speed Archives

AppWizard

June 13, 2026

Sim racing is flourishing, but what happened to the arcade racer?

The author began playing racing games at age five with Lego Racers on a Windows 95 PC, which sparked a passion for cars. They later played Gran Turismo 2 and invested in a Thrustmaster T150 RS racing rig during the pandemic, immersing themselves in Forza Horizon 4. The racing game landscape has shifted towards a dominance of sim racing, overshadowing traditional arcade racing games like Need for Speed and Burnout. Despite the rise of sim racing, it has alienated casual gamers, and even successful sim titles struggle to match the sales of older arcade franchises. Real-world motorsport has become more accessible, attracting new fans, and sim racing serves as an affordable entry point into motorsport. Representatives from the sim racing industry note that many newcomers may transition to real racing, exemplified by YouTubers who have moved from gaming to professional racing. The decline of traditional car games may reflect broader changes in car culture, with fewer young people obtaining driver's licenses, making sim racing a more viable option for motorsport engagement.

Winsage

June 13, 2026

Windows 11’s Low Latency Profile Is Available Now. Here’s How to Use it

Microsoft has rolled out its Low Latency Profile to all Windows 11 users, optimizing CPU performance for quicker frequency ramp-up when using Windows features. This update enhances responsiveness, particularly in tasks like opening the Start menu and other native elements. To access the feature, users need to download the June 2026 Patch KB5094126 for specific OS builds and reboot their systems. The update also includes improvements such as better Shared Audio capabilities, multi-app camera support, and refinements to Windows Search.

AppWizard

June 13, 2026

Over the Hill’s Next Fest demo promises a stylized off-roading game for people who actually like to drive

Funselektor's game, Over the Hill, offers a contemplative off-roading experience, differing from its previous titles, Art of Rally and Absolute Drift, which focused on speed and a top-down perspective. The game features a stylized world that emphasizes exploration over speed, allowing players to strategize their routes in a tranquil environment. The demo, available during the Steam Next Fest until June 22, showcases this approach, with an option to accelerate that may lead to unexpected tumbles. A specific release date for the full game has not been announced, but it is anticipated to launch later this year.

AppWizard

June 13, 2026

Weekend PC Game Deals: Anno 117, Final Fantasy VII, Rematch, and more

The Epic Games Store is offering free copies of Warhammer 40K Speed Freeks and The Ouroboros King until June 11. Speed Freeks is a multiplayer racing game featuring Ork vehicles, while Ouroboros King combines chess with tactical roguelike elements. The Humble Store has launched The Complete Inkle Library charity bundle, which includes Heaven's Vault and other titles, available for nearly three weeks. The GOG store is also featuring DRM-free discounts on various games, with offers for members and limited-time promotions. Availability and pricing may vary by region.

AppWizard

June 12, 2026

Microsoft is looking to speed up development of future Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Halo games

Microsoft is considering a strategic pivot for its Xbox division, which may include spinning it off into a standalone entity or transforming it into a wholly-owned subsidiary. There are discussions about a potential joint venture with unnamed partners to facilitate a smoother sale of Xbox. The company is focusing its resources on its most prominent gaming titles while facing challenges, including the possibility of job losses for hundreds of employees. Anticipated game releases like Fallout 4 and The Elder Scrolls VI have left fans waiting for updates, and the Halo franchise has seen stagnation since the establishment of 343 Industries. Halo Infinite's content updates ceased in 2025, four years after its launch. Microsoft has not yet made immediate changes but is exploring a broad range of options for the future of Xbox.

AppWizard

June 12, 2026

Google VP John Maletis confirms Googlebooks will run Android apps far better than Chromebooks

Chrome Unboxed offers a membership called Chrome Unboxed Plus, which provides an ad-free experience, access to a private Discord, and additional perks. Google is developing the Googlebook category directly on the Android tech stack, allowing apps to run natively without an emulation layer, significantly improving performance. This change enables applications to utilize hardware capabilities fully, resulting in a smoother user experience. The unified foundation of Googlebooks encourages developers to optimize their apps for various devices, facilitating a "Build Once, Deploy Anywhere" approach. This shift has led to increased enthusiasm among developers, with many creating integrations specifically for Googlebooks. The success of Googlebooks will depend on effective software execution, as it aims to provide high-speed performance without the limitations of traditional operating systems.

AppWizard

June 12, 2026

This gaming PC can boot to Windows in just six seconds, runs Unreal at 1300fps

A Reddit user named OMORES constructed a gaming PC that boots to Windows 95 in six seconds, using a Ryzen 9 9900X processor, 64GB of DDR5-6400 RAM, and a PCIe to PCI adapter for legacy expansion cards. The setup includes an Nvidia GeForce 7900 GS graphics card and an NVMe M.2 SSD, achieving a boot time significantly faster than a typical Windows 11 system, which takes around ten to twenty seconds. OMORES's build can run classic games like Half-Life and the original Unreal at 1300 frames per second.

AppWizard

June 11, 2026

Epic Games Store PC Weekly Free Games 11/06/2026

The Epic Games Store is offering two free games from 4 PM BST on June 11, 2026, until 4 PM BST on June 18, 2026. The first game, The Ouroboros King, combines chess-like strategic gameplay with roguelike elements, allowing players to build armies and explore a world filled with relics. The second game, Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks, is a combat racing game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, featuring fast-paced racing with Ork-themed vehicles and intense multiplayer battles.

AppWizard

June 11, 2026

I was big into Clutch’s mix of story and racing styles, but the driving’s a lot simmier than I expected

Clutch is a cinematic open world action-driving game set in Monaco, where professional and underground street racing collide. It has sold over six million copies shortly after its release, making it the only racing franchise with sales comparable to major third-person action titles. The game features a narrative that follows siblings Theo and Cass Martial in the R1K racing league, incorporating fully motion-captured actors, cutscenes, and an expansive open world. Players engage in dynamic scenarios, including police chases and street racing with the Midnight Collective, where they can earn money for new cars and perform viewer-requested stunts. Clutch aims to blend narrative with gameplay, offering a vibrant experience that encourages player investment in the characters and their journeys.

Winsage

June 11, 2026

PowerToys 0.1 Arrives With Improvements to Several Utilities

Microsoft released PowerToys 0.1, featuring several enhancements: - The Shortcut Guide now appears as a side pane, detecting the active application and displaying relevant shortcuts. - The Command Palette includes an extension gallery for easy management of extensions and supports multiple monitor configurations, along with a new Battery widget. - PowerDisplay has improved startup speed, monitor identification, and settings preservation, with a new Max compatibility mode. - ZoomIt now supports a webcam overlay during recordings and allows appending multiple clips with transitions. - Transition to .NET 10 has optimized performance, reduced installation size by 15%, and improved the auto-update feature. Quick Access and Workspaces have migrated to WinUI with a refreshed UI. - Additional improvements include the Keyboard Manager using the new WinUI editor, a Refresh Connections feature in Mouse Without Borders, enhanced high DPI and multi-monitor reliability in Quick Accent, an option to disable file preview tooltips in Peek, and various calculator enhancements in PowerToys Run. PowerToys can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store, Windows Package Manager (winget), or the web.