high-end gaming Archives

AppWizard

July 2, 2025

I tried Minecraft’s Vibrant Visuals — Here’s what it gets right and where it falls short

The Vibrant Visuals upgrade is Mojang Studios' first effort to enhance Minecraft's graphics, introducing features similar to community-created shaders and texture packs. It aims to refresh the game's visual appeal while keeping its signature aesthetic, incorporating richer lighting, realistic volumetric fog, and other enhancements. The new shaders are activated by default and exclusive to the Bedrock Edition, creating a more immersive atmosphere with improved lighting and reflections. However, the upgrade has some inconsistencies, including lighting and shadow glitches, and can only be toggled from the main menu, unlike the Java Edition. On the Xbox Series X, gameplay runs smoothly at 60FPS, while the Series S requires "favor performance" mode for stability. The upgrade shows Mojang's commitment to modernizing Minecraft's aesthetics while addressing minor issues could enhance the experience for players.

AppWizard

June 22, 2025

Monster Hunter Wilds review bombed over PC performance issues and lack of challenging endgame

Monster Hunter Wilds is facing significant criticism on Steam due to performance issues such as frequent crashes, frame rate drops, and stuttering, even on high-end systems. The game has seen a decline in active users, falling behind its predecessor, Monster Hunter World. Players have also expressed dissatisfaction with the endgame content, feeling it lacks depth and replayability. Capcom has acknowledged the issues and plans to release patches, but the slow rollout has increased frustration among players. Community sentiment is divided, with some labeling the game a "betrayal" of the series while others believe the backlash is exaggerated.

Winsage

June 14, 2025

Windows 11 users want these five features back

Windows 11 users have expressed significant dissatisfaction with several features, as reflected in the Microsoft Feedback Hub, where requests continue to gather thousands of votes. 1. Users want the ability to move the taskbar to the top and sides of the screen, with a post receiving 24,046 votes and 2,086 comments. 2. Many users wish to turn off the Recommended section in the Start menu, which has 17,479 votes and 794 comments. 3. There is a request for Windows search to allow users to choose their preferred search provider, garnering 11,007 votes and 101 comments. 4. Users have criticized the high CPU/Processor requirements for Windows 11, with 8,483 votes and 1,025 comments supporting this feedback. 5. There is a demand for the taskbar to support never combining app icons and hiding labels, reflecting dissatisfaction with the current implementation. These five requests alone account for over 75,000 votes, indicating a strong desire for improvements in Windows 11.

AppWizard

June 5, 2025

New flagship smartphone makes PC gaming on mobile smoother than ever

RedMagic is set to launch its flagship gaming phone, the RedMagic 10S Pro, in global markets after its unveiling in China. The device features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Leading Version chipset and a dedicated RedCore R3 Pro gaming chip, allowing for enhanced gaming performance with up to 120FPS. It includes an advanced ICE-X cooling system with Liquid Metal 2.0 technology, which improves thermal management. The phone has a 6.85-inch BOE custom AMOLED 1.5K display with a 144Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 2,000 nits, alongside a 7,050 mAh battery supporting 80W wired charging. The camera system consists of a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a 2-megapixel camera, plus a 16-megapixel front camera. Pricing for the RedMagic 10S Pro starts at €649 for the 12/256GB model and goes up to €999 for the 24GB/1TB model. Pre-orders will be available from June 12 to 17, 2025, with general sales starting on June 18. The phone will be available in various regions, including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, GCC countries, Latin America, and the Middle East, with some countries receiving it at a later date.

Winsage

June 1, 2025

I just tested the new Legion Go S — and it’s the Steam Deck killer I’ve been waiting for

The Lenovo Legion Go S is a handheld gaming device that operates on SteamOS, starting at a price of 9. It features an AMD Z2 Go chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage in the base model, while the reviewed unit has an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. The device has an 8-inch WQXGA (1920 x 1200) LCD display, a weight of 1.63 pounds, and includes ports such as a Micro SD card slot, two USB-C ports, and a headphone jack. The design is ergonomic with a Nebula color scheme, and it has responsive controls. The SteamOS version outperforms the Windows 11 variant in gaming performance, achieving higher frame rates in gameplay tests.

Winsage

May 24, 2025

VMware Fusion is the best way to run Windows for free on Mac

VMware Fusion is a free solution for virtualizing Windows on Macs, including those with Arm chips. It simplifies the setup process by allowing users to automatically download Windows 11 for Arm devices. Performance testing on an M4 Mac Mini showed impressive results, with smooth operation for everyday tasks and light gaming, despite limitations compared to Parallels, such as lack of support for 120Hz refresh rates and Coherence mode. Users need to create a Broadcom account to download the software, which can be cumbersome. Overall, VMware Fusion is a practical option for users seeking a cost-effective way to run Windows on their Macs.

Winsage

May 17, 2025

Windows 11 Home vs Pro for Gaming: Which One Should You Choose?

Upgrading from Windows 11 Home to Windows 11 Pro does not yield significant benefits in gaming performance, compatibility, or features for most gamers. Both editions provide identical gaming performance, supporting the same core gaming technologies such as DirectStorage, Auto HDR, and Game Mode. Windows 11 Home supports up to 128 GB of RAM and one CPU socket with 64 cores, while Windows 11 Pro supports up to 2 TB of RAM and two CPU sockets with 128 cores. Pro includes additional features like BitLocker encryption, Remote Desktop hosting, Hyper-V virtualization, and Group Policy management, which are not typically utilized by gamers. The price of Windows 11 Home is lower than that of Pro, making it a more cost-effective choice for gaming. Both editions meet the hardware requirements for modern gaming, and compatibility with major games and platforms is consistent across both versions.

Winsage

May 15, 2025

Windows 11 starts giving custom advice based on your PC hardware

A new hardware assessment feature for Windows 11 has entered the testing phase for Windows Insiders and will soon be available to all Windows 11 24H2 users. This feature can be found in the Settings app under a dedicated FAQ section on the About page. It includes expandable questions related to system performance, such as RAM capacity and GPU requirements for gaming and video editing. Users will receive tailored answers based on their specific hardware configurations, helping them determine if their setup is adequate for various tasks.

AppWizard

May 12, 2025

6 PC gaming myths that sound right (but aren’t)

- Maxing out graphics settings to "Ultra" can lead to performance drops without significant visual improvements; "Very High" or "High" settings often provide a better balance of visuals and performance. - The effectiveness of ray tracing in games varies based on implementation; some games showcase its benefits while others do not. - Photorealism in graphics does not necessarily equate to immersion; true immersion relies on art style, narrative, gameplay, and performance. - Modern upscaling technologies like DLSS and FSR have improved to the point where the difference between upscaled and native resolution is often imperceptible to most gamers. - Frame generation can create visual artifacts and latency issues, particularly for budget GPUs, making it less effective at low framerates. - Recent advancements in GPUs have made high-quality gaming more accessible, challenging the belief that only high-end GPUs are needed for top-tier gaming experiences.

AppWizard

April 30, 2025

PC gaming is the real next-gen and now’s the best time to switch

Cyberpunk 2077 offers an immersive gaming experience on high-end PCs, showcasing advanced technology such as real-time reflections and path tracing for enhanced visuals. The game runs seamlessly at maximum settings on an RTX 5070Ti, achieving over 120fps in 4K resolution. The current gaming landscape indicates that next-generation gaming is primarily driven by PC technology, which remains more viable due to stable hardware prices compared to rising console costs. Modern platforms like Steam and the Epic Games Store have simplified PC gaming, making it more accessible and often more economical. Recent advancements, including ray tracing, enhance even older titles like Half-Life 2. Major console games are increasingly launching on PC simultaneously, and PlayStation titles are appearing on Steam within a year of their console release. Speculation about future consoles suggests they may adopt PC-like features, but they are unlikely to match the performance of top-tier graphics cards.