{"rewrite":{"id":"r_dd0b6d1ecf5b4b69a0579885","clusterId":"c_1fe7e37ed9be484a91530852","slug":"riot-games-denies-vanguard-anti-cheat-damages-hardware-after-user-backlash","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Riot Games Denies Vanguard Anti-Cheat Damages Hardware After User Backlash","summary":"Riot Games clarified on May 23 that its latest Vanguard update for VALORANT does not damage PC hardware or disable devices, after a May 22 post joking about cheating devices becoming paperweights sparked concerns that the anti-cheat could permanently destroy SATA/NVMe firmware.","whyItMatters":"The statement directly addresses a rare public backlash over anti-cheat aggressiveness, forcing Riot to distinguish between disabling cheating peripherals and harming legitimate hardware.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eRiot Games posted a supplementary explanation on its official X account on May 23, responding to concerns that the latest Vanguard anti-cheat update could permanently damage PC hardware. The company's May 22 post, which showed a pile of devices with the caption 'Congratulations to the owners of the latest $6,000 paperweight,' was meant to celebrate blocking DMA cheating devices, but a quoted user message warning that triggering the anti-cheat would destroy SATA/NVMe firmware caused alarm. Commenters asked whether Riot had the right to disable users' PCs entirely. In its follow-up, Riot acknowledged that 'the situation escalated quickly' and stated explicitly that Vanguard 'does not damage hardware or disable devices.' The company explained that the devices in the image were sold specifically as cheating tools for VALORANT, not normal PC parts, and that the update only disables those devices. Attempting to keep using a blocked cheating device may cause instability, but that affects the cheating device, not the user's PC. Players who do not use DMA cheating devices are not affected.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Riot's Vanguard update targets DMA cheating devices specifically. The company's clarification that normal hardware is unaffected suggests the initial post's wording created the confusion.","twitterPost":"Riot's Vanguard update targets DMA cheating devices. The clarification that normal hardware is safe suggests the initial post's phrasing caused the backlash.","threadsPost":"Riot's Vanguard update targets DMA cheating devices, not normal PC hardware. The company's statement clarifies that the May 22 post's wording, calling expensive cheating devices 'paperweights', was accurate but led to concern that Vanguard could damage any SATA or NVMe drive. Riot now explicitly says the update only disables devices sold for cheating in VALORANT.","newsletterBlurb":"Riot Games issued a statement on May 23 clarifying that the latest Vanguard anti-cheat update for VALORANT does not damage PC hardware or disable devices. The clarification came after a May 22 post joking about cheating devices becoming paperweights prompted concerns that the update could permanently destroy SATA/NVMe firmware. Riot explained that the update only disables devices sold as cheating tools for VALORANT, and does not affect normal hardware or players who do not use DMA cheating devices.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/05/23/166824.html\",\"title\":\"Riot Games States Latest VALORANT Anti-Cheat Update 'Does Not Damage Hardware or Disable Devices'\"}]","lintFlagsJson":"[]","lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":3398,"outputTokens":633,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1779826535,"createdAt":"2026-05-23T10:31:04.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-05-23T10:45:26.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-23T10:45:26.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_1fe7e37ed9be484a91530852","canonicalTitle":"『VALORANT』最新チート対策アプデによって「ハードウェアに損傷を与えたりデバイスを無効化したりすることはない」とライアットゲームズが声明 | Game*Spark - 国内・海外ゲーム情報サイト","representativeArticleId":"a_33002776bc4a0319835df31a","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-05-23T08:30:04.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-05-23T11:30:03.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-23T13:26:57.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"GameBusiness.jp","url":"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/05/23/27027.html","title":"『VALORANT』最新チート対策アプデによって「ハードウェアに損傷を与えたりデバイスを無効化したりすることはない」とライアットゲームズが声明"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/05/23/166824.html","title":"『VALORANT』最新チート対策アプデによって「ハードウェアに損傷を与えたりデバイスを無効化したりすることはない」とライアットゲームズが声明 | Game*Spark - 国内・海外ゲーム情報サイト"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Riot Games posted a supplementary explanation on its official X account on May 23, stating that the Vanguard anti-cheat update does not damage hardware or disable devices.","A May 22 post from Riot showed a pile of devices with the caption 'Congratulations to the owners of the latest $6,000 paperweight,' meant to celebrate blocking DMA cheating devices.","A quoted user message in the May 22 post warned that triggering the anti-cheat would destroy SATA/NVMe firmware, causing alarm among users.","Riot acknowledged that 'the situation escalated quickly' and explained that the devices in the image were sold specifically as cheating tools for VALORANT, not normal PC parts."]}