vintage Archives

AppWizard

March 23, 2026

This week in PC games: a new Hooded Horse city-builder, some PS2-style horror, a school-day RPG and an absolutely tremendous catfish

The atmosphere in gaming is currently lacking excitement due to a lull with no major releases. Notable upcoming games include: - Journey of the Garden Rose: An adventure game featuring a princess battling insects in a low-poly palace. - Frog Holm: A bar-running game that combines cocktail mixing with Tetris mechanics. - No Vacation for an Executioner: An action-horror game with a PS2 style and intricately designed monsters. - Come Again, Chachii?: A game where players help quirky aliens find jobs by deciphering their speech. - Roombattle: A top-down multiplayer game featuring competing vacuums. - Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy: A dungeon-crawling RPG with cheerful characters and perilous elements. - Beast Breaker: A tactical pinball game where players launch a mouse at kaiju. - Nova Roma: An early access city-builder focusing on water management. - Damon and Baby: An action-adventure game featuring a baby and a demon king. - Screamer: A cyberpunk racing game known for its colorful mechanics. - Project Songbird: A game about overcoming writer's block while battling tree monsters. - EverSiege: Untold Ages: An action-strategy game from the creators of Aliens: Dark Descent. Additional activities include capturing images of mushrooms in Rova, constructing a mycelial web in ChloroLink, battling vintage supervillains in Marvel Maximum Collection, searching for a sister in Too Well Hidden, harvesting fuel in Venus in Transit, and transforming clouds into sea creatures in The Wide Open Sky is Running out of Catfish. The Treehouse is working on guides for Crimson Desert, evaluating Slay The Spire 2, assessing hardware, and participating in a preview event.

Winsage

March 20, 2026

Retro Weather Display Acts Like It’s Windows 95

The weather display created by Jordan features the ESP32-2432S028, known as the CYD or Cheap Yellow Display, which has a 320 x 240 LCD screen housed in a 3D-printed design resembling a vintage CRT monitor. It includes a lever mechanism for tactile button engagement and is programmed to access Open-Meteo feeds for current weather and forecasts, as well as webcam feeds and satellite images. The interface is inspired by Windows 95, providing pages for current conditions, forecasts, and wind speeds.

Winsage

March 19, 2026

Someone hacked Windows 98 onto a year 2000 Internet appliance just because they can

Dave Luna is attempting to run Windows 98 on the Compaq iPAQ IA‑2, a device originally designed for Windows CE. The iPAQ IA‑2 has limited hardware capabilities, including a 266 MHz Geode GX1 CPU and a maximum of 256 MB of SDRAM, which complicates the process of running a full operating system. Luna utilized the device's 16 MB flash drive, originally used for the operating system, to write MS-DOS and employ a chain-boot method to launch Windows 98. He successfully booted Windows 98 from an IDE drive by tricking the system into recognizing it as an ATAPI device, despite the BIOS restrictions. The iPAQ IA‑2 is not practical for regular use but allows for nostalgic gaming, such as playing DOOM. The concept of internet appliances, aimed at providing simple web browsing and email solutions, failed due to their restrictive nature, difficulties in software and hardware upgrades, and the need for subscriptions to specific Internet Service Providers. As broadband internet became more common, the appeal of these devices decreased, leading to their obsolescence, although they contributed to the development of modern devices like Chromebooks.

AppWizard

March 18, 2026

Unofficial Animal Crossing Port Brings The OG Cozy Game To PC

A PC port of the 2002 classic Animal Crossing has been developed by modders, allowing players to experience the game on personal computers. The port, created by a GitHub user named FlyingMeta, requires users to provide their own original game copy or ROM and supports enhanced resolutions, modding, and both keyboard and controller inputs. It is based on the Animal Crossing Decompilation fan project, which took over two years to develop. The port has some audio issues, memory glitches, and texture bugs, but improvements are planned. Similar decompilation efforts have been made for other Nintendo games, and the lack of distributed game files has made it difficult for Nintendo to intervene legally. This process helps preserve classic games for future generations.

Winsage

March 16, 2026

5 Things Linux Can Do That Windows 11 Can’t

Many users are switching from Microsoft's Windows operating system to Linux due to dissatisfaction with Windows 11's rollout and unpopular changes. Over half a million users have made the transition to Linux, which is known for its flexibility and reliability. Linux updates are optional, allowing users to choose when and what to update, with user-friendly options available for both graphical and command line interfaces. Unlike Windows, Linux does not come with bloatware, offering a streamlined experience where users can install only the applications they need. Linux provides extensive customization options, with various distributions available that can mimic the Windows interface or offer unique designs. It is also a robust choice for server management, allowing for continuous operation without frequent reboots and giving users control over update timing. Linux is compatible with a wide range of hardware, from new devices to older machines, and many distributions are designed to be lightweight. Additionally, Linux powers various devices, including the Steam Deck and Android smartphones, demonstrating its adaptability and efficiency in modern computing.

AppWizard

February 20, 2026

Nothing beats putting all my little stuff on my many little shelves in a super cozy shop sim like Thrifty Business

Thrifty Business is a management simulation game developed by the creators of Sticky Business, focusing on organization and curation without the stress of profit maximization. A demo is currently available ahead of the Steam Next Fest, allowing players to engage in arranging shops with an emphasis on pixel-perfect placement. Players can purchase mystery boxes containing used items tagged with categories like “kitchen,” “toy,” “vintage,” and “y2k.” The demo includes limited in-game days and events, such as a grand opening and a queer dating night. Future updates will introduce character customization, additional stories and events, a photo mode, and interactable objects. The game is expected to launch in 2026.

AppWizard

February 11, 2026

Poking around Hytale’s unfinished sandbox is the first time I’ve felt hope for a voxel RPG since Cube World broke my heart (twice)

Cube World is a voxel-based, procedurally generated RPG released in 2019 that failed to meet player expectations due to a lack of engaging content, minimal NPC interaction, and monotonous exploration. The game was criticized for its hollow adventure and mindless combat. In contrast, other titles like Dragon Quest Builders and V Rising successfully combine survival, crafting, and narrative depth. Hytale, developed by Hypixel Studios, aims to learn from Cube World's shortcomings, offering a voxel world with dynamic combat and a promising adventure mode. Hytale features engaging combat mechanics and has a strong focus on modding, with nearly 4,000 user-generated mods available. The game has rekindled interest in the open-world survival crafting genre, standing out as a promising contender.

Winsage

February 11, 2026

Someone built a Windows 98-powered smart toaster, and you toast bread by running an EXE

A smart toaster powered by Windows 95 has been created using a Raspberry Pi inside a 3D-printed beige shell. The original toaster hardware was incompatible with Windows 95, so a Raspberry Pi Pico was used to intercept inputs, allowing the Raspberry Pi to manage the OS-toaster connection. Users can control the toaster through a custom application called Toast.exe, which allows manual adjustments to heating, cycles, and tray movements.

AppWizard

January 22, 2026

My 5 favorite ‘cozy’ games that don’t actually look like cozy games

The cozy gaming genre has become an important part of the author's identity, but they sometimes feel overwhelmed by the prevalent pastel color schemes. They aim to introduce cozy games to their friend group that lack these typical aesthetic elements, specifically excluding pastel colors, chibi characters, and pixel art. 1. Promise Mascot Agency: A management and exploration game where players help locals in a quaint town and manage a love hotel in a haunted area, focusing on mundane challenges in a serene atmosphere. 2. Chants of Sennaar: A puzzle adventure game that allows players to learn four fictional languages through engaging challenges, set in a mysterious tower with a non-pastel palette. 3. Project Zomboid: A survival game that can be customized to disable zombies, allowing for a peaceful experience in a post-apocalyptic setting where players can cultivate gardens and craft furniture. 4. Potion Craft: A crafting simulation game focused on potion-making, where players grind herbs and manage resources in a medieval aesthetic without pastel colors. 5. Dystopika: A city-building game that allows players to create a dystopian metropolis with unique visuals and the option to personalize billboards, diverging from traditional cozy aesthetics.

AppWizard

January 18, 2026

Minecraft-like Hytale got a huge dinosaur update just a few days after release

Hytale has launched as a playable title with positive early reception and has generated enough revenue to support two additional years of development. The game received praise for its engaging gameplay, and a significant update was released just four days post-launch, which included the addition of dinosaurs. The Hytale Team has been transparent about the game's lore and design, sharing information on their official website. The project saw rapid progress after Simon Collins-Laflamme took over following its cancellation by Riot Games, with gameplay footage released shortly after the acquisition. Hytale is currently available for purchase in early access on the developer's website, although it has not yet launched on Steam.