A developer working with collaborator stonerl on a full-speed Game Boy emulator for the Playdate console has published a set of advanced optimization techniques discovered during that project. The tips cover how the Playdate's CPU and small instruction cache behave, including the finding that compiling with -Os instead of -O3 and shrinking core code to fit within the 4KB (or 16KB on Rev B) instruction cache can dramatically boost speed.
Marcin Wichary visited three Dutch computer museums: the HomeComputerMuseum in Helmond with over 500 working vintage computers, the Bonami SpelComputer Museum in Zwolle housing thousands of machines including mainframes and arcade games, and a barn-based collection of DEC computers in a remote location. Each museum offered a unique experience, from interactive displays to extensive collections of historic technology.
Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 at Snapdragon Summit 2026, featuring new Adreno Neural Fusion GPU technology that uses AI to upscale resolution, generate extra frames, and extend battery life during gaming. Separately, Arm introduced its Mali G2-Ultra NX GPU with similar AI upscaling, frame generation, and a denoiser for effects like ray tracing, which will appear in chips from companies such as MediaTek.
Fuse Games has released Star Wars: Galactic Racer, an arcade-style racing title set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. The game centers on a self-contained story about a racing league rebuilding in the wake of the Empire's collapse, led by a promoter character named Darius Pax.
The ARMSX3 PS3 emulator for Android has released version 1.0.6, adding support for CHD disc images, a compressed format that reduces file sizes compared to standard ISOs. The developers cite examples like Demon's Souls shrinking from 8.76GB to 6.25GB, and Bleach Soul Resurrection dropping from 4GB to 1.8GB. The update also includes improved frame generation and fewer stutters in games using the PS3's job system.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer, a new arcade racing game set in the Star Wars universe, has been receiving praise from critics who describe it as one of the strongest arcade racing titles in recent years. Specific details about the game's platforms, release date, or developer were not included in the available report.
Ayaneo has released the Konkr Pocket Advance, a Game Boy Advance-style handheld running Android. The $109 base model includes 3GB RAM and 32GB expandable storage, while a $129 version offers 4GB RAM and 64GB built-in storage, both powered by a MediaTek Helio G90T chip with a cooling fan and 4,000mAh battery.
A developer has released Pyxel, a retro-style game engine for Python that limits output to 16 colors and 4 simultaneous sound channels to mimic old gaming consoles. The project includes built-in art and sound editors, is licensed under MIT, and is free to use. It is maintained by a single developer who relies on GitHub stars to keep the project active.
Apple Arcade added five games to its subscription library, which now exceeds 200 titles. The lineup includes Pusheen's Place, a new exclusive life-sim game, alongside ad-free, purchase-free Arcade versions of Terraria+, Touchgrind BMX 2+, and River City Survivors, plus one additional title.
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon, MIT, NYU and Stanford built an AI called Ataraxos that beat Pim Niemeijer, widely regarded as the best Stratego player ever, 15 games to one with four draws. The system was trained using just 16 GPUs and a few thousand dollars, a tiny fraction of what projects like DeepMind's earlier Stratego attempts required.
Tom's Hardware testing found Gears of War E-Day pins CPU utilization at 80-90%, unlike most Unreal Engine 5 titles which show little CPU scaling. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D delivered 42% higher performance than the Ryzen 5 7600X at 1080p on the High preset, and the scaling held even at the Ultra graphics preset, persisting throughout the early hours of the game regardless of scene complexity.
Gears of War: E-Day, a prequel set 14 years before the original Gears of War, follows a younger Marcus Fenix during 'emergence day,' when the Locust Horde first attacks humanity. The game retains the series' close-quarters cover-shooter combat and tasks players with defending strongholds, escorting caravans, and rescuing survivors as the planet Sera is devastated.
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