Early history

On February 1, 1991, John Romero, John Carmack, Tom Hall, and Adrian Carmack officially founded id Software. The group went on to revolutionize the game industry with franchises such as Wolfenstein , Doom , and Quake . Here’s a look back at id Software over the last 30 years, with a little help from those legendary developers. id Software: The House That Keen Built The story of id Software began in the late 1980s, when John Carmack, John Romero, Adrian Carmack (no relation to John), and Tom Hall developed games for a mail-order disk magazine company called Softdisk , located in Shreveport, Louisiana. After John Carmack devised a breakthrough scrolling technique for PC games in mid-1990, Hall, Romero, and Carmack created a new platform game— Commander Keen —based on the technology while secretly moonlighting at Softdisk. Soon the talented group began communicating with Scott Miller of Apogee Software , a pioneering shareware publisher. After some … [Read more...] about From Keen to Doom: id Software’s Founders Talk 30 Years of Gaming History

Thanks to Developer Mode on the Xbox Series X and S, you can install emulators like RetroArch . Turn your Xbox Series X or S into a retro gaming powerhouse and emulate the PS2, GameCube, Dreamcast, and more, all without impacting your ability to play retail games. First, Activate Developer Mode The first thing you have to do is activate Developer Mode on your Xbox . To do so, you’ll need a paid Microsoft Partner developer account. This requires a one-time fee of $19 (pricing is different in other regions). Once you’ve activated your account, you can add your Xbox as a developer console. RELATED: How to Put Your Xbox Series X or S into Developer Mode With a valid developer account, you can download the Xbox Dev Mode app, activate your console in Partner Center, and then reboot in Developer Mode. From there, it’s just a matter of configuring your network connection, and then accessing the Xbox Developer Mode web interface via a browser. For this guide, we’ll … [Read more...] about How to Install the RetroArch Emulator on Xbox Series X or S

Have you ever seen the short, randomly placed two-letter acronym “RN” in a text from a friend? Here’s what it means and how you can use it across a variety of internet conversations. When? “Right Now!” RN stands for “right now.” It’s used to specify an activity or status as being in the present, similar to words like “currently” or “presently.” It’s also used to ask someone what they’re currently doing, often combined with colloquial phrases like “What’s up?” or “How’s it going?” Another way RN is used is to invite someone to do an activity with you as soon as possible. For example, if you need to call someone urgently, you could message them, “Can you hop on FaceTime rn?” This implies that you want to talk to them now and not later in the day. RN is frequently used with other initialisms like WYD and HYD, which stand for “What are you doing?” and “How are you doing?”, respectively. For example, you could message someone a complete question by typing “wyd rn?”, which stands … [Read more...] about What Does “RN” Mean, and How Do You Use It?

On Windows 10, Windows Update may sometimes offer you an “Optional Quality Update.” Unlike other updates, Windows won’t automatically install these—so what exactly are they? Should you install them? Windows Update Won’t Automatically Install These An “optional quality update” is a Windows update that you don’t have to install immediately . These never include security fixes—if an important security patch is available, Windows Update will install it without waiting. However, some updates are optional. These fix stability issues and other problems in Windows. Some of these may be optional hardware driver updates . You have the choice of whether or not to install these—it’s up to you. What Is a “Cumulative Update Preview”? One of the most common optional quality updates is a “cumulative update preview.” Microsoft releases cumulative updates once a month on Patch Tuesday , which is the second Tuesday of each month. These updates bundle a large number of fixes for … [Read more...] about What Is an “Optional Quality Update” on Windows 10?

Have you ever asked someone what they’re doing and gotten a short, two-letter answer in response? We’ll explain what “nm” means, and how to use it in your texts properly. “Not Much” NM means “not much.” It’s often used to respond to “what’s up?” or “what are you up to?” It’s a very common initialism in texts and social media platforms. It’s considered a noncommittal answer that needs to be followed up to lead into an engaged conversation. Like other internet acronyms, it’s mostly used in lowercase, rather than uppercase letters. It can also act as a complete sentence when used to answer a question. NM can also mean “nothing much” instead of “not much,” but they’re interchangeable. Whether you read the letter “n” as “nothing” or “not” is up to you. NM is also commonly paired with the acronym HBU (how about you?) as a way to throw the question back at the person asking. RELATED: What Does "HBU" Mean, and How Do You Use It? The History of NM NM got its start in … [Read more...] about What Does “NM” Mean, and How Do You Use It?

If you’ve thanked someone online, there’s a good chance that they responded with the initialism “NP.” We’ll tell you what it means and how to use it when chatting with your friends. “No Problem” NP stands for “No problem.” It’s usually used as a replacement for “You’re welcome” when thanks is offered. “No problem” can be abbreviated in both lowercase (np) and uppercase (NP). The lowercase variant is more common in personal messages. You’ll frequently see it online when people are thanked for helping others for things such as giving useful advice or providing answers to a question. NP is frequently used on its own without being put into a longer sentence. The acronym already creates a complete sentence when used as a response to someone else. Another popular way to truncate the phrase is by saying “No prob.” “No problem” is synonymous with the idiomatic expression “No big deal” and its acronym NBD, as well as “No sweat.” The History of NP Like most internet acronyms, … [Read more...] about What Does “NP” Mean, and How Do You Use It?