memory Archives

AppWizard

August 13, 2026

Minecraft console devs unveil new ‘Rixels’ technology, cutting texture memory usage by a massive 98%

4J Studios has announced a new technology called Rixels for their upcoming game, Reforj, which reduces texture memory requirements by 98.2%, from 4MB to just 72KB. This innovation addresses memory limitations faced by game developers and allows for smoother gameplay at 60 frames per second. The company has applied for a patent to protect this unique solution, which could also have applications in other fields beyond gaming.

AppWizard

August 13, 2026

Defender of the Crown: The Legend Returns (PC) Review – CGMagazine

Defender of the Crown: The Legend Returns is set in 1149 during a power struggle in England following the king's assassination, with players tasked to rally lands, defeat rival armies, and claim the throne. The game features turn-based strategy mechanics, including army building, castle raiding, and tournament hosting, and offers both the original MS-DOS version and an enhanced iteration. It includes a deck-building roguelike mode that introduces card-based battles. The Jousting and Swordplay modes have been improved with new mechanics like blocking and parrying. However, the game has shortcomings in tutorial explanations and battle mechanics, which can lead to confusion. Visuals are enhanced while retaining a nostalgic pixelated style, and the audio has been upgraded.

AppWizard

August 13, 2026

I tried to love ‘second brain’ apps. Here’s why I abandoned them — and what I’m using instead

Megan Ellis explored various "second brain" apps like Notion and Obsidian for personal knowledge management but found them to decrease her productivity instead of enhancing it. A poll revealed that 64% of users found these apps too complicated, while only 14% loved them. Ellis noted that the setup process for these tools can be overwhelming, leading to frustration. She experienced challenges with apps like Gemini Notebook, which, while good for content generation, did not serve as a comprehensive productivity tool. Her neurodivergence, including ADHD and autism, made it difficult to adapt to complex systems. Limitations in functionality, such as Gemini Notebook's Android app issues and Notion's manual offline mode, further hindered usability. Ultimately, she found greater success with simpler, purpose-built applications like Notesnook for note-taking and TickTick for task management, which better aligned with her workflow and reduced overwhelm.

AppWizard

August 13, 2026

Immortality creator Sam Barlow reveals his next game: A tale of visions of the future, and why they’re not always great

Sam Barlow introduced his new project, titled Precognition, during the Kinetic Publishing Showcase. The game is a sci-fi thriller developed by Barlow's Half Mermaid Productions in collaboration with horror director Brandon Cronenberg. Players will assume the role of Diana, who gains the ability to see the future through an implanted device in her brain, but this power has significant consequences. Early reviews have praised Precognition as Barlow's best game yet. The game is set to be released in spring 2028, and players can add it to their wishlist on Steam.

Winsage

August 13, 2026

Windows License Price Hike: Microsoft Raises OEM Fees

Microsoft will increase licensing fees for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) by an average of 7% to 10% starting in July 2026. This increase will particularly affect larger manufacturers with significant volume orders and is expected to lead to a price hike of approximately 3% to 5% for pre-built systems. The licensing fee structure varies based on hardware tiering, volume discounts, and pre-installed software agreements. Individual builders purchasing standalone retail licenses for Windows 11 will not see any price changes. Consumers buying new laptops or pre-built desktops may notice subtle price adjustments as manufacturers adjust to the increased costs.

Winsage

August 12, 2026

Microsoft shares details of a clever old Windows trick it no longer needs

Microsoft's WINSTART.BAT file is a batch file that predates Windows 95 and was documented in the Windows 3.1 Resource Kit. Its primary function is to load terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs for use by Windows applications, while these TSRs are not accessible to individual MS-DOS virtual machines. WINSTART.BAT is executed after the virtual machine manager (VMM) initializes, giving it an advantage over AUTOEXEC.BAT, which runs during the MS-DOS startup phase. TSRs loaded via AUTOEXEC.BAT are available to both Windows and MS-DOS environments, while those loaded through WINSTART.BAT are limited to Windows applications only.

Winsage

August 12, 2026

Microsoft says Windows 11 KB5101684 makes your PC more reliable, especially on devices with low amounts of system memory: PCs with 8GB RAM or less should feel more responsive

Microsoft rolled out updates for Windows 11, including versions 24H2, 25H2, and 26H1, which feature performance enhancements and reliability upgrades. The KB5101684 update improves the reliability of explorer.exe, speeds up access to Jump Lists and recent files, and streamlines file sharing and desktop switching via Task View. The Start menu and Taskbar will respond more quickly upon startup, and the resource intensity of the post-update process has been reduced, leading to improved immediate performance after installation. These upgrades benefit users regardless of their system's RAM capacity, with a focus on optimizing performance for systems with 8GB of RAM.

Winsage

August 12, 2026

Students finally have real Windows laptop options that don’t break the $1,000 barrier — head back to school with the right PC

Dell's XPS 13 is priced starting at 9 and features Intel's "Wildcat Lake" processors with 8GB of high-speed LPDDR5x RAM. It weighs 2.2 lbs, making it a lightweight option for students. Dell's 16-inch model is priced at ,199, offering 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, while the 15-inch model provides 1TB of SSD storage. Microsoft is optimizing Windows 11 for devices with 8GB of RAM. Dell is offering back-to-school deals on its laptops.

AppWizard

August 12, 2026

Budget-friendly RTX 50-series gaming PC sees decent discount at Newegg and comes with two free games

Newegg is offering a budget-friendly RTX 5060 gaming PC for 9 after a 0 discount. The Stormcraft Sirus gaming PC features 8GB of GDDR7 VRAM, an Intel Core i5-14400F CPU with 10 cores and a boost clock speed of 4.6 GHz, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 1TB SSD. It includes a tower cooler fan and six ARGB fans for cooling, and a 650W 80+ Gold PSU. The deal also comes with complimentary games: Tomb Raider: Legend of Atlantis and Star Wars Galactic Racer. Prices are accurate as of July 10th, 2026.

BetaBeacon

August 12, 2026

Not Samsung, Not Google: Users Say This Brand Makes The Best Android Phone For Gaming

The RedMagic 11 Android phone is praised by tech and gaming reviewers for being one of the most powerful gaming smartphones available. It features a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, a 7,500mAh battery, a BOE X10 OLED display, and a unique cooling system. Users can enjoy high graphics settings and physical touch triggers for gaming.