A new Arc Raiders patch is taking aim at cheaters by implementing Denuvo's Anti-Cheat measures. But Embark Studios is already getting ahead of the backlash by promising folks it doesn't plan to use DRM and saying it's making sure the anti-cheat tech won't have a noticeable impact on performance.

Arc Raiders 1.29.0 patch notes are expansive and detail everything from a new trader to new weapons and balance tweaks. Buried at the bottom of the list is a note on the developer's ongoing battle against bad apples.

"We want to continue improving our anti-cheat solutions and more accurately detect foul play across the Rust Belt," the dev writes. "Following a positive rollout in The Finals, Denuvo Anti-Cheat will also come to ARC Raiders starting May 19th, initially to a limited player pool, with plans to expand after close monitoring."

Embark didn't specify exactly how it's lumping players together, but I'm guessing the anti-cheat tech will hit more aggressive players or accounts that have been reported first, before eventually spreading to everyone.

Even the mere mention of Denuvo is enough to scare droves of PC players, since the name is associated with a controversial, anti-piracy DRM service that often kneecaps performance, prompting the company to address the issue. Don't worry about it too much here, though.

"We will not be using Denuvo's Digital Rights Management (DRM) service, and are working to ensure minimal impact on performance," Embark adds. "With Denuvo Anti-Cheat and Anybrain, we are working to strengthen ARC Raiders' systems even further. Keep sending us reports of any information that you believe might help us do so, it's highly appreciated."

Cheating in Arc Raiders has been a recurring problem for months, and Embark has been testing various systems to detect and punish cheaters since at least January of this year. Here's hoping these newest changes can finally squash the extraction shooter's longest-running issue.

As Arc Raiders devs work on "reactivating" the 16 million people who bought the shooter, Embark Studios is early in development on two new games

He has the power... to win over critics! Masters of the Universe is pulling in hugely positive reactions following its LA premiere, and being compared to the likes of Marvel's Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Directed by Bumblebee helmer Travis Knight, the new live-action fantasy flick wonders what an episode of the '80s cartoon would've looked if one of Skeletor's schemes had actually worked. With that, it sees Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) living a humdrum human life on Earth, having been sent there by his mother when he was a young boy.

But Adam has never forgotten who he really is or where he hails from, and has spent the last few years searching for the Power Sword and a way to get back to Eternia. When he manages to find both, he's shocked to find his home has been taken over by evil warlord Skeletor (Jared Leto). After so many decades away, does he have what it takes to become the buff blonde hero he's destined to be and save his people?

On Twitter, The AU Review's Peter Gray praised Galitzine's comedic timing, the film's "knowingly cartoonish, '80s vibes", and Leto's "campy" voicework as Skeletor.

Elsewhere, Collider's Perri Nemiroff said she "was totally swept away by this super vibrant, weird and gleeful romp." Nemiroff went on to call it "downright ridiculous, but ridiculous works when the cast and crew wholly get the kind of movie they're making and are enthusiastic about going all out to bring it to life."

"One of the biggest surprises of 2026," she added.

"MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE is like a sister film to the first Thor," wrote DiscussingFilm's Andrew J. Salazar. "Struggles to find its footing in the first half, but once it locks on its themes of fragile masculinity and ego, it makes way for an incredibly fun time that's also visually stimulating. Nicholas Galitzine is great!"

"Masters of the Universe being one of the best movies I've seen all year was not on my bingo card but here we are," tweeted Offscreen Central's Kenzie Vanunu. "Genuinely an epic good time. I love swords, I guess."

Check out some other reactions below...

It seems worth noting, though, that not everyone dug what Knight has done with the franchise, with Gizmodo's Germain Lussier arguing that only the first 20 minutes of the movie were enjoyable. "As for the rest? It's a mess. Serious played for laughs, laughs played for emotion, it works, it doesn't, it really tries but ends up being too awkward. Great end credits scenes though."

Masters of the Universe releases on June 5. While we wait, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies heading our way.

Microsoft has been leaning hard into the idea that what matters with Windows is getting the basics right, as opposed to bolting on more AI gunk. An early example of that drive is a recent announcement involving more configurability for the taskbar and Start menu in Windows 11.

In a blog post titled, "Improving Windows quality: Making Taskbar and Start more personal," Microsoft kicks off with the taskbar, which is "where your PC experience comes to life" according to the post.

The big news here is the ability to now place the taskbar along any edge of the desktop. Yep, top, bottom, left and right, every option is being made available. What's more, you'll be able to align the Start button and icons in all four arrangements, "top-aligned or centered when the taskbar is on the left or right, and left-aligned or centered when the taskbar is on the top or bottom."

Of course, this is functionality that was largely available in previous versions of Windows, but removed for Windows 11. If you go for a vertical taskbar, you'll be able to choose between both a thin bar similar to the standard Windows 11 config along the bottom, or a wider bar that allows for fully labelled buttons for each running application.

There's also an option for an even thinner taskbar than usual, which will come in handy on lower resolution displays where space is at a premium.

As for the Start menu, the changes involve both configurability and quality. The former include section-level toggles to independently show or hide Pinned, Recommended, and All, plus settings to tweak the size of the Start menu and the option to hide your name and profile picture for privacy purposes.

As for "quality," Microsoft says it is improving the content that appears in the Recommended section and changing the name of that part of the menu to Recent to "better reflect what the section primarily shows, including recently installed apps and recently used files."

Microsoft is also improving the accuracy of recent files shown in the Start menu. "We are refining which files appear and how they are ordered to reduce less relevant items and better reflect what you have been working on," Microsoft says.

As for when these changes will be made available, Microsoft says they'll come first to Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel over the coming weeks. The company hasn't given a date for a full public release, but it'll probably be made available within a few months.