Google Play Games for PC is getting more premium titles and cross-buy with Android

Google Play Games for PC is getting more premium titles and cross-buy with Android

fivenewscrypto    mars 13, 2026   

Google has been tinkering with porting its Play Games platform to Windows for several years, but it started getting serious about it last year. Now, with the 2026 Game Developer Conference underway, Google has announced a new batch of updates for its desktop gaming efforts. The company promises its store will have more Windows titles, make those games easier to find, and help bring Android experiences to PCs (and vice versa).

Windows will be presented as a core part of the Google Play platform with these updates. The mobile and web Play Store will soon have a Windows tab, which will highlight content that is optimized for desktop gaming. The store will direct you to install the Windows client to play these titles on a computer, but you can also wishlist them from any platform. When you do that, developers will be able to push notifications of sales that could entice people to buy something. This will only be available on mobile at first, but it will come to PC later.

Finding something worth playing in Google Play on a PC has been a challenge, but Google says it's working on that. The company promises a slate of premium games are coming to the Google Platform. Sledding Game, 9 Kings, Potion Craft, and Moonlight Peaks will launch in Google Play this year, and Low Budget Repairs will come in 2027. If you're unsure about dropping money on a game up front, Google plans to offer trials for select games. It will start with select games like Dredge and only on Android, but Google will make the trial option available to more developers and Windows down the line.

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Report: RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine agenda curbed as GOP realizes it's unpopular

Report: RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine agenda curbed as GOP realizes it's unpopular

fivenewscrypto    mars 13, 2026   

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s relentless anti-vaccine agenda is getting reined in as Republicans warn that further attacks on lifesaving vaccines could harm the party during the midterms, according to a report by The Washington Post.

The Post reported Wednesday that Kennedy's hand-selected committee of vaccine advisors—who share his anti-vaccine views—have abruptly abandoned plans to attack mRNA vaccines in an upcoming meeting.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to meet March 18–19. While no agenda has been published for the meeting, a Federal Register notice stated that the meeting would include discussion of "COVID-19 vaccine injuries," and may include a vote to change the CDC's vaccine recommendations. Sources close to the committee told the Post that Kennedy's advisors have been looking for ways to remove mRNA COVID-19 vaccines entirely from federal recommendations. And according to clearly stated goals in a meeting of Kennedy's anti-vaccine allies earlier this week, the long-term goal is to eliminate all childhood vaccine recommendations and remove the shots from the market.

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FCC chair blasts Amazon after it criticizes SpaceX megaconstellation

FCC chair blasts Amazon after it criticizes SpaceX megaconstellation

fivenewscrypto    mars 13, 2026   

It is fairly common for satellite companies to verbally spar over constellations, battling over territory such as preferred orbits and the electromagnetic spectrum for data transmission. The venue for such disputes is often the Federal Communications Commission, which has regulatory authority over satellite communications.

Everyone pretty much fights with everyone, but of late, the exchanges between SpaceX and Amazon have turned a bit nasty. And on Wednesday, the FCC chairman weighed in against Amazon.

The issue of the moment is SpaceX's recent application to the FCC for permission to launch up to 1 million satellites to form a megaconstellation to provide data center services from space.

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14,000 routers are infected by malware that's highly resistant to takedowns

14,000 routers are infected by malware that's highly resistant to takedowns

fivenewscrypto    mars 12, 2026   

Researchers say they have uncovered a takedown-resistant botnet of 14,000 routers and other network devices—primarily made by Asus—that have been conscripted into a proxy network that anonymously carries traffic used for cybercrime.

The malware—dubbed KadNap—takes hold by exploiting vulnerabilities that have gone unpatched by their owners, Chris Formosa, a researcher at security firm Lumen’s Black Lotus Labs, told Ars. The high concentration of Asus routers is likely due to botnet operators acquiring a reliable exploit for vulnerabilities affecting those models. He said it’s unlikely that the attackers are using any zero-days in the operation.

A botnet that stands out among others

The number of infected routers averages about 14,000 per day, up from 10,000 last August, when Black Lotus discovered the botnet. Compromised devices are overwhelmingly located in the US, with smaller populations in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Russia. One of the most salient features of KadNap is a sophisticated peer-to-peer design based on Kademlia, a network structure that uses distributed hash tables to conceal the IP addresses of command-and-control servers. The design makes the botnet resistant to detection and takedowns through traditional methods.

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Explain it like I'm 5: Why is everyone on speakerphone in public?

Explain it like I'm 5: Why is everyone on speakerphone in public?

fivenewscrypto    mars 12, 2026   

The key to working at a place like Ars Technica is solid news judgment. I'm talking about the kind of news judgment that knows whether a pet peeve is merely a pet peeve or whether it is, instead, a meaningful example of the Ways that Technology is Changing our World.

The difference between the two is one of degree: A pet peeve may drive me nuts but does not appear to impact anyone else. A Ways that Technology is Changing our World story must be about something that drives a lot of people nuts.

"But where is the threshold?" I hear you asking plaintively. "It's extremely important that I know when something crosses the line from pet peeve to important, chin-stroking journalism topic!"

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Windows 11's Steam Deck-ish, streamlined Xbox gaming UI comes to all PCs in April

Windows 11's Steam Deck-ish, streamlined Xbox gaming UI comes to all PCs in April

fivenewscrypto    mars 12, 2026   

When Asus and Microsoft launched the ROG Xbox Ally X last summer, it came with a bespoke controller-driven full-screen interface running on top of Windows 11. The handheld was still running Windows under the hood, and you could bring up the typical Windows desktop any time, but it defaulted to the full-screen gaming UI.

Then called either the "Xbox Experience for Handheld" or the "Xbox Full-Screen Experience (FSE)," depending on who you asked and when, Microsoft said it would be available on all Windows PCs at some point in 2026. That point has apparently arrived: Microsoft announced this week at the Game Developers Conference that other Windows 11 PCs "in select markets" would be getting what's now being called "Xbox mode" starting in April.

Under the hood, a PC running in Xbox mode is still running regular-old Windows, with the same capabilities as any other PC. But there are system services and UI elements (like the standard Start menu and taskbar) that don't launch when the system is in Xbox mode, something Microsoft claims can save a gigabyte or two of RAM while also allowing systems to use less energy. Users can return to Windows' traditional desktop mode whenever they want, though.

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A glimpse into tuner culture: Fast and Furious exhibit at the Petersen

A glimpse into tuner culture: Fast and Furious exhibit at the Petersen

fivenewscrypto    mars 12, 2026   

The Fast and Furious franchise has come a long way in the quarter-century since the first film's release. Originally an undercover cop story, the franchise has morphed into... something else entirely. It's now a bombastic expression of automotive culture combined with some kind of caper, maybe to save the world. Just don't think too deeply about the plot.

Along the way, the film's cars have become nearly as famous as the human stars. If you're a fan, you probably can't have Vin Diesel or Michelle Rodriguez come hang out with you in your garage, but you can drive a Charger or Eclipse—or even a Jetta that looks like it escaped from the set. The more well-off collectors don't need to settle for building a replica, though; they actually own cars that appeared on screen, and there's quite a community of Fast and Furious car collectors.

You can find some of these cars at the Petersen Automotive Museum, which has a new exhibit celebrating 25 years of the franchise.

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