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WTF?! If you have experienced the frustratingly annoying problem of older Windows Live games not working, Rockstar has a solution — don't buy them. The company has conformed that it has pulled GTA IV from Steam because of problems that Microsoft's Games for Windows Live platform has caused, even though it could theoretically be fixed with an update. Confused? Me, too. You may or may not have noticed that Grand Theft Auto IV is no longer available on Steam. Although it is an older title, it is arguably the best game in the GTA franchise. The removal of the purchasing link for its page was because of problems with Microsoft's Games for Windows Live (GFWL) platform. Rockstar confirmed that this is the case in a statement to The Verge: “Grand Theft Auto IV was originally created for the Games For Windows Live platform. With Microsoft no longer supporting Games For Windows Live, it is no longer possible to generate the additional keys needed to continue selling the current version of the game. We are looking at other options for distributing GTA IV for PC and will share more information as soon as we can.” Microsoft shuttered the Games for Windows Live store in 2013, marking the start of a phase-out of the platform that launched in 2007. Ultimately, Redmond decided that it did not make sense to continue GFWL support as it was competing with Xbox Live, and ended support in 2014. Players were only able to redeem points on one or the other. Plus it got in the way of its plans for cross-compatibility. Since it axed the platform, many users have complained about GFWL causing problems with some games, including GTA IV. While there are workarounds, they are quite a hassle. So much so that people have posted lengthy guides on how to get the game to run. In light of this, Rockstar decided to stop selling it until it finds a distribution solution that works. Apparently, the company feels patching GFWL out of a twelve-year-old title is not in the budget, but did not specifically exclude this as an option. Although, it might not have been so troublesome had the studio addressed the issue as other publishers did back in 2013 when it was clear that the troubled platform was on the way out. What is even more confusing is that Rockstar updated the game not quite two years ago to remove songs that had had their licensing expire. Of course, deleting song files and altering the code that calls them is a far easier fix than trying to sort out the GFWL mess. Cal, J. (2020, January 13). GTA IV has disappeared from Steam because of Games for Windows Live. Retrieved from https://www.techspot.com/news/83525-gta-iv-has-disappeared-steam-because-games-windows.html

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Rumor mill: Are you expecting Sony to show off the PlayStation 5 at E3 this year? You probably shouldn’t hold your breath. According to an industry analyst, the Japanese company will be skipping the gaming expo for the second year in a row. Sony surprised many by announcing it wouldn’t attend E3 2019, but many expected it to return this year, especially as the PS5 is set to arrive during the “holiday season.” But in an interview with VGC, analyst Michael Pachter said he believes Sony will again avoid the show. “As far as I know, they don’t plan to attend,” says Pachter. “I think that’s a huge mistake, as their ‘focus on the consumer’ is not inconsistent with their attendance at the premier industry trade show. I hope they change their minds, but am sceptical.” While some other sources claim Sony will be returning to E3, VGC writes that Microsoft’s Xbox team is working under the assumption that PlayStation will not be at this year’s event and is upping its plans accordingly, which probably means we’ll see more of the Xbox Series X. The PlayStation 5 logo. Inspirational. If Sony really has decided to skip E3 for a second year, it’s likely because the company is planning a dedicated PlayStation event of its own, where it can show off the PS5 without distractions. But the firm’s absence would be a disappointment, and again highlight the declining importance of the event in many game companies’ eyes. We already know quite a bit about the PS5, including its specs and features. We’ve also seen alleged images of the dev kit and DualShock 5 controller, while the internet had a good time tearing apart the next-gen console’s “new” logo. Rob, T. (2020, January 13). No PS5 at E3: Sony rumored to skip the event, again. Retrieved from https://www.techspot.com/news/83516-no-ps5-e3-sony-rumored-skip-event-again.html

What just happened? The GeForce RTX 2080 Ti has remained on top as the most powerful gaming GPU since its launch in September 2018. However someone recently spotted a new unnamed AMD Radeon 'graphics device' claiming the top spot in the OpenVR benchmark leaderboards with a framerate of 103.3 fps. The average RTX 2080 Ti gets ~80 fps in the same test, making the new GPU a whopping 30% faster. Even the very best RTX 2080 Ti result falls 15% short of the new unnamed card. But what if we told you, the mysterious GPU may not be a Radeon, but a next-gen Nvidia part? Before you start cheering for AMD, lets consider a few things: the graphics card was paired with an engineering sample of the Ryzen 7 4800H mobile processor, which has its own GPU built-in. A GPU that software registers as AMD Radeon Graphics. This is hardly an explicit title, so the software might have registered the correct name and we’re looking at a new AMD GPU. On the other hand, all unreleased discrete GPUs from AMD have registered as AMD Radeon RX in the past. The most likely scenario is that the benchmark is registering the integrated GPU and not the discrete GPU that performed the benchmark. Intuition might suggest that if the GPU is being tested with an unreleased AMD CPU, then it must be AMD doing the testing. But why would AMD test such a powerful GPU with a laptop CPU that it would never be paired with? Why would AMD double their chances of error by testing two engineering sample products together? It’s worth noting that before this not a single benchmark had ever surfaced for a "big Navi" GPU. Nvidia on the other hand… their GPUs appear in online benchmarks ahead of release all the time. Yeah, I’ve got my tinfoil hat on here but bear with me. Nvidia is significantly more likely to have a GPU this powerful in the late development stages (Ampere, anyone?). AMD has also sent out a lot of 4800H samples to their partners. We’ve already seen Asus testing one with an unknown Nvidia GPU. If Nvidia or an OEM wanted to test the new GPU while concealing its existence, then grabbing an AMD APU is one way to do it. Of course, that’s a lot of effort to go to for one benchmark result. There are other ways to go about it, like just giving the GPU a new identification code. To be honest, none of the theories really seem to fit (could also be Intel Xe... what?), but needless to be said, we seem to have an awesome new GPU to look forward to in 2020. Isaiah, M. (2020, January 12). A mysterious new AMD Radeon GPU has beaten the RTX 2080 Ti. Retrieved from https://www.techspot.com/news/83510-mysterious-new-amd-radeon-gpu-has-beaten-rtx.html

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I played many games in the past, so i don't remember all names... Halo: Combat Evolved (Original one from 2001) Halo 2 Halo 3 Halo Reach Halo 3: ODST Halo Wars Halo 4 Halo Wars 2 Halo 5 Left 4 Dead Left 4 Dead 2 Portal 1 Portal 2 Half Life 1, 2, EP 1 and EP 2 Gears Of War 1 Gears Of War 2 Gears Of War 3 Noita (can't be sure, game still get updates) Cuphead

What just happened? Microsoft in collaboration with several key partners has been working for the past 14 months to develop a technique that is capable of detecting online predators attempting to groom children for exploitation. The campaign, dubbed Project Artemis, got under way in November 2018 during a Microsoft 360 Cross-Industry Hackathon that was co-sponsored by WePROTECT Global Alliance and the Child Dignity Alliance. In collaboration with The Meet Group, Roblox, Kik and Thorn, the initiative aims to identify potential instances of online child grooming by applying a technique to historical text-based conversations. As Microsoft highlights in a recent blog post, the technique evaluates and “rates” conversation characteristics and assigns an overall probability rating to the chat. This rating can then be used to determine if a conversation should be flagged as potentially inappropriate and passed along to human moderators for review. From there, it would be up to the moderators to determine if further action – such as involving law enforcement – is necessary. “We are making the tool available at this point in time to invite further contributions and engagement from other technology companies and organizations with the goal of continuous improvement and refinement.” Microsoft said it has used the technique on its Xbox platform “for several years” and is exploring its use in other chat platforms like Skype. From January 10, companies and services interested in testing out the technique can contact Thorn for licensing and adoption instructions. Shawn, K. (2020, January 10). Microsoft launches free tool to identify online child predators. Retrieved from https://www.techspot.com/news/83499-microsoft-launches-free-tool-identify-online-child-predators.html

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In a nutshell: Intel has revealed its first gaming GPU in twenty years, the DG1 SDV (software development vehicle). Despite the wicked RGB-infused design, this model is for developers only, but it proves that Intel is closing in on its goal of challenging Nvidia and AMD’s GPU supremacy. Intel is keeping its cards close to its chest, so unless you’re a serious developer, you probably won’t hear about specs or performance from official sources for a while. But who needs official sources? A fortnight ago, serial leaker Komachi found the card referenced in the Eurasian Economic Commission database, where it’s listed as having 96 execution units. Each of Intel’s execution units contains eight cores, so the card most likely has 768 cores. There’s a subtle hint in the fact that the DG1 doesn’t have a power connector, meaning it’s limited to the 75W connection motherboards provide through PCIe slots. It does have a fan, though, so assuming that’s not just for aesthetics, it can probably make use of the full 75W. It’s also likely to be built on 10nm or 10nm+. While it’s not exactly the most powerful of GPUs, there’s room in the market for it. Intel’s live demos at CES have been… less than exemplary, but that’s probably due to the card’s pre-release status. Assuming the public release version can run at reasonable clock speeds on optimized software, it should perform like the GeForce GTX 1650. However, if that’s not enough for you, there’s always the DG2. Intel accidentally confirmed three prototype models, with 1024, 2048 and 4096 cores, which should challenge Nvidia in the high-end. They’re probably further down the track, though. The DG1 and DG2 will both appear in laptops, too. The DG1, on the other hand, seems pretty close to release. Last year, Intel executive Raja Koduri hinted that the first Xe products could start to arrive in June 2020. This little peek into the development process Intel has given us only reinforces the likelihood of that schedule. Isaiah, M. (2020, January 10). Intel's first Xe gaming GPU is shipping to developers. Retrieved from https://www.techspot.com/news/83485-intel-first-xe-gaming-gpu-shipping-developers.html

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In a nutshell: Twitter is introducing a new feature that will allow people to decide who, if anyone, can reply to their tweets. The platform already allows users to hide replies to tweets, but the new tool adds more control over what they see and should help address the long-running troll problem. Suzanne Xie, Twitter’s director of product management, revealed the new reply options at CES. They will be tested in the first quarter of this year before being launched later in 2020, and consist of four settings that users can select: Global – Anyone can respond. Group - Allows replies from a user’s follows, or anyone mentioned in the tweet. Panel - Allow replies from people mentioned. Statement – No replies are allowed. "We want to help people feel safe participating in the conversation on Twitter," the company said. Being able to prevent any replies at all to a tweet is certainly interesting, and you can expect plenty of people to use the option. When asked about the possibility of limiting replies leading to misinformation going unchallenged, Xie said the company is exploring the option of allowing quote retweets. For many years now, Twitter has promised to do more to deal with the harassment and bullying that is rife on the platform. In July, it started removing tweets that "include language that dehumanizes others on the basis of religion." In December 2018, an Amnesty International report that examined the abuse of women on the site led to a short-seller labeling it “the Harvey Weinstein of social media.” Xie also announced new conversational features were coming to Twitter in the coming months, including threading, with the aim of putting an entire conversation “on one screen.” The company is also upgrading its topics and lists discovery features. Rob, T. (2020, January 9). Twitter will soon let you decide who can reply to your tweets. Retrieved from https://www.techspot.com/news/83471-twitter-soon-you-decide-who-can-reply-tweets.html