He later engaged with the Source engine mapping community through Team Fortress 2, where he collaborated with Davey Wreden to create The Stanley Parable. Currently, he is working on a project with Crows Crows Crows and producing the PS5 exclusive Hunter's Moon. Pugh is playing Deadlock, describing it as an improved version of Dota 2, which he has played for 1,603 hours but finds frustrating. He will never uninstall Team Fortress 2 and relies on Blender for non-gaming software, praising its open-source nature. His desktop is chaotic, reflecting his creative style, and he humorously keeps all his files since 2005 on physical hard drives.

AppWizard

September 27, 2026

AnyPS5 Reaches PS5 Game Menu on PC, No Emulator [2026]

A developer named boykopovar has created an open-source tool called AnyPS5 on GitHub, which aims to convert PlayStation 5 games to run natively on Windows and Linux systems. AnyPS5 can load a PS5 game's logo and reach its main menu on PC hardware but crashes before the menu becomes interactive. The tool uses a method called relinking, which reformats PS5 executables into native Windows or Linux files and provides replacement libraries to mimic PS5 system libraries. There is currently no public build available, and the developer has stated that a public release will only occur after a successful game launch. Sony has not made any public statements or taken legal action regarding AnyPS5. The project operates under the GPL-2.0 license, but the legal implications of using it with actual PS5 games remain unclear. Historical trends suggest that console emulation projects typically take years to mature, but AnyPS5's shared architecture with PCs may offer a potential shortcut.

Winsage

September 26, 2026

Microsoft is ending support for Internet Explorer mode in Edge

Microsoft has announced that the Internet Explorer mode within its Edge browser will be supported until at least the end of 2029. This mode allows organizations to run IE's rendering engine on current Windows versions. Microsoft will provide a minimum of one year's notice before any end-of-support date. IE mode is a compatibility feature in Edge that uses the legacy Trident engine. Internet Explorer officially retired its standalone browser in June 2022, having dropped to less than 1 percent of the browser market share at that time.

Tech Optimizer

September 26, 2026

Norton 360 for Gamers vs Bitdefender vs Malwarebytes [2026]

Norton 360 and Bitdefender Total Security achieved perfect scores from AV-TEST in June 2026, while Malwarebytes had a 100% real-world protection rate in AV-Comparatives’ testing but with a higher false-positive rate. Bitdefender Total Security is recommended for PC gamers as it minimizes frame-rate impact to 0-2% during gameplay. Norton 360 for Gamers includes features for streamers and competitive players but has a higher renewal price. Malwarebytes Premium is noted for its minimal resource usage but lacks a dedicated game mode. The pricing for Norton 360 starts at .99 for the first year and increases to .99 upon renewal, Bitdefender starts at .99 for a single device, and Malwarebytes Premium aligns closely with Norton’s entry price but does not include a VPN. In FPS testing with Cyberpunk 2077, Norton showed a 2-3% drop, Bitdefender a 0-2% decrease, and Malwarebytes under 1%. Norton uses a hybrid detection model, Bitdefender employs cloud-based scanning, and Malwarebytes focuses on behavior-based detection. Norton offers gamer-tag dark web monitoring and a bundled VPN, while Bitdefender has limited VPN features on standard tiers and Malwarebytes lacks these protections.

Tech Optimizer

September 25, 2026

Norton 360 for Gamers vs Bitdefender vs Malwarebytes [2026]

Norton, Bitdefender, and Malwarebytes have adjusted their antivirus products to mitigate the negative effects on gaming performance. In June 2026, Norton 360 and Bitdefender Total Security both received a perfect AV-TEST score of 18 out of 18, while Malwarebytes achieved a 100% real-world protection rate in AV-Comparatives testing, though it had more false positives. Bitdefender Total Security is recommended for gamers due to its low frame-rate impact of 0-2%, while Norton 360 offers features for streamers and competitive players, and Malwarebytes serves as a lightweight secondary scanner. The value of gaming accounts has increased, making them targets for cybercriminals, with malware campaigns like Vidar 2.0 accounting for 41% of gaming-related malware detections. New malware families such as Katz and Bee specifically target Discord and gaming platforms. In terms of performance, Norton showed a 2-3% FPS decrease in Cyberpunk 2077, while Bitdefender's impact was only 0-2%, and Malwarebytes had less than 1% impact. Norton and Bitdefender are tied in detection capabilities, both scoring 18/18 in AV-TEST, while Malwarebytes had a 92.4% offline detection rate and 98.3% online. Norton includes a no-log VPN and gamer-tag monitoring, while Bitdefender offers identity protection without specific gamer-tag monitoring. Malwarebytes lacks a VPN and password manager. Pricing varies, with Norton starting at .99 for three devices, Bitdefender at .99 for one device, and Malwarebytes at .99 for one device. To switch antivirus solutions, users should back up their license keys, use removal tools, and ensure game-aware modes are active. Each product has unique strengths: Norton excels in gamer-tag monitoring, Bitdefender minimizes CPU usage, and Malwarebytes is lightweight but lacks additional features.

AppWizard

September 25, 2026

Google brings back Android Dev Summit with Android 18 ‘powerful new graphics features’ tease

The Android Dev Summit will take place in 2026 at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, with a satellite event in London. It will feature a keynote address from Android leadership and will be organized into four tracks: AI Experiences, Android XR, Apps Foundation, and Tools and Performance. Notable sessions include one on enhancing apps with graphics features in Jetpack Compose and Android 18. The conference will also cover themes such as app integration with advanced technologies like Gemini and the Android intelligence system. The event is scheduled for October 28-29, 2026.

Winsage

September 25, 2026

Microsoft plans to deprecate Windows Deployment Services

Microsoft has announced that Windows Deployment Services (WDS) will be deprecated in the upcoming Windows Server release, marking a significant change for IT administrators who have used WDS for remote Windows installations. Active development of WDS will cease after the next Windows Server version, and the service will eventually be retired. This follows previous deprecations, including the removal of boot.wim support in 2021 and the disabling of hands-free deployment in January 2026 for certain updates. WDS will continue to operate on currently supported Windows Server versions, but standard desktop operating systems are no longer supported through its native setup engine since Windows 11. The deprecation includes the entire WDS ecosystem, but Microsoft Configuration Manager's deployment capabilities will remain unaffected. Users are encouraged to plan their migration away from WDS dependencies.

Winsage

September 25, 2026

Confused? Your Windows 10 PC still works, but the clock is running out

A customer visited a service center with a functional Dell laptop running Windows 10, which lost mainstream support from Microsoft in October 2022. While the laptop still operates, Microsoft no longer patches security vulnerabilities for Windows 10 unless specific actions are taken. Users have three options: 1. Upgrade to Windows 11 for free if the PC meets requirements, which can be checked with the "PC Health Check" app. 2. Purchase a new or refurbished PC, especially if the current device is six or seven years old. 3. Enroll in extended security updates through methods such as syncing with a Microsoft account, redeeming rewards points, or paying a fee, valid until October 2027. There has been an increase in scams related to Windows 10, with fraudulent popups and calls misleading users about their operating system's status. Microsoft will not contact users unexpectedly regarding expired systems. Users should check their PC's eligibility for Windows 11 using the "PC Health Check" app and seek professional help if needed.

BetaBeacon

September 25, 2026

I played with Meta’s new AI gaming engine reboot and can’t believe how far it’s come

Meta has introduced Horizon Create, a new gaming engine that allows users to play games directly within their social media feeds. Users can sign up to test the platform.