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silver Android smartphone
AppWizard
April 20, 2026

I tested 5 PC games on the ASUS Zenbook A16 with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme: Is Windows on ARM improving?

ASUS launched its Zenbook A16 on April 7, featuring Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processor, marking a shift in the Windows on ARM ecosystem. The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme is a System-on-Chip (SoC) with a high-performance "Oryon" CPU and a "Hexagon" NPU for AI tasks, achieving up to 80 TOPS, along with an "Adreno" GPU for graphics. The laptop's gaming performance varies by title: 1. World of Warcraft: Midnight - Verdict: ✅ Perfect; maintained 60 FPS in demanding scenarios. 2. Cyberpunk 2077 - Verdict: 🟠 Playable; performance around 30–40 FPS on low settings, not ideal for casual gameplay. 3. Minecraft: Bedrock Edition - Verdict: ✅ Great; ran smoothly at 55–60 FPS without ray tracing. 4. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II - Verdict: ❓ TBD; lacks an ARM64 build, making it challenging to run. The findings highlight the need for native ARM64 game versions and the potential for growth in the Windows on ARM gaming sector.
silver Android smartphone
Winsage
March 18, 2026

Microsoft appears to be dumping native Copilot for Windows 11 in favour of web wrapper yet again

The latest update for Copilot has transformed it into a WebView-based application, marking it as a hybrid app rather than fully native. The new Copilot (version 146.0.3856.63) operates as a web application, evidenced by multiple sub-processes in the Task Manager that are characteristic of Microsoft Edge. The version number of Copilot aligns closely with that of Microsoft Edge. The revamped Copilot functions as a web app within a desktop shell but loads content from copilot.microsoft.com. Despite its web-based nature, it performs comparably to its native predecessor and launches more quickly. Microsoft had previously announced a "native" version of Copilot, which was misleading as it still relied on web components. In 2025, Microsoft began distributing a truly native Copilot app, free of web components, which started in March 2025. However, the Copilot has now reverted to a web-based format for users in the Windows Insider Program, with plans to extend this change to non-Insiders soon.
Windows gets its own screen-powered “ring light” via a new app — and it already does more than Apple’s native version
Winsage
December 9, 2025

Windows gets its own screen-powered “ring light” via a new app — and it already does more than Apple’s native version

Camo Streamlight is an application that enhances camera image quality by illuminating the screen, similar to macOS's "Edge Light" feature. It is free and includes a companion app, Camo Studio, which offers filters, adjustments, and auto-framing options for video calls on Windows. The app allows users to customize the illuminated area, brightness, and hue. Testing showed that Camo Streamlight effectively brightened images in dim environments and improved detail in well-lit settings, with performance varying based on display specifications, particularly benefiting users with larger HDR screens.
Microsoft Teams Update Will Soon Fix Its Biggest Windows Problem
Winsage
November 29, 2025

Microsoft Teams Update Will Soon Fix Its Biggest Windows Problem

Microsoft is implementing a solution to address performance issues in Microsoft Teams on Windows, specifically targeting crashes and slowdowns. A new background process, ms-teams_modulehost.exe, will be added to the desktop version of Teams to manage call-related functions separately from the main application. This change aims to reduce system strain, decrease crash rates during meetings, and improve startup times. The strategy builds on the existing architecture of Teams, which uses WebView2, and seeks to offload complex features to enhance performance. Users have reported frequent freezes, delays, and high RAM usage with Teams. While this modular approach is intended to provide immediate improvements, some experts suggest that a complete redesign as a native Windows application would be a more effective long-term solution.
The first 'official' Android game spotted on Steam suggests you might not need to buy games twice to run them natively on the Steam Frame's own chip
BetaBeacon
November 19, 2025

The first ‘official’ Android game spotted on Steam suggests you might not need to buy games twice to run them natively on the Steam Frame’s own chip

Valve's new VR headset, Steam Frame, can play games in various ways, including streaming PC VR games, emulating PC VR games on its own Arm-chip, or playing native Arm games in the form of .apk files. There is a possibility that if you purchase a game for your gaming PC, you may also be offered the .apk version for free to use on the Steam Frame. The addition of OpenXR support may make it easier to get virtual reality games working on different devices.
'Enjoy Cronos on Steam, wherever you are!': Bloober Team announces native Linux build for Cronos: The New Dawn
AppWizard
October 6, 2025

‘Enjoy Cronos on Steam, wherever you are!’: Bloober Team announces native Linux build for Cronos: The New Dawn

Cronos: The New Dawn has released a native Linux build, enhancing performance for users on Steam's handheld console. The game was initially Deck Verified at launch, but the new build removes the need for a compatibility layer for Linux players. There are over 42,000 games with Linux support on Steam, and more than 9,000 have achieved Deck Verified status. Linux usage among Steam players has increased to 2.68% as of the latest Steam Hardware Survey. However, challenges remain for games requiring kernel-level anti-cheat systems, with titles like Fortnite and Valorant unable to run on Linux.
I tried running Windows apps on Linux with Wine, but virtualization is still better
Winsage
September 30, 2025

I tried running Windows apps on Linux with Wine, but virtualization is still better

In recent explorations of running Windows applications on Linux, various solutions were tested, including WinApps, WinBoat, and Wine. Wine translates Windows API calls into POSIX calls in real time, allowing for lower overhead and improved performance, particularly with older applications. Successful installations included Winaero Tweaker, portable versions of Photofiltre 7 and Textroom, and Adobe Photoshop CS6, which had minor visual glitches but functional core features. DoubleKiller effectively identified duplicate files on Linux. The gaming experience with the Windows version of Re-Volt was positive, while attempts to install Microsoft Office 2016 were unsuccessful without an activation key. Modern applications faced significant challenges; Wine struggled with Adobe Creative Cloud, Affinity Photo 2, and Microsoft 365, while WPS Office had installation issues. The Wine team noted that newer applications are less likely to succeed due to complex UIs. In contrast, WinApps provided better support for more applications, despite performance trade-offs. The author expressed a preference for WinApps for modern applications and highlighted the superiority of native Linux apps for seamless functionality.
silver Android smartphone
AppWizard
September 25, 2025

This new Baldur’s Gate 3 update makes the game run way better on your Steam Deck

Baldur's Gate 3 has received a significant update, Hotfix 34, aimed at improving its performance on the Steam Deck. This update introduces a native version of the game, replacing the previously used Proton version, and includes enhancements such as reduced loading times, smoother gameplay, and increased frame rate stability. Players who accessed the game via Proton will not automatically switch to the native version and can refer to a detailed guide provided by Larian for the update process and troubleshooting. Despite being two years since its launch, Baldur's Gate 3 remains one of the top 10 most played games on Steam. The update was initiated by an engineer working on a smoother gameplay experience during personal time, which was later advanced for official release after testing by fellow developers.
Adobe brings native Windows on Arm support to Premiere Pro, After Effects, and more — but not all features made it
Winsage
July 30, 2025

Adobe brings native Windows on Arm support to Premiere Pro, After Effects, and more — but not all features made it

Adobe has launched native ARM64 versions of its creative applications—Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, and Media Encoder—for Windows on Arm devices, currently in public preview. However, these applications have certain limitations: - Premiere Pro will not support the Loudness Radar effect, Export to Wraptor DCP, Import and export of the GoPro CineForm codec, and Export to the P2 Movie format. - Audition lacks support for the GoPro CineForm codec and Loudness Radar effect. - Media Encoder will also not support the Loudness Radar effect, Export to Wraptor DCP, GoPro CineForm, and P2 Movie format. Future updates are expected to integrate support for third-party extensions, ProRes, and additional formats in these applications. After Effects currently has no listed unavailable features for its Arm-native version.
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