Topic
Everything the desk has filed on Microsoft.
ASUS and Microsoft's priciest Xbox Ally handheld yet pairs an OLED display and new controls with last year's chip and RAM, according to a review from Android Authority that tested the $1,300 device for two weeks.
Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 29695.1001 includes a new setting for Intel's Advanced Performance Extensions, laying groundwork for processors like Nova Lake and Diamond Rapids before any hardware actually ships with support.
Fortune reports Xbox leadership threatened to cancel a gaming handheld rather than ship it on Windows 11, exposing internal tension over the OS for Microsoft's next-gen Xbox, code-named Project Helix.
Microsoft's October 2026 cumulative update, KB5127648, quietly fixes Bluetooth audio crashes, fingerprint sign-in after cold boot, mouse stuttering in games, and VPN errors, while cutting off support for Windows 11 24H2.
A month of Hitechreports coverage shows battery gains coming from capacity, software tuning and new charging standards rather than one dramatic leap.
Notebookcheck's review of Microsoft's new Surface Laptop Ultra, one of several RTX Spark laptops unveiled last week, finds a bright but flawed Mini-LED panel, solid build quality, and only average battery life.
Xbox is testing paid, ad-free cloud gaming for Insiders who don't have a Game Pass subscription, charging $3.99 to $11.99 for packs of hours that roll over monthly. A wider rollout is due in November.
PCWorld is listing a lifetime license for Microsoft Office Professional 2021 at $27.97, down from its $219.99 list price, as a one-time alternative to paying for Microsoft 365 every year. The offer runs through November 1.
Microsoft has started rolling out Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.9757 to Beta Channel testers, bringing a redesigned, customizable File Explorer context menu and a Settings app speed fix, based on version 25H2.
Nvidia's GeForce 621.01 WHQL driver adds Advanced Shader Delivery for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 and Gears of War: E-Day, aiming to kill shader-compile load screens. A journalist reports lower RAM use, though CPU load stays high.
Microsoft is retiring eight Copilot shortcuts from the Windows 11 File Explorer right-click menu for OneDrive files, folding them into a single Ask Copilot option starting mid-November 2026.
WSL 3.0.1 adds a built-in wslc command that runs Linux containers on Windows 11 without installing Docker Desktop, including GPU passthrough for Nvidia cards, though it still lacks a compose feature.
Beta drivers for AMD FSR 4.1 are now downloadable on the Xbox Ally, Xbox Ally X and Xbox Ally X20, fulfilling Microsoft's earlier promise to bring the upscaling tech to current Xbox hardware.
Microsoft has reopened a Windows 11 Always On VPN bug it mistakenly marked as fixed on October 13, 2026. The known issue is back to Mitigated status, with a permanent fix planned for a future update.
Microsoft has resolved a Windows 11 audio decoding bug in its latest cumulative update after a September preview release caused software using Dolby Digital AC-3 to crash.
Microsoft and Japanese police took down a phishing-as-a-service operation blamed for more than a billion scam messages, fake Amazon pages and stolen logins across 150 countries, seizing the domains behind it.
A handful of Windows 11 system changes, from display refresh rates to background permissions, can keep a laptop working when there is no wall plug in sight.
Windows Subsystem for Linux on Windows 11 lets engineers run graphical tools, Python scripts, and multiple distributions without managing complex disk partitions or risking corrupted bootloaders.
A Notebookcheck review of Microsoft's Surface Laptop Ultra found the 15-inch Mini-LED display suffers from ghosting and lacks local dimming, despite strong brightness and contrast numbers on paper.
Tom's Hardware testing shows a custom 1764x1176 resolution fixes DLSS upscaling strain on the Surface Laptop Ultra's 3:2 screen, letting the $5,899 RTX Spark machine match a much heavier RTX 3080 Mobile laptop in Control Resonant.
Xbox has priced its new cloud gaming playtime packs at $3.99 for 10 hours, $7.99 for 25 hours and $11.99 for 50 hours, as Game Pass subscribers brace for monthly streaming caps.
Microsoft is rolling out an updated Camera app for Windows 11 Insiders, introducing digital zoom when hardware lacks it and adding faster file-sharing tools.
Microsoft's Project Zenith trims Windows 11 of tips, notifications and clutter for developer PCs with 64GB of unified memory, but regular users can't install it. A free script gets close.
Windows 11 is quietly testing a sign-in redesign that keeps PIN, face unlock and fingerprint authentication active simultaneously, ending the need to manually switch methods at the lock screen.
Fortune reports Microsoft's next Xbox, codenamed Helix, is now targeting a 2028 holiday launch at $1,200 to $1,800 because of soaring memory costs, while a separate Xbox handheld could still arrive in 2027.
AMD is rolling out a lighter version of FSR 4.1 to the Xbox Series X, RDNA 2 graphics cards, and handheld gaming PCs, expanding its AI upscaling beyond high-end hardware.
Xbox is planning a new handheld for holiday 2027 — not a refresh of the Asus-made Xbox Ally X, but a next-generation device built under Project Helix.
Microsoft leaves several protective tools disabled by default in Windows 11. Here is how to configure folder guards, Dynamic Lock, drive encryption, and Tamper Protection on your Windows laptop.
FSR 4.1 is coming to Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Ally X — but not the base Xbox Ally. Microsoft and AMD confirmed the rollout late Monday, positioning the upscaling tech as a developer tool to boost performance without sacrificing image quality on lower-spec hardware.
Microsoft has added a persistent navigation bar to Xbox Mode in Windows 11 Insider builds for 25H2 and 26H2. It includes direct shortcuts to Exit to Desktop and Power Options — replacing the Win + F11 keyboard shortcut that excluded controller-only players.