Hello, hello, hello.
Welcome to overkill digest. I've returned from my vacation, overkill is officially back, and so is this newsletter.
A few things before we start:
- I turned comments on. If you want to ask a question, share some feedback, or generally just interact with the website, you can now do so. However, because of how the CMS works, you need to create an account to comment. But because you're getting this email, you already have one.
- I decided to post my tech takes to the overkill Bluesky and Mastodon accounts instead of my personal profile. So go and follow.
- You can still support me through Ko-fi, if you so fancy.
- And in case you were wondering how my experience with Starlink went: surprisingly great service; I did not die while installing it, no trees were harmed, this has not changed what I think about Musk.
Okay, let's get to this week's newsletter.
🚀 Big Moves
I completely switched to Linux. I picked up new hardware to replace my MacBook Pro (an ASUS Zenbook S14, I’ll share proper thoughts on the device in a future piece) and stopped carrying the Mac to the office.
That’s probably what makes the switch official (and lasting). Running Linux on gaming hardware I "only" touch a few times per week is one thing. Using it daily for my day job (and for running overkill) is a very different commitment.
Most of my work happens in a browser, which helps a lot. And to my surprise, LibreOffice Calc turned out to be a perfectly fine replacement for Excel (at least for what I do).
Over the next few weeks (and likely months), I’ll share more about how this switch holds up. Software, hardware, my customization, and whatever else I can think of.
You’ll probably see more Linux-related news popping up in this newsletter too, and honestly, pretty much everywhere. There’s been a noticeable wave of people switching to Linux lately (3 links). I'm here for it.
CES 2026 had so much crap. But also some cool stuff. I suggest you check out the linked reporting by The Verge.
The thing about CES is that a lot of what you see there will just flop or never release.
But it also shows, in general, the direction the tech industry will go for the upcoming year, and yep, you guessed it, it's all AI again.
And because of products like these, we can't get cheap RAM anymore. Thanks, I guess.
💻 Hardware & Software
Intel is building a custom chip for handhelds. It will be based on Intel's latest Panther Lake infrastructure and go head-to-head with AMD's Z2 lineup. Or Z3, depending on when Intel plans to release this.
🎲 Playthings
Valve wil allow mods to support multiple game versions. This is pretty neat, but unfortunately not very usable for me. I mod a few different games heavily, but do so through Nexus Mods. And I don't think Steam has any idea when a Nexus Mods mod is installed, so updates will still happen and break things. Looking at you, Bethesda.
The Xbox Developer Direct returns on January 22. Expect news on the new Fable, Forza Horizon 6, and Beast of Reincarnation (that last one is made by Game Freak, the Pokémon people).
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess got a new 4K pack. I'm a huge fan of (modder? artist? designer?) Henriko Magnifico, and over the holidays he released version 3 of his Twilight Princess 4K texture pack (although it's locked behind his Patreon tier).
I'm planning to combine this with the upcoming unofficial PC port whenever that lands.
📌 Quick Hits
- Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai are cowards. This!
- GeForce Now is coming officially to Linux. It'll come later this year, and apparently it's targeting Ubuntu. I just hope it's a Flatpak.
- I vibe-coded a parcel tracking app for Linux. It works, it looks good enough, but I used AI to write it. If someone wants to check it out, hit me up.
Dig the format? Hate it? Hit those feedback buttons below and let me know what's working.
🔮 Looking Ahead
- The Hytale Early Access starts on January 13.
Okay, that's all. Thanks for reading!
See you,
Kevin