Microsoft has confirmed that it has blocked the availability of the recent Windows 11 July Patch Tuesday update (KB5101650) on Dell PCs, after Dell reported a number of issues including unexpected shutdowns, overheating, poor performance, and more caused by the preview update that released before it.

The KB5101650 began rolling out on July 14, and includes a number of quality of life improvements and fixes. For most users, this update is issue free, but Dell PCs will find that the update is not available for them currently.

"A limited number of Dell devices might display a yellow exclamation point in Device Manager next to the Intel Innovation Platform Framework Processor Participant driver. These devices can potentially experience unexpected shutdowns, poor performance, increased heat, and battery drain."

This issue applies to both the KB5101650 update that rolled out on July 14, and the optional preview update KB5095093 that rolled out on June 23, on either Windows 11 version 24H2 or 25H2. Dell PCs running either of these updates and experiencing issues should roll back.

The bug in question appears to be caused by the new Windows USB-C Connection Manager interface, with the Intel Innovation Platform Framework Processor Participant driver no longer functioning as intended. "This issue was reported by Dell during testing and identified as an incompatibility between the Intel driver and the new Windows USB-C Connection Manager interface."

Microsoft says that it's working on a fix, and will release a resolution for the PCs that are impacted by this issue soon. The good news is that it appears Microsoft was aware of the problem right away, as the July 14 update was blocked on Dell PCs right out of the gate.

Unfortunately, there was no immediate block on the optional update that released on June 23, meaning some devices may have installed the update that is causing problems. The best course of action in that situation is to simply roll-back to the previous update.

via Bleeping Computer

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Wuthering Waves is a fairly popular gacha game that first launched on PC and PlayStation before eventually making its way to Xbox. Unfortunately for fans, the Xbox release hasn't quite lived up to expectations. Players have been calling on developer Kuro Games to address a range of technical issues, with one user, @ClebsAlexandre on X (formerly Twitter), showcasing just how rough the game looks on an Xbox Series X.

The footage highlights severe texture pop-in, graphical glitches, missing shadows, and what appears to be very low-quality settings, leading some fans to speculate that the Xbox version may have been built using the game's mobile version as its foundation.

I must admit, I'm not particularly into gacha games myself, but seeing just how poor the game looks on Xbox is genuinely disappointing, especially when the PlayStation version appears to run and look far better, at least according to some users.

I highly doubt this is an Xbox hardware issue. We know the Xbox Series X, and yes, even the Series S, are more than capable machines. Instead, I suspect something has simply gone wrong with the port, and hopefully it's something Kuro Games can address in a future update.

Fans on X are understandably frustrated. One user wrote, "Thank you so much for the experience of a mobile game running on low settings on the Xbox!" That said, while looking into the issue, I did come across a handful of PlayStation 5 players reporting similar problems, suggesting this may not be entirely isolated to Xbox.

Even so, I hope Kuro Games is able to get these issues sorted. As things stand, the Xbox version looks and performs well below what you'd expect from a modern title, especially on the Series X.

If you've been playing Wuthering Waves on Xbox, let me know how it's been running for you. Are you happy with its performance, or are you just as disappointed as many of the players posting online? Be sure to leave a comment below, and as always, don't forget to take part in our poll!

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After months since its Xbox port was announced back in March 2026, the wait to play the hit superhero game Dispatch will soon be over, as Adhoc Studio has announced its Xbox release date.

On July 29, 2026, players will get to enjoy Dispatch on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Xbox Play Anywhere. However, there's no word of it coming to Xbox Game Pass as of yet.

For those unaware, Dispatch is a narrative-adventure superhero game created by writers and directors who worked on the critically acclaimed The Wolf Among Us and Tales from the Borderlands games.

It follows the tale of Robert Patterson, a.k.a. Mecha Man, a superhero who gets taken out of action after his mech-suit gets destroyed while fighting a supervillain.

Robert then gets a job as a dispatcher at a superhero dispatch center designed to rehabilitate former supervillains into heroes. Your goal as Robert is to manage your dysfunctional former villains to quell ongoing crises (while keeping them from killing each other), build relationships with colleagues, and rebuild your mech-suit to get back at the villain who forced you into semi-retirement.

Windows Central's take

This game exploded in popularity in 2025. It sold over a million copies across PC and PlayStation 5 alone in just 10 days, won three British BAFTA awards (in the Best Animation, Audio Achievement, and Performer in a Supporting Role categories), won an award for the best Outstanding Story-Rich Game at the 2025/2026 Steam Awards, and scored two nominations at The 2025 Game Awards despite having only four episodes being released at the time.

Even one of my former colleagues, Samuel Tolbert, loved Dispatch for its humorous and subversive take on the superhero genre, well-written characters, superb voice acting, gorgeous art direction, and intriguing story.

I unfortunately didn't have time to play Dispatch when it first came out due to being interested in other games and being swamped with work.

But now that all of Dispatch's episodes are available and that my wishlist is empty, perhaps I will finally give Dispatch a shot once it lands on Xbox on July 29, 2026, as I enjoyed the developers' previous work on The Tales of the Borderlands series.

But what about you? Will you be playing Dispatch on Xbox, or have you already completed it multiple times on PC, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch 2?

If you have any thoughts, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit page.

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AI continues to wreak havoc on the tech industry, driving up the prices of processors, RAM, motherboards, and more PC hardware so companies can keep up with its hunger for more power (and RAM).

Fortunately, Newegg is offering a limited sale on several discounted bundles containing AMD processors we've tested and rated highly for their solid performance, alongside compatible motherboards and 16GB RAM modules to help these CPUs reach their full potential.

So, if you're looking to upgrade your PC with some of the best CPUs for gaming or productivity content creation, along with the best motherboards and precious RAM to maintain their stability, this round-up could be your next best solution.

FAQ

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An entry-level Alienware PC almost sounds like a contradiction; it's long been the all-out brand you could choose when money isn't a concern, and you'd rather have a guarantee your games will run. So, does the Alienware 15 need to exist, or is it just competing with the tantalizingly new category of high-end gaming handhelds?

Including NVIDIA's RTX 5050 graphics certainly piqued my interest, because until now, I've never seen what this low-end laptop GPU can actually do. Is it worth picking the 50 Series chip for the benefit of cutting-edge DLSS upscaling, or is it too weak to be worth your time? I had so many questions, and these are the conclusions I reached from my testing for this review.

How much does the Alienware 15 cost?

The Alienware 15 starts at $1,399.99 on Dell.com, featuring the same AMD Ryzen 7 260 processor as my sample but with a previous-generation NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 discrete graphics card. Memory and storage remain at 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, but upgrading to an RTX 5050 GPU increases the price to $1,459.99.

A third and final variant of the AMD model increases storage to 1TB with an RTX 5060 GPU for $1,849.99, but the CPU remains the Ryzen 7 260. Alternatively, an Intel-based Alienware 15 starts at $1,499.99 on Dell.com with a Core 7-240H CPU, RTX 5050 GPU, and 16GB/512GB of memory and storage, though you can upgrade to RTX 5060 graphics and a 32GB/1TB RAM and SSD combo.

In the United Kingdom, the AMD-based Alienware 15 starts at £829.00 with a less powerful Ryzen 5 220 processor, RTX 3050 graphics, and 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. At the time of writing, an Intel-based Alienware 15 starts at £849.01 with a Core 5-210H CPU, RTX 3050 GPU, and the same 8GB/512GB RAM/SSD.

Is the Alienware 15 well made?

The Alienware 15 is a bit of a mixed bag, starting with a relatively plain exterior design featuring an iridescent alien head logo and thick air vent panels underneath, synonymous with the capable cooling you'll see in this category. And while its most striking first impression is how heavy it is — at 4.89 lbs (2.22 kg) — it still isn't much different from its rivals. Gaming laptops are just heavy.

Its 15.3-inch screen sits on a gapped hinge, which looks strange at first glance, but I can feel airflow around the gap while it's in use, so it makes sense. The backlit keyboard is unremarkable, sticking to a single color and including a number pad that I'm sure most gamers will never use, and, as usual, I wish the space had been saved for larger speakers.

Admittedly, despite my gripes with the lack of any significant bass response, the sheer volume of the fans during games likely nullifies the appeal of its speakers anyway. As with all gaming laptops, I'm recommending you use headphones here. A small 5.5-inch mechanical touchpad only clicks properly in the bottom half, but you'll probably use a dedicated mouse for most games.

A 3.5mm audio jack pairs with a USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port on the right side, while a single USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 is available on the left side, along with two traditional USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports for dongles, HDMI-out 2.1 for external monitors, and gigabit Ethernet for wired networking. The 180W AC adapter uses an outdated barrel jack, but you can charge up to 100W with USB-C.

How fast is the Alienware 15?

Starting with Counter-Strike 2, the game recommends 'High' settings with AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution and vsync disabled for native, uncapped rendering at 1920 x 1200. While spectating a few rounds on Dust II, I saw the frame rate remain around the 165 FPS target when I was connected to AC power and Alienware's 'Performance' mode was active.

However, the laptop's fans were extremely loud throughout, keeping the CPU and GPU temperatures at around 68 °C and 60 °C, respectively. Switching to 'Stealth' mode reduced the fan speed, but no amount of graphical tweaks brought them down to a comfortable, more inconspicuous level. This is a loud laptop, and you'll have to get used to wearing headphones when you're gaming.

In Cyberpunk 2077, I found that the 'High' preset with ray tracing and upscaling disabled most consistently achieved a native 60 FPS baseline in the game's built-in benchmark. Of course, the game supports DLSS 4.5, so setting Super Resolution to 'Balanced' and Multi Frame Generation (MFG) to 4X in the 'Ray Tracing: Low' preset has the Alienware 15 scaling to 171 FPS, up from ~42 FPS.

I have to assume you're considering a gaming laptop with NVIDIA's RTX 50 Series graphics to take advantage of realistic, ray-traced lighting. Luckily, that is quite possible with the RTX 5050 in the Alienware 15, depending on your feelings around MFG and "fake frames". If, on the other hand, you don't care so much about those visual luxuries, then it runs quite smoothly without ray tracing.

For other popular multiplayer titles, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS generally runs above 60 FPS with the 'High' preset at render scale 100, but you can push it to 165 FPS or higher by switching to the 'Medium' preset and further lowering some settings. Similarly, Apex Legends can reach 165 FPS and beyond with a little time spent in the settings, but the laptop's fans will be loud.

Performance benchmarks

To put the specs of Alienware's cheapest laptop into perspective, the Ryzen 7 260 is a "Hawk Point" processor built on AMD's previous-generation Zen 4 architecture and ranks as the second-fastest CPU in the Ryzen 200 Series mobile range. That 8-core, 16-thread chip pairs with NVIDIA's entry-level RTX 50 Series mobile GPU, the GeForce RTX 5050.

However, benchmarking the Alienware 15's CPU in Geekbench 6 burst performance tests placed the Ryzen 7 260 even lower than I perhaps expected, even falling below the original ASUS ROG Ally gaming handheld from 2024. Cinebench 2024 failed to run any extended CPU stress tests after complaints of insufficient memory, so there's sadly no reprieve for this processor.

Testing the RTX 5050 across 3DMark's full gamut of GPU-centric tests yields a reasonably consistent and unsurprising conclusion: it's faster than the last-gen RTX 4050, but of course, it still falls behind the 4060. If you were choosing between a gaming laptop with an older GPU, such as an RTX 3060, and the 5050 in this Alienware 15, you'd choose the Alienware.

Finally, the PCIe Gen 4 SSD hits around 7,023 MB/s read speeds in CrystalDiskMark, while write speeds drop closer to 5,962 MB/s. It's a fast drive, and one that sees the Alienware 15 running neck-and-neck with the high-end Alienware m18 R2 from 2024. The 512 GB SSD has limited storage capacity, but it performs as expected.

Does the Alienware 15 have any issues?

Above all, the most significant issue I had during my time with the Alienware 15 was its limited 512 GB SSD, reporting a usable 477 GB with only 332 GB of free space on its first boot into Windows 11. It simply isn't enough, and no amount of optimizations offered by the pre-installed 'SupportAssist' app can help that. After installing only four games, I was out of space.

Alienware advertises "user-upgradeable options" for "up to 1TB PCIe SSD (Gen4) storage", promoting "the flexibility to adapt for whatever comes next", but the ongoing memory crisis stunts that notion. It isn't Alienware's (or Dell's) fault, but I quickly learned that 512 GB isn't good enough in a gaming laptop, and upgrades are extremely expensive in 2026.

Otherwise, the loud fans (~58 dBA) are difficult to ignore and will likely annoy anyone around you. Booting into a game switches the Alienware 15 into 'Performance' mode via the Alienware Command Center companion app, which quickly ramps up the fan speed. Profiles like 'Stealth' mode advertise the laptop as "ideal for any environment", but it's only true if you aren't gaming.

Despite the fans working as hard as they can, the keyboard still gets quite warm during gaming, and it felt a little uncomfortable after a while. I could solve it by plugging in my Steam Controller or by using an external keyboard and mouse, but at that point it feels like I'm hardly using the laptop. Using a thermal camera, I detected a temperature of 46°C around the WASD keys — not abnormal for a gaming laptop, but not exactly ideal either.

Should you buy the Alienware 15?

You should buy this if ...

✅ You want a modern, entry-level NVIDIA gaming laptop

✅ You don't have space for a full-sized desktop PC

You should not buy this if ...

❌ You're looking for quiet, portable AAA gaming

The biggest problem with entry-level gaming laptops is that they immediately compete with high-end gaming handhelds, like the Xbox Ally X, which will be more tempting for its versatility alone. However, if you're looking for a stay-at-home gaming machine that occasionally travels with you — with an 180W AC adapter included — the Alienware 15 keeps up with modern gaming by leaning heavily on NVIDIA's RTX 5050 GPU.

Its 512 GB of storage will fill up fast, so you'll either have to be happy with regularly switching between installed games from your library, or rely on an external hard drive to transfer backups. This laptop is loud, restrained, and heavy, but it will play your games, particularly so if they support NVIDIA's latest DLSS upscaling technology. If you're pondering the Alienware 15 on a budget because it's on sale, then I say go for it.

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Xbox and Activision have broken with tradition and partnered with Fanatics Fest to show off one of the most innovative new maps heading to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 when it launches this October.

Multiplayer map reveals are typically reserved for the annual Call of Duty NEXT event, but a date for the celebration of all things Call of Duty has yet to be confirmed for 2026. Rather than waiting until closer to launch, Infinity Ward will give the public their first look at the new map, "Kill Block", during Fanatics Fest in New York City from January 16-19.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will be playable for those who have purchased tickets to Fanatics Fest at the Javits Center in NYC, and a panel featuring Kevin Durant, Inde Navarrette, Infinity Ward Studio Co-Head Mark Grigsby, and Tyler Bahl will take the stage for an exclusive panel on Call of Duty in Culture on Saturday, July 18.

The original concept behind Kill Block was dreamed up by Multiplayer Creative Director Geoff Smith, who was inspired by the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid. The stadium is designed to have multiple arena floorings set on a rotating slab, allowing it to shift from a football stadium to a concert venue and back again while maintaining the various fields.

From concept to production, Kill Block eventually evolved into an adaptive training facility with a modular battleground that pieces together different slabs to create hundreds of unique map combinations. Designed to resemble a live-fire training environment, Kill Block is assembled from two end slabs with a central slab that pieces together map sections, both new and from iconic locations seen throughout Modern Warfare's rich history.

Infinity Ward shared an overview of how the engineering behind Kill Block works in a new blog post.

Engineering a dynamic map for Modern Warfare 4

While Call of Duty is a video game, the team at Infinity Ward takes great pride in the real-world inspiration beyond the pixels. It would be easy enough for the development team to shrug off the hows and whys of the mechanics powering Kill Block as "It's just a game" and hope that the players could suspend disbelief enough to enjoy themselves. But Infinity Ward doesn't work that way, and the team has taken the engineering behind Kill Block very seriously.

Kill Block, which is set within the West Bridge Advanced Military Training Facility, is flanked along the perimeter by eight concrete towers that house the electronics, motors, and pulley systems that make the dynamic arena function. The map is functionally the size of the popular Shoot House map from Modern Warfare past, though its continuously evolving layout keeps things fresh with each new round.

The map's three slabs sit upon a network of rail-mounted wheel assemblies, known as 'bogies', that travel along tracks embedded above and below the training area. The map changes at the end of each round of Gunfight. When the active slab decouples from the others, it is lowered to a storage chamber beneath the arena for safekeeping. The motor then selects the new Slab and winches it into position before raising it to the surface. How's that for combat evolved, Halo?

Each slab effectively takes up one third of Kill Block's play space, and each one is completely self-contained while maintaining all the necessary openings to flow seamlessly into each other. While each team spawns on their respective endpoint, movement across all three slabs in the combo is unrestrained (and encouraged.)

Some slabs add more than just new buildings, trees, or other obstacles. Some are also fitted with military-grade weather simulation systems — introducing snow flurries, fog, and other conditions that affect not just the look of the map but also weapons.

Kill Block's slabs are a new way to experience old favorites

Call of Duty as a franchise struggles to walk a tight line between feeding into the nostalgia of its long-time player base while allowing the developers the creative freedom to create fresh and new experiences that might lure new players in. One way the development teams have sought to bridge that gap is with remastered variants of once-popular multiplayer maps.

But leaning into an influx of remasters leaves players looking for something new out in the cold. After 5 different variants of Shipment and Shoothouse, both the fans and the players can find themselves struggling with the threat of Call of Duty fatigue. Kill Block is an interesting solution to that problem, introducing both the chaotic gunplay of a small map without leaning exclusively into the tried-and-true favorites.

Infinity Ward's multiplayer team has claimed that there are enough assets readily available for Kill Block to support up to 900 combos total, though at launch, players can expect roughly 500 to be live. The following slabs can be expected in the Kill Block rotation at launch, though some names may be changed:

• Ambush (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare): A central slab featuring a convoy-clogged main road with blown-out pre-fab buildings on either side, with plenty of sniping opportunities.
• Blacksite (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and III): An end slab featuring three prefabricated structures with open access between each of them. Players will find a mud and grass thoroughfare, a rusted van, an open cargo container, and stacked military gabions.
• Killhouse (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare): Gabions corner prefab walls with some small gaps for mantling, while a central kill box dots the middle of the map, and small scenic cover opportunities cover the edge of the end slab.
• ME-Town: A central slab featuring a kill box dirt courtyard surrounded by prefabricated structures in each corner. Lots of interior and roof space for sniper nests. The main building is turquoise and features plenty of opportunities for close-quarter combat in its tight rooms and scramble points.
• Snow Block: The fortifications of open cargo containers and concrete blocks offer unique overwatch opportunities to would-be snipers, but there's a limit to how much cover you can find on this end slab.
• Trench: This central slab is a literal no-man's land of sunken mud walls and pill boxes with sandbags, tires, and wooden trusses that feel like they're going to collapse in on your squad without a moment's notice. This is a fraught middle ground with minimal cover, but good sight lines.

In addition to the confirmed Kill Block slabs, Infinity Ward also teased imagery showing off combos for the dynamic map featuring parts of Station, Shoot House, Woods, and Killhouse. Additional maps and supported modes for Kill Block are expected to be added to the game during Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's seasonal content drops post-launch.

Hands-on impressions of Kill Block

Members of the press and content creators alike were invited to Infinity Ward's studio for an early hands-on preview of Kill Block in action. During the preview, we were able to play matches of 10v10 Gunfight on Kill Block. The match would begin with the player teams each infilling on their respective end slabs with a loadout that had been randomly assembled by the game.

Gunfight is a round-based, one-life per player core mode, and the first interactions with Kill Block were surprisingly intimidating. There's an urge to explore the undeniably creative design of Kill Block and to understand all the machinations behind it. But doing so certainly puts you at risk of other players who aren't so interested in the aesthetics willing to pick you off as an easy target.

When you do get over the desire to ooh-and-aww over what Infinity Ward has managed to create out of Kill Block and decide to focus on the game, you'll find yourself quickly flung into intense combat against enemy players. As a long-time fan of small map playlists that throw you immediately into the line of danger, I was excited to feel that rush of instant action from Kill Block.

Infinity Ward's willingness to give fans of small maps something to sink their teeth into had interesting effects on the player base in Modern Warfare 2 (2022). There were considerable complaints on social media by players who felt the time between matches was too long in standard map playlists as players flocked to small map rotations in order to complete grindy camo challenges.

And yet, at the same time, there was a subset of players who love small maps so much they were even requesting Treyarch to introduce IW's beloved tiny map, Shipment, to the Black Ops series. (They didn't, but they did take a risk and go even smaller with the chaotic GRWM limited map during April Fools.)

Kill Block feels fresh and exciting and new, but it's serving multiple purposes for the split fan base that pines for nostalgic gameplay and laments continuous remasters simultaneously. Personally, Kill Block is one of my most anticipated new additions for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare launches on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Battle.net, Steam, PlayStation 5, and the Nintendo Switch 2 on October 23, 2026. Players who preorder the game will unlock early access to the Open Beta and up to one week of early access to the Modern Warfare 4 campaign starting on October 16. Modern Warfare 4 is the first Call of Duty title to skip last-gen consoles, and the game will also not be included in Xbox Game Pass subscriptions until Holiday 2027.

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Xbox recently revealed a pretty impressive lineup of games coming to Xbox Game Pass, with Palworld 1.0 and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 among the biggest announcements. However, while Palworld 1.0 is still on the way, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 has since been removed, with Xbox updating its original announcement to include the following note:

"We've removed Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 from the list of titles coming soon to Game Pass."

As for why it was removed, your guess is as good as mine, but Tony Hawks is actually an IP Xbox owns, making its removal even more head-scratching, though some have speculated it could be due to music licensing. Rumors surrounding the long-term viability of Xbox Game Pass have been circulating online for a while now, with some reports claiming Xbox leadership views the service as unsustainable. Xbox is also in the middle of a major restructuring, with studios becoming independent and around 1,600 layoffs taking place so far.

It's impossible to say whether pulling a single game from the lineup means anything on its own, but it doesn't exactly inspire confidence either. At the very least, it leaves me feeling a little more cautious about what the future of Game Pass might look like.

I'm actually a big fan of Game Pass. It's given me the opportunity to play games I probably never would've tried otherwise, and I'm much more willing to take a chance on something new if it launches on the service.

That said, I feel like I'm in the minority. I think the average gamer is more likely to stick with the games they already know, whether that's Fortnite, Call of Duty, Roblox, Minecraft, or the latest sports title, and that’s all without mentioning the attention war with the likes of short-form content. Now, there’s nothing wrong with sticking to the games you know, but with Game Pass growth slowing, it doesn't exactly paint the most encouraging picture for the service's future. For context, reports suggest the subscriber count has fallen from around 34 million to 30 million active users.

Let me know how you feel about Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 being removed from the upcoming Game Pass lineup. Do you care, are you worried, or do you think it was simply a mistake?

As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll!

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Dozens of games were just made available to stream through Xbox Cloud Gaming. Those titles are now supported by the "Stream Your Own Games" part of Xbox Game Pass that lets you stream supported titles through the cloud.

As popular as playing titles that come with Xbox Game Pass is, many of the best Xbox games do not come with the subscription. Stream Your Own Games allows you to play many of your favorite titles to your phone, tablet, PC, or other supported devices.

This month's collection of newly supported games includes several popular titles such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced.

The folks over at True Achievements gathered together the complete list:

To use the Stream Your Own Games feature, you need to purchase a copy of the game and be subscribed to Xbox Game Pass. You can be subscribed to Game Pass Essential, Premium, or Ultimate to stream your games.

Originally, the Stream Your Own Games library only had 50 games. It's steadily grown since then and supported games now number in the hundreds. Over 70 new titles were added this May.

You can check out the complete gallery of supported games on Xbox's website.

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If you've been using Windows as long as I have, you probably remember when a serious problem often meant backing up your files and reinstalling the operating system from scratch. Whether it was a bad driver, a failed update, or corrupted system files, a clean install was frequently the fastest way to rescue your computer.

I don't think that's the case anymore. Over the past several years, Microsoft has quietly transformed Windows 11 into a much more resilient operating system. Instead of relying on a single recovery option, the operating system now bundles a collection of tools designed to solve different types of problems. Some can repair Windows 11 while minimizing changes to your data. Others can roll back a problematic update, recover a computer that won't boot, or completely rebuild the system from the cloud.

The downside is that all these options can be confusing. Microsoft doesn't always make it clear which recovery feature you should use first, and many of them sound similar even though they solve different problems.

A lot of the recovery features discussed in this guide are available through the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). This separate recovery workspace runs outside the normal installation and provides access to tools that can repair, reset, or troubleshoot the operating system when the computer cannot start normally.

In this guide, I'll outline the recovery features available on Windows 11 and when I would actually use them.

Important: The right recovery option depends mostly on what went wrong. A broken update, a damaged driver, and a corrupted installation all require different approaches.

Fix problems using Windows Update

If the computer still starts normally but something doesn't feel right, I'd try the "Fix problems using Windows Update" recovery option first.

This feature repairs the operating system by downloading the same version of Windows 11 installed on your computer through Windows Update and reinstalling it over your existing installation. Unlike resetting your computer, it preserves your personal files, installed apps, user accounts, and settings.

If system files have become corrupted, built-in features have stopped working, or you're seeing unusual behavior after an update, this repair process can often restore the operating system without forcing you to reinstall your apps afterward.

I like this approach because it's the least disruptive recovery option Microsoft offers. If it solves the problem, you save yourself the time of reinstalling software and reconfiguring the system.

Best for:

• Corrupted system files.
• Missing or broken features.
• General system instability.
• Repairing Windows 11 while keeping apps, files, and settings.

Reset This PC

When repairing Windows 11 isn't enough, "Reset This PC" is usually the next step.

This feature reinstalls the operating system and lets you choose between two options.

Keep my files reinstalls Windows 11 while preserving your personal files, pictures, and videos, but it removes installed applications and resets system settings.

Remove everything wipes the computer completely before installing a fresh copy of Windows 11, making it a good choice if you're selling the device or want to start over.

You'll also choose between "Local reinstall," which uses recovery files already stored on the computer, or "Cloud download," which downloads a fresh copy of Windows directly from Microsoft's servers.

Personally, I almost always recommend Cloud Download. It takes longer because it downloads several gigabytes of data, but it also avoids problems caused by damaged local recovery files.

Best for:

• Severe software problems.
• Persistent performance issues.
• Malware cleanup after backing up your data.
• Preparing to sell or give away the computer.

Cloud rebuild

Cloud rebuild is one of Microsoft's newest recovery tools, and I think it fills an important gap in Windows recovery.

Available through the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), Cloud rebuild reformats the operating system partition, downloads a fresh Windows 11 image and compatible drivers from Windows Update, and restores the computer to the out-of-box setup experience.

Unlike Reset This PC, it doesn't depend on the recovery image already stored on your computer, and more importantly, it also includes the device drivers.

To me, this feature sits somewhere between Reset This PC and creating a bootable USB installer. It gives you a completely fresh installation without requiring installation media or another computer to download the setup files.

Best for:

• Severely corrupted installations.
• Failed Reset This PC attempts.
• Damaged recovery files.
• Rebuilding Windows 11 from scratch.

Go Back (rollback)

The upgrade process to a new version doesn't always go smoothly, and that's exactly why "Go Back" exists.

After upgrading to a new version of the operating system on top of an existing setup, Windows 11 temporarily stores your previous installation in the "Windows.old" folder. If the new version introduces compatibility problems, driver issues, or poor performance, you can roll back to the earlier version with just a few clicks.

The only catch is that this option is temporary. The system typically removes the previous installation files after about 10 days to free up storage.

If you notice problems immediately after installing a feature update, don't wait too long before deciding whether to roll back.

Best for:

• Performance problems after upgrading.
• Driver incompatibilities.
• Software compatibility issues.
• Bugs introduced by a feature update.

Uninstall Updates

Not every system update improves the experience. Sometimes a cumulative update can introduce startup problems, driver conflicts, or unexpected bugs.

When that happens, Windows 11 includes an option in the Windows Recovery Environment that lets you remove the latest update without resetting the entire computer.

Using this experience, you can uninstall the latest quality updates (monthly cumulative updates) and feature updates (major version upgrades).

The first option is usually the one you'll use after Patch Tuesday problems.

Best for:

• Device problems after installing an update.
• Boot issues caused by a recent update.
• Update-related stability problems.

System Restore

Some people think System Restore is outdated, but I still think it's one of the most underrated recovery features in the operating system.

System Restore creates restore points that save system files, drivers, registry settings, and installed applications. If something goes wrong after installing a driver or application, you can return Windows to an earlier working state without affecting your personal files.

It's often much faster than resetting the computer and can solve problems in just a few minutes.

Best for:

• Bad driver installations.
• Faulty software.
• Registry changes.
• Recent system configuration problems.

Startup Repair

If Windows 11 won't boot, Startup Repair remains one of the built-in recovery tools designed to fix common startup problems.

Available through the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), the tool scans the system for damaged startup files, corrupted Boot Configuration Data (BCD), missing system files, and other issues preventing the operating system from loading correctly. If it finds a problem it knows how to fix, it attempts the repair automatically.

Depending on your recovery configuration, Windows 11 may first attempt newer recovery mechanisms, such as Quick Machine Recovery, before Startup Repair becomes available.

It won't solve every startup issue, but when it works, it can save you from more drastic recovery options like resetting or reinstalling the operating system.

Best for:

• Windows 11 stuck during boot.
• Endless restart loops.
• Missing or damaged boot files.
• Startup-related errors.

Safe Mode

Sometimes Windows 11 itself isn't the problem. Safe Mode starts the system with only the essential drivers and services needed for the operating system to run. That makes it much easier to remove a problematic graphics driver, uninstall recently installed apps, or troubleshoot malware that's preventing Windows 11 from working normally.

If Windows 11 works as expected in Safe Mode but crashes at startup, it's usually a sign that a third-party app or driver is causing conflicts.

Best for:

• Troubleshooting driver problems.
• Removing incompatible software.
• Malware cleanup.
• Diagnosing startup crashes.

Quick Machine Recovery

Quick Machine Recovery is one of the newest additions to Windows 11, and I think it's a direct response to lessons Microsoft learned from major outages like the CrowdStrike incident.

If a bad update or driver prevents Windows 11 from starting, the feature can automatically enter the Windows Recovery Environment, connect to Microsoft's recovery service, download a remediation package, and attempt to repair the problem before you ever reach the desktop.

Ideally, you'll never have to think about this feature because it works automatically behind the scenes. If the automated recovery isn't successful, you can continue troubleshooting using the other recovery options available through the Windows Recovery Environment.

Best for:

• Startup failures caused by updates.
• Driver-related boot issues.
• Automatic recovery without user intervention.

Point-in-time Restore

Point-in-time Restore is another piece of Microsoft's evolving recovery strategy.

Rather than asking users to troubleshoot a failed Windows Update manually, Point-in-time Restore is part of Microsoft's effort to make Windows Update failures easier to recover from automatically.

A lot of people may never notice it working, but that's exactly the goal. The more the system can recover automatically, the less often users need to search for recovery guides or perform clean installations.

Best for:

• Failed system updates.
• Rolling back to a previous working update state.
• Automatic update recovery.

Other details

This guide focuses on Windows 11 features that can restore the operating system to a known working state or help troubleshoot problems preventing the system from working correctly. However, the operating system also includes other recovery-related tools that serve a different purpose.

The Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) is the workspace where many of these options are available, including Startup Repair, Reset This PC, System Restore, Cloud rebuild, and other troubleshooting tools. It does not repair Windows 11 by itself. Instead, it provides access to the features that can recover the operating system.

The Recovery Drive works in a similar way. It does not fix the setup directly. Instead, it creates a bootable USB drive that lets you access WinRE if the built-in recovery options are unavailable.

Other tools, such as Command Prompt, Startup Settings, and UEFI settings, are designed for advanced troubleshooting. They can help diagnose and manually repair problems, but they do not automatically restore the operating system.

Also, the Windows Backup app is part of the recovery experience, but it serves a different purpose. Instead of repairing a broken installation, it helps restore settings, credentials, Microsoft Store apps, and files stored in OneDrive after reinstalling Windows 11 or moving to a new computer.

The legacy Backup and Restore (Windows 7) tool is still available on Windows 11 and can create file backups and full system images. Unlike newer recovery features such as Reset This PC or Cloud rebuild, it relies on a backup created ahead of time. If you have a system image available, you can use it to restore the computer to a previous state, including the operating system, apps, settings, and drivers.

However, Microsoft has shifted toward newer recovery experiences that rely more on Windows Update, cloud services, and automatic repairs.

Windows Central's Take

After covering the operating system for more than two decades, I think Microsoft has finally addressed one of the biggest weaknesses: recovery.

The company has built a much more complete safety net into Windows 11. However, these tools only matter if they work when users need them most. A failed update, broken driver, or corrupted system file can still leave people searching for answers because the recovery experience isn't always predictable.

What I find interesting is that Microsoft didn't replace older tools like System Restore or Safe Mode. Instead, it kept building on top of them with newer experiences such as Cloud rebuild and automatic recovery features. The result is a layered recovery system that makes Windows 11 far more resilient than previous versions.

The next challenge isn't creating another recovery feature. It's making the existing ones easier to understand. If the operating system can better recognize what's wrong and automatically recommend the right recovery path, most people may never have to wonder whether to use System Restore, Reset This PC, or Cloud rebuild.

That's the direction recovery should continue moving toward, with less troubleshooting, fewer reinstalls, and more automatic repairs that keep people productive.

Have you ever had to use one of these Windows recovery features? Which one helped you get your device back up and running? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Over the past year, a new upcoming indie horror game has been making waves on the internet by the name of Shift At Midnight. It's an asymmetric co-op horror game that was originally planned to release only on PC via Steam.

However, on July 10, 2026, the game's developer, Bun Muen, announced on Steam that it will also be making its way to Xbox consoles, Xbox Game Pass, and Xbox Play Anywhere alongside the PC version on July 22, 2026.

But what exactly is Shift at Midnight, you may ask? It's a detective horror game where you take up the job of managing a gas station at midnight in the middle of nowhere. You can do this job alone or bring your friends along in three-player online co-op with crossplay support between Xbox and PC platforms.

Your task will involve checking the store's inventory, cleaning it of messes, serving customers, etc. However, as the shift progresses, things take a dark turn as you quickly discover that some of the customers are actually demonic monsters in disguise, planning to murder you and consume your stock of food.

To combat this, you will need to check a customer's credentials and behavior to see if they're genuinely human or a demon that's snatched someone's ID. If they're legit, they can walk free, but if they're not, you must exterminate them with your store's stockpile of explosive firearms.

However, this tactic won't carry you forever, as the monsters will gradually forgo subterfuge and just invade the gas station directly. When these raids happen, you and your friends must prepare by barricading the station, laying down traps, and equipping yourself with firearms that hopefully will put them down for good.

Though sometimes hiding in closets or vents is a valid option if you encounter monsters that conventional weapons and traps won't put down or if you run out of resources to defend yourself with.

To top it off, each night shift is randomly generated so you can't rely on the same tactics twice to win, and your team will need to adapt to the chaos to survive.

Windows Central's take

The game will launch with a Story Mode with thirteen nights, multiple endings, and an Endless Mode that will be unlocked after completing Story Mode for those looking to see how long they can last the night shift.

The game has become a viral hit amongst the gaming community during its development, with famous YouTubers like Markiplier and MoistCr1TiKaL of Dispatch fame playing early versions of the game and drawing in millions of people to play it themselves.

My friends and I even played the multiplayer demo on Steam for a bit and found it to be a hilarious and refreshing take on the co-op horror genre. It's like a mixture of Papers, Please and Five Nights at Freddy's, except you are free to defend yourself by running, hiding, or shooting instead of being forced to sit at your desk, waiting for the monster to show up and eat you.

While it's a few months early for Halloween, that won't stop my friends and me from playing this fun horror game when Shift At Midnight launches on July 22, 2026, for Xbox and PC.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

The most exciting new Surface features in years are now available on a PC with a Snapdragon X processor. The Surface Laptop 8 for Business can now be purchased with a Snapdragon X2 Plus or Snapdragon X2 Elite.

For those who prefer a 2-in-1 over a traditional laptop, the Surface Pro 12 for Business (13-inch) is also available with a Snapdragon X2 chip. Like its clamshell sibling, the Surface Pro for Business also had an Intel model launch earlier this year.

The official names of the new PCs are "Surface Pro for Business 12th Edition" and "Surface Laptop for Business 8th Edition" but I've referred to them as the Surface Pro 12 for Business and Surface Laptop 8 for Business in this piece for ease of reading.

The standout feature of this year's Surface lineup is the privacy screen seen in the Surface Laptop 8 for Business. That display can be set to obscure content on your screen when people try to view it at an angle. It's similar to Samsung's screen on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

The built-in privacy screen of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business combats creeping eyes from all angles, as opposed to third-party privacy screen protectors that only work from the sides.

The Intel version of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business launched earlier this year and received high marks from our Editor-in-Chief. The vast majority of what makes that laptop great extends to the Surface Laptop 8 for Business with Snapdragon X2, which are now available to order.

The haptic trackpad of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business is also a key addition. Thanks to a recent update to Windows 11, you can now feel the operating system and supported apps as you interact with them. Haptic buzzes occur when you drag files in File Explorer or perform certain actions.

The Surface Laptop 8 for Business is one of few devices to support the new haptic experience.

The new Surface Pro 12 for Business is largely a spec bump when compared to its predecessor. The Snapdragon X2 chip inside delivers better graphics performance than the first-gen Snapdragon X.

The Surface Pro has matured over more than a decade of refinement, so it's hard to complain about Microsoft sticking with what works.

What's special about Surface for Business PCs?

When Microsoft first introduced Snapdragon X chips to its Surface hardware, a split was formed that saw Intel on business PCs and Snapdragon X on consumer hardware. That's no longer the case, since you can order Snapdragon X processors in consumer or business PCs.

Notably, there are no new Intel-powered Surface PCs for consumers in 2026.

There are several differences between the consumer and business models of the latest Surface devices. Here are the features seen only on the business side:

• Pre-installed Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise
• Integrated Privacy Screen option
• Advanced Exchange Warranty service
• Device Firmware Configuration Interface (DFCI) cloud management
• Windows Autopilot tenant pre-registration
• Access to the cloud-based Surface Management Portal
• Native corporate domain onboarding pathways during initial setup
• Intel models available

Most of the features seen in the Surface for Business PCs are options general consumers would never use. The exception being the privacy screen that I wish was available on consumer versions of the Surface Laptop.

One key difference between the Snapdragon X2-powered Surface Pro 12 for Business and its Intel counterpart is that you can only get 5G connectivity with the Intel model.

Anyone can purchase a Surface for Business device. You don't need to own a business or have some sort of special account. But again, you're likely paying for unneeded features compared to the consumer Surface PCs unless you really need a privacy screen.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

This week, Microsoft unveiled a major overhaul coming soon to Windows 11's search experience that's designed to fix its biggest flaws and criticisms. For a long time, many have agreed that search on Windows is pretty much broken, but the new changes that are now in testing may finally be fixing that problem.

I've been testing the new Windows Search out over the last two days, and I'm very impressed with the new experience. Right off the bat, the search pane is no longer a noisy mess of Bing ads and sponsored content. It's a clean list of recent searches, exactly what you'd expect from a search pane.

Search items that appear in this list are categorized so that you know whether an item is an app, document, setting, or web search. Hovering over items in this menu will display options depending on the type of item it is, such as apps which present the option to pin it to the Taskbar or run as an administrator.

You can also right-click on any of the items in the search pane for more info, which displays additional options such as uninstall or app settings, open file location, as well as the ability to remove the item from the recents list.

Getting onto the actual searching experience, it's a major step up. The UI is nice and clean, and web results now pretty much never show up at the top unless you are actively searching for a website or query that makes sense for a search engine. In the old Window Search, searing for "windows central" would always bring the Bing result to the top, but now it prioritizes my local files and folders.

When a web result does appear at the top, you'll no longer see any ads or sponsored content in that result. The Bing results are now ad-free, showing only results that relate to your search query, which is amazing. You no longer have to worry about accidentally clicking on a link or app that has paid to be there.

I also find that search results are now more accurate based on how you use your system. For example, on a PC where I have both the Photos and Photoshop app installed, typing "photos" actually surfaces Photoshop, which is what I want. I believe this is happening because I've never opened the Photos app on my PC before, and so Windows assumes that I'd want to use the app I use more often or most recently.

To test this theory, I ran Photos a few times and then typed "photos" again, and sure enough the Photos app was now appearing above Photoshop. To triple confirm, I started opening Photoshop a few times, and Photoshop became the top result for "photos" after.

This is great for those who have a system set in place where all the apps they ever use are already in full circulation on their PC. Windows knows which apps you use most, and will now do its best to position them as a best match when it thinks you're searching for it, listing follow up results below it that you can manually select if that's what you need instead.

I also find that search is now a little smarter and more dynamic. If you don't know the name of an app, you can search for a category and Windows will do its best to surface an app that it thinks can do that job. For example, if I type "video editor" into the search box, Windows surfaces Clipchamp as a result, as that's the only video editor I have installed.

Windows Search now also does a much better job at surfacing settings that you might want to configure. If I type "temp" it'll show delete temporary files, or if i type "wifi" the wi-fi settings page is at the top. Even things like "insider" now correctly surface the Insider settings page. You can now pretty much search for any Windows Setting and have it accurately appear in the search pane, without needing to open Settings first.

Some settings even have configurable options within the search pane. For example, typing restart PC will show a setting to do so right from search, which then lets you select whether you want to restart or shut down. It's pretty neat, though most people will probably find it faster to just do that from Start.

Overall, these new search improvements are a real strong step in the right direction. In my brief testing, I've not really been able to fault it, and understand why the best match results are what they are. Being able to turn off things like Microsoft Store and web results are also a great addition, letting you craft your experience into whatever you need it to be. If you only ever want local search results, you can make it so.

It's clear that even in its default state now, local results are the number one priority. Unless your search query is clearly one intended for a search engine, Windows will more than likely place a local result as a best match, which is going to address the biggest complaint most people have with Windows Search.

These improvements are rolling out now in preview for Windows Insiders, with general availability expected later this year.

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These past couple of weeks have been beyond depressing for gamers.

From Sony killing off physical game discs and delisting 500 movies from people with no refunds, to Microsoft culling 3,200 Xbox game devs and repeatedly suspending gamers' accounts for no fault of their own, it's hard to feel optimistic when it feels like the biggest game companies are constantly stabbing their fans in the back while seemingly not giving a single care about preserving digital media.

However, not all hope is lost for legal digital preservation, thanks to GOG.com.

GOG is an unsung hero among digital storefronts, as it sells digital games without Digital Rights Management (DRM). By buying games from GOG.com, you will be able to download a standalone, offline installer for each title, granting you permanent ownership of them.

With this, you can play games offline, back up files, and install them on your hard drive without needing to log in to a store's launcher. Not to mention, you won't have to worry about a game becoming unplayable due to its publisher's dedicated launcher not working (e.g., Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced) or being permanently blocked if it's tied to a compromised Microsoft account.

Not to mention that, in some cases, having DRM restrictions lifted from a game will actually increase its performance so it can achieve higher frame rates for smoother gameplay.

On top of that, GOG states that you can even save the games you buy on their storefront to discs and trade them with your friends, should you wish.

You can download a game's offline installer from a GOG account, create a disc image, and then burn it onto a blank CD-R, DVD-R, or BD-R disc.

Windows Central's take

I was already a fan of GOG as it helped preserve some of my favorite childhood games on PC like Breath of Fire 4 and Dino Crisis 2, but it's now becoming my main go-to storefront for digital PC games in light of recent events.

I'm concerned that the thousands of pounds' worth of games could be taken by corporations who don't care for preserving games or respecting people's digital property. So being able to buy and back them up permanently on my computer or discs via GOG is beyond reassuring and gives me hope that we can still own the games we worked so hard to earn.

So, GOG, you've got yourself a new superfan in me, and I will happily support your "Preservation Program" so we can keep more classic and modern games free of DRM forever because I, for one, do NOT want a gaming future where we own nothing.

What do you think of GOG.com as a digital storefront? Do you think you will be using it more often from now on to permanently preserve your digital game collection, or do you still use other digital storefronts like the Xbox Store?

If you have any thoughts, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit page.

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It's been a long while since we last heard of Beast of Reincarnation, the upcoming action RPG by Game Freak of Pokémon-fame, but it's back in the media spotlight with a brand-new trailer.

Unlike the January Xbox Games Showcase trailer, which was a general overview of the game's systems, setting, and characters, this trailer is all about the Beast of Reincarnation's combat system, which combines real-time swordplay with command menu-based tactics.

In this game, you play as the cursed warrior Emma and her lighted dog Koo as they strive to save the world while fighting ravenous beasts and berserk machines.

For the most part, combat is a hack-and-slash where you slice, dodge, and parry your way through hordes of enemies and giant bosses. As you deal damage to enemies, you can build their stun gauge to leave them open for devastating finishers and generate a resource for yourself called FP.

Once you've gathered enough FP, you can slow down time and command Koo to unleash special Bloom Art attacks that will leave enemies debilitated with status effects that will leave them wide open for killing blows.

This mixture of real-time combat and command menuing with Koo will be essential in taking down the game's bosses, which are gigantic monstrosities that will no doubt kill you in no time if you don't time your sword parry deflections or Koo's FP skills correctly.

If you manage to master the combat system, though, the bosses will fall quickly before you and bestow upon you new Bloom Arts for Koo and skill points for you to spend on a skill tree that will let you unlock new skills for Emma in battle.

Windows Central's take

When I first saw this game, I was shocked and pleasantly surprised that Game Freak was capable of making a game that was such a radical departure from their usual Pokémon titles.

With every new trailer that comes out, my interest in Beast of Reincarnation is increasing more and more, to the point where I just want to get my hands on it to see how it feels in hand because the combat looks really fun, especially the parts where we turn into a half-plant, half-human samurai during some attacks.

Hopefully, this game will encourage Game Freak to branch into more unique IP if it's successful because, when it's off Nintendo's leash, this studio's creativity can truly live up to its name of making 'freaky' games, and I'm all for it.

Beast of Reincarnation is set to launch on August 4, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Windows and Steam. It will also be available on Xbox Game Pass (Day One), PC Game Pass, and Xbox Cloud Gaming, with Xbox Play Anywhere support.

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Windows 11's monthly Patch Tuesday update is here, and it's one of the biggest of the year. In addition to the usual group of bug fixes and security updates, the July Patch Tuesday update includes some major new features.

Our Mauro Huculak broke down the 13 features that matter most from Windows 11's July 2026 update. The update is substantial and includes new ways to recover your PC, improve accessibility, and update Windows.

As is normally the case for Windows 11 Patch Tuesday updates, we've known what was on the way for weeks. Microsoft rolled out the latest features and changes to Windows 11 through a preview update toward the end of last month.

Ironically, the biggest change in this update is that it will allow you to pause updates indefinitely. Starting with this build you can stop your PC from getting updates for up to 35 days and then re-pause updates.

The downside is that you have to manually pause updates again if you want to stop them for more than 35 days.

Point-in-time Restore is another big addition. The feature lets you roll back a system to a previous working state. Windows 11 automatically creates restore points that include settings, files, and apps.

Widgets are better following the update as well. You now have greater control over notifications and personalization settings. Opening the widgets panel will open the dashboard on first use.

The full release notes for the update are shared in a Microsoft support document and listed below.

Windows 11 July 2026 Update (gradual rollout)

• [Point-in-time restore for Windows] New! This flexible recovery feature helps you quickly roll back your PC, including apps, settings, and personal files, to a recent automatic restore point. It helps reduce downtime and simplifies troubleshooting when issues occur. To learn more, see Point-in-time restore for Windows.
• [Windows Update] New! A calendar experience in Windows Update Settings (Settings > Windows Update) lets you pause updates by choosing an end date, for up to 35 days. You can extend the pause by selecting a different end date and re‑pause updates as needed. For more information, see Pause updates in Windows.
• [Widgets] New! A quieter, more focused Widgets experience helps reduce interruptions and improves default settings and notification controls:
  • Reduce distractions: Widgets no longer open on hover. Notifications and taskbar badges are minimized by default.
  • Simpler: Open to the Widgets dashboard by default on first use.
  • Customize: Configure Widgets how you want by selecting Settings in the navigation bar, then changing any of the default settings.
  • Stay informed: Dashboard icons show the number of alerts, and badges clear automatically when you leave a dashboard.
  • Adjusted defaults: Some default settings are preserved based on usage, while others adjust to reduce interruptions.
  • Performance improvements: This update provides improved reliability, responsiveness, and visual quality across the Widget experience.
• [Accessibility] New! This update makes your screen easier to see and customizes your zoom experience:
  • Screen tint: Apply a full-screen color overlay to help reduce eye strain and improve readability. Choose from preset tint options, adjust the intensity, or turn it on automatically. Find this feature in Settings > Accessibility.
  • Magnifier: Enter a zoom percentage directly and change it in increments in the Magnifier window for more precise, flexible control.
  • Magnifier settings menu: You can now also modify zoom increments directly from the magnifier bar instead of navigating to Windows Settings each time.
• [File Explorer]
  • New! When you hover over a file in File Explorer Home, commands such as Open file location and Ask Copilot appear as quick actions. This experience is now supported for work and school accounts (Entra ID).¹
  • Improves the speed and performance of File Explorer launch.²
  • This update improves File Explorer responsiveness when mounting disk images.
  • The address bar now supports paths containing double backslashes and quotation marks (for example, C:\\Users\\user or "C:\Users\user"), improving compatibility with a wider range of inputs.
  • The address bar suggestion dropdown is more reliable and now consistently closes after an item is selected.
  • This update addresses an issue on File Explorer Home where OneDrive files could appear duplicated in the Favorites section.
  • This update includes several refinements to the Rename experience:
    • Addresses an issue where text was repeatedly selected when renaming items in folder views.
    • Addresses an issue where case-only name changes were not immediately reflected in folder views for items stored locally or in the cloud.
• [Bluetooth] This update improves reliability and performance when connecting to and using Bluetooth devices:
  • New! Windows now keeps the microphone mute state in sync between the audio mixer and the Hands-Free Profile (HFP) for a more consistent experience with Bluetooth headphones with mute buttons or indicators.
  • Accessory compatibility workarounds: Improves compatibility with specific Bluetooth audio devices, helping AirPods appear faster in pairing mode and improving microphone reliability on Beats Studio Pro headphones.
  • Bluetooth audio stability:
    • Improves overall Windows stability with certain PC manufacturer drivers (error code 0x9F).
    • Improves Bluetooth reliability for voice calls when using Classic Audio devices with the Hands-Free Profile (HFP).
    • Reduces time for LE Audio accessories to start playing audio while using the microphone.
  • Device management: Windows will no longer show a “Remove failed” message when attempting to remove Bluetooth devices if the Bluetooth radio is unavailable or has changed since pairing.
  • Settings experience: Improves stability when using the Bluetooth & devices settings page for a smoother, more consistent experience.
  • Connection reliability and responsiveness:
    • Reduces the time it takes for classic Bluetooth audio devices to reconnect after Windows resumes from hibernation.
    • Improves reliability when LE Audio accessories disconnect, such as when another device (for example, a phone) connects.
    • Improves reliability of LE Audio streaming after a connection is lost and restored.
• [Bluetooth and Phone Link] This update improves audio routing for calls made through a connected phone:
  • When an outgoing call is dialed from a paired phone, audio remains on the phone while ringing and transfers to the PC only when the call is answered from the PC.
  • When Do Not Disturb is enabled on Windows, incoming call audio from a paired phone no longer rings on the PC.
• [Voice access and voice typing] **New!**⁠ You can now use voice access and voice typing in French, German, and Spanish. As you speak, your PC improves your text in real time. It corrects grammar, punctuation, and recognition errors, and helps improve clarity—even in the presence of background noise. This makes dictation smoother and reduces the need for manual edits.³
• [Audio] This update improves the reliability of the inbox HD Audio driver.
• [Taskbar] This update improves the reliability of opening the Start menu when selecting the left edge of the taskbar when the icons in the taskbar are left-aligned.
• [Networking]
  • This update includes networking improvements for virtualized environments. Confidential Virtual Machines (CVMs) now use SR-IOV hardware acceleration by default for improved network throughput, and a configuration issue in nested Hyper-V virtualization network setup has been corrected to ensure reliable VM network provisioning.
  • This update improves the reliability of the Windows networking stack. It reduces bug checks (blue screen errors) related to Wi-Fi power and improves cellular (WWAN) connectivity, including support for IPv6 VPNs. Compatibility with third-party VPN software and SR-IOV configurations on server hardware is also improved. Network adapter settings and bindings are now preserved across OS upgrades.
• [Printing] New! New printer installations use Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) by default when supported, simplifying setup and improving reliability. For details about third-party driver deprecation, see End of Servicing Plan for Third-Party Printer Drivers on Windows. To control this behavior, use the toggle in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > Default install printers using Windows Ready Print. For more information, see Introducing Windows Ready Print and modernized driver selection. For more information, see Introducing Windows Ready Print and Modernized Driver Selection.
• [Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)] The update improves usage of WSL in mirrored networking mode with VPNs.
• [Display and graphics]
  • Improves the reliability of rendering content while scrolling for certain apps spanning across multiple monitors.
  • Improves the reliability and persistence of applying color profiles.
• [Location services] This update changes how some location settings are displayed in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location to help with clarity. When location services are turned off, settings like Default location and Allow location override don't immediately apply, since location information is not given to apps or services. These settings will now be greyed out when location services are off to reduce confusion over when they take effect.
• [Search] This update improves the reliability of setting Search related group policies.
• [Input]
  • New! You can now customize the size of the right-click zone in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad. Choose from default, small, medium, or large to control how much of the bottom-right corner responds to a single-finger right-click. This setting is only available on touchpads with a pressable surface. If your device manufacturer provides customization through their own app, a Custom option will appear to reflect those settings.
  • This update improves recognition of English characters when using Japanese handwriting.
• [General performance] Improves the time to shut down Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) when you turn off your PC.
• [General Reliability] This update improves the reliability of explorer.exe. It addresses issues on the login and lock screens related to third-party credential providers, reduces the probability of taskbar icons appearing as blank gray placeholders, and improves navigation to Home in File Explorer during OneDrive sync. It also improves explorer.exe reliability when switching between desktops, enhances app launch with shell extensions, and using acrylic blur effects in the Start menu, Settings, and the lock screen.
• [Apps] Resolves an issue where some installers and applications could show unexpected elevation (UAC) prompts after installing KB5089549.
• [Remote Desktop] This update refreshes the dialog design when you enable Remote Desktop in Settings > System > Remote Desktop.
• [Graphics Kernel] Improves memory-management policy that allows PCs with more than 32GB of installed memory to run larger local AI models.

Windows 11 July 2026 Update (gradual rollout)

• [Secure Boot] With this update, Windows quality updates include additional high confidence device targeting data, increasing coverage of devices eligible to automatically receive new Secure Boot certificates. Devices receive the new certificates only after demonstrating sufficient successful update signals, maintaining a controlled and phased rollout.
• [Authentication] This update improves Netlogon secure channel connections between domain controllers, enabling successful connections from member servers to domain controllers set up before 2025.
• [Emoji Panel Update] The emoji panel (Windows key + period (⁠.⁠)) now uses GIPHY for GIF content following the deprecation of Google’s Tenor API. Starting June 30, 2026, install the latest Windows update to continue using GIFs in the Emoji panel. If you don’t update, you will see a "GIF service is not available" error in the panel. Installing the latest Windows update will restore access to GIFs.
• [Networking] This update improves how your device connects to shared network resources. Connections used by apps and system features, such as the NetUseAdd function, now work more reliably, including unauthenticated (null session) connections.
• [Recycle Bin (known issue)] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where the confirmation dialog might display an internal Recycle Bin file name instead of the original file name when permanently deleting a file. This issue might occur after installing the June 2026 security update (KB5094126).
• [Storage] This update improves disk space usage for the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file.
• [Taskbar] This update improves notification badge display across your apps. Notification counts and badge visuals now update correctly, helping you stay up to date with new activity.
• [File Explorer] This update fixes an issue where the OneDrive shortcut in File Explorer stops working when File Explorer is run with administrative mode.
• [Notification badges (known issue)] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where notification badge counts for some applications such as Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp, might not refresh correctly. As a result, badge indicators might continue to display outdated notification counts until the application is restarted or badge count is refreshed.

You can download this month's Patch Tuesday update through the Windows Settings app. Clicking the "Check for updates" button within the "Windows Update" section should start the process.

Alternatively, you can download the update through the Microsoft Update Catalog.

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Original Article (07/14/2026):

Recently, we've reported that Microsoft got sued by Xbox gamer Ordo_Liberal for blocking their entire digital Xbox games library after a 3-month court case.

You'd think Xbox would've learned its lesson after such a blunder and paying Ordo_Liberal $400 in damages in court, but sadly, it has not, because today, a gamer by the name of Joshua Khane has announced on social media that Microsoft has done the exact thing to him. Sadly, this kind of thing keeps happening, and it's nothing new.

According to Joshua, his Microsoft account had recently been hacked, and Microsoft's IT team responded by concluding that the account was unrecoverable, so they promptly suspended it permanently along with his entire Xbox games library and OneDrive account.

As a result, Joshua Khane lost over 25 years and thousands of dollars worth of data, Xbox games, and even his son's baby photos. As you can imagine, Joshua was furious, cursing Microsoft for such callous disregard for a person's property without finding a proper solution to the problem.

Microsoft: This is UNACCEPTABLE

Now, my faith in digital media has already taken a huge nose-dive recently after Sony delisted over 500 movies from people's accounts without recompense, killed off physical PlayStation discs, and announced the closure of the PlayStation 3 and PSVita's digital stores.

But after Microsoft's recent mistreatment of not only its employees and customers, it's hit rock bottom. What happened to Joshua was completely unjust and I hope stories like this eventually catch the eye of regulators, because it's utterly unacceptable. Microsoft should be paying out big fines for what they've done not only to Joshua, but likely hundreds, maybe thousands of others who weren't lucky enough to have their posts go viral.

As for me, I'm increasingly going DRM-free or full physical media from now on, while backing my work and personal files on external SSDs because I'm not letting Microsoft pull the same stunt on me if my account gets hacked.

These companies really need to start getting their act together to find legal and consumer-friendly means to preserve media; otherwise, it simply encourages users to resort to piracy, as it's looking more and more likely that it's "the only extant form of media preservation".

I can only hope that if Sony and Microsoft's blatant disregard for digital property and media continues, it may cause the European Union and other regulatory bodies of the world to get personally involved and force them to start taking digital preservation seriously.

But I guess only time will tell; right now, the future of gaming and digital cloud storage in general is looking like a dystopian nightmare none of us want to be a part of.

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This RAMpocalypse is getting worse by the day, making vital components for PCs like SSD units for storage and RAM chips for boosting performance cost hundreds of dollars by themselves.

During such a crisis, it's easier to find essential parts built into pre-made desktops. One such example is the Geekom A7 Max AI Mini-PC, a compact form-factor desktop built for crushing heavy workloads while being capable of light to mid-level gaming thanks to its 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM.

Fortunately for workers and gamers alike, the Geekom A7 Max AI Mini-PC is now on a limited-time 29% discount for $594.00 at Best Buy (which is nearly half the price of a Steam Machine) just for today.

Why buy the the Geekom A7 MAX AI Mini-PC over the Steam Machine?

The Geekom A7 MAX AI Mini-PC is a handy desktop for work and 1080p gaming on the side. It's equipped with an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU, an AMD Radeon 780M GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD (the latter two of which can be upgraded to 64GB RAM and a 2TB SSD, respectively).

With these specs, the Geekom A7 MAX Mini-PC will suffer little to no lag performing productivity duties like typing or opening internet browser tabs while being capable of running light indie games at 60fps and even some AAA games at 1080p resolutions/30fps (with FSR enabled) at medium settings.

Another notable feature of this mini-PC is its large number of USB and HDMI ports, which allow it to connect to four monitors simultaneously, making it incredibly useful for those who want to open multiple programs at once without having to juggle their positioning on a single screen.

So, if you want a compact-sized, desk-space-saving mini-PC to play light games like Minecraft or indie games like Mina the Hollower on the side while tackling never-ending paperwork at the office, the Geekom A7 MAX that's now $594.00 at Best Buy could be your next best workplace buddy.

Just be aware that this deal is only available until July 15, 2026, so think fast if you want to get it.

FAQ

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If you ever feel like you need a break from social media and influencers, you may long for the more fun-focused video content of yesteryear. Windows Movie Maker was a simple program for creating videos, and it can now be yours once again.

The folks at The Internet Archive uploaded Windows Movie Maker 6.0, making it easily accessible and preserving it. The app has been tested on Windows 7, Windows 10, and Windows 11.

Downloading ancient technology can be a fun way to see how far things have changed over the years. Generally, Windows and its built-in apps have improved since the year 2000. But the modern movie-making app on Windows, Clipchamp, falls short of Windows Movie Maker in one key area.

Clipchamp now requires you to sync content to OneDrive to edit video projects. Media within your projects can be stored locally, but the projects cannot be edited unless you save the project to OneDrive.

That controversial change arguably broke Clipchamp. The app still works, but it does not feel like an app that should be bundled with Windows 11. Instead, it feels like a cloud-based app you should download alongside Microsoft 365.

Windows Movie Maker may lack the modern features of Clipchamp, but at least it works offline.

Perhaps Microsoft could justify requiring OneDrive to edit videos if projects could easily extend across devices, but that's not the case. Microsoft retired Clipchamp for iOS last month, meaning you can no longer export video files from that app. Users are now encouraged to uninstall Clipchamp from any iOS devices.

Microsoft never even made an Android version of Clipchamp, so the company has effectively restricted the app solely to the desktop. There is a web version of Clipchamp, but it is optimized for desktop use.

How to download Windows Movie Maker for Windows 11

Windows Movie Maker was not meant for modern versions of Windows, but it can run on Windows 11 or Windows 10. The download link for the program is available through the Internet Archive.

As a warning, I had to refresh the page a few times to get the link to work. The Internet Archive claimed it was a bad link for some reason, but it does work after refreshing.

The file is available in several formats. I'd argue the easiest to use is the executable file because many people have clicked to install one of those before.

To install Windows Movie Maker, you'll need to click through the installation steps, agree to some terms, and click finish.

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Once Human first launched two years ago, initially just on PC, with a mobile version following in 2025. Now, finally, it's coming to console after a period of beta testing.

Once Human is officially set to launch on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 on August 25, 2026. Additionally, it will be coming to the Xbox app on PC on the same date.

It's not Xbox Play Anywhere, but it doesn't need to be, since it's a free-to-play game. It does have full cross-play and cross-progression, though, including account linking if you've previously played on PC or mobile.

Additional goodies include keyboard and mouse support on console, and while it is free to play, there will be a couple of paid packs you can buy if you so wish with some premium items in to help you on your way.

"Survive in a supernatural apocalypse where reality has fallen apart. As a Meta-Human, explore a vast, Stardust-infected open world where monsters are threat and key to your survival. Every expedition is risk and resource. Gather materials and build your ultimate territory, but be prepared to defend your home against relentless sieges."

Two years is a pretty long wait, and Once Human now is not Once Human as it was. But it's an interesting idea. There are aspects of looter games mixed with survival elements and both PvE and PvP gameplay, with the latter being an opt-in rather than forced upon players.

The console version doesn't appear to be up-to-date with the existing PC and mobile versions, at least at first. A Q&A on the Once Human website states that "in the future, the console version will catch up with the progress of other platform versions, and it is expected to remain consistent."

That all seems fair, at least for launch. For one, it's more important to get it out there and make sure it's actually all working as intended. Two years is a lot of content and updates, and I think it's a smart move. It should be less overwhelming, if nothing else.

The one thing that isn't listed in the Xbox version right now is any sign of achievements. For two years this has been a frustration of the Steam release, with multiple threads referencing the fact that the developers haven't added any.

Xbox console games should have achievement support, so maybe it's just an omission from the early listing. Conversely, maybe the launch on console may finally help bring achievements to Steam. In any case, we don't have long to wait and find out.

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The Xbox camp's airwaves have been dominated by pessimism now for as long as I can remember.

For years and years, Xbox fans and employees alike have endured a rollercoaster of ups and downs for Microsoft's gaming brand. Whether it's layoffs, unpopular decisions, or external factors like the memory crisis — team Xbox can't catch a break. Things can't get any worse, right? Well ...

Much has been said about the callousness of this latest round of Microsoft layoffs, which hit the entire run of the company, as has become tradition almost every July now. It's painful knowing that these cuts and reductions won't solve the biggest problem facing Xbox, and traditional gaming platforms in general.

The eternal question: where will the next phase of real growth come from?

The attention economy is getting more saturated by the day

The uncomfortable truth for traditional video game platforms is that revenue is only growing by squeezing the existing user base. PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, and even Steam are basically trading the same fixed amount of users back and forth. Some estimates predict a contraction in gaming this year, owing to the memory crisis pushing prices beyond people's means.

The memory crisis won't be forever, but even after that, therein lies an existential question: huge swathes of younger cohorts have side-stepped Xbox, PlayStation, and even Nintendo, in favor of Roblox.

The Robloxification of gaming demographics cannot be overstated. Roblox has more monthly active users than Steam and Xbox combined, and double that of Minecraft. It's only when you throw in casual games like Candy Crush Saga that Xbox really begins to approach similar figures, but it obviously becomes a faulty comparison at that point.

It's also true that Roblox hasn't made a penny (yet). They're in their growth phase, burning cash on changing user behavior before jacking up prices — effectively the Spotify and Netflix model. Eventually, creditors will want to see returns, by which point Roblox hopes to have become the default gaming development platform. For many, it already has.

Xbox and PlayStation have grossly under-invested in younger cohorts, and Nintendo's insistence on gatekeeping their franchises behind hardware has limited their ability to reach younger audiences. The fact that traditional core games also take exponentially longer periods of time to produce means that youngsters might completely age out of titles that target them before they even ship, by which point trends will have changed, and tastes will have evolved.

Indeed, in our attention-anemic, hyper-infotainment, insta-gratification society, Roblox's "quick and dirty" game delivery model is perfect for the era. Games come and go in a flash, devouring the latest memes and in-jokes that baffle older generations and celebrate youth culture in ways God of War or Halo simply cannot tap into now.

For sure, Roblox's rise to dominance is less about gameplay quality or visual fidelity, but more about the social value Roblox offers that has made it a juggernaut. The vibes.

The fact Microsoft looked to a former Meta executive to run Xbox is likely no coincidence.

Can Xbox become ... COOL?

One criticism I have of Phil Spencer and, honestly, Microsoft in general is their utilitarian approach to product design. Xbox and Windows both have become sterile in recent years, with fun and quirky features relegated to memes and memories. Indeed, trends are cycling more quickly than ever, turbo-charged by artificial intelligence and short-form social media. That's perhaps not ideal if you're a corporation that moves as slowly as Microsoft, which also has no culturally relevant social media layer.

Therein lies Xbox's core problem. Putting the legal troubles and safety concerns to a separate discussion for now, Roblox has amalgamated social media and gaming into this amorphous digital monster that seems inaccessible to Microsoft and Xbox in general.

How can Xbox hope to become culturally relevant in an era where culture is now a chaotic revolving door? It was barely relevant to begin with, but in ages past it had the advantage of an era where corporations had greater control over content and context. Modern internet culture spawns from a vast and increasingly artificial digital ooze which bubbles up an occasional banger only for it to almost instantaneously deteriorate when corporations get their tasteless claws in. The rise of independent creation has corporations like Microsoft and Xbox completely locked out.

But Xbox does have one cube-shaped trick up its sleeve here ...

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has stated that her short-term goal is to improve the situation for the core. Namely, older gen-z, millennials, and gen-x, who are pretty locked in their ways and want specific types of games and experiences. They aren't the future of the platform, though, nor are they the future of growth. We're aging out, getting old, having kids, and, ya know, dying to be blunt about it.

For Xbox to maintain competitive salaries against AI funny-money talent scouts and inflation, it needs to find new growth. This summer, that growth came from cuts and price increases. That's hardly sustainable, though. It's a short-term solution to hedge against a longer-term problem.

The big problem is Xbox's lack of new user acquisition. Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and devices like the Xbox Ally haven't really helped. Most Xbox Cloud Gaming and Xbox handheld gamers are already Xbox Series X|S users. The trick is finding those elusive new users, which Microsoft describes as "NTX" internally (new to Xbox).

The crux of it will make for uncomfortable reading for Microsoft higher-ups: Xbox needs to become social media adjacent. It needs to be less sanitized. It needs to lean into that digital ooze I mentioned, and, perhaps even a little dangerous if it wants to succeed in an era where cultural capital is more important than pixel density.

I don't think Microsoft has the stomach for it ... but this is Asha Sharma's wheelhouse. It's probably no accident that she was specifically chosen for this job. It's probably no accident that she just bought Minecraft, Xbox's closest Roblox allegory, in-house. It's probably no accident that she hired Matthew Ball, who wrote the book on social media-adjacent games like Roblox as CSO.

It might take years to see the fruits of her ideas in this area ... and in the short term, she's going to focus on strengthening the core of what Xbox is today. But I believe she's also planting seeds for a social media revolution at Xbox — bringing Microsoft into an industry that it has long been too afraid to even touch.

What's your take? Let me hear it in the comments, down below.

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Qualcomm continues to flirt with gaming on its Snapdragon X processors. The latest update to Snapdragon Control Panel redesigns game library navigation, improves the software update experience, and helps you get the latest Hexagon NPU drivers.

The overall gaming experience on Snapdragon X PCs will be better following the update, though you won't see a graphics boost.

Snapdragon Control Panel is a piece of software that helps you optimize your gaming experience on PCs powered by Snapdragon X chips.

A bump to version 2026.2.0 brings several notable improvements. Qualcomm shared the change log for the latest Snapdragon Control Panel update on Reddit.

What’s new in Snapdragon Control Panel 2026.2.0.0

✨ User interface improvements

• Redesigned Game Library navigation to be more consistent and intuitive, including clearer favorites add/remove behavior.
• Redesigned the Software Update page with a consistent experience for Snapdragon Control Panel, Adreno GPU drivers, and Hexagon NPU drivers.
• Improved update status feedback so users can more easily understand available updates and current installation state.
• Removed the top-level back button to simplify navigation.
• Expanded the clickable areas for items in the Help dialog.
• Added support for saving and restoring the navigation sidebar state.

🧠 Hexagon NPU driver updates

• Get access to the latest Hexagon NPU driver releases directly from Snapdragon Control Panel.

🎮 One-Click Game Optimization robustness improvements

• Improved the reliability of One-Click Game Optimization workflows, including optimization, revert, and refresh behavior.
• Note: One-Click Game Optimization is currently supported only on first generation Snapdragon® X Series devices.

🛠️ General improvements and bug fixes

• Includes additional reliability, usability, and maintenance fixes across Snapdragon Control Panel.

Gaming on Snapdragon X PCs is in an interesting spot in 2026. It's very clear that Qualcomm aims for its Snapdragon X chips to power gaming PCs eventually, but most mentions of gaming on the processors feel reserved.

When Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and Snapdragon X2 Elite last year, the company failed to mention gaming once. But when laptops with those chips launched, gaming capabilities were highlighted.

"Best Commuter Laptop: extreme performance for multitasking, gaming, and creation," reads the ASUS listing for the Zenbook A16 (emphasis added).

Just two months after unveiling the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and Snapdragon X2 Elite, Qualcomm announced Snapdragon Control Panel. That program lets users optimize game settings and update game drivers.

Meanwhile, other companies have been working to improve gaming on Snapdragon X PCs. Logitech G HUB gained support for Windows on Snapdragon earlier this year.

YouTuber "Ghobso Gaming" tested over 200 games on the Surface Pro 11 with a Snapdragon X Plus, and many titles performed well. They have since run tests on laptops with the Snapdragon X2 Elite. I'll follow up with them and do another piece on that soon.

Our Ben Wilson played some games on the Zenbook A16 with a Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme as well. Overall, gaming on Snapdragon X PCs is better than ever.

At some point, Qualcomm may fully embrace the gaming capabilities of Snapdragon X chips and make that a major part of its marketing. Until or unless that happens, the company will continue to work with partners to optimize gaming on Snapdragon X.

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The highly anticipated upgrades to the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop just launched. Both PCs pack the latest Snapdragon X2 processors from Qualcomm, promising better performance while still delivering great battery life.

The biggest upgrade in the lineup is performance. Microsoft promises up to 53% faster graphics performance on the Surface Pro than the previous generation. The Surface Laptop sees an even larger bump of up to 58% when compared to the last generation.

Those improvements are thanks to the Snapdragon X2 processors inside the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro.

Now, Best Buy has a wide range of configurations available for the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro. I've included a mix of various colors, storage options, and processors. But there are plenty of other configurations up for grabs if you want to mix and match.

• Shop all Best Buy Surface deals

The new chips from Qualcomm perform well and let your PC last all day. Exact performance will vary based on the full specs of a PC, but the Snapdragon X2 Elite competes with Apple's M4 Pro. The Snapdragon X2 Plus stands toe-to-toe with Apple's M3 Pro.

Benchmarks and spec sheets aside, any Surface with a Snapdragon X2 chip will handle a wide range of workloads and tackle productivity tasks easily.

While the Snapdragon X2 chips are the stars of the show, they're not the only upgrades worth checking out in the new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro.

What's new with the latest Surface Pro and Surface Laptop?

There are more display options than ever across the Surface lineup. The new Surface Pro is available with either an OLED display or an LCD screen. The new Surface Laptop 15-inch has a screen with 262 PPI, which is much higher than the last generation offered.

But the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are more than a spec bump. While they share much of their designs with the last generation, both offer a new way to use haptics.

The Surface Laptop now features a haptic trackpad that allows you to feel Windows 11 and supported apps. The Surface Pro delivers a similar experience when paired with the latest Surface Slim Pen.

The new experience comes courtesy of Windows 11's new haptic feedback system. That system sends subtle vibrations when you perform certain tasks, such as dragging files in File Explorer or snapping windows.

The new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro build on over a decade of refinement by Microsoft. The overall form factor has matured, but Microsoft has figured out how to squeeze innovation from designs that were already almost perfect.

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It's hard to find AI optimists these days.

AI-adjacent stocks have taken a battering in recent months, with Oracle and Microsoft particularly hard hit. Microsoft's stock is down over 20% from last summer's highs, as investors increasingly worry that the firm has over-extended and misjudged the opportunities therein.

Wider questions remain about the future viability of the tech. Cheaper Chinese models are pressuring the big U.S. hyper-scalers to find new efficiencies and strategies, as firms like OpenAI, SpaceX, Palantir, and Anthropic struggle to justify their more optimistic valuations. Some of the more dire warnings suggest the rife circular investments and financing could implode, threatening not only the associated companies, but potentially the entire global economy.

Recently, I caught up with Ed Zitron, head of EZPR and the Better Offline Podcast, who has become a prominent journalistic voice in AI analysis. Zitron's industry-leading tech newsletter Where's Your Ed At has become a primary source for those navigating the complex (and shady?) financial deals these companies are weaving, cutting through the industry hype with an oft-times scathing dose of reality.

I asked Zitron specifically about Microsoft's bets in this space, as the hype train objectively begins to lose steam.

Microsoft occupies an odd space in the "AI race," if you can still call it that at this point. Why do you think Wall Street and the stock market are rewarding Google but punishing Microsoft this year?

"It’s because Microsoft is uniquely awful at having to prove its worth outside of financials, and is run by some of the most decrepit, disconnected, and directionless leadership I’ve seen in any company I’ve ever monitored.

Whenever this company has to beguile investors, it can usually just throw up big money numbers and raise the price on Microsoft Office. This time it made the mistake of actually spending cash — and man, did AI save its ass from humiliation by distracting from its Activision-Blizzard acquisition! — on something, and doing so in the loudest way possible, because saying “AI” and spending lots of money on AI was all it took to make people buy your stock.

Sadly, $200 billion or more in capex in, Satya Nadella doesn’t really have a compelling answer as to where this money is going. He mentioned on their last earnings that they’d hit a $37 billion run rate for AI - around $3 billion a month in revenue, with the vast majority of that being OpenAI’s compute spend — and it didn’t get anybody hot and heavy, so the stock has kept tanking."

"This is also because Azure has been a much bigger business than Google Cloud.

Sundar Pichai is also better at the financial tricks than Satya Nadella, and worked out a way to make circular financing more conspicuous, selling Anthropic its own chips and then getting those chips put in Google data centers so that it can get the revenue from Anthropic, who it funds, buying compute. That huge bump in remaining performance obligations was, to be clear, mostly from circular financing.

I have no idea why Satya didn’t do this with OpenAI’s spend, and I have to wonder if he doesn’t start being really blunt about how much it’s boosting Azure revenue, even though that’ll probably work to his detriment.

Anyway, Google Cloud is a younger and smaller business and thus much easier to show explosive growth in. Satya is also not very good at marketing."

Do you think Microsoft will realistically see any long-term return on investment from its data center build out? Have they completely misjudged the potential?

"So, this depends on your definition of “ROI.” I think that, long-term, this will be seen as a disastrous, horrifying misallocation of capital, the kind of thing that will potentially get Satya Nadella fired.

In the short-term, Nadella got “ROI” out of AI in that it kept Microsoft interesting, and OpenAI’s compute spend buoyed Azure’s revenues without them ever having to disclose AI’s actual contribution. It was a shiny object to show investors, which gave them a vague sense of growth.

This was always a gamble, and because Microsoft started the era, it will inevitably be harmed the most by it.

No, I do not see any ROI at scale. Microsoft has spent over $200 billion on AI capex and will probably spend anywhere from $300 to $400 billion if it continues its pace past this year. It will need to make more than $500 billion in brand, spanking new revenue, in a very conspicuous way, to make any of this feel worthwhile."

"The problem they face is that the longer this goes on, the less incremental it can be. Showing modest growth in Intelligent Cloud and Business & Productivity isn’t going to make this problem go away.

The other is that the clock starts the second they stop spending on capex, and that includes a cut of anything more than 30%. Maybe they try and spread it out, but at some point they’re gonna have to stop, because this is a ludicrous expense.

But once they do, the street will start asking them to prove that they didn’t just nuke hundreds of billions of dollars and take on a bunch of debt for no reason.

I will say this: Amy Hood is very good at her job, and likely the only reason Satya Nadella hasn’t blown up the entire company."

Microsoft's early investment in OpenAI was initially hailed. In your research, how has that partnership panned out? Reporting suggests it hasn't gone well …

"At first, OpenAI must have seemed like the best thing that happened to Microsoft since it won that antitrust trial because the judge talked to the media. It was the single-most buzzy company in the world, and it had to spend money on Azure.

Satya Nadella could say that he had backed the next big tech titan, all while capturing the entirety of its value and cloud spend. The original deal - owning all the IP, making Azure their only cloud provider, all that stuff was a masterstroke.

Except it’s very obvious that something went sour there in 2024 or early 2025, likely when OpenAI demanded Microsoft build more compute than it wanted to. It must have also become clear that owning all of OpenAI’s IP and models and being able to power their services with it wasn’t actually helping Microsoft enough to justify the capex, so they got desperate and bought Mustafa Suleyman’s crappy little company so he’d bring that DeepMind magic to Microsoft."

"Also, Sam Altman very clearly started making demands that were effectively “change the agreement to our benefit for no apparent reason,” and Microsoft embarrassed themselves making any concessions for him. I think that Satya had assumed he had full control of Altman, and when that wasn’t apparent, I think it weakened both his and Microsoft’s position.

And, if I’m honest, Microsoft has embarrassed itself with AI - substandard models, lots of noise but not a lot of actual stuff, running GitHub Copilot at a massive loss for several years, then turning on token-based billing and creating a bunch of bad blood for no measurable gain?

The partnership was great when Satya had control, and the moment he let Altman buy compute from other companies was the moment he lost it, even though it was absolutely the right thing to do."

Windows users have backlashed pretty hard against some of Microsoft's AI products, including things like random Copilot buttons and Windows Recall. Do you see Microsoft finding any realistically good and viable uses for LLMs?

"Nope! I don’t remember the last time that Microsoft made anything that was both new and good, and every “idea” that Microsoft has is literally somebody else’s! Copilot Cowork is Claude Cowork, GitHub CLI is Claude Code, Scout is Codex or some other agentic crap; it’s all the same thing in the glossy Microsoft wrapper that used to mean “good but expensive” but now means “weird and sterile.”

This is not a product company, and the only thing they seem to be able to do with talent is lay it off. Nobody wants anything they’re selling other than for the products they like to work like they used to. If I surveyed 100 people about what they’d change about Microsoft, I bet at least 30% of them would say “remove Copilot.”

For that to change would require Microsoft to make a completely different product."

What do you think the AI landscape will look like in 5 years, if you had to predict?

"These are all guesses, and I can’t append them to any time period. I’m pulling them out of thin air — I can’t see the future! Nobody can! These are things that could happen far more than they are for sure events.

1. LLMs are gone from the cloud other than for obscure GCP/Azure/AWS instances with AI GPUs for people doing very specific things, all of which cost way too much to do regularly.

Whatever LLMs survive are a boring on-device situation you run on a $100k workstation, and that’s not very common because they’re pretty expensive. That being said, this might also be what happens to the large amounts of GPUs that are left for dead after the bubble pops.

2. Eventually, the big labs have to start doing aggressive cost cuts, which up usage but up costs, or cost increases, which destroys usage. Either way, growth is slowing because of token-minimizing, and it’ll accelerate and eventually break the companies."

"OpenAI dies or gets absorbed into Microsoft, who jacks up the prices and unwinds the business. The same happens to Anthropic, which likely becomes a much smaller company that’s effectively a subsidiary of Google and Amazon.

3. Microsoft does a $5bn-$10bn write-down of GPUs and Nadella is booted in favor of Amy Hood. Maybe more!

4. The software industry enters a prolonged depression within the next few years because growth starts to stumble in one of the major hyperscalers. Remember: Anthropic and OpenAI are currently boosting the revenues of Microsoft, Google and Amazon, to a level that I really should look into!

5. NVIDIA’s revenues eventually return to the 2023 era, single-digit billions of dollars annually. I also expect some sort of write-down on their side too."

A huge thanks to Ed Zitron — now it's your turn

Thanks a ton to Ed Zitron for joining us on this piece. Be sure to check out Ed Zitron's podcast and newsletters here; both are full of incredible research and insights into the AI biz more recently, but also tech in general.

Often when I'm writing about AI, I feel like the big players are gaslighting me into believing that the tech is good enough to solve all of humanity's problems, if we'll just hang on and accept a little bit more (a lot more) compute. While it seems AI does have a role to play in parsing large quantities of data and tracking anomalies humans might miss, the "hyperscale" opportunities increasingly seem far-fetched and vague as we head through the current cycle.

Where it all ends up remains anyone's best guess. Perhaps some kind of incredible breakthrough will give AI the nuance and accuracy it needs to actually be a viable general-purpose assistant — rather than an expensive mimicry and content theft machine.

Perhaps its pairing with robotics will enable real opportunities that have so far eluded the big corps. Or perhaps the simple truth is: there's no real room for optimism here. Perhaps we've all been conned by something that seems suspiciously capable on the surface, until you actually put it to any form of real work.

What do you think? Hit the comments, let's talk.

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When it comes to productivity in the classroom, in the office, or even at home, HP's Omnibook laptops are among the best value-for-your-money Windows laptops.

The Omnibook 5 features an OLED 2K display, solid performance, a long-lasting battery, a sturdy build, and other useful features that help justify its cost, even amid a memory crisis.

And now, the 16-inch OmniBook 5 AI PC is on sale with a 26% discount for only $809.99 at Amazon.

Why buy the HP Omni 6 16" Next Gen AI PC?

Our colleagues at the sister site, TechRadar, went hands-on with the 14" variant of the HP OmniBook 5 and gave it a high score of 4/5 stars, praising its gorgeous display, strong battery life, responsive keyboard, and lightweight design.

The 16" version that's on sale today features similar levels of computing horsepower but with a larger 2K OLED display capable of rendering images and videos with strong contrast.

This configuration of the HP OmniBook 5 is equipped with a Snapdragon X processor, 16GB RAM, a 512GB SSD, and an NPU with 40-60 TOPS to support its built-in Copilot+ AI feature.

With these specs, this laptop will reliably and effectively run productivity tasks like reports or spreadsheets in Office, perform AI-related tasks like researching and compiling information online, open multiple browser tabs without lag, host video meetings, and more.

Other notable features of this laptop include a gargantuan estimated battery life of 34+ hours, a lightweight yet sturdy thin build that makes it easy to carry or store for long-distance travel, a built-in FHD IR camera, and pre-installed Otter.AI to automatically take notes during meetings (which I personally love as I'm regularly forgetting to take notes during fast-paced or long-winded conversations).

So, if you're looking for a dependable workhorse laptop, you can't go wrong with the HP OmniBook 5, especially now that it's on offer for $809.99 at Amazon instead of its usual listing price of $1,099.99.

FAQ

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The Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 ports for the PS4 and PS5 were received to much hype and excitement. But guess what? They're a mess. Who possibly could have guessed?

Only everyone who's ever tried playing the backward compatible versions on Xbox consoles in recent memory. Collectively, it's an "I told you so," because we knew it would happen.

The only difference is that the 'shiny new' ports on PlayStation seem to be getting some kind of active support from Activision. Because Black Ops has had some of its playlists deactivated while "issues" are investigated.

The issues are simple: hackers. You think Black Ops 7 has a bad rep for hackers? Without modern anticheat technologies, the old games are like the Wild West.

It's taken absolutely no time at all for the new ports to be compromised, which really does show just how lazy they are. We're not just talking about wallhacks, either, though those are bad enough.

Players are being inundated with lobbies packed with players running exploits. Some are instantly max prestige, everything unlocked, ridiculous statistics, and perhaps worst of all for legitimate players, it's been reported a "negative XP" hack is dropping players back to level 1.

I love both of these games, but from the get-go, I saw nothing but a quick cash grab, cashing in on player nostalgia for the old games we loved so much, especially in a year when the new Call of Duty hasn't had the best reception. But they're not 'new,' are they? They're just the same old games we've been able to play on Xbox all along.

I saw a question on Reddit where, potentially linked to the recent hype, an Xbox player was asking if it was worth them buying Black Ops 2. At full price, the only answer is no. If you want to enjoy multiplayer, I'd also say the answer is no. If you can get a cheap disc to enjoy the campaign and Zombies? Sure.

But props at least to Activision for seemingly offering support on these ports. How long it'll last and how far they'll go, I guess we'll find out. But it's more than we've seen on Xbox with the existing versions in a long time.

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One week after Microsoft and Xbox began a large series of "reset" 3,200 layoffs across the gaming brand that saw 1,600 devs let go immediately and four studios split from the company, Compulsion Games — one of the teams divested — has now signaled how it intends to move forward.

In a new post on LinkedIn, the studio behind the action-adventure games We Happy Few and 2025's award-winning Xbox title South of Midnight reaffirmed that it will continue on as an independent developer, while also announcing that it's "expanding opportunities to collaborate with studios across the games and entertainment industry."

"With Compulsion Games returning to its roots as an independent developer, we are expanding opportunities to collaborate with studios across the games and entertainment industry," reads Compulsion's statement.

"We invite partners to leverage the talent and creativity of the award-winning team behind South of Midnight, a game that was honored with a BAFTA Award, a Peabody Award, seven Canadian Game Awards, and recognized on multiple ‘Best Games of 2025’ lists," it continued.

Though it wasn't a massive success for Microsoft and Xbox commercially, South of Midnight reviewed quite well with critics and players, and took home several major awards as Compulsion highlights here. We gave it a 4/5 score in our own review, stating that it "delivers a story filled with trauma and beauty, with a gorgeous world that doesn't overstay its welcome."

Notably, in the past, Compulsion contributed to the development of games like Darksiders and Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale in the leadup to its debut puzzle-platform title Contrast. Now, the developer hopes to work with other studios once again.

"With deep experience in creating acclaimed original IP, we bring our artistry, technical expertise and collaborative approach to every project," the announcement adds. "We are excited to support the development of memorable experiences that engage and entertain players around the world."

The layoffs and divestment of Compulsion Games from Xbox came as part of a wider effort from Microsoft to reorganize its gaming business after it "overextended," with Xbox's new CEO Asha Sharma pushing for the brand to "move faster" with and focus on its largest properties such as Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Halo.

Games like South of Midnight that have less selling power than huge established franchises aren't going to mesh well with that strategy, which is ultimately why Microsoft and Xbox cut Compulsion loose. That departure is frustrating to see for many — myself included — as we know it came with layoffs...but, at the very least, I'm glad that the studio will live on.

As for what its developers will end up working on, either on their own or with other teams across the industry? Only time will tell. Whatever's next for Compulsion Games, though, I hope that it will be a project its workers are passionate about, and that it will succeed well enough to give the studio stability in what's become an extremely volatile time for game development.

What kind of game would you like to see Compulsion Games make next? What studio(s) should is partner and collaborate with? Let me know what you think in the comments.

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One of the biggest and most upsetting recent developments in the gaming industry was the sudden and shocking end of Destiny 2, with developer Bungie announcing its conclusion in May before delivering one last content update, Monument of Triumph, in early June. Despite players pushing to keep the series alive, publisher Sony ultimately ended support for Destiny 2 (though it remains playable) and laid off "most of the Destiny team" soon after.

The downfall of a franchise as massive and prominent as Destiny — reportedly caused by poor leadership and financial troubles — was a bombshell to many, including Rebecca Ford, the creative director of Warframe. Digital Extremes' 2013 live-service sci-fi action RPG, one of Destiny 2's biggest rivals, has now outlasted it...but Ford isn't celebrating.

On the contrary, she views the end of Destiny 2, and the way it ended, to be deeply concerning: "It's horrible news, because it shows that even if you care so much, the business side of this industry always gets the last remark," she told GamesRadar+ during an interview at TennoCon 2026.

"Those are the types of stories and experiences that, when you're in a position where you have your own game, your own IP, and you work as hard as you do on it...that's not the first time it's happened, and it'll happen again, where the business aspect of the video game economy makes the decision for you, and it is existentially threatening at every level, because the idea that we aren't in charge of our own goodbye is something I wake up thinking about every single day," she continued.

While this isn't something that private, independent studios have to worry about, these kinds of shutdowns, layoffs, and closures are undoubtedly things that developers operating under a publisher's wing have come to fear more and more in recent years.

One only has to look at last week's events at Xbox for a glaring example of why; Microsoft's gaming brand began a series of 3,200 ongoing layoffs, with 1,600 workers immediately let go and another 1,600 set to be cut over the course of 12 months. Four studios are being divested from Xbox Game Studios as well, and that number could rise to five depending on how negotiations about Arkane Lyon with the French government shake out.

As a result of what Xbox calls a "reset" for an operation that's "not healthy," over half of DOOM dev id Software and over 200 devs at The Elder Scrolls Online maker ZeniMax Online Studios have been discharged, with numerous other teams across Xbox also affected. Bethesda workers fear The Elder Scrolls 6 will be delayed and that Fallout 76 support may not continue, while its union fights back with a Save Our Devs protest this week.

The cuts at Xbox and Bungie are merely the latest in a devastating series of industry layoffs that have continued to pile up since 2022, initiated by overinvestment into gaming during the pandemic and worsened by the impact of tariffs, the hardware crisis, and other socioeconomic factors.

In an era where publishers dismissing thousands of devs and canceling or shutting down projects has become disturbingly routine, Ford is right to see what's happened with Destiny and Bungie as a grim reminder of the current state of the industry. We can only hope that a light at the end of the tunnel isn't too far away.

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Microsoft has unveiled a huge update to search on Windows 11 that look to be focused on improving the search experience with more accurate results, less reliance on the web, and even a removal of annoying ads and promotional material.

"You’ve have been asking for search that is faster, more relevant, and easier to use—whether you’re opening an app, finding a file, or changing a setting," Microsoft says in a new blog post. "Because the Windows Search Box is where many people start, we focused first on making results more dependable, easier to scan, and clearer before you click."

The company is highlighting several key improvements, including clearer results that does a better job at showing why a search result is appearing when a query has been typed, alongside prioritizing local results before reaching out to the web.

Search is also getting better at handling things like typos, which should help surface the right results even when the user misspells an app or file. The search home pane will no longer show MSN or Bing content, and promotional content and ads will no longer appear in search results.

Here's a complete list of the changes Microsoft has announced for search on Windows 11:

• A calmer home screen. Search home has been simplified to reduce visual clutter and make it easier to get back to recent searches quickly.
• Clearer results. Search does a better job showing where a result comes from—app, setting, file, web result, or Store suggestion—so it’s easier to tell what you’re looking at and where you will go before you click.
• Promotional content has been removed from web results. Web results show the most relevant answer, instead of first showing related products and promotions, helping search feel more focused and less distracting.
• You’re in control of web and Microsoft Store results. A new setting in Settings > Privacy & Security > Search lets you choose whether web and Microsoft Store suggestions appear alongside local results.
• Local results prioritized when they’re the better match. Apps, settings, and files more reliably appear ahead of web and Store suggestions when your content is the stronger match. System items like This PC and Recycle Bin are easier to discover.
• Finding apps is more forgiving. Search is better at handling typos, dropped letters, extra letters, and partial words for apps. Queries like “utlook” can still find Outlook.
• Settings results are improving. We’ve made a first round of ranking improvements to help more relevant settings appear higher in results, with more tuning planned in the coming months.
• Finding files is improving. Search is better at surfacing the right local files with added support for two-character file searches. We’ve also made improvements to show cloud and connected files in results when they’re the stronger match. These changes help you get to the document, download, or folder you are looking for faster.
• Reliability is improving. Improved search reliability, including reducing likelihood of crashing and loading issue, with more work underway.

These upgrades are now rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Experimental Channel, and are expected to roll out to all Windows 11 users later this year. Insiders may not see the changes right away as they are rolling out in waves.

These improvements are part of Microsoft's larger Windows K2 effort, which is an effort to fix Windows 11's biggest problems and reposition the platform as a viable competitor alongside macOS and Linux.

Search has been a sore point of Windows for a number of years, and so hopefully these improvements will be exactly what Windows users have been waiting for to bring it back up to par with the rest of the competition.

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During the week of Microsoft laying off 3,200 of Xbox Game Studios' developer staff, including a good chunk of id Software's staff, it was easy to forget that id Software launched the DLC expansion to DOOM: The Dark Ages around the same time.

Fortunately for gamers, it turned out to be the only good piece of news that week, as this DLC expansion titled DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations successfully launched with glowing critical and fan acclaim.

It's been praised for expanding the single-player campaign with a new, exciting story along with new levels, puzzles, enemies, weapons, the new Ripatorium 3.0 challenge mode, deeper customization, and more.

The DLC expansion currently sits at 90/100 on OpenCritic, with the likes of IGN, SECTOR.sk, and more giving it near-perfect review scores, while over 86% of 1,436 players have left positive reviews on its Steam Page.

Here's a round-up of what some of the critics had to say about DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations:

• IGN (9/10): "Doom: The Dark Ages - Revelations is not for the faint of heart. It demands mastery of the Slayer’s many tools of destruction, including exciting new options like the Chain Spear, and rewards that mastery with some of the most exhilarating combat rooms I’ve ever played fought my way through. The Dark Ages’ action was already among the best in the genre, and this DLC elevates it even further by fusing it with just the right amount of Doom Eternal to make the two feel similar, but still wholly distinct from each other. It’s a steep difficulty curve to climb, but it’s well worth the effort."
• SECTOR.sk (9/10, translated from Slovak): "DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations will put you to the test. And the main character, too. But it's a brutal action-packed ride that you'll really enjoy. It's an excellent expansion. Its difficulty and structure, which involves backtracking, might not be for everyone, but it's excellent."
• Hobby Consolas (85/100, translated from Spanish): "Revelations could be the end of the modern era of the DOOM saga, a franchise that returned from the depths of hell with the force of a thousand demons thanks to the superb work id Software has done for over a decade."
• Uagna (9/10, translated from Italian): "DOOM: The Dark Ages – Revelations is an exceptional expansion that enhances and transforms an already rock-solid combat system. The Chain Spear stands out as one of the modern series' most successful additions. The return of the dash, increased verticality, and the ability to switch between spear and shield bring the gameplay closer to the mobility of DOOM Eternal without sacrificing the weighty feel of The Dark Ages. While the story remains predictable and the controls require an adjustment period, these are minor flaws when weighed against the quality and volume of content on offer. At a time marked by uncertainty regarding id Software's future, Revelations once again demonstrates the studio's technical and creative prowess. It represents a near-perfect blend of the brutality found in The Dark Ages and the speed of DOOM Eternal."
• Powerup! (8.5/10): "DOOM: The Dark Ages – Revelations is exactly what a great expansion should be. It doesn’t reinvent the foundation established by the base game. Instead, it strengthens it, expands it and quietly fixes one of its biggest shortcomings by restoring the glorious speed that made DOOM Eternal so addictive in the first place."
• Digitale Anime (9.5/10, translated from Arabic): "A True Evolution, Not Just an Expansion" DOOM: The Dark Ages – Revelations succeeds where most expansions fail; it doesn't just add new content, it evolves the very foundations of the game. The Chain Spear system changes the rhythm of combat and brings back the speed and action that players loved in DOOM Eternal without abandoning The Dark Ages identity. There's clever enemy design, secret-filled levels, a strong ending, and exceptional music. Revelations is an excellent expansion that elevates the base game to a whole new level."

Windows Central's take

Overall, it seems like the consensus is that while the DLC expansion's emphasis on backtracking exploration may not be everyone's cup of tea, people are loving the improved combat system.

With the new Chain Spear weapon, the return of the dash ability, and increased verticality, DOOM: The Dark Ages's combat system now feels way faster-paced, comparable to older titles like DOOM: Eternal, without sacrificing the immersive weight and impact that earned it a perfect 5/5 review from us at Windows Central.

So, hearing that DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations plays more like DOOM: Eternal, my favorite game in the series alongside DOOM (2016), fills me with great joy, and I can't wait to play it myself when I have the time to do so.

I know that after last week's non-stop barrage of depressing news of Sony killing physical media and Xbox studios being culled, I can definitely do with some ripping and tearing of demons to vent my frustrations.

DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations is now available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam. Do note that this DLC requires the base game of DOOM: The Dark Ages in order to be played.

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The idea of not owning our games and media to do as we wish with has flared up again in recent weeks, thanks to Sony announcing the death of discs for PlayStation. Now it's Ubisoft's turn to remind us that we are but a slave to the system.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced launched just last week, and by all accounts, it was a success. It's reviewed pretty well across the board, with a high rating on Metacritic for both press and users, and Ubisoft reported 2 million sales on launch day.

But then over the weekend Ubisoft left players with a stark reminder of the perils of an all-digital future, especially where DRM is concerned, when the game's offline mode flat out stopped working on PC (via Eurogamer).

The issue stemmed from a Ubisoft Connect outage. No matter where you're buying from, Ubisoft requires Connect in order to function. Console games aren't quite so beholden to it, but on PC, Ubisoft Connect acts as a DRM tool.

Resynced is supposed to require a solitary online connection to validate, and then you'd expect to be able to use the offline mode, right?

Wrong.

The Ubisoft Connect outage didn't last long, but the duration isn't the issue. The fact that this outage took down the offline mode is. For players who have already validated their copy of the game, a Ubisoft Connect server problem should still allow folks to play offline.

Players quickly voiced their frustrations on Reddit and Steam's forums and with good reason. A game with an offline mode should not be taken down like this. Ubisoft promised to make an offline mode for The Crew 2 after the outrage when it shut down the original game in the series, but is this what we're going to expect to deal with?

Offline mode needs to be exactly that. Fully disconnected, no issues playing without a connection, and definitely not affected by DRM or proprietary clients going down. A one-time activation should do what it says. Ironically, there are comments that suggest pirated versions of the game weren't affected by the outage.

It's becoming increasingly attractive to skip these types of games entirely and spend time and money on titles that are DRM-free from somewhere like GOG. Software licensing has always been a thing, but there are other ways.

I recently bought a copy of Project Motor Racing that gave me the entire game's installation files directly from GIANTS Software to install offline, no questions asked.

This Ubisoft Connect debacle just leaves everyone with a bad taste in their mouth.

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One of the most contentious issues around Xbox in recent years is the management of the Halo franchise.

Halo was to Xbox what Mario is to Nintendo. For years, it was Halo that led the tip of the spear for Xbox's surge in the gaming industry. The innovation with multiplayer and console-oriented shooters in general helped Xbox drive a wedge into a very established gaming industry. Halo 3's launch was legendary, and Halo game launches in general used to be "events." Those times are long passed.

Halo hasn't recaptured the magic of yesteryear. Halo Infinite was well received, but its post-launch mismanagement put a dampener on proceedings. The Halo TV show was also an unmitigated disaster, representing the raw squandered potential in this storied franchise.

In 2026, we're now getting Halo 1 "again," in the form of Campaign Evolved. It's already mired with controversy from some Halo purists for liberties taken with the art, and on the Xbox side for its launch on PlayStation. Given the backdrop of Xbox's so-called "reset" layoffs, Halo has something of a microscope on it right now. Including its leaders, for less-than-positive reasons.

YouTuber Rebs Gaming has been reporting on Halo for a while. As a Halo fan, Rebs echoed community sentiment about the franchise's general decline, but has put a focus on the studio's leadership. In his latest video, Rebs shares allegations that studio lead Pierre Hintze has antagonized staff, while also being reportedly referred to HR "multiple times" for his apparent behavior — although from documents I've received, at least one of the complaints were not upheld by Microsoft upon investigation.

In Rebs' video, he quotes one source, "I was verbally blasted by Pierre. It's emotional and shocking, and to this day, I cannot believe Microsoft HR and Microsoft Legal did not give me the time of day. Pierre literally told me to 'get the fuck out of the studio.' It traumatized me."

Rebs' videos are heavily editorialized and interspersed with opinions on the fate of Halo overall, but I wanted to see if the actual claims against Hintze are credible. Rebs reported that Halo Studios was working on a multiplayer title known as Project Ekur, which was cancelled. I've verified that as 100% true. However, while I couldn't verify everything Hintze is accused of saying in Rebs' video, unfortunately, comments I've received lend weight to some of these allegations. Sources infer that harbors a capacity for creating friction between his team and Xbox more broadly, and it's suggested that he is a controversial figure internally.

Former Halo Art Director Glenn Israel has gone on the record previously alleging as though he was retaliated against by Pierre Hintze for raising concerns that Halo Studios had arbitrarily blacklisted potential candidates over personal issues.

"Hiring interference is an explicit Microsoft policy violation (Standards of Business Conduct, Global Hiring Principles, Anti-Corruption/Conflicts-of-Interest policies)," Israel recently wrote on LinkedIn. "Blacklisting is a civil and criminal offense in the state of Washington (RCW 49.44.010)."

In addition, I spoke to over half a dozen staffers past and present who had experience working with Hintze. Even though I couldn't verify some of the information in Rebs' own video, I was passed other criticisms (and also praise) of Hintze.

Some suggested that some present-day Xbox producers and managers refuse to engage with Hintze without supervision, owing to feeling antagonized and undermined. I was told multiple anecdotes from very separate sources about Hintze exhibiting vocal disrespect for other Xbox studios, teams, and projects, which didn't exactly paint him in a positive light.

I saw emails sent to Microsoft HR that alleged "bullying" on the part of Pierre Hintze, criticizing his treatment of staff. However, others did offer mitigating comments. One defended Hintze, emphasizing his passion and dedication to the product. They suggest that he's not necessarily ill-intentioned, but sports a "complete lack" of tactfulness and people skills, in their opinion.

A lack of "people skills" is potentially problematic as a studio lead, particularly one with such a high profile as Halo. It was suggested to me that Hintze might simply be too stretched as a studio head, lacking the correct attitude to steer a large team in a single direction. The Halo Studio is under tremendous pressure, and the chaos around Xbox's current "reset" is likely making things even more difficult.

What's next for Halo?

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma described a plan to focus on the firm's biggest franchises moving forward, naming specifically DOOM, Fallout, and Halo, among others.

Xbox's cuts have been broad and aggressive. Id Software of DOOM fame lost anywhere up to half of the studio, with ZeniMax seemingly bearing the brunt of this initial wave of cuts. Halo Studios seems to have avoided being targeted more broadly, given Halo's importance to Asha Sharma's plans. But it remains to be seen whether or not Xbox leadership will decide if yet another reorganization of Halo's management is required.

Halo Campaign Evolved launches on July 28, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

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After Sony announced that it's delisting over 500 movies from users' accounts with no refunds, discontinuing physical discs for PlayStation games, and closing down PlayStation 3 and PSVita's digital stores — people are increasingly skeptical of making all media digital-only.

Brazilian Xbox gamer, Ordo_Liberal, also found this out the hard way, as back on April 6 (via Reddit), 2026, his Microsoft account was hacked and promptly suspended by Microsoft as its IT team determined it was "unrecoverable" by policy, due to the account's security details being changed by the hacker.

This isn't the first time we've seen reports of this at Windows Central. Microsoft's policies for restoring accounts are often incredibly flimsy. Getting in touch with the right support services can be a Kafka-esque nightmare of AI bots and outsourced customer service layers.

As a result of being blocked, Ordo_Liberal not only lost his Xbox games but also lost all his OneDrive files.

Enraged that Microsoft took away his game library and insisted he buy them again, Ordo_Liberal then sued Microsoft in a digital library lawsuit. The court case dragged on until July 12, 2026, when Ordo_Liberal announced on Reddit that he had actually won.

According to (translated) comments, the Brazilian court ruled in favor of Ordo_Liberal under Brazil's strict consumer laws, and has ordered Microsoft to completely restore Ordo_Liberal's account, giving him his entire Xbox digital games library back, and pay him $400 in damages.

Digital preservation of games has become quite a hot topic in recent days, following Sony's culling of physical media to the point where some would argue that "piracy is the only extant form of media preservation" due to no viable, legal option being available.

However, Ordo_Liberal's court win against Microsoft for taking away his digital library for something that wasn't his fault proves that it is possible to find a legal means to protect and preserve digital games and a player's ownership rights over them, provided they have the courage, legal know-how, and careful planning to do so.

The European Union is also taking a more aggressive stance on digital preservation lately. As more and more of our data goes up to cloud services, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the consequences when companies like PlayStation or Xbox pull the plug.

Microsoft needs to do better here, and if they refuse, maybe the courts will be able to force them to do so.

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Microsoft Edge may soon let you force any website into dark mode. The option is one of several features in testing that are part of "Web Remix" within Edge.

Web Remix allows you to customize the look of a webpage. With a few clicks, you can change a page's color, font size, and toggle it to dark mode.

But the feature is about more than appearances. Web Remix can convert prices that appear on a page to local currency, summarize a page, or simplify a long article.

Here's what you can do with Web Remix, according to Microsoft:

• Simplify a long article for easier reading
• Add a summary to a detailed page
• Turn a recipe into a shopping list
• Convert prices to your local currency
• Update the appearance of a webpage

Web Remix runs locally and functions similarly to Read mode in that you can click a button in the address bar to enable it or disable it.

Since this feature is in preview testing, there's always a chance that it does not ship. Just last week, I covered the development of a great Microsoft Teams feature being paused while in preview.

You can enable Web Remix in Edge Canary by enabling the "Web Remix" and "Web Remix Internals" flags.

You can use Web Remix to force any website into dark mode, even if the site does not support the feature natively. However, the results will not be perfect. Converting a site to dark mode is more complex than it may appear, since there are many elements that need to remain unchanged.

Leo Varela, who spotted the feature on Edge, was kind enough to show Windows Central swapped to dark mode through Web Remix. The feature does an okay job, though I'd argue it was too aggressive in inverting certain elements. For example, the social media icons and the home bar should not be changed to black and grey, respectively.

The reason extensions like Dark Reader and Dark Mode - Night Eye cost money for full functionality is that converting sites to dark mode requires fine controls and nuance. Those extensions and similar extensions on other platforms let you customize dark mode and give more control than Web Remix.

But for a free tool that's still in early testing, Web Remix does a nice job. Its other features are a nice bonus as well. But I've been obsessed with dark mode since the days of Windows Phone, so I care most about that.

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iRacing makes much more than just its flagship sim racing platform these days, and hot off the heels of the first official NASCAR 26 news, we now finally have some information on its IndyCar project.

We've known of its existence for some time but little more. Now, we finally have something concrete to go on, as well as a tentative launch window that will, sadly, miss the previously hoped-for 2026 window.

IndyCar Racing The Game is coming to Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam, and PS5, in "early 2027."

That makes the most sense right now, given that NASCAR 26 is already on track to launch this September. Any time after this is a terrible time to launch a game, given that the entire planet's attention will be fixed on GTA 6.

Or Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered.

“This is a project our team has been passionate about for a long time,” said Tony Gardner, iRacing president. “We’re bringing everything we know about authentic, immersive racing to consoles and PC, and creating an experience worthy of the INDYCAR name. 2027 can’t come soon enough.”

Other than early 2027, all we know is that IndyCar Racing The Game will "launch in the countdown to the 2027 Indianapolis 500." Next year's race is scheduled for May 30, so right now we can expect to see the game sometime before then.

Being made by iRacing means that, like NASCAR 25 and 26, the IndyCar game will be able to leverage some aspects of the sim while being built like a more traditional racing game. It uses an in-house engine, not Unreal as NASCAR 26 does, previously used in ExoCross.

There hasn't been an official IndyCar game in over twenty years, so fans have certainly had a drought. IndyCar has largely been ignored beyond iRacing, so it's certainly a long overdue but extremely welcome arrival.

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Windows 11 has a new search box on the way, or at least a slightly larger one. The search box within the Windows 11 Start menu will be four pixels taller if a change that's currently in preview ships to everyone.

That's four more entire pixels of height dedicated to searching for files or using the improved search capabilities of Windows 11. The change, which was accidentally included in release notes for a preview build, was the butt of jokes. But I think it also shows something bigger (pun intended).

Windows 11 has had design inconsistencies for years. Context menus are a mess and the operating system has a mix of features that originated in different decades. The Windows K2 initiative aims to reduce the pain points of Windows 11. As part of the push, Microsoft will also iron out inconsistencies.

Biggest News of the Week

With the development of Windows 11, if design consistency is thought about at all, it's an afterthought. The OS is several operating systems in a trenchcoat, resulting in a mismatched design.

But even within individual apps or settings, Windows 11's design lacks polish. The infamous one pixel border around apps infuriates some people and has been a hot-button topic for years.

If you look hard enough, you'll find tiny issues throughout the design of Windows 11. Windows not aligning or inconsistent menus do not break the operating system, but they do make it look unpolished. If Microsoft wants to convince people it cares about Windows 11, the OS needs to look like a finished product.

Small changes like resizing the search box in the taskbar, which appears to have been done to align with Copilot Search, add up. Attention to detail matters.

While the Windows K2 initiative may be felt most through its impact on RAM usage or other elements that affect performance, it can also give Windows 11 a refreshed look that improves the overall computing experience.

Shopping with Sean

A growing number of Windows 11 laptops are on sale. If you need a budget-friendly convertible, a premium-quality clamshell laptop under $1,000, or a brand-new laptop with a Snapdragon X2 and a beautiful OLED display, there are sales worth a look.

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Microsoft is exploring several improvements to the Windows 11 shell and user experience that will incorporate your smartphone into more aspects of the OS. According to my sources who are familiar with these plans, the company is working to expand and improve Phone Link's smartphone integration experiences so that they feel more native to Windows.

First up, I hear that the Phone Companion in Start is set to receive a handful of upgrades. It's gaining the ability to show more recent activities, with users being able to scroll through the list without needing to open the Phone Link app. I've also heard that users will be able to hover over activities to see more information, such as an entire message or photo.

I've also heard that a new dedicated smartphone flyout is being tested, which will exist on the Taskbar in the system tray. The phone icon will be present whenever your phone is connected, and clicking on it will open a flyout that provides the user with overview of their phone status.

It'll feature buttons to toggle things like do not disturb, vibrate mode, find phone, and more. You'll also be able to share files directly to your phone by dragging them to the icon.

Another feature Microsoft is looking into is syncing your clipboard history between your phone and PC using Windows 11's dedicated Clipboard feature. Currently, you can sync your clipboard from your phone and PC, but it only remembers the last thing you copied. Clipboard history would provide you with a synced list of everything that has been copied.

Microsoft is also working on a new dedicated Messages app for Windows 11 which will sync your phone's SMS conversations and let you respond and start chats with your contacts. This experience builds upon the messages feature already present in the Phone Link app, but will exist as a standalone app that can be pinned and launched from the Start menu.

Sources say that all of these features are being explored and prototyped internally, but that doesn't guarantee they'll ship as described. The company is likely planning to gather feedback from Insiders before committing to ship anything concrete.

I understand that the goal of these improvements is to slowly integrate Phone Link capabilities natively across the Windows shell. Phone Link has existed as a standalone app on top of Windows 11, but over the last year or so we've slowly seen new smartphone integration features added directly to the Windows OS, circumventing the Phone Link app entirely.

Features such as the ability to see your phone's file system and photos in the File Explorer app, or utilize your phones camera as a webcam on your PC are just two examples of how Microsoft have already been working to integrate your smartphone more seamlessly into the Windows 11 UX.

I don't know what the future holds for Phone Link app itself, but it's clear that Microsoft is not done with tying your phone to your PC. It's working on more improvements that will make your smartphone feel like a natural extension of your computer, with experiences that feel native to the Windows UX.

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Microsoft did say it wanted to make more console exclusives, but perhaps this isn't what Xbox fans had in mind.

One of the best features on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S is the backwards compatibility program. It features hundreds of games from Xbox 360 and OG Xbox consoles, giving you the opportunity to dip into some nostalgia even on modern systems. Some games on there aren't available at all on any other platform, too.

Some of the older Call of Duty titles were simply never ported to modern PlayStation systems, meaning the only ways to access them on modern platforms is via either PC or a modern Xbox.

To plug the gap, Microsoft and Activision just did some very basic ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 to PlayStation 5. And PlayStation fans are loving it. The games are beating GTA 6 on the PlayStation charts, which shows how much nostalgia there still is for some of these classic games. Xbox fans, however, are NOT happy — and it's not because they're gatekeeping.

Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard gave it full control of the Call of Duty franchise. Classic Call of Duty games were already broadly available on Xbox backwards compatibility, complete with online matchmaking and the like. However, given the lack of security updates for Xbox 360 consoles, system hackers are prevalent, making some of them virtually unplayable.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 are as basic as ports can be. Activision has practically done nothing to enhance them besides a res bump, and it seems honestly intentional. I imagine the reason they haven't is because it would rub even more salt in the Xbox wound — it's almost like they're designed to mimic the Xbox 360 back compat versions as much as possible. Iron Galaxy also did the (very solid) ports for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, so it's not a matter of skill here.

Even if they do offer some visual enhancements, the real issue is the prevalence of hackers on the Xbox back compat versions. The Xbox 360 security layers have been torn down over the years, allowing for cheaters to ruin the experience. Since the Black Ops 1 and 2 ports on PlayStation 5 are siloed away from older systems, they're far less susceptible.

As a result, what you have here is a de-facto PlayStation console exclusive, published by Xbox.

Usually I would gloss over a basic port of a Xbox 360 game, but as you can see from how hard the game is charting, these are very beloved titles. While players wait for September's sprint of heavy hitters, indulging in some innocent nostalgia would've been a nice bet. Clearly the PlayStation charts agree.

It's a pure oddity that Microsoft decided to leave Xbox fans out here, and the reactions on social media have been what you might expect. As a gesture, it seems like Microsoft has decided to make the Black Ops' DLC free on the Xbox Store, but the hacker-ridden base game is still a frankly absurd $40.

I've reached out to Microsoft and Activision to get comments on why they decided to leave the Xbox version of Black Ops 1+2 broken in light of this trending PS5 port. But I suspect they had no idea it would do so extremely well on PlayStation. Had they not trended, it probably wouldn't have shined such a bright light on the state of the Xbox backwards compatible versions either — although I've been receiving messages about it for quite a while now.

I suspect Microsoft and Xbox won't do much to resolve the situation. They've opened a can of worms here. The source code for the original games and their server infrastructure is likely on ice. Microsoft could ship new Call of Duty: Black Ops 1+2 ports that cut off the previous versions. The downside is, users on Xbox 360 (and yes, there are still tens of thousands of players on Xbox 360) and back compat would be left adrift.

It all just screams of lack of organization and forethought, but things are pretty chaotic at Xbox right now ...

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I'm a big fan of Intel's laptop-centric mobile processors, and I'll jump at the chance to test more of its modern Core Ultra Series 3 "Panther Lake" range. Acer isn't my usual go-to manufacturer for Windows laptops, but it's one that has pleasantly surprised me in the past. So, is the Swift Go 16 AI worth your money? Here's what I thought after a week of testing.

How much does the Swift Go 16 AI cost?

You can buy the Swift Go 16 AI for $1,599.99 from Acer.com with the same specs as my sample and in the same color. However, at the time of writing, a cheaper listing at Best Buy for $1,399 offers a lighter-colored "Vapor Silver" variant with the same CPU, RAM, and storage components.

In the United Kingdom, a listing on Acer.co.uk for £1,299.99 cuts the RAM and storage to 16GB and 512GB — half of the US equivalent — and is not currently listed at any other major retailer. Importantly, the UK variant does not include an AC power adapter (charger), due to Acer's sustainability pledge.

Is the Swift Go 16 AI a good laptop?

My first impressions of the Swift Go 16 AI were quite positive, as the 16-inch laptop weighs around 2.95 lbs (1.34 kg) and is quite thin at 150mm (200mm with the rubber feet). That's lighter and thinner than a 16-inch MacBook Pro, presuming Apple doesn't include rubber feet in its own measurements. The chassis lid is also reasonably subtle, with a dark, reflective 'Acer' logo alongside geometric lines in its design.

So, despite being larger than the 14-inch laptops I'm used to, it's off to a good start as the lid opens with a single finger to reveal a vibrant OLED panel and a backlit keyboard with a number pad. Plus, the 0.68 in (175 cm) mechanical trackpad has a clever quirk in that the illuminated 'Swift Series' logo is actually a mode switcher that changes the touchpad to tappable media buttons and video meeting controls when you swipe a finger over it.

It's entirely optional, and you can disable the touchpad mode switching in the pre-installed AcerSense companion app if you want to, along with the specific logo backlight. There's a key beside F12 dedicated to that specific app, and then another, configurable 'My Key' that can launch just about anything, including apps, Windows commands, or a direct web link to Windows Central. Otherwise, the Copilot key lights up when it detects NPU activity — clever.

The webcam is impressive for a built-in option, with Windows Hello compatibility for facial-recognition logins and Human Presence Detection (HPD) to optionally lock the screen if I walk away or even dim the brightness when I look away. A multi-microphone array pairs well with the camera, making me sound remarkably good in meetings, to the point where I wouldn't bother traveling with a plug-in alternative.

Does the Swift Go 16 AI have any issues?

My list of downsides is quite short, but it splits into hardware and software gripes for the Swift Go 16 AI. The former is the smallest, as some chassis flex around the keyboard and screen is a byproduct of making such a thin laptop, but the lackluster speaker performance is disappointing for a 16-inch model. Audio isn't terrible, but the slight hint of bass response doesn't hold up to music or cinematic videos.

For the latter, the software experience suffers from heavy bloatware. Advertisements for Booking.com, Dropbox, and a mobile game, Forge of Empires, are all pinned to the taskbar upon first boot, while the Start menu includes more games like Elvenar, a third-party Solitaire, Amazing Block Blast, Google Play Games beta, and McAfee. I'd recommend uninstalling it all, leaving only Acer's self-made apps.

Finally, the touchpad exhibits a subtle delay in cursor movement, which feels stranger the more I use it. While it won't be obvious to everyone, I noticed this "mouse lag" from the start, and switching from my Surface Laptop Go 2 to the Swift Go 16 AI makes it even more apparent. It's not the end of the world, but it's enough to deter me from making this my primary laptop. Again, its impact will vary between users, but it's worth highlighting.

How fast is the Swift Go 16 AI?

My sample of the Swift Go 16 AI features an Intel Core Ultra 7 355 processor, part of the company's "Panther Lake" chip family, serving as the latest Core Ultra Series 3 range for x86-64 Windows laptops. It contains the same 8-core, 8-thread CPU as the 14-inch Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Ultra Aura Edition I tested recently, and benchmark results place it in the same range.

Cinebench results show Acer moves slightly ahead of Lenovo in extended multi-core stress testing, presumably owing to its larger chassis and more substantial CPU cooling solution. The opposite is true in burst performance benchmarks in Geekbench 6, but the single- and multi-core scores are within a comparable window.

As expected, the Swift Go 16 AI ranks slightly ahead of the 15.3-inch Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition, which uses a lower-power 8c/8t Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor from the previous "Lunar Lake" Core Ultra Series 2 range. Plus, it outperforms Qualcomm's 8-core Snapdragon X found inside the first ASUS Zenbook A14, and the Snapdragon X Plus in the Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1.

It's a decent effort, and it places where it should. On top of that, Acer includes an NVMe PCIe 4.0 solid-state drive that hits over 7,000 MB/s read speeds, putting it firmly in my self-appointed "fast" category that helps simplify the numbers for anyone who doesn't care to know about SSD speeds. If you buy the Swift Go 16 AI, you'll get a capable laptop that boots quickly and performs well.

Battery life

The 71 Whr battery in the Swift Go AI (detected as 71,031 mWh) delivers what I would call "all-day" performance, even if it slightly underperformed compared to my expectations for another Intel Panther Lake-based laptop. PCMark 10 tests repeatedly failed, so generating a battery report in Windows 11 was my best indicator, showing estimates ranging from 8 to 14 hours on a full charge.

I kept the display at around 82% brightness as I worked on the Swift Go 16 AI, a value that targeted 250 nits based on my colorimeter tests. The OLED panel maxed out at 300 nits and achieved 100% sRGB color accuracy, plus 100% of the P3 and 91% of the Adobe RGB gamuts. So, the Swift Go 16 AI has a beautifully color-accurate panel, but not an especially bright screen.

Should you buy the Swift Go 16 AI?

You should buy this if ...

✅ You want an affordable but modern OLED laptop

✅ You're a hybrid worker with regular video meetings

You should not buy this if ...

❌ You're looking for a dedicated content creation or gaming PC

Acer offers a great range of modern features in the Swift Go 16 AI, including one of Intel's latest Core Ultra Series 3 processors with fantastic power efficiency, 32GB of plentiful RAM, a vibrant OLED display, and a great webcam with presence detection. That alone makes it an attractive option, but extras like its huge, quirky touchpad also help offset its downsides.

There are strong competitors in the current Windows laptop landscape, but Acer has pleasantly surprised me with what otherwise seemed like yet another AI-centric Copilot+ PC. You get a fast CPU, fast RAM, fast storage, and even fast Wi-Fi 7 — extremely capable components inside an otherwise pedestrian chassis. It's already tempting, but future discounts will make this one irresistible.

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We all knew this day would come. Razer has spent the last decade spreading its glowing tendrils into every conceivable corner of the tech world, putting colorful lights on everything from mousepads to beverage coasters. A fully illuminated gaming chair was always a matter of when, not if.

Enter the Razer Soma Chroma, announced on June 25th. It is a product that answers a question absolutely nobody was asking, yet it manages to be completely awesome in execution. Is a neon-soaked headrest necessary to hit your headshots in Valorant? Not even slightly. Is it a hilarious, beautifully built piece of functional performance art? Absolutely.

While the minimalist crowd might scoff at the pure absurdity of a glowing chair, it is exactly this kind of unhinged commitment to a design identity that keeps me in this game. I love to see companies take genuine risks and lean heavily into who they are, and Razer did not blink here.

Razer had no input, nor did it see the contents of this review, prior to publication.

The Evil Throne Visual Aesthetic

Setting up the Soma Chroma is an absolute breeze. From cracking open the massive cardboard box to actually parking my rear end in the seat, the entire assembly process took me less than 10 minutes. The parts clear out easily, the bolts line up beautifully, and the 6 cm PU caster wheels pop right into the powder-coated steel base without throwing a tantrum. Once assembled, those wheels roll smoothly across both hard floors and rugs alike without any annoying stuttering.

When you finally stand back and look at it, the visual payoff is immediate. The standout feature is the pair of prominent RGB wings framing the headrest area.

Sitting in this chair makes you feel like an antagonist plotting world domination while waiting for your casual matchmaking lobby to fill up. As you can see in the above photos, the lighting strip is perfectly uniform, incredibly bright, and creates a spectacular glow that looks brilliant on a stream camera or reflecting off a dark wall.

Comfort for the Long Haul

Beyond the light show, a chair actually needs to work as a piece of furniture. I spent the last 10 days using the Soma Chroma as my daily driver, logging a punishing 8 hours a day for multiple days, and my back has been perfectly happy.

Razer opted for a dual-density cold-cured foam setup for the cushion. There is a noticeably softer outer layer that immediately contours to your body when you sit down, which sits directly on top of a much firmer base layer that keeps the chair from bottoming out over long sessions. The built-in ergonomic lumbar arch provides great passive support to your lower spine, encouraging a healthy posture without requiring constant manual adjustments.

Instead of the premium leatherette styling found on the Iskur line, the Soma Chroma utilizes a soft cloth fabric upholstery. You can see the distinct paneled layout of the fabric seat base. The material feels cozy, gentle, and broken-in right out of the box, though it does tend to collect a bit of back heat.

On particularly warm summer days, you might find yourself wishing for a bit more ventilation. It's also a magnet for pet hair, if you have furry friends as I do.

My biggest critique lands squarely on the armrests. The chair features basic 2D armrests that only allow for height adjustments and generic inward or outward angling. If you are moving over from a high-end chair with 3D or 4D armrests, the lack of forward, backward, or lateral sliding movements feels like an unfortunate omission on a $499.99 piece of hardware.

Controlling the Light Show

Connecting the chair to your PC is as familiar as any other Razer peripheral. You can use Bluetooth for a quick mobile hookup, or plug in the included 2.4GHz wireless USB Type-A dongle for a low-latency connection to your rig.

Once connected, the Synapse software gives you complete control over the 16.8 million colors. You can easily adjust the overall brightness slider, toggle power-saving sleep timers to dim the lights during inactivity, or launch Chroma Studio to synchronize your seating with game-reactive profiles.

You can see in the photo below how you can use multiple colors at once and use preset motion settings like Ripple, Starlight, Reactive, or Static to give the effect you want. In that photo, I went with Windows Central's colors, which is fun. Most of my photos here are static, simply because having Ripple or Wave enabled, which looks awesome, may be distracting if you're on a professional web call versus streaming on Twitch.

If you already own other hardware like my just-reviewed Seiren V3 Pro microphone, the Huntsman V3 Pro TKL, or the ultra-premium Huntsman Signature Edition, the ability to sync your entire room's theme together creates an incredibly cohesive ecosystem.

If you prefer to adjust things on the fly without minimizing your game, there is a physical control panel stitched directly into the fabric on the top of the headrest. The buttons are clicky and responsive, allowing you to turn the RGB on or off, cycle through effects, and tweak brightness.

The comedy here is that you cannot actually see or easily reach these buttons blindly while sitting down. You have to get up out of the chair to make physical adjustments, making Razer Synapse the vastly superior option for mid-game tweaks.

Powering Your RGB

Because dangling a long power cable off a spinning, rolling desk chair is an absolute recipe for disaster, Razer designed the Soma Chroma to run completely wirelessly via a clever hidden feature. There is a dedicated zipper pocket built directly into the rear of the seat base. This pocket allows you to tuck away a standard USB Type-C power bank (not included), keeping your setup clean and cord-free.

If you absolutely despise dealing with batteries, you can buy a Razer Type-C extension cable separately for about $19.99 on Amazon to plug the chair straight into a wall outlet. This gives you an always-on light show, but it obviously creates a massive trip hazard if you like to spin around or roll across your room.

Fortunately, running it wirelessly is shockingly viable. During my 10 days of evaluation, I hooked the chair up to a standard 49.6WHr battery pack. After two full, continuous workdays consisting of 16 total hours of use with the RGB strips cranked to absolute maximum brightness, the battery pack was only down by roughly 50%. That means you can easily expect a massive 30-plus hours of glorious neon illumination before you ever need to think about pulling the battery pack out to recharge it.

Missing Perks and Future Upgrades

It is worth noting that the standard Soma Chroma does not feature any internal haptic feedback. If you want your seat to rumble alongside your games, you will need to buy an additional add-on pad like the recently reviewed Razer Freyja cushion.

Knowing Razer's historic release patterns, I am completely confident that we will eventually see a premium Soma Chroma "Pro" down the line that integrates both the fancy lighting strips and full-body haptic motors into a single package. When that inevitably happens, it will likely cost a small fortune, which makes the $499.99 entry fee for this model feel relatively reasonable for the wild novelty and comfort it brings to the table.

Razer Soma Chroma review: My final thoughts

✅ You should buy this if ...

• You want peak gamer aesthetic (or like fun).
• You want a solid, comfortable gaming chair
• You already have a lot of Razer accessories to pair with it

❌ You should not buy this if ...

• You work in an office, or need something more professional
• You prefer leatherette materials
• You don't want to charge/power yet-another-accessory

The Razer Soma Chroma is an absolute blast of a gaming chair. It takes a ridiculous concept and executes it with high-quality materials, stable wireless connectivity, and genuine ergonomic support. It might not be a necessary upgrade for the casual office worker, but for the enthusiast who wants to lean completely into the ultimate battlestation aesthetic, it delivers exactly what it promises.

• Back to the top ⤴

Microsoft has spent years building different ways for users to recover Windows. From System Restore and Reset this PC to the other tools available in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) and OEM recovery solutions, Windows 11 already offers several ways to repair or reinstall the operating system. Cloud rebuild is the latest addition to that toolkit, but it isn't designed to replace those tools.

Cloud rebuild is currently available as a preview feature. Until it's fully available, Microsoft recommends using it for testing and evaluation rather than production devices. Also, the company notes that the experience, available options, and workflow may still change before the feature reaches general availability.

Instead of attempting to repair an existing installation, Cloud rebuild reformats the system drive and reinstalls Windows 11 using files downloaded from Windows Update. When the process finishes, the computer boots into the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE), allowing you to set it up like a new device.

Cloud rebuild isn't another version of Reset this PC

At first glance, it's easy to assume Cloud rebuild is simply a renamed version of the Cloud download option available through Reset this PC. Microsoft, however, describes Cloud rebuild as a separate recovery experience with a different workflow.

According to Microsoft, unlike Reset this PC, Cloud rebuild downloads both the target Windows 11 image and the device's drivers from Windows Update. The company says this allows the computer to roll back to a fully functional state without requiring USB installation media, a custom recovery image, or relying on the integrity of the existing installation.

The key difference is that Cloud rebuild is designed to rebuild the device from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) without depending on the integrity of the existing setup.

Microsoft hasn't yet explained in more detail how Cloud rebuild differs internally from the existing Cloud download option in Reset this PC, so it's too early to conclude that it uses an entirely new recovery engine. However, based on the preview support page, the company appears to be positioning Cloud rebuild as a more complete recovery workflow designed to simplify the process of returning Windows 11 devices to a known-good state.

Perhaps more importantly, the feature reflects Microsoft's broader direction for Windows management. Whether Cloud rebuild eventually replaces some of today's overlapping recovery options remains to be seen, but it clearly signals the company's continued investment in cloud-based deployment and recovery.

Before using Cloud rebuild, here's what you need to know

Before using Cloud rebuild, it's important to understand that this isn't a repair tool. It completely replaces the existing installation by reformatting the system drive. As a result, locally installed apps, user accounts, settings, and files stored on that drive are removed during the process.

Also, files already synchronized with cloud services such as OneDrive aren't affected and can be restored after you sign back in.

Since the rebuild erases the existing installation, it's worth making sure your important files have been backed up before getting started. If you rely on OneDrive, verify that your files have finished syncing so the latest versions are available after the rebuild.

You'll also want to keep the computer connected to the internet and plugged into a power source throughout the process. Depending on your connection speed, the recovery can take some time to complete, and Windows 11 may restart the computer several times before it's finished.

How to start Cloud rebuild on Windows 11

In the current preview, Cloud rebuild is available through the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). From a working Windows 11 installation, open Settings > System > Recovery, click "Restart now" under Advanced startup, and allow the computer to restart into WinRE.

On the recovery screen, choose "Troubleshoot," and then select "Cloud rebuild."

After connecting to the internet, the feature verifies the appropriate edition, language, and build for the device before asking you to confirm that the system drive will be erased.

Once you confirm the operation by clicking "Install," the rebuild begins automatically.

During the installation, Windows 11 may restart several times. Microsoft recommends leaving the device connected to power and avoiding manual restarts or shutdowns until the process finishes, since interrupting the installation could leave the operating system unable to boot.

Microsoft's cloud-first recovery strategy continues

Cloud rebuild isn't Microsoft's first cloud-based recovery feature, but it may be one of the most comprehensive. Instead of relying on recovery partitions, USB installation media, or organization-maintained recovery images, the feature downloads the installation files directly from Windows Update and integrates with services such as Windows Autopilot, Microsoft Intune, Backup for Organizations, and OneDrive to restore managed devices.

The result is a recovery process that depends less on locally stored recovery files and more on Microsoft's online services. As long as the computer can connect to the internet and Windows Update has the necessary drivers, Cloud rebuild can restore the device without requiring a USB installer or a custom recovery image.

For organizations, the recovery process goes beyond simply reinstalling the operating system. Computers enrolled with Windows Autopilot and managed through Microsoft Intune can automatically re-enroll, restore policies, redeploy apps, and synchronize user settings after the rebuild is complete.

Windows recovery is slowly moving beyond USB drives

For years, one of Microsoft's standard recommendations for recovering a device has been to create USB installation media.

Cloud rebuild doesn't eliminate installation media altogether, but it makes it significantly less important in many situations. If WinRE is still functional and the computer can connect to the internet, Windows 11 can recover without another device, a USB flash drive, or a locally stored recovery image.

For many home users, that's a much simpler recovery process. For organizations, it reduces the need to maintain recovery images across large fleets of devices.

There are still important limitations

Cloud rebuild isn't magic. The feature currently requires Windows 11 on compatible hardware (so unsupported devices won't benefit from this feature), a healthy Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), internet connectivity from WinRE, and hardware drivers that are available through Windows Update.

Those last two requirements are especially important. If the necessary networking or storage drivers aren't available through Windows Update, Cloud rebuild can't complete successfully.

The preview only scratches the surface

At this stage, Cloud rebuild remains intentionally limited. The preview can currently be started only from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) or from an elevated Command Prompt.

Remote deployment through enterprise management platforms isn't available yet, although Microsoft says support for solutions such as Microsoft Intune is planned for a future release.

Windows Central's Take

Cloud rebuild isn't the kind of feature that grabs headlines. There's no redesigned interface and nothing flashy to demonstrate. However, after years of covering the operating system, I've learned that recovery features often become the most important ones the moment something goes wrong.

What I'm noticing is the decision to build the recovery experience around Windows Update. Instead of expecting users or network administrators to maintain recovery media, OEM images, or custom deployment images, Microsoft is increasingly shifting recovery toward cloud-based services. That's a simpler model and one that better reflects how devices are managed today.

I also think this feature has more potential for organizations than for home users, at least initially. The integration with Windows Autopilot and Microsoft Intune suggests Microsoft is thinking beyond simply reinstalling Windows 11. The goal appears to be restoring an entire managed device with as little manual intervention as possible.

That said, I'd like the software giant to better explain how Cloud rebuild differs from the existing Cloud download option in Reset this PC. Currently, the available information describes the workflow but leaves some important technical questions unanswered. Until those details are available (and until the feature reaches general availability), I see Cloud rebuild as a promising addition to Windows 11 recovery rather than a replacement for the tools users already have.

Would you trust Cloud rebuild to recover your Windows 11 PC, or would you still prefer using a USB installation drive? Let me know in the comments.

More resources

Explore more in-depth how-to guides, troubleshooting advice, and essential tips to get the most out of Windows 11 and 10. Start browsing here:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know

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id Software, the studio responsible for many beloved Xbox franchises like DOOM, Wolfenstein, Quake, and more, has seen a huge chunk of its staff laid off by Microsoft as part of the company's restructuring of the Xbox brand, resulting in over 3,200 people losing their jobs.

In the wake of this announcement, John Carmack, one of the founders of id Software (along with John Romero, Tom Hall, and Adrian Carmack), who also helped create the DOOM, Wolfenstein, and Quake franchises, has responded to it on social media with his thoughts on the situation.

Most responses to Xbox's mass layoffs, which were filled with anger and frustration, like former id Software animator Skai Chow's scathing message of "I hope our pain was worth it" or fear of the future, like Bethesda fearing that it will negatively impact the development of The Elder Scrolls 6, or even spell the end for Fallout 76 without help from an external studio.

However, John Carmack's response feels more neutral by comparison. While he was definitely sad (while admitting that his comment on Microsoft being a good steward of the brand isn't aging well), he couldn't bring himself to be angry or disappointed by these layoffs by saying, "I’m saddened, but I can’t muster anger or outrage over it. I don’t have access to the books, but I suspect that Id Software was a marginal business from Microsoft’s perspective. I believe the reports that Minecraft revenues have been carrying several other studios."

John Carmack then stated that at the end of the day, the gaming industry is a brutal business with tons of competitors vying for your time and money, and if you're not successful financially, you'll get left behind regardless of how beloved your creation is.

In addition, while it's easy to point the blame at Microsoft's higher-ups, John Carmack says that "You can’t rule out the possibility that executives are idiots, but that shouldn’t be your default belief. I don’t think there is any obvious path that would have doubled the revenue from Id games."

He asks what kinds of strategies id Software could've done to prevent this, like using a different pricing strategy, creating more things for fans to buy, or using a cost-effective marketing scheme to reach out to more players.

He ultimately has no answer for this conundrum, but John Carmack does know that it's not over yet, and he hopes that id Software bounces back from this grievous blow.

Windows Central's take

While I personally don't know the answer to this question myself, I do know that my colleague, Jez Corden, says that rumors of id Software's demise are greatly exaggerated.

While the job cuts have been brutal to the point where they put the kibosh on Id Software's pitches for a Perfect Dark reboot and a John Wick-style game, Microsoft has not announced any plans of closing id Software down any time soon.

In fact, Microsoft has even released a statement to us regarding the rumors of the job cuts putting id Software's lauded id Tech (an engine that has greatly optimized the performance of games like the modern DOOM games and Indiana Jones & The Great Circle) on ice, which says, "There are dozens of people working on id Tech across multiple locations. Reports that there’s only one person left in Texas are inaccurate."

Either way, I hope id Software does survive this tumultuous time in gaming. They produced some of the most awesome first-person shooters I've ever played, like DOOM (2016) and DOOM: Eternal, and it would be an utter travesty for the studio to close for good.

Stay tuned for more news as we keep an eye out for further developments regarding the damages caused by Xbox's company-wide "Reset".

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Of all the layoffs that came down on Xbox Game Studios developers this week as part of Microsoft and Xbox's 3,200 "reset" cuts and four studio divestments, the ones that hit the DOOM developer id Software were the most shocking to many given the popularity and success of its modern trilogy of games.

It's been reported that well over half of id was axed from Xbox, with 136 developers — 96 at its Texas headquarters and an additional 40 remote workers — let go from the studio. The cuts impacted nearly every department within the developer, including the teams building, maintaining, and improving its id Tech game engine used for a variety of ZeniMax projects.

Individual DOOM devs have shared reactions to the layoffs, though id Software itself hadn't yet shared a response until today. Now it has, with the studio posting a statement to the community on social media to assuage fears about its future under Microsoft and Xbox.

"Thank you for all the support this week. While our studio was impacted, those changes were spread across teams. We still have the crew we need to build the games and tech we're known for," reads id's letter. "The team today is about the same size we were when making DOOM (2016). We have always had a flat studio where everyone is a maker, and we will remain true to that philosophy moving forward."

"We are focused on supporting each other and team members impacted. We're going to keep building the great games and tech that have defined us for the past 35 years, and we're looking forward to seeing you at QuakeCon this August," it added.

Notably, this statement confirms our recent, earlier report that in the wake of the layoffs, id Software is now about the size that it was when it released the 2016 DOOM reboot ten years ago, and that the studio isn't in danger of being closed or split away from Microsoft and Xbox.

It also confirms that the developer will still move forward with new games, though it seems unlikely it will have a chance to explore some of its experimental ideas. Still, I expect that we'll see additional DOOM titles from the team, and that it will continue to iterate upon id Tech for the benefit of Wolfenstein dev MachineGames and other studios.

Ultimately, this news is quite relieving to hear from id Software — though to be clear, I'm not downplaying the severity of the cuts in saying that. On the contrary, I'm glad that the developer still has a future under Xbox's wing despite how significantly it was affected by the dismissals.

The layoffs at id represent a large portion of about 440 total cuts across all of ZeniMax and Bethesda, with other teams hit including Bethesda Game Studios (The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Starfield) and ZeniMax Online Studios (The Elder Scrolls Online).

Bethesda devs fear that The Elder Scrolls 6 will suffer crunch and delays because of the layoffs, and the reduction in force at ZeniMax Online Studios has led to "shifting" roadmaps for The Elder Scrolls Online. Bethesda's official union, OneBGS, plans to protest against the cuts next week with a "Save Our Devs" march.

What are your thoughts on the layoffs at id Software? Do you feel Microsoft and Xbox went too far with them based on everything we know? Share your take in the comments, and vote in the above poll.

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In response to this week's wave of mass Xbox layoffs from Microsoft that have cut 3,200 roles and four studios from the company, union workers at Bethesda Game Studios — the developer behind Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Starfield, among other titles — are organizing a protest to fight back.

Several public listings for the rally — titled "Save Our Devs" — have been spotted for Bethesda's various different locations, including its Rockville headquarters and offices in Austin, Dallas, and Montreal. These calls to action confirm that unionized OneBGS staffers are coordinating to march on July 15 next week.

"Microsoft and ZeniMax leadership have made the devastating decision to slash over 440 positions across BGS, ZOS, id, ZWU (QA) and ZeniMax corporate (including CTO and CSUR)," wrote the union. "Because we organized and certified our Unions, we have hard-won legal rights and protections that non-unionized studios simply do not have."

"The company wants us to accept this as a done deal and quietly disappear. We won't let that happen. Our next steps are to mobilize," it continued. "We need every single member visible and unified. To that end, we are announcing our Save Our Devs March across all studios on Wednesday July 15th."

In an email sent to union workers seen by Game Developer, OneBGS has reportedly stated that 35 Bethesda Game Studios devs have been let go in the US, with 12 also laid off in Montreal. This roughly lines up with a previous report that about 50 employees have been laid off from the studio.

Reportedly, "this has had a crushing effect on morale" at Bethesda, with devs fearing that The Elder Scrolls 6 will suffer delays and crunch as a result of the redundancies. There are also concerns that support for Fallout 76 may end.

Elsewhere under the ZeniMax and Bethesda banner, the cuts go even deeper. Over 200 developers were laid off from The Elder Scrolls Online studio ZeniMax Online Studios, and well over half of DOOM maker id Software has been axed as well — though it's been reported that the situation there isn't as dire as some say. A small comfort.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma stated the layoffs are part of a "reset" for the Xbox business after it "overextended" with its ambitions; OneBGS claims that Microsoft referred to them as an "entrepreneurial change in the scope of business," which is a notion it's fighting against as it negotiates to have affected developers brought into open roles across Xbox Game Studios.

"While we push that legal fight forward, Microsoft is still legally required right now to sit down with us for 'Effects Bargaining.' This means we have the right to negotiate exactly how these layoffs impact our people, and we are heading to the table to fight for every single affected worker," it explained.

"We are going to be demanding preferential transfers to force Microsoft to place affected BGS workers into open roles across Xbox and Microsoft first, stronger severance and extended healthcare to ensure no one is financially abandoned, as well as recall rights to ensure our laid-off members are the first ones hired back when BGS expands."

"Stay strong, look out for one another, and we look forward to seeing us all marching together on the 15th," concluded the union. Whether next week's protest has a meaningful impact or not remains to be seen, but ultimately, I hope it helps laid off ZeniMax and Bethesda devs find new opportunities and get the best severance and healthcare packages possible.

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Summer is taking a heavy toll on us all. Not just because of the heat, but also because of rising tech prices across the board, driven by RAM-hungry AI and other economic factors.

Fortunately, Dell has come to cool off the frustrations of PC gamers and desk workers alike with a collection of advanced laptops, desktops, and monitors now on sale for a limited time, such as a 46% discount on the Alienware 16X Aurora Gaming laptop for $1,729.99 at Dell and a 38% discount on the Dell 14 Plus Laptop for $859.99 at Dell, to name just a couple.

FAQ

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Microsoft’s latest sustainability report sparked claims that the company produced 34 million metric tons of carbon emissions in a single year. That figure was never reported by the company. What the report actually shows is a 25 percent year‑over‑year increase driven by AI datacenter expansion and Microsoft’s decision to stop buying unbundled renewable energy certificates.

The Microsoft Environmental Sustainability Report shows a complicated progression of rising emissions caused by AI datacenters, controversial "greenwashing" tactics, and enough wiggle room to leave space for debate.

Real emissions vs estimated emissions

When I first read the coverage surrounding the Microsoft Environmental Sustainability Report, it seemed like a clear case of AI hurting the planet and a tech giant callously damaging the environment. I was ready to write a piece calling out Microsoft for setting carbon neutral goals and then increasing carbon emissions by 25% in a single year.

But as I do with any story I cover, I went to the source material and did some digging. What surprised me is that the Microsoft Environmental Sustainability Report does not indicate unbridled burning of fuel to power AI datacenters. Instead, it shows efforts to reduce emissions and make meaningful changes.

I want to be clear, AI datacenters do create high carbon emissions. Microsoft is not faultless when it comes to energy use or pollution. I think there is a lot more the company could do to help the environment. I also think there's some misunderstood data seeping onto social media and throughout the web.

The above chart from the Microsoft Environmental Sustainability Report shows Microsoft's actual reported emissions over the years and the estimated emissions without select interventions. The footnote on the chart directs to a clarifying statement on the estimate. I'll include the full footnote here but highlight the most relevant text:

"The solid line represents Microsoft’s reported greenhouse gas emissions (Scopes 1, 2, and 3) for FY20–FY25, prepared in accordance with GHG Protocol and management’s criteria, and uses a market-based emissions approach. The dotted line represents an illustrative counterfactual scenario of estimated emissions had select, discrete carbon reduction initiatives not been undertaken. These initiatives include energy efficiency improvements for XBOX consoles, renewable energy purchases, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and sustainable marine fuel (SMF) certificates, and supply chain decarbonization of Surface devices. The difference between the two lines is an estimate of emissions avoided through these specific initiatives relative to a scenario without those initiatives occurring. This estimate is directional in nature, does not represent the full scope of Microsoft’s decarbonization efforts, and is not part of our reported greenhouse gas inventory. It should not be interpreted as a comprehensive measure of total emissions reductions or as additive to other carbon reduction or removal claims."

Basically, the chart shows Microsoft's actual emissions and then a rough estimate of how much the company would have emitted had it not taken steps to reduce its carbon footprint. But Microsoft did take those steps. Microsoft did not have 34 million metric tons of carbon emissions in the last year. The actual emissions figure is 20 million metric tons.

That's still a massive amount of emissions, and 20 million metric tons is a 25% increase year-over-year, but there's some needed context.

What are unbundled renewable energy certificates?

Microsoft's carbon emissions increased by 25% in a single year. The increase was driven primarily by Microsoft's expansion of datacenter infrastructure and the fact that the company paused the purchase of unbundled renewable energy certificates.

In February 2025, Microsoft announced that it "ceased purchasing non-additional, unbundled renewable energy certificates." That decision led to the massive jump in emissions seen in the recently published sustainability report (in conjunction with AI datacenter infrastructure expansion).

Renewable energy certificates (RECs) represent the legal ownership of the "renewable-ness" of generated electricity. Unbundled RECs are sold separately from the electricity itself.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency notes that "Unbundled Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) refer to RECs that are sold, delivered, or purchased separately from electricity. RECs provide no physical delivery of electricity to customers and as such the customer is purchasing power from a separate entity than the one selling them the REC."

The separation of generated electricity from the legal ownership of the "renewable-ness" is controversial (that phrase comes straight from the EPA).

Many, including myself, view unbundled RECs as a form of greenwashing. Microsoft or any other company can legally say they are powered by renewable electricity without actually using the electricity that was generated.

The defense is that buying unbundled RECs financially contributes to the development of renewable energies.

Microsoft did not refer to unbundled RECs as a form of greenwashing, but its statement is telling:

"While we continue to apply the carbon fee to investments in emissions reductions, we have ceased purchasing non-additional, unbundled renewable energy certificates. We are refocusing the use of these funds on more long-term, higher-impact investments across carbon reduction, carbon removal, and clean electricity procurement. These interventions are expected to more effectively help us achieve our goal of becoming carbon negative by 2030 and may take us out of carbon-neutral position."

Microsoft implied that unbundled RECs are not the most effective way to have a long-term positive impact on the environment.

The rest of the report

The Microsoft Environmental Sustainability Report is 65 pages of dense information. It links to several external resources as well. If it were a paper report, there'd be a good joke here about an environmental report killing so many trees.

A large portion of the report is dedicated to discussion about Microsoft's use of water, which is a critical component of its environmental strategy. Notably, Microsoft replenished more water than it withdrew in the year.

Because of the size of the report, I've focused on the carbon emissions of Microsoft, but I suggest people read the entire report to get perspective on what's being done and where Microsoft still falls short.

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With Sony planning to stop making discs for games and revoke access to movies and TV shows people paid for, physical media is more important than ever. Xbox is considering a disc-to-digital program for Project Helix, proving Microsoft weighs the importance of physical media when making decisions.

But the physical media debate isn't really about discs; it's about control. People want to control the content and devices they've purchased. Microsoft's newly expanded options for resetting PCs showcase how choice and control can be given to consumers.

Like many, I've spoken out against Sony's plans and advocated for physical media to be preserved. So, it might come as a surprise to hear that I'm happy about the new option to reset a Windows 11 PC that relies entirely on the cloud and does not use a USB drive.

While I advocate for physical media to preserve ownership of games and movies, when it comes to the pure utility of fixing a broken PC, convenience wins.

A new feature called Cloud rebuild is in testing on Windows 11. It lets you restore a PC to a clean state without needing an external drive.

What is Cloud rebuild on Windows 11?

Cloud rebuild is a feature that lets you reinstall Windows and your PC's drivers by using the internet. Rather than requiring a USB drive that's been set up, you can reset your PC entirely through the cloud.

Microsoft explained Cloud rebuild recently when the feature shipped to Insiders:

"Unlike Reset this PC, Cloud rebuild downloads both the target Windows image and the device's drivers from Windows Update, so the device comes back fully functional without USB media, without a custom image, and without depending on the health of the currently installed OS."

While Reset this PC and Cloud rebuild both let you recover your PC, they differ in important ways apart from the fact that one uses a USB drive and the other uses the cloud.

Reset this PC gives you the option to retain your personal files, which could save vital content from being lost. But even if you have an external USB install drive ready to go, you can only use Reset this PC if Windows is bootable.

The feature also requires you to have manually created a USB installer ahead of time on a working computer.

In contrast, Cloud rebuild works even if your PC refuses to boot. The downside is that it does not provide an option to maintain apps and files.

Cloud rebuild brings your PC to a clean slate with Windows working and device drivers in place.

The biggest advantage of Cloud rebuild is reliability. Cloud rebuild doesn't rely on a tool you've set up in advance or ensured was formatted correctly. It just pulls a fresh image and drivers through Windows Update.

All my files are stored on OneDrive and backed up elsewhere, so I don't need the option to retain my files. It would save a bit of time after a reset, but it's not essential.

Cloud rebuild does depend on having an internet connection, so a USB installer is still the safer option for people in low‑connectivity environments.

Let the people decide

Of course, having the option to use a USB drive or the cloud is best. While I personally prefer Cloud rebuild for restoring my PC, I want both options to be available. Many people prefer to have physical tools they know are reliable and that can run locally.

That's what the current debate about physical media comes down to: choice and control. The vast majority of game sales are digital, but people want the option to own physical media.

Windows 11 management is the same way. Some will rely on the cloud while others will have USB drives to reset their PC and SSDs stored away to back up files.

Cloud rebuild is the better option for my workflow, but the point isn’t to replace USB recovery. It’s to give people the choice and control. Just like physical media, recovery tools shouldn’t be taken away; they should coexist.

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The launch of Assassin's Creed Black Flag: Resynced, the highly anticipated (and high-scoring) remaster of one of the best games in the Assassin's Creed series, has been followed by 51 of its game designers from Ubisoft Barcelona being laid off, according to an exclusive report by Tom Henderson at Insider Gaming.

The report states that Ubisoft tends to assign teams to new projects long before they finish their current project (sometimes up to a year in advance, at least). The developers tried to raise their concerns with Ubisoft's higher-ups about not being given a new project back in 2025, yet in this case, they were never given a new assignment to work on before being laid off.

In fact, one employee who was affected by these layoffs (who wishes to remain anonymous) informed Insider Gaming:

The report then states that, in response to this, Ubisoft Barcelona's staff will go on strike every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from June 30, 2026, to July 16, 2026.

Windows Central's take

To compound the severity of this depressing situation, these layoffs were announced shortly after Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced had a successful launch. It is currently enjoying a high overall Metacritic score of 84 — based on 84 critics — and fans are leaving mostly positive reviews on its Steam Page.

We even gave Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced a near-perfect 4.5 review score for improving upon the original Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag's already stellar naval combat, beautiful graphics redone from the ground up, and new content along with story-rewrites that has made the story more compelling (the fact they got rid of the modern-day segments from the original game already makes this remake superior in my book).

This will no doubt degrade the morale of Ubisoft's developers, knowing that even if a game launches to critical and fan acclaim, they will still be laid off before the official sales numbers even start to come in.

Will the strike at Ubisoft Barcelona convince Ubisoft to improve working conditions? Will we see more layoffs at Ubisoft on the level of Xbox's massive 'Reset' that has laid off over 3,200 people? We'll watch for further developments.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is now available for purchase on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

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The tech world is sweating, and it’s not just the summer heatwave. This week on the Windows Central Podcast, Daniel Rubino, Zac Bowden, and Jez Cordon sit down to unpack a massive wave of Microsoft layoffs. We break down Asha Sharma’s internal memo revealing a staggering 14 layers of middle management at Xbox, why the gaming division has struggled to capitalize on massive acquisitions like Fallout and Minecraft, and whether turning Xbox into an independent subsidiary is the brand's last chance for survival.

Zac walks us through the shocking Discord leak of "Project Ion," an experimental, web-native Copilot Operating System built entirely inside Microsoft Edge. Finally, we break down the quiet arrival of Snapdragon X2-powered Surface devices, the new 24 GB RAM "sweet spot," and why sources tell us the Surface Go lineup is officially dead.

• Microsoft and Xbox Layoffs: An in-depth look at the 4,800 job cuts, why the brunt is hitting Xbox, and a critique of management's failure to capitalize on massive IPs like Fallout and Minecraft.
• Leaked "Project Aion" (Copilot OS): Zac reveals an internal 2024 incubation project that leaked on Discord—an experimental, platform-agnostic, web-native operating system built entirely inside Microsoft Edge where Copilot replaces the traditional Start menu.
• The Tech Industry's AI Bubble: A philosophical debate on consumer pushback against AI, the staggering cloud costs of large language models, and the lack of quantifiable productivity gains for regular users.
• Snapdragon X2 Surface Refresh: Details on the consumer launch of the Surface Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12, the introduction of a 24 GB RAM middle-tier "sweet spot," and lower-cost 8 GB configurations engineered to beat the RAM crisis.
• The Death of the Surface Go Lineup: Breaking down exclusive source info confirming that the 10-inch Surface Go and the Surface Laptop Go lines have been canceled, leaving a major gap for enterprise and ultra-portable tablet fans.

Have a question you want us to answer on the podcast? Send it to us at podcast@windowscentral.com

Hosts:

• Daniel Rubino
• Jez Corden
• Zac Bowden

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This week has mostly been a depressing affair for the gaming industry, what with Sony killing off physical PlayStation Discs and Microsoft laying off over 3,200 roles at Xbox.

We could all use some levity after this string of bad news, so we're going to do that by marveling at the creative ingenuity of YouTuber 'Game of Tobi'.

For you see, this clever tinkerer has managed to get a version of the legendary Minecraft running on two iconic portable consoles that helped pave the way for gaming handhelds as we know them today: the Game Boy Color from 1998 and the original Game Boy from 1989.

This fan-made game "3D Minecraft" isn't a lower-resolution port of Minecraft. It's a unique creation where the player can play on a flat map or a full 3D-generated world. Like in regular Minecraft, you can place blocks, explore the world, and even build.

Granted, the graphics, frame rate, and gameplay are limited compared to the real thing, especially when running on the original Game Boy, as it has no colors other than black and white. Yet the fact that this creator managed to get Minecraft working on a 1998 gaming handheld and an even older one from 1989 is nothing short of technical wizardry.

This isn't the first time 'Game of Tobi' got a modern game to work on retro hardware, as they made working versions of Minecraft on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS in the past that more closely resemble and play like regular Minecraft (complete with Survival Mode!).

In addition, they also made a Nintendo DS version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, a Nintendo 3DS version of Super Mario Odyssey, and more.

Personally, I like seeing people using their technical know-how to make games we love playable on platforms we wouldn't expect (look no further than DOOM being playable on Notepad.exe or even a pregnancy test), and these Game Boy ports of Minecraft are no exception.

It just makes you wonder what the gaming world would've looked like if Minecraft had been made in the 1990s instead of 2011, and whether it would've been as successful back then, when gaming was still niche.

Plus, having a physical, offline version of Minecraft that isn't beholden to online servers to keep it running sounds like a pretty good idea, especially in this day and age, when online games can be delisted at any time, at the whim of a corporation, for whatever reason.

Either way, Game of Tobi has my YouTube subscription for this invention, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they make next (here's hoping they make Minecraft playable on the Nintendo Virtual Boy just for the sheer, eye-bleeding hilarity of seeing the Nether rendered entirely in the system's Red and Black color scheme).

What do you think of 'Game of Tobi's' Game Boy Color and Game Boy versions of Minecraft? Would you like to play an offline version of Minecraft on older hardware for the nostalgic novelty?

If you have any thoughts, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit page.

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Xbox's cuts over the past week have been brutal; let's not mince words here.

Four studios divested with a possible fifth in progress, over a thousand jobs removed already, with a further 2000 planned. The atmosphere within Xbox right now is dire — a total 180 following the wave of optimism from new CEO Asha Sharma's appointment in spring.

As a result, there are tons of stories coming out about what the fate of Xbox's remaining studios might be. A lot of the discourse has fallen on id Software right now, the beloved maker of DOOM. The studio is an industry staple, and arguably one of the most important and influential brands in the modern gaming canon.

Cuts at id Software have been heavy and painful. Some have claimed the studio's lauded id Tech engine is effectively on ice, and that id is no longer large enough to produce its own games.

What's the truth here? I've been investigating Microsoft's plans for id. Despite the callousness of Microsoft's bean counters, I'm confident the studio will endure.

Microsoft has no plans to shelve id Tech

DOOM and other id Software games have long been powered by the id Tech engine. The engine was designed originally for Quake back in the 90s, and has since powered a huge variety of titles, including open-world games like RAGE, horror games like The Evil Within, Wolfenstein shooters, and, of course, the modern DOOM games. More recently, Machine Games' Indiana Jones and DOOM: The Dark Ages were built on the latest versions of id Tech.

It has a very different feel to Unreal Engine, particularly for first-person games. It's been lauded for its optimization on lower-end hardware stacks, as well as its general versatility.

The cuts to id Software have hit the teams that develop id Tech hard, with decades of expertise wiped out over night. But rumors that there's now virtually nobody working on the engine are false. Sources tell me that there remains a solid stack of expertise for id Tech across id Software itself, and Machine Games. I'm told Microsoft also has no plans to shift either studio forcibly to Unreal Engine, which seems to have become the default for Microsoft and many other core game makers.

Microsoft provided us this statement on the topic: "There are dozens of people working on id Tech across multiple locations. Reports that there’s only one person left in Texas are inaccurate."

In my view, Microsoft would have to be miserably short-sighted to deprecate id Tech. Handing even more power to Unreal Engine opens them up to monopolistic price increases down the line, which would be fiscally irresponsible. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma herself said in her memo to staff that she wants Microsoft to rely less on vendors for things like this. As such, I would argue that Microsoft should invest more in id Tech, not less.

But hey, quarterly thinking is Microsoft's M.O. these days. And it is true that generational talent and knowledge has been carelessly cast aside.

id Software's headcount is now similar to what it was for DOOM (2016)

The other rumor flying around is that id Software has shrunk to a headcount that is untenable for future self-made products, relegating them to "support studio" status. This too, is false.

While the cuts have been alarmingly callous, my understanding is that the remaining id Software core team is roughly the same as it was when DOOM (2016) shipped. DOOM (2016) is arguably the studio's best-ever game in my view, despite the comparatively smaller headcount that produced it. That's not too suggest in any capacity that we should expect the same quality bar without proof ... Microsoft removed mountains of incredible talent from the pool.

Still, I'm not sure exactly what id Software could be making next. There have been reports that id Software had a variety of pitches in the pipeline, including a Perfect Dark reboot and a Western-styled shooter dubbed Ironwood. It's unclear if any of these will be greenlit.

id Software just shipped DOOM: The Dark Ages Revelations, a sizeable story expansion for last year's DOOM prequel. What the studio builds next remains to be seen, but Xbox CEO Asha Sharma specifically called out DOOM and Quake as franchises to invest in.

Microsoft wants to grow its most staple and recognizable IP, which at least in the near term, likely excludes "new" franchise ideas. I'd still like to see what a modern Hexen would look like ... perhaps we'll learn more at Quakecon, which is still going ahead.

It's still been a needlessly brutal exercise

While rumors of id Software's demise have been greatly exaggerated, the layoffs have still been callous and brutal. Staffers with decades of expertise and tenure were let go, despite the success of the modern DOOM trilogy.

Microsoft's gaming aspirations have been heavily reduced over the past week, in what CEO Asha Sharma has been describing as a "reset." This has led to sizeable reductions in teams working on a variety of projects, from The Elder Scrolls to Xbox's social media delivery and platform features. Other studios, like Blizzard, seem to have emerged largely unscathed so far. And Xbox's hardware team building Helix has also been left intact.

Xbox has worked hard to save studios like Undead Labs from outright closure. But, it hasn't prevented Microsoft from expunging hundreds of jobs in other areas, inside Xbox and beyond. Microsoft's huge bets on artificial intelligence haven't really delivered meaningful returns, and the vast capital expenditure on data center buildouts is spooking investors.

At Xbox, the layoffs reflect a challenging time in traditional gaming. Core gaming has seen a contraction owing to increased costs and lack of investment in younger cohorts, which dropped consoles in favor of Roblox on mobile devices, alongside non-gaming activities. Microsoft's lack of investment in Xbox's platform and social features have prevented it from finding new users out of the Gen-X and Gen-Y cohorts, many of whom are starting to age out.

Where Xbox goes from here wholly remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: DOOM is eternal, and it will outlive Microsoft's bad decision-making.

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Though it launched to scathing criticism and widespread controversy in late 2018 due to lackluster content offerings and severe technical issues, Fallout 76 — Bethesda Game Studios' multiplayer-focused MMO-lite take on the post-apocalyptic RPG series — grew to become fairly popular over time, with the title still enjoying regular content updates and a healthy community eight years later.

In the wake of this week's massive wave of 3,200 Xbox layoffs and four studio divestments, however, there are fears that support for the long-running Appalachian adventure may soon come to an end. Teams under the ZeniMax and Bethesda umbrella have been affected "significantly," including the game's steward, Bethesda Game Studios.

It's been reported that over 50 staffers have been cut from Bethesda across its headquarters in Rockville, Maryland and its office in Dallas, Texas — a reduction in force that has The Elder Scrolls 6 devs fearing crunch on and delays of the long-awaited RPG moving forward. Some also worry that a significant amount of time will have to be spent training contractors to use Bethesda's proprietary tools like the Creation Engine.

Notably, though, one Bethesda developer commented to IGN that they "have no idea how they'll continue updating Fallout 76 without hiring an external studio," which suggests development of the experimental Fallout title could end at some point in the near future.

Another possibility is that Fallout 76 support will ultimately continue, but with its updates and patches being reduced in size and cadence. This appears to be what's happening with The Elder Scrolls Online and ZeniMax Online Studios; content roadmaps for that game are "shifting" after its developer suffered over 200 cuts this week.

We may also see external support for Fallout 76 come, as in a letter sent to staff, Bethesda president Jill Braff emphasized the need for the studio to better support its "strongest franchises" — echoing recent sentiment from Xbox's CEO Asha Sharma that it needs to "move faster" with core IPs like Fallout.

Ending support for the most recent game in the series would arguably go against that goal — especially while the extremely popular Fallout TV show is bringing countless new eyes to the property. With that said, Fallout 76 is now eight years old and isn't massively popular, and with Obsidian now making a new Fallout game, Microsoft may not see much value in continuing to invest resources in the title.

In the end, it's impossible to say what will happen with Fallout 76 moving forward until we hear something official from Microsoft, Xbox, or Bethesda. Based on the aforementioned comment from a developer, though, I do think it's likely that the game's live-service development will change in some way.

Whether it ends up stopping completely or just slowing down remains to be seen, but I can't imagine that this week's cuts won't be reflected in Fallout 76's update cadence somehow.

In the wake of Microsoft's Xbox layoffs, should support for Fallout 76 continue? Or do you think Bethesda should move on from the game? Let me know in the comments, and in the above poll.

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Microsoft is using AI to protect Windows against attackers. The development represents an arms race because AI is also being used increasingly to find vulnerabilities modern tech, as highlighted by The Hacker News.

Hackers can use AI to find and take advantage of vulnerabilities that could then be weaponized. It's not just discovery that's been sped up, reverse engineering security flaws is now a quicker process because of AI. That means attackers can find flaws and quickly take advantage of them before traditional methods of protection could take effect.

To combat those malicious actors and evolving tactics, Microsoft is deploying MDASH (Multi-Model Agentic Scanning Harness) at scale across Windows.

Pavan Davuluri, EVP of Windows and Devices at Microsoft, shared a blog post about the new methods the company is using to protect Windows.

"The fastest way to reduce customer exposure is to find issues before attackers can use them," said Davuluri. "Windows is expanding its ability across the platform to find issues earlier, accelerate the engineering work to fix them, strengthen validation, and deliver timely, high-quality updates that keep customers protected."

Using AI to identify potential flaws, prioritize fixes, and scale discovery across the codebase of Windows lets Microsoft quickly roll out protection to customers.

To scale MDASH to Windows, a dedicated cloud infrastructure was set up for scanning for potential flaws. A separate prove pipeline then is used to eliminate false positives. The Windows engineering team can then act on the most likely candidates that need addressing.

Microsoft will expand its use of AI for scanning and proving to other parts of the company.

Using AI to improve work

When Microsoft announced 4,800 layoffs across the company, its leaders emphasized that the eliminated roles are not being replaced by AI. People across a wide range of sectors are concerned about automation taking human jobs.

The approach Microsoft is using to scan for issues and streamline the selection process of candidates to address represents AI helping people rather than replacing workers.

When speaking of improving internal systems and practices, Davuluri said, "That means using AI to help identify potential issues earlier in the development process, while relying on human expertise to evaluate findings, make risk-based decisions and ensure fixes meet the quality bar customers expect."

The end result is that more security updates will be included in each security release, which should protect PCs from the growing number of attacks.

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While many different development teams were affected by this week's massive wave of 3,200 Xbox layoffs from Microsoft, studios under the Zenimax and Bethesda banner have reportedly faced some of the most brutal cuts of all. They're going through "a significant overhaul" in their wake, with well over half of DOOM dev id Software axed and over 200 roles removed at The Elder Scrolls Online maker ZeniMax Online Studios.

Bethesda Game Studios — the team behind Skyrim, Fallout 4, Starfield, and the upcoming The Elder Scrolls 6, among other titles — has also been hit, with reports of over 50 of its developers being let go. And according to a new report from IGN, that loss of talent will have a "substantial and cascading effect" on development of the next The Elder Scrolls RPG.

"Their loss will have a substantial and cascading effect on the game and morale of this studio," lamented one Bethesda staffer. "It's been a mix of every discipline: programmers, artists, and designers. One person who's been at the company since Morrowind [the third The Elder Scrolls game released in 2002] was cut," added another.

Those impacted by the layoffs include "key, high-performing people in the trenches" — and those who remain at Bethesda fear that their dismissal will lead to significant complications for The Elder Scrolls 6, including an extensive amount of time spent training contractors, unhealthy amounts of crunch and overtime, and delays for a title that's already reportedly two years away as it is.

"There is a fear that we are going to be replaced by cheaper, contracted labor, or we will hire folks to replace them that will need to be onboarded [due to proprietary tools] resulting in more delays, and we'll need to crunch to make up the time," one Bethesda employee told IGN. Another noted they've heard colleagues have been asked to train new contractors already.

"We've all been very excited and hyped for TES 6 and this has had a crushing effect on morale," said another worker. "We were already running a tight ship and are worried about this delaying the game."

Reportedly, the team working on the RPG will receive support from ZeniMax Online Studios, though it's unclear how extensive of a role the The Elder Scrolls Online studio will play. I can't help but think it will be minor, given the fact that that team just suffered over 200 cuts.

Developers still at Bethesda have been assured they're safe from the 1,600 layoffs of the 3,200 that are coming throughout the next 12 months, though team members worry they'll eventually be let go as well. It's a rational fear, given Microsoft and Xbox's layoff history.

"The 'survivors' were told they're safe from those next 1,600 but it's not entirely reassuring," one asserted. "Even if that's true, who's to say there's not another 1,600 next year after that? It's had the chilling effect of realizing you don't get to retire off your work at Xbox. Your time ends when you quit or are laid off, that's it."

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When Palworld first launched in early 2024, skeptics labeled it simply as"Pokémon with guns" that would surely fold the moment Nintendo's legal team caught wind of it.

Instead, over the proceeding 2 and half years, Pocketpair have built a legitimate survival-crafting funfest that has more than carved it's own path in the gaming industry.

Tomorrow, July 10, Palworld officially exits Early Access and launches version 1.0. Revealed just last month at the Summer Game Fest, the highly anticipated full release has been preceded today by an awesome new trailer, showing Palworld looking sharper and more expansive than ever before.

The scale of Palworld 1.0 is going to be massive

To give you an idea of the sheer scale of this launch, Pocketpair’s Community Manager, Bucky, has been teasing that he's nearly losing his mind trying to format the patch notes.

The update boasts 27 PDF pages totaling over 66,000 characters of changes and additions, so massive it actually broke Steam's standard 32,000-character post limit.

Palworld's rocky road to 1.0

Palworld's success is nothing short of legendary at this point. Launching into Early Access in January 2024, it became a viral hit and secured it's place as Xbox's biggest third party Game Pass launch in history by drawing in over 7 million players. Fast forward to today, and Pocketpair has just announced a mind boggling 40 million total players across all platforms. With 1.0 finally here, I'm hoping that number rises exponentially.

The milestone is made even sweeter as it was achieved against a backdrop of agressive attempts from Nintendo and The Pokemon Company to stamp out the game via patent litigation. Though through proactive changes to the game, like reworking the overworld monster catching mechanics and mounting systems, Pocketpair have successfully minimized the scope of the lawsuit (which is still ongoing in Japan). The case now stands to recover damages of equivalent $30,000 as a best case scenario, and is only relevant now to early access builds. Palworld will be entering 1.0 with it's head held high.

Pocketpair have also confirmed that despite the industry standard of Early Access games to bump up their price for a retail launch, Palworld will remain at $29.99.

"We are incredibly proud of how far Palworld has come. Thanks to the amazing support of our players, it has become a success beyond our wildest dreams."

Is Palworld worth a revist if I played at launch?

Palworld is absolutely worth going back to whether you haven't played since 2024, or even the most recent update.

While Pocketpair has confirmed that your old Early Access save files will still work, Bucky and the dev team strongly recommend starting entirely fresh. The early-to-mid-game progression has been completely overhauled to create a seamless, rewarding experience from the ground up.

Here is a breakdown of the biggest changes you can look forward to at launch:

Biome and world changes

• The Sky Island biome: A massive, beautiful floating island region suspended high above the Palpagos archipelago, serving as the focal point for endgame exploration.
• A new Sky Village: A friendly, inhabited settlement tucked away in the clouds of the new biome.
• Revamped map & story: Vast new areas have been stitched into the world, while older regions have received visual reworks and structural improvements.

Pal & System reworks

• Tower boss overhaul: The game's marquee boss encounters have been entirely redesigned with new mechanics and scaling.
• Wildlife Sanctuary remodel: Sanctuaries are now encased in massive, glowing shield bubbles. They are heavily guarded by flying drone-type defenders and prowled by dangerous, powerful bosses.
• Early-game progression: Brand-new Pals have been strategically distributed into the early stages of the game to make the initial leveling journey feel entirely fresh.

Base building upgrades

• Floating foundations: Say goodbye to land constraints; you can now build your structural foundations directly out onto the water.
• Expanded architecture: New roof variants and decorative statues allow for highly customized aesthetic designs.
• Streamlined expedition stations: The station has received a sleek visual redesign to look much less obtrusive when blending it into your custom bases.

New mechanics & gear

• The Wing pack: A traversal tool described as a "jetpack with wings," custom-built to help you navigate the vertical gaps of the Sky Islands.
• The Fish Sword: A hilarious and powerful new combat mechanic where you unsheathe the literal spine of a fish Pal to use as a sword, mirroring Foxparks' famous flamethrower ability.
• Advanced weaponry: A suite of un-named, high-tier weapons for players to craft.

And don't forget the new Pals!

Pocketpair is dropping more new Pals in this single update than in every prior patch combined. Here are the standout creatures and variants confirmed by trailers and community teasers.

• Ahri & The Crazy Dragon Serpent - The newest Sky Island Tower Boss, heavily tied to a massive, serpentine dragon seen in the cinematic trailers.
• Seekmet - Affectionately dubbed "Catgirl Anubis" by the community; a powerful addition to the roster.
• Soul Mora - A sleek fish Pal first teased in a comic strip. It is an exceptionally rapid swimmer that can curiously be ridden at high speeds on dry land.
• Lefan - A martial-arts-themed panda who serves as a direct counterpart to Mossanda.
• Hoodle & The Sleepy Pal - Hoodle looks like a hoodie possessed by a ghost child, and is constantly accompanied by a guardian Pal that looks like it desperately wants to go to sleep at 6:00 PM.
• Venusa - A wonderfully derpy, happy Gorgon/Medusa-themed snake lady.
• Tropica - A flightless, comical raptor-bird hybrid sporting a giant, floppy flower on its head.
• Dupin - A mischievous, rabbit-jester magician creature.
• Puff & Pikmi - Puff is a yappy, electric-type puppy, while Pikmi is a tiny ghost child Pal that lives to jump-scare players.
• Snock - An electric snail Pal, making its official debut after being hidden away as an official comic-strip exclusive.

Other notable additions to watch out for include: a Beetle-themed Egyptian warrior with arm-whips, and a mysterious silhouette waiting at the very top of the World Tree, and I'm sure many more that I've missed..

What time does Palworld 1.0 go live?

The launch drops simultaneously worldwide. Depending on where you live, you'll be jumping in either late tonight or early tomorrow morning. Here are the approximate global release times:

• Los Angeles: 8:30 PM PT (Thursday, July 9)
• New York: 11:30 PM ET (Thursday, July 9)
• London: 4:30 AM BST (Friday, July 10)
• Tokyo: 12:30 PM JST (Friday, July 10)
• Sydney: 1:30 PM AEST (Friday, July 10)

Get your Pal Spheres ready and clear your weekend schedule.

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Despite being one of the studios affected by Xbox's company-wide "Reset" and Xbox CEO Asha Sharma taking direct control of Minecraft with the goal of helping it compete with Roblox, Mojang Studios appears to be still going strong, as it has released a new update for its iconic survival-crafting game.

This update, titled Preview 26.40.30, is bringing with it a slew of gameplay changes, bug fixes, and a couple of new in-game items that felt like they should've been in Minecraft from the beginning: Cushions and a Straw Bed.

Cushions allow players to sit and rest after a long day's adventuring and crafting. They don't offer any statistical gameplay benefits but can make for fun roleplay toys when sitting by campfires or having sleepovers with your friends in co-op.

The Straw Beds are a new type of bed which players can sleep on to recover health without creating a new spawn point that overrides a previous one. This can be handy if you plan on adventuring but don't want to respawn in the middle of a Creeper-infested cave and want to go back home when you die.

The materials needed to craft these items, along with the rest of this update's gameplay changes, can be found in the patch notes below:

Drop 3 Experimental Features

• Cushion
  • The Cushion is an item that the player can place in the world and interact with to sit on
  • Can be crafted in 16 colored variants
  • Cushions are crafted using 3 Wool Slabs of the same color
  • Known Issue: Cushions aren't currently generating in the Abandoned Camps, but can be found in the creative inventory
• Cushion Placement Rules
  • A cushion can be placed on any flat surface
  • Cushions always align horizontally to the grid, but vertically sit on top of the supporting surface
  • Cushions cannot move
  • Cushions break if the supporting block is removed
  • Cushions do not have collision and can overlap with other objects (except other cushions)
• Straw Bed
  • Straw Bed is a new type of bed which can be used to sleep through the night without setting your spawn point
  • It can only be used once and will be destroyed after use
  • It can not be used in the Nether or The End and will be destroyed if you try to sleep on it there
  • It is crafted using 3 Hay Bales and will give you 4 Straw Beds
• Abandoned Camp
  • Abandoned camp now generates in Pale Garden and Flower Forest biomes (MCPE-230024) (MCPE-240045)
  • Straw Beds can now be found in Abandoned Camps
  • Updated Abandoned Camps to place procedural trees
  • Fixed wrong potion names in the loot tables for the Abandoned Camp
• Dappled Forest
  • Changed biome fog settings to match other forest biomes
  • Updated Orange, Red & Yellow Poplar Leaves MERS textures
• Sounds
  • Updated ambient sounds for Poplar leaf blocks
  • Added custom sound events for Red Shrubs and Poplar leaf blocks
• Graphical
  • Added opaque versions to the Poplar leaves to fix black background issue (MCPE-240020)
  • Added hinges to Poplar door icon. Also removed 3 pixels from top door texture that didn't match the palette
  • Fixed Poplar sign texture to follow other sign assets
• Gameplay
  • Added missing recipes for Wool Stairs and Wool Slabs (MCPE-240040)

Features and Bug Fixes

• Accessibility
  • Fixed the focus indicator on the "More options" button on the start screen so it no longer relies on color alone, adding an underline when the button is focused
• Blocks
  • Azalea and Flowering Azalea are no longer see-through when viewed from below (MCPE-217896)
  • Brown and Red Mushrooms can no longer be placed under the sky when it is dark
  • With the Minecraft Education features toggle enabled, it is possible to place charcoal again in the Lab Table (MCPE-240097)
  • Fixed a miscolored pixel in one of the Sulfur Spike textures
• Gameplay
  • Fixed an issue where structure loot would differ on the same seed (MCPE-239951)
• General
  • Brown and Red Mushrooms now generate on Crimson Nylium and Warped Nylium no matter the brightness
• Graphical
  • Fixed a rendering issue with Vibrant Visuals where some items and text could be invisible on certain Android GPUs
  • Updated supported devices for Vibrant Visuals on Android
• Items
  • Fixed issue where book and quill from pre-26.30 worlds freezes the game (MCPE-239753)
  • Arrows of Harming no longer bounce off entities and are now correctly removed on hit (MCPE-239756)
• Character Creator
  • Exiting the dressing room no longer automatically saves your character if you have an unequipped color change.
• Stability and Performance
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when spawning more than one Iron Golem
  • Game servers now attempt to self-repair some player connection issues
  • Fixed a crash that could occur during world generation when placing structures containing double chests
  • Fixed a potential crash issue related to Concrete Powder blocks converting into Concrete.
• User Interface
  • Fixed a bug where text formatting codes in a resource pack's name carried over into the rest of the toast notification when the pack was activated or deactivated (MCPE-182130)
  • Add missing preview image for the Desert flatworld preset (MCPE-194395)
  • Updated the network disconnection message to direct players to enable 'Use Mobile Data' in general settings instead of profile settings
  • Fixed a bug where button touch areas did not align with the buttons in windowed Android modes with a title bar, such as Samsung DeX and pop up view.
  • The Pause Game setting is now rendered in the Main Menu (MCPE-237101)
  • Show "Game unpaused" notification over all screens when the pause screen is open (MCPE-229796)
  • Fixed a soft-lock that prevented further join attempts after a party leader's Experience join was blocked by the party eligibility check
  • Fixed the "How to Play" button being missing from the Settings menu in Minecraft Education
  • Fixed Cloud sync storage banner to not show redundant information that storage is both full and almost full when cloud storage is full (MCPE-240036)
  • Fixed the Beacon screen displaying a duplicated header in the Pocket UI
  • Create New World list is loaded correctly after deleting world data through the "Manage Worlds" button (MCPE-239804)
  • Updated Nintendo Switch terminology for local wireless multiplayer
  • Fixed a problem that caused touch scrolling to be unresponsive in creative inventory. (MCPE-236783)
  • Fixed an issue that prevented splitscreen players from interacting with Game Settings. (MCPE-237830)
  • Updated Marketplace badges to use semantic Tag styling for bordered and spacious variants, with refreshed Tag documentation and tests
  • Fixed skin info button not working on expanded skin pack page
  • After entering the sidebar while spinning the character, it will no longer continue to spin by itself
  • Players with multiplayer-restricted skins can now enter worlds with multiplayer disabled
  • Removed space appearing between the chat tab and the social drawer (MCPE-239456)
• Marketplace
  • Updated Marketplace content cards with new pass and rating iconography, refreshed Minecoin visuals, and a notice badge treatment for surfaced states
• Storage
  • Updated old world conversion flows in the Storage Settings tab.

Technical Updates

• Commands
  • Allow self selection expansion when using commands (i.e. /tell) for non-operator players.
  • Fixed clone command cloning partial beds, both parts must be fully inside cloning volume
  • Fixed the /fill command from improperly placing blocks defined with the minecraft:multi_block trait
• Graphical
  • Tightened the anti-x-ray trigger box to avoid false-positive cases when riding a mob
  • Fixed custom blocks rendering a stray solid face that could bleed through textures when a model face was hidden by setting one of its UV size dimensions to zero
  • Fixed texture bleeding on custom blocks using automatic block face UV assignment with undersized textures
• Actor Components
  • Made schemas for the following components stricter when parsing and will fail to load an entity json that has invalid data in versions 1.26.40 and newer.
    • minecraft:cannot_be_attacked
    • minecraft:ignore_cannot_be_attacked
    • minecraft:floats_in_liquid
    • minecraft:wants_jockey
• AI Goals
  • Fixed a bug where the on_kill event in the following behavior components was incorrectly mapped to the on_attack field, causing the event to never fire when an entity killed its target. The fix applies to entity definitions with format version 1.26.40 and above.
    • minecraft:behavior.melee_attack
    • minecraft:behavior.melee_box_attack
    • minecraft:behavior.delayed_attack
    • minecraft:behavior.stomp_attack
    • minecraft:behavior.use_kinetic_weapon
• API
  • Fixed minecraft:hopper_minecart to fire EntityItemPickupAfterEvent and EntityItemPickupBeforeEvent for items above the cart.
  • Released LootItem.conditions in @minecraft/server v2.4.0 (moved from beta to stable)
• DDUI
  • Fixed Images in CustomForms not being centered in the form.
  • Added ImageOptions.onClick and ImageOptions.tooltip which allow for a callback on click of an image and a tooltip on images, for use with CustomForm.image.
• Blocks
  • N-way rotation on geometry components no longer requires upcoming creator features experiment
  • minecraft:sixteen_way_rotation state on placement direction block trait no longer requires upcoming creator features experiment
  • Align brightness sampling strategies between custom and vanilla blocks (MCPE-237493)
  • Jigsaw Block replacement will now log when an invalid final_state is encountered
  • Added new biome decoration feature "minecraft:multi_block_feature", which can be used exclusively to place blocks defined with the "minecraft:multi_block" trait
  • Released the minecraft:instrument_sound component from experimental.
• Crafting
  • "minecraft:recipe_smithing_transform" now accepts items tagged with "minecraft:transform_materials" in its "addition" field
• Editor
  • Fixed a bug where copying and pasting a double chest with the Paste Preview or Structure tool pasted it as two separate single chests instead of a single double chest
  • The Block Inspector tool now highlights the currently selected block with a bounding box, giving a clear visual indicator of which block is being inspected
  • Fixed the Primitives Tool preview and placement to follow the Fixed Distance cursor projection
  • The Flood Tool no longer errors when pressing Ctrl+D to remove a preview that has already been removed
  • Editor property pane items no longer display an empty tooltip when there is no tooltip text to show, such as the Flood Tool progress bar
  • The Dimensions tool now returns the player to their last-known position in the target dimension, or the origin on first visit
  • The Farm Generator tool now offers Pale Oak, Dark Oak, Nether Brick, and Mangrove fence options
  • Fixed a bug in the Biome Data Assignment tool where the Allow biome tag list was matched with a logical AND, so only biomes containing every allowed tag were eligible; allowed tags are now matched with a logical OR, so a biome is eligible if it has any of the allowed tags
  • Fixed a bug in the Vibrant Visuals color settings where dragging a timeline playhead no longer scrubbed the viewport time, so color and value keyframes could not be previewed across the day/night cycle
  • Fixed a bug that caused the sliders connected to any Vibrant Visuals "Enabled" checkbox to be manipulated with the checkbox toggled off
  • Fixed a bug that caused incorrect theme color to display for disabled text field
  • Added a Timeline panel to the Cinematic Tool for visualizing and editing keyframes along the camera path
  • Renamed "Control Points" to "Keyframes" throughout the Cinematic Tool to align with standard animation terminology
  • Removed all transaction recording and management functionality from the TransactionManager API and moved it to the PendingTransaction object. Transactions are now created through createPendingTransaction function, while staged changes are finalized using the submit and discard methods
  • Added pending transaction support for ClipboardItem.writeToWorld and BrushShapeManager APIs
  • Added a drag handle to the cinematics timeline so the timeline duration can be adjusted directly in the editor
  • Fixed a bug that caused placeholder string in text field to be incorrectly styled
  • The Navigation panel's minimap now uses the new minimap control
    • World locations are now stored per-dimension and shared across all clients
    • Lowered the Nether's minimap scan Y-level so the map skips the bedrock ceiling
  • Removed the "X" button from progress windows for the Custom Mesh, Primitive, and Flood tools
  • Fixed a bug that appears in Layout Template Manager during 'Copy Template' operation when copying a template with structures. The template is copied along with name and display name. The fix is that the name and display name metadata are set from the caller.
  • Fixed a bug where the custom cursor does not change from wait/load icon after canceling the flood operation
  • Fixed a bug that caused Collection Tree UI element width to be incorrect
• Entity Components
  • Made the should_bounce boolean field of the minecraft:projectile component into an enum:
  • no: the projectile never bounces (default)
  • if_invulnerable: the projectile bounces only when the target is invulnerable to the damage source (e.g. creative mode, shield blocking)
  • if_no_damage_dealt: the projectile bounces whenever no damage was dealt, regardless of the reason (invulnerability, damage sensor, invulnerability frames)
  • Content authored against earlier format versions is automatically upgraded when loaded in 1.26.40 or later: true becomes if_invulnerable and false becomes no
• Features
  • Fixed incorrect example json for Height Difference Filter documentation
• Graphical
  • The MERS textures for following baby mobs and Rabbits are now visible
    • Baby Humanoid Chainmail Armor
    • Baby Dolphin
    • Baby Fox
    • Baby Goat
    • Baby Hoglin
    • Baby Panda
    • Baby Warm Pig
    • Baby Zombie Piglin
    • Rabbits
    • Snifflet
• JSON Schema
  • Updated the generated Minecraft JSON Schema files to use a more granular schema layout instead of producing one self-contained schema file per registered type. This reduces duplicated schema content and makes the generated schemas easier to consume with external tools.
  • Added binary-protocol metadata to generated SharedTypes JSON Schemas, including ordinal index, control value type, underlying type, and serialization options. This gives tools more information about the binary layout of the objects described by the JSON Schemas.
• Mobs
  • The tamed baby Wolf's collar now has a proper MERS texture
• Sounds
  • Fixed the destroy block sound position to be at the center of the block instead of at the corner (MCPE-60799)

Experimental Technical Updates

• API
  • Added getShapes method on PrimitiveShapesManager.
  • Added interface PrimitiveShapeQueryOptions for use with getShapes.
  • Added AllowListEntry to @minecraft/server-admin with optional name and xuid properties in beta
  • AllowList changes in @minecraft/server-admin all in beta
  • Added entries: AllowListEntry[] property
  • Changed add() to accept either a Player or AllowListEntry and removed accepting string as parameter. Adds InvalidArgumentError to this function when AllowListEntry has both name and xuid properties set to undefined.
  • Changed remove() to accept either a Player or AllowListEntry and removed accepting string as parameter. Adds InvalidArgumentError to this function when AllowListEntry has both name and xuid properties set to undefined.
  • Changed contains() to accept either a Player or AllowListEntry and removed accepting string as parameter. Adds InvalidArgumentError to this function when AllowListEntry has both name and xuid properties set to undefined.
  • Added new beta enum CloneMode with values Copy, ForceCopy, and Move that specifies how blocks are cloned between regions
• Dimension
  • Added cloneBlocks method to beta that clones a region of blocks from one area of the dimension to another, with support for clone modes and an optional block filter
• Sound Duration Info
  • The playback position now reflects calls to SoundInstance.seekTo
  • While a sound is paused via SoundInstance.pause, the playback position no longer advances; SoundInstance.resume continues from where it was paused
• Editor
  • Removed and replaced uses of minecraft/server CompoundBlockVolume in the Experimental API with the beta minecraft/server-editor RelativeVolumeListBlockVolume
• Graphical
  • Fixed a performance issue when in the Nether
  • Added a system to dynamically scale per-point-light shadow resources
  • Increased the maximum number of point lights
  • Fixed a bug where point light shadows would flicker during dynamic scaling
• Sound
  • Added minecaft:sound block component
    • it requires format version 1.26.20 and Experimental Upcoming Creator Features
    • it can be used to assign a set of sounds to block and its permutations similar to sound field in blocks.json
    • blocks.json overrides values of minecraft:sound component, including values in all permutations

Stay tuned for more as we keep an eye out for news regarding all things Minecraft, including the upcoming Minecraft Movie sequel and Minecraft Dungeons 2.

What do you think of Minecraft's latest patch and the new Cushion and Straw Bed items it's providing? Are you looking forward to the second Minecraft Movie and Minecraft Dungeons 2?

If you have any thoughts, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit page.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Microsoft's share price has slid 22% in the past year, as investors increasingly cast doubt on the firm's long-term AI strategy.

Artificial intelligence has been billed as the next coming by Big Tech, with everyone from Amazon to Google trying to figure out how to leverage the expensive technology to generate profits. The problem is, nobody is even close to having an answer.

Generative AI is incredibly costly to run, and the return on investment is unclear at best. Many companies are starting to discover that, in fact, it's cheaper and more effective to simply use human labor. Companies that previously laid off engineers in favor of AI models later found themselves crawling back to those fired, and others have put large restrictions on token expenditure as returns remain elusive.

I saw a clip on CNBC from Ed Zitron, creator of the Where's Your Ed At newsletter and host of the Better Offline podcast recently. It summarized Microsoft's AI conundrum in pro wrestling terminology — which appealed to my simple brain. His full analysis is anything but simplistic, though. It speaks to the hard reality companies like Microsoft are facing: Is any of this actually worth it?

Zitron describes the challenges of companies like OpenAI and Anthropic joining SpaceX in going public, describing how the company's financial realities betray the almost demented hype around them.

"They'd be the first to be this bad, other than WeWork, and this is so much worse than that. OpenAI burned $20.9 billion dollars in 2025. The problem with these companies is ... their margins are getting worse. Their costs increase linearly with their revenues. There's no proof they can improve their margins. No amount of specialist silicon will bring these costs down.

"We're at a point where OpenAI is pushing their IPO to 2027 because they couldn't get a trillion-dollar valuation. People are wising up to the problem of generative AI: there's not really a business there."

Zitron posits that none of the hyperscalers and companies like OpenAI and Anthropic "encourage waste," while potentially stealing ideas generated by companies using their models, citing Claude Design and Figma. Indeed, the only public company that seems to be flying on its AI hype right now is Google. I would argue that's less to do with innovating, and more because they've found a way to steal revenue from human creators via Gemini's Google Search summary box — instantaneously creating infinite, dynamic (albeit hallucinating) ad-scaling opportunities.

This wholesale content theft is not as readily available to OpenAI, Anthropic, or Microsoft. Google Search remains the dominant tool for browsing the web, and thanks to Chrome and Android, Google owns the entire stack here.

Microsoft very much does not own the entire stack. It barely owns a stack at all here.

Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI is on the verge of collapse, pending contractual obligations that will expire over the next few years. It's already ditching OpenAI's pricey models in favor of supposedly more-efficient MAI home-grown models in some products. Microsoft Copilot is already barely used, despite being baked into Windows. It languishes at lower than 10% of the market, according to estimates, far behind the likes of Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT.

CEO Satya Nadella's decision to give up on Windows Phone and internal Android projects has precluded Microsoft from any form of mobile play here. Mobile is where all new consumer tech will thrive, whether or not it's AI or something else. The historical open nature of Windows prevents it from reaching consumers with any of its products. Nobody uses Bing, Edge, or Copilot, and it's a result of Microsoft's wholesale lack of foresight.

Microsoft bet that it could provide the underlying infrastructure instead, and has spent monstrous amounts of CapEx on data centers in the past few years. But Zitron posited in a large report from May that it might be exaggerating, or perhaps even outright lying, about its data center expansion plans. Indeed, there's little evidence that Microsoft has actually expanded its capacity since 2024. Zitron tracked a variety of Microsoft-announced data center projects and found them in various states of incompletion.

Is this a signal that there's no real demand? Is Microsoft intentionally stalling and dragging out construction because it knows there's no actual ROI incoming from these projects?

AI-adjacent stocks, including SpaceX, Oracle, and Microsoft, have all been in near free-fall decline recently, as investors seem to bet that there's gross over-extension going on. Meta is also reportedly spinning up a cloud company to try and offload excess compute it had previously invested in AI specifically, despite not having any actual demand.

"The only reason Big Tech is investing in this is that they've run out of hypergrowth ideas," Zitron said, on the general AI industry. "They don't have a next iPhone, they don't have a new Google Search. They've put over a trillion, with trillions more to come, into a kind of dead-end industry. When that ends, they'll have to admit that they don't have anything else."

"In the future, I see [AI] as a boring hardware-based business, kind of the Oracle licensing hardware model. I think this is a $10 to $30 billion TAM [total addressable market] industry, pretending to be a $1 trillion industry."

"Everyone is just kind of pretending. It's the kayfabe of a tech industry that really has run out of ideas."

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Alienware makes gaming laptops and desktops, sure, but the line I enjoy looking at most is its QD-OLED gaming monitors. They're immensely popular after being the first to market in 2022; they're generally well-rated, and they're usually competitively priced.

One of the most popular Alienware gaming monitors is the AW3425DW, and it has now received a significant update for 2026. Dell let me get my hands on the new AW3426DW ultrawide monitor early so I could get a true feel of what it's like, and I'm here to share my thoughts on whether or not it's worth a buy.

Dell had no input, nor saw the contents of this review, prior to publication.

How much does the Alienware AW3426DW cost?

The AW3426DW launched at $799.99 — which is the same price at which the last-gen AW3425DW made its debut — and it's also launching at £709 in the United Kingdom.

It's worth noting that the older model is currently sitting at $649.99 after a $150 discount, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that price drop stick around now that the new model is here.

Here's a closer look at the specs that make up the Alienware AW3426DW.

A generational upgrade for Alienware's iconic ultrawide

Compared to the older AW3425DW model we reviewed favorably last year, there are several standout improvements in the new AW3426DW.

The main change arrives for the Quantum Dot-Organic Light Emitting Diode (QD-OLED) panel. It's using Samsung's new fifth-gen Penta Tandem tech that was revealed earlier this year, which the company says has twice as long a lifespan as well as 1.3 times better brightness. Text should be easier to read, and there are improvements to dark colors in bright ambient light. More on that below.

Alongside the higher brightness, the monitor now has an anti-reflective coating to better combat glare. And, finally, the refresh rate has been raised from 240Hz to 280Hz.

What I like about the Alienware AW3426DW

From a purely design standpoint, the Alienware AW3426DW hasn't changed much compared to the AW3425DW. Its case has a pleasant Interstellar Indigo color scheme, with minimal interruptions on the back panel.

An Alienware head logo is off to the left of the stand, and there's the secondary AI logo on the other side. These logos are surrounded by venting, altogether offering a clean look.

For a bit of extra jazz, the Alienware head has customizable lighting. The same applies to the monitor's power button on the bottom edge of the casing.

The front of the monitor features Alienware branding, and that's basically it. Bezels are nice and slim, and the rounded stand seems like a perfect pairing.

On that note, the stand is plenty sturdy. It doesn't offer much rotation (this is an ultrawide, after all), but there's enough tilt and swivel to keep me happy. If I were keeping the screen, it'd go onto my MSI dual-arm VESA mount thanks to 100x100mm compatibility.

All OSD settings are controlled with a single joystick. There are a ton of menu options to play around with should you want to tweak the picture, and the monitor includes quite a few presets for different tasks and gaming styles. You can also change shortcuts for easier control.

Smart HDR, Dolby Vision, refresh rates, and much more are all customizable. You can choose how the monitor handles multiple inputs. And, for those who game and work on the same screen, I'm happy to report that the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) and Picture-by-Picture (PbP) features work flawlessly.

The older AW3425DW's OSD menu, or "Command Center," had issues with freezing and closing randomly, but I've not seen those issues in the newer AW3426DW model.

How is the Alienware AW3426DW's color and brightness?

Thanks to the new fifth-gen QD-OLED panel, Alienware's flagship line of ultrawide gaming monitors has never looked better.

One of the biggest complaints about the older model was that black colors often appeared purple when in a bright room. That's been significantly improved here, and it seems that no matter how much light is falling on the screen, dark colors remain dark.

This latest model includes a new anti-reflective finish that Dell says reduces glare by up to 30%. I can't test for that precisely, but I can say that the only time I had issues with glare was in a sun-drenched room with direct light hitting the screen. If you're in an office or a gaming room, you should have no issues.

It also helps that brightness has gone up from a 250-nit cap to 300 nits. Whereas the AW3425DW tested for roughly 252 nits of brightness, I saw the AW3426DW hit 330 nits in SDR, and it goes up to about 1,300 nits with HDR enabled. This additional brightness pushes its HDR certification up to VESA DisplayHDR 500.

You can see for yourself the brightness, color, contrast, and white point ratings in the above chart that I pulled from my SpyderX Pro colorimeter.

Color reproduction has actually improved slightly compared to the previous generation. Whereas we previously tested for 97% P3 and 94% AdobeRGB coverage, the new model hits 99% and 95%, respectively. It otherwise remains at 100% sRGB.

Is Alienware's AW3426DW good for gaming?

Thanks to a curved panel, an ultrawide 21:9 aspect ratio, a 3440x1440 resolution, a 280Hz refresh rate, and a 0.02ms response time, the Alienware AW3426DW is an outstanding gaming monitor.

The resolution hits the sweet spot for most gamers, and once you go ultrawide, you'll find it's very hard to go back to a 16:9 aspect ratio. The 280Hz refresh rate has plenty of ceiling for high-end performance hardware, and it's fast enough that you shouldn't mind using it for competitive titles.

Because it's an ultrawide with room for (at least) three separate windows, it's also great for productivity. Text is easier to read with this generation of QD-OLED panel, and you might be surprised at how crisp everything looks if you're coming from an older model.

What I dislike about the Alienware AW3426DW

There's not much to dislike about this monitor from a display quality standpoint. But there are some drawbacks you should know about before buying.

The port selection is notably a bit lacking. There's no 3.5mm audio jack (and no built-in speakers), and for data, there's just USB-C (15W) and USB-A, feeding off an upstream USB-B port.

Video inputs include dual HDMI 2.1 with Fixed Rate Link (FRL) for uncompressed 4K@120Hz gaming, but the single DisplayPort is 1.4 standard with Display Stream Compression (DSC). Some newer monitors are shipping with DP 2.1 with less compression, and I'd say it only really matters for enthusiasts.

Should you buy the Alienware AW3426DW?

You should buy this if ...

✅ You're looking for a competitively priced ultrawide gaming monitor featuring fifth-gen QD-OLED tech.

✅ You have a gaming PC that can handle a 3440x1440 resolution and that can make use of a 280Hz refresh rate.

You should not buy this if ...

❌ You're a competitive gamer who mostly plays at a 16:9 aspect ratio.

❌ You just want a QD-OLED ultrawide and don't care about the generation (go with the AW3425DW from last year that's now usually cheaper).

I loved my time with the Alienware AW3426DW, and it's something I'll recommend to anyone who's searching out a new QD-OLED ultrawide for gaming.

The 280Hz refresh rate is perfect for most people, the fifth-gen panel is better than ever, and the overall design is sleek and balanced.

Although some might complain that the port selection isn't generous enough or that the RGB lighting is lacking, others might not mind those drawbacks nearly as much.

And considering how many perks the monitor has, it's easy to see why this line of monitors from Alienware is so popular. I have to return the review sample, but the AW3426DW is at the top of my list for when it comes time to upgrade.

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Microsoft Forms just got a major upgrade thanks to Copilot. Microsoft 365 Copilot chat now lives within Microsoft Forms, adding a familiar tool to those who use AI in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Copilot in Microsoft Forms can suggest improvements to your polls and forms and present insights from responses.

The Copilot integration is available now to users with Microsoft 365 commercial Copilot licenses.

Microsoft listed all the changes to Forms in a blog post:

• Smarter suggestions & refinements: Get targeted recommendations to improve your form’s structure, clarity, and effectiveness. Copilot can also apply refinements directly to the form, so you can save time making edits – just describe what you want, and watch Copilot make it happen.
• Deeper analysis: Copilot can now analyze your results in-depth to provide clear insights and actionable takeaways for you and your team. You can even ask follow-up questions to help parse and summarize your data and unlock your next step.
• More settings: Review and update form settings with ease, such as applying custom thank-you messages and close dates, so your form is ready to send. You can also adjust question settings in bulk, such as making questions required.
• Open-ended chat: Copilot chat gives you access to a broad world of capabilities, whether you’re seeking inspiration on survey topics or consulting on how to configure your form – the possibilities are broad with Copilot at your fingertips.
• Basic branching: Apply basic branching logic directly through the agent. (Note that some complex scenarios are not yet supported, and you should continue to review your branching logic prior to sending your forms.)

I use Microsoft Forms to gather feedback from my American football team. I admit that I first tried it because my job centers around knowing Microsoft products. But after using Microsoft Forms for a while, I grew to prefer it over Google Forms.

Microsoft Forms can sync with Excel documents, making it much easier to stay on top of responses. I'm deeply entrenched in the Microsoft ecosystem, so anything that works seamlessly with the rest of my workflow gets bonus points in my book.

I also prefer some of the features of Microsoft Forms, such as question-level branching. That feature makes filling out forms feel smoother when a poll includes branching questions because it keeps you on the same page.

The layout of Microsoft Forms also presents results quicker because if you want to look at a chart, you don't need to open a separate spreadsheet.

The new Copilot experience in Forms could also be a boon to the platform, though I'll have to see it in action to judge. In my experience, Copilot as a general tool is good at suggesting improvements, performing bulk edits, and creating summaries, so it should thrive within Microsoft Forms.

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It looks like Microsoft is planning to make a small but interesting (ok, maybe not that interesting) change to Windows 11 in the coming weeks, one that has us scratching our heads a bit. The company has revealed (albeit accidentally) that it's making the search box that appears on the Taskbar and in the Start menu a little taller, by 4 whole pixels.

4 pixels doesn't sound like much of a change, but it is a noticeable difference, if you can believe it. The change makes the search box appear chunkier, taking up more visible space above and below it, and bringing it closer to the top edge of the Taskbar itself and slightly pushing content down in Start.

Here's a before and after of the Start menu and Taskbar, in gif format so that it loops making the difference very easy to identify:

Microsoft hasn't explained why it's making this change, but if I had to guess, I'd say the change is being made to align it with the Ask Copilot search box appearance, which differs from the existing Windows Search search box.

Ask Copilot is an alternative search experience coming soon to the Taskbar on Windows 11 that incorporates Copilot chat directly into the user interface. It's currently aimed at commercial customers, and includes a thicker but narrower search box that appears on the Taskbar when enabled.

Ask Copilot is a separate UI to the standard Windows Search experience, and needs to be manually enabled before you can use it. That's why I think Microsoft is making the default search box 4 pixels taller, as the company likes the look of Ask Copilot and would like that appearance to apply to the default search box too.

Here's a closer look at the search box on the Taskbar comparing the new height to the old height. See, it is a noticeable difference! Investigative journalism at its finest on display here.

Either way, you can likely expect to see the search box in the Start menu and on the Taskbar get slightly bigger in the coming months, as Microsoft begins rolling out the change to Insiders before making it generally available to all. The change was unveiled in a changelog for a recent Windows 11 preview build, but a Microsoft engineer has since confirmed to me that the change isn't yet being previewed.

Thanks phantomofearth!

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We have recently heard rumors saying that Zenimax and Bethesda will be 'significantly' impacted by Xbox's company-wide restructuring. So far, these rumors are coming true in depressing ways, as DOOM developer Id Software confirms it has lost over 136 staff, and now the team behind The Elder Scrolls Online, ZeniMax Online is next on the chopping block.

According to a WARN report released by the State of Maryland (via VGC), Zenimax Online has lost 213 employees thanks to Xbox's big "Reset". In addition, Zenimax Media Inc., the company that owns Bethesda Game Studios, has also lost 166 employees.

One of the game developers who previously worked at ZeniMax Online, Andrew Young, has reacted with anger and disappointment at this news, stating that "I’m just so angry today. People will never know the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making ESO or how we basically funded other failing projects while never getting enough resources to really keep up with our release cadence. The team deserved much better."

This news will no doubt fuel the flames of angry fans letting their harsh criticisms and opinions be known to Microsoft about this decision, spurred on by Bethesda's Union, which feels similar sentiments of frustration about the whole situation.

However, the good news is that there are no reports so far that The Elder Scrolls Online MMO is shutting down as a result of these layoffs, but whether or not ZeniMax Online will be able to bounce back from this loss as it did with 2025's layoffs that forced it to cancel its secret "Project Blackbird game" remains to be seen.

There's little doubt that more official reports of the exact damage done to Xbox's game studios will continue to be released as the company's restructuring goes on. So, we'll keep you posted on further developments regarding the ongoing situation at ZeniMax and Bethesda.

When do you think these mass layoffs will end? Do you think Xbox's game studios will be able to bounce back from these layoffs and continue making games? Do you think The Elder Scrolls Online will be able to survive now that ZeniMax Online has lost a considerable amount of manpower?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit community.

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Recently, Bethesda's Union expressed frustration that Zenimax and Bethesda, the studio currently in charge of award-winning Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and DOOM franchises, among others, has suffered job cuts as part of Xbox's company-wide 'Reset', with reports from Bloomberg suggesting it was one of the studios hit the hardest with layoffs.

A day after voicing their displeasure, Bethesda's Union took to Bluesky to call upon gamers and ask them to voice their concerns regarding the biggest wave of layoffs in Xbox's history and the state of Bethesda's future games to Microsoft directly through the Xbox Player Voice feedback platform.

It stated, "Yesterday's layoffs at Bethesda Game Studios were not a cut of '14 layers of management. We lost dozens of programmers, artists, designers, and testers. Many of whom worked at BGS for decades. If Bethesda fans are worried this will harm the quality of our future games, like The Elder Scrolls VI, let Microsoft know!"

One way you can show Microsoft your concern is here through the XBOX Player Voice feedback platform: feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/ide...

— @bethesdaunion.bsky.social (@bethesdaunion.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-07-10T10:29:10.778Z

Upon hearing this, players flocked to the platform in droves and unleashed all their pent-up frustrations and criticisms at Microsoft.

Comments ranged from scathing doomsaying, like "If Microsoft does not reverse course they will be destroyed." by Percy Hartley to constructive feedback, like the most upvoted comment (at over 2,500 votes) by Witt Yao, stating, "The layoff of 3,200 workers at XBOX (across Activision, Bethesda/ZeniMax, Blizzard, King, Mojang, Obsidian, id Software, and XBOX Game Studios) is unacceptable. This continues a pattern that has led to 10,000+ layoffs at XBOX in as little as two years."

Witt Yao continues, "Multiple studios have been closed or had their futures jeopardized (Compulsion Games, Double Fine, Undead Labs, Ninja Theory, Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Studios) and numerous games have been cancelled. The developers and players agree that This Can Not Continue. A true reset that meets the needs of the XBOX community looks like the following:"

He then advises on how Microsoft could potentially improve the Xbox brand with the following suggestions:

• Transparency for Players - Showcasing games from studios they intend to sell or close weeks later feels bad for players.
• Keep Teams Together - No layoffs for the next 2 years and end studio closures. Studio closures hurt the fans of that studio.
• XBOX is already profitable without reaching a billion people every day - Stop constraining XBOX by the unrealistic profit expectations of the Microsoft Accountability Margin. 
• Trust the Developers - Negotiate in good faith with unions and developers, so they can better represent the needs of both developers and gamers.
• Layoffs are a Failure of Leadership - No executive bonuses when there is a layoff.
• Invest in the Future of Gaming - Invest in the future generation of video game developers instead of unpopular technologies like AI that players don’t want. Game development expertise is the biggest asset of a video game company. 

Stay tuned for more info, as we can keep an eye out for developments and reactions regarding the biggest shake-up within the Xbox brand's history.

Have you voiced your opinions to Microsoft through the Xbox Player Voice Feedback? Do you have destructive or constructive criticisms regarding the Xbox brand's "reset" that has seen over 3,200 jobs terminated across many of Xbox's game studios?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit community.

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Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV continues to show more extended demonstrations of its real-time strategic gameplay with a new 15-minute video.

The last video focused on the Space Marine and Ork factions, but this time, we'll take a look at the Necron faction and the Adeptus Mechanicus faction facing off in a 1v1 skirmish mode game.

Here's how it went down.

The second gameplay demonstration kicks off with a look at the Adeptus Mechanicus (Admech for short), a faction of tech-worshipping cyborg cultists who are making their debut in the Dawn of War series in this game.

What makes this faction unique is that the buildings they use to produce combat units can be linked together with a Noosphere Network. The more buildings that are linked together within an Admech player's network, the cheaper the cost of creating combat units will be, and the stronger the turrets they make will be.

In addition, the Admech faction features a wide variety of combat units, from fast Skitarii Rangers who can run around the map to steal Control Points while sniping enemies to heavily armored tanks and walking mechs that bring the hammer down on even the most heavily armored enemy units.

After the Admech player establishes a base of operations, we cut to the Necron player. Necrons are an ancient alien race of robot mummies that are nearly impossible to kill due to their extremely tough metallic bodies, their ability to regenerate wounds, and being able to resurrect upon destruction if they're not destroyed completely.

In Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV, those abilities are faithfully represented with the Necron faction, as they can build buildings that will revive fallen combat units for free so the Necron player can divert resources towards producing endless hordes of Necron Warriors, advanced combat units like giant robotic insects called Canoptek Wraiths, or mobile flying fortresses called Monoliths, just to name a few.

Another unique aspect of the Necrons in this game is that they don't have to take and hold Control Points for resources. Instead, they draw resources by covering the map in a Power Matrix, which is spread by constructing Necron buildings.

On top of that, the Power Matrix can buff a Necron player's combat units with passive health regeneration and faster squad member replenishment, and allow the player to teleport defensive turrets where they want after they're built so they can defend any position at a moment's notice.

Speaking of teleportation, the Necron faction has access to buildings that can hold combat units in reserve and then deploy from their Headquarters to any Necron Tomb Pylon on the map. This tactic can help you deploy reinforcements in dire situations or simply help the Necron combat units move faster, as most of them are slower than a snail.

After both players have established footholds, the rest of the video becomes a mechanical bloodbath as the Admech players fights desperately to fight back the Necron forces who just simply refused to die.

However, after careful management of resources, strategic plays, and amassing an small army of tanks lead by giant mechs called the Knight Castellans, the Admech player was able to overcome the Necrons and achieve victory.

Windows Central's take

After trying out the Skitarii class in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide and enjoying using the Tech-Priest Manipulus Companion in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader's 3rd DLC expansion, I've become quite a fan of the Adeptus Mechanicus faction in Warhammer 40,000 for how twisted their cyborg designs and complex lore are.

So seeing them in action in Dawn of War is a pretty cool sight to see, as they have access to some of the advanced weapons in the setting that would even give Space Marines a run for their money if pushed too far, which look so much fun to use in this game.

The Necrons also look pretty neat and somewhat nostalgic in this game, as their gameplay tactic of generating Power Matrix on the map to build buildings feels inspired by the Zerg's Creep mechanic from StarCraft.

Although I wouldn't expect any Zerg Rush tactics from the slow-moving Necrons any time soon unless a player masters their teleporting gimmick to deploy dozens of Necron Warriors behind enemy lines.

Either way, this game continues to impress me with every new extended gameplay showcase for its multiplayer skirmish mode, and I can't wait to see what the developers have cooking for its other modes, like the single-player campaign.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV launches on September 16, 2026, for PC via Steam. Are you looking forward to this game? Have you played any of the earlier Dawn of War games?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit community.

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While the ZeniMax and Bethesda studio id Software is best known for its DOOM games — including both the classic titles as well as the modern installments DOOM 2016, DOOM Eternal, and DOOM: The Dark Ages — it's explored other properties and ideas in the past, and has reportedly been "toying around" with doing so again.

...That is, until the developer was slammed by layoffs this week that came as part of a larger "reset" for Xbox and its first-party teams that's seen 3,200 roles cut and four studios divested from Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios portfolio.

Early reports suggested that half of id Software was discharged from Microsoft and Xbox, with some follow-up digging indicating that the situation is even worse, as 40 remote employees have reportedly been let go as well.

Described as a "bloodbath" by one former dev, the cuts have seemingly made it extremely unlikely that id's ideas for non-DOOM projects will ever be developed (especially with Xbox directing ZeniMax/Bethesda to focus on core IPs). A new report from GamesBeat, though, gives some insight into what those concepts were.

Aside from a multiplayer-focused DOOM game with co-op, the studio was also considering a game heavily inspired by the John Wick films called Fury, a new entry in the Perfect Dark series, and a survival-focused Western game with robots called Ironwood.

Fury was a new original property pitched by id Software's studio co-director and game director Hugo Martin, with "elements of sci-fi, noir, and Louisiana and Chicago gangsters" and "a modern, cyberpunk-like feel." Notably, it had a "Gun Fu" gameplay style that blended gunplay with martial arts melee combat, and was intended to feel like a playable John Wick movie. It was never greenlit.

Allegedly, id was also exploring the possibility of making a Perfect Dark game. The Initiative's Perfect Dark reboot was canceled last year when Microsoft and Xbox shuttered the studio; with nobody else working on a new installment in the 2000s stealth-action shooter series, id considered doing so and reportedly even had concept art drafted.

Finally, there's Ironwood. Very little is known about it other than that it would be set in a Western environment with robots and survival gameplay, though it's been said it would be very similar to the popular HBO TV show Westworld.

Apparently, there were, and are, no plans for a new Quake — another iconic shooter series id created in the '90s.

Personally, I think the concept for Fury sounds incredibly cool, and I'd love to have seen the full id Software team make a Perfect Dark game. With over half the studio now gone, however, the chances of anything other than a DOOM title being made seem extremely slim.

Perhaps one day, several years into the future, id will be able to explore some of these concepts further. With Xbox CEO Asha Sharma aiming to "move faster" with its biggest franchises, though, I doubt that would happen anytime soon.

How are you feeling about Microsoft's mass Xbox layoffs, and the major impact they've had on id Software? I'm curious, so let me know in the comments below as well as in our poll.

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Earlier this week, Microsoft initiated a large wave of 4,800 layoffs that hit the firm's Xbox and gaming divisions particularly hard, with four studio divestitures and 3,200 cuts — 1,600 immediate, and 1,600 more coming in the next 12 months — striking in what's been called a "reset" for the Xbox business.

Though the redundancies have affected teams across all of Xbox, they've impacted certain game studios such as ZeniMax and Bethesda and Obsidian Entertainment quite disproportionately. Another developer that's experienced a severe reduction in force is id Software, the team that creates and oversees the modern DOOM games.

Initially, it was reported that half of the entire studio was laid off as part of Microsoft and Xbox's restructuring — a major and devastating loss of talent that shocked the community and upset developers at id, given the popularity of its games and the potential of the always-evolving id Tech game engine.

According to a new report, however, the total number of layoffs at the Texas-based developer is even larger. At first, it was believed that 96 roles were removed at id. Now, though, Game Developer writes that a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications (WARN) notice — obtained by the outlet from the Texas Workforce Commission upon request — has revealed that 40 remote workers at the studio have been let go as well.

That brings the total number of id Software cuts up to 136, meaning that the studio's workforce has been hit significantly harder than early reports indicated. Notably, the WARN document also confirmed that 22 staffers have been affected at Bethesda Game Studios' office in Austin, Texas, with 158 Texas employees laid off across both teams.

146 of these workers are reportedly represented by the Communication Workers of America labor union; Bethesda Game Studios has its own union, too, and it's been very vocal about its frustration with this week's redundancies.

With how concerning the news of the loss of half of id was, hearing that an additional 40 workers were laid off on top of that is extremely worrying. I can't help but be fearful about the studio's future, and that it no longer has a headcount sufficient for the efficient development of new DOOM games and other projects moving forward.

The painful irony of the situation is that these cuts have come at the same time id released its new Revelations DLC for its latest game, 2025's DOOM: The Dark Ages. So far, the new expansion has garnered strong reviews, and I'm glad to see it...but it's also heartbreaking to see that many of the creative minds responsible for it, The Dark Ages, and other modern DOOM titles are now gone.

Do you believe that Microsoft and Xbox went too far with the cuts made to id Software? Voice your feelings on the matter in the comments, and vote in our poll as well.

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I've managed to just about avoid the Steam sale relatively unscathed, but alas this insane deal from Green Man Gaming has just had me double dipping on some of my favorite family games. Right now, you can get 7 full Lego games and additional DLC for $9.00, and they are all Steam-verified.

It's worth $9 just for the Skywalker Collection

Before you've even looked at the other games available here, it's worth noting that the Skywalker Saga alone is worth the $9 many times over. In fact, the Galactic Edition advertised here on Green Man Gaming is currently $11.99 on Steam. You get all nine movies in one collection, with over 380 characters to unlock and most importantly, Lego lightsaber battles...

RELATED: 7 of the best Game Key websites

All of the Lego games are some of the smoothest co-op experiences I've ever had with my kids and I credit Lego games for turning my youngest son into a bona fide gamer. They have kept him away from the lure of Roblox, but in reality I end up playing most of these games myself. I've just grabbed this bundle for my ROG Ally, since I already own most of them on Xbox, but they are simply perfect for handheld.

But there’s an even better reason to pick this up: Green Man Gaming is using this bundle to support Breakthrough T1D, an organization dedicated to accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat type 1 diabetes.

This hits incredibly close to home for me. I've previously worked for a diabetes charity in the UK, and have seen firsthand how terrifying it is for parents dealing with a young child who has Type 1 diabetes. It's easily diagnosable, yet it is so frequently missed in young kids because the symptoms are often written off as other conditions, sometimes with fatal consequences.

A portion of this $9 purchase goes directly toward preventing diabetes related illness and funding a cure.

If you want to grab it while supporting a vital cause, here is another reminder of exactly what you get in the bundle:

• LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Galactic Edition) (Includes 13 DLC character packs)
• LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Deluxe Edition)
• The LEGO Movie Videogame
• The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame
• LEGO The Incredibles
• The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Video Game
• LEGO Jurassic World (Plus 3 included DLC expansion packs)

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Shortly after it was reported that Xbox's RPG studio Obsidian Entertainment lost 25% of its workforce to Microsoft's mass Xbox layoffs earlier this week, it's come to light that the developer has moved on from other projects to work on a new Fallout game.

That news comes from a new Bloomberg report that Windows Central can corroborate with our own sources. According to those familiar with the situation at the storied Irvine-based studio, multiple planned projects — including a sequel to 2025's Pillars of Eternity action RPG Avowed — have been canceled to prioritize the Fallout title.

Notably, the team working on the new Fallout game will be led by Josh Sawyer, the game director of Obsidian's legendary 2010 title Fallout: New Vegas that was developed in partnership with Bethesda to fill the gap between 2008's Fallout 3 and 2011's The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. New Vegas is widely considered by many fans to be the series' best RPG, lauded for its writing quality, reactivity to player actions, and deep, systems-driven gameplay design.

Bloomberg reports that previously, Sawyer was working on an RPG that was "similar structurally and thematically to Fallout," but wasn't actually part of the iconic franchise.

It's also been said that Bethesda Game Studios — the steward of the Fallout IP, and the developer behind the creation of Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, and the Fallout Shelter spinoff — will work with Obsidian on the new game. At the moment, it's unclear if this means the two studios will directly co-develop it together, or if Bethesda will merely provide support.

Demand for a new mainline Fallout entry is very strong right now, what with Amazon's extremely popular Fallout TV show, now filming its third season, driving significant excitement for and interest in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi property.

With Bethesda largely focused on The Elder Scrolls 6 after Starfield and Fallout 5 a long way off, I'm not surprised to see Microsoft and Xbox direct Obsidian to pivot over to the series. After all, given its experience working on it with New Vegas, you could argue there's not a team better suited for the task...though, Obsidian losing a quarter of its staffers — many of whom are reported to have been senior devs — makes me wonder how many of New Vegas' creators are actually still there.

As for the canceled Avowed sequel? Development on it was reportedly progressing smoothly and Obsidian was planning to announce it in 2027, but in the end, it didn't fit in with Xbox's new "reset" and plans to double down on its largest franchises. Its CEO Asha Sharma recently stated she wants the brand to "move faster" with core IPs like Fallout.

It's been said that some Obsidian devs will continue to work on the sequel with hopes that it will one day be fully greenlit again. Additionally, the studio will continue to develop planned DLC expansions for 2025's The Outer Worlds 2 RPG, as well as content for the Early Access survival game Grounded 2.

Are you excited for Obsidian to make a new Fallout, or would you have preferred it to finish its Avowed sequel? Let me know in our poll above, and in the comments below.

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Original article: This week's huge wave of 4,800 layoffs across Microsoft have brought the largest ever series of cuts to Xbox in the brand's history, with 3,200 roles axed and four studios split away from the company (and with Microsoft also reportedly in talks with the French government to try and find a path forward for Marvel's Blade dev Arkane Lyon as well).

Workers have been affected throughout Xbox teams and its first-party game development studios, with some affected more severely than others. Since news of the cuts came on Monday morning, it's become clear that staffers under the ZeniMax and Bethesda umbrella and at DOOM dev id Software have been hit particularly hard, with the latter losing half of its entire workforce.

Reportedly, another studio that's been battered by Xbox's efforts to "reset" is Obsidian Entertainment, the RPG developer best known for creating the beloved Fallout: New Vegas as well as the Grounded series, Pentiment, Avowed, and The Outer Worlds 2 for Xbox after it was acquired by Microsoft in late 2018. Though it's not shutting down as rumors suggested, it hasn't come through the mass layoffs unscathed.

According to sources in contact with Kotaku, roughly 60-70 employees were laid off from Obsidian — a number that constitutes 25% of the developer's headcount. Affected roles are stated to include "producers, artists, designers, programmers, QA testers, writers, and others," including many senior staff members and the only recruiter at the studio.

It's been said that most of these discharges were a part of the 1,600 immediate cuts that Microsoft made on Monday, with "a few" coming later this year as the firm lays an additional 1,600 Xbox workers off in the next 12 months.

One source told Kotaku that those who remain at Obsidian have concerns about how the studio will be able to proceed with further development on its "huge list of projects" after how steep these cuts have been. There's apparently been no guidance from Microsoft on the matter yet.

Reportedly, the developer plans to continue working on the Early Access survival game Grounded 2 and its two announced DLC story expansions for the open-world sci-fi RPG The Outer Worlds 2. Beyond that, though, it's unclear what Obsidian will do moving forward.

Notably, with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma recently commenting that she wants the brand to "move faster" with its core IPs and directly mentioning Fallout by name alongside The Elder Scrolls and Halo, I can't help but wonder if we'll see Microsoft bring Obsidian back to the post-apocalyptic RPG series. I would be quite excited for that...but a major portion of the studio's senior devs that helped create New Vegas were just let go.

I'll also highlight that these layoffs have come months after Obsidian confirmed it was going through some internal reorganization after recent games like Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2 failed to meet performance expectations. At the time, I hoped those changes would help the studio develop new games more efficiently. We can only hope that they will ultimately do so, and mitigate the impact of these redundancies.

How do you feel about Microsoft and Xbox reportedly laying off 25% of Obsidian's workforce? Did the firm go too far? Make your voice heard in the poll below, and drop me a comment with your thoughts, too.

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As the arcade racing video game genre is absolutely flying, EA, it seems, wants no part in it any longer. At least that's how it appears if you read between the lines of a recent report from IGN at the studio responsible for much of the series, Criterion.

UK-based Criterion is hitting a big milestone: its 30th birthday. While it hasn't just been responsible for Need for Speed over the years, racing is responsible for some of its biggest hits. Lest we also forget the monumentally fun Burnout series.

But as Criterion celebrates its birthday, there's a stark reminder that the future for these two beloved franchises looks as non-existent as it could be. It's now "Criterion: A Battlefield Studio."

This is such a boneheaded move, but then, this is also EA we're talking about. Thanks in large part to XBOX's Forza Horizon franchise, the thirst for arcade racers has never been higher.

Ubisoft's The Crew is on its third outing, with Motorfest still going strong and getting plenty of fresh content. Forza Horizon 6 has just arrived on the scene and will continue to draw players for years to come. Ex-Playground Games wizards went off and did their own thing and are due to drop Clutch in 2027.

Whether you think the most recent Need for Speed games were any good or not isn't the point. EA is a steward to one of the most famous brands in the space and seems content to leave it on the shelf.