AYANEO has paused its Kickstarter campaign for the Pocket Play smartphone as part of its "Service Improvement Plan" to address community complaints about unfulfilled orders and delays.
Windows 11 includes Microsoft Paint, which is easily accessible and offers a user-friendly environment for creativity. The updated interface features a sleek layout, making tools readily available for experimentation. Paint has refined brushes and inking tools that provide a smooth, responsive drawing experience, especially with stylus use, incorporating pressure sensitivity for more authentic strokes. It also offers advanced color tools, including support for RGB, hex, and HSV color options, allowing users to maintain consistency in their projects. Users can create a mini color palette on the canvas and utilize the eyedropper tool to extract colors from references or generated images.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has received critical acclaim and commercial success, winning Game of the Year at the previous year’s Game Awards. Josef Fares, founder of Hazelight Studios, warns the triple-A gaming sector against merely replicating trends from Expedition 33's success, emphasizing the need for innovation rather than imitation. He highlights the importance of diversity in gaming, asserting that both triple-A and double-A titles have their place in the industry. Fares points out that while high-budget games face pressure to avoid risks, innovation is still possible, citing examples from studios like Naughty Dog, Rockstar, and Nintendo. He also mentions that other major studios, such as Capcom, are exploring unconventional ideas.
Microsoft's Windows 11, launched in 2021, has been criticized for significant performance issues, making it potentially the least performant version of Windows in over two decades. Independent benchmarks reveal that Windows 11 is slower than its predecessors in areas such as boot times, application launches, and overall system responsiveness. Users with high-end hardware, including 13th-generation Intel Core processors, have reported noticeable slowdowns compared to Windows 10. Performance assessments indicate that Windows 11 struggles in various categories, including file operations, multitasking, and gaming, with longer boot speeds reminiscent of older systems. Gamers have experienced stuttering and frame rate drops, and Microsoft has acknowledged these issues in updates since 2022. The operating system is criticized for being a "resource hog," with preloaded features consuming resources even when idle. Users have reported lagging File Explorer and freezing processes, leading some to consider alternative operating systems. IT departments have noted increased support tickets related to performance issues, prompting some to delay upgrades from Windows 10. Microsoft has offered optimization advice, but critics argue these are temporary fixes for deeper architectural problems. The performance issues have implications for software developers and hardware manufacturers, increasing development costs and complicating hardware optimizations. Analysts warn that without prompt action, Microsoft's market dominance could be at risk, as users advocate for a leaner, faster Windows.
Hytale is set to launch on January 13, 2026, and is expected to attract over one million players on its early access release day, according to Simon Collins-Laflamme, founder of Hypixel Studios. The game's development has been ongoing for over a decade, and its financial backing for the next two years has been secured through pre-sales. After Riot Games discontinued its involvement, Collins-Laflamme resumed development with a focus on community collaboration. He announced that pre-orders have ensured a solid foundation for the project, expressing optimism about Hytale's future.
In early 2026, many prominent technology writers are transitioning from Windows and macOS to Linux-based systems, citing frustrations with Windows 11's mandatory updates, privacy concerns, and software bloat as key reasons for the shift. The appeal of Linux is bolstered by advancements in gaming compatibility, user-friendly distributions, and a growing open-source community. While some users face challenges such as a steep learning curve and software incompatibilities, the overall sentiment is positive, with predictions suggesting significant growth for Linux desktops in 2026. Economic factors, including the cost of proprietary software and hardware demands, are also driving users towards Linux, which remains free and efficient. Community support plays a crucial role in easing the transition, and there is optimism about Linux's potential to capture more market share in various fields, despite some realism regarding the need for proprietary software in certain workflows.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has criticized a US initiative to ban the social media platform X and its generative AI tool, Grok, following reports of Grok generating inappropriate images, including those of minors. Sweeney emphasized the importance of open platforms and opposed political demands for censorship, labeling it as crony capitalism. Reports indicated that Grok produced troubling content, including altered images of influencers in compromising situations. In response to the controversy, X has placed Grok's image generation feature behind a paywall. Sweeney's stance on free speech contrasts with censorship practices on his own platforms, such as the Epic Games Store's ban on the art game Horses due to pressure from conservative groups. He acknowledged the dangers of AI, noting that major AIs have instances of misuse.
Microsoft is testing a new policy that allows IT administrators to completely uninstall its Copilot AI assistant from managed Windows devices. This policy, named “RemoveMicrosoftCopilotApp,” is being deployed through management tools like Intune and System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) and addresses concerns about data privacy, resource consumption, and unwanted software in commercial settings. The feature is currently available in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7535 (KB5072046) and reflects feedback from IT professionals who prefer controlled environments. While this option is exclusive to enterprise-tier Microsoft 365 subscribers, smaller businesses and individual users have limited options for removal. The policy aims to balance innovation with risk management, especially in regulated sectors like healthcare and finance, where data privacy is critical.
Security researchers have identified a social engineering campaign that mimics the Windows Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) to deceive users into installing a remote access Trojan (RAT). The campaign, named PHALT#BLYX, begins with phishing emails that appear to be legitimate cancellation notices from travel websites, leading victims to a fake login page and an interactive CAPTCHA. This culminates in a full-screen imitation of the BSOD, prompting users to follow instructions that ultimately allow attackers to gain control of their computers.
The attackers use a “ClickFix” process that involves executing commands through native Windows tools like PowerShell and MSBuild, making detection more challenging. The malware delivered is an obfuscated version of DCRat, which provides attackers with remote control capabilities, keylogging, and the ability to download additional malware. The campaign primarily targets hotels and hospitality businesses in Europe, exploiting the urgency of front-desk staff to respond to apparent technical issues.
Indicators of a fake BSOD include the ability to interact with the screen, requests to execute commands via Windows tools, and the presence of CAPTCHA prompts. Organizations are advised to train employees, implement application control, enhance email and web defenses, and prepare for incident response to mitigate risks associated with such attacks.
A curated watchlist highlights promising Turkish video games set for release in 2026, featuring titles that indicate a 2026 release window on Steam. The main list includes:
- Anomaly President by Phew Phew Games: A presidential roguelike action game set for Q1 2026 on PC.
- Dead Engine by Chocolate Dungeon Games: A pixel-art, post-apocalyptic survival action-roguelite launching in Early Access on January 22, 2026.
- Emberbane by Hamlet Games: A pixel-art action-adventure game scheduled for January 2026.
- Eternity’s Echo: Patient Zero by Demonsoft Games: A first-person psychological survival-horror title set for Q1 2026.
- Gamer Stop Simulator by Red Axe Games: A simulation game set in Japan, aiming for a higher visual standard, with no specific release date mentioned.
- Island Market Simulator by Zentium Studio: Set for Q1 2026, focusing on managing an island-town business.
- Mayhem Brawler II: Best of Both Worlds by Hero Concept: A beat 'em up game set for 2026 release on Steam and consoles.
- Papa Needs a Headshot by Phew Phew Games and Vercial Games: An FPS set for Q2 2026 release.
- Sagas of Lumin by Elos Games and Arts: An action RPG launching in Q1 2026.
- The Enigma Cases by Red Axe Games: A co-op detective mystery game set for 2026.
- Who Do Voodoo by Kuixo: A multiplayer social-deduction game targeting Q1 2026 for Early Access.
Additionally, several titles are under consideration for a potential 2026 release, including:
- Black State by Motion Blur: A single-player action-adventure shooter marked as “To be announced.”
- Deckfort Alchemist by Team Machiavelli: A strategic roguelike tower defense game currently marked as “Coming soon.”
- A new project from Fubu Games is anticipated following their successful titles in 2025.
