gaming enthusiasts Archives

Winsage

April 24, 2026

Microsoft’s new Windows 11 freebies are useful, but they also feel a little desperate

Microsoft has launched an offer for U.S. college students purchasing Windows laptops, providing a year of Microsoft 365 Premium, a year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and a custom Xbox Wireless Controller, valued at approximately 0. This offer is available until June 30, 2026, or while supplies last, through Microsoft channels, major retailers, and participating PC manufacturers. The initiative follows Apple's introduction of the MacBook Neo, priced at ,199 for regular customers and 9 for students. The offer is exclusively for verified U.S. college students, applicable only to qualifying PCs, and intended for new subscribers to the services. Many colleges already provide Microsoft’s productivity tools, which may lessen the appeal of the Office component. The pricing of Windows laptops has faced challenges, with recent increases noted, such as the 13-inch Surface Laptop rising to ,199.

AppWizard

April 23, 2026

With Windrose making waves and the Black Flag remake on the horizon, methinks it’s a fine time for a pirate quiz, matey

A treasure trove of quizzes is available for gaming enthusiasts, covering various topics. The indie survival game Windrose has gained popularity in 2026, and a remake of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is in development. A new pirate-themed city builder has also been unveiled, suggesting a potential resurgence of pirate-themed games. The text invites readers to test their knowledge of notable pirate games, including Sid Meier's Pirates, Sea of Thieves, and Monkey Island.

TrendTechie

April 21, 2026

Самому старому BitTorrent-трекеру The Pirate Bay исполнилось 22 года

The Pirate Bay celebrates its 22nd anniversary and continues to serve millions of users despite access-blocking attempts. When it launched, only about 10% of the global population had internet access, and content consumption was mainly offline. The oldest active torrent on The Pirate Bay is an episode of "High Chaparral" featuring Uri Geller, uploaded on March 25, 2004. The oldest active music torrent is a compilation titled Instant Hits by Gyllene Tider, and the oldest active gaming torrent is The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth. Additionally, the documentary Revolution OS, uploaded on March 31, 2004, remains available, despite the director's dissatisfaction with piracy. The oldest active torrent on the internet is a short amateur parody film, The Fanimatrix, created in September 2003.

AppWizard

April 21, 2026

Excellent RTX 5070 Ti and 9800X3D PC deal knocks $350 off PLUS two free games worth $129.99!

PC Guide operates on a reader-supported model, earning affiliate commissions from purchases made through links on their site. The iBUYPOWER desktop is priced at ,349.99 and features a Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU and an Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti GPU, designed for gaming at 1440p or 1600p resolutions with maximum settings. It includes 32GB of DDR5 memory and a 2TB NVMe SSD, along with two complimentary games: PRAGMATA and Crimson Desert. The system is aimed at enthusiasts rather than casual gamers and offers a keyboard and mouse for immediate setup. It is suitable for users seeking high-refresh 1440p gaming and multitasking capabilities.

AppWizard

April 18, 2026

Capcom launches new Capcom Town Store to sell PC games

Capcom has launched Capcom Town, a digital marketplace for fans to purchase PC versions of their games directly from the publisher. The store features titles available on Steam and GOG, including Pragmata and Resident Evil 9 Requiem, but it is uncertain if Xbox or PlayStation titles will be added. The pricing on the Capcom Town Store may not be as competitive as on Steam, with older titles like Dragon's Dogma 2 listed at full retail price. The store offers a tiered discount system for bundled purchases: 5% off for buying 3 items, 10% off for 5 items, and 15% off for 8 items. New customers receive a 10% discount on their first order and an additional 7% off for providing feedback. Capcom aims to sell over 50 million games this year and may introduce direct discounts to achieve this goal.

AppWizard

April 17, 2026

The Future Games Show Summer Showcase, FGS Live, and the PC Gaming Show have been confirmed for June, with the Showcase to feature ‘world premieres, exclusive trailers, and stealth demo drops’

Future has announced the return of its summer gaming events, including the Future Games Show Summer Showcase and FGS Live from Los Angeles on June 6 at 12 PM PDT / 3 PM EDT / 8 PM BST. The PC Gaming Show will follow on June 7. Both events will be available on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, X/Twitter, and Steam. Last year's showcases had a combined viewership of 41.9 million. Anticipated titles include Fable, Phantom Blade 0, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, and Grave Seasons, with Fable set to launch in Fall 2026.

AppWizard

April 15, 2026

This free app can get your Android phone to run PC games better than ever

Winlator v11.0 is a free Windows-on-Android emulator that allows Android devices to run Windows PC games locally without cloud streaming or subscription fees. The update features significant enhancements in GPU performance, particularly for Adreno 8-series GPUs, improving graphics and reducing crashes for demanding titles on devices with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite. It introduces an experimental OpenGL wrapper called Gladio to extend compatibility to MediaTek and Exynos chips with Mali GPUs. The update also includes Wine 10.10 and Box64 v0.4.0, which enhance the operation of Windows software on mobile processors, promising faster load times and improved stability for 64-bit applications. Initial user feedback indicates remarkable performance improvements over previous versions and other emulators.

AppWizard

April 15, 2026

Future Games Show and PC Gaming Show Return on June 6th and 7th

June will feature several gaming showcases, including the Future Games Show on June 6th at midnight PDT, which will present world premieres and trailers. Following that, the PC Gaming Show will take place on June 7th at midnight PDT, showcasing over 50 PC titles. The Xbox Games Showcase is expected to reveal release dates for titles like Halo: Campaign Evolved in July and Fable in autumn, along with speculation about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 and Gears of War: E-Day, the latter of which will have a dedicated Direct with a gameplay reveal and is anticipated for release in the latter half of the year.

AppWizard

April 14, 2026

14 tons of Steam Controllers appear to have just arrived in the US, hinting at imminent release date

A shipping manifest leak indicates that a significant delivery of "WIRELESS PC CONTROLLER[s]" has arrived in the U.S. for Valve, weighing 12,970 kg (28,594 lbs) and comprising 40 packages. Estimates suggest there could be over 40,000 units in transit, although it is uncertain if all are the latest Steam Controller. The shipment originated from Taiwan, hinting at the manufacturing location. The new Steam Controller features a dual-stick configuration, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, gyro input, and high-definition rumble. It follows the original Steam Controller, which sold over 1.5 million units before its discontinuation in 2019.

AppWizard

April 12, 2026

This wildly ambitious modpack transforms the third-person, N64 exclusive Duke Nukem: Zero Hour into a ‘jank ’90s FPS’ for your PC

A dedicated team has created a modpack called Duke Nukem: Zero Hour Overclocked, which transforms the classic Nintendo 64 game Duke Nukem: Zero Hour from a third-person experience into a first-person shooter. The modpack includes various enhancements, such as adjustments to camera and aiming behavior, remapping of movement animations, an optional crouch toggle, and viewmodel recoil effects. The project has received positive attention from industry veterans, including Scott Miller, who praised the first-person conversion. The modpack is available for download, but players need to obtain a copy of the Duke Nukem: Zero Hour N64 ROM to use it.