News archive

April 2026

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88 articles

April 13
- Ex-Microsoft Xbox lead says he thinks Phil Spencer "did a fantastic job," and believes new CEO Asha Sharma has an "edge" — "I'm very optimistic."
- Microsoft's new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma says Game Pass "has become too expensive for players," suggesting a price change — "we need a better value equation"
- "It will reshape the PC landscape": A new rumor says NVIDIA is entering final negotiations to buy a large PC company — Dell and HP stocks jump in the wake, but I'm not so sure
- Forza Horizon 6 full achievements list appears online ahead of release, revealing all 57 challenges and the full 1000 Gamerscore breakdown
- Microsoft reveals major price increases for all Surface PCs as RAM crisis continues: Flagships now $500 more expensive than at launch
- Windows 11 no longer forces you to install updates when setting up your PC — ending mandatory 30 minute update process forever
- Qualcomm's next PC gaming move on Snapdragon X starts with 25 "adapted" titles from NetEase, Marvel Rivals included
- "It started as a meme, but I think I might actually leave this on my PC": Enthusiast builds a "Superdome" PC cooler out of Noctua fans, and it works way better than anyone expected
- Microsoft is shutting down Outlook Lite on Android and pushing users to the full Outlook app — a move that raises questions about Microsoft’s long‑term mobile strategy
- 'Metro 2039' confirmed for "Xbox First Look" show: New format will spotlight games throughout the year.
- "More secure, reliable, user-friendly": Microsoft explains why it quietly killed Windows 11's phone activation option
- "Digital sovereignty is not optional": France's government is ditching Windows to reduce its reliance on "American tools"
April 11
- Microsoft terminated accounts tied to VeraCrypt, WireGuard, and Windscribe — developers push back
- Is Valve prepping its own AI for Steam?
- “Truthfully, I still think Bethesda is just part of something that is not authentic and is not genuine” — Pete Hines reflects on Bethesda after Microsoft’s acquisition
- “As of January 2026… Drew Murray is now working on the StarCraft shooter” — this report could be the clearest sign yet that the project is moving forward
April 10
- “Actually lets you test its new features”: Why Microsoft’s Windows 11 Insider overhaul finally feels like something I can trust
- Snapdragon X2 laptops need a quick update to stop getting the wrong graphics drivers
- "This genuinely puts what Microsoft makes to shame": Someone built the best-looking app for Xbox Cloud Gaming — on Apple TV
- Microsoft says Windows 11's bugs are all "resolved": At least the ones it knows about — and new bugs are impossible to avoid
- How Red Bull Wololo turned Age of Empires into a headline esports event
- "Repeated choices to serve their business over their customers": Mozilla accuses Microsoft of using 'dark patterns' to force its Copilot AI on Windows 11 users
April 9
- The original Xbox was going to be a lot like Project Helix, says ex-Microsoft gaming exec — here's why the first plans for a console-PC hybrid didn't work out
- "We are rocking on bringing new Xbox console features!": Xbox is soliciting ideas for new features directly. Here are the best suggestions so far.
- Former Microsoft Xbox VP says AI is "the big question mark" for the future of gaming — he believes "There won't be a line where it's 'AI' and 'not AI' anymore"
- Windows and Xbox are now prioritizing user feedback in a huge pivot ... but why now? I can't help but be suspicious — it smells a bit like panic.
- "This is exactly the kind of thing driving me away from Windows": even Edge users don't want this new feature
- Xbox handheld owners finally get the one feature they’ve begged for, and it instantly fixes one of the platform’s most annoying problems
- "Gaming just got smoother on Snapdragon": You can finally customize your gaming gear on Windows on Arm
- Microsoft finally begins removing Copilot from Notepad on Windows 11 — but the AI still persists
- Fresh Xbox discoveries point to "Duet" codename: A possible companion to "Triton" and more Game Pass subscription tiers?
- NASA's Artemis II photos will give your Xbox dashboard a serious glow-up, and I didn't even know you could do this
- Microsoft broke Windows 11 search by trying to fix it: Here's what happened
- "Listening to how we can keep making it better for you": Windows Insider meetups are coming back after years away, connecting Windows 11 users with Microsoft
- "Reclaiming my screen's real estate": Google Chrome is finally launching vertical browser tabs to catch up with Microsoft Edge
April 8
- Ex-Microsoft gaming VP reveals why Xbox was greenlit despite how “unlikely” it was — “they saw it as a hedge against the threat” of Japan in tech
- Oop, Xbox's Halo: Campaign Evolved release date may have just leaked thanks to a retailer's mistake — it might have a Deluxe Edition with Early Access, too
- Xbox is finally giving Achievements a huge update with several new features — “We stood up a dedicated team to focus on fan feedback”
- ChatGPT’s refusal to admit mistakes is getting out of hand, and this exchange proves it
- If you bought an Xbox controller recently: Read this — Microsoft says you might be eligible for free batteries.
- Dell is scrubbing its failed Premium brand from existence, but who cares when you can save almost $900 on an XPS 14?
- "Raptor Lake will continue to be abundantly available": Intel exec makes a case for its older chips as RAM prices soar, but are they actually worth buying in 2026?
- Here's a closer look at the gigantic Forza Horizon 6 Japan map, easily the greatest in the series' history
- "I hope NVIDIA's legal team lets this slide": I dive into OpenNOW, an open-source GeForce Now alternative that's trending in cloud gaming — for good reason
- "An error was made": We asked ASUS why Zenbook prices are suddenly soaring, and we have bad news
- “I’m already sold”: Xbox’s new Forza Horizon 6 limited‑edition accessories are (almost) here — and they might be even cooler than I expected
- Microsoft's Azure cloud platform problems stem from AI, according to a former engineer: "Those disruptions built up."
April 7
- Xbox Game Pass is losing one of its best games at the worst possible time — get it now while it's cheap before it leaves Microsoft's service
- Xbox Game Pass' April lineup brings this surging Call of Duty game, and one of last year's biggest additions is coming to more tiers — plus, Hades 2, DayZ, and more
- "This was not opportunistic. It was precision." — How North Korean hackers used Microsoft Teams and Slack to compromise Windows PCs with an elaborate ploy
- "Make file recovery more predictable": A major change to OneDrive is about to roll out, and I happily welcome anything that improves sync performance
- “Copilot is in a survival scramble”: I break down Microsoft’s chaotic AI strategy shift — and why I’m still trying to figure out where this all leads next
- Microsoft dismisses a trending Bing-era disclaimer that "Copilot is for entertainment purposes only": There's no reason for you to worry about this outdated language
April 6
- Whoa, delisted Xbox 360 games just showed up on the Xbox Store — did Microsoft leak new Xbox Backwards Compatibility games?
- STALKER 2 is getting a free new content update this month — I break it down and reveal why it sets the stage for what comes after
- "If it's this easy, why don't more Windows apps use a PC's NPU?" — Microsoft MVP demonstrates how he added meaningful AI to an app in just 10 minutes
- "Gameplay so good I nearly missed Age of Empires 4's new DLC announcement" — Red Bull's $250,000 Wololo Londinium tournament wraps up today, and you don't want to miss the finale
- "What's going on?!!": World of Warcraft just created a truly insane, epic moment in gaming history — I had no idea Blizzard was still capable.
April 5
- “I couldn’t enjoy it fully until now”: Crimson Desert’s once‑exclusive PS5 mode finally arrives on Xbox — and I’m ready to dive back in
April 4
- “We’re finally ready to show more”: The more I explore this State of Decay 3 info, the more I’m left wondering how far Undead Labs is willing to go.
- A new Halo leak claims the campaign is content‑complete — but the customization details raise bigger questions
- “Threatened retaliation on first contact”: As I dig into a former Halo art director’s claims, I’m left questioning what else Microsoft didn’t want anyone to see.
April 3
- This fan-made Xbox website brings back the golden era of Xbox 360 voice chat messages — its distortion makes your mic sound just as bad as it did 20 years ago
- Ex-Bethesda dev on Fallout and Skyrim says Todd Howard has too many yes men around him — "A lot of people were afraid to say no to Todd, and I think that hurt him"
- You can finally play this long-awaited Xbox game soon — its studio is hosting alpha playtests next month, and you can sign up for them now
- Upcoming indie game Boxroom emulates physical game collections with your Steam library: "Economic depression simulator"
- CD Projekt CEO weighs in on the impact of Xbox Game Pass and Asha Sharma's new role: "She’s a super smart person."
April 2
- Microsoft Outlook frustrates Artemis II astronauts live from space — Microsoft's reputation for shoddy software now stretches to the moon
- Xbox and Blizzard are hiring for "an upcoming AAA open-world shooter" that uses the Unreal Engine — is this the new StarCraft FPS we've been waiting for?
- 'World of Warcraft: Midnight' Season 1 story end suggests to me that Blizzard really needs to rethink its story design processes — This could be much better, and far more satisfying with only a few tweaks.
- Call of Duty studio head at Xbox dev is retiring after over 36 years — he shipped 42 games, 18 CoD titles, and this criminally underrated shooter I love
- Microsoft's buggy apps reach deep space — "I have two Microsoft Outlooks and neither one of those is working," says Artemis II commander
- “This pricing changes the conversation”: HP’s first Snapdragon X2 Elite laptop arrives for hundreds less — and I’m wondering if Intel should be worried
- Microsoft now has an AI that can turn hours of audio into text instantly — and businesses will love it
- Xbox FanFest goes global: Microsoft confirms FanFest events in Germany, UK, Mexico, Japan, and more
- “I didn’t expect these swings”: Steam’s March survey reveals PC hardware trends that caught me off guard
- Microsoft wants Edge to automatically open by default every time you turn on your Windows 11 PC
- US PC sales grew in 2025 as companies scrambled to ditch Windows 10, but 2026 could be a disaster in waiting
April 1
- Minecraft players just got a preview packed with sulfur caves, bouncy springs, and chaotic features that feel straight out of an April Fools update. Plus, some actual April Fools update.
- I’m skeptical of AI writing tools — but Speechify for Windows won me over. Here's why this new voice‑writing app is fast, simple, and weirdly addictive.
- Windows 11 Task Manager is finally getting deeper insights into NPU usage in AI PCs — No more trying to guess which apps are using the specialized hardware
- Nintendo's crusade against Palworld just got a reality check from the US Government as "summon and fight" patent rejected
- The RAM pricing crisis continues to attack affordable computing with more (and significant) hikes on Raspberry Pi but there are "there are some brighter spots in the picture"
- Xbox just made PC game development way easier — and it could speed up how fast games ship
- Microsoft Teams finally fixes the Enter key (yes, really) and adds more long‑awaited tweaks — Here is everything else new in March 2026
- Fallout’s second season just rewrote Prime Video’s expectations — here’s what Amazon revealed
- Microsoft’s growing AI influence is under scrutiny in the UK — here’s what’s happening
- Microsoft 365 will soon have helpers that take actions for you — here’s what that means