Windows Central Insider
Xbox admits it’s over‑extended and signals a major studio strategy reset
XBOX Xbox leadership admits the company became overextended and says major changes are needed to strengthen its biggest franchises.
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Features
Looking back at 2016’s “I love you, Xbox” — and how much (and little) has changed
Flashback Looking back at the 2016 editorial that captured Xbox’s growing pains and predicted the decade ahead.
Hands-on with the new Intel Arc G3 Extreme gaming handhelds
PC Gaming I had a chance to test out new gaming handhelds featuring Intel's latest Arc G3 Extreme chips. Here's what I learned (and why these chips are the new standard for mobile gaming).
What the massive news out of Microsoft Build means for your PC and AI
Windows 11 From a massive push for faster, native apps to monster new desktop hardware, Microsoft just gave us a genuine reason to be excited about the PC on your desk.
Windows Wrap: Surface Laptop Ultra, RTX Spark, Build highlights, and more
Surface A packed week filled with major announcements gives Windows 11 its strongest momentum in years.
Looking back at 2016’s “I love you, Xbox” — and how much (and little) has changed
Flashback Looking back at the 2016 editorial that captured Xbox’s growing pains and predicted the decade ahead.
Revisiting the LG Lancet, 11 years later
Flashback A look back at the LG Lancet and the era when Windows Phone 8.1 defined Microsoft’s mobile peak.
The 2016 Android‑apps warning that now echoes Googlebooks
Flashback A 2016 warning about Android apps on Chrome feels newly relevant as Googlebooks pushes Android PCs into the agentic era and challenges Microsoft again.
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Microsoft launched a Bing “concierge bot” 10 years ago — the same idea Google is now pushing
Flashback From our archives: A decade ago Microsoft was already testing a Bing “concierge bot,” an early take on the AI agents Google is only now announcing.
Windows & Software
PowerToys makes Command Palette extensions easier to install
Apps A new Extension Gallery in PowerToys streamlines how you find, install, and update Command Palette extensions.
Windows 11 version 26H1 gains Beta Channel access for the first time
Windows 11 Windows 11 version 26H1 just gained a new preview channel, splitting testing between Experimental and Beta Channels on devices powered by Snapdragon X2 and RTX Spark chips.
Microsoft Build completely skipped the weakest part of Windows 11
Windows 11 Microsoft highlighted AI agents and native apps at Build, but the Windows 11 Widgets panel saw no improvements and still lacks useful options.
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PC Hardware
What would a price hike at TSMC look like for the rest of tech?
Hardware TSMC makes 70% to 90% of the world's chips. You do the math.
The Surface Laptop needs to adopt these 3 Surface Laptop Ultra features
Surface The Surface Laptop Ultra shows what Microsoft can achieve at the high end, and several of its features could make the standard Surface Laptop a stronger option for everyday users.
Hands-on with the new Intel Arc G3 Extreme gaming handhelds
PC Gaming I had a chance to test out new gaming handhelds featuring Intel's latest Arc G3 Extreme chips. Here's what I learned (and why these chips are the new standard for mobile gaming).
Acer Swift Air 14 is another genuinely good alternative to the MacBook Neo
Acer Acer’s new affordable clamshell laptop is beautiful and high-quality in most of the areas that count, all for $699.
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Deals
One of the best mini PCs we tested drops its price before Amazon Prime Day
Deals Geekom's A6 is a near-perfect, mid-range mini PC with an early price drop, thanks to a 20% promo code.
One of our favorite OLED gaming monitors offers 4K at 240Hz for less
Deals ASUS' ROG Strix OLED 27 is a 4K gaming monitor with a 0.03ms response time, discounted ahead of Prime Day.
Save money and get digital jobs done early with this Inspiron laptop with 32GB
Deals The Dell Inspiron 15 (3530) laptop, with its 32GB RAM and Intel Core i5 CPU, makes for a high-quality companion piece for budding students or workers looking for efficient ways to get work done faster
I need more space for PC games, and this 2TB SSD with 7,450MB/s is just what I need
Deals The Samsung Pro 990 SSD with its 2TB configuration is back on sale for PC users desperate for more space, and 7,450 MB/s Read Speeds to severely cut down videogame loading times so they don't interrupt your fun
Handheld Gaming PCs
AI costs are killing the Lenovo Legion Go 2 and portable gaming at large
Handhelds Lenovo's Legion Go 2 handheld exceeds $2,000 at some retailers, and remains far above its MSRP at others. The once-lauded device is becoming unattainable.
Gaming
Looking back at 2016’s “I love you, Xbox” — and how much (and little) has changed
Flashback Looking back at the 2016 editorial that captured Xbox’s growing pains and predicted the decade ahead.
Halo: Campaign Evolved’s skulls and Remix Mode could get wild
HALO Halo Studios reveals 42 skulls, visual modifiers, and a new Campaign Remix mode designed to keep players returning long after launch.
Fable's first 30-minute gameplay showcases its life-sim elements
Gaming Playground Games has uploaded a 30-minute gameplay deep dive of Fable, showcasing how the player can interact with NPCs, consequences for the player's actions, how they build reputation, and more.
Artificial Intelligence
Microsoft exec clarifies that AI won't replace your job, just automate it
AI Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman's statement about AI's impact on white-collar jobs was misconstrued. He said the technology will automate mundane tasks, not wipe out the jobs entirely.
Satya Nadella says AI agents should be treated like human employees
AI Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wants AI agents to be treated like staff, raising questions about the future of work.
Satya Nadella isn’t having the ‘AI addiction’ accusations
AI Satya Nadella denies claims Microsoft wants to make people addicted to AI as the company pivots from traditional software to AI agents.
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Mystery firm mistakenly blew $500 million on Claude AI in a month
AI Microsoft data shows AI costs surpass payroll, with a $500 million Claude fiasco proving how expensive automation can get.
Microsoft
LibreOffice accuses Euro-Office of being a freeware Microsoft Office clone
Office LibreOffice calls Euro-Office a freeware clone of Microsoft Office, questioning its open-source claims and sovereignty credentials.
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Microsoft might have solved AI's water problem
MICROSOFT Satya Nadella claims Microsoft’s AI centers now consume as little water as a restaurant thanks to new cooling technology.
Office 2019 for Mac hits July 13 cutoff and users are not happy
OFFICE Office 2019 for Mac will stop editing documents after July 13, as Microsoft blames certificate expiry.
Project Solara is Microsoft's latest attempt at setting the narrative for the next era of computing
Artificial Intelligence After Windows Phone, Microsoft is eager to get ahead of the next paradigm shift in computing, and it's betting big on an agentic hardware and software future.
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Peripherals & Accessories
Best gaming keyboards 2026
Keyboards Windows Central tests and reviews the latest and greatest gaming keyboards to help you make the best possible decision for your gaming setup.
