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Resident Evil 4 Remake Drops Enigma DRM After Just 28 Days
AppWizard
March 3, 2026

Resident Evil 4 Remake Drops Enigma DRM After Just 28 Days

Capcom replaced Denuvo DRM with Enigma for the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4 on Steam, leading to significant performance issues reported by players. YouTuber ItalicMaze compared the game's performance with and without Enigma, revealing a decline in frame rates, particularly during intense gameplay. Digital Foundry confirmed an approximate 20-percent decrease in performance. In response to the backlash, Capcom removed the Enigma DRM on March 3, 28 days after the update, as noted in the SteamDB changelog. This incident follows a similar situation with Resident Evil Village in 2021, where pirated versions outperformed the official release due to the absence of DRM, leading Capcom to remove Denuvo from that game in April 2023 without replacement.
Don't buy a new phone just for gaming, last-gen flagships still perform just as well
BetaBeacon
February 28, 2026

Don’t buy a new phone just for gaming, last-gen flagships still perform just as well

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra and its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor perform similarly to the last year's Xiaomi 15 Ultra and its Snapdragon 8 Elite in popular Android games and emulators. The newer processor offers slightly lower power consumption and potential future-proofing for upcoming games, but overall, there is not a significant performance difference between the two models.
silver Android smartphone
AppWizard
February 28, 2026

Best Marathon settings for peak gaming PC performance

Bungie's multiplayer FPS, Marathon, is currently in an early Server Slam until March 2, with a full release on March 6. The game is designed to be accessible on mid-range PCs and does not require high-end GPU power. Initial settings for optimal performance include Vsync on, frame rate cap off, field of view at 90°, and high graphics quality. Players can expect an average frame rate of 84fps with 60fps for 1% lows. The game is not compatible with the Steam Deck due to BattleEye anti-cheat technology but runs smoothly on other Windows-based handheld devices. While an SSD is not required, it is recommended for better load times. Performance monitoring can be done via a built-in FPS counter or overlays from Nvidia and AMD.
Alan Wake Remastered Update on PC for Version 1.33 Improves Visuals
AppWizard
February 27, 2026

Alan Wake Remastered Update on PC for Version 1.33 Improves Visuals

Remedy Entertainment released a significant patch for Alan Wake Remastered on PC on February 26, introducing several enhancements. Key updates include the addition of HDR, improved DLSS capabilities, and unlocked frame rates ranging from 200 FPS to 240 FPS. Gameplay improvements feature a command to skip the intro, refined camera functionality, and optimized weapon swapping. Visual enhancements include a new optional camera style, upgraded SDR to 10-bit, corrected FOV scaling, and fixes for rendering errors. UI updates consist of a new setting to scale the gameplay UI and resolution of multiple mouse input issues. There are no announcements for similar updates on console versions.
Opinion: Windows 11 isn’t the disaster some claim - and it’s time to say so
Winsage
February 22, 2026

Opinion: Windows 11 isn’t the disaster some claim – and it’s time to say so

Windows 11 has faced challenges, including a comprehensive list of top issues identified in 2025, but it is not uniquely unstable compared to earlier versions like Windows 95, 98, XP, 7, and 10. Recent headlines have highlighted various problems such as printer malfunctions and performance issues, but these are often exaggerated due to increased visibility. Historically, Windows has experienced similar cycles of instability, and the perception of widespread failure today is amplified by rapid documentation of minor issues. User trust in Windows has eroded, with skepticism about performance stemming from cumulative updates and the personal impact of issues on over a billion users. The focus should shift to improving predictability and transparency regarding updates rather than solely counting bugs. Windows 11's frequency of out-of-band updates is comparable to that of Windows 7 and 10, with improved mechanisms for addressing problems quickly. Gamers continue to adopt Windows 11 due to enhanced CPU scheduling, improved GPU performance, and features like Auto HDR and DirectStorage. Microsoft is committed to further improving the gaming experience. The scale of Windows operations, with over a billion users and multiple concurrent releases, contributes to occasional anomalies. Despite criticisms, most Windows 11 systems operate without significant issues, performing adequately for daily tasks and gaming. Microsoft has announced plans for enhancements, including bug fixes, performance improvements, and security upgrades, indicating that Windows 11 remains a solid choice for users.
Some users are claiming Discord's default process priorities are causing performance problems in esports games, so I've tested it myself to see what's going on
AppWizard
February 21, 2026

Some users are claiming Discord’s default process priorities are causing performance problems in esports games, so I’ve tested it myself to see what’s going on

Some users have raised concerns that Discord's default process priorities may be too high, potentially hindering gaming performance by consuming excessive CPU resources and leading to lower frame rates in games like Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant. A test on a Ryzen 9 9900X rig with an RTX 5090 showed that while frame times were marginally higher with Discord active, the differences were minimal—often just a millisecond or two. For casual gamers, these variations are unlikely to affect the overall experience. Adjusting Discord's priority to Normal in Task Manager may help free up CPU resources for gaming, though Discord is generally light on processor demand. Users are advised against setting game priorities to High or Real Time, as this can cause instability without real performance benefits.
These games made us all upgrade our PCs
AppWizard
February 19, 2026

These games made us all upgrade our PCs

PC enthusiasts often delay hardware upgrades until necessary, but certain games can compel upgrades due to their advanced technology and demanding graphics. Half-Life 2, released in 2004, introduced real-time physics and advanced graphics, leading to a surge in demand for GeForce 6600 and Radeon X800 graphics cards as players sought smoother performance. Grand Theft Auto IV, released in 2008, required robust quad-core processors for optimal performance due to its CPU-intensive simulations, prompting players to upgrade their CPUs. Crysis, launched in 2007, set a new standard for graphical fidelity with its advanced features, becoming a benchmark for PC performance and prompting gamers to upgrade their systems. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, released in 2015, utilized cutting-edge technologies that made midrange builds struggle, leading players to upgrade for better performance and visuals. Cyberpunk 2077, released in 2020, created a surge in demand for NVIDIA's RTX 20-series GPUs as players sought to experience its high graphical fidelity, prompting many gamers to upgrade their systems.
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