features Archives

AppWizard

June 30, 2026

ESA Claims Private Minecraft Servers Are ‘Illegal’ and ‘Piracy’ in Stop Killing Games Hearing

The California State Senate hearing on the Protect Our Games Act raised questions about the legality of private Minecraft servers. Assemblyman Chris Ward noted that games like Minecraft and Call of Duty have successfully used community servers, while Jennifer Gibbons from the ESA argued that these servers are illegal and unapproved by Microsoft, labeling them as piracy. Gibbons stated that the ESA has two lawsuits against private servers for infringing on intellectual property rights. In contrast, Minecraft's official stance encourages the creation of third-party servers, which are vetted for compliance with community standards. The ESA maintains that private servers infringe on publishers' rights. The USTR's Notorious Market Report referenced by Gibbons does not specifically target community servers for connecting friends but focuses on those bypassing subscription services. The Protect Our Games Act did not advance but will be reconsidered. An ESA representative later clarified that private servers hosting copyrighted content without authorization infringe on publishers' rights and highlighted concerns about safety standards on these platforms.

AppWizard

June 30, 2026

Minecraft Marketplace Summer Sale cuts prices on 300 in-game items

The Minecraft Marketplace Summer Sale offers discounts of up to 33% on over 300 select items, including add-ons, skins, texture packs, and adventures for Minecraft Bedrock Edition. The sale features items like the Biomes O’ Plenty add-on, which adds over 50 unique biomes, and the RealismCraft add-on, which enhances visuals with new mobs and weather effects. The Naturalist 26.1 add-on introduces realistic animals, while the Eternal End add-on reimagines the End Dimension with new biomes and items. The sale is live in the UK from June 30, 2023, at 6 PM BST until July 28, 2026, at 6 PM BST.

AppWizard

June 30, 2026

Switch puzzler Suika Game will soon be launching on PC

Aladdin X's Suika Game, after its successful debut on the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices, will be released on PC via Steam. The game has achieved 7.4 million downloads on the Switch and over 13 million total sales. The PC version will include customization options, controller support, Steam Achievements, and will require a maximum of 16 GB of RAM and a minimum of 2 GB of storage space. The launch date is not yet announced, and compatibility with the Steam Deck is uncertain.

AppWizard

June 30, 2026

‘RV There Yet?’ Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass, And Here’s What The Reviews Are Saying

Xbox Game Pass has added the co-op adventure game RV There Yet?, which is now available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, and Cloud. The game received a "Very Positive" rating on Steam and an average score of 72 on Metacritic. It features gameplay centered around navigating a Recreational Vehicle (RV) and has been praised for its engaging nature and fun multiplayer experience. The game is available on Xbox Game Pass for Premium, Ultimate, and PC tiers, or can be purchased for £6.69. Crossplay between Xbox Game Pass and Steam players is not currently supported, but developers are working on this feature.

AppWizard

June 30, 2026

Pick up Arc Raiders for less than $25 on Fanatical ahead of its next big update

Arc Raiders is an extraction shooter game developed by Embark, designed to be more accessible for newcomers compared to other titles like Escape From Tarkov. It is currently available at a 30% discount on Fanatical, with the standard edition priced at .49 and the deluxe edition at .39. The deluxe edition includes exclusive content such as the Wanderer Set, which features the Valente Outfit, Pathfinder Backpack, Blanket Roll Backpack Attachment, Finger Gun Rapid Fire Emote, Cowboy Scrappy Body Type and Skin, and 2,400 Raider Tokens. Updates for the game will now be released biannually, with significant changes expected in October, including a new map and new weapons.

Winsage

June 30, 2026

Microsoft is finally fixing the Windows 11 taskbar

The latest updates for Windows 11, particularly for Windows Insiders, include a new option to resize the taskbar, allowing users to adjust its height and icon size. The "show smaller taskbar buttons" feature has been enhanced to include a "small" setting for the taskbar. Additionally, improvements have been made to File Explorer, including better reliability of thumbnail previews for cloud files, a fix for the OneDrive shortcut, and a correction for the confirmation dialog when deleting files. System sounds have also been improved for dark mode users. The Xbox mode has been rebranded to XBOX mode, and the Windows K2 initiative is focused on addressing various issues within Windows 11.

AppWizard

June 30, 2026

Samsung’s app for Android XR-powered Galaxy Glasses shows case, ‘One UI XR’ [Gallery]

Samsung's Galaxy Glasses are not set for imminent release, but recent leaks reveal details about their design and features. Screenshots from the companion app show a hardware design similar to Warby Parker glasses. The glasses will come with a carrying and charging case that has an external light indicator and uses contact-based charging. The companion app includes user management features, settings adjustments, and a software update section branded as “One UI XR.” There are indications of potential integration with the Galaxy Ring for gesture controls. Both Google and Samsung have confirmed the glasses will launch before the end of the year, but the exact date is still unknown.

Winsage

June 30, 2026

A critical exploit bypasses Microsoft Defender in Windows 11 and Windows 10 — so much for “everyday risk protection without additional software”

Security researcher Chaotic Eclipse, known as Nightmare-Eclipse, bypassed Windows 11's BitLocker security using a USB stick and claimed Microsoft intentionally included a backdoor in the feature. Microsoft responded by patching three zero-day exploits disclosed by Nightmare-Eclipse: YellowKey, GreenPlasma, and MiniPlasma, and is monitoring another exploit called RoguePlanet, cataloged as CVE-2026-50656. The RoguePlanet exploit is a race condition with varying success rates on different machines, achieving a 100% success rate on some devices. Microsoft acknowledged that while Windows 11's Defender is generally sufficient for most users, third-party tools can offer additional security features. Tensions between Nightmare-Eclipse and Microsoft have risen, with the company previously considering legal action but now indicating it will not pursue lawsuits against researchers sharing their findings.

AppWizard

June 30, 2026

Portal 2 just got a Steam Frame compatibility rating, hinting at the VR headset’s imminent launch

Valve is set to launch the Steam Frame this summer, with the classic game Portal 2 receiving a compatibility rating of Playable. The Playable rating is due to the lack of support for the Steam Frame's native resolution, meaning while the game runs smoothly, it won't utilize the headset's full resolution capabilities. The Steam Frame features a resolution of 2,160 × 2,160 for each eye, an upgrade from the Valve Index's 1,440 × 1,600 resolution. It also offers standalone gaming capabilities, unlike the Index, which required a PC connection. Valve's compatibility rating system includes Unsupported, Playable, and Verified categories. A late August release for the Steam Frame is anticipated, following the timeline of previous product launches.

Winsage

June 30, 2026

The smartest Windows OS upgrade costs just $10 through July 1

Windows 11 Pro is available for .97, down from its regular price of 9. This limited-time promotion runs until July 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT. The upgrade includes features such as a modern user interface, improved multitasking, advanced security features, Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, BitLocker encryption, Azure AD integration, and Microsoft’s AI-powered assistant, Copilot.