News archive

May 2026

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107 articles

May 15
- Microsoft fixes annoying BitLocker lockout — but only for Windows 11, leaving Windows 10 stuck
- Forza Horizon 6 hits over 170,000 concurrent Steam players after the $120 early access launch, and is still riding high
- Windows 11’s May update is causing install failures and slow internet — here’s what we know
- ROG’s new XREAL R1 glasses turn your handheld into a 171-inch gaming theater (and you can pre-order them today at Best Buy)
- ON THIS DAY: Microsoft offers an olive branch for users of 'Non-Genuine' Windows PCs to get a Windows 10 upgrade
- Microsoft cancels Claude Code licenses, shifting developers to GitHub Copilot CLI — a move likely driven by financial motives
- Microsoft and its partners are rebuilding how Windows 11 talks to hardware to save your PC from itself
May 14
- Xbox's Forza Horizon 6 gets its first Festival Playlist next week, includes 10 new cars and 4 from the Car Pass — here's what's racing your way soon
- Xbox Elite Controller Series 3 leaked in new images: Microsoft's next-gen pro controller confirmed with new buttons, cloud connect, and more
- Xbox Game Pass' Subnautica 2 blew up the Steam charts in minutes at its Early Access launch — it's peaked at nearly half a million concurrent players
- Microsoft's Xbox CEO Asha Sharma polls nearly 20,000 gamers on the brand's title — I can't believe this is what players want the Xbox name to look like
- Major Windows 11 performance upgrades set to rollout within weeks, Microsoft confirms: New 'Low Latency Profile' improvements confirmed to "accelerate app launches and core shell experiences"
- Microsoft made $30 billion from OpenAI in 2 years — but somehow burned through $100 billion in costs to get there
- Meet the Xbox Cloud Gaming Controller — New controller leaks online, and it has built-in Wi-Fi that should greatly reduce latency
- “This is still very insane to see”: Halo: Campaign Evolved is stocking PS5 shelves in GameStop
- Warhammer Skulls 2026 is set to bring new reveals across the franchise and could shape the year ahead for fans. Here's when you can watch it.
- Microsoft nearly solved one of folding phones’ worst problems: New patent reveals spring-loaded hinge design for canceled Surface Duo 3
- “Playground does it again:” Our Forza Horizon 6 review roundup points to a major win for Xbox with the highest rated game of 2026 so far
- "I'm confident Alienware can deliver" — A new budget gaming laptop is here, but how does it compare to the next best Alienware 16 Aurora?
- Microsoft Edge ditching Copilot Mode means more AI in your browser, not less
- Microsoft will soon let you pause Windows 11 updates indefinitely and automatically roll back faulty drivers — solving half of my problems with the OS
- Devolver snubs Xbox fans: "Grand finale" Talos Principle 3 will skip Xbox completely
May 13
- The amazing Dark Souls 2 path tracing mod is now available to download — I'm shocked at how it makes the ugliest Dark Souls look like a modern game
- "I just find AI to be creatively soulless": Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic director Casey Hudson won't use AI because he's "really unimpressed with it"
- "A welcome change:" Xbox’s new update is making achievements feel meaningful again — thanks to Gamerscore badges
- Start your engines, Xbox's Forza Horizon 6 release dates, launch times, and Early Access is upon us — here's when it comes out, and how to play early
- Xbox mode got overshadowed by this awesome new addition to Windows 11 in the latest Patch Tuesday update
- I dug into how Microsoft is pushing Windows 11 toward fully native apps, and it could lead to major speed gains
- Inside why Bill Gates expected Microsoft to burn $1B on OpenAI — and how the bet paid off far beyond that
May 12
- "Project Saluki": A new Xbox Game Pass tier has been unearthed, alongside a curious "Positron" potential disc-to-digital program — and it could be huge
- Xbox's Forza Horizon 6 was the best-selling game on Steam last week, well ahead of launch — the game beating it now is another huge Xbox Game Pass title
- Minecraft: Java Edition just got two massive multiplayer features we've all wanted for years — it's finally on par with Bedrock's options, and could even work with mods
- New Copilot keyboard shortcuts are coming to Microsoft 365
- Kenya's President warns Microsoft’s $1 billion AI data center will "switch off half the country" — but my government insists it hasn't failed or withdrawn from the project
- Windows 11 could feel noticeably faster soon, thanks to deep performance upgrades in Microsoft’s app platform
- Gears of War: E-Day's release date potential hints from an unlikely source at WWE's Triplemania PLE, and I'm not joking
- "Unethical use of Azure" reportedly leads to firing of Microsoft Israel execs — Microsoft has been investigating potential abuse of its products in targeting Palestinians
- "It was sort of amateur city": Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella believes Sam Altman was fired out of jealousy, not for being consistently candid in his communications
- Reddit is now blocking your access to its mobile website, forcing users into its app instead: "I just won't use Reddit anymore"
- Halo Infinite's cutscenes were building up to the canceled "Project Tatanka" Battle Royale, but it didn't have what I wanted.
May 11
- Fallout Season 3 just added one of the best actors from my favorite TV show to its cast, and I'm ecstatic — Amazon and Bethesda can't bring it fast enough
- Xbox and PC may get the sequel to this hit PS5 exclusive at launch — its devs are ditching Sony to "reach a broad global audience from day one"
- "We are taking strict enforcement action": Microsoft and Xbox hardware ban a Forza Horizon 6 pirate for 8,000 years after the disastrous Steam leak, threaten more hammer swings
- Every Microsoft Surface should have this tiny Windows 11 app that finally fixes a long‑standing battery headache
- “This does feel a little underwhelming”: Xbox Game Pass officially joins Discord Nitro as the two platforms tighten their partnership
- How a fan‑made Minecraft modpack recreates a full Halo roguelike experience with iconic weapons, enemies, and survival rules
- Introducing the Tom’s Guide Savings Squad — and why Windows Central readers should absolutely care
- Logitech MX Master 4 update lets you feel Windows 11 through haptics
- Microsoft feared that OpenAI might jump to Amazon and badmouth Azure "on the way out" — internal emails revealed in court
- "Apple does this and you love it": Microsoft VP fires back at trolls over Windows 11's new performance boost feature. "It's not cheating; this is how modern systems make apps feel fast."
- "Not a preload issue": Xbox responds as 'Forza Horizon 6' PC files leak in full a week before launch — and pirates already cracked it (UPDATED: Microsoft responds)
- "We currently only support Steam and EGS stores for PC": A major upcoming sequel ditches Xbox PC and Xbox Play Anywhere — is this an emerging trend?
May 9
- Xbox’s most underrated co‑op shooter gets a surprise sequel, and its 4‑player bug‑hunt vibe has me very excited
- “We want a real voice”: Why developers at Double Fine are launching a union effort and what it signals for the wider Xbox ecosystem
- How new Windows 11 Insider builds blend smarter touchpad gestures, cleaner File Explorer, and a free EDU upgrade path
May 8
- "You had lightning in a bottle and decided to pry the lid off yourself": Helldivers 2 reviews crash to 'Mostly Negative' on Steam after controversial update and AMA, Arrowhead responds
- Xbox posts the Forza Horizon 6 launch trailer a week before its Early Access release date — I love this tribute to a beloved racer the series partnered with
- Microsoft Store drops registration fees for companies as part of onboarding overhaul
- Sony's $565M Bungie hit has me wondering what's next — Destiny 2 feels strained, and Marathon's future suddenly looks fragile
- Resident Evil Requiem's new "Leon Must Die Forever" DLC shadowdrops for free — Capcom turns zombie roundhouse kicks into a roguelike mode, and more are coming
- Windows 11 can block Google Chrome's 4GB AI model from reinstalling itself on your PC — A simple Registry tweak for "Pro" users
May 7
- Scared that Edge loads your passwords into memory in plaintext? A dedicated password manager keeps them inside an encrypted vault
- Xbox Mode on a Windows 11 PC with dual monitors is exactly what you should expect — and that’s a shame
- "We have to sweat every single detail": Microsoft's Xbox CEO Asha Sharma vows to deliver Xbox updates every two weeks to "fix the fundamentals on console and PC" in 2026
- Microsoft teases a new Xbox dashboard UI for console and PC — it's got fewer ads, and takes inspiration from Xbox Cloud Gaming too
- The all-new Xbox achievement update is rolling out now to everyone — here’s what's changed
- Microsoft's Xbox architect Jason Ronald says we'll see more of Project Helix "later this year" — we'll know more about the next Xbox console before long
- My Windows 11 backup broke after KB5083769 — Microsoft says this simple fix might save your files
- Telegram on Windows Phone?! I'm digging my old Lumia out of storage to try this app
- We uncovered a major Windows 11 performance upgrade Microsoft is testing, and it could make the OS feel noticeably faster
- A new Halo Studios report claims the Xbox studio is actively developing “Halo Next” — with fresh details on the Endless, the Flood, and Joseph Staten’s original plans.
- Google Chrome is quietly installing a 4GB AI model on devices and users are not happy about it
May 6
- "They look to influencers to be told how to think": Fallout co-creator says many gamers parrot content creator opinions instead of forming their own, and I think he's 100% right
- Xbox continues its brand refresh with a slick new boot-up animation that leans into nostalgia and the return of "Team Green"
- "Krafton are still very much helping us": Dev of Xbox Game Pass' Subnautica 2 says it's still working with publisher Krafton despite Steam page removal
- Microsoft Teams will add new protections as attackers target external calls with brand impersonation tactics
- Windows 11's new Run box is what happens when Microsoft actually cares: Replaces legacy Windows 95-era dialog with something new and better
- Microsoft Edge is removing its Sidebar to cut clutter while leaving the ever-controversial Copilot untouched
- Teams erratically flips user status from 'Available' to 'Away' after just minutes of inactivity: "It’s not a status indicator, it’s a surveillance tool with trust issues."
May 5
- Microsoft Edge will load all your passwords into memory in plaintext, but Microsoft says it's not a security concern
- Xbox ends Copilot on console and the reasoning reveals how Asha Sharma wants to reshape the platform
- The Arctis Nova Pro Omni is here and SteelSeries is making a bigger play than just another headset refresh
- "We hate that not everyone who wanted one was able to get it": Valve laments that the Steam Controller went out of stock instantly, says it's working on a restock
- “Halo Infinite is not done yet”: A surprise update dropped out of nowhere and it raises new questions about the game’s future
- Forza Horizon 6 is driving into Xbox Game Pass this month, along with heavy hitters like Doom: The Dark Ages and Subnautica 2, and more
- Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic announced its dev team, and it's full of Mass Effect and KotOR BioWare talent — now I'm even more excited for the RPG
- “We need to evolve”: Xbox CEO overhauls leadership as Xbox's hardware future looks increasingly bleak
- N‑Studio brings a full screen recorder and editor to the Microsoft Store with a generous free tier
- "This could cost people their jobs": VS Code added Copilot as co-author without permission or notice
- Microsoft wants to retire Edge’s Sidebar, but users are fighting back with a petition: "I am literally only on Edge for that very reason"
- "I'm tired of everything being scalped": Steam Controllers are selling for $399 as PC gamers discuss the effects of consumerism and FOMO
- “More handheld gains”: Xbox boosts performance for over two dozen titles on Xbox Ally with new default profiles
- I saw the Windows 10 users holding out in Steam and wondered: Is this by choice, or are you priced out of PC gaming upgrades?
- The Diablo 4 Cow Level has been found and it drops an insane but udderly useless Mythic Unique
- You can start Forza Horizon 6 with some MUCH better cars — so long as you played a previous Forza game
May 4
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is skipping Xbox One and PS4, which is a bold strategy— even if it's about time
- “When we get it right, we celebrate together. When we don’t, you push us to improve.”: Microsoft leans on Windows Insiders as it tries to reset Windows 11’s reputation
- "The whole modding community ... sustains the success of their titles": Bethesda considered using Unreal Engine 5 for Xbox's Starfield, but stuck with Creation Engine to be mod friendly
- New Halo leak claims Xbox is making Halo 2 and Halo 3 remakes after Campaign Evolved — "Active development is underway," here's what we know
- This ThinkPad fan built a TrackPoint you control with your feet and the reason might surprise you
- Microsoft deleted a support document that warned Steam gamers about performance. Here is what it said.
May 2
- Microsoft highlights fan voting site as Xbox VP calls on players to choose which classic games should return via backwards compatibility
May 1
- Microsoft will hide Windows 11's annoying MSN feed by default as it moves to reduce ads and noise across the OS
- Xbox added its new logo to dynamic backgrounds faster than I expected, as CEO Asha Sharma confirms: "Dropping today"
- Roblox’s new Reality mode shows how far NVIDIA’s DLSS 5 AI upscaling can push a simple game
- "I found a project that completely solves this": PS5 and DualShock controllers get full wireless features on PC thanks to a new hack
- Windows 11 KB5083631 update released with major explorer.exe reliability upgrades, AI agent support, Xbox mode, and more