It wasn't too long ago that we reported on someone who got Tetris working in a PDF document. Of course, the next logical step was to get Doom running on it, which they managed to do. However, it turns out that the story doesn't end there. The feat inspired people to attempt to cram the classic FPS into as many productivity-based apps as possible, and now Microsoft Word has fallen victim to the Doom enthusiasts' endless crusade to get it running on everything possible.

It's such an odd time to be an Intel fan. The company continues to struggle with its desktop CPUs but Lunar Lake mobile processors and Arc discrete graphics cards have been largely well received. I'm a big fan of Intel's push into the affordable GPU market segment, offering gamers excellent value with Battlemage GPUs for less than $250. The latest addition to the family is the Intel Arc B570, a 1080p and 1440p GPU for $219, seriously undercutting some of the offerings from direct competitors. It's a great time to be a PC gamer as Intel looks to break up the GPU duopoly and here's why these cards will be a sleeper hit for desktop systems.

If you own an AMD Ryzen CPU and have done a Google search for information about RAM overclocking, speed, and stability in the last 7 years, chances are you might have come across something called the "Infinity Fabric." Usually brought into discussions to explain the somewhat unique relationship of AMD CPUs with high-speed memory, Infinity Fabric is an internal interconnect bus that forms the core of AMD's scalable CPU architecture.

Over the years, SBCs have seen significant improvements in both processing capabilities and software compatibility. Modern-day Single-Board Computers have become versatile enough to power a wide variety of projects. This trend also extends to the Raspberry Pi series, with the RPi 5 packing enough firepower to run full-fledged desktop operating systems.

x86 has been the primary architecture of PCs and servers over the last few decades, and yet, we're starting to see a tangible shift towards something different. Arm is becoming more and more commonplace, with software vendors finally building their applications for Arm platforms on Windows with the release of the Snapdragon X Elite. Plus, Apple's own shift towards Arm means that an entire segment of mainstream and professional machines are no longer using x86, too.

If you somehow missed it, CES 2025 happened earlier this month and it was a blast for PC hardware announcements. AMD outed a bunch of new processors, as did Intel, and Nvidia announced the new GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards. We've covered each announcement here at XDA, but if you'd like an easily digestible roundup of what AMD and Nvidia announced, I've got you covered with the heavy-hitting news right here.

Marvel Snap is unavailable due to the ban on ByteDance apps. | Screenshot: Marvel Snap The divest-or-ban law aimed at TikTok is also taking down other ByteDance-linked apps, including the popular card game Marvel Snap. The app suddenly cut off access Saturday night, seemingly without warning, surprising gamers who weren’t aware of its connection to ByteDance.The card game battler set in the Marvel universe is developed by Second Dinner, which is based in California. But the game is published by Nuverse, a company owned by ByteDance. As a result, it’s subject to the same shutdown order. In a statement on X, Second Dinner called the takedown a surprise and said, “Marvel Snap isn’t going anywhere. We’re actively working on getting the game up as soon as possible and will update you once we have more to share.”Just before the calendar turned over to January 19th, 2025, the game disappeared from the App Store for iPad and iPhone players and from Google Play for players on Android. For players on PC, the game is still listed in Steam at the moment, but many players are reporting they were signed out and can’t sign back in.An in-game message now tells players:Sorry, Marvel Snap isn’t available right nowA law banning Marvel Snap has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use Marvel Snap for now. Rest assured, we’re working to restore our service in the U.S. Please stay tuned!Oddly, unlike TikTok, it doesn’t appear that players were given much warning about the law’s effect, and many people may not have realized it was even connected to ByteDance, including people who were still spending money on in-game items expecting to be able to keep playing it. Unfortunately, MARVEL SNAP is temporarily unavailable in U.S. app stores and is unavailable to play in the U.S.In a surprise to Second Dinner and our publisher Nuverse, MARVEL SNAP was affected by the takedown of TikTok late on Saturday, January 18th.MARVEL SNAP isn’t going…— Second Dinner (@seconddinner) January 19, 2025Other ByDance apps quickly disappeared from app stores along with TikTok, including Lemon8 and CapCut. The effect on other ByteDance-linked apps is mixed; however, it may take time to remove them. The Lark app that offers a Slack-like collaboration platform was available initially but has now been removed, while other Nuverse-published games, like Earth: Revival - Deep Underground and Ragnarok X: 3rd Anniversary, are still available in the App Store as of this writing, just after midnight ET on the 19th.Update, January 19th: Noted reports that Marvel Snap PC players can’t log in and added a statement from game developer Second Dinner.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge With TikTok, CapCut, and Marvel Snap shut down in the US, Apple has taken the unusual step of articulating why it’s following the law banning ByteDance apps and removing them from the App Stores for the Mac, iPhone, and other devices. Before the ban went into effect, the Biden administration released a statement saying enforcement of the law “must fall to the next Administration.” Still, it didn’t stop the law from taking effect this weekend after TikTok’s appeal to the Supreme Court failed.The support page from Apple says:Apple is obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates. Pursuant to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, apps developed by ByteDance Ltd. and its subsidiaries — including TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8, and others — will no longer be available for download or updates on the App Store for users in the United States starting January 19, 2025.It goes on to say that people who already have the apps installed won’t have them removed, but at least for the time being, redownloading or restoring them on a new device will not be possible, along with making any in-app purchases or subscriptions, but subscriptions can be canceled. Meanwhile, people who visit the US from other countries where they’re still available won’t be able to download or update apps while inside US borders.Apple also provided a list of “some” of the apps linked to ByteDance that are affected:TikTokTikTok StudioTikTok Shop Seller CenterCapCutLemon8HypicLark - Team CollaborationLark - Rooms DisplayLark Rooms ControllerGauth: AI Study CompanionMarvel SnapNow, more than an entire day is left before the Trump administration is sworn in. TikTok pushed for a more definitive statement about the legal risks providers like Apple and Google might face for defying the law in the meantime, but it never came as the White House called TikTok’s response a “stunt.” Now Apple is making clear that until something changes, it’s following the law as written, and it appears Google is doing the same thing. Google, Apple, and TikTok have not responded to requests for comment from The Verge.

We love our video games to death, so much so that we're willing to stretch ourselves to buy overpriced GPUs, additional consoles, and way more powerful hardware than we really need, simply to make games look pretty and smooth. What we also love doing (almost as much) is ranting about the things that are wrong with the gaming industry.

Back in December, Microsoft gave out a small warning. It stated that it planned to rebrand its entire productivity line from "Microsoft 365 Office" to "Microsoft 365 Copilot," and people didn't really gel with the idea. Well, seems Microsoft didn't really care, as it has given the green light to begin rebranding everyone's apps to a more Copilot-focused brand.

Genshin Impact developer Cognosphere has to change the way it does loot boxes. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge The Federal Trade Commission announced on Friday that Genshin Impact developer Cognosphere has agreed to a $20 million settlement and several restrictions on how it sells its loot boxes and manages children’s personal data. According to the FTC, the company “actively marketed” its loot boxes to children and misled players about their odds of winning prizes.Cognosphere allegedly also “deceived children and other users about the real costs of in-game transactions,” by requiring them to buy virtual money that involved multiple currency exchanges. Players often spent “hundreds of dollars on prizes they stood little chance of winning,” according to Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Samuel Levine. For years, loot boxes have been likened to a form of legal gambling. The complaint, filed by the Department of Justice, also accuses the Genshin Impact developer of marketing to kids using approaches like posts on social media channels and in-game banners. The company then allegedly collected their personal information in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule. Once the settlement is approved, the company is required to delete any data for children under 13 whose parents haven’t consented to their data being collected.Other requirements of the settlement include that Cognosphere must offer an option to buy loot boxes directly and not just through virtual money. It’s also forbidden from misrepresenting pricing, features, and winning odds for loot boxes, and it must disclose exchange rates for multi-tiered virtual currency.

Image: The Verge Microsoft is testing AI-powered Windows search in a new dev channel build for Windows 11 Insider testers. Announced in October, it uses semantic indexing to let users search for local files using more casual language. Like other Microsoft AI features, you’ll need a Copilot Plus PC to use it.The feature applies whether you’re using search boxes in Settings, File Explorer, or the taskbar. And you don’t need to be connected to the internet for it to work, thanks to the NPU chips on Copilot Plus computers. For now, AI search is limited to Windows settings and files with image and text formats that include JPEG, PNG, PDF, TXT, and XLS. Image: Microsoft Microsoft says that search only works for files in locations you’ve chosen to index. Users can tweak those locations using options found under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows, or turn on “Enhanced” to index their whole machine. The company adds that the feature will eventually expand to include cloud data such as that stored in OneDrive.AI-powered Windows search “will gradually roll out to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs,” Microsoft writes, with support for Intel or AMD Copilot Plus computers later. The feature will work for machines set to Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish languages. Image: Microsoft In addition to the new search, the build also includes AI writing tools offered by Click to Do, a feature that lets you choose from context-sensitive menus of options when you hold the Windows key down and left-click on your screen. Now, when you click a block of text and select Rewrite, there’s a “Refine” option that can correct grammar for you.