
Jez Corden
Fresh out of high school, Jez enjoyed a long career unemployed as a World of Warcraft dragon slayer. After slaying every dragon WoW had to offer at the time, he eventually stumbled into an I.T. support role for a small company smack in the middle of the good old United Kingdom. While in this role, Jez encountered his first "tech fanboys," people who inexplicably get so deep into tech that they start rooting for them, much like a sports team. One day, Jez picked up a Windows Phone on a whim — and little did he know it would eventually land him a role as a managing editor for the biggest Windows-focused site in the world! "This is actually pretty cool," he thought, watching the Windows Phone 8.1 tiles flip and cycle, followed by a "wow!" upon discovering the games therein had actual Xbox achievements baked in as standard. "I must tell the world about this," he resolved and began blogging during "breaks" at work. As one of the few people on Earth who actually actively used and enjoyed using a Windows Phone, Jez swiftly gained a small following, a job offer from Daniel Rubino at Windows Central, and the rest is history! Since joining Windows Central, Jez turned his workaholism and restlessness to producing masses of world-exclusives on the Microsoft ecosystem. From the existence and spec sheet of the Xbox Series S, to unannounced Xbox features and games, Jez also has a wealth of expertise in producing analysis on the Microsoft platform and its future direction. An active user of Windows 11, Surface devices, Xbox consoles, Xbox cloud gaming, and beyond, Jez's role as exec editor is to ensure that Windows Central remains the #1 destination for all news, reviews, and analysis pertaining to the Microsoft ecosystem.
Latest articles by Jez Corden

Following Microsoft's layoffs, Xbox Game Pass' viability is being questioned
By Jez Corden published
Xbox From questions of cannibalization to degrading the value of all of gaming, Xbox Game Pass has been zeroed in on as a potential symptom of last week's massive gaming lay offs.

My favorite "non-gaming" gaming accessory is down to its lowest price for Prime Day
By Jez Corden published
DEAL The XREAL Air 2 Pro AR glasses are one of the most unfairly overlooked tech accessories of recent times. Instantly give virtually any device a cinema-size screen for maximum playability.

The best Xbox accessories in 2025
By Zachary Boddy last updated
Xbox Want to enhance your Xbox experience? These are the best Xbox accessories money can buy to pair with your Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, gaming PC, and even phone.

The Lenovo Legion Go (Z1E) PC gaming handheld is $200 cheaper today
By Jez Corden published
DEAL More powerful than a Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch 2, giving you the full versatility of Windows PC in an affordable package. I've used this thing as a laptop, too.

Amazon's top-end Fire HD 10.1" tablet is 50% off — its lowest price ever
By Jez Corden published
Deals Panos Panay of Microsoft Surface fame headed across to Amazon, and his team's latest Fire HD tablet is now down to its lowest price ever.

A UN Human Rights Council report lists Microsoft among big tech companies "complicit" in Gaza genocide
By Jez Corden published
Microsoft UN Special Rapporteur Francesa Albanese recently produced a report under a UN mandate on how tech firms like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are cashing in on the situation in Gaza.

Hideo Kojima's "OD" is still in development with Xbox, at least for today
By Jez Corden published
Xbox Microsoft has culled many second-party publishing projects at Xbox, but OD isn't one of them.

Microsoft has made it impossible to be a fan of Xbox, Surface, and Windows itself
By Jez Corden published
Microsoft With Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood placing unrealistic expectations on Xbox and Windows, the damage is becoming increasingly untenable.

Microsoft is closing down Xbox studio The Initiative, with Perfect Dark killed as well — joining Everwild
By Jez Corden published
Xbox Microsoft is closing down The Initiative, after 7 years. The partnership with Crystal Dynamics will end, and "Perfect Dark" will be cancelled.

Xbox is cancelling Rare's 'Everwild' as part of broader cuts — with 'Perfect Dark' and more possibly impacted as well
By Samuel Tolbert published
Xbox As part of broader cuts to the Xbox division, Rare's Everwild and ZeniMax Online Studios' new MMORPG have been canceled.

Microsoft's layoffs to top 9,000 people, impacting around 4% of the firm's entire workforce
By Jez Corden published
Microsoft Microsoft has begun global layoffs as previously reported, with staff impacted in various departments from Azure to Xbox.

The Xbox Meta Quest 3S is fine — but a partnership with XREAL would have been cooler
By Jez Corden published
Xbox The Xbox Edition Meta Quest 3S is cool, but you know what's even cooler? The XREAL glasses. Here's why I think Microsoft should've partnered with XREAL instead of Meta (or why not both?!)

Windows Central's Best Xbox Controllers of 2025 and Beyond
By Jennifer Young, Jez Corden, Zachary Boddy last updated
Game On! Get the best Xbox controller and make the most of your gaming time.

After a year of waiting, Microsoft's Meta Quest 3S "Xbox Edition" is here
By Jez Corden published
Xbox Last year, Microsoft revealed it was working on an Xbox edition Quest VR headset with Meta, of Facebook fame. Was it worth waiting for over a year? Our review.

Xbox app to integrate 'leading PC gaming stores' for Xbox Insiders
By Jez Corden published
Xbox PC Although the blog post doesn't say which PC stores are going to be integrated, at the very least, you'll be able to access Battle.net games directly from the Xbox PC app from next week.

Poll: Is Xbox heading in the right direction? Cast your vote.
By Jez Corden published
POLL A flurry of positive and intriguing announcements has given Xbox some positive momentum. Or has it?

Microsoft killed Xbox VR — and this latest PSVR news shows why they were right
By Jez Corden published
Xbox One of the most popular virtual reality games in the world is ending support for PlayStation VR, showcasing the struggles of the nascent paradigm. Xbox VR wouldn't have stood a chance.

Xbox has turned a corner — the future for Microsoft's gaming platform looks incredibly bright
By Jez Corden published
Xbox With the next-gen Xbox formally revealed, how are you, Xbox customer, feeling about Microsoft's gaming direction as of June 2025?

Xbox announces multi-year AMD partnership for next-gen, with full support for your existing games
By Jez Corden published
Xbox Xbox President Sarah Bond shared an update on Xbox consoles today, confirming their ongoing partnership with AMD for first-party hardware, while committing to supporting your existing console library on next-gen systems.

So, just how much will the Xbox Ally cost? Here's what we know so far.
By Jez Corden published
Xbox Microsoft hasn't yet revealed the price tag on the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, but don't expect it to be light on your wallet.

Here's how we know Xbox Game Pass may be going up in price
By Jez Corden published
Gaming Death, taxes, and subscription service price increases. The three horsemen of inevitability. A new code string suggests Xbox Game Pass is next.

From The Editor's Desk — Windows Central wants to hear from you!
By Jez Corden published
WinC From the editor's desk? In 2025? In this economy? We have some cool news to share about the future of Windows Central, and we want to hear from you.

PSA: Yes, the Xbox Ally is an Xbox, but it's mostly a full Windows PC
By Jez Corden last updated
Xbox Since I'm seeing reams of misinformation online, I'm here to combat it in my small, humble way. You don't need to be into Xbox to enjoy the Xbox Ally.
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