With Google Reader nearing its imminent death, a race to build the perfect alternative for the service's refugees has been taking shape over the last few weeks. Even though there are dozens of alternatives already out there, if you care about cross-platform compatibility and synchronization across different devices (read and favorited items) then your options are a little more limited than you'd imagine.

Although some decent games do poorly for no good reason, many titles are so headscratchingly bad that you have to wonder why the developer even bothered. In the group of terribly bad games, there are the truly bad ones and then there are the big flops: those that have built an irredeemable amount of hype. Here's our list of PC gaming shame: titles that weren't cancelled but should have been.

Steam gets a lot of credit for rejuvenating the PC gaming market, and there's one area it deserves more praise than anywhere else: its regular, highly-discounted sales. The PS4, Xbox One and Wii U are all very different consoles, but there's one thing I wish all three had in common: their digital pricing. Something they could learn from the PC.

Prison Architect is like SimPrison made by people who seem to be damn near fearless about making video games about uncomfortable topics. Indie studio Introversion's developers served up some fascinating answers to our questions about the possibilities of a game about building and running a prison.

Tech companies have been trying for years to get broadcast behemoths to change their ways and there's been a good bit of progress. But it's not enough. Technology is simply outpacing the traditional broadcast model. Something's gotta give. Could the Xbox One be the catalyst for change that we've all been hoping for?

The Thin Mini-ITX form factor allows for seriously compact computers. Our PC build goal: extremely compact, powerful, and near silent operation, as in no-moving-parts silent.

The gaming world is making a dramatic shift towards free to play games. Of course, full price retail titles still make up for a majority of releases on the PC and most other platforms, but playing a quality game without cracking your wallet open is a completely viable option nowadays.

The tablet market doesn't look very different than it did a year ago from the perspective of who's doing well and who's not. Perhaps the most exciting developments came towards the end of 2012: Google released the Nexus 10 and updated the Nexus 7, Apple launched a smaller and cheaper iPad mini, while Microsoft went all in with the Surface RT and Pro.

Thanks to mods, your entire PC gaming experience can be improved by the work of dedicated fans. Because some mods are so extensive, transforming almost everything about the source title, we felt it was only fair to list 12 of the best of them here, since they may as well count as their own new games.

It's an exciting year for gamers as we approach the next console generation and new software projects inevitably hit the PC as well. We've assembled a list of the hottest PC games expected to hit shelves over the next 12 months. Our selection includes 35 games and 10 bonus mentions we're lukewarm about.

What Western gamers think of PC games - the games from developers like Valve and Blizzard - aren't. When many Japanese gamers think of the country's PC gaming industry, the kneejerk reaction is to think of either dating or first person shooters.

Once you settle on the idea that you are not having a hardware problem and you are unable to boot up, your best bet is to try to fix the MBR (Master Boot Record). With a long history of dual booting different versions of Windows over the years, finding a corrupt MBR, boot sector, or Boot Configuration Data (BCD) is nothing new.

In the wake of last month's tragic shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school, and the revelation that killer Adam Lanza had enjoyed shooter games like Call of Duty, violent video games have again become a significant topic in national conversation. But have researchers found any links between video games and violence?

During the past 10 years Apple has systematically attacked and conquered from several fronts. Here's a brief recount of those winning products, and where it applies, the industry incumbents that for one reason or another failed to innovate or at least failed to beat Apple at breaking products to the masses first.

This year we have divided stories in 12 heavily packed categories, with nearly 500 hand-picked headlines total. Feel free to jump around between your favored topics, but try not to miss the tech culture section where we revisit some of the most entertaining stories we covered this year. Here's our take on 2012...

Video games and gaming in general had its highs and lows during 2012, but more importantly, we've all turned those highs and lows into animated GIFs for the rest of the internet to behold.

Before we move on to the latest and greatest devices of 2013, we figure it's worth revisiting some of 2012's most popular devices as suggested by our Product Finder, which includes reviews by hundreds of seasoned specialists across the Web. We've included 59 products across 14 categories along with their aggregate review score and a brief commentary that explains why they're special.

In September, I got myself a gaming laptop (yes, yes, I know, but it's a powerful one). I installed Steam and started downloading games. These games started updating themselves, snatching whatever files they needed, installing DirectX and god knows what else. I was trusting Steam and it was making my return to PC gaming a cinch.

Being one of the most prolific sources of security vulnerabilities in Windows and other platforms, Adobe Flash Player needs no introduction. In spite of that reputation, and the fact that the rest of the industry is moving away from Flash, it'd just seem Adobe is making all possible efforts to make its software more bloated and less attractive to all consumers alike.

AMD has long been subject of polarizing debate among technology enthusiasts. Considering that it was once considered equal to Intel, many wonder why AMD is failing. However, it's probably fairer to ask how the company has survived so for long -- a question we intend to explore as we revisit the company's past, examine its present and gaze into its future.

Although you're working against the clock, the upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales make this a fairly sensible time to dive in and ensure your loved ones are sufficiently showered in silicon-laced trinkets and baubles on the morning of December 25. As it happens, we have a soft spot for said gadgets and we've compiled a list of over two dozen things spanning all budgets that we'd love to find under the tree this year.

While manufacturers haven't exactly flooded the market with touch-enabled laptops, there are some good options out there already. Expect a crush of touchable Windows 8 machines at CES early next year, but for those shopping this holiday, we have cherry picked the best touch-enabled, Windows 8 laptops.

The holiday season is right around the corner and so is Black Friday, when the Christmas shopping season officially begins. But actually, if you've been following recent deals you may have noticed several major retailers will launch their Black Friday sales ahead of the date. The best way to make the most of Black Friday savings is to be prepared.

Windows 8's new Start screen has been hotly debated, but beyond not offering a way to bypass this screen, surprisingly Microsoft is also limiting your options when it comes to customizing the Start screen's appearance. Here's a quick and practical way to change the Windows 8 Start screen wallpaper / background.

Last weekend I was feeling a bit nostalgic and fired up Windows 2000 on my home computer. Win2k has a special place in my heart. Sadly, due to planned obsolescence it's no longer possible to use this fantastic operating system with the latest software available.

No one is more excited about the launch than Microsoft. The company has launched pop-up holiday stores at malls across America to promote the new OS and the Surface RT. I had a chance to check in with one of these stores at Aventura Mall in Miami, Florida.

Microsoft sits on the edge of a product launch that is plainly among the most important in the company's history. However, what might be more useful is looking at Microsoft's other make or break moments. A careful evaluation of them may provide a better, ahem, window into the company's chances this Winter.

Malwarebytes started its life as a company in 2004 as a one-man operation, but it wasn't until four years later that its star product was released, simply called 'Anti-Malware'. Since then the company has rapidly grown to establish itself as a serious player in the computer security industry.

A recent Caribbean cruise vacation provided the perfect opportunity to test whether or not my iPad would make a suitable travel replacement. As such, I decided to put several products spanning multiple categories to the test to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses based on my hands-on experience.

Currently in beta, Ravaged is the brainchild of Boris Ustaev and his crew at 2Dawn Games, who have spent the last few years toiling away on a fast-paced post-apocalyptic multiplayer shooter with a strong focus on skills, teamwork, vehicular combat and most importantly, fun. In other words, it's everything the folks at 2Dawn have wanted in a modern PC shooter, but have been unable to find.