RAW Archives

AppWizard

April 12, 2026

Android 17: All new Features, Release Date, & Major Leaks So Far

Android 17 Beta 2 was unveiled in April 2026, introducing significant features aimed at enhancing user experience and supporting autonomous AI agents. Key features include: 1. A "Dual-Shade" UI redesign with a Split Control Center for notifications and customizable toggles. 2. A system-level Native App Lock for securing individual apps with biometric authentication. 3. Integration of Project Astra, enabling real-time contextual memory and live translation through the camera. 4. A "Frosted Glass" aesthetic with translucency and glassmorphism in UI elements. 5. Advanced desktop windowing capabilities for larger screens, including free-form resizing and a persistent taskbar. 6. A Battery Health Dashboard providing insights into battery performance. 7. Introduction of the RAW14 Image Format for professional-grade image capture and a redesigned Screen Recording toolbar for creators. The release roadmap includes developer previews completed by March 2026, public beta phases in April 2026, platform stability expected in June 2026, and a final public release anticipated in August/September 2026 with the Pixel 11. Devices expected to receive Android 17 include Pixel 7 and newer models, Samsung Galaxy S24, S25, S26 series, and flagships from OnePlus, Xiaomi, and Nothing.

BetaBeacon

April 12, 2026

Google’s Tensor G5 is ‘good enough’ — but 2026 flagships are leaving the Pixel 10 behind

- Google Pixel's lackluster performance may deter some buyers - The Pixel 10 Pro XL can hit 120fps on medium and very high graphics settings in COD Mobile - The Pixel's raw performance is behind rivals like Xiaomi and Samsung - Google's Tensor chip may struggle to catch up to Qualcomm's Snapdragon in terms of gaming performance - The Pixel 10 series is improving in performance but may not be the best choice for gamers looking for the smoothest frame rates

BetaBeacon

April 10, 2026

The Android Tablet That Runs Steam Games : Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 5

The Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 5 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset and offers up to 24GB of RAM, delivering high performance for gaming, multitasking, and streaming.

Winsage

April 9, 2026

This fake Windows support website delivers password-stealing malware

A phishing campaign has been identified that uses a counterfeit Microsoft support website, microsoft-update[.]support, to trick users into downloading a malicious Windows update disguised as WindowsUpdate 1.0.0.msi. This file, created on April 4, 2026, appears legitimate but contains malware designed to steal sensitive information. The campaign targets French-speaking users, leveraging recent data breaches in France to create convincing scams. The malware, once executed, installs an Electron application that runs a Python interpreter, which then deploys various data theft tools. It employs two persistence mechanisms: modifying the Windows registry and creating a shortcut in the Startup folder. The malware connects to external sites for reconnaissance and data exfiltration, using domains like datawebsync-lvmv.onrender[.]com and store8.gofile[.]io. The malware's components have evaded detection by antivirus tools, with VirusTotal reporting zero detections for the main executable and its launcher. Users are advised to check their registry, remove suspicious files, change passwords, and run a full system scan if they suspect installation of the malicious update. Safe updating practices include using the built-in Windows update feature and being cautious of phishing attempts. Indicators of compromise include specific file hashes, domains associated with the phishing campaign, and file system artifacts related to the malware's installation.

AppWizard

April 9, 2026

I got murdered by a ladybug in Neverway, and that cemented it as the only game I care about this year

Neverway is a debut game by Coldblood Inc. that combines elements of a farming simulator with a darker narrative focused on self-reflection, mental health struggles, and spiritual rebirth. The protagonist, Fiona, deals with the aftermath of losing her job and experiences feelings of manic depression as she navigates a city filled with hostility. The gameplay involves a mix of combat mechanics and strategic thinking, where players can unlock new abilities by forming bonds with island inhabitants. The game features a dynamic soundtrack composed by Disasterpiece, enhancing the emotional experience. Neverway is set to be released in 2026 and has garnered anticipation for its unique blend of genres and immersive storytelling.

AppWizard

April 8, 2026

Samson, Minos, and More: Best New PC Games This Week

Samson: A Tyndalston Story, a brawler from Liquid Swords, is set to launch on April 8 exclusively on PC via Steam, with no microtransactions involved. The game is set in the fictional town of Tyndalston and features chaotic open-world elements, focusing on street fights and high-speed car pursuits. It is powered by Unreal Engine 5 and has drawn comparisons to GTA 4. Other notable releases in the week include Road to Vostok, entering early access on April 7, Minos and Beneath Cloudvein launching on April 9, and Bow and Banister releasing on April 10. Road to Vostok is a solo-developed survival shooter set in a post-apocalyptic border zone, while Minos allows players to control a minotaur in a roguelike structure. Beneath Cloudvein is a retro RPG about a missing dwarven mining expedition, and Bow and Banister features a violinist navigating a staircase with uncooperative limbs.

AppWizard

April 6, 2026

How to Profile Modern PC Games with NVIDIA Nsight Graphics

Performance analysis in PC gaming has become more complex with the introduction of DirectX 12 and Vulkan, incorporating technologies like asynchronous compute, hardware ray tracing, and machine learning-assisted denoising. Understanding GPU performance requires advanced tools to analyze workload distribution and shader behavior, with NVIDIA Nsight Graphics being a key resource. NVIDIA Nsight Graphics is a graphics debugger and profiler for modern graphics APIs, featuring the GPU Trace Profiler, which provides detailed insights into GPU execution and performance bottlenecks. Recent updates have improved its utility, including a Flame Graph for the Shader Profiler and support for NVIDIA's DLSS in D3D12 applications. The Peak-Performance-Percentage analysis method focuses on identifying GPU workload constraints and optimizing utilization rather than relying on assumptions about performance bottlenecks. This methodology is applied using Nsight Graphics to analyze GPU traces from the game Cyberpunk 2077, contrasting traditional rasterization with path tracing enhanced by DLSS Ray Reconstruction. The test setup included an Intel Core i7-14700K CPU, 32 GB RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, capturing two scenarios: one with raster-only settings and another with path tracing and DLSS. The analysis revealed that the rasterized frame's most costly aspect was lighting processing, while the path-traced frame showed increased total frame cost and a hybrid workload involving rasterization, ray traversal, and AI-driven processes. Key findings indicated that modern GPU performance is heavily influenced by memory behavior rather than just shader arithmetic, with significant time spent on compute-driven lighting processing and data movement. The analysis also highlighted that ray tracing performance is constrained by memory efficiency, indicating that performance does not scale linearly with RT-core throughput.

AppWizard

April 5, 2026

Age of Empires 4’s next chapter tests your will to survive as the “ruthless” Jin Dynasty arrive

The Age of Empires 4 DLC titled "Yue Fei's Legacy" introduces the Jin Dynasty as a new faction, characterized as "fast and ruthless." Players will initially face the Jin as adversaries in an eight-mission campaign where they lead the Song Dynasty, commanded by Yue Fei, against the invading Jin forces. The Jin Dynasty features strengths in cavalry and siege capabilities, utilizing Horse Grasslands for military production and introducing elite units like Iron Pagoda cavalry and Mohe Tribesman. Strategic elements include Mounted Villagers for resource gathering and Emissaries for capturing settlements. The use of gunpowder becomes significant in later stages, with the addition of Mounted Grenadiers and Eruptors. The DLC also introduces two new biomes—Madagascar and Yellow River—and four additional maps. It is set to launch on May 7, 2026, priced at .99 / £12.49, with a 15% pre-purchase discount available before the release date.

Winsage

April 4, 2026

‘Every Microsoft engineer got a stopwatch,’ says Windows veteran reminiscing about company’s past focus on speed — asserts that ‘everything’ was timed to ensure acceptable performance in the 1980s

Steven Sinofsky, a former president of Microsoft’s Windows Division, reflected on the coding practices at Microsoft during the 1980s, highlighting that every engineer received a stopwatch to promote efficiency. He noted that these stopwatches were used for tasks such as scroll speed, boot time, and resource management. Sinofsky stated that from 1980 to 2000, managing resource usage constituted half of software engineering. He shared a humorous anecdote about a colleague's request for a free stopwatch in 1993, which was deemed too expensive by Microsoft. In response to criticism regarding the performance of its Windows operating system, Microsoft has committed to improving performance, reducing overhead, and enhancing reliability across its services. The company aims to be more intentional about resource utilization and feature integration.

AppWizard

April 3, 2026

‘DLSS fundamentally makes no sense’ says Minecraft creator Notch, but actually it kinda does

Markus Persson, known as Notch, criticized Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology on social media, stating that it "fundamentally makes no sense" because it uses the same hardware to run a neural network for frame generation. Community responses clarified that DLSS utilizes specialized hardware, specifically Tensor Cores, optimized for machine learning tasks. Some commentators suggested a focus on raw raster performance instead of machine learning enhancements. Nvidia's vice president, Bryan Catanzaro, emphasized the need for smarter graphics rendering approaches, arguing that brute force methods are inefficient. Current testing of DLSS and Frame Generation is being conducted by an expert named Nick, who is analyzing the GPU's workload in rendering frames. While DLSS has supporters, it also faces criticism, particularly regarding its performance on lower-spec graphics cards.