I’ve spent years exploring different tools to improve how I access and experience my ever-growing library of games. After trying countless platforms and streaming solutions, I’ve landed on what I believe is the most powerful duo in self-hosted gaming: Apollo and Artemis. These two open-source applications have completely transformed my setup, delivering seamless game streaming, personalized control, and a sense of ownership that no off-the-shelf product has come close to offering.

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 81, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, happy Finally Feels Like Summer Week to at least everyone who lives near me, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I've been reading about tech bro group chats and the history of ChatGPT and The Rest is History, wondering if maybe I should buy a Xiaomi car while simultaneously configuring a Slate Truck I never end up reserving, marveling over Steven Soderbergh's filmmaking skills, testing out the Limitless Pendant, hanging out in courthouses for US v. Google, and dusting off my Mario Golf skills thanks to the recent N64 update in Delta.I also have for you a great new companion to a great power-user Mac app, the best Marvel movie in years, a new phone and new headphones to try, some weird AI and some good AI, the highest-tech planter you've ever seen, and much more. Let's dig in.(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you into right now? What should everyone else be watching / reading / playing / buying / building / listening to / throwing in a tote bag this week? Tell me e …Read the full story at The Verge.

Running home servers can prove challenging, particularly if it's your first deployment. Self-hosting apps is a great way to save money and gain complete control of all your data, but it can have a rather steep learning curve when starting fresh. That's where a handy tool such as Tipi can make a difference. Based on the same Docker container tech that allows for many different apps to be conveniently installed on network-attached storage (NAS) and other operating systems, Tipi makes it even easier to install and manage apps.

If you've decided to switch from your trusted console to a gaming PC, you obviously know some things will be vastly different. You'll have to research components and know how to assemble them, or figure out which pre-built gaming PC to buy instead. You'll also know that a PC will cost much more than your console if you want a mid-range machine capable of 60+ FPS gaming at high settings in the latest titles.

Your NAS operating system is a treasure trove of customization options and a myriad of settings that make a lot of things possible. But it’s easy for certain things to fall through the cracks — and if one of those is small yet critical, it could leave your NAS exposed to potential security risks. These tiny little settings can make or break the security system you’ve built for your NAS if you leave a low-hanging loophole in plain sight. Below are some important settings on your NAS that you must check to close such security loopholes.

You should at the very least try configuring a virtual machine (VM) on Windows or macOS with a Linux distro, if you consider yourself a software enthusiast or wish to get into development. There are a few reasons why this can open new doors for not only allowing you to learn new things about an operating system (OS) you've likely never interacted with, but also work on the backend that powers most of the world's hardware. If you wish to become a budding developer, here's why Linux is the way to go, even if it is through a VM.

From stable and pragmatic distros to their quirky counterparts, the Linux ecosystem is chock-full of cool distributions. But once you sift through Debian, Linux Mint, Fedora, and other common distributions, you may encounter the wackier distros that prioritize laughs and giggles over performance and functionality. If you’re a Linux geek who grew up in the 2000s like me, you may already be familiar with Hannah Montana and, more importantly, the meme distribution centered around the show.

When Microsoft introduced the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), it opened a whole new world of productivity for developers, sysadmins, and tinkerers alike. WSL allows you to run a Linux environment directly within Windows, blending the best of both operating systems. While Windows has plenty of excellent native tools, there are specific Linux utilities that simply shine brighter when run in WSL. Here are some of the tools I prefer running in WSL rather than using their Windows counterparts.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the most highly regarded games created in the 21st century. It is because of this that Bethesda has been able to re-release the game so many times on different consoles. I loved the game when I was a kid, but like many, I played it to death. In my first playthrough, I must have put over 300 hours into the game. I was obsessed with finding all of its secrets. Since then, I haven't been able to play the game normally. Luckily, I have found some amazing mods that make The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimworth playing all over again.

Before I begin to tell you about my reasons for ditching the antivirus, you should know that this reflects my own experiences and is not a one-size-fits-all recommendation. Every user’s threat model is different, so always evaluate your own security needs before making any changes. For me, the antivirus became more of a resource-consuming app that served no purpose, and here’s why.

If you're planning to dip your toes into the world of 3D printing, there are several beginner-friendly 3D printers you can buy. Most of them are quite affordable, lowering the barrier of entry for anyone who wants to experiment with printing useful objects for the house or gifts that can save you money. Among them is Creality's Ender-3 3D printer. It's now in its third iteration, with multiple models in the lineup. Both the Ender-3 V3 Plus and the Ender-3 V3 SE are default recommendations for most people looking for a budget-friendly 3D printer. But are they any good? The short answer is yes.

Depending on which web browser you use, the homepage could either be rather boring or have some sort of functional elements like shortcuts or frequently visited pages. More often than not, users tend to ignore these elements and proceed to open the webpages of their choice. But, what if I told you that I found a dashboard overlay that not only displays a ton of useful information, but can also be customized completely based on your requirements? Well, it's called Glance, and it's a pity I didn't discover it earlier.