If you've ever fallen down a Wikipedia rabbit hole or spent a pleasant evening digging through college library stacks, you know the joy of a good research puzzle. Every new source and cross-reference you find unlocks an incremental understanding of a previously unknown world, forming a piecemeal tapestry of knowledge that you can eventually look back at as a cohesive and well-known whole.

TR-49 takes this research process and operationalizes it into an engrossing and novel piece of heavily non-linear interactive fiction. Researching the myriad sources contained in the game's mysterious computer slowly reveals a tale that's part mystery, part sci-fi allegory, part family drama, and all-compelling alternate academic history.

Steampunk Wikipedia

The entirety of TR-49 takes place from a first-person perspective as you sit in front of a kind of Steampunk-infused computer terminal. An unseen narrator asks you to operate the machine but is initially cagey about how or why or what you're even looking for. There's a creepy vibe to the under-explained circumstances that brought you to this situation, but the game never descends into the jump scares or horror tropes of so many other modern titles.

Read full article

Comments

Raspberry Pi devices are popular among retro enthusiasts looking to emulate old computers and consoles, but this usually only goes as far as software. What you might not have considered is that the Raspberry Pi can also play a role in reviving old hardware.

That (probably) familiar connector you see up there is known as a "Molex" connector, and modern power supplies and computer peripherals rarely of ever still have this type of power connector—and for good reason.

I've been using computers since before they had hard drives, and over the last thirty-odd years things have advanced at a breakneck speed. These days almost everything works as intended, but that has been very far from the reality for most of my personal computing history. Here's some of the weird stuff I used to do with my computers.

Fable’s extended preview outlines a bigger, more reactive Albion, with open-world freedom, reputation-driven consequences, and flexible “style-weaving” combat, all heading to PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC in autumn 2026.

The post Your Fable reboot preview is here, open world Albion looks gloriously chaotic appeared first on Digital Trends.

Nintendo's Talking Flower is a Mario-inspired toy that speaks random phrases throughout the day.

The post Nintendo’s latest product wants to cheer you up with random quips appeared first on Digital Trends.

Intel has initiated the end-of-life process for its 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs and 600-series chipsets, setting final order and shipment dates as the platform begins phasing out.

The post Alder Lake is ending and here’s what it means for your current PC appeared first on Digital Trends.

Forza Horizon 6 launches on May 19, 2026 for Xbox and PC, with a PlayStation 5 version confirmed for later this year.

The post Your next road trip is booked: Forza Horizon 6 comes this May appeared first on Digital Trends.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin Payments Startup ZBD Raises $40M to Build Gaming Payments Rails

Bitcoin payments startup ZBD has raised $40 million in a Series C funding round as it looks to expand blockchain-based payment infrastructure for the video game industry, Fortune reported.

The New Jersey–based company, which provides payments software for game developers, was led in the round by Blockstream Capital. The crypto investment firm contributed $36 million, according to cofounder and CEO Simon Cowell, who spoke with Fortune. 

Cowell declined to disclose the company’s valuation or name the other investors involved.

The platform allows video game developers to integrate payments directly into games, enabling transactions such as peer-to-peer transfers, loyalty rewards, and Bitcoin payouts without relying on third-party fintech providers.

 “We’re talking about a payment solution for the entire industry that actually really enables them to have a direct financial relationship to the player,” Cowell said.

The fundraise comes at a time when enthusiasm for crypto gaming has cooled. 

Once touted as a major use case for blockchain technology, crypto-based gaming — particularly NFT-driven models — has struggled to gain mainstream traction since the 2021–2022 bull market. 

ZBD has deliberately avoided NFTs and crypto-native gameplay, instead focusing on payments, an area that has seen more concrete adoption, especially as stablecoins gain attention from firms like Stripe and banks including JPMorgan Chase, according to Fortune.

Founded by Cowell alongside André Neves and Christian Moss, ZBD centers its technology on Bitcoin rather than stablecoins. 

However, the company positions itself as a broader payments provider, allowing developers to keep users within their ecosystems rather than routing transactions through external services.

While the startup is not yet profitable and declined to share revenue figures, Cowell said the company worked with 55 games in 2025 and currently employs about 70 people. 

The newly raised capital will be used to expand ZBD’s payments product suite over the coming year, Fortune reported.

ZBD’s bitcoin rewards

ZBD integrated Bitcoin rewards into TapNation’s mobile game Idle Bank last year, marking the first mainstream mobile game to deliver Lightning Network payouts, which boosted 30-day player retention by 355% and revenue per player by 124%. 

The company, originally testing Bitcoin rewards with a modded Counter-Strike server, developed an SDK and API that allow game developers to seamlessly add Bitcoin rewards while addressing cybersecurity and fraud concerns. 

ZBD’s model turns ad revenue into Bitcoin payouts for players, increasing engagement and monetization, and has already driven significant growth for games like Bitcoin Miner.

This post Bitcoin Payments Startup ZBD Raises $40M to Build Gaming Payments Rails first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

When I reviewed the Switch 2 back in June, I noted that the lack of any sort of extended grip on the extremely thin Joy-Con 2 controllers made them relatively awkward to hold, both when connected to the system and when cradled in separate hands. At the time, I said that "my Switch 2 will probably need something like the Nyxi Hyperion Pro, which I’ve come to rely on to make portable play on the original Switch much more comfortable."

Over half a year later, Nyxi is once again addressing my Switch controller-related comfort concerns with the Hyperion 3, which was made available for preorder earlier this week ahead of planned March 1 shipments. Unfortunately, it looks like players will have to pay a relatively high price for a potentially more ergonomic Switch 2 experience.

While there are plenty of third-party controllers for the Switch 2, none of the current options mimic the official Joy-Cons' ability to connect magnetically to the console tablet itself (controllers designed to slide into the grooves on the original Switch tablet also can't hook to the successor console). The Hyperion 3 is the first Switch 2 controller to offer this magnetic connection, making it uniquely suited for handheld play on the system.

Read full article

Comments

© Nyxi

Looking to jazz up your portable gaming experience? Here are the best accessories we’ve tested for the Nintendo Switch 2.

A good mouse is one of those upgrades you notice immediately. Your aim feels steadier, your clicks feel more intentional, and even basic work tasks get less annoying. The Razer Basilisk V3 Pro is on sale for $99.00, down from $159.99, a 38% discount. If you’ve been using a bargain mouse or an aging work […]

The post The mouse that makes your whole setup feel faster is 38% off appeared first on Digital Trends.

The Prince of Persia Sands of Time Remake canceled news is now official. Ubisoft has confirmed it has discontinued the long-delayed remake, closing the door on a modern take of the 2003 classic after years of setbacks. The cancellation lands inside a broader shake-up at Ubisoft, one that’s meant to tighten greenlights and concentrate spending. […]

The post Your Prince of Persia remake is dead, Ubisoft is reshaping its lineup appeared first on Digital Trends.

Uma Racing is a community-created racing game, inspired by the popular Uma Musume universe. Uma Racing...

The post Uma Racing Codes (January 2026) appeared first on Fossbytes.

Microsoft’s Xbox app is now available on Windows 11 ARM PCs, with over 85 % of Game Pass games supported natively.

The post Your ARM Windows laptop just became a gaming machine appeared first on Digital Trends.

I remember unboxing my first 144Hz IPS panel five years ago and thinking we had peaked. I was wrong. After spending the last month staring at the latest crop of 240Hz OLEDs, going back to a standard backlit LCD feels like looking at a game through a screen door. Quick links AOC – 27” QD-OLED […]

The post The 144Hz IPS era is over: why 240Hz OLED is the only monitor you should buy appeared first on Digital Trends.

For a lot of the games I've written about in the C:\ArsGames series, I've come to the conclusion that the games hold up pretty well, despite their age—Master of Orion II, Jill of the Jungle, and Wing Commander Privateer, for example. Each of those have flaws that show now more than ever, but I still had a blast revisiting each of them.

This time I'd like to write about one that I think doesn't hold up quite as well for me: For the first time in almost 30 years, I revisited the original Tomb Raider via 2024's Tomb Raider I-III Remastered collection.

You might be thinking this is going to be a dunk on the work done on the remaster, but that's not the case, because the core issue with playing 1996's Tomb Raider in 2026 is actually unsolvable, no matter how much care is put into a remaster.

Read full article

Comments

© Aspyr

With AI-driven memory shortages and mounting economic pressures, analysts warn Nintendo may quietly raise Switch 2 prices in 2026.

The post You might want to grab a Switch 2 now to avoid a price hike later in 2026 appeared first on Digital Trends.

This new Scrabble-inspired game is a distraction-free alternative to ad-loaded competitors like Words With Friends.