Counter-Strike Doesn't Deserve This Weapon, and for Good Reason
Valve’s Counter‑Strike 2 features the M249 as the game’s most expensive gun at $5,200, yet its performance mirrors that of a $300 rifle. The machine gun delivers only $300 per kill, suffers a 5.7‑second reload, high inaccuracy, and a 22% movement penalty, making it a tactical liability. By contrast, the cheaper $1,700 Negev outperforms it in damage and DPS, and the M249 is hidden by default in the loadout menu. Professional players virtually never purchase it, treating it as a novelty rather than a viable tool.
Star Wars and Fortnite Go for It
Epic Games announced that on May 1 a suite of Star Wars‑themed experiences will launch within Fortnite. The rollout includes multiple game modes, character skins, and iconic weapons from the franchise. Players can access the content directly through the Fortnite client, blending...
Controversial but Promising: Nongshim RedForce Needs Diable to Become a Top Team in the LCK
Korean ADC Nam “Diable” Dae‑geun left BNK FearX for Nongshim RedForce (NS) after being demoted to the Challengers roster for missing a fan meet. The move, finalized before the second round robin, saw NS trade its former ADC Kim “Taeyoon”...
Linux Support Coming For The ASUS ROG RAIKIRI II: A $160 High-End Gaming Controller
ASUS has announced mainline Linux support for its premium ROG RAIKIRI II wireless gaming controller, priced around $160. The controller offers 1 kHz polling, TMR joysticks, dual‑mode triggers, and multiple connectivity options, including a PC/Xbox mode switch. A patch adding the necessary...
Winio Explained: AI-Driven Match Predictions for Dota 2 and CS2
Winio has launched an AI‑driven analytics platform that delivers win‑probability forecasts for Dota 2 and CS2 matches. The service uses a three‑stage machine‑learning pipeline—pre‑draft, post‑draft, and live models—to generate transparent predictions with confidence scores. Its dataset spans over 210,000 Dota 2 and...
Post-Game Depression to Get a Measurement Scale for the First Time in 2026: When the End of a Game Leaves...
A January 2026 study in *Current Psychology* introduces the Post‑Game Depression Scale (P‑GDS), a 17‑item questionnaire that measures the lingering sense of emptiness players feel after completing highly immersive games. Researchers Kamil Janowicz and Piotr Klimczyk surveyed 373 gamers recruited from...
S&box; Launches on Steam: Facepunch Is Turning Garry’s Mod Into an Open Gaming Platform, Not a Sequel
Facepunch released s&box on Steam, positioning it as a modern game‑creation platform built on Valve's Source 2 engine. The core editor, networking stack and UI are open‑source under an MIT license, while the underlying engine remains proprietary. s&box uses C# scripting...
Sonic Movie Producers Are Psyched About Tomb Raider, a Streets of Rage Film.. And a Planet of Lana One?
At the inaugural iicon event, Story Kitchen co‑founder Dmitri Johnson revealed the studio’s aggressive push to turn classic video games into movies and series. While the recent Sonic films served as a gateway, the next target is a live‑action Streets...
GameMaker – What to Expect in 2026?
GameMaker released its Spring 2026 update, introducing the GameMaker Runtime (GMRT) and a suite of new features. Developers can now write code in JavaScript, TypeScript, or C# alongside GML, expanding talent pools. The engine adds native glTF 3D model import, a...
GTA 6 Price Is Still Unknown, as Publisher Take-Two Dodges the Question
Take‑Two Interactive’s CEO Strauss Zelnick sidestepped a direct answer when asked about Grand Theft Auto VI’s price, insisting developers should set prices based on perceived consumer value. Industry chatter still points to a $100 U.S. price tag, with a UK listing...
LG’s GM9 Is the First 27-Inch 5K Hyper Mini LED Monitor
LG unveiled the UltraGear evo GM9, a 27‑inch 5K gaming monitor that uses the company’s new Hyper Mini LED backlight with 2,304 local‑dimming zones and a peak brightness of 1,250 nits, earning VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification. Priced at $1,199.99, the GM9 offers...
Don't Trap Yourself with the Wrong Brake Bias
The article challenges the common practice of lowering brake bias to gain more rotation on entry, warning that it can shrink the overall setup window and reduce braking margin. By moving the brake bias forward, drivers can achieve a more...
GPU Profiling in Unreal Engine 5.7 for Far Far West
Tom Looman’s companion guide walks developers through GPU performance profiling for the early‑access title Far Far West using Unreal Engine 5.7. The tutorial runs on an RTX 3060, Ryzen 3950X and 32 GB RAM, and highlights essential CVARs such as stat gpu and r.showmaterialdrawevents. It details practical fixes for...
Without South Korea, There Is No Reason for the Esports Nations Cup to Happen
South Korea’s esports federation (KeSPA) has withdrawn its national team from the 2026 Esports Nations Cup (ENC) in Riyadh after a roster‑selection dispute, and China’s participation remains unconfirmed. The tournament, slated for Nov 2‑29 and featuring 16 titles, was marketed as...
An Alien Isolation 2 Teaser Pops Out Of The Locker It Was Hiding In
Creative Assembly quietly released a teaser titled "False Sense Of Security" on the official Alien: Isolation YouTube channel, strongly suggesting it belongs to the upcoming Alien: Isolation 2. The clip, while lacking visible Xenomorphs, reveals a horror‑laden asset and a door...
Valve Confirms Steam Deck 2 Development with a 2028 Release Target
Valve confirmed that a second‑generation Steam Deck is in development, but the handheld won’t ship until at least 2028. The company is opting for a true generational leap, focusing on major gains in performance, power efficiency, and ergonomics rather than...
Capitalism Has Lost the Plot
Ustwo’s chief executive Maria Sayans announced that the studio will pivot toward a contractor‑heavy workforce, scaling back permanent employees after the success of Monument Valley 3. The shift reflects a growing industry belief that gig talent can lower costs and increase...
“There Has to Be some Nuance Here”: DQ’d Player Is Calling Out Power Imbalance After Pokémon Judges’ Baffling Rulings Continue
Pokémon GO competitor Aaron “Firestar73” was disqualified after a celebratory fist‑pump in the Orlando Regional Grand Finals, despite video evidence showing no gameplay impact. The head judge ruled the action “unsportsmanlike,” revoking his win and awarding second place. The decision sparked...
Valve Updates GameNetworkingSockets After Nearly Four Year Hiatus
Valve has released GameNetworkingSockets version 1.5, the first update since June 2022. The open‑source library, originally published in 2018, powers networking for titles like Counter‑Strike and Dota 2. v1.5 adds API extensions, peer‑to‑peer enhancements, better CMake support, security patches, and community‑driven Rust bindings....
GameHub’s Desktop Beta Promises to Expand Mac Gaming
GameHub, the GameSir app that lets Android devices stream Windows PC games, has launched a macOS beta. The beta leverages a fork of the open‑source Winlator layer and tightly integrates with Steam and the Epic Games Store. In a recent...
Cronos: The New Dawn Showcases the Mac’s MetalFX and Ray Tracing
Cronos: The New Dawn, Bloober Team’s survival‑horror title, arrived on macOS via Steam, showcasing Apple’s MetalFX upscaling and hardware‑accelerated ray tracing. Testing on an M1 Max Mac Studio and an M4 Max MacBook Pro revealed 70‑75 fps at 1440p with MetalFX...
S&Box Game Engine – Gary’s Mod 2 Successor Launched
Facepunch Studios launched S&Box on Steam for $20, positioning it as the spiritual successor to Garry’s Mod and a full C# game engine built on Valve’s Source 2 technology. The platform combines a consumer portal with backend tools like the Hammer...
Proton 11.0 Beta 2 Updates VKD3D-Proton
Valve released Proton 11.0 Beta 2, the second iteration of its Steam Play compatibility layer built on Wine 11.0. The update refines Xalia to prevent lock‑ups with the EA App and resolves a low‑FPS regression that affected the intro cinematic of *They Are Billions*....
Figuring Out Draft Timings
The discussion highlights how modern Dota 2 supports now boast strong wave‑clear, making it rare to find a hero lacking that tool. It also points out that high‑MMR players often encounter account buyers who die quickly, skewing the competitive experience. Core...
Why Xbox’s Radical Project Helix Shift Changes Console Gaming Forever
Xbox’s new head, Asha Sharma, has rebranded the division back to Xbox Gaming and launched Project Helix, a hybrid console‑PC platform designed to unify the gaming experience. The strategy couples timed exclusivity with an expanded Game Pass and cloud‑gaming push,...
DIY Steam Machine : Why This Corsair Mini PC Is the Ultimate Blueprint
ETA Prime’s feature spotlights the Corsair AI Workstation 300, a compact mini‑PC built around a 16‑core AMD Ryzen AI Max Plus CPU and Radeon 8060S GPU. The system supports up to 128 GB of RAM, dual M.2 SSDs, and a dual‑boot configuration with Windows 11 and the Linux‑based Bazzite...
Top 10 Skins Under $5 That Look Expensive
The article lists ten Counter‑Strike 2 skins that cost under $5 yet look premium, including AWP | Atheris and AK‑47 | Slate. It explains why low prices arise from high supply or limited demand and highlights that many Field‑Tested versions retain a high‑end appearance....
LVL UP EXPO Is the Latest Esports Entity Sponsored by the U.S. Army, and I’m Shocked It’s Still Allowed to...
LVL UP EXPO, a fighting‑game focused esports event, concluded this weekend under the banner of a U.S. Army sponsorship. The partnership sparked a sharp divide in the community, with many condemning the military’s presence as predatory while others defended the...
Play Zork While Reading the 1980 Code that Makes It Work
The Visible Zorker lets players experience the 1980 text adventure Zork while simultaneously viewing the original source code that drives each action. When a command like “open mailbox” is entered, the interface shows the exact routine, variable changes, and object...
Valve Confirms Steam Controller Release Date, $99 Price
Valve confirmed that its new Steam Controller will ship on May 4 at 10:00 AM PST, retailing for $99 in the United States. International pricing is set at CAD $149 (≈$110 USD), EUR 99 (≈$108 USD), AUD $149 (≈$96 USD) and £85 (≈$110 USD). The controller supports Linux, Windows, macOS...
Review: Super Nintendo
The review of *Super Nintendo* highlights the book’s focus on Nintendo’s franchises rather than the console itself, tracing how iconic series like Mario, Zelda, and Metroid shaped the company’s identity. It details how creative teams worked within tight technical and...
Godot 4.7 Beta Released
Godot Engine announced the beta of version 4.7 on April 27, 2026, marking a feature freeze and shifting focus to hardening and bug fixes. The beta introduces several high‑impact features, including real‑time rectangular AreaLight3D, HDR output support for Windows, macOS,...
Final Fantasy 14 Is Coming to Nintendo Switch 2, but It'll Cost You
Square Enix confirmed that Final Fantasy XIV will arrive on Nintendo Switch 2 in August 2026, but players must subscribe to a dedicated service for the game. The new subscription is separate from existing PC or console plans, though current FFXIV subscribers...
GDDR6 Under Pressure: Tesla’s Hunger for Memory Could Hit the PS5, PS5 Pro, and Older Gaming GPUs Hard
Samsung is reportedly increasing its monthly shipment of 8‑Gb GDDR6 DRAM to Tesla to roughly four times its Q1 level, reflecting the automaker’s growing need for memory in infotainment and autonomous‑driving systems. The surge adds pressure to an already tight...
D7VK v1.8 Continues Improving Legacy Direct3D Atop The Vulkan API
D7VK v1.8 was released this weekend, extending the Vulkan‑based translation layer for legacy Direct3D 7‑3 games. The update introduces CPU‑handled ProcessVertices calls, eliminating long‑standing rendering artifacts in many older titles. It also swaps the previous proxy presentation code for a...
NVIDIA Neural Texture Compression: AI-Powered Compression Aims to Alleviate VRAM Pressure in PC Games
NVIDIA unveiled Neural Texture Compression (NTC) within its RTX Kit, leveraging tiny neural networks to store and reconstruct textures more efficiently. In a technical demo the method reduced texture memory from roughly 6.5 GB to about 970 MB, an 85 % cut while...
Echoes of Ancient Japan: Exploring the Art and Symbolism of Shogun’s Land
Habanero’s Shogun’s Land slot is examined as a visual essay that repurposes Edo‑era painting, ukiyo‑e prints, and Shinto iconography for modern casino entertainment. The game’s art direction uses a restrained palette of ink black, vermilion, gold and pale pink, echoing...
GameDev Reports Premium - Updates (20.04.26 - 24.04.26)
Mouse: P.I. for Hire launched, showcasing a game built around the newly public‑domain Mickey Mouse. Developers faithfully recreated the vintage Disney cartoon aesthetic while avoiding copyright infringement. The title demonstrates how creators can leverage public‑domain assets to produce fresh content....
DirectX 12 Agility SDK 1.619 Introduces Shader Model 6.9: Microsoft Is Bringing Modern GPU Features Out of Preview and Into...
Microsoft released DirectX 12 Agility SDK 1.619 in Q1 2026, officially launching Shader Model 6.9 and a suite of Direct3D 12 extensions. The update adds long‑vector support, mandatory 16‑ and 64‑bit shader operations, and DXR 1.2 features such as Shader Execution Reordering and Opacity Micromaps. Drivers...
A Free Book Explains Tempest by Reading Every Line of the Source Code
A free online book titled “TEMPEST vs TEMPEST” explains the 1981 Atari arcade game Tempest by walking readers through every line of its original source code. The project also examines another obscure arcade title, offering line‑by‑line commentary, screenshots, and vector‑graphics...
“I Hate the Meta”: VALORANT’s Meta Is Becoming Predictable, and Agent Bans Could Be the Answer
VALORANT’s roster has swelled to 29 agents, blurring role lines and driving a predictable meta dominated by duelists. This homogenization has coincided with declining VCT viewership and growing calls for agent bans to restore strategic variety. Riot previously dismissed bans,...
Interview Transcript: Game File X Xbox's Asha Sharma and Matt Booty
Game File released an interview with Xbox’s newly appointed CEO Asha Sharma and chief content officer Matt Booty. The outlet offers a free executive write‑up and a paid transcript for readers who want the full conversation. The interview explores Xbox’s strategic...
ModRetro M64 Release Date Set for the Summer
ModRetro announced that its M64 FPGA‑based console, controller and launch games will ship from its Southern California warehouse at the end of July, putting the device in backers' hands by August. The console boasts a five‑second boot, fanless thermal design...
Material Maker 1.6 Released
Material Maker 1.6, the free, Godot‑based procedural texture tool, launched on April 24, 2026. The update adds Controlled Variations, Aperture nodes, and a suite of graph‑view enhancements that streamline complex material creation. New exporters include a basic glTF output for static PBR...
AI Can't Read Fun
Steam’s 2026 AI disclosure update now asks developers three specific questions about generative AI use, leading to one in five new releases flagging AI‑generated content. The article argues that AI can handle the mathematical side of level design—constraint solving and...
Xbox Announces 15 New Day-One Titles Coming to Game Pass
Xbox unveiled 15 day‑one titles for Game Pass at the IGN × ID@Xbox showcase, adding titles such as Aphelion, Beastro, and Mistfall Hunter across a range of genres. The releases are scheduled throughout 2026, with the first wave arriving in May. Microsoft...
Godot 4.7 Will Finally Have HDR Output, Including On Linux With Wayland
Godot 4.7, the open‑source game engine, adds native high dynamic range (HDR) output. The feature is available on Windows, macOS, iOS, visionOS and Linux when using Wayland, with Android support planned for a later update. HDR output enhances color depth and...
A Classic Sega Genesis Game Is Making a Splashing Return
Sega and A&R Atelier announced Ecco the Dolphin Complete, a remastered collection of the classic Genesis titles and their sequel, The Tides of Time. The bundle will feature achievements, leaderboards, built‑in speed‑run support, and new "meta quests" that let players...
RayLib 6 Released
RayLib 6, the latest open‑source game‑development framework written in C, was released on April 23, 2026. The update introduces a fully CPU‑based software renderer and adds native Win32, Emscripten, and memory‑framebuffer backends, expanding the library’s reach to micro‑controllers, RISC‑V devices, and web...
Sony’s PS5 Digital Edition Deal Knocks $200 Off the New List Price for a Limited Time
Sony announced a limited‑time $200 discount on the PS5 Digital Edition, bringing the console back to its original $399 launch price as part of a Fortnite Flowering Chaos bundle. The price cut follows a series of hikes earlier this year...