Category: Gaming

Copilot+ PCs for Gaming? Microsoft’s Controversial Advice

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Ask any PC enthusiast what the most critical component for gaming is, and they will almost certainly say “the graphics card” — but Microsoft begs to differ.

In a controversial update to its official Windows Learning Center, the tech giant is now aggressively positioning its AI-centric Copilot+ PCs as the ‘ideal’ hardware for gamers, recommending a staggering 32GB of RAM and a neural processing unit (NPU) as the new standard for high performance.

Is this advice actually about achieving higher frame rates, or is Microsoft simply trying to upsell AI capabilities that most modern games don’t even use yet?

Microsoft’s Offload-Theory

Microsoft argues that the neural processing unit (NPU) is a game-changer. The logic goes something like this: Windows can delegate background AI tasks to the NPU, so that the processor and the graphics card have more resources available for rendering games.

This, according to Microsoft, results in smoother gameplay and higher frame rates compared to traditional Windows PCs without an NPU.

To support this claim, Microsoft has updated the specifications for gaming on Windows.

  • RAM: While 16 GB remains the minimum, Microsoft now strongly recommends 32 GB of RAM as the “sweet spot” for high-performance gaming.
  • Storage: A fast NVMe SSD with at least 512 GB to 1 TB of space to handle modern game file sizes and ensure fast load times.
  • Processor: A CPU with an NPU-chip (like the Snapdragon X series, AMD Ryzen AI 300, or Intel Core Ultra).

The company leans heavily on Auto Super Resolution (Auto SR) to hammer home its argument. It is an upscaling technology that is exclusive to Copilot+ PCs. Like other technologies of its kind, it is promising higher frame rates and thus a smoother gameplay experience.

This technology allows Copilot+ PCs, which are mostly light laptops without dedicated graphics cards, to run demanding games at acceptable frame rates, according to Microsoft.

Here is a critical breakdown of the arguments

Microsoft’s recommendation for 32 GB sounds good on paper, until you realize that Copilot+ PCs usually do not include a dedicated graphics card.

Traditional PCs have system RAM and dedicated video RAM (if they have a dedicated graphics adapter). Most Copilot+ PCs do not have the latter, which means that all components share the system memory.

If a modern game requires 8 GB of video memory, Copilot+ PCs have to use system RAM for that. Selling 32 GB as high performance is misleading therefore.

While offloading some tasks to the NPU may reduce CPU usage somewhat, it is highly doubtful that this is making big impacts on the performance of games.

Finally, Auto SR is a necessary feature as it boosts game resolutions and frames on laptops that would otherwise be too weak for higher resolutions or frame rates.

The feature competes directly against Nvidia DLSS and AMD FSR, two mature technologies that improve systems with dedicated graphics cards. Even mid-range dedicated video cards should provide better and smoother game plays than Auto SR on systems with NPU but no dedicated cards.

Closing Words

Most gamers won’t buy a Copilot+ PC at this time, unless it comes with a dedicated graphics card. Traditional systems with video cards will outperform Copilot+ PCs without one in gaming, there is little doubt about that. This may change once Copilot+ PCs and laptops with dedicated video cards become available on scale. For now, Microsoft is making a recommendation that is not in the best interest of most Windows gamers.

While many games do run on ARM already, there are still holdouts, including many popular multiplayer games that run anti-cheat software on the system.

A rare PlayStation game is now worth ten times as much as before: here is why

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Most physical games for consoles drop in value over time. There are exceptions, however, especially when it comes to games that are released in limited quantity or special editions.

Star Wars Racer Revenge was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2002 originally. It got average scores and was re-released by Limited Run Games in 2019 for the PS4. Since the PS5 supports PS4 games, it can also be run on the PlayStation 5, including the refreshed version.

Good to know: Limited Run Games is a company that re-releases classic games. Think of it as Gog, but for the physical games market and usually with tiny print runs compared to the general market.

Less than 1,000 copies of the game were produced by Limited Run Games reportedly. Up until recently, users could grab a copy from marketplaces such as eBay for about 30 Dollars.

When you check the price of the game now, you may notice that the PS4-version of the game is offered for several hundred Dollars now.

The PS5 jailbreak

Rumors of a potential jailbreak of the PlayStation 5 made the rounds a couple of days ago.

The exploit, reportedly, was found in the PS4 game Star Wars Racer Revenge, which explains why it is in high demand right now. It contains a security issue that enables the running of unsigned code under certain circumstances.

This, according to reports, gave access to the PlayStation 5’s Level 0 BootRom keys, which has been published on the Internet.

Good to know: The Level 0 BootROM contains the keys used to verify and decrypt the very first stage of the console’s startup software.

Hackers may decrypt all subsequent layers of the PlayStation 5’s security using the keys. It could pave the way for custom firmware that hacked consoles can boot into.

The main issue for Sony is that it could bring piracy to its platform.

For Sony, it is a worst case scenario, as it can’t patch the vulnerability via a software update. The company has a few options to respond, but none affect current PlayStation users under certain circumstances.

  • Introduce checks for tampering. This requires an update of the console though and Internet connectivity.
  • Ban consoles of users who run modified firmware. Also works only with Internet connectivity.
  • Release games that require a specific firmware version.
  • Release a new PS5 revision that has new BootRom keys.

As is stands, all current PS5 consoles are vulnerable to the exploit and they may fetch a premium on second-hand marketplaces as well, if Sony releases a revised version of its PS5.

Gog is having a PC games sale: here are three recommendations

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

What used to be a once or twice a year occurrence has turned into the opposite. It seems that digital games sales happen every week nowadays, which has turned them from something exciting into something bland and interchangeable.

It is the same with sweets for Christmas. They used to be special, but you get them nowadays from September onward already, which removes much of the excitement surrounding them.

Gog is my preferred online shop for digital games. The main reason here is that the games do not come with DRM. While that stance keeps some games away from the platform, things do have improved in recent years.

The details:

  • Gog says that more than 7500 games are discounted on the platform currently.
  • Discounts go up to 95 percent, but that is the extreme.

I would like to highlight three excellent games that play on old and new machines. As a general rule, I recommend using a wishlist or a list locally to keep track of games that you are interested in.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Point and click, that is what you do mostly in the game. (Image source: Gog)

Lucas Arts has created a tremendous amount of excellent adventure games. My all-time favorite is Day of the Tentacle, but you can’t go wrong with Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion, or the Indiana Jones games.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a classic point and click adventure. You use the mouse to pick an action from a list of available ones and then another click to interact with objects in your inventory or the location your character is in currently.

This one follows the movie of the same name to a degree, but it includes unique locations and stages not seen in the movie. If you like the movie or adventure games, this one might be just right for you.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Anniversary Edition

This a close-up, a view that you don’t play the game in. Looks nice, but not practicable at all. (Image source: Gog)

This is a real-time strategy game set in the Warhammer 40K universe. Dark, grim and war are its main ingredients. The game came out a long time ago and I played it a lot, especially the excellent Last Stand mode, which gives you control of a single hero in arena combat with two additional human players against hordes of computer opponents.

The characters gain experience while playing, which unlock new equipment for the hero that you can then equip.

Anyway, you get a solid single player campaign that you can play as well as Last Stand and Multiplayer. The latter two only with the Gog Galaxy software apparently, which is a let down unfortunately and reflected in the ratings the game has received so far on Gog.

Dragon Age: Origins – Ultimate Edition

A battle in the game. (Image Source: Gog)

The first Dragon Age roleplaying game with all of its content in a single package. Is is still an excellent game with a captivating story and so much to do.

It still irks me that EA managed to drive the franchise into the ground with consecutive titles.

If you like traditional RPGs with real-time combat that you can pause to plan and execute strategies, this one is for you.

Closing Words

These are just three of the games that I played a lot and can recommend fully. There are more, including several independent games, such as Into the Breach, FTL: Advanced Edition, or Party Hard.

Now You: Have you bought any games recently? If so, which and where? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Sony announces PS5 price increase by $50 in the US

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

The price of gaming consoles used to go down the longer they were on the market. Now it seems that the opposite is happening. In early August, Nintendo announced a price increase for Switch hardware in the United States. In May, Microsoft announced price increases for Xbox hardware and games.

Now, Sony, maker of the PlayStation 5, is also announcing a price increase in the United States.

Gamespot reports that PS5 consoles will cost $50 more going forward in the United States.

  • PlayStation 5 Slim Digital Edition: now $500, previously $450
  • PlayStation 5 Slim: now $550, previously $500
  • PlayStation 5 Pro: now $750, previously $700

The systems are still available for the older prices at Amazon and other third-party retailers, according to the news outlet. So, if you always wanted to buy one, you may still be able to buy a PS5 for the lower price before retailers are adjusting it.

Sony is not changing the price of accessories at this point. The company announced price changes in other markets earlier this year.

In Europe, Sony increased the price of the digital edition by 50 Euros, but kept the price of the standard edition with disc drive.

Sony did not reveal why it is increasing the price in the United States, but tariffs may play a role in Sony’s decision. The United States have increased tariff rates on countries where the PlayStation 5 is produced.

Xbox

Here is my take on Microsoft’s Xbox strategy going forward

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft’s current generation Xbox platform is lagging behind the Japanese competition in terms of sales. Nintendo and Sony sold more than twice the number of consoles each.

Xbox performs badly, even though Microsoft spent more money on acquisitions of gaming studios than ever before. Now, Microsoft announced another round of layoffs, many of which are hitting Xbox employees or employees in gaming studios that produce games for Xbox.

Is that the preparation of Microsoft’s exit from consoles? Write off the money and move on to bigger things?

Microsoft confirmed the next generation of Xbox consoles already and revealed vital information. While the next Xbox may not be a traditional Xbox console anymore, it could give Microsoft’s ailing games business the push it needs.

Here is what might happen: Microsoft announced plans to introduce third-party games stores to Xbox. It would not really make much sense to introduce these stores without options to play games from these stores.

The next Xbox could therefore be a PC in console format, like Valve’s fabled Steam Machine. Connect to a TV, play your favorite PC games. Icing on the cake would be backwards compatibility with classic Xbox games, which Microsoft should and probably will add support for.

With PC suddenly on board, Xbox would support more games than ever produced for consoles up to this date. Even if the system would support just a few major stores, say Steam, Gog, the Microsoft Store, it would enable support for tens of thousands of games on day one. Even better, if you are a PC gamer already, you could connect your accounts to Xbox to play the games you bought already.

With massive games support, first-party titles become less of a focus to sell the next generation console. While a next generation Halo might still help sell the system, it would probably help as much as blockbuster PC games that would suddenly all be available on the Xbox system as well.

To be fair, Microsoft did not release that many Xbox exclusive games since the launch of this Xbox generation. Some, like Starfield, were console-exclusive but launched on PC as well.

So, to sum it up. Next Xbox could be powered by Windows that also supports previous generation Xbox games. It would be the end of true Xbox gaming though.

Question is, would you buy it? What would Microsoft have to do to get you to buy it? Let me know in the comments below.

Gog’s PC Games Summer Sale 2025 offers big discounts for thousands of games

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

As you may know, I prefer to buy my PC games on Gog. While I do not buy that many anymore, due to a lack of time mostly, I sometimes have the desire to replay a classic game or try a new independent game that I heard about.

Gog holds sales year round, but the Summer Sale is always one of the largest. A good opportunity to purchase one or two games that have been sitting on my wishlist for some time.

Gog says that the Summer Sale 2025 offers over 8,000 deals with discounts of up to 95 percent. Here is the main link to the sale. It is probably a good idea to use the excellent filters on the left side of the page to reduce the 161 pages of games that are on sale.

You can, for example, hide DLC and extra listings, set a price range, or pick genres, features, or tags.

As always, here are some of my suggestions:

Into the Breach

One of my all-time favorites. A turn-based strategy game with lots of variety, short but intense levels, lots of replayability, and fun.

You control three units and are tasked with defending cities and the earth population against an alien threat. Each of your units, mechs mostly, have different unique abilities, that can be expanded as they gain levels and new equipment.

FTL: Advanced Edition

Faster Than Light plays in space. It is a strategy game that gives you command of a ship and a diverse crew of aliens. You can upgrade the ship, encounter enemies and wondrous things. It is randomized and rogue-lite, and if you do not mind the graphics, one of the best experiences you can have while playing a game.

Day of the Tentacle Remastered

The remastered edition of the 1993 sequel to Maniac Mansion. It is a classic adventure game by LucasArts that has lots of humor. Unlike Maniac Mansion, which asked you to pick three characters out of a selection, you always play the same three characters in the game.

Your task is to prevent that an evil mutated purple tentacle is taking over the world. Involves time traveling, lots of fun.

Now You: have another pick? Let me know in the comments below.

Did Microsoft just announce PC-Xbox consoles?

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft confirmed today that Xbox is not dead. In fact, the company announced Xbox consoles, a partnership with AMD, and what sounded like support for PC gaming stores and games on the next Xbox devices.

Xbox-chief Sarah Bond made the announcement in a video on YouTube. It is just a minute in total playtime and while short, includes some major announcements.

But first, here is the video.

The big announcements are the following ones.

About the partnership with AMD, multiple Xbox consoles, and a potential Xbox handheld:

I’m thrilled to share we’ve established a strategic multi-year partnership with AMD to co-engineer silicon across a portfolio of devices including our next-generation Xbox consoles, in your living room, and in your hands.

Xbox will support multiple stores. The mention of Windows is a strong hint at support for Windows gaming stores such as Steam.

[..] delivering you an Xbox experience not locked to a single store or tied to one device. hat’s why we’re working closely with the Windows team, to ensure that Windows is the number one platform for gaming.

Xbox will include AI features and will be backwards compatible.

Together with AMD we’re advancing the state of art in gaming silicon to deliver the next generation of graphics innovation to unlock a deeper level of visual quality and immersive gameplay and player experiences enhanced with the power of AI, all while maintaining compatibility with your existing library of Xbox games.

Closing Words

Microsoft will release new Xbox consoles in the near future, likely around the same time that Sony will release its PS6 (console and handheld) to the public. It is too early to tell if the next Xbox will indeed support PC games.

Now You: do you play games at all on consoles or the PC? Would you buy an Xbox console or handheld that can play PC games?

Classics Promo: get your old games fix at a discount over at Gog

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Gog is an excellent resource for classic computer games. The platform runs a sale currently that offers discounts on more than 1,000 – mostly – old computer games. While that may deter gamers that want high-end graphics, it is a treasure trove for gamers who want to replay or play some of the greatest classics in computer gaming.

As an added advantage, games on Gog are not as expensive as modern titles. Even without discounts, you barely pay more than $10 for a game. During sales, prices drop to a few Dollar for many of the games.

Want some examples?

  • Dragon Age Origins: Ultimate Edition, arguably the best title of the Dragon Age series, is available for less than $6 for the next eleven days.
  • Ultimate VII The Complete Edition is available for $1.37. The other Ultimate games, are available in two packs (Ultimate I, II, and II, and Ultimate IV, V, and V) for $1.37 each as well. There are also discounts for Ultimate Underworld, and Ultimate IX.
  • Thief II The Metal Age, one of the greatest stealth games of all time, costs $1.07.
  • X-Com 2, one of the best turn-based strategies, is available for $2.74
  • Jagged Alliance 2, another classic turn-based game, costs $2.18

Just browse the list and you will find huge discounts for games of all genres. The games are compatible with modern Windows PCs. While controls or visuals may not be on par with modern games, you can still have days of fun with some of the games easily.

These games should also work well on older PCs, as they are not that demanding than modern games.

While this reads like an advertisement, it is not. I like Gog a lot and buy games there regularly to replay old classics or play classics that I missed out on when they were released initially.

Now You: do you play computer games at all? If so, which games to you like and do you prefer modern or classic games?

Microsoft is finally giving Edge Game Assist a necessary feature

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

If you do play games on your computer, you may have tabbed out of the game before to launch a web browser and run a search for clues or information. Steam users can use the integrated browser for that, which has been around for a long time.

Game Assist is Microsoft’s universal answer to the Steam browser, at least on Windows. It is an in-game browser that is available as a preview currently. It uses Microsoft Edge to render webpages and browse the Internet without leaving the game.

While that is theoretically also possible without the browser, as you can tab-out of most games to use other programs, some gamers may find the integration useful.

One of the most interesting features up to this point is the ability to display Game Assist information while you are playing. You can watch a video or display guides while playing the game.

One major downside up until now was that Game Assist did not support extensions. This meant that you had to endure ads and other unwanted elements while using it.

This changed with this week’s Game Assist update. The major addition is support for extensions. Install extensions in Edge and you can use them on Game Assist as well. Most extensions should work according to Microsoft.

Microsoft writes:

We heard your feedback that ad blockers are crucial, so we’re thrilled to bring initial support for extensions to Game Assist! Game Assist currently supports many extensions that automatically run on the webpage, like ad blockers. Extensions can be installed and managed using the desktop version of Microsoft Edge.

It is a good addition to Game Assist. The release notes highlight several other features of interest. More games are supported, there is a new menu that offers common browser controls such as opening a new tab, right-click support for certain page elements, an option to pin the current tab, and more.

The list of supported games is still relatively short. To become a truly universal option, Microsoft needs to improve game support significantly.

PlayStation 30th anniversary

Sony is launching the PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

The first PlayStation launched on December 3, 1994. To celebrate that launch, Sony announced the PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection today. It features two limited consoles and three peripherals, including a limited PlayStation 5 Pro console (without disc drive).

It will be “highly limited” according to Sony, more about that further down below.

Here is what Sony plans to release:

  • PlayStation 5 Pro Console – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition BundIe
  • PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle

Both consoles feature the classic gray color scheme of the original PlayStation. They come with a vertical stand, which is sold separately, if you buy regular versions of the PlayStation.

Both versions have no disc drive, but include a matching cover for a disc drive. Both consoles come with a limited PlayStation 5 controller, four PlayStation Shapes cable ties, a PlayStation sticker, one of 30 limited edition PlayStation posters, and a PlayStation paperclip.

So, no PS5 Pro or PS5 with disc drive. Sony says that there will be 12,300 PlayStation 5 Pro console units in the limited design. Each console has its limited number etched onto the unit. The number represents December 3, the day and month of the launch of the first PS console.

No word on the limits of the other items, including the new PS5 Slim edition.

The following hardware is also sold separately:

  • PlayStation Portal Remote Player – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition (standalone)
  • DualSense Edge Wireless Controller – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition (standalone)
  • DualSense Wireless Controller – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition (standalone)

Preorders begin on September 26 in regions where PlayStation Direct is available. In regions where Playstation Direct is not available, preorders may also begin on September 26, but only for some items.

Sony plans to release the anniversary collection on November 21, 2024. It has not revealed the price for any of the listed items.

You can read the full announcement here.

It seems likely that the limited edition will sell out quickly. 12,300 units across all regions means that there is a tiny number that is sold in each region. While some users may be interested in the non-Pro 30th anniversary edition as well, it is probably a good idea to try your luck directly on September 26th, if you want to grab one of the consoles.

Scrapers are probably licking their fingers already to resell the limited editions on sites like eBay for a small fortune.