Games

It is far from uncommon for Microsoft to release an update for Windows that causes problems with the operating system itself. It is also not unknown for Windows updates to cause issues in other software – and this is what some gamers have experienced.

In releasing a new GeForce Hotfix Display Driver, NVIDIA has pointed the finger of blame at a recent update for Windows 11 for slowing down the performance of some titles. Despite NVIDIA’s claims, Microsoft is yet to say anything about the issue.

As people increasingly demand seamless experiences across platforms, developers face growing complexity in managing unified virtual economies.

In the games sector in particular companies need to leverage distributed architecture, virtual currencies, and real-time inventory reconciliation to ensure consistent user experiences and secure transaction flows.

Microsoft has new options for gamers signed up to the Xbox Insider program looking for more from their gaming libraries. In addition to a cross-device play history that can be accessed from Windows and Xbox, there is also a significant update to the Xbox PC app.

Following an earlier library update, Microsoft says that it remains committed to making it “the go-to destination for your games” by adding cloud-playable console titles to the Xbox PC app.

Newspapers have long been associated with all manner of games and puzzles, including crosswords, sudoku and so on. This is something that has endured the crossover from print to digital, with the likes of Wordle from the New York Times remaining incredibly popular.

Now Apple is looking to get in on the action, announcing a new puzzle called Emoji Game. The puzzler is just the latest addition to the Apple News+ collection, giving subscribers a new challenge every day.

Running Android games on a PC is straightforward with emulators like Bluestacks or NoxPlayer. If you want to play popular AAA Windows PC games on an Android device, things get a bit trickier.

This is where Winlator comes in. Winlator is a free Android app that allows users to run Windows (x86_64) games using Wine 9.2 (custom) and Box64 (0.3.0), and it has just received an update to version 8.0 which includes a lot of new features and improvements.

It's easy enough to play Android games on your PC as you can use third-party emulators such as Bluestacks or NoxPlayer to accomplish the task.

Winlator, which has just been updated to version 7, lets you do the opposite and play your favorite Windows games on an Android phone. The latest release is a big update and introduces a lot of new features, as well as fixing issues and improving performance.

Playing Android games on your PC is easy enough. You have the option of using third-party emulators such as Bluestacks or NoxPlayer, or you can take advantage of the built-in Windows Subsystem for Android, available on Windows 11.

However, if you wish to flip the script and play Windows games on your Android device, the process is somewhat more complex, but not impossible. To do this, you’ll need Winlator, which has just been updated to version 5, improving compatibility and performance, and resolving various issues.

It's easy enough to get Android games running on your PC. You can use third-party emulators like Bluestacks or NoxPlayer, or you can make use of the built-in Windows Subsystem for Android on Windows 11.

If you want to do the reverse and play Windows games on your Android device, that's a little harder, but it can be done. For this you'll need Winlator. We’ve covered this Android app before, but it’s just been updated to improve compatibility and performance, and fix a number of problems.

If you want to play Android games on your PC, there are third-party emulators like Bluestacks available to install, or you can make use of the Windows Subsystem for Android on Windows 11.

Surprisingly, though, you can do the reverse and play PC games on your Android device. For this you'll need Winlator. We’ve covered this Android app before, but it’s just been updated to improve compatibility and performance, and fix a number of problems.

It’s been a decade since the Internet Archive first began offering software that you could run in your browser. Since then, it has added new sections and games to its collection, and there are now over a quarter of a million items available to run for free.

If you haven’t visited The Emulation Station in a while -- or indeed, ever -- then it’s well worth taking a look. Sections on offer include Console Demos, Console Living Room, Handheld History, Internet Arcade, Software Library, and Calculator Drawer.

It's pretty easy to get Android games playing on your PC -- you can either make use of the Windows Subsystem for Android on Windows 11, or install a third-party emulator like Bluestacks.

Doing the reverse and playing PC games on your Android device is, naturally, a much harder proposition. However, a new emulator called Winlator means you get started playing your favorite PC games in a matter of minutes.

The Commodore Amiga was a very popular home computer. Introduced in 1985 originally as a successor to Commodore's even more popular C-64 home computer, it became a favorite of many with the introduction of the Amiga 500.

The 16-bit Amiga battled it out with the 16-bit Atari ST and several other devices in the 80s and early 90s. Amiga users of the time enjoyed some of the finest games ever produced up to this time. Games like Cadaver, Moonstone, The Secret of Monkey Island and Indiana Jones series of adventures, Lemmings, Cannon Fodder, Wizball, Another World, and Defender of the Crown were some of the defining titles of the era.

When you think about gaming on a handheld device that is running Windows, Steam Deck may be the first device that comes to your mind. It is developed by Valve, maker of Steam, and optimized for running Steam games.

It is available in three different versions and costs between $400 to $700, based on the selected version. The main difference is storage, with the two higher priced versions using NVMe SSDs and the entry level version eMMC.

The long awaited first part of the previously PlayStation exclusive The Last of Us game has been released on March 28, 2023 on Steam. The remastered version of the game has received praising reviews for PlayStation, but when you check the Steam ratings one day after release, you notice that they are mostly negative on the site.

In numbers, more than 4,200 of the 5,740 reviews are mostly negative, and this leads to the question how this could have happened. From Game of the Year to one that sits at the bottom of Steam’s ranking charts.

No matter how much you enjoy gaming, chances are you’ve felt a nagging sense of guilt about playing at one point or another. Maybe it’s the result of having your parents tell you to get outside and play when you were growing up. Or maybe it’s just a societally-induced sense that spending a couple of hours immersed in a virtual world every day might not be the best thing for your mental health.

While there are always risks involved in allowing any hobby to become an obsession, we now know that much of the moral panic around gaming has been overwrought. In fact, a growing body of research shows that gaming can actually be very positive for mental health. It’s also becoming increasingly clear that those effects can also be magnified through the potential of impact games.