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Xbox adds more OG console games to PC, including Knights of the Old Republic — Now with achievements

People were hoping for a new batch of Xbox backward-compatible games after months of teasing.. and here's what Microsoft has to offer.

Xbox's backward compatibility program is one of the top innovations Microsoft has put out for its ecosystem. Hundreds of OG and Xbox 360 games were brought forward natively to modern consoles, helping game preservation and making Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S the only place you can play many classics. Microsoft has been expanding that program even further.

Last summer, Microsoft unveiled a handful of OG Xbox games ported and emulated to Windows 11 via the Xbox PC app, leading to hopes Microsoft was about to reinvigorate the program in general. Today, we're getting a few more, as well as full Xbox achievement support for select classic titles.

"XBOX is expanding its backward compatibility offering on PC with 21 additional original XBOX games, bringing the total to 25," Microsoft wrote on Xbox Wire. "The expanded lineup includes classics such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. XBOX is also adding achievements to more original XBOX titles, including Knights of the Old Republic, giving players new ways to revisit and celebrate classic games."

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic screenshot, showcasing combat

Knights of the Old Republic laid the foundation for Mass Effect, and is one of BioWare's most legendary titles. Don't tell EA that (Image credit: EA)

Xbox makes the exact game listing crystal clear, saying, "The 21 additional games available to players in supported countries starting today are:"

  • Armed and Dangerous
  • Disney's Chicken Little
  • The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (also available with XBOX Game Pass)
  • Grabbed by the Ghoulies (also available with XBOX Game Pass)
  • Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb
  • Red Faction II
  • Secret Weapons Over Normandy
  • Star Wars Battlefront
  • Star Wars Battlefront II
  • Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight II Jedi Outcast
  • Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter
  • Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
  • Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords
  • Star Wars: Republic Commando
  • Star Wars: Starfighter – Special Edition
  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars
  • Thrillville
  • TimeSplitters 2
  • TimeSplitters: Future Perfect

It continues, "These join the four games already available on PC: "

  • BLiNX: The Time Sweeper (also available with XBOX Game Pass)
  • Conker: Live and Reloaded (also available with XBOX Game Pass)
  • Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge (also available with XBOX Game Pass)
  • Fuzion Frenzy (also available with XBOX Game Pass)

25 original XBOX games are rolling out today on PC, including KOTOR I & II, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and Blinx: The Time Sweeper. Select titles are also getting Achievements for the first time. Preserving our history means making sure people can still play the timeless games from the past.November 12, 2026

Many have been hoping games like Singularity and Skylanders would hit full back-compat, given that Microsoft now owns these properties via Activision. The Xbox Game Preservation website has tens of thousands of votes for games; alas, that's sadly not what we're getting this week. Still, being able to access some OG games and land their Xbox Mythic achievements is something I personally never saw happening, given that these games are no longer anywhere near in active development.

For the first time ever, players can now earn achievements in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords, BLiNX: The Time Sweeper, and Conker: Live and Reloaded.

Xbox

It's a little bittersweet given that EA just killed BioWare. Knights of the Old Republic is one of the best RPGs ever made, with twists that few games have managed to top to this day. I'm hopeful that Microsoft will address some outstanding Xbox 360 games for backward compatibility too, particularly Skylanders, which, given the Spyro remake, has an opportunity to find a new audience in 2026, in my view.

Xbox's 25th anniversary will continue through the week, with a variety of small announcements, including the nostalgia-driven Playback feature. I'm not expecting anything huge like an Xbox Helix reveal, but could we finally see the Xbox Elite Controller Series 3? Time will tell.

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Microsoft 365, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, Copilot, and Azure hit by widespread outage

Microsoft's biggest services are all facing major outages right now. Outlook, Teams, Copilot, OneDrive, and Azure all appear to be affected.

According to DownDetector, tens of thousands of users are affected by the outage for each Microsoft service. The full impact is likely much broader, meaning we could be in for a long afternoon or evening depending on your time zone.

While reports of issues have spiked recently, there are still some users who will be able to use Microsoft services throughout the outage. We've had mixed results in our testing.

This is an ongoing story, and we will update it as more information becomes available.

It appears that other popular services are facing issues as well, including services from Google, Steam, and AWS. Many users are also reporting issues with Cloudflare.

When this many services experience outages simultaneously, there is likely a common underlying cause, but we're still awaiting confirmation of what's behind the issues.

The Microsoft 365 Status account on X is providing updated information on the outages.

While we're working to mitigate impact, we've confirmed the issue may affect Microsoft 365 service connectivity for users in any region, more information will be provided in the Microsoft 365 admin center under EX1550543.November 12, 2026

It's still too early to know how long the outage will last or whether it stems from a broader infrastructure issue.

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Halo: Campaign Evolved is finally getting Firefight mode, and it won't cost a thing

Halo: Campaign Evolved came and went, didn’t it? It’s a fairly solid remake, but plenty of fans, myself included, felt it was missing that special something. And that special something was multiplayer.

I was okay with the decision to skip a full multiplayer component, given that I wanted the campaign to be the absolute best it could be. However, adding a mode like Firefight would have definitely gone a long way toward boosting replayability.

In fact, I covered news recently suggesting that Halo: Campaign Evolved might get one final update, despite the franchise being handed off to Activision. In that piece, I detailed reports that the game would receive both Firefight and Theater mode. While I can’t speak to the status of Theater mode, Xbox announced that Firefight is definitely heading to Halo: Campaign Evolved.

When can we play Firefight?

Grunts in Halo: Campaign Evolved

Halo: Campaign Evolved (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Fans attending Xbox FanFest in Seattle today (November 12, 2026) will be the first to play, with additional details set to be revealed next month at Halo Fest, taking place between December 12 and December 13, 2026. It's all part of an ongoing celebration of Xbox's 25th anniversary, which includes Halo as its launch title.

Not much is known yet, but we have been told that Firefight will arrive as a free update this winter. It will feature new maps, new weapons, and four-player co-op. For those unfamiliar, Firefight is a wave-based PvE mode that pits you against escalating waves of enemies, usually with modifiers coming into play.

I think this is pretty great. I was absolutely gutted that we didn’t get any real form of replayability for Campaign Evolved at launch, so it’s nice to see what remains of Halo Studios pull together and get something for fans to enjoy out the door.

I will definitely be jumping in to try Firefight when it releases. Part of me is hoping we’ll see a new batch of achievements, too, but I think that’s just wishful thinking on my part since I’ve already 100%’d the game. Until then, we can look back on our gaming history with Microsoft's Spotify Wrapped-style nostalgia feature: Xbox Playback.

Let me know your thoughts on this winter update for Halo: Campaign Evolved in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll below:

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Microsoft wants developers spending less time cleaning up AI-generated code

The engine that powers Copilot Chat in Visual Studio just got an upgrade. Microsoft says the new experience can complete more coding tasks despite using the same AI models as before. The updated Copilot experience now uses the same technology that powers GitHub Copilot CLI, the GitHub Copilot app, and VS Code.

Microsoft tested the new and old Copilot experiences by having each perform 157 coding tasks. The new engine resolved up to 21 more tasks, completing 124 tasks compared to 103 for the older experience.

Tests were performed on C# projects across .NET Framework and .NET Core, Azure and Aspire, and WinForms and desktop apps. Microsoft also tested the new engine on C++, Python, and other languages.

Generally, developers don't judge AI by whether it can answer a question. They judge it by whether it actually saves time. If Copilot can fix a bug, review code, find an issue, or complete a task in fewer attempts, it provides real value to developers. Microsoft says that's exactly what's happening.

Developers often spend as much time verifying AI-generated code as they do writing it. If Copilot can complete more tasks correctly on the first attempt, it can save quite a bit of time.

If you've ever used ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, or another AI tool, you've likely run into the same problem. AI tools have a habit of sending users down the wrong path. The difference between a useful AI response and an almost useful AI response is often several minutes spent rewriting prompts, correcting mistakes, or double-checking information.

The new Copilot Chat has several new capabilities, such as allowing you to type a new instruction while it is in the middle of a task. Copilot will also show the results of actions it takes rather than simply listing attempted steps.

If a task is handled by a subagent, Copilot will show a dedicated card that lists every step taken as it occurs.

Microsoft argues the updated Copilot experience makes developers more productive by providing shorter, more focused responses and completing more tasks successfully. The company also says the new experience handles larger and more complex jobs more effectively, which could mean less time spent cleaning up AI output before a project is ready.

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'Xbox Playback' is Microsoft's gaming Spotify Wrapped on steroids — Get yours now

It's Xbox's 25th anniversary this month, and Microsoft is announcing a variety of new "stuff" over the course of the week.

First up, we have a shiny new feature I know some of you have been passionate about, dubbed Xbox Playback.

Last year, it felt like almost every brand on Earth did some form of "Spotify Wrapped," which showcased what music and podcasting habits you had throughout the year. Even my banking app had a "Wrapped" last year, but Xbox was conspicuously absent from the festivities. I wrote back then that it was because they were working on something bigger, something that would be future-proofed, and it seems we now know what it is.

Announced today on Xbox Wire, Xbox Playback is a "personalized experience" that mimics previous anniversary data collections Xbox has done, although, from what I've heard, it will be available annually too moving forward.

To see your Xbox Playback, head over here and sign in with your account, or head to your Playback Archive to explore more of your history.

XBOX Playback starts rolling out now. It's a look at what you played, who you played with, and what you accomplished on XBOX over the last 25 years. https://t.co/HX5nOWldiXNovember 12, 2026

"XBOX is introducing XBOX Playback, a new personalized experience that lets players revisit their gaming history across 25 years of XBOX," Microsoft said. "Players can discover their first XBOX game, most-played titles, total playtime, achievements, longest gaming streaks and other milestones. Playback will be accessible on console and the web, with personalized videos and shareable cards, rolling out gradually throughout the day in 15 countries." (..)

"Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Poland, South Africa, Spain, UK and US. Requires at least 1 XBOX Gamerscore, 1 achievement, and 1 minute of qualifying gameplay linked to your Xbox profile; access on console requires at least 1 minute of qualifying gameplay on console. Based on available data; some data may be incomplete or delayed."

It's a bit of a shame it's only available in 15 countries and not the total scope of Xbox's user base.. I'm pretty sure things like Spotify Wrapped are available to all customers. To speculate, Microsoft is pretty meticulous when it comes to regional data laws owing to its enterprise cloud division, and national rules it has to observe therein. I'll try and find out exactly why it's so limited in scope.

In any case, you can expect more Xbox 25th anniversary celebratory announcements throughout the day. I'm not expecting anything on the scale of an Xbox Helix reveal or Elder Scrolls 6 gameplay trailer, but could we finally see the Xbox Elite Controller Series 3? Here's hoping.

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Counterpoint to Katsuhiro Harada: Why the Xbox Series S deserves praise, not blame

The Xbox Series S has found itself in the crosshairs once again this week after former Tekken director told a panel at the Console Game Developers Conference in South Korea, that he wished hardware like the Series S had never been released. Going as far as to call it "extra work for a slightly weaker child."

Reported and translated by Inven Global, apparently Katsuhiro Harada complained about the console's lower memory, and joked that he hoped Microsoft isn't planning a "Helix S" for next gen. The comments have now fired up the Xbox Series S's most passionate detractors, who are using these quotes as definitive proof that the Series S is holding the entire industry back and, frankly, I'm tired, boss.

The argument is inherently anti-consumer, elitist and completely ignores the benefits of game optimization for everyone and every console, not just Xbox Series S. More importantly, it ignores the current state of the market and what consumers can actually afford right now and for the foreseeable future.

Optimization is a feature, not a bug

Baldur's Gate 3 with Xbox Series X|S

(Image credit: Windows Central)

On the same panel, CD Projekt Red associate game director Paweł Sasko had a counterpoint to Harada's comments. Laughing them off and said that the Series S is valuable precisely because developing within its constraints makes studios optimise their code more cleanly, work that ends up making the game significantly better on all platforms.

It's not the first time we've heard this sentiment. Of course, Larian wrestled with the Xbox Series S over Baldur's Gate 3 so much it ultimately delayed the launch of the game on the Xbox ecosystem, but the memory optimizations they engineered to make split-screen work on the S directly resulted in massive RAM and VRAM improvements across the PS5 and PC versions of the game.

Meanwhile, I can't help but notice the glaring double standard again here when lower-spec hardware comes up in industry discourse. Hardware like the Steam Deck and the Nintendo Switch 2 don't receive the same vitriol. Nobody claims Valve's hardware is "ruining PC gaming" when developers have to tweak settings to get a Verified badge. As Harada himself admitted on the panel, developers gladly shift their mindset for the Nintendo Switch 2 because it's viewed as its own distinct platform. Yet Xbox offering an entry-level piece of hardware for current gen, using similar architecture is treated as some kind of unforgivable burden on the industry.

It's important to note though that Harada has since clarified that his comments were simply made to "liven up the room." That hasn't stopped the onslaught of told-you-so-themed posts around the Series S, however.

Consumers are going to be priced out of the next-gen arms race

Xbox Helix logos

(Image credit: Microsoft | XBOX)

The loudest critics of the Xbox Series S, demanding developers should abandon lower-spec hardware, are frankly out of touch with the economic reality facing the gaming industry right now and the near future.

We are right now witnessing a brutal hardware price crisis, driven by bloated compontent and RAM costs. God only knows what eye watering prices we can expect for early adopters of the Xbox Helix and PlayStation 6, but all signs right now point to price tags that will keep early adoption out of reach for the average consumer, normal families. Us peasants aren't going to be in a position to drop $1000 on brand new hardware. I want what I already have to work for me for as long as possible before I have to choose financial ruin or giving up gaming all together.

A dramatic and hyperbolic statement perhaps, but this is close to the reality for many gamers my age with a family, the days of me buying a new console day one are long gone. My Xbox Series S is going to be a family heirloom.

In this environment, we should be pushing studios and developers harder than ever to optimize games for the systems we actually own right now. Even Harada had to acknowledge this on stage. There are more Series S users than Series X in the United States currently, developers can't simply ignore this player base because optimizing memory budgets is an inconvenience.

FSR 4.1 is also changing the narrative

Close-up angled view of the ROG Ally screen displaying the Update Center with a preview update for AMD Radeon Graphics Driver version 32.0.32015.7029.

Thankfully, newer industry advancements are making the whole "Xbox Series S is holding gaming back" argument feel more lame as the years go by.

Earlier this month, Microsoft and AMD officially rolled out FSR 4.1 to Xbox Series X|S developers. I won't pretend to understand the intricacies, so if you want the full breakdown of how it works, our team has covered the technical side in detail, but the short version is that it uses clever AI upscaling to make games look sharper and run smoother without needing beefier hardware. We've already seen it work wonders on handhelds like the Xbox Ally X, effectively acting like a free mid-gen upgrade.

For something lower powered like the trusty Series S this is a lifeline. Instead of expecting normal people to shell out hundreds of pounds or dollars for a brand-new box every few years, tools like FSR 4.1 let developers get far better results out of the hardware sitting under our TVs right now.

Xbox Series S is our cheapest ticket to Grand Theft Auto 6

Xbox Series S GTA 6 styled

(Image credit: Windows Central)

While I've touched on the current economic mess of modern-day hardware, the Xbox Series S isn't immune to this. It originally launched at an incredibly accessible price of $299, but Microsoft's 'budget" console has been hit with it's own steep price hikes, placing a 512GB model at $499 nowadays.

It's no longer as accessible, but the reality is that even at $499 the Xbox Series S is the cheapest possible way to play GTA 6 at launch. GTA 6 is the biggest entertainment release of the decade, hands down, and having a lower barrier to entry for such a release isn't a flaw in Xbox's strategy. Though I will say, I am praying for some kind of discounts on the console heading in to Black Friday to bring it back down closer to those golden day prices.

Even better, dataminers snooping through the Xbox GTA 6 preload files have spotted libraries matching Microsoft's FSR 4.1 GDK sample. While Rockstar hasn't confirmed whether FSR 4.1 will be active at launch or patched in post-release, the groundwork is clearly there, and any rendering boost will go an especially long way on the Series S.

Hardware prices continue to spiral and move next-gen upgrades further from reach for the average consumer, and as this continues, the narrative around the Series S is going to age terribly (and in my opinion, it already has.)

Sooner or later, the industry will give this consumer-friendly little white box its flowers for forcing developers to optimize better, and I will be first in line.

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NVIDIA's future is uncertain after CEO Jensen Huang's departure

It's official: NVIDIA's co-founder Jensen Huang has resigned as CEO this morning in the wake of personal scandals involving adultery and alleged espionage. Huang was NVIDIA's only CEO in the company's history, which began in 1993.

NVIDIA CFO Colette Kress is taking over the company as interim CEO while the board searches for a full-time replacement.

Yes, it's an interim position, but seeing a finance executive come in at a time when NVIDIA is already edging out its GeForce consumers is a tad worrisome.

The gaming share of NVIDIA's revenue has been on the decline for years, and data centers now make up the bulk. For example, NVIDIA's latest Q2 results showed $89 billion from data centers and just $7.2 billion from edge computing. That's not even close.

Will an interim CEO change anything? Probably not. Kress, after all, has been with NVIDIA since 2013, before any of the major AI rush came about. But what comes next after Huang and his interim replacement? Someone else who cares less about GeForce and more about AI?

This will not make GPUs any cheaper

Kremsi2711, r/pcmasterrace

It's hard to say. Plenty of people are already wondering the same thing: "Jensen was one of three of Nvidia's founders. Him leaving is kind of catastrophic for the leadership structure, since he never had an heir apparent for the position (allegedly intentional on his part)."

Comment
 from r/pcmasterrace

While we're all waiting to see what NVIDIA does next — New CEO? Canceled CES 2027 keynote? — I want to know how my Windows Central readers are feeling about the situation.

Do you think NVIDIA's consumer focus will narrow even more without Huang at the helm? What about the opposite? Do you think there's a lot more to this story that we're not yet hearing?

Let me know in the comments section below!

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Microsoft confirms an Outlook bug caused emails to bounce instead of reaching inboxes

If you have an Outlook, Hotmail, Live, or MSN email address, don't assume every missing email ended up in your spam folder. A recent issue caused some messages sent to those types of email addresses to be rejected and bounced back to senders instead of reaching recipients.

It might seem like a nice break to not get emails for a few days, missing important messages can cause issues. The underlying cause was a mistake related to spam enforcement rules. Microsoft has rolled back the update that included the problem, so normal functionality should be restored.

"Some users may intermittently be unable to send email messages to Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, or Live.com email addresses," explained Microsoft in an incident report highlighted by the website lazyadmin.

While the issue was related to spam enforcement rules, affected messages did not simply end up in recipients' spam folders. Microsoft's mail servers rejected the emails and bounced them back to senders instead.

That's an important distinction because recipients have no way to find emails that were never delivered. If you were expecting an important message over the last few days and it never arrived, it may be worth following up with the sender rather than digging through your spam folder.

The issue may also have gone unnoticed in some cases. If someone claims they emailed you recently but nothing ever arrived in your inbox, there's a chance the message was affected by the bug and returned to the sender before reaching your account.

Senders may be able to determine if they were affected by checking for non-delivery reports, sometimes called bounce messages. Errors mentioning Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, Live.com, MSN.com, or codes such as "550 5.7.1" and "AS9031519" could indicate that a message was rejected during the incident.

A successful resend also does not necessarily mean there was never a problem. Reports from affected users suggested the issue was intermittent, with some messages bouncing initially before being delivered successfully when sent again later.

I occasionally need to check my spam filter to find messages that were mistakenly flagged as spam. This happens more when work emails are involved, but Outlook can be overly aggressive with personal emails as well.

But this bug was different. Instead of being delivered to a spam folder, some messages never reached recipients at all.

The issue was primarily related to mail destined for consumer Microsoft email accounts, including Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, and MSN addresses. Microsoft 365 business mailboxes were not the focus of the reported delivery failures.

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I’m skeptical of Apex’s DLSS-beating claims, but this free tool deserves a look

If one thing has become clear to me over the years, it's that most PC gamers are not using the latest hardware. Steam's most recent monthly hardware survey, for example, has NVIDIA's RTX 3060 as the most popular option, with the RTX 3050 only four places behind.

Heck, even 2019's GTX 1650 is still holding strong in the top ten most used cards, despite it not supporting the industry-leading DLSS upscaling. For those who (understandably) haven't upgraded to the latest hardware, there's a new hope on the horizon.

Apex Compute recently took to X to show off its Apex Neural Rendering (ANR) tech, which the company promises can deliver "up to 2.4x faster performance and higher quality rendering than NVIDIA DLSS."

Introducing Apex Neural Rendering (ANR), our cross-platform Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction, and Frame Generation technology, delivering up to 2.4× faster performance and higher quality rendering than NVIDIA DLSS.ANR rebuilds neural rendering around a new architecture that outperforms current state of the art models.Works on all GPU vendors.- NVIDIA: GeForce RTX 20, 30, 40, and 50 series, plus GTX 16 series- AMD: Radeon RX 5000, 6000, 7000, and 9000 series, plus Steam Deck- Intel: Arc A and B seriesFrame Generation available now:https://t.co/kMGkNJzG6XOur Super Resolution and Ray Reconstruction models are currently in training. Coming soon!November 11, 2026

That's a massive claim, and I'll get to it in a moment.

What's most exciting is that Apex has designed ANR to be practically GPU-agnostic. Apex says ANR runs on the NVIDIA RTX 20, 30, 40, and 50 series, with the added bonus of GTX 16-series cards.

Support for AMD Radeon cards includes RX 5000, 6000, 7000, and 9000, plus it works on the Steam Deck's custom AMD chip. And even Intel hasn't been left behind, with support for Arc A- and B-series cards.

Digging into Apex Compute's Apex Neural Rendering tech

Dark benchmark infographic lists supported NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, and Apple GPUs, with metrics for frame generation latency, 4K memory use, and network weights.

A quick rundown of ANR's performance and compatibility. (Image credit: Apex Compute)

ANR is being billed as a three-pronged approach to upscaling, including frame generation, super resolution, and ray reconstruction. It's a project that's still in progress, and only frame generation is currently available. The other two features are "coming soon."

What we have so far from Apex indeed looks very promising. It claims that, when tested on an RTX 5090 at a 4K resolution, ANR can deliver frames faster and use less memory than DLSS.

According to Apex's testing, at 2X frame gen, ANR can pump out extra frames at 1.01ms, while DLSS takes 1.26ms. At 4X frame gen, ANR takes 0.61ms while DLSS takes 0.82ms. Overall memory usage falls from 562MB in DLSS to 214MB in ANR.

Why I'm a bit skeptical about ANR's abilities

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition and RTX 5090 Founders Edition graphics cards stacked together

ANR's testing was performed on an RTX 5090. I want to see results from a GTX 1650. (Image credit: Windows Central | Ben Wilson)

I'm not entirely sure if Apex's claims of 2.4x faster performance compared to DLSS actually line up.

I haven't tested it yet on my own gaming PC, and Apex Compute's own data on its site doesn't quite line up. Perhaps the 2.4x claim is for one of the features arriving later.

There's also the matter of the NVIDIA tests being performed on an RTX 5090, a GPU that you can't buy anymore and that is reserved for a small group of enthusiasts and specialists. It would be a lot more impressive to see how ANR runs on, say, an RTX 3060.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered (Only Generated Frames Shown) https://t.co/wJXTrt21NmNovember 11, 2026

What I can say is that the comparison samples for ANR vs. DLSS available on Apex Compute's site are impressive.

Sure, there might be some cherry-picking going on to create the sliding comparisons, but what's shown certainly suggests that ANR is delivering higher-quality results than DLSS. I see less ghosting, added sharpness, and overall more clarity.

Competition from Apex Compute's ANR is only a good thing


Apex Compute's ANR is available to download for free from GitHub. That means we'll probably soon see a lot of third-party tests of its actual abilities.

I'll be keeping an eye on how ANR performs on older hardware, how well it works with a wider range of games, and whether the upcoming ray reconstruction and super resolution features actually work as intended.

In any case, competition for the industry-leading DLSS is always nice to have, especially considering how NVIDIA likes to keep it walled off for its own hardware. The fact that it's coming to old GPUs at a time when no one wants to buy new hardware is also huge.

ANR looks very promising. Is it a DLSS killer? Maybe not, especially with how quickly NVIDIA is evolving the tech. But if you're still using an older GPU that doesn't natively get these features, ANR is definitely worth a look.

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The Xbox DuchesS controller has a new "Blue Rock" variant available for pre-ordering

Xbox's 25th anniversary is nearly here, and the famed gaming peripheral manufacturer Hyperkin is celebrating the occasion by revealing a new "Blue Rock" variant of its Xbox DuchesS Controller.

It's currently available for pre-order at Hyperkinstore.com and Amazon for $49.99 and is expected to release on December 2, 2026.

Xbox DuchesS controller (Blue Rock): $49.99

This variant features a deep, dark, translucent blue design while maintaining the regular Xbox DuchesS's Hall Effect Sticks, Modernized ergonomics, and Dynamic Impulse Triggers.View Deal

What's different about this variant of the Xbox DuchesS controller?

🎮💙 Introducing the Hyperkin DuchesS Blue Rock!Bringing back a piece of Xbox history! Inspired by the iconic Original Xbox Controller S, the Blue Rock DuchesS revives the nostalgic blue aesthetic with modern upgrades like Hall Effect sticks and triggers, combining the best of the past and present.Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Xbox with us! 🎉🛒 Pre-orders are NOW LIVE!Amazon: https://t.co/GH75tjony2Hyperkin: https://t.co/wxqewVPLnN#Hyperkin #DuchesS #Xbox25 #XboxController #RetroGaming #XBOXNovember 11, 2026

This "Blue Rock" variant, spec-wise, is the same as the regular Xbox DuchesS controller. It modernizes the original Xbox Controller S design for current consoles, with Hall Effect sticks and triggers for improved control responsiveness and Dynamic Impulse Triggers for enhanced tactile feedback while shooting in FPS games.

The only difference it has over its traditional Black shell or translucent green shell counterparts is its deep blue translucent design, and I personally adore it as someone whose favorite color happens to be blue (which I know is heretical to say as an Xbox player since blue is more associated with PlayStation).

So I can't wait to buy this bad boy for Christmas when the "Blue Rock" variant of the Xbox DuchesS Controller launches on December 2, 2026.

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Xbox Free Cloud Gaming Tier Rolls Out With Ads, While Game Pass Subscribers Face New Session Limits

Par : Nayan
12 novembre 2026 à 01:30
Microsoft is fundamentally reshaping how players access its streaming ecosystem. After months of rumors and quiet internal testing, the long-awaited Xbox free cloud gaming tier is finally rolling out to most players worldwide. While the move opens the door for anyone to stream games without paying a monthly fee, it comes with significant caveats—not just […]

OpenAI Brings ChatGPT Finances to Desktop for U.S. Users, Turning Your PC into a Personal Wealth Hub

Par : Nayan
11 novembre 2026 à 23:55
Managing personal finances usually means bouncing between half a dozen banking apps, spreadsheets, and credit monitoring portals. On November 11, 2026, OpenAI took a major step toward consolidating that clutter by rolling out ChatGPT Finances directly to its desktop application for users in the United States. Following its earlier debut on mobile and the web, […]

Microsoft’s Massive November 2026 Security Release Addresses Over 1,000 Flaws with 726 Vulnerabilities Tied Directly to Windows

Par : Nayan
11 novembre 2026 à 23:48
The digital landscape continues to test IT administrators and security teams alike. In its latest security rollout, Microsoft has issued patches for an staggering number of security flaws, crossing the threshold of over 1,000 total issues resolved across its comprehensive product line. Out of this massive figures report, Windows alone accounts for 726 vulnerabilities, underscoring […]

Microsoft will finally let you turn off AI features in Bing

Microsoft has released a new browser extension for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge that gives users the ability to disable AI overviews and chat features in Bing search results.

"When it comes to AI, we believe Bing users should have a choice in how they search," Microsoft says in a new blog post. "That's why Bing offers both AI-powered and traditional search experiences, including a browser extension that lets people easily turn off AI features in Bing."

The new browser extension adds a toggle to your web browser that allows you to turn on or off the AI features in Bing at any time. Microsoft admits that "research shows users want to have the option to choose whether or not AI is involved in every session."

Bing Search Choice extension

The UI you'll see when the extension is installed (Image credit: Microsoft)

The extension is available to download now for both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, but be warned: The extensions will set your default search provider to Bing, which makes sense given it only works on Bing search results.

It's unclear why Microsoft opted to deliver this functionality as an extension, and not as a toggle within the Bing website itself. The good news is the browser extension isn't entirely required.

If you don't want to deal with a browser extension, Microsoft has also added an "operator" tag that you can add to the end of search queries to disable AI features manually. Just add -ai to the end of a search term and that will disable all the AI features in Bing for that search query, no extension required.

The downside to the operator is that you need to remember to apply it to every search query, every time you go to search for something. The browser extension ensures the AI features are disabled automatically every time.

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