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Free PC Game Is A Must-Play For P.T Fans, But Only Available For A Limited Time
AppWizard
July 3, 2026

Free PC Game Is A Must-Play For P.T Fans, But Only Available For A Limited Time

A new indie horror game titled Nightbell, inspired by the cancelled Konami project P.T., is available for free on Itch.io until July 12, 2026. The game, typically priced at £3.39 and currently discounted to £1.69 until July 9, 2026, follows a young boy on Christmas Eve who encounters a creature resembling his missing mother. Nightbell has received a "Mostly Positive" rating on Steam based on 66 reviews, with players appreciating its unique horror elements and gameplay.
silver Android smartphone
Tech Optimizer
July 2, 2026

From monolith to Lakebase to LTAP: rethinking the database from storage up

Sixteen years ago, the author began their PhD at UC Berkeley, where they were advised to focus on analytics rather than OLTP databases, which were considered a solved problem. However, upon developing Databricks, they found that OLTP databases were cumbersome, challenging to scale, and fragile. This led to the creation of Lakebase, a serverless Postgres database designed to address these issues by externalizing the write-ahead log (WAL) and data files into independent services. Lakebase architecture separates the WAL into a distributed service called SafeKeeper and data files into another service called PageServer, allowing for improved durability, scalability, and performance. This architecture eliminates data loss risks associated with disk failures and misconfigurations, simplifies high availability, and allows for elastic compute resources. Lakebase also introduces LTAP (Lake Transactional/Analytical Processing), which enables transactions and analytics to operate on a single data copy in real-time, avoiding the need for separate data copies and reducing costs. The system retains Postgres's ACID semantics while storing data in open columnar formats, making it accessible to both transactional and analytical engines without the delays and complexities of traditional replication methods. The architecture allows for unlimited storage, serverless compute, and instant branching, while ensuring that analytics can read the most current transactional data without affecting transactional workloads. LTAP aims to unify transactional and analytical processing by leveraging distinct compute engines for each workload while integrating at the storage layer.
Blood Bowl's videogame rights have been acquired by Slitherine and at this point I'll take any change as a good sign
AppWizard
July 2, 2026

Blood Bowl’s videogame rights have been acquired by Slitherine and at this point I’ll take any change as a good sign

Slitherine has acquired the rights to the Blood Bowl series, previously held by Nacon, which faced insolvency and impacted various projects, including Blood Bowl 3. Developers Cyanide had planned to update Blood Bowl 3 to align with the latest tabletop rules, now back on track under Slitherine. Blood Bowl 3 was released with significant issues, including bugs and frustrating microtransactions, leading players to prefer Blood Bowl 2. Despite some improvements, menu navigation remains cumbersome. There is cautious optimism for the series' future under Slitherine's management.
Mid-week Android app deals and freebies: Clank!, Dune, Raiders of the North Sea, more
AppWizard
July 1, 2026

Mid-week Android app deals and freebies: Clank!, Dune, Raiders of the North Sea, more

Mid-week shopping deals for Android enthusiasts include discounts on various games and apps such as Clank!, Dune: Imperium Digital, Munchkin, Raiders of the North Sea, HEAVEN SEEKER, The Isle of Cats, The Fox in the Forest, and Wings of Glory. Additionally, hardware markdowns feature the Galaxy S26 Ultra models at [openai_gpt model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Summarize the content and extract only the fact described in the text bellow. The summary shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. Text: Your mid-week shopping spree is set to delight Android enthusiasts with an enticing array of game and app deals. Featured titles include the engaging Clank!, the strategic Dune: Imperium Digital, the whimsical Munchkin, and the adventurous Raiders of the North Sea. Other noteworthy mentions are HEAVEN SEEKER, The Isle of Cats, The Fox in the Forest, and Wings of Glory, each promising hours of entertainment. In addition to these digital treasures, there's a significant markdown on hardware as well. The Galaxy S26 Ultra models are now available at a remarkable 0 off, while the Galaxy Watch Ultra can be snagged for over 50% less than its regular price. For those looking to enhance their viewing experience, the Google TV Streamer 4K is currently listed at one of its lowest prices to date. Today’s highlight Android app price drops: Clank! - Dive into a world of strategy and adventure. Dune: Imperium Digital - Experience the epic saga of Dune in a digital format. Munchkin - A fun twist on classic role-playing games. Raiders of the North Sea - Embark on a Viking adventure. HEAVEN SEEKER - Explore celestial realms. The Isle of Cats - A family-friendly game of strategy and cat rescue. The Fox in the Forest - A two-player trick-taking game with a fairy tale twist. Wings of Glory - Engage in aerial combat with historical aircraft. More Android app price drops still live: Game Title 1 - Description of the game. Game Title 2 - Description of the game. Game Title 3 - Description of the game. Game Title 4 - Description of the game. Game Title 5 - Description of the game. Game Title 6 - Description of the game. Game Title 7 - Description of the game. Game Title 8 - Description of the game. Game Title 9 - Description of the game. Game Title 10 - Description of the game. As the week unfolds, these deals present a splendid opportunity for both gamers and tech aficionados to enhance their digital collections and devices at attractive prices. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More." max_tokens="3500" temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" frequency_penalty="frequency_penalty"] off, the Galaxy Watch Ultra at over 50% off, and the Google TV Streamer 4K at one of its lowest prices.
Minecraft Marketplace Summer Sale cuts prices on 300 in-game items
AppWizard
June 30, 2026

Minecraft Marketplace Summer Sale cuts prices on 300 in-game items

The Minecraft Marketplace Summer Sale offers discounts of up to 33% on over 300 select items, including add-ons, skins, texture packs, and adventures for Minecraft Bedrock Edition. The sale features items like the Biomes O’ Plenty add-on, which adds over 50 unique biomes, and the RealismCraft add-on, which enhances visuals with new mobs and weather effects. The Naturalist 26.1 add-on introduces realistic animals, while the Eternal End add-on reimagines the End Dimension with new biomes and items. The sale is live in the UK from June 30, 2023, at 6 PM BST until July 28, 2026, at 6 PM BST.
Steam Week in Review: Steam sales are the best time to hoard dozens of forgotten '90s PC gaming oddities
AppWizard
June 29, 2026

Steam Week in Review: Steam sales are the best time to hoard dozens of forgotten ’90s PC gaming oddities

In 2026, Valve's Steam Summer Sale features significant discounts on popular games, such as Red Dead Redemption 2 at a 75% discount for the 14th time since January 2025, and The Witcher 3 with its fifth 95% discount since July 2024. Cyberpunk 2077 has reached a 75% discount after eight previous markdowns of 65% since June 2025. The sale includes major publishers like Ubisoft and indie titles such as Terraria and Satisfactory. Notable retro games available include I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, Operation Body Count, Interphase, Corpse Killer, and The Dame Was Loaded. Steam's weekly sales charts show top sellers, with Meccha Chameleon achieving 10 million sales, aided by the PUBG PNC 2026 tournament.
Bryce Clark, game director of Poppy Playtime, has played 23,000 hours of Steam games: 'I'm a bit obsessed with learning the market'
AppWizard
June 21, 2026

Bryce Clark, game director of Poppy Playtime, has played 23,000 hours of Steam games: ‘I’m a bit obsessed with learning the market’

Bryce Clark is the game director of Poppy Playtime and has a history in gaming that began with DOS games. His childhood favorite was the 1994 RTS Dominus, which had technical difficulties that required troubleshooting. He has worked for studios like 343 Industries and Blizzard and became the lead technical artist at Mob Entertainment in 2023 before directing Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5, released in February. Clark enjoys games like Aethus, Strange Antiquities, and Prosperous Universe, and recently played Librarian: Tidy Up the Arcane Library and Forza Horizon 6. The oldest games on his PC are No Man's Sky and The Hunter: Call of The Wild. He has logged over 23,000 hours on Steam, with Rocket League and Ark: Survival Evolved among his top titles. Clark finds comfort in The Hunter: Call of the Wild and Subnautica. He uses Snagit for screenshots and video recording and WinDirStat for disk space management. He has shifted to a minimalist desktop organization style, using the taskbar and search bar instead of desktop shortcuts.
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