PC Gaming
Latest about PC Gaming
![The Xi3 Piston Steam Machine.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nwsL7wwkDbCK3GkAsZMyqQ-320-80.png)
Prototype 'Steam Machine' dusted off and tested — running Windows on an old AMD APU ten years later
By Matthew Connatser published
YouTuber Bringus Studios got its hands on an old Steam Machine prototype that used Windows instead of SteamOS.
![Quake II RTX](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hDTxBzwBfsWUjCb3dy25fS-320-80.jpg)
Ray tracing can run without a GPU, if you like slideshows — Quake II RTX demoed at 1 FPS with CPU-based ray-tracing
By Mark Tyson published
A Mesa 3D Graphics Library developer has implemented support for CPU-based ray-tracing in Vulkan. In early testing of the driver in Quake II RTX only 1FPS performance was achieved, but it's a start.
![Official box art of GameScent from Elevated Perceptions.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mJFwdDgkZYH5a7sqhUfMk3-320-80.jpg)
AI-powered gaming Smell-o-Vision promises scent of gunfire, storms, and explosions
By Christopher Harper published
GameScent, a riff on the Smell-o-Vision concept that operates with "scent cartridges"
![Screenshot of u/nekomichi's Skyrim Steam Deck iPod controls demo video.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RGagaFuPKbhMFKdZysaoae-320-80.png)
Modder turns an old pair of iPods into Steam Deck inputs
By Christopher Harper published
Reddit and YouTube modder (Michi) Nekomichi modded a pair of iPods with Rockbox firmware to turn them into Skyrim input devices.
![American McGee's Alice (2000) is one of many classic PC games released on disc with the SafeDisc DRM that hasn't worked on Windows since 2015. With SafeDiscShim, this classic is now fully playable off disc without need to circumvent its protection.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nBVzDn6Y3LcQkqzu33FyRN-320-80.jpg)
Utility breaks the shackles of SafeDisc optical disc DRM for retro gamers
By Christopher Harper published
Play your old favorites without needing unstable drivers or questionable cracks
![Steam Software and Hardware Survey](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TMqSN5Czzh3URvFLUqdFTF-320-80.jpg)
Steam Survey reveals momentum behind octa-core and better CPUs
By Roshan Ashraf Shaikh published
Valve released the January statistics from its Steam hardware and software survey, showing trends toward CPUs with eight or more cores, the adoption of Windows 11, and even interest in VR.
![Screenshot of the Pokémon Palworld mod from ToastedShoes' Twitter page.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bZsq4m8UfKeod3AMAwiSWL-320-80.jpg)
Palworld got a working Pokemon conversion mod, and Nintendo's lawyers struck immediately
By Christopher Harper published
A Pokémon conversion mod announcement video for Palworld replacing the playable character and capturable Pals with Pokémon characters received Nintendo takedown in under a day.
![Official screenshot of Pocketpair's "Palworld", taken from their Steam page.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/z56Kh7idbWF4kejGznfzph-320-80.jpg)
"Pokemon with guns" game Palworld sells 5 million copies, tops Steam most played in a single weekend
By Christopher Harper published
The game's "Pal" designs have been accused of plagiarism
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