powers Archives

Winsage

June 6, 2025

This $200 Windows PC fits in the palm of my hand – and powers three 4K displays

The Minix Neo Z97 mini PC is priced at 9 on Amazon and features Windows 11 pre-installed. It has a compact size of 88×88×42mm and weighs 0.18kg. The specifications include an Intel® Processor N97 (up to 3.6 GHz), Intel® UHD Graphics, 12GB LPDDR5X-4800MHz memory, and a 512GB M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 x 4 NVMe SSD. It supports a triple monitor setup and offers connectivity options such as dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. The device operates quietly, making it suitable for noise-sensitive environments. While it performs well for everyday tasks, it shows strain with resource-intensive applications.

AppWizard

June 5, 2025

Roguelike clean ’em up game Scrubbin’ Trubble announced for PC

Odd Object, a new studio led by Stevie Hryciw and Tyriq Plummer, is developing a game called Scrubbin’ Trubble, set to release on PC via Steam in 2025. It is a "roguelike clean ’em up" game that combines cleaning and combat, allowing solo or cooperative play for up to four players. Players can choose from six RPG-inspired classes, including Bubbaladin, Bleacher, and Washbuckler, each with unique abilities. The game features randomized levels called The House, where players face various enemies and must defeat one of the Four Filths of the Apocalypse to progress. Key features include character upgrades, pun-themed enemies, and specialized equipment like the "Wiper Rifle" and "Splash Bang." The game is designed for both short and long gaming sessions.

AppWizard

June 4, 2025

Get The Remastered Soul Reaver Games And 7 Others For Just $12 At Humble This Month

The June 2025 lineup of PC games for Humble Choice subscribers includes the following titles: Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, Dungeons of Hinterberg, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 and 2 Remastered, Nobody Wants To Die, Tchia, Sker Ritual, Biped, and Havendock. Humble Choice is a monthly subscription service that allows subscribers to keep the games indefinitely, even if they cancel their membership. Membership also provides exclusive discounts at the Humble store and access to the Humble Vault. The remastered Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 and 2 enhances the original games with improved visuals and controls. Dungeons of Hinterberg combines dungeon exploration with relationship-building. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a homage to old-school shooters. Nobody Wants To Die features a neo-noir detective story with time-manipulation. Tchia is a coming-of-age tale inspired by real islands, while Sker Ritual is a round-based FPS. Biped is a co-op game, and Havendock focuses on ocean exploration. Additionally, 5% of every Humble Choice membership is donated to charity, with this month's proceeds supporting Comic Relief USA's Red Nose Day.

AppWizard

June 4, 2025

Massive Sonic Racing CrossWorlds Leak Reveals TMNT, SpongeBob, Avatar, and Minecraft Crossovers With Full Gameplay Footage

A leak regarding Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has revealed crossover content featuring franchises such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT), Avatar: The Last Airbender, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Minecraft. The TMNT content includes a "Pizza Van" in four color variants and a themed race track set in New York City. Avatar content features Aang on a hoverboard and a "Bending Gates" mechanic for elemental powers. Minecraft is represented with a character selection menu hinting at a Minecraft-style character and themed vehicles. SpongeBob SquarePants will also be a playable racer with a unique vehicle and track. The leaks confirm the presence of TMNT, Avatar, and Minecraft, with potential for more franchises to be announced. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is expected to launch later this year.

AppWizard

May 30, 2025

Google TV might be adding a proper sleep timer for nighttime watching

Android TV currently has a basic sleep timer feature, but it is limited, particularly in the Google TV ecosystem. Recent updates to the Google TV Home app suggest that Google plans to enhance the sleep timer functionality significantly, as indicated by code strings found in version 1.0.756918669. The new features may include the ability to pause and resume sleep timers, notification warnings at various intervals, and interactive functionalities that allow users to extend the timer directly from notifications. This marks a shift from relying on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for sleep timer interfaces to a more integrated experience within Google TV.

AppWizard

May 29, 2025

Ex-Dragon Age lead hopes Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 pulls an ‘Expedition 33 or Baldur’s Gate 3’ by leaning into the combat-light, roleplaying-heavy gameplay of the tabletop version

Fraser Brown from PC Gamer has reignited optimism among fans for the sequel, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, following a recent preview. David Gaider, known for his work on Dragon Age, has also expressed enthusiasm for the original game and hopes for the sequel, envisioning it as a deep RPG that captures the political intrigue and character-driven narratives of the tabletop experience. Gaider emphasizes the importance of character relationships over combat in the tabletop version and desires a game that fully embraces these elements. Fraser's preview describes Bloodlines 2 as a mix of chaotic action and intricate storytelling, featuring visceral encounters and complex moral dilemmas, while also providing rich roleplaying opportunities and engaging character interactions.

Winsage

May 23, 2025

Microsoft gives a trio of Windows 11 apps some nifty new AI powers, but not everyone will get them

Microsoft is enhancing its Windows 11 applications with AI-powered features, particularly in Notepad, Paint, and the Snipping Tool. Notepad will receive an AI-driven text generation feature in preview version 11.2504.46.0, allowing users to generate text by right-clicking in the document. This feature requires a Microsoft 365 subscription, providing 60 AI credits monthly for users on Personal or Family plans. The Snipping Tool will introduce a 'perfect screenshot' feature that refines selections for precise cropping and a color picker for identifying colors on-screen, supporting HEX, RGB, and HSL codes. Paint will feature a new 'welcome experience' to guide users, an AI object selection tool for easier editing, and a sticker generator for creating custom stickers based on prompts. These updates aim to integrate AI into everyday applications, although concerns exist about potential feature bloat in Notepad and the requirement for a Copilot+ PC with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for many features, which may limit accessibility.

Winsage

May 21, 2025

Announcing new Microsoft Dataverse capabilities for multi-agent operations

Microsoft Dataverse is a secure and scalable platform that integrates enterprise data with agent functionalities, serving as the backbone for organizations to manage business and operational data. It powers Microsoft Copilot Studio, enabling developers to create agents that execute adaptive tasks while ensuring human oversight. Key features include AI-powered search, prompt columns for embedding generative AI, and the Dataverse Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, which transforms structured data into interactive knowledge for agents. The MCP server offers capabilities such as querying data, engaging with knowledge sources, creating/updating records, and executing custom prompts. Dataverse knowledge is integrated into Copilot Studio, connecting structured and unstructured data from various sources to create a unified knowledge network. Data in Dataverse is pre-indexed for near-real-time analytics, and integration with Microsoft Fabric allows for easy exploration of this data. Dynamics 365 data is now accessible within Microsoft 365 Copilot, streamlining workflows. New knowledge sources and connectors have been introduced, including Snowflake, SAP, and Confluence, enhancing agent capabilities. The Power Platform connector SDK simplifies the integration of external structured data into Power Apps and Dataverse. A centralized Tools hub in Copilot Studio allows for the management of reusable functionalities across agents. Additionally, three new managed agents are available in preview, designed to automate document workflows, generate executive briefs, and process inbound leads, facilitating quick implementation and scalability for organizations.

AppWizard

May 20, 2025

Blades of Fire review

Blades of Fire is an action game featuring a hero named Aran, who possesses godlike powers and a tragic backstory. The game emphasizes exploration over combat and is set to be released on May 22, 2025. It is developed by MercurySteam and published by 505 Games, with a price point of £50. The game was reviewed on a system with an Intel i9-13900HX, RTX 4090, and 32GB RAM.

Winsage

May 20, 2025

Microsoft open sources Windows Subsystem for Linux

Microsoft has announced the open-sourcing of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), which has evolved since its introduction in 2016. WSL was initially designed to enable Windows to run ELF executables natively through a compatibility layer. Compatibility challenges led to the development of WSL2, introduced to testers in 2019. By 2021, Microsoft decided to remove WSL code from the Windows ecosystem to align with the rapid updates of the Linux community. As of 2024, Microsoft has transitioned to a new WSL package, moving away from the original WSL component bundled with Windows. Nearly all previously closed code for WSL is now available on GitHub at Microsoft/WSL, allowing developers to contribute to its evolution. However, the kernel-side driver lxcore.sys and other related components remain part of Windows and are not open-sourced. Microsoft has acknowledged the community's role in shaping WSL but has not clarified the project's future management or the establishment of a steering committee.