Ars Technica Gaming

1. Baby Steps is the most gloriously frustrating game I’ve ever struggled through

   QWOP meets Death Stranding meets Getting Over It to form wonderfully surreal, unique game.

2. Google Play is getting a Gemini-powered AI Sidekick to help you in games

   Here comes another screen overlay.

3. Microsoft raises Xbox console prices for the second time this year

   Asking prices for some models are up 33 percent in less than a year.

4. Steam will wind down support for 32-bit Windows as that version of Windows fades

   Change only affects 32-bit Windows 10; Windows 7 and 8 lost support years ago.

5. Nvidia, Intel to co-develop “multiple generations” of chips as part of $5 billion deal

   Intel once considered buying Nvidia outright, but its fortunes have shifted.

6. Why, as a responsible adult, SimCity 2000 hits differently

   After years as a parent and homeowner, I sympathize more with my virtual citizens.

7. Modder injects AI dialogue into 2002’s Animal Crossing using memory hack

   Unofficial mod lets classic Nintendo GameCube title use AI chatbots with amusing results.

8. Over three decades later, Nintendo remembers the Virtual Boy exists

   A $100 replica Switch dock or $25 cardboard sleeve is needed to play the 3D re-releases.

9. Is Hollow Knight: Silksong too hard? Well, it depends on what you mean by “hard.”

   The Ars Difficulty Matrix™ helps us analyze the many dimensions of Silksong's challenges.

10. Accessory maker will pay Nintendo after showing illicit Switch 2 mockups at CES

    Genki says it "didn't obtain any unreleased Nintendo property" before launch.

11. Switch modder owes Nintendo $2 million after representing himself in court

    Daly's defense asserted, in part, that Nintendo's "alleged copyrights are invalid."

12. All 54 lost clickwheel iPod games have now been preserved for posterity

    Finding working copies of the last few titles was an "especially cursed" journey.

13. Civilization VII team at Firaxis Games faces layoffs

    CEO says the game is projected to meet expectations, but there are cuts anyway.

14. Dev says Switch 2’s physical Game Cards were too slow for Star Wars Outlaws port

    Data transfer speeds are much lower for Switch 2 Game Cards than for downloaded games.

15. Hollow Knight: Silksong is breaking Steam, Nintendo’s eShop

    Valve's usually stable platform struggles thanks in part to lack of pre-loading options.

16. This ultra-rare ’90s LaserDisc game console can finally be emulated on a PC

    You don't have to track down pricey retro hardware to play the Pioneer LaserActive anymore.

17. Battlefield 6 dev apologizes for requiring Secure Boot to power anti-cheat tools

    Amid player complaints, EA says 330,000 cheaters were stopped in beta's first two days.

18. Today’s game consoles are historically overpriced

    Ars analysis shows missing price cuts are costing console consumers hundreds of dollars.

19. Chris Roberts hopes Squadron 42 will be “almost as big” as GTA VI next year

    French report also suggests Star Citizen might hit 1.0 release in "2027 or 2028."

20. The Outer Worlds 2 wants you to join the space police

    Preview: The sequel's prologue stresses meaningful choices, wry humor