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Don't buy a gaming laptop yet! Intel's new processors just launched, with "up to +8% faster performance" over its last gen — Core Ultra 200HX Plus Series mobile announced

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
Intel's new Core Ultra 200HX Plus Series mobile chips bring FPS gains to high-end gaming laptops with in-house performance-boosting "IBOT" tech.

Intel Core Ultra mobile processor with gaming laptops in the background

Intel's new Core Ultra 200HX Plus Series mobile chips bring FPS gains to high-end gaming laptops with in-house performance-boosting "IBOT" tech.

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Intel's new desktop processors might appeal to PC gamers with its Core Ultra 200S Plus refresh — but the price is the real plot twist

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
Faster processors at lower prices are part of Intel's Arrow Lake Refresh plan, and it might win back the PC gamers if Core Ultra 200S Plus can pull it off.

Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus desktop processor held in hand

Intel's Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus arrive in a quirky box, yearning to appeal to a younger gaming audience.

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I played Microsoft Flight Simulator with this revolutionary joystick disguised as a controller — and I'm in love with it

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
Honeycomb's excellent Echo is a mashup of traditional flight sim hardware and casual joypads, built for convenient PC gaming.

Honeycomb Aeornautical Echo Aviation Controller held in two hands with a magenta cardstock background

Honeycomb's Echo is a mashup of traditional flight sim hardware and casual joypads.

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This Windows 11 optimization and cleanup app blends perfectly into your PC's UI — and I never usually care about these 'debloaters'

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
Updates to Winhance for Windows PCs migrate the app to the WinUI 3 framework to blend with Windows 11's menu styling, offering batch bloatware removal and more.

Winhance running on Surface Pro X

Winhance running on my Surface Pro X might help some of its struggles with 8GB of RAM.

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Windows 11 locked me out of Notepad via Microsoft Account bugs — is the 'Thin Client' era ruining my 27 blissful years of PCs?

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
I recently lost the ability to open Notepad and other apps on my Windows 11 PC when Microsoft's servers suffered authentication issues. Has it gone too far?

Notepad icon from Windows 11 in a cartoon jail cell, generated by Gemini

If I can lose access to something as simple as Notepad, then Microsoft has probably take cloud integrations too far.

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Valve's Steam Machine delayed by AI-driven component shortages — pricing and launch dates for its VR and controller remain a mystery while RAM and storage prices soar

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
Valve's gaming PC, controller, and VR headset are tentatively scheduled for the first half of 2026, but exact pricing and release plans are in limbo.

Valve Steam Controller, Steam Machine, and Steam Frame depicted as cartoons walking through a firey cave.

Valve's Steam Controller, Steam Machine, and Steam Frame are still waiting for a release date.

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NVIDIA GeForce NOW answers the lack of PC Game Pass support on Linux with a new native app — RTX 5080 cloud rendering runs Ultra settings on Steam Deck or Ubuntu

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
NVIDIA has followed through on its CES 2026 promise to bring GeForce NOW cloud gaming to more Linux devices with official support for Ubuntu.

NVIDIA GeForce NOW running on SteamOS desktop

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Valve's Steam Deck suffers the same problem as the Xbox Ally, and the solution might be a modern manufacturing impossibility — Sony nailed it 16 years ago

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
Handhelds are a modern marvel, but they're getting way too big. Is the PSP Go an example of what we should have done, or is that space filled by smartphones?

Sony PSP Go handheld resting above a Steam Deck on a purple card stock background

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Valve's "Steam Machine" gaming PC will be in trouble if this RAM pricing crisis worsens — should we expect gamers to foot another unwanted bill from AI-obsessed megacorps?

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
AI advancements are driving up the price of RAM, and it's giving gamers an awful reminder of how cryptocurrency did the same to GPUs. Can Valve navigate this crisis for its Steam Machine PC?

Valve Steam Machine gaming PC with Crucial DDR5 memory edited with artificial flames added by Gemini

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Black Ops 7 fans could have been tempted by this limited edition graphics card, but I doubt you'll stand a chance of buying it — and no, it isn't NVIDIA this time

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
ASUS TUF Gaming's limited-edition RX 9070 XT GPU with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 branding is limited to 1,000 units, but you could get one for free in AMD's sweepstakes.

ASUS AMD TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 branding

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Cloudflare suffers downtime, causing outages at X, OpenAI, and even some online games as sporadic disruptions continued

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
Cloudflare was "aware of, and investigating" a server issue that's caused problems for popular websites and social platforms.

Cloudflare logo on a phone, with downtime information on a screen behind it

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Stop using your laptop's low-quality webcam! Here's how to use your Android phone as a camera on Windows 11 instead

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
You can use your Android smartphone as a webcam in Windows 11 with a few steps, and some are even easier to set up than others. Here's how it works.

The 2025 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 pictured in a hands-on review and comparison to other Samsung phones.

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The Xbox Ally X is a bargain, actually — ASUS and Microsoft's gaming handheld is a better deal than Steam's most popular desktop PC

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
The Xbox Ally X is a promising collab between ASUS ROG and Microsoft, priced at a surprisingly reasonable £799.99 in the UK. Here's why I'll ditch my Steam Deck for this premium handheld.

Xbox Ally X (front) and Xbox Ally (back) in a display case

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The best "Steam Deck killer" launched months ago, but you still can't buy this Windows 11 handheld — are tariffs to blame for another fumbled competitor?

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
Handheld gaming keeps expanding, and MSI's Claw 8 AI+ emerged as a powerful contender. Unfortunately, stock shortages and inflated prices leave me frustrated.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ handheld with a red background, behind 'Notify Me' and 'Sold Out' banners.

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Has ASUS lost its marbles? This 'Bulwark' handheld dock is $140 — spend that cash on a better ROG Ally instead.

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
ASUS ROG's sturdy design sensibilities contrast with a shockingly high price, leaving the Bulwark Dock to undoubtedly struggle against affordable alternatives.

ASUS ROG Bulwark Dock (2025) on a pink card background

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As the Battlefield 6 Open Beta Wraps Up, Players Scatter to Other Games — So I'm Asking: What's Everyone Playing Instead?

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
As the highly anticipated Battlefield 6 Open Beta gained over 40,000 players, a resurgence of excitement for modern warfare has led to players flocking to other titles.

Battlefield 6 environment showing game logo through a damaged wall, as soldiers representing Battlefield V and Battlefield 1 look on

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STOP ignoring mini PCs! Today's your last chance to save on a bagel-sized Windows PC during Prime Day — YES, it runs my games

✇Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
Par : [email protected] (Ben Wilson)
In the final hours of Amazon Prime Day, Geekom's excellent mini Windows PC is available at a reasonable price for a limited time.

Windows Central Senior Editor Ben Wilson holding a Geekom A8 Max mini PC with a red background

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