tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14265247266794780202026-10-22T17:27:17.637-07:00Read about the latest Gaming news and announcements. The official blog of Activision, publishers of Call of Duty, Sekiro, Crash Bandicoot, Skylanders, and more. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9402125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-67521673948636508062026-10-22T16:30:39.883-07:002026-10-22T16:30:39.883-07:00 <p>A security researcher has demonstrated a software-only partial jailbreak of the Switch 2, gaining "userland" access that he says "lets us run homebrew, reverse engineer and mod Switch 2 games, back up save files off the Switch, and access most of the Switch 2’s peripherals through MMIO."</p> <p><a href="https://gitlab.com/pepsipu/ns2jb">The hack</a> relies on the original Switch version of <a href="https://www.petc4.smilebasic.com/about?lang=en">SmileBasic 4</a>, the latest in a long-running series of programming environments and interpreters that run on Nintendo hardware. The so-called "tethered" hack also requires access to a macOS or Linux PC on the same network to run a node.js package that helps enable privileged system access.</p> <p>Researcher Sammy Hajhamid <a href="https://pepsipu.com/blog/2026-10-switch2-jailbreak-ns2jb/">writes</a> that he used <a href="https://chatgpt.com/codex/">OpenAI's Codex</a> to poke at SmileBasic's language interpreter, using a custom harness that could send USB commands to the system and view results via HDMI (as well as power cycling via a Bluetooth light switch flipping device). After "substantial effort for ~2 weeks," that harness discovered a 32-bit integer overflow that occurs when removing items from an array in SmileBasic. That error gives access to an array pointer, which in turn allows read and write access to portions of system memory.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/switch-2-jailbreak-gives-hackers-new-ways-to-run-homebrew-and-mod-games/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/switch-2-jailbreak-gives-hackers-new-ways-to-run-homebrew-and-mod-games/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/Ls7BP68<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-65955987562966981222026-10-22T15:30:39.505-07:002026-10-22T15:30:39.505-07:00 <p>Those mourning yesterday's <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/rip-bioware-ea-shuts-down-storied-rpg-studio-after-over-three-decades/">shuttering of highly praised and influential developer BioWare</a> also had to deal with the cancellation of the next <em>Mass Effect</em> game, which was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg-Ctg6k_Ao">first teased back in 2020</a>. Today, we got our best look at what that game could have been with a short, leaked trailer for <em>Mass Effect: Universe</em>.</p> <p>In the roughly two-minute montage—which describes itself as "in-engine footage from our small team" that "uses our pre-production assets"—an ex-military officer wearing an N7 trenchcoat (similar to the one seen in that 2020 teaser) encounters an Asari at a bar. He talks of his frustration with military life—"by the time you put out one fire, another had already started"—before discussing his new line of work "stopping [the fires] before they start" and "making the choices no one else is willing to make. Going where others are afraid to go."</p> <blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" style="height: 500px;" data-embed-height="546"><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/masseffect/comments/1xclmpu/mass_effect_universe_trailer/">Mass Effect: Universe Trailer</a><br> by<br> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Random_Hyabusa_Ninja/">u/Random_Hyabusa_Ninja</a> in<br> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/masseffect/">masseffect</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async="" src="https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js" charset="UTF-8"></script></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/leaked-mass-effect-universe-trailer-gives-a-taste-of-what-were-all-missing/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/leaked-mass-effect-universe-trailer-gives-a-taste-of-what-were-all-missing/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/BLzsSoF<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-49956431012777297532026-10-22T10:30:40.350-07:002026-10-22T10:30:40.350-07:00 <p>Last year, we <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/07/not-just-seeing-red-virtual-boy-emulator-adds-full-color-support/">reported on Red Viper</a>, a Virtual Boy emulator that added a splash of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=660FVHPm1OA">Super Game Boy-style color</a> to Nintendo's famously failed red-on-black "portable" 3D headset from the '90s. Now, a new emulation experiment, <a href="https://github.com/yuk27/VBoyColor">VBoy Color</a>, has taken the concept to a higher level, using a tile-based palette system that allows for many more distinct colors in each individual Virtual Boy frame.</p> <p>Rather than simply replacing the Virtual Boy's four shades of red with four different colors, VBoy Color's <a href="https://github.com/yuk27/VBoyColor/blob/main/docs/COLOR_PACKS.md">readme files</a> explain how the emulator's game-specific Color Packs can assign a distinct four-color palette to each 8x8 tile in a Virtual Boy scene. That means the emulator can differentiate between green pipes, grey platforms, and red brick wall in <em>Mario Clash</em>, for instance, even though all those in-game objects share the same overlapping red hues in the original game.</p> <p>The Game Boy Color-esque results feel like being transported into an alternate history where Nintendo invested in a full-color display rather than cheaper red LEDs for the Virtual Boy hardware. The increased contrast between differently colored elements is particularly welcome in games like <em>Jack Bros.</em> or <em>Vertical Force</em>, where the original red-on-red display often makes it hard to differentiate the player-character from busy red background elements.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/this-emulator-reimagines-nintendos-virtual-boy-with-a-full-color-display/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/this-emulator-reimagines-nintendos-virtual-boy-with-a-full-color-display/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/gSHFMvE<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-78814811841573141442026-10-21T17:30:37.107-07:002026-10-21T17:30:37.107-07:00 <p>In September, when Microsoft <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/xbox-imposes-harsh-new-time-limits-for-game-pass-game-streaming/">severely limited the game-streaming buffet available to Game Pass subscribers</a>, the company said non-subscribers would soon be able to "purchase cloud playtime hours through the Xbox Store and stream eligible games they own on supported devices." Today, Microsoft <a href="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/10/21/cloud-playtime-now-available-to-test-with-xbox-insiders/">rolled out those a la carte Cloud Playtime purchases</a> to Xbox Insiders, with prices that might be a bit galling for players who have already purchased these streamable games.</p> <p>The "introductory launch pricing" for Xbox's Cloud Playtime purchases is as follows:</p> <ul> <li>10 hours for $4 (~$0.40/hour)</li> <li>25 hours for $8 (~$0.32/hour)</li> <li>50 hours for $12 (~$0.24/hour)</li> </ul> <p>Purchased playtime "remains available until it’s used," Microsoft writes, so you don't have to worry about your 50-hour purchase expiring before you can use it fully.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/xbox-wants-you-to-pay-24-to-40-cents-per-hour-to-stream-games-you-already-bought/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/xbox-wants-you-to-pay-24-to-40-cents-per-hour-to-stream-games-you-already-bought/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/XunQKCs<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-28367029419065395622026-10-21T14:30:53.112-07:002026-10-21T14:30:53.112-07:00 <p>The legendary studio behind series like <em>Mass Effect</em>, <em>Dragon Age</em>, <em>Neverwinter Nights</em>, and <em>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</em> is no more. BioWare <a href="https://x.com/bioware/status/2112953618093535510">announced via social media</a> Wednesday afternoon that "after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next <em>Mass Effect</em> project is ending."</p> <p>The official announcement was posted mere minutes after <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-21/electronic-arts-to-cut-400-jobs-shut-down-bioware">a Bloomberg report</a> detailed 400 job cuts across BioWare parent company Electronic Arts, including 50 at BioWare, based on reports from "a person familiar with the company's plans."</p> <p>"Across our portfolio, we’re making deliberate choices to align talent and investments where we see the greatest opportunities for players and long-term growth," EA executives wrote in a message to staff, according to Bloomberg.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/rip-bioware-ea-shuts-down-storied-rpg-studio-after-over-three-decades/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/rip-bioware-ea-shuts-down-storied-rpg-studio-after-over-three-decades/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/N2aL6pM<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-6779778241541157102026-10-21T11:30:54.102-07:002026-10-21T11:30:54.102-07:00 <p>It's October in the Midwest, which means it's time for the pinball world to descend on a convention center in Chicagoland for the annual Pinball Expo. Once thought to be an entertainment sector slowly bleeding out, pinball has come back in a big way in recent years. I visited one of Chicago's last old-school manufacturers before heading down the road to see what's new in the silver-ball universe.</p> <h2>Behind the silver ball</h2> <p>Hundreds gathered on a brisk fall Friday morning outside Stern Pinball's headquarters in Elk Grove, Illinois, waiting to enter a Wonka-like wonder factory where piles of raw parts become licensed creations from <em>Jaws</em> to the brand-new <em>Fallout</em>. Stern invited me to tour its offices and factory floor before heading off to the convention in nearby Schaumburg, Illinois.</p> <img width="1914" height="1080" src="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/PXL_20261016_134708667.jpg" class="fullwidth full" alt="An early morning line begins to form outside of Stern HQ as busses of Pinball Expo attendees arrived for tours." decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/PXL_20261016_134708667.jpg 1914w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/PXL_20261016_134708667-640x361.jpg 640w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/PXL_20261016_134708667-1024x578.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/PXL_20261016_134708667-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/PXL_20261016_134708667-1536x867.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/PXL_20261016_134708667-384x216.jpg 384w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/PXL_20261016_134708667-980x553.jpg 980w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/PXL_20261016_134708667-1440x813.jpg 1440w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1914px) 100vw, 1914px"> An early-morning line begins to form outside of Stern HQ as buses of Pinball Expo attendees arrive for tours. <p>As I stood with my tour group in Stern Pinball's HQ lobby, mouth agape at the dozens of machines lining the walls, we were greeted by the man himself, Gary Stern, who gave us some background on the company's 40-year history. After a stop at Gary's podium, we were ushered to the factory floor entrance, where Stern employee and legendary game designer George Gomez briefed us on the tour rules and answered questions. According to Gomez, "at any given time, Stern controls 90 percent of the current pinball market, and everybody else splits the rest."</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/the-past-present-and-future-share-a-show-floor-at-pinball-expo-2026/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/the-past-present-and-future-share-a-show-floor-at-pinball-expo-2026/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/s0RfoIJ<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-66268254586400723072026-10-20T15:30:29.288-07:002026-10-20T15:30:29.288-07:00 <p>We haven't heard many details about Microsoft's upcoming "Project Helix" gaming hardware since <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/03/ms-exec-microsofts-next-console-will-play-xbox-and-pc-games/">the company announced it in March</a> as a device that will "play your Xbox and PC games." In <a href="https://fortune.com/2026/10/20/the-non-gamer-ceo-racing-to-save-microsofts-xbox/">a new wide-ranging profile of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma</a>, though, Fortune alludes to a dual release strategy for upcoming Microsoft gaming hardware, with "a next-generation handheld device" planned by the end of next year and a 2028 holiday season console release that could cost between $1,200 and $1,800.</p> <p>That future console price range is based on what has "internally been projected" at the company, according to Fortune. But the price for consumers could come down if "Microsoft decides to subsidize the cost," the outlet says, as <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/10/why-nintendo-is-losing-money-on-each-wii-u-launch-unit/">many console makers</a> have <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2006/11/8239/">done in the past</a>.</p> <p>While a $1,200 starting price would be historically high for the game console market, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/08/todays-game-consoles-are-historically-overpriced/">even accounting for inflation</a>, it also reflects a new normal: <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/chips-arent-improving-like-they-used-to-and-its-killing-game-console-price-cuts/">The slowdown in Moore's Law</a> and <a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/10/memory-supplies-are-only-getting-tighter-micron-ceo-says/">AI-driven component shortages</a> mean cutting-edge gaming hardware just isn't as cheap as it used to be. This year, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/06/valves-steam-machine-ships-june-29-for-1049-but-you-probably-wont-be-able-to-buy-one-yet/">the Steam Machine broke the $1,000 starting price</a>, while <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/11/the-ps5-pros-biggest-problem-is-that-the-ps5-is-already-very-good/">the 2-year-old technology in the PlayStation 5 Pro</a> is <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/sony-is-raising-playstation-5-prices-again-this-time-by-between-100-and-150/">now going for $900</a>, and the 6-year-old Xbox Series X <a href="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/06/25/xbox-console-price-update/">now starts at $750</a>.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/report-microsofts-project-helix-planned-for-2028-at-1200-to-1800-price/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/report-microsofts-project-helix-planned-for-2028-at-1200-to-1800-price/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/o1jGpfb<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-23079876245693270022026-10-19T13:30:47.858-07:002026-10-19T13:30:47.858-07:00 <p>Since its earliest days, the video game industry <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/03/attacking-the-clones-indie-game-devs-fight-blatant-rip-offs/">has been built</a> on <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2009/12/cloning-or-theft-ars-explores-game-design-with-jenova-chen/">developers creating clones</a> of <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/06/defining-tetris-how-courts-judge-gaming-clones/">competing games</a>, with <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/06/defining-tetris-how-courts-judge-gaming-clones/">varying levels of originality</a> and <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/01/wordle-and-ip-law-what-happens-when-a-hot-game-gets-cloned/">varying levels of enforcement from game platforms</a>. Now, though, AI coding tools are making that cloning process so efficient that many developers are getting extremely cautious about sharing their early work too widely.</p> <p>Developer Alliance Arts highlighted this trend over the weekend, delaying the launch of a planned public demo for its demon-themed Russian Roulette drinking game <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/4150720/Drunken_Goddess_Reflux/"><em>Drunken Goddess Reflex</em></a>, which had been set to go live with <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/sale/nextfest">today's launch of Steam Next Fest</a>.</p> <p>In <a href="https://x.com/AllianceArtsEN/status/2111043223326163101">a post on social media Friday evening</a>, the Alliance Arts team wrote that, in addition to concerns about managing streaming restrictions, "we're concerned that the demo's content could be used to quickly imitate or replicate the game's presentation and gameplay with AI or other tools and that such works could be released before our launch."</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/ai-game-clones-are-making-indie-developers-afraid-to-show-their-work/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/ai-game-clones-are-making-indie-developers-afraid-to-show-their-work/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/UyBZdch<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-59090903448701747752026-10-17T04:30:49.837-07:002026-10-17T04:30:49.837-07:00 <p><!-- obsidian --></p> <p><em>Neverwinter Nights</em> was made by the studio that produced seminal RPGs <em>Baldur's Gate</em>, <em>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</em>, <em>Mass Effect</em>, and <em>Dragon Age</em>. It sold well and was critically acclaimed at launch. Yet, somehow, it has not been canonized in most gamers' minds over the decades the same way the games that came before and after it were.</p> <p>Nonetheless, more than two decades later, it still has a tight-knit and surprisingly active community that none of those other games can rival. I think that's partly because it was a completely different beast.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/why-biowares-neverwinter-nights-still-has-thousands-of-active-players/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/why-biowares-neverwinter-nights-still-has-thousands-of-active-players/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/UaNOFpb<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-8636298151265295072026-10-16T14:30:36.919-07:002026-10-16T14:30:36.919-07:00 <p><!-- obsidian --></p> <p>A new bill proposed by Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) aims to establish new regulations that would ensure that "buying a video game would give the consumer ownership of the game rather than a license to play it," including assurances that they can continue to access the games for years after they are released.</p> <p>The announcement names <em>NBA 2K25</em> as an example of the problem the bill aims to solve; that game launched on September 6, 2025, but is <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/nba-2k25-is-getting-delisted-after-just-2-years-and-single-player-story-mode-will-become-unplayable">scheduled</a> to become unplayable on December 31 due to server shutdowns. The bill, which is called the Power to Players Act, directs the FTC to take action to prevent outcomes like that in the future.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/us-rep-proposes-bill-to-give-video-game-buyers-ownership-not-a-license/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/us-rep-proposes-bill-to-give-video-game-buyers-ownership-not-a-license/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/CSt9FEu<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-79112579246423206052026-10-14T16:30:21.681-07:002026-10-14T16:30:21.681-07:00 <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/12/epic-undercuts-steam-with-new-store-that-gives-devs-more-money/">Nearly eight years</a> after Epic took on Steam with its own Game Store and launcher, the <em>Fortnite</em> maker is deploying a new tool to give it an edge over Valve: vibe coding.</p> <p>In <a href="https://store.epicgames.com/news/epic-games-launcher-preview">announcing</a> the new <a href="https://launcher.epicgames.com/">publicly available "Preview" build</a> of its Epic Games Launcher, Epic writes that "programming is hard. So, instead of doing that, we vibe coded a new Epic Games Launcher that’s way faster and more responsive than the current one, and has a new look." And while that might sound a little tongue-in-cheek, Epic Games Store General Manager and VP Martin Keely <a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/epic-says-its-new-vibe-coded-epic-games-store-launcher-is-faster-than-steam/">told PC Gamer</a> that the team "started from scratch" and used AI as "a tool to write and review new features and new capabilities from the ground up in a different tech stack than what we had previously." The goal, Keely said, was to "look at functionality that existed [in the current Epic Games Launcher] and [say] we want to replicate that, but not the code itself."</p> <p><a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/we-vibe-coded-a-new-epic-games-launcher-epics-new-store-app-was-built-using-ai">Speaking to IGN</a>, Keely clarified that using AI to code the new Launcher "made us more efficient and allowed a small team to rewrite the code base and be able to launch it faster across platforms, support Windows and Mac, and we're going to have a Linux version as well."</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/programming-is-hard-epic-games-leans-on-vibe-coding-for-its-new-launcher-app/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/programming-is-hard-epic-games-leans-on-vibe-coding-for-its-new-launcher-app/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/bUEsM29<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-54759003846200707642026-10-14T10:30:42.998-07:002026-10-14T10:30:42.998-07:00 <p>Prolific first-person shooter level designer Richard "Levelord" Gray died Monday at the age of 68, based on reports <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:xgbd7cukx2ccms4mj5rp6uqj/post/3mxrooxdr6k2v">shared on social media by Apogee Entertainment</a> yesterday. He had "dealt with cancer on and off for a while now," <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/joesiegler.blog/post/3mxrn4xyzhc2j">according to former colleague Joe Siegler</a>.</p> <p>After studying computer engineering in the '80s and tinkering on some early games in COBOL, Gray broke into the industry at the age of 35 in 1994 with the launch of <a href="https://doomwiki.org/wiki/GrayDOOM">GrayDoom</a>, a set of four maps for the then-new <em>Doom</em> that were widely shared on CompuServe and beyond. The work attracted the attention of Q Studios' Nick Newhard, who contracted Gray to work on level design for the <a href="https://blood-wiki.org/index.php/Blood">late '90s cult classic <em>Blood</em></a>.</p> <p>Gray was subsequently hired by 3D Realms, where <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/apogeeent.com/post/3mxtjqafyak2z">he said he was given free rein</a> in designing "half the levels" for <em>Duke Nukem 3D</em>. There, he was also responsible for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/injunclan/videos/907075211665951/">the famous, signed "You're Not Supposed to Be Here" easter egg</a>, which players could find only by using cheats to explore outside of the usual confines of the map.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/legendary-fps-level-designer-richard-levelord-gray-passes-away-at-68/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/legendary-fps-level-designer-richard-levelord-gray-passes-away-at-68/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/JxKocBT<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-24157552110831873942026-10-13T16:30:35.848-07:002026-10-13T16:30:35.848-07:00 <p>For years, Chinese hardware manufacturers have carved out a market niche with <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/09/are-android-based-game-streaming-handhelds-a-fad-or-are-they-the-future/">an array of handheld Android gaming devices</a> focused on retro emulation and/or more modern game-streaming capabilities. Now, though, a major game industry trade group is targeting one of those manufacturers, Anbernic, asking the US Trade Representative (USTR) to add the company to <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/26/2026-17351/2026-review-of-notorious-markets-for-counterfeiting-and-piracy-comment-request">its list of "Notorious Markets"</a> that "engage in or facilitate substantial copyright piracy or trademark counterfeiting."</p> <p><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/game-industry-asks-u-s-to-flag-denuvo-cracker-voices38-as-notorious-piracy-threat/">TorrentFreak</a> was among the first to notice <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/USTR-2026-0529-0010">the request from the Entertainment Software Association</a> (ESA), which was submitted to the USTR last week. In it, the US trade group—which represents major publishers including Nintendo, Microsoft, PlayStation, Amazon, Epic, EA, Ubisoft, <a href="https://www.theesa.com/our-members/">and more</a>—notes that Anbernic devices "are routinely offered or shipped with removable memory cards preloaded with hundreds or thousands of unauthorized copies of copyright-protected video games published by ESA members."</p> <p>While many online sellers do include an SD card full of ROMs alongside emulation hardware of all types, Anbernic itself <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Handhelds/comments/1x4u2zp/comment/pggnpo9/">does not appear to do the same</a> when selling directly from its website. Regardless, the ESA argues that these ROM-laden Anbernic devices selling through "normal retail channels" help to "normalize hardware-based piracy by delivering illicit catalogues through a polished consumer product." This, the ESA says, meets the threshold for a "superfake," an ill-defined designation that applies to "high-quality counterfeit trademark goods ... on a commercial scale."</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/esa-targets-anbernic-emulation-handhelds-as-superfake-piracy-enablers/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/esa-targets-anbernic-emulation-handhelds-as-superfake-piracy-enablers/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/ytSsZDz<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-71553702566783033362026-10-12T15:30:06.225-07:002026-10-12T15:30:06.225-07:00 <p><!-- obsidian --></p> <p>Just over 10 years after its initial release, space exploration and survival crafting game <em>No Man's Sky</em> is making its way to the iPhone and iPad, Apple and developer Hello Games announced today.</p> <p>It will run on devices as far back as the iPhone 11 and the third-generation iPad Air. <em>No Man's Sky</em> might not have the most cutting-edge AAA graphics (though they're still strong, and they've come a long way since launch via updates), but the game's uncommon method of generating galaxies of incomprehensible scale on device consistently for all players from a single-seed happening on a phone is remarkable for those of us who remember phones performing far behind consoles or desktop PCs.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/after-a-10-year-redemption-arc-no-mans-sky-is-coming-to-the-iphone-and-ipad/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/after-a-10-year-redemption-arc-no-mans-sky-is-coming-to-the-iphone-and-ipad/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/IyncTUz<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-66880514875534150852026-10-12T11:30:36.635-07:002026-10-12T11:30:36.635-07:00 <p>For over a decade now, the only "official" way to play <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/08/metal-gear-solids-hideo-kojima-working-on-new-silent-hill/">Hideo Kojima's cult classic, <em>P.T.</em></a>—the <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/04/signs-points-to-cancellation-for-kojimas-silent-hills/">long-discontinued</a> "playable trailer" for <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/03/hideo-kojima-and-konami-productions-appear-to-be-parting-ways/">Kojima's canceled "Silent Hills" project</a>—has been via <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/05/discontinued-ps4-horror-demo-p-t-worth-hundreds-on-ebay/">one of the increasingly rare PlayStation 4s</a> that previously downloaded a copy during its monthslong availability window. Now, though, one coder is helping to preserve the game with a porting tool that builds a playable x86 PC executable from the original PS4 files.</p> <p><a href="https://x.com/smokisevdalisi">Coder Lorean Xavier</a> said he was inspired to work on <a href="https://github.com/LoreanXavier/pt-pc/">the "P.T. for PC" project</a> "because P.T. deserved to keep existing somewhere other than on consoles that still have it installed." The open source porting effort rebuilds the <em>P.T.</em> engine in C++ and Vulkan, using the original files from the PS4 game to re-create "every level, model, texture, sound, script and cutscene," according to its GitHub listing. That means players without their own legitimate decrypted copy of the original <em>P.T.</em> will have to track one down in order to generate a playable PC version.</p> <p>The reliance on real <em>P.T.</em> files makes this port more authentic than <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/01/hobbyists-resurrect-kojimas-lost-game-p-t-as-a-free-pc-download/">previous hobbyist efforts</a> to re-create the look and feel of <em>P.T.</em> for a PC audience. And while PS4 emulators <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/silenthill/comments/1mqt9cg/silent_hills_pt_is_now_fully_playable_with/">recently reached a point where they could run <em>P.T.</em> completely</a>, this native port also sports extra features, like upscaling and frame-generation, a camera mode, experimental third-person and VR support, and a "museum" section where you can look at and listen to in-game assets (including "unused content").</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/long-lost-horror-gaming-cult-classic-p-t-gets-a-much-needed-pc-port/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/long-lost-horror-gaming-cult-classic-p-t-gets-a-much-needed-pc-port/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/6aZFCE4<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-21877164863770171412026-10-02T16:30:41.147-07:002026-10-02T16:30:41.147-07:00 <p>"Rendering <em>Doom</em> in a database is obviously a bad idea," Lukas Vogel writes in <a href="https://cedardb.com/blog/sqldoom/">a lengthy blog post</a> explaining how exactly he managed to render <em>Doom</em> using an SQL database.</p> <p>OK, that's not entirely accurate. The <a href="https://github.com/cedardb/sqldoom">SQLDoom project</a> uses a small Python client to handle input and output, drive the game's timing, and display each frame to the screen. Behind that, a series of CedarDB tables tracks the game geometry and state, while about 1,300 lines of SQL queries spread across 89 <a href="https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/sql/cte-in-sql/">common table expressions</a> implement the game logic and generate 35 bitmap framebuffers per second.</p> <p>In this, SQLDoom is a major improvement over <a href="https://cedardb.com/blog/doomql/">Vogel's previous DoomQL project</a>, which last year set out to build "a multiplayer Doom-like shooter entirely in SQL." Unfortunately, that effort ended up with raycasting-based, grayscale ASCII graphics that were more akin to the simplistic 90-degree-angled maps of <em>Wolfenstein 3D</em>. The newer SQLDoom, on the other hand, generates full-color 640x480 frames that look like they could have come from the original <em>Doom</em> executable.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/can-it-run-doom-sql-database-edition/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/can-it-run-doom-sql-database-edition/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/5RvX2Jl<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-3196759709295460752026-10-01T07:30:41.258-07:002026-10-01T07:30:41.258-07:00 <p>For a long time, PC gamers could access many PlayStation 5 games only if the publisher <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/08/sony-says-it-will-explore-more-pc-ports-for-playstation-titles/">invested in a bespoke port</a> (something Sony <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/03/sony-wont-bring-any-more-single-player-playstation-games-to-pc/">has recently said it will be scaling back</a>). Now, though, rapid advancements in PS5 emulators and other tools are making recent PlayStation titles increasingly playable on generic PCs.</p> <p>SharpEmu was the first of these emulators, advancing from <a href="https://github.com/sharpemu/sharpemu/commit/a1dea499bc00eb12ba740e6f4708f3525fe883ae">a "very early alpha stage" in May</a> to <a href="https://github.com/sharpemu/sharpemu/">a current state</a> that can "load the eboot.bin of real games, execute native CPU instructions, and partially handle GPU-related functionality." The most recent release <a href="https://sharpemu.app/compatibility/">boasts 10 tested games that reach a "playable" state</a>, including six that developer CursedIfElse <a href="https://x.com/CursedIfElse/status/2103612440143339874">says</a> are "fully playable at 60 fps." That includes <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKhb7P15aq4">simple 2D games like <em>Tetris Forever</em></a> but also <a href="https://x.com/iExplosiveRage/status/2105053592013181064">3D titles like <em>Astro Bot</em></a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQJqV6PXC2s">the PS5 <em>Demon's Souls</em> remaster</a> running at playable frame rates.</p> <p>"SharpEmu has prioritized hardware accuracy from the very beginning, and we’re finally starting to see that investment pay off," CursedIfElse <a href="https://x.com/CursedIfElse/status/2105058607238877413">wrote on social media this week</a>. "It was built completely from scratch, and this is how far we’ve come."</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/ps5-emulation-is-suddenly-making-big-strides-on-pc/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/ps5-emulation-is-suddenly-making-big-strides-on-pc/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/k1jcGaT<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-81548401376816108162026-09-30T13:30:11.131-07:002026-09-30T13:30:11.131-07:00 <p><a href="https://www.resetera.com/threads/the-ps5-jailbreak-is-here-and-its-looking-good-mvg-firmware-dependent-and-development-still-ongoing.809940/">For a few years now</a>, the PS5 hacking community has been chipping away at various exploits that let users fully jailbreak their locked-down console. For the most part, though, those exploits <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/PS5_Jailbreak/comments/1t3uooq/current_state_of_ps5_jailbreaking_in_early_mai/">have only worked</a> with years-old versions of <a href="https://www.xtremeps3.com/ps5-firmware-history/#google_vignette">the PS5's frequently updated firmware</a>, making them less than useful for many everyday users.</p> <p>That changed Tuesday with <a href="https://github.com/ntfargo/Relapse-Exploit">the release of the new Relapse exploit</a>, which works with any PS5 up to firmware version 13.6 (released in July). That means jailbreaking is now possible on any PS5 that was last updated before <a href="https://mp1st.com/news/ps5-update-26-06-14-00-00-released-september-16-turns-enhance-pssr-image-quality">the mid-September release of firmware version 14.00.00</a>.</p> <p>The so-called Relapse exploit makes use of <a href="https://github.com/ChendoChap/PS5-Webkit-Execution">a long-known WebKit vulnerability</a> in <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/11/the-playstation-5-has-a-hidden-web-browser-heres-how-to-find-it/">the PS5's hard-to-access web browser</a>, escalating from there to <a href="https://pasqualepillitteri.it/en/news/19414/playstation-5-relapse-jailbreak">gain write access to the PS5 kernel</a> and install <a href="https://github.com/ps5-payload-dev/elfldr">an ELF loader</a> to streamline the running of arbitrary code. The new method is also a lot more efficient than previous PS5 jailbreak exploits, which <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/PS5_Jailbreak/comments/1ufrp2w/i_dont_mind_the_50_minutes_wait_only_if_it_doesnt/">could hang the system for 50 minutes per attempt</a>.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/ps5-jailbreaks-just-got-a-lot-more-useful/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/ps5-jailbreaks-just-got-a-lot-more-useful/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/MLxO0vw<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-21931284844948069112026-09-22T10:30:37.199-07:002026-09-22T10:30:37.199-07:00 <p>When Xbox <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/the-incredible-shrinking-xbox-five-studios-3200-employees-let-go/">announced sweeping layoffs in July</a> as part of a brutal "reset" for the gaming brand, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said part of the pre-existing problem in the gaming unit was "teams, studios, and functions [that] often operate independently, [making it] harder to work toward a shared goal." Today, the company <a href="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/09/22/continuing-our-reset/">announced</a> a radical restructuring of its internal studios that is seemingly designed to reduce that "independence" for the teams behind some of gaming's biggest franchises.</p> <p>The biggest apparent change is for the Halo franchise, which will now be under the remit of Call of Duty maker Activision. Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries), which recently released <em>Halo: Campaign Evolved</em>, will remain as just a "small team" to support the player community, Microsoft said, with the remaining staffing roles eliminated as part of 268 newly announced layoffs.</p> <p>"For Halo, our goal is clear: make the greatest Halo game ever, worthy of its universe and legacy, while staying true to what made players love it in the first place," Activision President Rob Kostich said in <a href="https://kotaku.com/xbox-reset-268-laid-off-ninja-theory-halo-activision-2000736434">a statement provided to Kotaku</a>. "It is a bold ambition, one that this franchise deserves. We have already begun assembling a purpose-built team, unique in capability and talent, ready and excited to deliver this next chapter with the community."</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/shuffling-the-deck-chairs-xbox-continues-its-reset-with-dramatic-restructuring/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/shuffling-the-deck-chairs-xbox-continues-its-reset-with-dramatic-restructuring/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/3rJCkuV<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-13086035892095286682026-09-16T15:30:18.103-07:002026-09-16T15:30:18.103-07:00 <p>Since <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/02/steam-deck-the-comprehensive-ars-technica-review/">the release of the Steam Deck</a>, Valve fans have gotten very familiar with the idea of <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/04/proton-update-gets-18-more-windows-games-running-on-linux-including-chex-quest-hd/">the Proton compatibility layer</a> that allows games written for Windows to run capably on the Linux-based SteamOS (though Valve's efforts in this realm <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/08/valves-steam-play-uses-vulkan-to-bring-more-windows-games-to-linux/">date back farther than that</a>). To get more games running on <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/steam-frame-the-ars-technica-review/">the SteamOS-powered Steam Frame</a>, though, Valve is relying on two additional compatibility layers that are <a href="https://steamdb.info/app/3127680/">new</a> to the <a href="https://steamdb.info/app/3029110/">Steam architecture</a>.</p> <p>The first, FEX, is Valve's port of <a href="https://fex-emu.com/">fex-emu</a>, an open source project that emulates x86 processor instructions on an Arm chipset. Since 2018, what started as a small cross-platform emulation project has grown to include "an advanced binary recompiler that supports all modern extensions of the x86(-64) instruction set," according to the Fex website. The emulator can also make calls to graphics libraries like OpenGL and Vulkan to reduce overhead and uses "code caching to minimize stuttering as much as possible," according to <a href="https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/steamhardware/steamframe/compatibility">Steam's own developer documentation</a>.</p> <p>While Proton was based on <a href="https://www.winehq.org/">the pre-existing Wine conversion tool</a>, Valve engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais <a href="https://www.theverge.com/report/820656/valve-interview-arm-gaming-steamos-pierre-loup-griffais">told The Verge last year</a> that the company has been funding Fex lead developer Ryan Houdek since the project was just a prototype. Back then, Valve was already anticipating that "close to a decade of work [would be] needed before [Fex-emu] would be robust enough people could rely on it for their libraries."</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/not-just-proton-getting-to-know-valves-new-steamos-compatibility-layers/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/not-just-proton-getting-to-know-valves-new-steamos-compatibility-layers/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/5LPrilT<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-47383827109548688192026-09-14T11:30:36.841-07:002026-09-14T11:30:36.841-07:00 <p>In the 2010s, Valve was at the forefront of a virtual reality revolution that <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/03/people-will-fall-for-it-like-a-drug-game-devs-on-the-future-of-vr/">looked to some</a> like it would upend the gaming industry. The Valve of six to ten years ago seemed committed to being a major player in the world of PC-connected VR headsets, first through its “strategic partnership” with HTC on <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/03/htc-partners-with-valve-for-virtual-reality-headset/">the impressive-for-the-time Vive headset</a> (plus the <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/06/steamvr-the-room-scale-vr-world-that-feels-like-an-imax-in-your-house/">SteamVR platform standard</a> that powered it) and then <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/05/one-week-with-the-valve-index-a-vr-game-changer-with-a-few-question-marks/">years later with its own Index headset</a> (and proof-of-concept adventure <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/03/half-life-alyx-review-the-greatest-vr-adventure-game-yet-and-then-some/"><em>Half-Life: Alyx</em></a>).</p> <p>Then came <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/04/oculus-quest-review-2019s-best-new-gaming-system-is-wireless-affordable-vr/">the Meta (previously Oculus) Quest</a>, a low-powered, low-cost headset that proved the vast majority of VR-curious gamers didn’t want to bother with being literally tethered to a bulky, expensive gaming PC. As the Quest line <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/09/meta-quest-struggles-to-outpace-the-wii-us-flaccid-software-sales/">carved out a modest niche</a> through the 2020s, Valve seemed more or less satisfied to let its earlier VR hardware and software ambitions wither on the vine.</p> <p>Those years of Valve’s benign neglect of VR make the imminent release of the $1,049 Steam Frame—which starts taking reservations today—more than a little surprising. Now that virtual reality’s hype-fueled, revolutionary promises <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/10/what-happened-to-the-virtual-reality-gaming-revolution/">have decidedly not played out</a>, Valve is somehow ready and willing to limp headfirst into the world of standalone VR headsets—today, in 2026. And after spending a week or so with Valve’s latest foray into gaming hardware, the Frame somehow feels simultaneously overengineered and underbaked, depending on how you look at it.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/steam-frame-the-ars-technica-review/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/steam-frame-the-ars-technica-review/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/4dbYmyn<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-57540775345172375482026-09-08T17:30:45.805-07:002026-09-08T17:30:45.805-07:00 <p>Those who remember PC gaming in <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/11/how-half-life-2-helped-sell-steam-to-a-skeptical-pc-gaming-market/">the days before Steam</a> may have fond memories of the "big box" packaging that made those games stand out as shelf eye candy and <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/06/inside-the-100k-forgery-scandal-thats-roiling-pc-game-collecting/">sought-after in-home collectibles</a>. Today, PC gaming platform GOG is hoping to reignite some of the nostalgia for those days by adding downloadable 3D models and printable, foldable high-res packaging scans for a handful of PC games on the platform.</p> <p>Thus far, the "Printable Big Box" collection on GOG is limited to just five games: <em>Armikrog</em>, <em>Descent</em>, <em>Hitman: Codename 47</em>, <em>Myst</em>, and <em>Star Trek: 25th Anniversary</em>. Players browsing those games on the GOG store will now see "3D Boxes" listed among the included "Goodies" before purchase. Owners of those games on GOG can download a ZIP file containing a version of the box art as an animated 3D object file (in an easy-to-open <a href="https://vsquad.art/blog/articles/glb-file-what-it-is-how-it-works-and-why-this-3d-format-matters/">GLB format</a>) and a "flat printable template" in PDF, SVG, and Adobe Illustrator formats. Those downloads allow for what GOG calls "a proper papercraft project for anyone who misses shelves full of PC game boxes."</p> <img width="1438" height="1134" src="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/hitmanbox2.png" class="fullwidth full" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/hitmanbox2.png 1438w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/hitmanbox2-640x505.png 640w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/hitmanbox2-1024x808.png 1024w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/hitmanbox2-768x606.png 768w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/hitmanbox2-980x773.png 980w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1438px) 100vw, 1438px"> The 3D model animates to show the front flap opening. Credit: GOG <p>"Physical media doesn’t survive the way software can—boxes get lost, crushed, thrown out," GOG <a href="https://www.gog.com/pressroom/gog-preservation-program-brings-the-big-box-nostalgia/">writes in today's announcement</a>. "Scanning them, and letting you print your own, is preservation in a different shape: the same mission that keeps these games running on modern PCs, applied to the objects they used to come in."</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/gog-brings-back-big-box-pc-games-one-printable-template-at-a-time/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/gog-brings-back-big-box-pc-games-one-printable-template-at-a-time/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/FdZ9MR7<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-28132316465795921962026-09-08T14:30:18.917-07:002026-09-08T14:30:18.917-07:00 <p>An anti-immigration-themed adaptation of <em>Tetris</em> was removed from the White House website over the weekend. The move comes days after The Tetris Company <a href="https://x.com/Tetris_Official/status/2095933372019216384">disavowed any involvement</a> with the game and said that it "take[s] copyright infringement very seriously."</p> <p>The White House's "Build the Wall" game asked players to stop a "Zombie Border siege" by stacking <em>Tetris</em>-styled bricks in an attempt to "hold the line." Unlike in <em>Tetris</em>, though, the blocks in "Build the Wall" don't disappear when you complete a line, meaning each brick contributes to an impassable barrier for the pixel-art "zombies" marching in from the "Southern Border." That change makes the gameplay pretty uninteresting for anything but cheap propaganda, and it also means that every game quickly and ironically ends with a "Border Breached" message when the blocks inevitably fill up the well.</p> <p>Amerika Garcia Grewal, co-director of Texas migrant rights group <a href="https://www.fronterafederation.org/">Frontera Federation</a>, <a href="https://www-pp.afp.com/fr/node/3860121">told AFP</a> last week that the makers of the game "have lost touch with what it means to be human and care for others."</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/the-white-house-made-a-tetris-clone-the-tetris-company-was-not-amused/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/the-white-house-made-a-tetris-clone-the-tetris-company-was-not-amused/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/DSv8BQh<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-62219811417945414292026-09-08T10:30:44.956-07:002026-09-08T10:30:44.956-07:00 <p>After five years in development, <a href="https://freestarsgame.com/"><em>Free Stars: Children of Infinity</em></a>—the official sequel to <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ur-Quan_Masters">The Ur-Quan Masters</a></em> by the old game's original creators—has released a free public demo. It's a "combat demo" in the style of <em>UQM</em>’s melee mode, where players can assemble a fleet from the game's roster of nearly 40 ships, then match those ships up in head-to-head arcade <em>SpaceWar</em>-style action. The demo can be found on <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/4378070/Free_Stars_Children_of_Infinity_Combat_Demo/">Steam</a> and <a href="https://www.gog.com/en/game/free_stars_children_of_infinity_combat_demo">GOG</a>, and it's available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. (Console versions are coming, but they're not yet out.)</p> <img width="1920" height="897" src="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/coi_combatdemo_mainsplash.jpg" class="fullwidth full" alt="Title image for the Free Stars: Children of Infinity combat demo" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/coi_combatdemo_mainsplash.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/coi_combatdemo_mainsplash-640x299.jpg 640w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/coi_combatdemo_mainsplash-1024x478.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/coi_combatdemo_mainsplash-768x359.jpg 768w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/coi_combatdemo_mainsplash-1536x718.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/coi_combatdemo_mainsplash-980x458.jpg 980w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/coi_combatdemo_mainsplash-1440x673.jpg 1440w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px"> Pew pew! Credit: Pistol Shrimp Games <p>I have to present this news with a big disclaimer, though, because I've been part of the <em>Children of Infinity</em> writing team since 2021, working as a volunteer with the <a href="https://pistolshrimpgames.com/home/">Pistol Shrimp Games</a> crew and contributing NPC dialogue and some story bits. As a huge fan of the original games, it's been a dream opportunity. (Because I've been volunteering my time, I'm not financially involved and receive no compensation if you download the demo or, when it's eventually released, buy the full game.)</p> <h2>What's in the demo</h2> <p><em>Children of Infinity</em> is a space adventure RPG, just like <em>The Ur-Quan Masters</em> (and its direct spiritual predecessors, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/09/masterpiece-starflight-for-pc/"><em>Starflight</em> </a>and <em>Starflight 2</em>). What's been released today is just one part of the game—the arcade-style "melee" portion, which lets players jump into one-versus-one combat against another player or against a computer-controlled opponent. Each of the ships you can pick has its own maneuvering characteristics, weapons, and special abilities.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/the-official-sequel-to-the-ur-quan-masters-releases-its-free-demo-today/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/the-official-sequel-to-the-ur-quan-masters-releases-its-free-demo-today/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/RAEu7eo<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426524726679478020.post-46922298828393054522026-09-04T10:30:24.558-07:002026-09-04T10:30:24.558-07:00 <p>Back in 2009, Ars <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2009/10/left-4-dead-2-looks-better-than-most-action-movies/">wrote about</a> what was <a href="https://www.wired.com/2009/10/left-4-dead-2-3/">being reported as a leaked trailer</a> for the then-upcoming <em>Left 4 Dead 2</em>, saying the footage "looks like it’s straight from a high-gloss action movie." Today, we need to offer an important update to this crucial, 17-year-old story: The trailer "leak" was orchestrated by Valve itself.</p> <p>That news comes courtesy of former Valve writer Chet Faliszek, who <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnKax_wWmtc">said in a newly posted video</a> about cut lines in the game that "for <em>Left 4 Dead 2</em> with the ESRB... we leaked our trailer ahead of time because they wouldn't let us release the trailer."</p> <p>Faliszek is of course referring to <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tag/esrb/page/2/">the Entertainment Software Rating Board</a>, the self-regulating industry group that since 1994 has offered <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/09/20-years-20-questionable-game-ratings-a-timeline-of-esrb-oddities/">sometimes questionable</a> age-appropriateness ratings for thousands of games submitted to its purview. While many smaller and/or online-focused game makers skip out on getting those ratings these days, at the time, any publisher that wanted space on major retailers' shelves needed to submit to the ESRB's standards.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/valve-secretly-leaked-a-left-4-dead-2-trailer-to-dodge-the-esrb/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/09/valve-secretly-leaked-a-left-4-dead-2-trailer-to-dodge-the-esrb/#comments">Comments</a></p> <br> <br> from Gaming - Ars Technica https://ift.tt/poikvtK<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com