When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Windows 11's next security feature may cost you gaming performance Starting October 13th, Windows 11 will enable a security feature called Memory Integrity by default. It could slow games by up to 15 percent. Next month's Patch Tuesday falls on October 13th, and with that update, Microsoft will be enabling "Memory Integrity" on all Windows 11 systems that are still receiving updates, according to this Windows IT Pro blog post . Memory Integrity (also known as Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity, or HVCI) has been around for some time, but it hasn't been enabled yet on many PCs.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Alienware's new 4K OLED is for gaming, but the text is the real story Alienware's new RGB-stripe OLED monitor promises cleaner text without giving up the 4K resolution, 165Hz speed, and deep blacks gamers want. Dell took the wraps off yet another glorious-looking QD-OLED gaming monitor at IFA Berlin today -- a 32-inch 4K beast that seems to tick every box a gamer could ask for. But I'm more intrigued by the Alienware 32 4K OLED Gaming Monitor (AW3226Q) for what it can do when you're knee-deep in work, not play. OLED has offered superior contrast, speed, and vibrancy for gamers for years now, but earlier generations suffered from an irksome drawback: Static, fine-line objects like text can look "fringed" and grainy because of limitations of the subpixel layout.

PCWorld reports that Nvidia will stop releasing new feature and performance updates for Windows 10 Game Ready Drivers after October 2026, shifting to quarterly security fixes only. This means Windows 10 gamers may experience bugs or poor optimization in newer game titles lacking critical driver updates. Full GeForce driver support ends completely by November 2029, making an upgrade to Windows 11 the recommended move for gamers. Even though Microsoft is providing security updates for Windows 10 until October 2027 via the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, graphics card giant Nvidia is pulling out before then. Apart from security updates, Nvidia is ending Windows 10 feature support--a major blow for gamers still on the much-beloved operating system.

It's hard to recall a feature that's been as instantly reviled as NVIDIA's DLSS 5, a new version of its AI upscaling technology that can modify character models and environments to chase the specter of "photorealism." NVIDIA calls it progress, but the initial examples from Resident Evil: Requiem and Starfield were uncanny misfires. Now, NVIDIA is gearing up to finally launch DLSS 5 alongside NBA 2K27 on September 3. And judging from the wildly negative responses to recent leaks of the technology, it's going to face a tough crowd. I had serious doubts about DLSS 5 at first, but after seeing some remote demonstrations of the tech from Gamescom, my hackles have cooled a bit. Sure, it's an AI tool that could be used to obscenely yassify a fragile character suffering from PTSD, like it did for Resident Evil: Requiem's co-lead Grace.

Once, video games came with lots of physical goodies, such as guides, maps and manuals. Those days are mostly gone, but gamers have, up to now, usually been able to rely on one thing they could literally get their hands on - a disc. But when pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto 6 went live on Wednesday, developer Rockstar said customers who opted for the physical edition would get a box that just contained a code for a digital download instead. It's not the first time a physical edition has launched this way. But if the makers of one of the biggest franchises in entertainment history has decided to follow suit, does that mean the disc is dead?

PCWorld reports Intel is targeting budget gamers with affordable CPUs and GPUs while Nvidia and AMD shift focus to AI and high-end markets. Rising AI data center demand has increased memory and storage costs, making PC building more expensive for enthusiasts with limited budgets. Intel's upcoming Nova Lake processors and extended XeSS support for older GPUs aim to deliver accessible performance improvements for budget-conscious gamers. Budget PC gamers have had little to celebrate in 2026. Intel may be trying to change that. It's hard not to feel despondent about the state of PC building right now.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick claims consoles are Rockstar's "core consumer" for Grand Theft Auto 6, justifying the delayed PC release strategy. PCWorld highlights that leaked data contradicts this narrative, showing PC accounts for 46% of GTA 5 sales between 2021-2026. The console-first approach appears to be a business tactic to encourage double purchases rather than addressing technical limitations. Did you know you can just say things that aren't true and there's nothing anyone can do about it? Check this out: "My dog has six legs." Bam, look at all the consequences I'm not facing for fibbing to you. In 2026, you can do this to an audience of millions--even in a courtroom or congressional hearing after swearing an oath--and nothing happens. On a completely different and unrelated note: Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick gave an interview to Bloomberg discussing the company's upcoming, in which he claimed that PC isn't the company's "core consumer." "Rockstar always starts on console because I think with regard to a release like that, you're judged by serving the core," Zelnick told Bloomberg .

Valve's £85 Steam Controller divides gamers ahead of May launch Valve has announced its new Steam Controller will be available to order from 4 May, and will cost £85 in the UK and $99 in the US - prices that have raised eyebrows among some gamers. The second generation of the gamepad, it will be compatible with PCs and Valve's handheld console, the Steam Deck. It is also designed to work with the company's own upcoming gaming PC, the Steam Machine. The Steam Controller may be more expensive than the standard controllers from Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation, but we do live in a time where companies including Sony and Microsoft are selling premium controllers for £150-£200, said Chris Scullion deputy editor of Video Games Chronicle. There has been a negative reaction from some gamers on social media though.

It involves 4chan, of all places. In July 2020, 4chan's video-game discussion board looked much like the rest of the notorious online forum. There were elaborate, libidinal fantasies involving "whores" and "dragon cum," and comments on how long a gamer had to wait "before my dick can get up for another beating," as one put it. And yet, as the gamers discussed such things, they were also making a discovery of significance to the AI industry. Some of them were playing, a new text-based role-playing game that was essentially an AI version of .

Nvidia's new AI upscaling gaming technology struck gamers as uncanny and off-putting. Developers don't seem to like it, either, but it could be "the default" in a few years. Nvidia announced a new version of its DLSS AI upscaling technology for its graphics cards earlier this week at its GPU Technology Conference (GTC), which it calls the Super Bowl of AI . But unlike previous versions of DLSS that used AI to improve frame rates in video games, DLSS 5 has a much more ambitious calling: using generative AI to make character faces in games look more realistic and detailed. The demonstration received sharp blowback on social media, with many finding the effect off-putting, reacting with outright disgust, and calling it yet another example of AI slop .