Microsoft brings original Xbox backward compatibility to Windows PCs
For years, Microsoft has leaned heavily into extensive backward compatibility across multiple generations of Xbox hardware as a major selling point for its consoles. …
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Who needs new hardware?
It’s not surprising that older Nintendo hardware tends to quickly fade away once a replacement is on the market. Ars’ analysis finds that Nintendo consoles usually stay on the market for just one to four more fiscal years after their successors are sharing retail shelf space. Where the Switch’s future in the market will fall within this historic range is a bit hard to project. On the one hand, the Switch 2 sold nearly 20 million units in its first (partial) fiscal year, heavily outpacing the nearly 4 million full-year sales for the Switch in the 2026 fiscal year. This suggests a lot of pent-up
The Nintendo Switch's days are numbered—but what is that number?Valve slowly expands SteamOS support on non-Valve hardware
SteamOS is continuing its slow march to fuller support on a wider variety of non-Valve hardware. …
Valve's new Steam Machine verification system is silent on these Steam Deck-busters
About a month ago, Valve announced that it would expand its long-standing Steam Deck Verified program to the now-shipping Steam Machine , offering a separate rating of Steam games’ compatibility and playability for the fresh living room-focused hardware. …
The Nintendo Switch's days are numbered—but what is that number?
… Who needs new hardware? It’s not surprising that older Nintendo hardware tends to quickly fade away once a replacement is on the market. …
AMD extends Socket AM5 support through at least 2029; AM4 refuses to die
… But games should still benefit from the extra 64MB of cache. “A longer platform roadmap can reduce the need for full system replacements and gives PC builders more confidence when choosing AMD Ryzen processors, AM5 motherboards and compatible memory,” reads AMD’s press release. “Our dedication to S… …
macOS 27 requires Apple Silicon, as Apple draws down the Intel Mac era
… Andrew is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica, with a focus on consumer tech including computer hardware and in-depth reviews of operating systems like Windows and macOS. …
Over a year later, AMD is bringing improved FSR 4 upscaling to its older GPUs
… RDNA4 includes AI accelerators that support the FP8 data format in the hardware, and porting FSR 4 to older GPUs meant getting it running on the integer-based INT8 hardware in the RDNA3 and RDNA2-based GPUs. …
Framework Laptop 13 Pro review: Much better battery, much worse price
… The last time the company bumped up its battery capacity, it was months and months before some motherboards got finalized BIOS updates that added compatibility for the new hardware. …
The RAMpocalypse has bought Microsoft valuable time in the fight against SteamOS
… SteamOS picked up official support for some third-party gaming handhelds and other hardware besides, and some manufacturers were beginning to ship models with SteamOS rather than Windows pre-installed. Games were being tested not just for Steam Deck compatibility, but general SteamOS compatibility . …
Newly discovered PamStealer isn't your typical macOS malware
… Dan Goodin is Senior Security Editor at Ars Technica, where he oversees coverage of malware, computer espionage, botnets, hardware hacking, encryption, and passwords. …