Gamescom 2026: Opening Night Live has wrapped up, and one of its biggest announcements was the reveal of a new trailer for Final Fantasy VII: Revelation, the final chapter of the Final Fantasy VII Remake series.

This trailer was a cinematic and gameplay montage showcasing the terrible might of the Weapons, a group of giant monsters created to defend the planet from dire threats and serve as the game's ultimate challenges both in the story and end-game content.

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The trailer also shows gameplay footage of the Job class 'FITS' system in action as Tifa uses Black Mage powers to fire fireballs and summon a called Typhon, grappling hook and chocobo mounts, open-world exploration, and even the return of the Submarine battle mini-games from the original Final Fantasy VII.

Windows Central's take

When I was a kid watching my brother play the original Final Fantasy VII in the 1990s, one of the things that left the biggest impression on me was the Weapons.

They were the first Godzilla-sized monsters I've ever seen in fiction, and they looked so much cooler to me as a kid than Sephiroth ever was (and to some extent still do as an adult), despite having no personality beyond smashing humans to pieces for ruining the planet.

Not to mention they served as the hardest boss fights in the original game that required insane party compositions, builds, and strategies to defeat. So I'm hoping that these new versions in Final Fantasy VII: Revelations will end up being just as hard or even harder to compensate for the new action-RPG combat system.

Either way, I can't wait to fight these monstrosities again when Final Fantasy VII: Revelations launches during the Spring of 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

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Gamescom 2026 is in full swing, and there's already a bunch of big wins emerging for Xbox.

My Gears of War: E-Day campaign preview just went live (and it looks amazing), a metric ton of Gamescom titles just got revealed for Xbox, and we have even more goodies being announced throughout the week (stay tuned for tomorrow ...). But, here's a personal big win that I'm very excited about.

The Witcher 3 is inarguably one of the best games ever made, and it's getting a big remaster version on September 29, 2026, and is also COMPLETELY FREE for users who own the existing game.

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"Remastered is a free upgrade for players who own The Witcher 3 on GOG, Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, and includes both Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions. It is also available for pre-purchase on Battle.net and Nintendo Switch 2."

Update: I missed this part on the initial write up, but yes, The Witcher 3 is also coming to Microsoft and Blizzard's Battle.net. It's part of a wider initiative to open up Battle.net to third-party developers so I'm told, which we should hear more about at BlizzCon 2026 in September. Stay tuned for that one.

Furthermore, CD Projekt RED revealed in the small print that it also grabs Xbox Play Anywhere support, finally bridging the gap between Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Ally versions. It'll also get FSR 4.0 support on the Xbox Ally X, giving it massively improved performance.

Here's just some of the changes you can expect in the free update:

• Improved combat flow, with new finishing moves and skills.
• Boosted traversal with more intelligent and dynamic vaulting, platforming, etc.
• Overhauled visuals, with improved lighting and spell effects.
• Improved monster AI, giving them new moves of their own.
• Revamped horse riding.
• A complete Cyberpunk 2077-style overhaul of the skill tree.
• Armor transmogrification.
• Improved photo mode.
• A variety of other smaller enhancements, such as boosted looting systems, UI interactions, tutorial modernization, HDR improvements, lighting overhaul, Xbox Play Anywhere, and more.
• DLSS 4.5, AMD FSR 4.0 (great for Xbox Ally), Path Tracing on high-end systems, raytraced hair (wtf?), and more visual features.

Witcher 3 expansion "Songs of the Past" gets teased, too!

CD Projekt RED also recently announced that The Witcher 4 is slated for 2028, with yet another Witcher 3 expansion slated for later in 2027.

Additionally, CD Projekt RED also showed off the first teaser trailer for the third and final Witcher 3 DLC, titled "Songs of the Past."

"This full-fledged third expansion takes the White Wolf on a new adventure to the peaceful realm of Letten, where dark secrets lurk beneath the surface… Coming in 2027."

In the trailer, we catch a glimpse at a new hook-like tool Geralt has for pulling in enemies, as well as twisted nature-oriented enemies.

CD Projekt RED has been over-delivering almost none-stop since Cyberpunk 2077's launch, which disappointed users on PS4 and Xbox One owing to its performance. Fast forward half a decade, and Cyberpunk 2077 was fully revived and revamped, it had an award-winning TV show, and now we're getting an absolute mountain of free content for Witcher 3, the game that helped CD Projekt RED claim its top spot at the RPG pile.

Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 are deep in development as well, and there's every reason to think they too will continue CD Projekt RED's path towards legendary status.

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Gears of War is having something of a renaissance right now, as The Coalition go all out to put the franchise back on the map.

Gears has been one of the most consistent Xbox staples in the brand's history, popularizing the third-person shooter genre with its gritty storytelling and bleak world. Gears 4 and 5 experimented away from the formula a bit, and perhaps got lost in the weeds in some ways as they sought to give the franchise new footing. After a successful Gears of War: E-Day beta event, increasingly it's looking like the key to Gears' future may, in fact, lie in the past.

Recently, I was lucky enough to go hands-on with two missions from Gears of War: E-Day's campaign, set during the initial attacks from the vile Locust swarm.

E-Day follows a younger Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, worn down already from a major civil war that society had only just begun to recover from. Then, subterranean horrors emerged from the ground, bringing with them a whole host of terrifying war beasts and brutal makeshift weaponry in a legendary surprise attack that would eventually leave humanity on the brink of extinction.

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E-Day is about those early years, and if the full game is even close to as good as what I experienced last week, Gears of War: E-Day could cement its place as the best Gears of War story in history.

A painstakingly detailed, reactive world

The original Gears of War is very much a product of its time, but also its setting. The game is essentially post-apocalyptic, taking place years after E-Day, with much of civilization already reduced to grey-brown ash and ruins.

Given that Gears of War: E-Day takes place at the very start of the war, The Coalition had to approach it like it is: a very different beast, ultimately. The stakes are far higher; there are still survivors running around, trapped in their homes, and The Coalition weaves that bleak reality into every pixel of E-Day's presentation and gameplay.

Taking place in the town of Kalona, the levels I experienced are right up there with the most painstakingly detailed urban environments I've experienced this gen. It feels less like it's designed specifically as a gameplay canvas, and more like it's designed to feel lived in. The Coalition absolutely delivered here, while still sneakily dotting the map with chest-high (and now shin-high) walls to hide behind with its dynamic cover system.

If you played Gears of War's Siege mode beta, you might already have some idea of what I'm talking about with regard to environmental detail. Car tires puncture and deflate under gunfire, windows shatter, and cover deforms, giving E-Day a sense of life that was missing from the older games.

The town is full of storefronts and interiors, without even a whiff of copy-and-paste. Gears' campaign seems to connect linear segments into wider areas, complete with a mapping tool that was reminiscent of Silent Hill's own. Marcus will sketch notes and routes on the map as you move, which opens up exploration opportunities and side objectives for unlocking weapon mods and equipment for your loadout, as well as lore-enriching collectibles.

It's still unmistakably Gears, complete with a rough prototype chainsaw lancer machine gun, canned execution animations, atop a more dynamic cover system. But it also feels fresh in a way that many franchises struggle with several games deep. I dare say The Coalition cooked here.

A darker, more desperate tone

Gears of War: E-Day is every bit as violent as the previous games, although I feel like we're getting more up close and personal with the reptilian Locust than ever before.

I mentioned stakes in the intro, but there's a keen sense of vulnerability for a C.O.G. that has been caught with its collective pants down — NPCs are seen fleeing the warzone, being gunned down (or worse) in cold blood, as wretches screech through, devouring up the remains.

This first wave of Locust is chaotic and visceral, armed with the ballistic equivalent of axes and clubs intent on murdering anything and everything with a human pulse. The top brass have no idea what's going on. One day, everyone woke up to murderous, hungry monsters writhing out of the ground, and E-Day leans hard into that dark fantasy.

Marcus' self-assured stoicism hasn't fully hardened in E-Day; that sense of inexperience is oddly exposing, giving E-Day a tangible sense of vulnerability. The Coalition uses the game's side objectives to tell short stories within the game's world as well, giving you opportunities to see how regular civilians are being slaughtered en masse in the Locust feeding frenzy. It's an extension of the side-objectives system The Coalition seemed to explore a bit in Gears 5, although I'd argue it makes a lot more sense in E-Day's dense urban climbs. It doesn't rely on vehicular traversal, which arguably tripped up the game's pacing a bit in 5, and there are fewer engine limitations on injecting new areas on the fly.

Speaking of the engine, I think Gears of War: E-Day is probably the most visually impressive game I've played so far this gen. The Coalition are without a doubt the masters of Unreal Engine, perhaps surpassing Epic Games itself. The visual density, the lighting quality, the detailing, all while running at 60 FPS in an inexplicably crisp resolution, demand wonder and immersion like few other developers can muster.

The visuals and music delivery make Gears of War: E-Day's darkly cinematic presentation all the more evocative as you scrape through the blood-soaked streets of cities that are undoubtedly in the process of total destruction.

The Coalition takes Gears to the next level with total and complete confidence

There's little room for hope in Gears of War: E-Day. We all know the conclusion. But for the first time, we're going to experience that hopelessness firsthand.

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Right after playing through the E-Day campaign preview, I loaded up the original Gears of War to do a direct comparison. It's easy to forget sometimes just how far we've come in terms of visuals, presentation, gameplay fidelity, and general polish. It's also easy to fill in the blanks with your imagination — that's practically what we had to do back in the day, playing games at 480p.

The Coalition and other developers working on legacy franchises have some of the toughest jobs in the business. How can you deliver experiences that compete with our nostalgia-tinted imagination? How can you exceed expectations that are, in part, misremembered through fragments of fading memories?

The Coalition's answer seems to be: "you have to over-deliver."

If Gears of War: E-Day's full campaign offers the kind of quality I experienced last week throughout — I'm confident it'll not only be remembered as the best entry in the franchise ... Gears: E-Day could also represent the starting point for a new decade of an Xbox dominated by The Coalition.

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Microsoft has published a new blog post celebrating significant progress around the Windows on Arm platform over the last year. The company is excited to welcome NVIDIA to the Windows on Arm family with its RTX Spark SoC later this year, joining the Qualcomm Snapdragon X platform and solidifying the Windows on Arm platform as here to stay.

"The market is sending a clear signal: more silicon providers and more OEM partners are investing in Windows on Arm because customer demand is growing for these powerful and efficient Windows devices and experiences," says Klaus Diaconu, Partner Director at Microsoft. "In the fall of 2026, devices from Microsoft Surface, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and MSI will be available [with RTX Spark.]"

In addition to highlighting silicon and hardware makers bringing Windows on Arm to market, Microsoft is also excited to spotlight Windows apps that are now available on the Arm platform, including STEM and education apps, security apps, productivity apps, creativity apps, entertainment and media apps.

"Productivity apps remain the cornerstone of how people get work done on Windows. Whether managing projects, collaborating with teammates, organizing information, or communicating across teams, these apps are essential to our customers’ daily work. The growing list of productivity apps now available reflects both customer demand and increasing momentum from developers building with Arm as a first-class Windows platform."

Some of the highlights include apps like Sharex, Proton Mail, Signal, Discord, FxSound, and more. In fact, Microsoft says there are now over 7,000 compatible Windows on Arm apps being tracked on the "Works on WOA" website, which the company recommends as a comprehensive source for app compatibility information.

While most mainstream apps are now natively supported on Arm, there are still Windows apps that don't yet have an Arm native version. With the Windows Prism emulation layer, these apps still run on Windows on Arm, and on the latest Arm PCs they feel native thanks to improvements to performance from both the silicon and software.

"Windows on Arm is no longer defined by potential, but by a rapidly expanding ecosystem of devices with apps available across workloads that customers depend on most," Microsoft states. "As developers continue to invest in Arm-native experiences and compatibility, customers gain more choices, flexibility, and confidence in adopting the next generation of Windows devices."

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Gamescom 2026 has arrived, and it's bringing with it a tidal wave of exciting Xbox and PC game announcements, courtesy of its Opening Night Live ceremony.

The event has just concluded, so we're rounding up every major new game reveal, gameplay demonstration, cinematic trailer, and news update for upcoming games shown at the ceremony for your viewing convenience.

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Where and how you can watch Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live

To watch Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live or rewatch its VOD, you will have to tune into Gamescom's YouTube and Twitch channels.

All Xbox and PC games shown at Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live

Here is where you will find all the game announcements from Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live, with links to their trailers, short synopses of what they are, and what we know of their release dates, platforms, and more.

We'll be updating this post live as the event happens so be sure to keep refreshing to stay on top of the latest announcements.

Nodus Fall

The show kicks off with Nodus Fall, a new co-op action game produced by Genshin Impact creators, Hoyoverse. In this game, you and three other players take on the role of Weavers and set forth on a perilous journey to defeat mythical gods and monsters in a ruined world.

Rainbow Six Tactics

Rainbow Six Tactics is an XCOM-like tactics game where you dispatch the iconic Operators of the Rainbow Six franchise across the world to dispatch terrorist threats.

The game is set to release in 2027.

Gears of War: E-Day

Gears of War: E-Day shows more cutscenes of its highly anticipated single-player campaign in a new cinematic trailer. This latest chapter in the iconic third-person shooter series launches exclusively on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Game Pass on October 6, 2026.

Ananta

Ananta is an upcoming open-world urban RPG with an anime art style where the player must protect humanity from destruction by the forces of Chaos.

It showed off a new gameplay demo trailer at Gamescom, which confirms that the game will release on January 15, 2027, for PC, PlayStation 5, and mobile devices.

Silent Hill: Townfall

Next up we have a new, cryptic trailer for Silent Hill: Townfall, a new entry in the legendary survival horror series where the player must navigate through the island of St. Amelia to uncover dark mysteries and avoid getting killed by horrifying monsters.

Silent Hill: Townfall is set to release on September 24, 2026, for PC and PlayStation 5.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, an upcoming action-adventure game, shows off a new trailer of the main character struggling to survive and unravel the secrets of the Minotaur island.

This game is set to release on August 27, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

Sea of Remnants

Sea of Remnants is an upcoming, free-to-play action-RPG where you roam the seas as puppetfolk pirates in search of glory and treasure.

The game is set to release in 2026 for Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, and it's latest gameplay trailer confirms that the game is open for pre-registering.

Crimson Desert

The hit open-world RPG, Crimson Desert, has announced a new Enhanced Edition, which will feature all of the game's post-launch updates, expanded voice-overs and subtitles, and new story moments.

The game is available for purchase on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

Lofsong

Lofsong is a brand new and strange puzzle-adventure game where you explore a post-apocalyptic Earth to uncover the last remnants of our fallen civilization without the aid of dialogue or a map.

Lofsong is currently scheduled to release on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

Tides of Annihilation

Tides of Annihilation is an upcoming character-action game based on Arthurian legend. Its latest trailer shows off more of its story and gameplay, where Gwendolyn must travel with the Knights of the Round Table on a quest to restore a ruined world to its former glory.

The game is set to release sometime in the future for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5 and is now available for wishlisting.

Mega Man: Dual Override

Mega Man: Dual Override is a brand new entry in Capcom's classic side-scrolling Mega Man franchise, and we've gotten a glimpse of its gameplay in a new trailer as the iconic Blue Bomber once again strives to save the day from the evil Dr. Wily.

Mega Man: Dual Override is set to release in 2027 on Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5.

Rayman Legends Retold

The upcoming remake of the critically-acclaimed Rayman Legends shows off its insane platforming gameplay with a trailer showcasing its Macarena Music Level.

Rayman Legends Retold is set to launch on October 1, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5.

Game of Thrones: War for Westeros 

Game of Thrones: War for Westeros is an upcoming real-time strategy game based on the long-running Games of Thromes book series where you be commanding the setting's various faction to dominate the land in an epic single-player campaign or intense multiplayer PVP skirmishes.

Game of Thrones: War for Westeros is set to release in early 2027 for PC.

Exodus

Exodus is an upcoming action-adventure where you are tasked with exploring the galaxy for Celestial technology to help ensure mankind's future after they fled a dying Earth.

Its latest trailer showcases its third-person gunplay, sci-fi setting, and an intriguing party named Salt, who is literally an octopus riding a mech suit.

Exodus is set to release on April 7, 2027, for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons

Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons is an upcoming third-person action game set within the universe of the legendary Dungeons & Dragons universe. This Gamescom trailer gives us a 6-minute extended gameplay demo how the player will wield the dark powers of a Warlock to explore the world and slay the monsters of the Forgotten Realms.

Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons is set to release in 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

1001 Threads of Mizan

1001 Threads of Mizan is a brand new, original 3-player co-op action game where the players must work together to defeat towering beasts and monsters in a world inspired by One Thousand and One Nights (a.k.a. Arabian Nights).

1001 Threads of Mizan is set to launch sometime in the future for Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5.

Metro 2039

Metro 2039, the latest entry in the grimdark Metro franchise, has revealed more of its gritty setting, its tough-as-nails survival gameplay in the first-person, and some of the horrifying men and monsters you will encounter in this post-apocalyptic world.

Metro 2039 is set to launch in February 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

Silver Palace - House of Greed

Silver Palace is an upcoming action-RPG where you play as a detective solving mysteries in a Victorian-like setting while battling ancient horrors and mysterious beings. It will also feature a survival horror-like multiplayer mode called House of Greed.

Silver Palace is set to release sometime in the future for PC and PlayStation 5.

No Law

No Law is a first-person shooter where you play as Grey Harker, an ex-soldier struggling to survive in a dangerous, dystopian cyber-noir city where no laws exist.

No Law is set to launch in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

Cinder City

Cinder City is a new tactical shooter where the player must explore a ruined, near-future version of Seoul and protect humanity from ravenous monsters and maniacal villains.

Metro 2039 is set to launch in February 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5 and is now available for wishlisting.

ONTOS

ONTOS is a new dark sci-fi adventure game made by the creators of classic horror games such as Amnesia: The Dark Descent and SOMA. In this game, you are exploring a repurposed moon hotel called Samsara to uncover your father's past while making sure you don't lose your mind as reality has begun fracturing within this hotel.

ONTOS is set to launch in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

DUST: Origins

DUST: Origins is a top-down action-horror game where you must fight to escape a prison platform before its inmates, security guards, and invading monsters murder you.

DUST: Origins is set to launch in 2027 for PC and has launched a Kickstarter campaign for players to help fund and improve the game's development.

Showa American Story 

Showa American Story is an upcoming action game set within an alternate version of America that's been reshaped by Japanese culture. In this game, you must fight to survive against hordes of gangs, zombies, and monsters in over-the-top hack-and-slash battles while partaking in insane mini-games to make a living in this absurd take on post-apocalyptic settings.

Showa American Story is set to launch in 2027 for PC and PlayStation 5.

Crazy Taxi World Tour

Crazy Taxi World Tour, the long-awaited sequel to Sega's classic Crazy Taxi racing game, has shown off its multiplayer gameplay in a crazy new trailer.

Crazy Taxi World Tour is set to launch in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5.

Turok Origins

The classic dino-slaying shooter series, Turok, is back with a new AAA entry called Turok Origins. In this game, you will blast killer dinosaurs and reptilian villains with over-the-top weaponry while harvesting your enemies' DNA to become stronger.

Turok Origins is set to launch in Spring 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5.

Path of Exile 2

The popular upcoming ARPG, Path of Exile 2, has announced it's finally leaving early access and will be releasing its 1.0 update on December 11, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5, while still being free-to-play.

To celebrate, Path of Exile 2 released a new trailer showcasing gameplay of the new and long-requested Sword weapon type and the Duelist class.

Exterminauts 

Exterminauts is a co-op shooter where you play as astronauts dispatched to colonize worlds while dispatching all kinds of nasty alien monsters blocking your path by blowing them up with insane laser guns and explosive weaponry.

Exterminauts is set to launch sometime in the future for Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5 and is now available for wishlisting.

Zoopunk

From the creators of F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch comes their new third-person action game set in the same universe called Zoopunk. You play as a group of anthropomorphic warriors fighting to survive in a dieselpunk world filled with killer robots and savage villains.

Zoopunk is set to launch sometime in the future for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5.

Heroes of Might & Magic 3 Remake

One of the most critically-acclaimed turn-based strategy games of all time, Heroes of Might & Magic 3, is being remade for the modern era with brand new graphics, compatibility with fan-made maps, an expansive campaign, and much more.

The Heroes of Might & Magic 3 Remake will launch sometime in the future for Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5 and is now available for wishlisting.

Final Fantasy VII: Revelation

The last chapter of the Final Fantasy VII: Remake series shows off a new gameplay trailer showcasing the terrible might of the Weapons, a group of powerful boss monsters that will give the player their biggest challenges yet outside of finally confronting the villainous Sephiroth before he destroys the planet.

Final Fantasy VII: Revelation is set to launch in Spring 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PlayStation 5.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered

The beloved open-world action-RPG, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, will be receiving a Remastered edition that will include all of the game's post-launch updates and DLC expansions, along with updated visuals, an expanded photo mode, gameplay enhancements, Xbox Play Anywhere support, and much more.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered will launch on September 29, 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and PlayStation 5. If you own a digital copy from previous console generations, you will receive the Remastered edition's upgrades and features for free.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past

The show then concludes with the world premiere of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past, the last DLC expansion for The Witcher 3. In this expansion, you will travel to a new Continent to uncover its secrets, encounter new and familiar characters, face off against new terrifying monsters, and be forced to make tough moral decisions.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past is set to launch sometime in the future for Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and PlayStation 5.

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Just before the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 beta early access weekend started, I wrote an article based on my brief initial play test prior to it going live. It was simply titled "I might have been wrong about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4."

I'm not going to go over too much old ground, but the tl;dr was that I expected not to enjoy this year's game at all based on past experience from the Modern Warfare reboot series.

But I am going to follow up after putting some hours in during said early access weekend on whether or not I was actually wrong. And yes, I was. Mostly. It's not perfect by any stretch, but from what I've seen so far, I am actually looking forward to playing this year's Call of Duty after all. But there's still some stuff I don't like.

The good about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4

Everything I said previously I liked about Modern Warfare 4 still stands. Possibly more so having shifted from playing on console initially over to PC.

It's easily the best-looking Call of Duty game in recent memory, for starters. The Silkworm map, especially, looks absolutely glorious if you turn up the graphics settings a bit.

But it's the campaign I think that'll really benefit here. We've only had a single mission, Entrenched, to play so far, but the visual appeal is clear, and it's absolutely filled with atmosphere.

The most competitive players will always turn the graphics right down, but for the rest of us, it's nice to be playing a Call of Duty that actually looks like a modern game.

The movement is also, I think, spot on. It doesn't feel as crazy fast as Black Ops 7; you can't jump up walls here, but it's fast enough. And it's only taken players a couple of days to figure out how to exploit it as best they can, be that positive or negative.

But combine the movement with the excellent gunplay, an aim assist that doesn't feel like it's doing all the work for you (at least in my opinion), and some solid weapons, and the core experience is very enjoyable.

I'm also a fan of the way Modern Warfare 4 handles its attachment unlocks. Once you get an attachment, it's automatically unlocked for all of the weapons you can use it on.

The Apex attachments you unlock when you reach max level are also an interesting addition. It's similar, I guess, to the prestige unlocks in Black Ops 7, except you don't lose an attachment slot to use them. They go on top of everything else.

The menu design is also excellent, and overall it's just a really solid player experience. Of particular note is more clarity on the server you're connected to, and I've been seeing low ping across the board.

The bad about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4

As good as the gameplay is, I'm not so much of a fan of the maps. There will be more at launch and in subsequent seasons, of course, but I don't think what they've given us in the first beta is the best way to show off this game.

If I have to play Transit 213 again, I'm going to lose my mind. It's another of those Call of Duty maps that are really small, where you're constantly on top of each other, and it falls into what I call the brainrot category.

Think Stakeout from Black Ops 6, Shipment from previous Modern Warfare games. It's not as bad as Shipment, but its only purpose in existing is for people to pad their stats and probably for camo unlocks. Otherwise it's horrible.

Silkworm, while looking amazing, isn't overly fun either. The middle lane is essentially a long open street, so you force yourself down the outer lanes, which both have lengthy open runs, too.

Rooftops feels like it should be a good map, with a mix of external and internal sections paired with elevation changes. But there's something about the way it plays right now that feels a little off.

Of the debuting maps, Cachette is a decent challenge, I feel, and I enjoyed Lotus the most by far. Both feel like they play more into a properly competitive, tactical way of playing rather than just running full speed at the opponents.

The meta also has not and will not change (outside of Ranked Play at least) from UAV spam. They're so easy to get; you'll be spammed constantly with multiple UAVs, and since they give away your positions, you become easy pickings. It also forces you to buy into that meta or be on the backfoot, and I'd rather use my streaks a different way.

I'd love to see Infinity Ward change the UAV so it's harder to get, but I don't see that happening. Add in the Personal Radar Field Upgrade and you may as well just walk around with a glowing beacon on your head inviting your opponents to take you down.

There's also a healthy round of weapon balancing that needs to happen, and I'm sure it will, as it always does. Snipers are obviously strong, but they're way too strong right now and too easy to use. Spawns are also pretty bad right now, but Infinity Ward is already working on that ahead of the second weekend of the beta.

Overall, though, I'm a lot happier with Modern Warfare 4 than I expected to be. Lots would say the last two Black Ops games were bad, and that's their opinion they're entitled to, but I've really enjoyed Black Ops 7 in particular. I usually do when it's a Black Ops game.

But I've gone from trepidation and expecting not to play this year's game (in part thanks to GTA 6 looming) to back on board the Call of Duty train. It's a shame we're not getting to see DMZ in the beta, as that's the mode I'm most excited for, but I am curious to see how Warzone will be. At least we can try that out in the open beta, which begins on Friday, August 28.

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We're mere hours away from Gamescom 2026's epic Opening Night Live ceremony, set to commence on August 25, 2026, at 11:00 am PT / 2:00 pm ET / 8:00 pm CEST / 7:00 BST.

The event will be packed with all kinds of insane game announcements from the likes of CD Projekt Red, Xbox Game Studios, Capcom, Square Enix, and much more.

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Here's where and how you can watch the Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live ceremony unfold, along with a recap of what kind of game announcements you can expect to see there.

Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live watch times and platforms

Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live will premiere on Gamescom's YouTube and Twitch channels and will start at the following times per time zone:

• August 25, 2026, 11:00 am PST
• August 25, 2026, 12:00 pm MDT
• August 25, 2026, 1:00 pm CDT
• August 25, 2026, 2:00 pm EDT
• August 25, 2026, 3:00 pm BRT
• August 25, 2026, 7:00 pm BST
• August 25, 2026, 8:00 pm CEST
• August 26, 2026, 2:00 am CST
• August 26, 2026, 3:00 am JST
• August 26, 2026, 4:00 am AEST
• August 26, 2026, 6:00 am NZST

What can we expect to see during Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live?

The games confirmed to receive new trailers and announcements during the event include:

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past
• Final Fantasy VII: Revelation
• Gears of War: E-Day
• Ananta
• Tides of Annihilation
• Metro 2039 
• Game of Thrones: War for Westeros 
• Warlock: Dungeons and Dragons 
• Silent Hill: Townfall
• Path of Exile 2
• Monster Hunter Outlanders
• Cinder City
• EXODUS
• AION2
• Pony Island 2
• Valor Mortis
• Showa American Story
• ONTOS

Of course, like all these high-profile gaming events, Gamescom 2026 will potentially feature world premieres of some unannounced video games and new trailers for upcoming Xbox and PC games and their DLC expansions still in development.

Here's hoping some of my most-anticipated games get new info and trailers at Gamescom 2026, like Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendence, Spyro: A Realm Beyond, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, and Persona 6.

🗨️ Over to you

Which confirmed game announcement are you looking forward to the most? Are there any surprise game reveals you want to see, no matter how unlikely they are?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit community.

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ASUS has officially opened pre-orders for the ROG Xbox Ally X20, confirming that the company's 20th anniversary handheld gaming PC will be available both as a premium standalone device and as part of a bundled package when it launches on October 15.

In the United States, customers can now pre-order the ROG Xbox Ally X20 standalone model for $1,299.99 MSRP, while the fully loaded ROG Xbox Ally X20 Bundle is priced at $2,499.99 MSRP.

Both versions will be available through Best Buy (today) and the ASUS Store (Sept 24th).

While ASUS originally introduced the X20 as a special anniversary edition, the more time we've spent learning about the device, the clearer it becomes that this isn't simply a commemorative refresh. The ROG Xbox Ally X20 is effectively a significant mid-generation upgrade to the existing ROG Xbox Ally X, bringing meaningful hardware, display, thermal, and control improvements that go well beyond a new paint job or limited-edition branding.

A true upgrade, not just an anniversary model?

At first glance, the X20's translucent-inspired design and special 20th anniversary touches may suggest that this is primarily a collector's edition. Under the chassis, however, ASUS has made extensive engineering changes compared to the existing ROG Xbox Ally X that directly impact the gaming experience.

The most obvious upgrade is the display.

The ROG Xbox Ally X20 moves from the current model's 7-inch screen to a larger 7.4-inch OLED panel, while also delivering substantial improvements in brightness and HDR performance. The display now supports 600 nits SDR brightness, up to 1,400 nits peak HDR brightness, and includes Dolby Vision support alongside ASUS' ROG Nebula HDR technologies.

For handheld gaming, display quality is often one of the most noticeable aspects of the user experience, and the move to OLED alone represents one of the largest upgrades ASUS has made to the platform since launch.

Major internal redesign improves cooling and airflow

The display isn't the only part of the handheld receiving attention.

According to ASUS, the X20 features a completely redesigned PCB, allowing engineers to rethink the internal layout of the system. Surface-mounted USB4 ports enabled the motherboard to be repositioned, creating additional airflow opportunities within the chassis.

ASUS has also upgraded the cooling solution with revised fan and heatsink fin designs, while shifting motherboard placement by several millimeters to further improve thermal efficiency.

That may sound like a small change on paper, but thermals have become one of the defining factors of modern handheld gaming PCs. Better airflow and improved cooling can translate into lower temperatures, quieter operation, and more consistent performance during extended gaming sessions.

A better handheld for competitive gaming

ASUS is also targeting enthusiasts who play fighting games, shooters, and other genres where input precision matters.

The ROG Xbox Ally X20 introduces hybrid metal dome switches for a more tactile D-pad feel, along with what ASUS calls a Transforming D-pad. The mechanism allows players to rotate the D-pad configuration to better align diagonals, providing an experience specifically designed with fighting games in mind.

The thumbsticks have also been upgraded to TMR magnetic induction sticks, offering Hall-effect-style benefits while reducing power consumption. ASUS says the sticks deliver roughly a 3% dead zone and improved precision compared with traditional alternatives.

From a visual standpoint, ASUS has doubled the RGB lighting count around the sticks, increasing from two LEDs to four LEDs per joystick.

Taken together, these changes may end up being just as important as the display improvements, especially for players who spend hundreds of hours with a handheld in their hands.

What's unchanged?

Interestingly, ASUS has resisted changing several of the core specifications that already made the ROG Xbox Ally X one of the strongest Windows gaming handhelds available.

The ROG Xbox Ally X20 retains:

• AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor
• 24GB LPDDR5X-8000 memory
• 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD storage
• 80Wh battery
• USB4 connectivity with Thunderbolt compatibility
• Wi-Fi 6E support

That's probably the right decision. The current Ally X platform already delivers excellent battery life and class-leading handheld performance, so ASUS appears to have focused on enhancing areas that users interact with directly rather than chasing specs for the sake of a marketing bullet point.

And to be fair, there is no newer AMD handheld chip on the market, so there's that!

Goodbye microSD, hello microSD Express

One notable hardware change involves expandable storage.

The traditional microSD slot has been removed and replaced with a microSD Express card reader, supporting dramatically faster storage speeds. ASUS cites support for microSD Express cards capable of approaching 1 GB/s transfer rates, bringing removable storage much closer to SSD-class performance

As game install sizes continue growing, that could become a more meaningful upgrade than many users initially realize.

Two ways to buy

For buyers who only want the handheld itself, the new standalone version offers a straightforward path into the X20 experience.

ROG Xbox Ally X20

• MSRP: $1,299.99
• Available at Best Buy and the ASUS Store
• Launches October 15

Meanwhile, ASUS is also offering a premium bundle aimed at enthusiasts and collectors, because of course.

ROG Xbox Ally X20 Bundle

• MSRP: $2,499.99
• Available at Best Buy and the ASUS Store
• Launches October 15

And what's in that bundle? I'm glad you asked:

• ROG Xbox Ally X20 handheld
• ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 AR glasses
• dbrand Killswitch case and custom skin
• dbrand joystick covers
• Custom Pelican Protector Case with 20th anniversary badge
• 68W charger

That's a lot of stuff in that bundle, and it's cool to see dbrand officially teaming up with ASUS here for its famed Killswitch case (see our previous review). As far as that steep price, much of that comes down to the inclusion of the ROG XREAL R1 Edition glasses, which are currently sold separately, while these are, of course, matching in the 20th anniversary gold and black motif.

I've written about the current ROG XREAL R1's before, noting their crazy 240Hz micro‑OLED panels, letting you experience a portable (virtual) 171-inch screen. Along with their included dock, they cost $849.99.

ASUS now has one of the strongest handheld lineups on the market

What's perhaps most impressive about the X20 launch is what it does to ASUS' overall handheld portfolio.

The company's lineup now spans three clear price tiers (assuming we don't see price increases):

• ROG Xbox Ally — $599
• ROG Xbox Ally X — $999
• ROG Xbox Ally X20 — $1,299

That's a remarkably clean progression that gives buyers meaningful upgrade options at every budget level.

The X20 occupies a premium position without completely abandoning value-conscious enthusiasts. Even at $1,299.99, it remains roughly $500 below the eye-watering prices we've seen attached to some ultra-premium handhelds, including MSI's difficult-to-find Intel-powered Claw 8 EX AI+ configurations.

More importantly, the X20 differentiates itself with tangible quality-of-life improvements rather than simply adding more RAM or storage. The OLED display, revamped controls, enhanced cooling design, microSD Express support, and internal engineering changes all combine to create a device that feels genuinely evolved from the existing Ally X.

For a product marketed as an anniversary edition, that's arguably the biggest surprise of all.

The ROG Xbox Ally X20 may celebrate two decades of Republic of Gamers history, but its real significance is that it represents the most refined version of ASUS' handheld gaming platform yet—and now, for the first time, buyers can purchase it without needing to opt for the collector-focused bundle.

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On August 24, 2001, Microsoft released Windows XP to manufacturing (RTM), shipping its finished product to brands (OEMs) to begin implementing it in brand-new PCs. General availability wouldn't begin until October of that same year, when most of us had the chance to try the operating system previously known as "Neptune" for the first time.

25 years later, Windows XP's influence is still felt worldwide, even internally, as Microsoft repeatedly referenced its style in ugly holiday sweaters with its logo and, again, with a follow-up featuring its legendary "Bliss" wallpaper of rolling green hills and a blue cloudy sky. XP was the best-selling version of the operating system to date and had a cultural impact that will likely survive for decades.

Official social channels haven't thrown any specific celebrations (yet), with @Windows and @Microsoft presumably remaining quiet to treat the later October release date with more significance. Nevertheless, the impact of Windows XP can't be overstated, and enthusiasts (including myself) still feel nostalgic for the colorful OS as it becomes a relic with a quarter-century legacy.

My family-owned desktop PCs started with Windows 3.1, followed by an upgrade to Windows 95 and a later migration to Windows 98 SE. I remember the fascination of seeing the likes of Program Manager being replaced with Explorer and its teal-colored default desktop, but none of it compared to the leap to Windows XP when we finally paid for an internet connection at home.

Suddenly, MSN Messenger became my most-used program as our household set up proper profiles for each family member, all customized with our own icons and themes that were even better than everything I'd seen on "Microsoft Plus!". Indeed, Windows XP was my gateway to the internet, and it certainly made the PC feel like more than a simple word processor with games.

Still, I'm fully aware of what nostalgia does to me, and my rose-tinted glasses surely make Windows XP seem so much better simply because it arrived during my most formative years. Then again, I know many feel the same way, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that October comes with a real celebration from Microsoft, so we can collectively look back and compare notes.

For now, I'm reminiscing about grouping up for games of Counter-Strike and Unreal Tournament via mIRC, between posting in opinionated threads on phpBB forums while diving into the fascinating world of Macromedia Flash animations. It might seem outdated and overrated now, but Windows XP was special to me, and I often miss reading Encarta instead of browsing Wikipedia.

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Antonline is hosting a limited-time Intel Gaming Days sale, offering massive discounts on Intel-powered PC components to boost graphical fidelity and gaming performance for less, along with more savings on gaming laptops and desktops.

One of the biggest highlights of this sale is a range of Intel Core Ultra 200S CPUs, modern desktop processors that offer superb performance, energy efficiency, and thermal stability for gaming and productivity. One of our favorites from the line-up, the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, is currently discounted from $469.97 to $329.99 at Antonline.

As a bonus, all these Intel Core Ultra CPU deals at Antonline include free pre-order digital PC codes for STAR WARS: Galactic Racer (which launches on October 10, 2026) and Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis (which launches on February 12, 2027).

If you're wondering what kind of laptops or computers would benefit from being upgraded with these CPUs, here are a couple of discounted examples from Antonline's Intel Gamer Days sale.

FAQ

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The big AI era isn't going as some might've hoped.

OpenAI and other big companies are losing billions chasing artificial intelligence technology, and it's only clever accounting and circular investments keeping the entire industry afloat. OpenAI specifically is in hot water, with spending commitments through to 2030 coming scarily close to $1 trillion dollars, and is operating purely on the basis of handouts from the likes of SoftBank, NVIDIA, Oracle, and Microsoft. OpenAI is looking to spend $50 billion in compute alone in 2026 on roughly $25~ billion in revenue, revenue which is also made up at least in part with IOUs.

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Despite the scary numbers, OpenAI is trucking along on faith and fumes alone, as companies' belief in the tech keeps the firm alive, for now.

Yet, even Sam Altman is having doubts about the impact of large language models. In a new podcast, Altman lamented "economic inertia" for the lack of adoption, and also called out the AI industry for making the tech seem "scary."

"A lot of the people building AI have been off saying there's a 25% chance we're going to destroy the world ..."

Altman effectively blamed those pesky humans for not adopting ChatGPT and other AI products, lamenting that "people keep using their tools in the same way" they had previously been using them.

"I thought when we got to [ChatGPT]-4, which was back in 2023, I thought very quickly after that there'd be much more disruption, with the software business up for grabs right away. I was wrong about a few things, one of them, in terms of the speed ... the economy just has so much inertia. People keep doing the same things they're doing, they keep buying from the same company, they keep wanting to use their tools in the same way ..."

Altman implied that the "slow" pace of change would make the "transition" to AI "smoother." Elsewhere in the podcast, Sam Altman remarked that AI leaders had "not done a very good job" explaining AI tech, referring to the broad backlash to the technology.

"I also think a lot of the people building AI have been off saying there's a 25% chance we're going to destroy the world ... and yeah, we're going to race ahead and do it because otherwise those bad guys will do it first. Or it's like, 'man, this thing is going to be really terrible, and 50% of the jobs are going to go away in the next year, and we hope you are all okay,' but it seems really scary.

We have not, as a field, done a very good job of explaining to people what the benefits are and how the downsides can be mitigated. We certainly have not done a good job ... even if people have had answers like, 'well, there's going to be universal basic income, or work will be optional', or whatever. There's been very little discussion from people about how and why it's important that people have more power and freedom in the world, not less."

My take: Altman just doesn't get it

I think the key issue with this AI tech is that most people just don't find it very useful. I work in an industry that, at least on paper, should benefit from some kind of automagical writing tool. The problem is that it loses so much nuance and accuracy that, even if I wanted to use it for work, I literally can't.

I think a lot of these very technical, mathematically-inclined dudebros pushing this format have little knowledge or understanding about how and where this technology should be applied. Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, gaming platforms, and other services are actively trying to filter out AI content, as it is repeatedly proven to decrease engagement — users actively hate it. Companies that are using tokens to try to boost productivity are finding that they're actually just boosting costs, and that they're simply finding a new bottleneck in the finite amount of addressable customers.

LLMs undoubtedly have uses, but when 90% of the compute is being spent on utterly unproductive use cases, the economics simply seem primed to implode. If you're spending tokens for the sake of spending tokens, and it doesn't lead to any discernible increase in sales — what is the point? You could use AI to make hundreds of slop video games, but people already have more than enough to play built by an ironically more affordable human workforce.

RELATED: Ed Zitron talks to us about Microsoft, OpenAI, and the future

In the future, I think we'll find AI probably ends up as a tool of governments in things like law enforcement and medical fields. Specific industries will benefit from tools that can parse and summarize large, complex data sets, albeit with the unfortunate knowledge of LLMs' penchant for hallucinations and outright lies. Just yesterday I asked Copilot to find some links to some old Windows Central articles I did. It just straight up lied and gave me some completely made-up links instead. Extrapolate these simple mistakes to medical fields or military applications, where lives are literally at stake ... is it worth the risk?

Perhaps the issue is that AI's inaccuracy renders it only viable in low-stakes businesses ... and those low-stakes businesses simply won't see a real return over doing things the "old way," which Altman describes as economic "inertia."

Perhaps it's not inertia. Perhaps the AI business model is just not the disruptor it was cracked up to be.

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Michał Nowakowski, the Joint-CEO of CD Projekt Red, has announced on Twitter that the company plans to release the highly-anticipated open-world RPG, The Witcher 4, sometime during the year 2028.

That is a long time to wait (The Witcher 3 came out in 2015, for reference), but CD Projekt Red will keep fans busy in the meantime with new Witcher content, such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's next DLC expansion, Songs of the Past, which is set to launch sometime in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

We've been teased about this expansion for months, but now the wait is nearly over as we'll be getting our first glimpse of Songs of the Past's gameplay tomorrow during Gamescom 2026's Opening Night Ceremony on August 25, 2026, 11:00 am PT / 2:00 pm ET / 8:00 pm CEST.

After the ceremony, CD Projekt Red will show off more of this DLC expansion for the general public in Hall 8 at the Gamescom venue in Cologne, Germany, for the rest of the event.

For those who can't attend Gamescom 2026, CD Projekt Red will host special 'Redstreams' every day this week showing off footage of the DLC expansion online, along with a couple of surprises.

Not much information has been disclosed about the 'Songs of the Past' DLC expansion other than that the volume of its content will be on par with the award-winning 'Blood and Wine' expansion.

In fact, its content is apparently so grand in scope that it will drop support for Windows 10 and Xbox One, as the outdated hardware of the previous console and PC generations will be unable to handle it.

Making a DLC expansion on par with the 'Blood and Wine' expansion is no easy feat, as that expansion was so beloved by critics and fans that it won the award for Best RPG at the 2016 Game Awards, managing to beat full-fledged games like Dark Souls 3 and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

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Personally, your guess is as good as mine as to what kind of insane and dark adventures await us and Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher 3's next DLC expansion because I have no idea what to expect.

But we won't have to wait anymore for the answers, as tomorrow night Gamescom 2026 will finally pull back the curtain on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's 'Songs of the Past' expansion.

One thing's for sure. Whatever this expansion turns out to be, it will be one heck of a good time to kill before The Witcher 4 arrives in 2028.

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Last July, Xbox users finally got their hands on one of the most viral games of the past couple of years. The celebrations were shortlived.

Wuthering Waves is a free-to-play gatcha RPG, similar to the likes of Genshin Impact. Wuthering Waves is available on every platform now, including Xbox, consoles, mobile, and PC, complete with a high-quality story and decent combat depth.

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The game is incredibly popular and has amassed a global audience across every platform, landing itself 30 million~ players across its versions. It won the Player's Choice award at last year's Game Awards, and continues to find growth owing to large free content updates.

Unfortunately, though, the Xbox version is broken.

Wuthering Waves (affectionally nicknamed WuWa by the community) recently got a sizeable content patch, adding new story beats and features to the game. The update has, however, once again put a spotlight on the Xbox version, which seems more broken than ever.

"The situation has worsened as I’ve progressed through the game. I’m currently in Lahai-Roi, and it’s been impossible to play for 40 minutes without the game closing unexpectedly," one user wrote on Reddit. "I play on Xbox Series X, but the same bug persists even on Xbox Cloud Gaming, where high local processing power isn't required. Other players have reported similar issues."

The most recent video showcases new visual glitches introduced in this week's patch, where textures get stretched infinitely across the playspace until the game crashes.

Users have been tracking Wuthering Waves' lack of quality on Xbox since the game launched, and had hoped it would be improved in subsequent updates. Sadly, things have gotten worse rather than better.

There are theories that Wuthering Waves on Xbox is a port of the iOS and Android version of the game, owing to a lack of shadows, foilage, and other post-processing improvements. The PlayStation 5 version is is far far better looking, far less crash-prone, and generally more performant than the Xbox Series X version. This absolutely shouldn't be the case in a game designed to run on low-end mobile phones.

We've reached out to Wuthering Waves' developer Kuro Games via their PR firm to get a comment, but I would be surprised if they offered one up.

If they thought the Xbox audience wasn't worth providing a high-quality port for, I'm confused as to why they bothered spending the money to deliver a port in the first place. Genshin Impact and other HoYoverse gatcha games like Zenless Zone Zero run incredibly well on Xbox. HoYoverse also did dedicated launches for Xbox, complete with bonuses and freebies for new players joining the ranks via Team Green.

Wuthering Waves' treatment of the Xbox audience by comparison has been a sad joke.

There's also some blame to be levied at Microsoft here I would argue. PlayStation demands that developers create visual parity with their multiplatform versions within reason. Xbox's certification processes are also notoriously strict compared to other platforms — what's the point of those apparent strict rules if they allow games like Wuthering Waves to launch in such a lamentable state? It makes Xbox look inferior for one thing, and treats Xbox customers like second class citizens in the other.

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Either way, it sucks for Wuthering Waves fans on Xbox that Kuro Games doesn't seem to consider them worthwhile. I would recommend players stick to HoYoverse options instead. Hopefully Honkai Star Rail makes its way across to Xbox in the future too. PerhaHoYoverse' next big games come to Xbox on day one as well, further reducing the need to consider Wuthering Waves as an option.

If Kuro replies, I'll be sure to update this piece, but I wouldn't hold my breath. They don't seem to care about the Xbox version even slightly.

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Windows 11 will soon let you pick how much unified memory is reserved for graphics and AI. The feature is hidden in a recent Windows Insider build (29648) and was discovered by X user @XenoPanther.

Unified memory is high-bandwidth memory that can be shared between a CPU, GPU, and other processors. Traditionally, PCs with discrete graphics cards have dedicated VRAM (video memory) that lives separately from other memory.

Unified memory is still relatively new to PCs. The upcoming NVIDIA RTX Spark lets you use up to 128GB of unified RAM. AMD's Ryzen AI Max already features unified RAM.

Apple popularized the concept of unified memory with its M-Series chips, though the technology is not exclusive to Apple.

If the unified memory feature in testing rolls out, Windows 11 will have a key differentiator from macOS.

Microsoft's new feature lets Windows 11 users "reserve additional unified memory for graphics and AI intensive games and applications." The setting would help ensure smooth performance for certain types of workloads that require a lot of memory.

Normally, Windows manages shared memory dynamically, shifting resources back and forth as apps demand them. That approach works fine for general multitasking, but it runs into problems with heavy workloads like local AI inference or 3D gaming.

When memory is shared like that, background OS tasks and apps can contend for the same pool of RAM. That competition can cause latency spikes, frame drops, or total out-of-memory crashes when you're trying to run something demanding.

By letting users reserve memory, workloads with high demands for graphics and AI have uninterrupted access to high-speed memory.

The feature is not finished and has not been announced by Microsoft, so it requires some extra work to see. You can force it to appear using ViveTool.

I'd recommend waiting until the feature enters testing or even ships to general users before using it. In most cases, it's worth letting Microsoft work out any issues and polish the experience rather than use a hidden feature.

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The new Outlook is ugly and needs to be covered up. That's the message being sent out by Microsoft if you read between the lines. A new option setting in Outlook on the web and the new Outlook for Windows makes those experiences look like classic Outlook.

Microsoft claims that the option is being added to help those transitioning from classic Outlook to the new Outlook. But if the difference is so jarring that it requires a skin to make the new Outlook palatable, Microsoft has larger issues to deal with.

Microsoft details the option in a message sent out through the Microsoft 365 Message Center:

"We're introducing a new optional setting in Outlook on the web and the new Outlook for Windows that adjusts the experience to more closely resemble classic Outlook for Windows. When enabled, the setting applies coordinated changes across the Outlook experience, including visual styling, layout, typography, icons, and selected interactions.

This update is designed to help users who are transitioning from classic Outlook by providing a more familiar experience while maintaining the capabilities of the new Outlook."

The theme will be disabled by default for most users. As part of a phased rollout, Microsoft will enable the classic Outlook theme for "some users moving from classic Outlook to the new Outlook."

I've admittedly mixed snark into this piece, but that's because the new Outlook is terrible. Our Senior Editor Zac Bowden explained how the new Outlook was not ready for prime time back in 2024. The situation has barely improved.

A question posed on a Microsoft Learn page asks, "Why Does New Outlook Suck???" That post is from this year, not the early days of the new Outlook. Others on the web have asked similar questions or expressed frustration with the new Outlook.

The new Outlook is a web wrapper. There's debate over whether the new Outlook is a native app, but the key takeaway is that it performs worse than classic Outlook in several ways.

The fact that Microsoft had to make Mail & Calendar inoperable to try to get people to switch to the new Outlook is telling. The new theme option is another sign that people still want classic Outlook on their PCs.

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Believe it or not, there was a time when people lined up outside of actual stores to buy the latest version of Windows. Such was the case on August 24, 1995, when Microsoft officially launched Windows 95.

Yes, I find it hard to believe, but it's been 31 years since Microsoft made what is arguably the biggest change ever to its operating system. I didn't line up outside of Best Buy to secure my copy, but I do remember some of the hype ahead of the launch.

Stars of the hit TV show Friends, Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry, were tapped to create an hour-long Windows 95 video guide in which they answered questions and highlighted new features. It's ... quite a watch.

At the launch event, Jay Leno helped CEO/Chairman Bill Gates and company demo the software onstage as camera flashes erupted throughout the room.

And who can forget the classic Windows 95 launch sizzler featuring Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones?

Compared to the hesitant Windows launches of today — countless millions of people are still using Windows 10 today despite Windows 11 being on the market since 2021 — the launch of Windows 95 was a huge deal.

It wasn't just hype for no reason, either. The jump from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95 was massive, and a lot of its appeal rested in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

Windows introduces the Start button, and PCs are never the same

For many modern Windows users, the Start button has always been a staple of the OS. But before Windows 95, everything looked a lot different. You can probably see why Start Me Up was used as a promo song.

Windows 3.1 used a full-screen Program Manager tool to keep apps sorted. It involved nested windows containing icons, and you can see some of the inspiration for the eventual Start menu here.

However, Program Manager left users without any sort of unified system control dashboard or taskbar. Those comfortable with Windows 3.1 put up with it (what else was there?), but it wasn't exactly easy for an average person to sit down and start computing.

Windows 95 modernized the UI, making it a lot easier to use in the process.

The Start menu was suddenly the aptly named first place to click when you booted your Windows 95 PC. It contained quick shortcuts to installed software and stored files, a trove of settings, and a Shut Down option.

Attached to the Start button and sitting across the bottom of the screen was a taskbar, which could keep track of which apps you'd opened and made it easy to swap between them. Windows 95 received the first instance of the Recycle Bin tool, making file deletion reversible.

The addition of right-click context menus was massive, as users no longer had to hunt through menus. They could just right-click to pull up options.

Windows Explorer as we (mostly) know it today was also introduced in Windows 95. It replaced Windows 3.1's File Manager tool and organized files into much more comprehensive categories.

Microsoft didn't exactly invent any of these ideas, but it did group them all together into one package. The new interface proved to be a hit, and you can still see the DNA of Windows 95 every time you boot up Windows 11.

The lasting legacy of Windows 95 ... 31 years later

Windows 95 was the first OS I really remember using in earnest, and 31 years later, Windows 11 still feels like home. There's still a Start button, there's still a taskbar, there are still right-click menus, and there's still a Recycle Bin.

Sure, the appearance of these tools might have changed many times over the years, but they've survived three decades as the hardware around them has morphed from chunky beige towers to sleek laptops and RGB-infused desktops.

I'm sitting here trying to think of other user interfaces that have proven as resilient as the changes made in Windows 95. Plenty have come and gone in the meantime, while those from Windows 95 have become a foundation.

Can you think of any good examples of UI elements that have survived for 31 years? Were you around for the launch of Windows 95? How did it go? Let me know in the comments section below!

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In this week's episode of the Windows Central Podcast, Daniel Rubino and Zac Bowden break down the latest Windows 11 insider features, focusing heavily on major overhauls coming to context menus, File Explorer polish, and options to force apps to open full-screen. They also dive into a surprising new Signal 65 processor study highlighting how Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 chips stack up against Intel and AMD, wrap up recent Windows 11 improvements from March onward, and touch on various tech ecosystem shifts.

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• 00:00 — Introduction & Welcome: Daniel Rubino and Zach Bowden kick off Episode 402 of the Windows Central Podcast.
• 03:45 — Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 vs. Intel & AMD: Analyzing the Signal 65 processor study results, showing how Qualcomm beats out Intel and AMD chips in recent laptop testing.
• 10:15 — Windows 11 Context Menu Overhaul: Breaking down new customizable, faster context menus in Windows 11 Insider builds, including default cleanups and third-party app management.
• 24:30 — File Explorer Improvements: Reviewing massive performance updates, elimination of freezing/hang delays, and better UI polish for File Explorer.
• 42:10 — Forcing Apps to Open Full-Screen: Discussing the new Windows settings toggle that allows users to automatically launch apps in full-screen mode.
• 52:00 — Recap of Windows 11 K2 Features & General State of the OS: A look back at the overall quality-of-life improvements rolled out to Windows 11 since March.
• 1:05:15 — Wrap-Up & Outro: Final thoughts, social media handles, and sign-offs until next week's episode.

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Hosts:

• Daniel Rubino
• Zac Bowden

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Microsoft continues to improve Windows 11. Just this past week, the company began testing new context menus with Windows Insiders and revamped the ancient AutoPlay dialog box.

The Windows K2 initiative to improve the operating system is going so well that I've asked if the next big update should be Windows 12. But fixing the Windows experience is about more than context menus and a unified user interface. Even if Windows is fixed, Microsoft needs to make better apps.

If a person logs onto a PC running a beautiful and zippy version of Windows 11, they won't care about the OS if Microsoft Teams takes too long to load. Microsoft needs to lead by example by making the best Windows apps.

Biggest News of the Week

To give Microsoft credit, work is being done to improve some apps. Rudy Huyn, a well-known Windows developer who worked on the Microsoft Store, is putting a team together to improve Windows apps. That team is still in its infancy, so we will have to wait to see the results.

But Microsoft's app issue isn't just about having a team dedicated to in-box apps or hiring good developers. It's about the direction Microsoft pushes those developers. Microsoft Teams and other Microsoft apps have been "rebuilt from the ground up" or "refreshed with performance in mind" several times over the years. But the underlying problem still exists. Microsoft made the wrong choice by going all-in on web apps, and it needs to course correct.

Huyn's team is all about native apps, but it's not clear right now how many apps will fall under its umbrella. Will we see a new native version of Outlook? What about Microsoft Teams? If Huyn's team is just focused on in-box apps, some of the most-used apps on Windows 11 will remain laggy web apps.

Plus, several of Microsoft's biggest apps aren't even in the same part of the company as Huyn's team. If Microsoft fixes the Photos app, OneDrive, and other in-box apps, but Teams is still laggy, Microsoft is still delivering a poor user experience.

Shopping with Sean

Speaking of apps, this week's top deal is on the ever-popular Microsoft 365. That software suite is massively discounted right now if you bundle it with NordVPN. You'll get the best value if you use both Microsoft 365 and NordVPN, but the bundle is more affordable than Microsoft 365 on its own.

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Recently, the fan-run Xbox Game Preservation website saw a major surge in votes from players who want classic Transformers games playable on modern Xbox consoles via Xbox Backward Compatibility, with at least 58,489 votes. This number makes Transformers the most-requested third-party franchise fans want preserved on Xbox, and the second-most-requested franchise, behind Skylanders, which has over 163,000 votes.

The games that make up the most of this number (with 33,969 votes combined) are Transformers: War for Cybertron, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, and Transformers: Devastation. All of these are fantastic games in their own right, especially if you're a longtime Transformer fan like me.

The War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron games (released in 2010 and 2012, respectively) are brilliant third-person shooters with grim yet entertaining campaigns and slick gameplay that mixed Gears of War-style gunplay (without cover mechanics because Transformers don't need cover) with Transformers-style transformation mechanics.

Transformers: Devastation (released in 2015) was an equally fun third-person beat-em-up that took the high-octane insanity of Devil May Cry and Bayonetta and applied it to the Transformers universe with an addictive combat system.

Unfortunately, these games have been locked behind the previous Xbox 360 and Xbox One console generations and have not been re-released on modern systems or PC platforms to this day, even after over a decade.

They've also been delisted from digital stores, so the only way to play them (without resorting to piracy) is to track down their physical copies, which are pretty rare these days.

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As someone who grew up with Transformers ever since the incredible (and surprisingly dark) Transformers: Beast Wars series in the 1990s, I loved these games for how fun they were and how faithful they were to the source material (which were the palette cleansers after watching those awful Michael Bay live-action Transformers movies).

After seeing Xbox put effort into its Backward Compatibility program again, I would do some pretty desperate things to see Transformers: War for Cybertron, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, and Transformers: Devastation playable again on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC.

After all, if long-forgotten games like Blinx the Time Sweeper and Conker: Live and Reloaded can be brought back via Xbox Backward Compatibility, then don't these awesome Transformers games deserve a revival too?

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