Nobody can accuse Lenovo of lacking imagination.

Over the last several years, the company has become the PC industry's unofficial concept lab, routinely showing off hardware that seems pulled from science fiction. We've seen rollable displays that grow taller, gaming laptops that transform into ultrawide displays, foldable PCs, attachable screens, rotating displays, and enough unusual form factors to make even the most adventurous laptop enthusiast pause for a moment.

Some of those ideas have remained concepts. Others have eventually become real products. The ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable (yes, they actually ship some of these!) is perhaps the best example, evolving from an eye-catching prototype into an actual shipping device. But even as Lenovo's concepts have become increasingly impressive from an engineering perspective, I've often found myself wondering how many of them actually solve a problem that regular laptop buyers have. Making a display expand is certainly cool. Convincing people they need it is the harder challenge.

That's why Project Swan immediately stood out to me.

Officially, it's another Lenovo proof-of-concept device, but after spending time with it in person, I came away thinking this may be the company's most practical display concept yet. Not because it's the most ambitious, but because it's arguably the least ambitious.

And that's exactly why it works.

Lenovo finally found a sensible use for a rollable display?

The Lenovo ThinkBook Project Swan begins life as a fairly normal-looking 14-inch laptop.

At 17.9mm thick and weighing 1.6kg (3.5lbs), it isn't trying to break weight records or compete with ultra-premium featherweight notebooks (like Lenovo's new AeroBlade concept). Instead, the focus is on creating a laptop that's comfortable to carry throughout the day while offering something extra when users return to their desk, settle into a hotel room, or need more space for serious work.

That "something extra" is a rollable display that expands horizontally into a 17-inch 16:9 workspace.

Unlike Lenovo's previous rollable designs, which generally expanded vertically, Project Swan widens itself by extending the display out to the sides. It's all done with a touch of a button (see my video below), and it only takes a few seconds.

The result feels much more like using a traditional external monitor than using an experimental form factor. You suddenly have enough room for side-by-side documents, large spreadsheets, dashboards, presentations, browser windows, Teams chats, and everything else that tends to compete for space on a 14-inch screen.

The transformation is dramatic enough to get attention, but conservative enough to feel practical. During my hands-on session, that was the first thing that struck me about the device.

Many of Lenovo's earlier concepts felt designed to answer the question, "Can we do this?"

Project Swan feels far more interested in answering the question, "Would people actually want this?"

That's a subtle distinction, but it's an important one.

This feels like the next step in Lenovo's display experiments

Project Swan didn't emerge in a vacuum. In many ways, it feels like the natural evolution of everything Lenovo has been experimenting with over the last few years.

The ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable demonstrated that expandable OLED displays could successfully transition from concept to commercial product. Lenovo's Legion rollable gaming laptop concept showed how flexible displays could create an ultrawide experience without requiring users to carry an enormous machine. Other projects explored foldable displays, secondary screens, and entirely new ways of interacting with PCs.

As impressive as many of those concepts were, some occasionally felt like technology showcases first and products second.

Project Swan reverses that equation.

Rather than dramatically changing how people interact with a laptop, it simply gives them more screen real estate when they need it and gets out of the way when they don't. That's a much easier benefit for consumers to understand and, perhaps more importantly, a much easier benefit to justify paying for.

After all, most people already know the dilemma.

A 14-inch laptop is ideal for travel. A larger display is ideal for work.

Project Swan attempts to deliver both.

The idea makes sense. The challenges are obvious.

That isn't to say there aren't trade-offs.

The first thing I noticed when using the expanded display was that the system becomes somewhat top-heavy. That's hardly surprising given the additional display hardware housed in the lid, but it was noticeable enough that I'd expect Lenovo's engineers to still be looking at ways to refine the balance.

Pricing is another obvious concern.

Rollable OLED displays aren't cheap (it's $3,499 for the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable), and if Project Swan ever becomes a commercial product, it's almost certainly going to carry a premium compared to a traditional clamshell laptop. The value proposition may be easier to understand than some other concept devices, but consumers still need to be convinced that expandable screen space is worth the additional cost.

Then there's the question everyone asks whenever a company unveils a rollable or foldable display.

How durable is it?

Flexible OLED technology has improved dramatically over the last few years, but long-term reliability remains an important consideration. How will the mechanism hold up after years of daily use? What happens after thousands of expansion cycles? Will buyers trust a laptop that contains moving display components?

The technology may be ready, but consumer confidence isn't something that can be engineered overnight.

The bigger question is whether people want these new form factors

That's really the challenge facing every laptop manufacturer right now.

The industry has spent years experimenting with alternatives to the traditional clamshell design. Foldable PCs promised tablet-sized displays that fit inside a laptop footprint. Dual-screen systems like the Lenovo Yoga 9i attempted to replace physical keyboards with additional displays. Rollable devices have explored several different directions entirely.

Some enthusiasts love these ideas, but many consumers remain perfectly happy with the laptops they already own.

That's what makes Project Swan so interesting to me. It isn't asking users to learn a new workflow or completely rethink how they use a PC. Instead, it's enhancing something people already understand: bigger screens are often better, but bigger laptops are harder to carry.

Whether that argument ultimately resonates with buyers remains an open question, but it's certainly the clearest pitch Lenovo has made for a rollable display so far.

Lenovo deserves credit for keeping the experimentation alive

Even if Project Swan never reaches store shelves, I appreciate what Lenovo is doing here.

The PC industry can sometimes become obsessed with processor upgrades, AI features, and specification sheets while overlooking more fundamental questions about how people actually use their devices. Lenovo's concepts consistently ask those questions, even when the answers occasionally seem, well, strange.

What's refreshing about Project Swan is that it feels grounded in reality. The company isn't trying to reinvent personal computing or create an entirely new category. Instead, it's exploring a straightforward idea that almost everyone who has worked on a laptop can relate to.

Sometimes you want a compact machine for travel.

Sometimes you wish that same machine had a much larger screen.

Project Swan is the most convincing attempt I've seen yet to bridge that gap.

I still have concerns about durability, balance, pricing, and whether consumers are truly interested in another alternative laptop design. But after trying it for myself, I'm more optimistic about this concept than many of Lenovo's previous experiments.

Ironically, that's because it feels less ambitious. Rather than trying to change how we work, Project Swan simply gives us a little more room to do it.

And that may be exactly what makes it one of Lenovo's most promising concepts yet.

Let me know in the comments what you think about Project Swan. Should Lenovo continue to push this concept of an expanding display, or focus more on other ideas (and if so, which ones)?

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

A "ready-to-code distraction-free Windows experience" is on the way for developers. Microsoft just detailed how Windows 11 will be optimized for people with developer-class devices.

The idea behind Project Zenith is to save developers time by preinstalling apps and having Settings pre-enabled that are optimized for development. For example, File Explorer will show file extensions, hidden files, and the full path in the title bar.

Those options are not new, but they can take a while to set up when you also have to install a bunch of apps and tweak other settings.

We already knew about some of these experiences because of announcements made at Build 2026, but we now know a name for the project and more information about how Windows 11 will be optimized for developer-class devices.

Those devices will be able to run 30B+ parameter models locally and unmetered and use a variety of tools out of the box. Windows Terminal and Visual Studio Code are pinned to the Taskbar by default. GitHub Copilot, PowerToys, WinAppCLI, and Windows Dev Skills will also be preinstalled, according to The Verge.

Project Zenith will launch first on AMD's Ryzen AI Halo devices, but it will make its way to other systems over the coming months.

To classify as a developer-class device, a system will need at least 64 GB of unified memory and at least 250 GB/s memory bandwidth.

The best version of Windows 11

A natural response to Microsoft's blog post is to ask, "don't we all want a distraction-free Windows experience?" I don't know anyone clamoring for more distractions on their PC. But I believe Project Zenith is specific to developers for a good reason.

Many developers have a similar workflow or rely on a set of tools. What would be considered a useful preinstalled app for developers would be viewed as bloat for general users.

Similarly, the enabled settings viewed as useful by developers would make Windows 11 feel crowded for everyday computing.

A better approach would be to tailor Windows 11 to different use cases. We're starting to see that with Xbox Mode on Windows 11 and now Project Zenith for developers.

Of course, Project Zenith devices, PCs running Xbox Mode, and all other Windows 11 devices benefit from the general improvements to Windows 11, such as reducing memory usage and improving Search and File Explorer. Many of those changes can be seen in the latest major update to Windows 11.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

After releasing an epic trailer showing off its story and original monsters, Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance has returned to uploading daily trailers showing off how this action-hunting game's 14 weapon types will be enhanced by the new Boost Bracer mechanic.

The third trailer in this series focuses on the improvements for Dual Blades, the fastest melee weapon type in the game, where you rip and tear monsters to shreds with a pair of daggers.

DEAL: Get Surfshark VPN 86% OFF with Windows Central 🦈

The Dual Blades is one of the best weapon types in the game as they're extremely, do a lot of damage in short bursts, and can make the player briefly invincible if you dodge enemy attacks at the last second while using the weapon's unique "Demon Mode".

However, when paired with this DLC expansion's Boost Bracer mechanic, Dual Blades can the player into a monster. This is because the Boost Bracer grants Dual Blades, with what we can tell from this trailer:

• A new Boost Driver attack where you spin towards an enemy and knock them off their feet while they're attacking, as it counts as an Offset attack.
• The Boost Driver also fills up your Archdemon Mode gauge.
• Once you fill the Boost Gauge by hitting enemies with Boost Driver attacks, you can activiate it to double the attack speed of Dual Blades, have each strike deal multiple hits with increased range, and unlock new combo attacks that end in a nasty finisher where you hold both blades in one hand to deliver a savage uppercut.
• Additionally, activating the Boost Gauge will allow you to jump in the air during a Perfect Dodge so you can perform aerial attacks when you spin across a monster's body to rip them up with Dual Blades, without needing to use Focus Mode attacks or jumping off ledges and hills.

Windows Central's take

Dual Blades ended up being my main weapon of choice when I tackled the endgame content of Monster Hunter Wilds' base game, as its insane attack speed proved invaluable against tough monsters like Omega and Gogmazios.

After watching this trailer, I think I'm going to stick with Dual Blades in Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance because it looks amazing and brutal to use with the Boost Bracer's enhancements.

I like how the Dual Blade's normally graceful movements are replaced with berserker-style claw swipes while the Boost Gauge is activated. It kind of makes you feel like the Marvel superhero Wolverine, which I wouldn't be surprised if that was intentional, considering Capcom spent decades making Marvel fighting games like the Marvel Vs. Capcom series.

Plus, considering we aren't getting Insomniac's Wolverine game on Xbox Series X|S and PC anytime soon, I'll take these newly improved Dual Blades as a suitable substitute when Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance launches in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

For a few years now, rumors have been spreading that Blizzard Entertainment's iconic StarCraft series is being revived with a new shooter action game, and very soon, those rumors may finally turn into reality.

This is because StarCraft's official legacy website has been 'glitching' out recently, with certain bits of the UI warping and turning into static in a very artistic way that doesn't look like real glitches.

DEAL: Get Surfshark VPN 86% OFF with Windows Central 🦈

Curious to know what's going on, a Reddit user with the username u/RaiausderDose started digging into the StarCraft website via console commands to figure out what's wrong, and what they found was quite intriguing.

u/RaiausderDose discovered a lot of cryptic messages that resemble medical reports, cargo manifestos, and reports of a group plotting something illegal and nefarious.

Plus, the messages state that they were written in August 2575. Eagle-eyed StarCraft fans have noticed that this date is roughly 69 years after the events of StarCraft II's last expansion, Legacy of the Void, which was released over a decade ago on November 10, 2015.

With BlizzCon 2026 just over a week away, StarCraft's website glitching and hiding secret lore messages cannot be a coincidence. Blizzard Entertainment is definitely planning to announce some StarCraft news at the event.

But what could this announcement be? Is it the aforementioned rumored shooter, a new real-time strategy game, a StarCraft movie, or maybe Blizzard Entertainment is restarting development on the cancelled stealth shooter from the early 2000s, StarCraft: Ghost?

Either way, we won't have to wait much longer to find out when BlizzCon 2026 kicks off on September 12, 2026.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Not content with just posting daily videos showcasing Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance's new Boost Bracer mechanic, Capcom decided to kick things up a notch at the PlayStation State of Play (September 2026) with a new trailer for this DLC expansion.

The trailer gives players a glimpse at some of the locales they will be hunting in, the storyline that will immerse them in the rich setting of the Monster Hunter universe, and the monsters they will be hunting.

Capcom then provided fans with more written details on the storyline and monsters previewed in this trailer through the PlayStation State of Play Blog, and we will recount the most important details for you right now.

DEAL: Get Surfshark VPN 86% OFF with Windows Central 🦈

First off, Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascension's story takes place several years after the events of the base game. Our heroes have spent that time building a fortress to prepare for the return of Lao Shan-Lung, a colossal Elder Dragon that almost destroyed them years prior.

As the fortress is nearing completion, the player is tasked with investigating mysterious changes in the Forbidden Land's ecosystem and exploring a new region of floating islands known as the Skybound Eyrie to uncover what is causing it to defy gravity.

As for the monsters the players will encounter, Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascension will have the player go up against Elder Dragons from previous games like Kushala Daora and Lao Shan-Lung, and Monster Hunter Wilds' artificially made Guardian Monsters that are now spreading out across the base game's regions.

Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascension will also have brand new, original monsters to hunt like the Bird Wyvern, Araketa, which can soar through the air like a jet plane, and the serpentine Elder Dragon, Gundoraja, which can control storm clouds.

There's also a mysterious, unnamed new lizard monster feasting on other monsters from the inside out, and able to shapeshift its body into giant, gaping, horrifying mouths to swallow prey whole.

Windows Central's take

The more footage I see of Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance, the more my bad memories of its base game's miserable launch in 2025 are being cleansed away with glee.

The new monsters look stunning, the new storyline is actually somewhat intriguing (which is rare for a Monster Hunter game), and the new Skyboard Eyrie hunting locale looks so much fun to get lost in (though that's probably due to my bias love towards floating island locales in video games since 1994's Sonic 3 & Knuckles).

If the DLC expansion can fix the problems I had with the base game of Monster Hunter Wilds and make sure its monsters are tough enough to warrant their Master Rank status, then we're in for one heck of a hunting adventure when Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance launches in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Jumping into the deep end of a multiplayer survival game can be a recipe for disaster, as I found it in my first-ever taste of the State of Decay series. My last encounter was with State of Decay 2, where I was unceremoniously dropped into a friend's game. It was complete with fully built settlements and swarms of zombies banging down the doors while I was still fumbling with the mechanics. I felt very much out of my depth and never really revisited the game.

Heading into our closed-doors look at State of Decay 3 at Gamescom, I was a little worried I wouldn’t enjoy it and would be going through the motions. I knew I wanted to love it, and I had already planned to play it on release just to support the studio following its ceremonious dumping (aka divesting) by Xbox. In fact, I have implored the Xbox community to buy it, whether it hits Game Pass or not.

As it turns out, not only is the relationship with Xbox not completely severed (it’s now officially confirmed to be launching straight onto Xbox Game Pass alongside its 2027 release window), but the demo proved to be an absolute blast in the time I had with it. The world of State of Decay 3 is pretty fascinating to navigate even amidst incoming waves of the dead.

Alpha playtests are smoothing out the road ahead for closed beta by end of 2026

Before jumping into the demo, the developers shared some roadmap news: the current build is being pulled apart by alpha playtesters, who are providing early technical feedback before us normies jump in. Undead Labs told us that a closed beta will launch by the end of this year, with player access and platform support continuing to ramp up toward the 2027 launch.

When you strip it back, State of Decay 3 remains a community management survival game set deep within the zombie apocalypse. You control a single character at a time in an open-world third-person environment, acting as the caretaker for a fragile community. You are forced to make survival decisions such as where to live, whom to trust, and whether to let newcomers in or grow your own food.

Procedural survivors and evolving traits

One of the unique hallmarks of the franchise is its character generation, and State of Decay 3 takes it further. Survivors are procedurally assembled from a vast pool of names, cultural backgrounds, voice actors, visuals, and traits, meaning you can play for hundreds of hours and never see the same person twice.

Take Pat, for instance, a daredevil with high health and stamina who unfortunately makes a ton of noise. Pat is a rocket scientist with expertise in mechanics and demolition, but he is also easily overwhelmed (same Pat, same). New to State of Decay 3 are evolving traits. If Pat were to kill 100 zombies, that negative trait would evolve into something better, though the developers deliberately retain minor flaws to keep characters nuanced.

Then there is Queenie, a lone wolf with fatigue resistance and sniper training boosting headshot damage, but burdened with a “sketchy vibe” that makes her a bad choice for diplomacy missions. Overall, the trait names were pretty funny and add a much-needed injection of humor into what is a bleak backdrop.

Surviving the plague war

The demo picked up at Green Heart, a newly established northern settlement. The team had recently been chased out of their previous base at the fire training center due to the Plague War, a new territory-control system.

Plague nests act as large-scale dungeons and epicenters for an expanding network of infestations that organically grow and actively surround player settlements. Because the current team had fled in a panic, they had prioritized offensive firepower over food and water and needed to establish a new settlement.

To tackle their food shortage and lack of beds, the developers headed into the nearby town of Carolina to clear an infested hunting store and claim it as a second settlement. This location offered a professional-grade animal press capable of crafting far more effective ammunition than standard scavenged garage setups.

Luckily, State of Decay 3 introduces the ability to manage up to three settlements simultaneously, allowing players to expand their territory as they push back this plague network.

Now, when on the offensive, whether you go straight for the heart of the Plague is up to you, but you can approach more strategically by taking out surrounding weaker infestation sites first.

Make the game as difficult (or as easy) as you like with friends or solo

Combat in State of Decay 3 feels incredibly satisfying, and Undead Labs have worked hard to make guns feel more impactful.

Limb damage is a necessity when trying to slow down the onslaught. You can target specific appendages, blow a zombie's legs off with a shotgun blast, and gleefully watch them topple over. Players can also lean into creative environmental puzzles. The team showed us how to use stealth, or splash fuel across the streets. In one example, they placed a tape deck to attract zombies, luring hordes into a trap before clearing out the weak points of the plague heart.

I was also really happy to hear that even if you play cooperatively with three other players, you can tune sliders for combat, plague aggression, and resource management so the game matches your preferred challenge level. Want to make the higher-level zombies a rarer occurrence or make scavenging supplies a little more rewarding? You can do that and more. I’ll be tuning mine down to scaredy-cat mode, thanks. The true sickos can play on ultra hard lethal mode.

When we asked what constitutes a fail state for your game, it turns out that morale is everything. If your community morale tanks due to poor management, characters will lose faith in you as their caretaker and disband, running off into the hills. Lose enough of your community, and you fail your playthrough.

Looking ahead to 2027

Customization in general has been vastly expanded from the previous franchise entries. Players can transform standard vehicles into heavy, tank-like variants outfitted with specialized gear like gas filters, cargo expansions, extra fuel tanks, or spike wheels.

Whether you are customizing vehicle paint jobs or strapping gas tanks to your ride, State of Decay 3 is shaping up to be quite the evolutionary leap for the series.

Whether you are completely new to State of Decay or jumping in enthusiastically from its predecessor, the developers seem to be doing a great job with balancing system depth with better onboarding for new players. I’m pretty confident this is going to be exactly the multiplayer smash that Xbox needs on Game Pass.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

The end of Final Fantasy VII's Remake trilogy draws near as Square Enix announced on Sony's State of Play (September 2026) that Final Fantasy VII: Revelation will launch on April 8, 2027, for Xbox Series X|S (with Xbox Play Anywhere support), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.

Additionally, Square Enix has released a ten-minute gameplay deep dive showcasing the game's combat and exploration systems, with some quality-of-life features.

DEAL: Get Surfshark VPN 86% OFF with Windows Central 🦈

In this deep dive, it shows that the player will now be able to travel across the entire world by riding the massive airship known as the Highwind.

When exploring the open world on land, you will be able to ride a Chocobo mount named Piko, who can help you traverse the environment and aid you in combat, and use a grappling hook to scale tall buildings like the ones in the new town, Wutai.

Speaking of combat, the deep dive also gives a players a closer look at Final Fantasy VII: Revelation FITS system. This system bestows your party members with the abilities of Job classes from previous Final Fantasy games to lay waste to your opponents, as demonstrated by Cid who is using the Knight FIT to protect allies while Vincent is using the Summoner FIT to burn enemies to ashes by summoning the fire demon Ifrit.

Additionally, Final Fantasy VII: Revelation will feature quality of life improvements like being able to choose who is the player-controlled character out of combat and choosing which party members take on certain side quests (which can alter the story outcomes of certain events and scenarios).

Square Enix announces that Final Fantasy VII: Revelation is now available for pre-order across all platforms, with several editions and pre-order bonuses that will net you Summon Materia of Mecha-Chocobo and Moogle up for grabs.

The editions are as follows (as taken from the official Final Fantasy VII: Revelation press release):

• Physical - PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2
  • Standard ($69.99)
    • Day 1 Editions available at several retailers include Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY Final Showdown Promo Card*
    • Amazon Day 1 Edition includes folded poster
  • Deluxe ($99.99)
    • Mini-Soundtrack
    • Artbook
    • Day 1 Editions available at several retailers include Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY Final Showdown Promo Card
    • Steelbook case
  • Collector’s Edition ($349.99) - SQUARE ENIX Store Exclusive
    • All “Deluxe Edition” contents, plus…
      • Premium statue (featuring Cloud, Zack and Sephiroth)
      • Story Expansion Pass**, granting access to two story-centered DLCs planned for later release***
        • Includes in-game accessory Reclaimant Choker
        • Includes Survival Set of useful in-game consumable items
      • In-game equipment Armor: Nymphwing Bracelet
      • In-game equipment Accessory: Risk Taker’s Choker
      • In-game item: Summon Materia: Mecha-Chocobo & Moogle
      • In-game item: Summoning Materia: Polydroid Alexander
  • Digital - PlayStation 5, PC, XBOX Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2
    • Pre-order incentive (all editions): Summon Materia: Mecha-Chocobo & Moogle
    • Standard ($69.99)
    • Premium ($99.99)
      • Story Expansion Pass*, granting access to two story-centered DLCs planned for later release**
        • Includes in-game item Accessory: Reclaimant Choker
        • Includes Survival Set of useful in-game consumable items
      • Early Access, which allows for access to the game 24 hours before release
    • Premium Plus ($109.99)
      • All “Premium Edition” contents, plus…
        • Digital Mini Soundtrack
        • Digital Artbook
        • Summoning Materia: Polydroid Alexander
        • In-game equipment Armor: Nymphwing Bracelet
        • In-game equipment Accessory: Risk Taker’s Choker

On top of that, players can digitally pre-order the Final Fantasy VII Remake Series Trilogy Edition ($84.99) so they can gain access to all games in the trilogy and the pre-order bonuses.

Lastly, Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy VII: Revelation will receive two DLC storylines between the Winter of 2027 and the Spring of 2028. The first DLC will focus on Sephiroth, while the second DLC will focus on Vincent and the Turks.

So, if you have been waiting years for the entire Final Fantasy VII Remake series to be completed to marathon it, then April 8, 2028 will be the best time for you to finally give it a go. I know I certainly will.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

It was probably inevitable eventually, but Xbox Cloud Gaming is joining NVIDIA and other platforms in putting hourly limits on its streaming service.

Xbox Cloud Gaming is a platform tied to Xbox Game Pass right now, giving you unlimited access to stream games from Game Pass as well as hundreds upon hundreds of digital games you own. In fact, thanks to Xbox's disc-to-digital program, you can now even play disc-based Xbox games you own if they're included in Xbox Cloud Gaming.

DEAL: Get Surfshark VPN 86% OFF with Windows Central 🦈

Many users use Xbox Cloud Gaming on Xbox One to play current-gen Xbox Series X|S games that aren't available natively on older systems. It's also great for running games on laptops, tablets, and other devices that aren't powerful enough to run said titles natively.

Up until now, Xbox Cloud Gaming was unlimited, but Microsoft just announced that it will begin introducing limits.

The new hourly cloud gaming limits via Xbox Game Pass

"We recognize that introducing limits is a meaningful change, particularly for players who regularly spend more time gaming through the cloud," Microsoft said on Xbox Wire. "We expect this upcoming change to impact 4% of Game Pass subscribers. Once subscribers use their included hours, they will be able to purchase additional cloud playtime through the XBOX Store."

I'm told that the "additional cloud playtime" bundles will not have a "use by" expiry window once purchased, although Microsoft hasn't listed exactly how much these passes will cost as of yet.

Indeed, you will not need an Xbox Game Pass subscription to use these cloud playtime hours, which will grant you access to your own library of compatible Xbox Play Anywhere cloud games even if you don't fancy owning the Game Pass subscription.

"We’re introducing this model because the cost of providing cloud gaming grows as more people use it and play for longer," Microsoft explained. "Moving to monthly limits allows us to keep offering the service while continuing to invest in its reliability and performance."

"We understand that for some players the practical result is a higher cost. In November, we’ll provide more information about pricing, purchasing additional hours, eligible games, market availability, and how players can check their remaining time. We’ll listen closely to player feedback before and after the change takes effect and share any adjustments we make."

The RAMpocalypse is coming for cloud gaming, too

Microsoft has been long-rumored to be exploring an ad-based tier for Xbox Cloud Gaming and Xbox Game Pass in general. It's also true that the video ads business is incredibly tough, making me wonder if Microsoft decided to opt for this approach instead of trying to compete with Google / YouTube for video ad slots.

Indeed, many recent reports suggest that Twitch, despite being absolutely rammed with ads, is nowhere near profitable. What prayer would an ad-based Xbox Cloud Gaming tier have, given the monstrous amount of bandwidth required for Xbox Cloud Gaming video encoding?

The RAMpocalypse is impacting consumer electronics prices, but also cloud server prices too. Microsoft has reportedly joined NVIDIA and Google in earmarking 70% of Samsung's total DRAM output through to 2031. Unfortunately, I don't think a significant chunk of that memory is going towards gaming.

One advantage Xbox Cloud Gaming probably does have (at least in terms of Microsoft corporate politics) is that it does help keep cloud inference up — which in turn helps Microsoft justify infrastructure capital expenditure to shareholders. Xbox Cloud Gaming servers, while idle (at night, for example), can be used for training AI models potentially, which helps anchor Xbox's future in a corporation dominated by AI hype.

I suspect that introducing these limits now revolves around a plan to begin marketing Xbox Cloud Gaming more aggressively. If Microsoft ever did manage to find some form of mainstream breakthrough with Xbox Cloud Gaming, creating huge server queues (which we've seen in the past) wouldn't exactly represent a positive first-time experience for new players.

If Microsoft's goal is to form habits around Xbox Cloud Gaming in regions where console availability and affordability are low, ensuring a stable experience is obviously within their interests.

It remains to be seen if Xbox Cloud Gaming will ever be anything more than a niche kind of thing. It's useful for testing out games without installing them, but in most scenarios where you might want to use it, i.e., on a plane, on hotel Wi-Fi, or on a long-distance commute ... you're probably not going to have good enough internet speeds.

The laws of physics and the speed of light preclude Xbox Cloud Gaming from seeing any significant improvements from here, probably, but the upcoming direct-to-Wi-Fi Xbox controllers should offer a meaningful latency boost — if they ever actually come out.

It's a hot topic right now. With Xbox Helix and the PS6 threatening to be the most expensive consoles ever, perhaps even cloud gaming will end up too expensive to be worth it.

I'm tired of this AI stuff, mannnnnnnn.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Competition for Apple's MacBook Neo is heating up.

Just days after Dell unveiled a new 14-inch laptop designed to take on Apple's latest mainstream notebook, Lenovo is entering the fight with something considerably more interesting: a laptop that lets you express your personality instead of forcing you to settle for silver, gray, or slightly darker gray.

I recently got to see Lenovo's new IdeaPad Vibe lineup in person in New York City, and while the company talked plenty about AI, processors, and battery life, the thing that immediately stood out to me was how different these laptops look compared to almost everything else on the market.

Most PC makers treat color options as an afterthought. Lenovo is making them the product.

The new IdeaPad Vibe will be available in seven Pantone-developed colors, including Chill Blue, Zen Green, Spicy Gold, Radiant Coral, Dreamy Violet, Lowkey Grey, and Moody Blue. Lenovo says the colors were developed alongside the Pantone Color Institute and are designed to reflect different moods, personalities, and lifestyles.

And that's just the beginning.

As shown in Lenovo's custom configurator (below), users will be able to mix and match chassis colors and keyboard colors to create something uniquely theirs. The company is also offering swappable custom keycaps, adding another layer of personalization that is virtually unheard of in the mainstream laptop space.

The configurator demo I saw almost felt like building a custom character in a video game rather than buying a laptop, and reminded me of the XBOX Design Lab for custom controllers.

In fact, my biggest complaint about the IdeaPad Vibe is that there might be too much choice.

That's obviously a good problem to have, but after looking through the various color combinations, shell finishes, and processor options, I could already imagine spending far too much time trying to decide which configuration to order (I know because I tried).

That's not a sentence I ever expected to write about a Windows laptop.

Of course, a laptop can't survive on colors alone, and thankfully Lenovo seems to have put together a genuinely compelling package underneath all that personality.

The IdeaPad Vibe comes in both 14-inch and 15-inch sizes and starts at just 1.3kg (2.87 pounds) for the smaller model. OLED display options are available with up to 100% DCI-P3 color coverage, while IPS models can offer refresh rates up to 120Hz.

Lenovo is also packing in practical features including dual SSD slots, Wi-Fi 7, USB-A and USB-C ports, HDMI, a MicroSD card reader, and a 5MP IR webcam with a privacy shutter.

AMD, Qualcomm or Intel (eventually)

Then there's the processor selection.

For launch, buyers can choose between AMD Ryzen AI 400 series configurations and Qualcomm Snapdragon X models (we're not clear on exactly which Snapdragon X chip, or even if it's X2), while Intel-based versions will arrive later. AMD models support up to 32GB of upgradeable memory and up to 1TB of SSD storage, while Snapdragon versions offer up to 24GB of memory and the same dual-slot storage flexibility.

Personally, I'd go Qualcomm.

We've reached a point where Snapdragon X PCs consistently deliver excellent everyday performance while also offering some of the best battery life available in the Windows ecosystem. The combination of a lightweight chassis, Copilot+ PC capabilities on supported configurations, and Qualcomm's efficiency makes the Snapdragon version particularly appealing to me.

That isn't to say AMD isn't tempting. AMD's advantage here is flexibility. The Ryzen AI configurations support memory upgrades up to 32GB and offer optional 50Wh or 65Wh battery configurations, making them attractive for enthusiasts who want more control over their hardware.

What impressed me most during my hands-on time wasn't any single specification. It was how cohesive the overall package felt.

The laptops looked premium, felt solid in the hand, and didn't come across as budget systems despite their surprisingly aggressive pricing. That's important because Lenovo isn't positioning the IdeaPad Vibe as a niche fashion accessory. This is meant to be a mainstream Windows laptop that happens to have far more personality than its competitors.

And right now, that may be enough to help it stand out.

Final thoughts

Apple's MacBook Neo has clearly encouraged PC makers to rethink the mainstream laptop category. Dell has already responded with its own fresh take on the formula with its just-announced Dell 14S, and now Lenovo is bringing something completely different to the table: customization.

Instead of asking buyers which shade of gray they prefer, Lenovo is asking what their "vibe" is.

That's a much more interesting question, even if a bit on the nose and a tad cringey.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Vibe with AMD processors launches in October 2026 starting at $699.99, while Qualcomm Snapdragon X models will follow in November 2026 with the same $699.99 starting price. Intel is only listed as coming later.

And after seeing them in person, I think Lenovo may have stumbled onto something other PC makers have forgotten: technology can be personal, but it can also be fun.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

I've seen a lot of concept PCs over the years.

Most are fascinating engineering exercises that are never destined for store shelves. They're designed to spark conversation, generate headlines, and give us a glimpse into what might be possible someday. Some do come to market, like rollable display PCs.

Lenovo's new Project AeroBlade concept feels different.

Officially, it's one of the company's latest proof-of-concept devices, unveiled as part of its annual wave of experimental hardware at IFA 2026. Unofficially? I think there's a very good chance we're looking at Lenovo's next big premium laptop platform.

After getting hands-on with AeroBlade, I walked away convinced this isn't some far-future moonshot. If you told me a shipping version appears within the next year, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.

And it can't happen soon enough.

Project AeroBlade is a 14-inch laptop that measures under 10 mm thin and weighs less than 830 grams (1.8lbs). That's lighter than many tablets with keyboard covers attached, yet Lenovo claims performance remains comparable to today's ThinkPad X1 Carbon class of Intel-powered laptops. According to Lenovo, the system achieves this through a completely reimagined thermal design built around its Active Flow cooling architecture developed alongside Frore Systems.

Those numbers don't really hit you until you pick it up.

The first thing that struck me wasn't the thickness. It was the weight. Or rather, the lack of it.

The AeroBlade almost feels unfinished when you lift it because your brain expects more mass. Premium laptops have gotten thinner over the last decade, but reducing weight has become increasingly difficult without introducing compromises. AeroBlade somehow manages to feel substantial and premium while remaining almost shockingly light.

Lenovo says the chassis uses a magnesium-aluminum construction paired with a high screen-to-body OLED display, Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, and Wi-Fi 7. On paper, it sounds like a modern flagship ultrabook. In person, it feels like somebody accidentally removed half the laptop. That's a compliment.

What makes AeroBlade truly interesting, however, isn't how thin it is; it's how Lenovo got there.

The fan is dead. Long live AirJet.

For decades, laptop cooling has largely followed the same formula.

A processor generates heat. Heat pipes move that heat toward a heatsink. One or more fans blow air through the system and out of vents.

The design has evolved, but the fundamentals haven't changed much.

Frore Systems wants to change that.

AirJet is a solid-state active cooling solution that replaces traditional laptop fans with tiny cooling chips that use vibrating membranes to generate airflow. Instead of spinning fan blades, AirJet creates high-velocity pulsating air jets that remove heat while operating at extremely low noise levels. Frore describes it as the world's first solid-state active cooling chip.

One AirJet Mini Slim module is only 2.65mm thick, consumes up to 1 watt of power, removes up to 5.25 watts of heat, and generates significantly higher back pressure than traditional fans. The technology was specifically designed for ultra-thin devices where conventional cooling becomes difficult or impossible.

The clever part is that these modules don't need the large internal spaces required by traditional fans.

Instead of designing a laptop around cooling hardware, manufacturers can distribute AirJet modules throughout the chassis in different locations.

That flexibility is both the technology's greatest strength and its biggest challenge.

During conversations at the event, it became clear why we've seen AirJet demonstrations for a few years but haven't yet seen a flood of mainstream laptops using it.

This isn't a simple parts swap.

OEMs have spent decades designing motherboards, thermal layouts, and internal structures around conventional fans. AirJet requires engineers to rethink much of that architecture. The cooling solution may be smaller, but integrating it properly involves substantial redesign work throughout the entire system.

That's a lot of engineering investment.

But judging by AeroBlade, the payoff might be worth it.

A laptop with almost no compromises

The most impressive thing about AeroBlade is that Lenovo doesn't appear to be treating fanless computing as a compromise.

Traditionally, when manufacturers build ultra-thin fanless systems, performance becomes the sacrifice. The device is quiet and portable, but sustained workloads eventually cause thermal throttling.

Lenovo's pitch is essentially the opposite.

The company believes Active Flow can deliver sustained AI and productivity performance without the compromises typically associated with fanless PCs. The only noise I noticed during my brief hands-on came under heavier workloads, where there was a faint whooshing sound from moving air. It was subtle enough that I had to actively listen for it.

What I didn't notice were intake vents covering the bottom of the chassis. Hooray!

That's because the cooling system works differently than traditional laptop designs. Air management has largely been pushed toward the rear of the system, creating a cleaner and more minimalist design.

The result is a device that feels almost impossibly refined, and that's why I think AeroBlade is a big deal.

Most laptop innovation over the last few years has focused on AI accelerators, NPUs, display tech, and silicon improvements. Those things are important, but they're largely invisible to users (well, maybe not displays, but still).

Cooling isn't.

Cooling defines thickness, weight, acoustics, sustained performance, battery behavior, and overall design flexibility.

In many ways, cooling technology determines what kind of laptop manufacturers can build.

Lenovo could make impossibly thin and light (compared to what we are used to), or use that extra space for a larger battery for absurd laptop longevity. It opens a bunch of engineering doors and options.

The concept that doesn't feel like a concept

Lenovo loves showing proof-of-concept devices, and many never become products.

But the company's track record also shows that some of its most interesting concepts eventually make the jump to production after enough refinement (I'm hoping Lenovo's Legion handheld foldable concept is one of those).

AeroBlade feels like one of those projects. Indeed, this was my first question to Lenovo, as proof-of-concept is often wacky designs, rolling displays, dual displays ... things that look weird but could be useful.

Super thin and light laptop with no vents? Who wouldn't want this? I don't think we really need a focus group to see if it's a good idea!

The hardware already looks polished. The underlying technology exists. The user benefits are immediately obvious. And perhaps most importantly, the industry is constantly searching for ways to make laptops thinner, lighter, quieter, and more efficient.

AirJet checks every one of those boxes.

Will this technology replace fans in gaming laptops with RTX-class graphics anytime soon? Probably not.

But for premium ultraportables, enterprise notebooks, all-in-one desktops, handheld gaming PCs, and productivity-focused systems, I think we're looking at one of the most significant advances in PC design we've seen in years. (We've already openly wondered about Aerojet in a Steam Deck 2).

So, yeah, ironically, the biggest innovation at Lenovo's event wasn't AI.

It was airflow.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

NVIDIA has confirmed new details and availability info about its upcoming RTX Spark SoC for Windows 11 devices. At IFA 2026, the company announced that it expects the first RTX Spark laptops to begin shipping as soon as next month, sometime in October depending on the OEM. Additionally, two new devices are joining the launch lineup; the Lenovo Yoga 9n laptop and Acer SFF desktop PC.

Alongside availability news, NVIDIA has also confirmed configuration details for the upcoming RTX Spark chips. There will be two different configurations of the RTX Spark N1X, with configurable RAM and storage based on what OEMs wish to offer. The high-end RTX Spark will be targeted at desktops and laptops, with support for up to 128GB unified memory, 20 CPU cores, and 6144 Blackwell RTX cores.

There will also be a less powerful RTX Spark configuration exclusively for laptops, which can only be configured with 24GB or 32GB unified memory, a 5120-Core Blackwell RTX GPU, and an 18-core CPU. While still a high-end chip, this should allow RTX Spark to ship in laptops that cost closer to $2,000, significantly lower priced than the high-end SoC.

NVIDIA is touting RTX Spark as the best SoC for AI development on Windows. It supports NVIDIAs full AI stack, as well as the Windows Agent Framework and 120B parameter agents. It also supports hardware accelerated 4:2:2 video for video editing professionals.

It's also good for gaming, with expected 100 frames per second in many games at 1440p with RT and DLSS. In fact, NVIDIA has announced that many popular and mainstream gaming developers have committed to supporting RTX Spark with native games and frameworks so that there are no compatibility issues with the RTX Spark's Arm architecture.

While the first RTX Spark devices are expected to begin shipping in October, it's not yet clear which OEMs will be first out the gate. All major Windows hardware makers, including Dell, Lenovo, HP, ASUS, and Microsoft have all announced RTX Spark devices that are expected to ship by the end of this year. Devices like the Surface Laptop Ultra have not yet been given a release date, though Microsoft typically does aim to ship new Surface PCs in October.

We'll be sure to keep you updated on all the RTX Spark device availability as more information is revealed by OEMs. In the meantime, are you considering an RTX Spark device as your next Windows PC? Let us know in the comments!

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

If you're not a keen follower of the AI space, then the name Hugging Face may not mean anything to you. But the company has just been acquired by NVIDIA, which continues to reinforce its new identity as an AI company.

Announced today by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, Hugging Face will be joining the company in an acquisition priced at just under $13 billion.

Hugging Face is an open platform that has been likened to GitHub, except for local, open AI models that anyone can use. NVIDIA's plans are to keep Hugging Face the same as it is today but to scale. Because if you're not scaling AI these days, what are you even doing?

"Hugging Face will remain an open platform for the entire AI ecosystem. Developers will choose the models they want, the frameworks they want, the clouds and inference service providers they want and the computing platforms they want. NVIDIA compute will not be required to build on or deploy through Hugging Face.

Hugging Face will continue to support open source and open weight models from across the ecosystem, from every model builder. It will continue to support multi-cloud and multi-accelerator development and deployment, so builders can use the hardware and infrastructure that best fit their work."

Keeping personal opinions about AI aside, I'm certainly more in favor of real people being able to use AI models without having to rely on massive, un-evironmentally friendly data centers from the likes of Microsoft and OpenAI.

AI is very much here to stay, whether we choose to embrace it or not. But I'm definitely on the side of being able to use it however you want to use it and without feeding all your data to companies that don't necessarily deserve it.

NVIDIA is very much AI-first these days, though. Gone are the days we'd all look at its shiny new GPUs, and our only thoughts would be about gaming. It does make you ponder what the future holds for gamers, though.

I've got an RTX 5090, for example, and it's still overkill for gaming. But with 32GB of VRAM and a ton of compute horsepower, it's pretty damn good for local AI use. But is this where future products will be aligned first? Everything's getting more expensive, and AI is definitely to blame for a good chunk of it.

Alas, here we are. If you use Hugging Face currently, it doesn't sound like anything's going to change. But if you're a gaming customer of the company, as I am, I am starting to wonder how important we're going to be in the future.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

The road to Tokyo Game Show 2026 begins in earnest as Sony kicks it off with a massive State of Play livestream showcasing many trailers for several upcoming PlayStation games that are also making their way to Xbox and PC platforms.

To save you time determining what's not a PlayStation 5-exclusive, we've rounded up all Xbox and PC games showcased during this livestream for your perusal.

DEAL: Get Surfshark VPN 86% OFF with Windows Central 🦈

Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance

First off, we have a new trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance, a large-scale DLC for the latest entry in Capcom's action-hunting Monster Hunter series, Monster Hunter Wilds.

This trailer features a glimpse at the new locales players will explore, the new weapon moves granted by the Boost Bracer, and several new monsters and returning monsters to hunt, like Kushala Daora and Lao Shan-Lung.

Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance launches in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

Metro 2039

Next up, we have the world's first look at the gameplay of Metro 2039, an upcoming First-Person Shooter where you are struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic version of Moscow, Russia, to save the soul of Metro.

Metro 2039 is set to launch on February 4, 2027, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

Maneater 2

Maneater 2 is a sequel to the cult, open-world action-RPG from 2020 where you wreak havoc as a man-eating shark. This time you will be terrorizing the holiday-goers of a seaside theme park while battling mutated predators looking to make you their next meal.

Maneater is set to launch in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown

The popular open-world action-adventure game, Crimson Desert, is getting a DLC expansion called Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown. This expansion will let you explore new locales on land and sea, master powerful new moves, and take on gigantic boss monsters to earn sweet rewards.

Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown is set to launch on October 15, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Final Fantasy Resonance

Final Fantasy Resonance, the first HD-2D entry in the iconic Final Fantasy series, has announced through its latest gameplay trailer that it's releasing a playable demo today ahead of its October 22, 2026 launch on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 1/2, and PC via Steam.

Additionally, the trailer confirms that one of the bosses you'll face in this game is Final Fantasy VII's legendary villain, Sephiroth.

Gundam Rogue Orbit

Gundam Rogue Orbit is an upcoming single-player action game with an original take on the iconic anime mecha franchise, Gundam.

In this game, you will pilot the customizable Gundam Helix to wage war against hordes of enemies and towering bosses, master over-the-top weapons and techniques, and experience an epic campaign with drama, action, and tragedy that will serve as the perfect entry for newcomers while paying tribute to longtime fans.

Gundam Rogue Orbit is set to launch on March 5, 2027, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

Rhapsody in Scarlet

Rhapsody in Scarlet is a brand new action game by Konami coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

In this game set in 1920's New York City, you play as Ellie Myers, a magus moonlighting as a lounge singer. Your goal is to save the world from invading demonic creatures by wielding powerful magic and summoning hordes of elemental beasts to do your bidding.

Final Fantasy VII: Revelation

The main event closes out with a new trailer and an extended gameplay deep dive for Final Fantasy VII: Revelation, the final chapter of Square Enix's action-RPG remake series of Final Fantasy VII.

The trailer shows off footage of its combat, cinematic story, and, most importantly, a release date. It confirms that Final Fantasy VII: Revelation will launch on April 8, 2027, for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance, the upcoming DLC expansion to the latest entry in Capcom's action-hunting Monster Hunter series, has released its second trailer showcasing how its new 'Boost Bracer' mechanic will change every weapon type.

This trailer focuses on the Boost Bracer's changes to Bow, the classic ranged weapon type where you pierce enemies with a rain of arrows tipped with poisons or, in this DLC expansion, explosives.

DEAL: Get Surfshark VPN 86% OFF with Windows Central 🦈

From what we can tell in this trailer, the Bow will gain a new Boost Driver that lets the user perform an Offset counterattack, firing explosive arrows at enemies to knock them over while flying backwards.

The Bow's Boost Driver attack can be charged for extra damage and transition into other special attacks like the Dragon Piercer (which fires a super-fast rocket-powered arrow) or the Thousand Dragons technique (which fires a bunch of arrows in a single burst at close range).

The Boost Driver attack also fills up the Boost gauge, which, when filled, can be activated to enhance the Bow's attacks and unlock new attacks.

These boosted features include making your arrows fire faster with explosive damage and allowing you to perform enhanced evasive jump maneuvers to avoid attacks while staying on the offensive.

Windows Central's take

I'm not much of a ranged user in Monster Hunter games, as I prefer getting up and close with melee weapons. Although I do make exceptions whenever ranged weapons with explosive ammo builds are viable enough to use because I love blowing monsters up.

So it's kinda cool to see Bow essentially turn into an explosive shotgun thanks to the Boost Bracer's enhancements, and I'm willing to give it a go in the DLC expansion because of it.

However, the most interesting part of the trailer for me is the gear the player is using, as it's a reward for hunting Lao Shan-Lung.

For newer players who never heard of it, Lao Shan-Lung is a colossal Elder Dragon from the original Monster Hunter game back in 2004. It's appeared in a few other games like Monster Hunter Dos, the Monster Hunter Freedom sub-series, and Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (which is where I fought it), and now it's coming back in Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance, as confirmed in its reveal trailer.

I'm personally dreading fighting Lao Shan-Lung again, not because it's difficult but because it's notoriously one of the most boring boss fights in the entire franchise. This is because Lao Shan-Lung is a glorified punching bag that takes forever to kill, and it spends its time VERY SLOWLY running away from the players rather than actively fighting them.

So I'm really hoping this game will make Lao Shan-Lung actually interesting to fight this time (or at least make it actually fight the player instead of being a coward) so farming for its classic gear will be worth the time and effort because it has some slick-looking gear in

We will have to wait to find out when Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance launches in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is fast approaching now that the traditional yearly beta test is out of the way. Included for the first time this year was a look at the next iteration of Call of Duty: Warzone, the free-to-play battle royale that ties in with a current year's game.

It's bittersweet for folks still on an Xbox One or a PS4, though, because they weren't able to try out the new Zodiac map, and they're never going to, either.

Modern Warfare 4 will be the first Call of Duty title to drop support for Xbox One and PS4, and along with it, Warzone. The announcement was made back in June, but for now, the game is still playable.

That's going to change fairly soon, though. Here's what's already happened, what's going to happen, and crucially, when we think the final shutdown will happen.

Why is Call of Duty: Warzone on Xbox One and PS4 being shut down?

The simple answer is that Warzone is shutting down on Xbox One and PS4 because Modern Warfare 4 will not be on those platforms.

Despite Warzone being free-to-play without any requirement to own the latest Call of Duty game, crucially, it integrates with each year's new game.

As Modern Warfare 4 will be taking over from Black Ops 7, and it won't be supported on the last-gen consoles, Warzone will no longer be playable.

When do we think Call of Duty: Warzone is shutting down on Xbox One and PS4?

The official documentation states:

"Call of Duty: Warzone on PlayStation 4 and XBOX One will be available to play through the end of Season 06 for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7."

Activision hasn't given an exact date yet, but we can make an educated guess based on how the new games have rolled out in previous years.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will release on Friday, October 23, 2026. The assumption may be that this is when the Warzone shutdown will happen, but it's not that straightforward.

Traditionally, the Warzone integration doesn't go live when the new game launches. It follows on when Season 1 of said new game begins.

In the case of Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7, Season 1 began 20 days post-launch of the game, and this is when Warzone was updated with the new game's integration. In the case of Modern Warfare III, it was actually almost a week longer.

We expect Season 06 to begin on September 17, given it's both a Thursday and the date the Season 05 battle pass expires. Unlike the jump from Black Ops 6 to Black Ops 7, where there was a month without a seasonal update, it looks like this year's transition will leave us with content right to the very end.

This year isn't an in-house transition like the past two Treyarch releases. Given how long the seasons in Black Ops 7 usually are, we could be looking at Season 06 ending after Modern Warfare 4 launches.

This means Xbox One and PS4 players could have until around November 12 to keep playing Warzone. But we'll know for sure once Season 06 begins when we can expect it to end.

But it wouldn't be crazy to assume that Black Ops 7, the Season 06 content, Battle Pass, and Warzone that is linked to it all could remain live this long. It would be about 20 days after the Modern Warfare 4 launch, too.

Can I still get Call of Duty: Warzone on Xbox One and PS4?

For now, you can only play Warzone on Xbox One or PS4 if you have previously added it to your library.

No new downloads are being offered on either console, but if you're a past player, you can still reinstall it and play until the shutdown date.

The store is also disabled now, despite showing up in the launcher. You're unable to spend anymore money or redeem COD Points.

What happens to all the stuff I've bought in Call of Duty: Warzone on Xbox One and PS4?

The in-game store has been closed for a while now, preventing players from spending real money via the Xbox One and PS4 versions.

But your purchases aren't disappearing. Because you have an Activision ID in order to play, all those purchases are tied to your account.

As such, if you log in on another platform at any time, you'll have everything there waiting for you.

I don't have an Xbox Series X|S, PS5, or gaming PC, so how can I keep playing Call of Duty: Warzone?

If you don't have more current hardware to move to or don't want to upgrade, you're all but out of options.

You do, however, have the ability to play Warzone via the cloud, either through Xbox Cloud Gaming or NVIDIA GeForce Now. The former, you can use on your Xbox One.

Is it the same experience? Not totally. The visuals and frame rate will certainly be an upgrade (especially on GeForce Now) but you do have to consider that you will have some additional latency concerns.

The game will be playing on a piece of hardware that's in someone else's building. While server latency in the game won't be too bad, you then have to stream the game to your own device. Cloud gaming has come a long way, though, and unless you're the absolute most competitive player, it might well be good enough.

The downside is that you're going to have to pay, even though NVIDIA does have a free tier. This one is limited to an hour's play, and you have no priority access, so if the servers are full, you'll be in a longer queue. And who wants to be chucked out in the final circle?

Likewise, you can't play Warzone via the cloud for free with Xbox Cloud Gaming, either. Ultimate gets you the best quality stream, but you can play via the cheaper Xbox Game Pass tiers, too.

So, that's where we're at. While Warzone has indeed been playable on Xbox One, it's hardly been the best experience. The Xbox One X still does OK, but being attached to the Xbox One generation it has to say goodbye, too.

But there's still probably a couple of months at least left to play from the time of writing this, so enjoy.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Today is the day Dragon's Dogma 2 fans have been waiting years for, as Capcom has finally rolled out Title Update 3.2 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

This update features the long-requested performance patch to fix its originally subpar framerates, and tons of gameplay changes to its character vocations, save system, Dragonsplague mechanic, and more.

Additionally, Capcom dropped a new trailer for Dragon's Dogma 2's upcoming Dark Arisen DLC expansion, which reveals how its new Relic loot system will work to provide players with a satisfying gameplay loop to keep them engaged beyond fighting monsters and experiencing its epic story.

Here's everything you need to know about this massive update.

Dragon's Dogma 2 — Title Update 3.2 performance and gameplay changes

First off, let's cover Dragon's Dogma 2's Title Update 3.2 since that's the biggest announcement here. It is a gigantic patch worth 67GB that completely changes nearly facet of the game beyond simply boosting its framerates.

In fact, it's so big that Capcom had to change the PC version's spec requirements, which you can see below via Dragon's Dogma 2's official X account. ⬇️

The official post also reveals the updated framerate settings for the Xbox Series X|S versions. It shows that Dragon's Dogma 2 can now reach 60fps max with the FSR Upscaler on the Xbox Series X, while the game can only reach 45fps max with the FSR Upscaler.

Details regarding the performance of the Nintendo Switch 2 version will be revealed at a later date.

DEAL: Get Surfshark VPN 86% OFF with Windows Central 🦈

As for its gameplay changes, there is a dragon's hoard worth talking about. The major highlights include multiple save files being added, multiple new weapon skill slots, balance changes for every character class Vocation, a new item to cure Dragonsplague from Pawns, and many adjustments for Pawns to make them more useful.

Here are the full patch notes for Dragon's Dogma 2's Title Update 3.2 for its console and PC versions, as confirmed on the Dragon's Dogma 2 website.

Added Features and Adjustments for all platforms

• Save System Adjustments
  • Expanded the number of save slots where adventure data can be saved for each Arisen from one to three.
  • Each save slot now holds three different types of saved data: Autosave, Interim Save, and Last Inn Rest Save.
  • Loading from your last inn rest will no longer delete your autosave or interim save.
  • The date and time of your last save will now be shown on the save screen.
• Dragonsplague Adjustments
  • Added an item to cure Dragonsplague: Dragonsbaulk Draught.
    *Added pawn dialogue related to Dragonsbaulk Draught.
• UI Adjustments
  • Added equipment filters.
  • In Equipment Enhancement, you can now check the required materials for future steps in the process.
  • Added an icon that will display when you can grab hold of an enemy.
    *Also added the option to toggle this on/off.
  • Added an option to favorite equipment.
  • Added an option to prevent meat items used at campsites to be consumed via item shortcuts.
  • Changed the max amount of an item that can be given to a pawn when dismissing them to 99 (some special items excluded).
  • Added the number of times the Eternal Ferrystone was used to the Adventure Logbook.
  • Improved the Button Mapping screen layout.
  • Added a control type for keyboards that allows weapon skills to be activated with a single button.
  • Added a control type for keyboards that allows weapon skills to be switched with a single button.
  • Added functions so that when changing equipment as a Warfarer, you can now unequip weapons, change weapon order, and swap/compare equipped weapons from the list of equipped weapons.
  • If only a shield is equipped, shield stats will now be shown when changing the order of equipment as a Warfarer.
  • Added the ability to cancel and redo item selection on the item delivery selection screen when turning in an item for a quest.
• Added a function to skip the opening part of the story when replaying the game.
• Pawn Adjustments
  • Added the pawn command Explore that can be used by holding the Go command button.
    *Also added the option to toggle this on/off.
  • Added the pawn command "High Five!" that can be used by holding the "To Me!" command button.
    *Also added the option to toggle this on/off.
  • Pawns can now grapple enemies and draw their attention.
  • Pawns can now interfere with enemy attacks when the Arisen is downed.
  • Pawns can now protect the Arisen when they are unable to move.
  • Pawns can now suggest using large boulders when enemies are grouped together.
  • Pawns can now lure enemies to areas where the environment can be used.
  • Pawns can now perform follow-up attacks on enemies knocked back by the Arisen.
  • While grappling a large enemy, pawns can now pull the Arisen up and make them jump higher.
  • Pawns are now more likely to prioritize enemies targeting the Arisen when the player is using a ranged vocation.
  • When carrying an incapacitated pawn, pawns will now act based on the situation, such as putting down the pawn being carried if they are in danger.
  • Pawns will now act more quickly to attack or provide support.
  • Pawns will now avoid or guard against attacks more effectively.
  • Pawns are now temporarily invincible when being revived by the Arisen.
  • Pawns will now have a shorter hitstop when landing a charged attack as a Warrior.
  • Pawns will now more easily catch the Arisen after they have fallen from a great height during battle.
  • Pawns afflicted with Dragonsplague will now be able to stun large enemies by attacking their legs.
  • Pawns afflicted with Dragonsplague will now be able to attack smaller enemies without consuming stamina for a limited time.
  • Pawns afflicted with Dragonsplague will now be able to make enemies more susceptible to being thrown off balance by attacking them while they are already stunned.
  • Pawns afflicted with Dragonsplague will now accumulate the loss gauge at a slower rate.
  • When a tome to learn a specialization has been used or discarded, it will now be available at the Scrap Store.
  • Your main pawn will now bring back items dropped by enemies they defeated while in another world.
• Text/Tutorial Display Adjustments
  • Added a tutorial for save system changes.
  • Added a tutorial for item screen filters.
  • Added a tutorial for Dragonsbaulk Draught.
  • Added a tutorial for expanded pawn commands.
  • Changed the explanations for skills that have been adjusted.
• 【Archer】
  • Changed the explanation for Front Kick.
• 【Mage/Sorcerer】
  • Added a tutorial for magick barrier.
• 【Warrior】
  • Added an explanation for how to knock back enemies.
• 【Trickster】
  • Added an explanation for Buoyant Brume.
• Other Adjustments
  • Improved NPC behavior when they use a ballista alone.
  • Improved camera behavior when the Arisen interacts with a ballista.
  • Adjusted the party position and camera angle after warping to a Portcrystal making it easier to find one's bearings.
• ◆ Action Adjustments
• Expanded the number of assignable weapon skills from four to six.
• You will now be less likely to flinch for a period of time after having flinched from being attacked.
• Enemies are now less likely to target you if you are crawling.
• Being attacked while downed will now cause you to get up right away.
• The effects of a stamina recovery item used while exhausted will now be instantaneous.
• Extended the period of invincibility when being revived with a wakestone.
• Vocation Adjustments
• 【Fighter】
  • Adjusted the behavior of Deflect when used against ranged attacks.
  • Made it easier for Blink Strike to hit enemies.
  • Adjusted the timing window for Tusk Toss so it's less likely to fail to cast if the charge is complete.
  • Adjusted the timing for some attack skills to connect more smoothly with Tusk Toss.
  • Adjusted Counter Slash to prioritize the enemy that just deflected the attack.
  • If other enemies are close by when using Riotous Fury, the direction of the attack can now be adjusted on the fly with the control stick.
  • Adjusted the final upward strike of Riotous Fury to slightly lift enemies up into the air.
  • Increased the distance of the first attack of Riotous Fury to make it easier to connect.
  • Enemy attacks are less likely to cause the target to flinch.
• 【Archer】
  • Increased the speed to nock an arrow when using Exploding Shot, Drenching Shot, Tarring Shot, or Blighting Shot.
  • Increased the damage of Dire Arrow.
  • Changed Front Kick and Leaping Punt so that the user is launched backwards even when performed on the ground.
  • Changed Front Kick and Leaping Punt so that the user is launched backwards by performing a button input.
  • Changed so that when the Arisen touches the ground after using Front Kick or Leaping Punt, they will face the enemy they kicked off of if no controller stick input is given.
• 【Thief】
  • Increased the stamina consumed when using Formless Feint.
  • Pressing the Vocation Action button during Formless Feint will throw off the balance of the attacking enemy.
    *Throwing the enemy off balance with good timing will temporarily disable continuous stamina consumption. Perfect timing will reduce stamina consumption for weapon skills.
• 【Mage/Sorcerer】
  • Added the core skill Magick Barrier.
    *Pressing the Vocation Action button will erect a magickal barrier shielding you from enemy attacks. Stamina consumption varies depending on the weapon.
  • Increased the maximum movement speed of the camera when casting Flagration.
• 【Mage】
  • While Anodyne is active, you can now cancel the motion by button input.
• 【Sorcerer】
  • Extended the incantation speed for Prescient Flare.
  • Extended the grace period for Prescient Flare's magickal orbs to explode, while also reducing the time to explode once the orbs have reached their maximum state. (A different sound effect was added for when the orbs explode at their maximum state, making it easier to tell the difference.)
  • Increased the value required to amplify Prescient Flare's magickal orbs and extended the time until the orbs fade if not attacked.
  • Prescient Flare's magickal orbs will no longer amplify if hit with another cast of Prescient Flare.
  • Adjusted the camera direction when casting Seism.
• 【Warrior】
  • The charged state of Mighty Sweep can now be maintained when using Barge.
  • Forward movement when using an airborne Stonesplitter has been reduced, making it easier for attacks to connect.
  • The light attack input timing for Chain of Blows as been made more consistent, making it easier to use.
  • The forward reach of Mighty Sweep and Stonesplitter attacks has been increased.
  • Increased the speed of light attacks when clinging to a foe.
  • Adjusted the hitstop for strong attacks when clinging to a foe to increase the feeling of satisfaction.
  • Changed the motion for powerful successive strikes against large enemies.
  • Adjusted the timing for damage reduction while charging Skyward Sunder, Rending Sweep and Knoll Breaker to be more consistent across the skills.
  • Adjusted the knockback distance and height for attacks that knock enemies into the air, making them easier to connect with other attacks.
  • Increased the damage of Savage Lash.
  • Adjusted the window for counterattacks for Tidal Fury, making it possible sooner.
  • Reduced the recovery time after a counterattack fails when using Tidal Fury.
  • The forward reach of charged Mighty Sweep, Skyward Sunder, Rending Sweep, and Savage Lash attacks has been increased.
• 【Mystic Spearhand】
  • Adjusted the timing window for Redouted Bolt so it's less likely to fail to cast if the charge is complete.
  • Increased the button input window for Scatering Bolt → Quik Fot, making it easier to use in combos like Forbeding Bolt → Scatering Bolt, Forbeding Bolt → Quik Fot and Forbeding Bolt → Scatering Bolt → Quik Fot.
  • Increased the damage of Magike Cut, Seching Blade, and Magike Sperepelote when used against enemies bound by Forbeding Bolt or Scatering Bolt.
  • Increased the damage of Skiedragoun's Fangtooth.
  • Adjusted the targeting of Wild Furie to prioritize nearby enemies after the first attack.
  • Adjusted Magike Sperepelote so that the camera's center point doesn't shift during attacks.
  • "Changed Mirour Vesture so that it can now be charged and cast.
    If it is not charged the magickal barrier will only affect the Arisen. If it is charged, it will affect the Arisen and party members. A charged cast will also perform an attack that causes nearby enemies to flinch."
  • Added durability to the magickal barrier of Mirour Vesture, the barrier will dissipate when it reaches zero.
  • Greatly increased the time the magickal barrier of Mirour Vesture is active. However, it will quickly dissipate when not in combat.
  • Increased the range in which the magickal barrier of Mirour Vesture can be applied to pawns.
  • Increased the stamina consumed by Mirour Vesture, decreased the natural stamina recovery rate while the magickal barrier is active.
• 【Magick Archer】
  • Adjusted so that when you consecutively use offensive weapon skills without aiming, you will continue targeting the first enemy targeted as long as they are within a certain distance.
  • Adjusted so that when you aim and use a weapon skill, the input for the skill activation button will be accepted from the moment you start aiming.
  • Reduced the range of magick arrows when not locked on to a pawn when using Vimtaking Arrow.
  • Reduced the damage of magick arrows when not locked on to a pawn when using Vimtaking Arrow.
• 【Trickster】
  • Added the core skill Buoyant Brume.
    *When jumping, press the jump button again to float for a period of time.
  • When using Effigial Incense, the simulacrum's Health reduction when it strays too far from the caster has been decreased.
  • When using Fickle Floor, wolf-type enemies (excluding some, like Garms) that enter the illusion will now flinch.
  • When using Dragon's Delusion, Golems will now flinch.
  • Archer, Mage, and Sorcerer pawns can now attack enemies through the illusory walls created by Delusory Screen.
  • Adjusted the camera direction when casting Dragon's Delusion.
• 【Fighter/Thief/Warrior/Mystic Spearhand】
  • When using some skills that can be used mid-air, you can now adjust your position in the air with the control stick.
• 【Fighter/Thief/Warrior/Mystic Spearhand/Unarmed Combat】
  • Adjusted the camera direction when performing powerful successive strikes.
• 【Fighter/Warrior/Unarmed Combat】
  • Adjusted the blowback of enemies when using Gouging Skewer as a Fighter or when performing powerful successive strikes as a Warrior or in unarmed combat.
• Other Adjustments
  • Added Dash Attack and Charge Attack to unarmed combat.
  • The timing until you can grab an enemy again after jumping and releasing the grab has been shortened.
  • Reduced the recovery time for unarmed weak attacks while clinging to or pinning down an enemy.
  • Made it easier to draw attention from a large enemy when grabbing them.
• Enemy Adjustments
  • Adjusted the accumulation value of the blighted debilitation caused by enemy attacks.
• 【Goblin/Hobgoblin/Chopper/Knacker/Saurian/Asp/Serpent】
  • Improved the quality of jump actions.
• 【Goblin/Hobgoblin/Chopper/Knacker/Saurian/Asp/Rattler/Magma Scale/Serpent】
  • Adjusted the tracking of some attacks to make them easier to avoid.
• 【Goblin/Hobgoblin/Chopper/Knacker/Saurian/Asp/Rattler/Magma Scale/Serpent/Skeleton】
  • Changed the way the Arisen reacts when hit by attacks, as some attacks caused situations that were difficult to recover from.
• 【Saurian/Asp/Rattler/Magma Scale/Serpent】
  • Made it easier for attacks to hit the tail.
• 【Slime/Ooze/Sludge】
  • Adjusted pawns so that they attack from a position suitable for their vocation.
  • Attacks are now more likely to hit.
• 【Skeleton/Stout Undead/Phantom/Phantasm/Specter】
  • Increased the damage of holy attacks.
• 【Minotaur/Goreminotaur】
  • Added expressions to make it clearer when the enemy hits an obstacle while dashing.
• 【Drake】
  • Adjusted the frequency of using specific attacks when health is low, as it led to a situation where recovery was difficult.
  • Changed the targeting so that it's easier to aim for parts other than the heart when the heart isn't exposed.
• ◆ Bug Fixes
• Vocations
• 【Archer】
  • Fixed a bug where using Dire Arrow when mid-sized or larger enemies were downed would result in the enemies jumping back up as soon as the arrow was released.
• 【Thief】
  • Fixed a bug where using Twin Fangs in midair would cause the player to teleport instantaneously to enemy locations within a certain distance.
• 【Warrior】
  • Fixed a bug where damage was not dealt when using Goring Lunge on small enemies against a wall.
  • Fixed a bug where the opponent was not blown back when attacked with powerful successive strikes.
  • Fixed a bug where the camera would clip into the ground when using a powerful successive strike while mounted on an enemy.
• 【Mystic Spearhand】
  • Fixed a bug where enemies hit by Forbeding Bolt while airborne would gradually move rather than remain stationary.
• 【Magick Archer】
  • Fixed a bug where Bartizan's counterattack would cause enemies to fall down instead of being knocked back.
  • Fixed a bug where an enemy's appearance would become unnatural after Sagittate Downpour hit.
• 【Trickster】
  • Fixed a bug where using Espial Incense on an oxcart while keeping the simulacrum stationary would cause crude polygons and the ground below to appear.
• Pawns
  • Fixed a bug where the main pawn would not respond to a support pawn's question, resulting in the end of conversation.
  • Fixed a bug where a pawn's gaze would point in extreme directions, causing their eyes to turn white or their pupils to appear to pierce through their eyelids.
  • Fixed a bug where a pawn would not gain quest knowledge after completing the quest Tensions on the Highroad.
  • Fixed a bug where pawns would not help when using a ballista against dragons.
• Enemies
• 【Harpy/Venin Harpy/Gore Harpy/Succubus】
  • Fixed a bug where facial expressions were not moving.
• UI
  • Fixed a bug where stat boosts from rings equipped by support pawns were not reflected on the status details screen.
  • Fixed several inaccuracies in the in-game descriptions displayed within the pause menu.
  • Fixed a bug where the map location of the Portcrystal in Harve differed from its actual location.
• Quests
  • Fixed a bug in the quest Mercy among Thieves where Hugo's movements and the camera's timing were out of sync.
  • Fixed a bug in the quest Mercy among Thieves where the NPC Thor sometimes remained at the entrance to the hideout after the quest was completed.
  • Fixed a bug in the quest Monster Culling where dialogue from Harve Village soldiers fighting in the cave would sometimes play while the player is above ground.
  • Fixed a bug in the quest Every Rose Has Its Thorn where the interact button would display even when peeking through the peephole in the wall will not progress the quest.
  • Fixed a bug in the quest Dreams Apart where the quest log did not accurately reflect quest progress when conditions preventing progress were met.
• Text
  • Fixed an issue where the direction of double quotation marks was incorrect in some text.
• Other
  • Fixed a bug where Threshing Blaze caused lower than expected damage when used by characters with low magick.
  • Fixed several visual glitches that occurred when equipping the Intrepid Scalecoat.
  • Fixed a bug where equipping the Burgundy Coat would cause the waist to bulge.
  • Fixed a bug where equipping the Blessed Waistcloth or Spellweaver's Waistcloth would cause the base of the body armor to bend.
  • Increased the quantity of Lantern Oil obtained by combining Rotten Tideswimmer and Oily Slime from one to three.
  • Fixed a bug where oxcarts would repeatedly move forward and backward.
  • Fixed a bug where performing certain actions on an oxcart would cause the player to float and sit in mid-air.
  • Fixed a bug where loading your last inn rest save after resting at the lodgings at the Borderwatch Outpost would cause the NPC Warrick to be on high alert.
  • Fixed a bug where some floors were being recognized as cliffs inside buildings.
  • Fixed a bug in the character creation screen where selecting a beastren and changing the eye height and eye width would cause the surface of the eyeball to look unnatural.
  • Fixed a bug where Portcrystals could be placed in some restricted areas.
  • Fixed a bug where Seeker's Tokens placed in Vernworth or around a griffin's nest would, under certain conditions, float in mid-air and become unobtainable.
  • Fixed a bug where certain shaved hairstyles would not render properly depending on the viewing angle.
  • Fixed a bug where Brant would sometimes return to his room and sit down in a chair after the first time meeting him.
  • Fixed a bug where the pose of the Arisen or pawns would become unnatural immediately after being thrown by a large enemy.
  • Fixed a bug where the toenails of beastren characters would sometimes stop displaying after unequipping certain leg armor.
  • Fixed a bug where shields carried on the back could clip through cloaks.
  • [PlayStation 5 / XBOX Series X|S Exclusive changes]
  • ◆ Added Features and Adjustments
  • UI Adjustments
    • Added Resource-Intense Effects Quality to the Graphics section of the Options menu.

Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 exclusive added features and adjustments

• UI Adjustments
  • Added Resource-Intense Effects Quality to the Graphics section of the Options menu.

Steam exclusive added features and adjustments

• UI Adjustments
  • Added Volumetric Fog Resolution to the Graphics section of the Options menu.
  • Added Cloudscape Resolution to the Graphics section of the Options menu.
  • Added Foliage Density to the Graphics section of the Options menu.
  • Added Terrain Quality to the Graphics section of the Options menu.
  • Added Ray Tracing GI Quality to the Graphics section of the Options menu.
  • Added Ray Tracing GI Shading Quality to the Graphics section of the Options menu.
  • Added Effect Reflections to the Graphics section of the Options menu.
  • Added CPU Saving Mode to the Graphics section of the Options menu.
  • Added NPC Culling to the Graphics section of the Options menu.
  • Added Swaying Grass Quality to the Graphics section of the Options menu.
  • Graphics Memory will now be shown in the Graphics section of the Options menu.
• ◆ Bug Fixes
• UI
  • Fixed a bug where a mouse could not be used to select the last party member in a shop's checkout screen.
  • Fixed a bug where the confirmation screen for saving changes did not appear when exiting the options screen after changing key bindings.
  • Fixed a bug where WASD keys could not be assigned to the Trickster's Ascend (as spirit) and Descend (as spirit).
• Other Fixes
  • Fixed a bug where, at high framerates, the wheels of an oxcart would appear to keep spinning and stopping while the oxcart continued to move.
  • Fixed a bug where, at high framerates, the cargo section of an oxcart would slowly rotate while the cart is stationary.
  • Fixed a bug where, at high framerates, the sensitivity of the controller's motion sensor would fluctuate.
  • Fixed a bug where the values for graphics memory usage and processing load included values for disabled features.

Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen — Relic system

Next up, we have a new gameplay trailer for Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, which reveals new details regarding its unique Relic Expedition mechanic.

While exploring the dark caves and snowy fields of this DLC expansion's exclusive Norgan region, you will frequently come across Relics hidden in treasure chests or obtained upon killing dangerous foes like the sasquatch-like Norgan Giants.

You can also employ the services of a Norgandian direwolf named Freki to help you search for these Relics more easily for the price of meat and pets.

Once you find these relics, you can have them appraised by an NPC named Jiera within the Norgandian Settlement, which will then transform them into new weapons or armor pieces.

Your newly appraised gear won't just offer better stats, they can also grant you and your Pawns brand new abilities or refine ones you already have learnt to help you survive better in battle.

Windows Central's take

The new Relic systems sound interesting, but the best news for me is Dragon's Dogma 2's Title Update 3.2 with its much-needed 60fps performance boost to Xbox consoles.

I've tested its performance boost briefly on my Xbox Series X during my lunch break and can confirm Dragon's Dogma 2 now runs at a consistent 30fps or 60fps depending on the newly added graphics settings.

This is a MASSIVE improvement from when I briefly played it back in 2024 to make my Thief Vocation guide, which constantly dropped below 30fps whether I was casually exploring or getting into fights.

Granted, the resolution quality takes a bit of a hit, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make if it means I don't have to worry about nauseating framerate drops that caused the game to look like a PowerPoint presentation or having low framerates delay my inputs during fights with trolls and drakes anymore.

Dragon's Dogma 2 now feels so nice to control thanks to this patch. With the addition of this patch, the Title Update 3.1 patch, which made fast-travel less of a headache, and the removal of annoying pay-to-win microtransactions, it's time I give this game a proper playthrough and see why my colleague, Jez Corden, loved Dragon's Dogma 2 so much.

Dragon's Dogma 2's Dark Arisen DLC expansion is set to launch on October 9, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Microsoft Teams will soon let you temporarily pause notifications for a set period of time. Teams already has a variety of mute functions, but the new feature should make it easier to quiet down anything from Teams for a bit.

The feature starts rolling out this month and should be available to all users by early October.

The Microsoft 365 Message Center Archive has a record of the change:

"Microsoft Teams will introduce a new capability that allows users to temporarily pause notifications for a selected period of time. This feature gives users greater control over interruptions, helps reduce notification overload, and enables focused work, meetings, and other activities without requiring changes to existing notification settings."

All versions of Teams will have the option to temporarily pause Teams notifications for a set duration. The feature will be accessible through the profile menu in the upper-right corner of Teams.

The new capability in Teams is a bit like "Focus" in Windows 11, though it's specific to Teams. If you're working on a project, you may want to receive notifications through Windows 11 but keep Teams quiet.

Many workers have to use a variety of communication platforms. Pausing Teams notifications for a while could come in handy when presenting on Zoom. Microsoft accidentally shared discussions about other companies during a presentation by having a Teams notification appear. Pausing notifications would have prevented that.

It appears that one of the key differences in using this new feature compared to Do Not Disturb is how you'll appear to your colleagues. Setting Teams to Do Not Disturb is simple and effective, but it changes your public status indicator to red. I believe pausing notifications will leave your status unchanged.

Muting channels in Teams is also an existing feature, but it is done on a per-channel or per-chat basis. Pausing notifications should work across the board.

Neowin first spotted the new feature for Teams, but at the time details were scarce. Microsoft has since detailed how the feature will work and how the option differs from other methods of muting Teams.

It's unclear if pausing notifications will sync across all of your devices or if it is on a per-instance basis. I would hope there is an option to sync the pausing or pick which devices will continue to receive notifications.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.