Technologies

Will the Diablo IV Beta Run on Your PC?

Laptop, Mac or Steam Deck, here’s which computer platforms you can play Diablo IV on.

There are a couple of ways to play Diablo IV, the latest installment of Blizzard’s action RPG series. First, you could wait until June 6, 2023, when the game is due to launch on PC, Xbox and PlayStation platforms. Or you could get early access through a public beta program running March 24-26, following an earlier invite-only beta that ran March 17 to 19.

Running the console versions should be straightforward, but if you’re a PC gamer and want to know if Diablo IV will run on your machine, you’ll need to check a long list of required and recommended hardware specs.

For a Windows-based gaming laptop or desktop, the official specs are as follows:

Minimum requirements

(720p resolution, low graphics settings, 30 frames per second.)

OS: 64-bit Windows 10
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD FX-8100
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 or AMD Radeon R9 280
DirectX: Version 12
Storage: SSD with 45 GB available space
Internet: Broadband Connection

Recommended requirements

(1080p resolution, medium graphics settings, 60 frames per second.)

OS: 64-bit Windows 10
Processor: Intel Core i5-4670K or AMD R3-1300X
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon RX 470
DirectX: Version 12
Storage: SSD with 45 GB available space
Internet: Broadband Connection

Pretty much any laptop with a discrete GPU from the past 10 years should be able to play the game, even if not at high resolutions and graphics settings. Because of the wide base of Diablo fans, the system requirements are on the lighter side, compared to some more intensive games, including Hogwarts Legacy.

As always with PC gaming, the spec recommendations may change over time, and you may have to experiment to get the best results. Note also that the final game may behave differently than the beta, which is an unfinished product.

Will Diablo IV run on a Mac?

Like most popular PC games, there is no Mac-native version of Diablo IV planned as of right now. The latest Apple Silicon chips also make it hard to dual-boot Windows in order to try Windows-only games.

But there are some potential options. If Diablo IV comes to a cloud gaming service such as Nvidia’s GeForce Now, Amazon Luna or Xbox Cloud Gaming, that would be one way to play on a MacBook, iMac or Mac Mini.

Read more: Best Cloud Gaming Services

No cloud support has been announced yet, but Microsoft, which is in the process of buying ActivisionBlizzard, recently announced a deal to bring more games to GeForce Now in general.

diablo-4-on-steam-deck — Dan Ackerman/CNET

Will Diablo IV run on a Steam Deck?

Short answer: yes. Long answer: Yes, but it’s a little complicated and takes a good amount of effort to get set up.

The basic steps are as follows:

Go to the Steam Deck desktop mode
Download Blizzard’s Battle.net installer
Add and run the installer as a «non-Steam» game from within the desktop version of Steam
Add the now-installed Battle.net app as a «non-Steam» game
Run the Battle.net app from within Steam, log in to Battle.net as usual
From there, you can run Battle.net to install Diablo IV, in either a Steam Deck desktop or SteamOS modes

That’s just the broad strokes for people already familiar with how Steam and SteamOS work. For a more specific step-by-step, this guide from overkill.wtf is one of the most detailed I’ve seen, including exact file paths you’ll need to map within Steam. Gaming on Linux also has an excellent detailed guide.

A few troubleshooting tips from my own experience: If the game either doesn’t start or starts without sound, you may need to force the game to use a specific version of Proton (which allows Windows games to play under the Linux-based Steam OS). Right click on the Steam library entry for Battle.net, and go to Properties > Compatibility and require the app to use the recently released GE-Proton 7-51-diablo_4_beta version, specifically tweaked for Diablo IV.

To get that specific Proton version, if you don’t already have it, go to the Discovery app on the Steam Deck desktop, which is like an app store. Search for ProtonUp Qt. Install and run that app, and from there find and install the special «7-51-diablo_4_beta» version.

I told you it’s complicated.

Once I’d done all that, Diablo IV ran pretty well on the Steam Deck for me. At low graphics settings and 1,200×800-pixel resolution, I hit 40 to 60 frames per second most of the time, with some occasional lag and stuttering. If the game is missing audio or the Steam Deck controls don’t work, you may need to double check the version of Proton Battle.net is using, restart the Steam Deck or reinstall Diablo IV. Some combination of those finally got everything working for me.

Game console reviews

See the latest CNET gaming coverage here.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, June 28

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for June 28.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s Saturday, so it’s extra-long, and might take you a while. Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Detachable parts of a dress form
Answer: ARMS

5A clue: Catering container containing caffeine
Answer: TEARUN

8A clue: Climbing structure offered in pet stores
Answer: CATTREE

9A clue: Gets into town
Answer: ARRIVES

10A clue: Frédéric Chopin or Ray Charles, notably
Answer: PIANIST

11A clue: They don’t hold water
Answer: SIEVES

12A clue: ___-jerk reaction
Answer: KNEE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: With some chance of failure
Answer: ATARISK

2D clue: Prepare for a new job, maybe
Answer: RETRAIN

3D clue: Midday Broadway showing
Answer: MATINEE

4D clue: Goal of a noted reality show set on an island
Answer: SURVIVE

6D clue: Witherspoon who portrayed June Carter in «Walk the Line»
Answer: REESE

7D clue: Lodgings for larks
Answer: NESTS

8D clue: Souvenir from a baseball game
Answer: CAP

Technologies

Facing Billions in DMA Fines, Apple Lets EU iPhone Users Install Apps Outside the App Store

A last-minute rule change lets European iPhone owners download apps from rival stores and developer websites, while introducing new fees that Apple hopes will satisfy regulators in Brussels.

In a scramble to sidestep penalties that could soar into the billions, and with Brussels regulators watching closely, Apple has agreed to let Europeans download iPhone apps from outside its own App Store.

With just hours left before an EU compliance deadline, the company said residents of the 27-nation bloc will soon be able to grab apps from rival marketplaces or straight off a developer’s website. The change rolls out later this year with iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6, and also lets users set a different browser engine and choose a third-party wallet at checkout.

For everyday EU iPhone owners, that means the download button could pop up in more places than just Apple’s storefront. After you select the new setting, iOS shows a one-time permission sheet confirming you’re leaving Apple’s marketplace. The app then passes a quick notarization scan meant to weed out malware. Apple notes that off-store downloads work only inside the EU, and disappear if you stay outside the bloc for more than 30 days.

Cost to developers

Developers do gain fresh distribution freedom, but there’s a price tag. A new two-tier Store Services fee asks for 5% of outside sales in exchange for basic services like app reviews and support in what’s called Tier 1, or 13% for the full bundle of perks, including automatic updates and App Store promotions in Tier 2.

Apple will take a 5% «Core Technology Commission» on any purchase made outside its own payment system. That new cut will phase out the current €0.50-per-download fee and become the sole charge across the EU when a unified pricing model arrives on Jan. 1, 2026.

Apple insists «more than 99%» of devs will pay the same or less under the revamped math.

Why now?

In April, the European Commission fined Apple €500 million ($585 million) for blocking developers from steering users to cheaper payment options, and warned that daily penalties of up to 5% of global revenue could follow if it failed to comply.

Throughout the back-and-forth, Apple has accused the commission of «moving the goalposts» on what counts as compliance, with a spokesperson saying the company has invested «hundreds of thousands of hours» to meet the EU’s evolving demands.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney blasted the 5% tier as a «malicious compliance scheme» that «makes a mockery of fair competition.»

If regulators decide Apple still hasn’t gone far enough, the iPhone maker could face steeper sanctions, or even be forced to separate its App Store business.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for June 27, #1469

Here are hints — and the answer — for today’s Wordle No. 1,469 for June 27. Some players need a new starter word now.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle isn’t too tough, but somehow, it has a starting letter I never seem to guess. Some posters on Reddit say it was one of their starter words, so now they’re in the market for a new way to begin the game. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

There are two vowels in today’s Wordle answer.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with P.

Wordle hint No. 4: Placement

The two vowels are next to each other.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to something that is not decorated and is simple.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is PLAIN.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, June 26, No. 1468 was OFFER.

Recent Wordle answers

June 22, No. 1464: THRUM

June 23, No. 1465: ODDLY

June 24, No. 1466: ELITE

June 25, No. 1467: COMFY

Will Wordle run out of words?

When Wordle began, creator Josh Wardle used a list of five-letter words he’d shared with his partner, picking only the words they recognized. While that’s more than 2,000 words, more than half of them have already been used.

Wordle editor Tracy Bennett admitted that the game will eventually have to come to grips with the fact that the word list is not eternal.

«One possibility is that we could recycle old words at some point, like when we get close to the end,» Bennett told a Wordle player on TikTok.

She also said the editors might throw all the words back in and reuse them, or allow plurals, or past tense, something that’s not done now.