Microsoft

Xbox consoles are more expensive than some gamers in Europe anticipated. Microsoft’s price increase bulletin did not reveal that the disc-based Series X would cost €799.99. The PS5 now offers a superior value, while doubts are growing about the affordability of Project Helix.

Microsoft is preparing Windows 11 optimizations designed to improve performance on PCs with 8GB of RAM, targeting high idle memory use. The updates will roll out gradually, with broader improvements expected by the end of 2026.

Microsoft and Sony may have opposing ideas for the future of physical game discs. A Digital Foundry podcast revealed that Xbox was considering making backward-compatible media playable on Project Helix. The new Xbox console could lure protestors unhappy about a likely digital-focused PS6.

ZeniMax Online Studios has revised The Elder Scrolls Online’s roadmap following major Microsoft layoffs, delaying Update 52 and other planned content into 2027 while shifting its focus from fixed deadlines to quality. Game Director Nick Giacomini reassured players that ESO will continue, supported by closer collaboration with Bethesda Game Studios, with Update 51 now scheduled for September 28, 2026.

Microsoft’s planned Xbox Series X|S price increases reportedly will not prevent the company from losing roughly $150 per console, as surging memory costs squeeze already-thin hardware margins. The review examines how AI-driven chip demand is pushing prices higher across the gaming industry, reversing the traditional trend of consoles becoming cheaper over time.

A global Xbox Series X|S outage unexpectedly blocked some disc-based games, exposing a flaw in Microsoft’s offline entitlement system. Microsoft called the failure unacceptable and said it is developing a fix to ensure physical games remain accessible during future service disruptions.

Subscribers enjoy a steady stream of day one Xbox Game Pass games. Unfortunately, Microsoft may no longer be able to justify cannibalizing its own sales. A Forbes journalist suggests the Fable release date could coincide with the subscription service losing benefits.

Gears of War: E-Day releases on October 6 for Xbox consoles and PC. The multiplayer will bring two classic game modes, with key upgrades, with early access starting August 6.

Xbox as a business has been on a downward trajectory, but Microsoft’s CEO seems confident that the strategic decisions and changes will lead to growth. It’s going to be a challenging FY 2027 for Xbox in order to meet its ambitious goals.

Microsoft's KB5101684 preview update brings File Explorer unit fixes, more secure Windows Hello external fingerprint support, and Voice Isolation.

Steam compatibility would give Project Helix an advantage over the PS6. Unfortunately, the perk threatens to inflate the price of the new Xbox console. An insider believes that Microsoft may be reevaluating the hybrid approach to maximize revenue and lower costs.

Microsoft is linking Windows volume activation to the TPM chip. This led to reports over the weekend that pirated versions of Windows 11 would soon stop working. The blog post from July 22 does not say that. KMS servers in companies are affected, not individual computers. What was actually announced and when it takes effect.

Halo: Campaign Evolved player counts during early access may signal an unexceptional launch. New Xbox numbers show how far it trails Forza Horizon 6 ahead of its release date. Steam data is also middling, but account and connectivity issues have slowed Microsoft’s remake.

(Update: description of the event log flaw corrected) Passkeys are replacing the password, and Microsoft is making them the default from September. Security researcher Michael Grafnetter is presenting a family of attacks called Pass-the-Passkey at Black Hat. This follow-up explains cloud passkey versus hardware key, what the research found and how to close the most common password back door.

Anyone who searched for the Claude desktop app on Bing was sent by a paid ad to claude.ai, Anthropic's real address. The page waiting there was built by attackers and looked like the official download. 7,100 views, at least 29 organizations hit, and a trojan at the end that steals passwords and credit card data.

Retro gamers welcomed 4 OG Xbox selections accessible in Microsoft’s PC app. Dataminers have exposed this unique approach to backward compatibility. Using an Xbox 360 emulator to achieve the feat, players are anticipating titles previously locked to the console.

Xbox console and PC download speeds should get a long-awaited update soon, as indicated by the update release notes for the Alpha Skip-Ahead members from yesterday. Users should be able to reach the maximum ISP-allowed download speeds when downloading games from the Xbox Store.

Halo: Campaign Evolved Xbox and PS5 discs are booting sooner than anticipated. Collector’s Edition buyers are revisiting the classic shooter, despite a July 23rd early access release date. The review embargo also isn’t up, which had curtailed potential leaks for the Microsoft game.

Ahead of the multiplayer open beta for Gears of War: E-Day in August, Xbox will be showing off the game mode soon. It is known that the game is a prequel to the franchise and will be an Xbox exclusive.

Microsoft’s gaming systems experienced their best month for console sales in 2026. U.S. Circana data for June provides a glimpse at how consumers responded to the comeback for Xbox exclusive games. Buyers may also have acted before the August Series X|S price increase takes effect.

Xbox support may be in a worse state than gamers realize. As more supporters lose access to hacked accounts, it strengthens the argument against digital games. A new report highlights Microsoft’s failings to train agents, but the company is considering revamping the recovery process.

Microsoft didn’t unveil Positron as early as some rumors suggested. Even so, a reliable insider believes the disc-to-digital option for Xbox consoles will surface before July ends. With PlayStation under fire for dropping PS5 discs, the program would convert physical games to digital licenses.

Fans anticipating an onslaught of Halo games should prepare for disappointment. A leaker discovered that after the Halo: Campaign Evolved release date, the studio’s roadmap is barren. Besides the canceled multiplayer Project Ekur, other remakes and a new mainline addition are in jeopardy.

Microsoft has restored a 25-year-old account after its handling of a hacking incident triggered widespread online backlash. The case has highlighted concerns about digital ownership, cloud storage and whether users without a large public platform can secure effective support.

Microsoft is running a new promotion, thanks to which you can get the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones worth $458 for free when you buy a new Surface Pro or Surface Laptop. The promotion is live until July 31 and only applies to certain configurations.

Microsoft now offers its compact Surface Laptop 13.8 with the updated Snapdragon X2 Elite processors. The entry-level model with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD storage costs at least $1599, while the much lighter Asus Zenbook A14 with the faster X2 Elite SoC starts at $1349.

It’s unusual for a scheduled new Xbox Game Pass game not to arrive on time. That’s why the sudden removal of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 from the July lineup caused a scare. Microsoft has now explained that licensing issues are delaying the debut of the Activision title.

Microsoft has patched a critical flaw in the Copilot apps for Android and iOS. A malicious website could push commands to the AI through Microsoft Edge without the user noticing. It is rated 9.6 out of 10, and Microsoft says it was never exploited.

Streamer Joshua Khane recently posted on X, claiming that the company deleted both his Microsoft account and the OneDrive linked to it after it was hacked.

Microsoft's July 14 Patch Tuesday update brings Point-in-Time Restore, a redesigned pause updates feature, and the final Kerberos RC4 enforcement phase for Windows 11.

Prices for upcoming Xbox and PlayStation hardware may be more affordable than anticipated. One analysis believes that RAM costs will improve in time for the Project Helix and PS6 release dates. The new gaming systems will be vital to turn around the decline in console sales.

Microsoft is responding to the criticism and is fundamentally overhauling the search feature in Windows 11. In the latest Windows Insider preview version, the search box no longer displays ads, and is designed to find local search results, such as settings, apps, and files, much more reliably, rather than falling back on a web search.

Following criticism of the AI’s eavesdropping capabilities, Microsoft is adding a toggle switch to Teams meetings. Organizers and presenters can now turn Copilot, Facilitator, and Recap on and off in the middle of a conversation. The rollout is underway, with widespread availability planned by the end of July. There’s still a catch when it comes to transcription.

One gamer took extreme measures to restore access to his compromised Xbox account. The Brazilian user filed a lawsuit against Microsoft after it refused to unfreeze his digital library. A court ruled in the plaintiff’s favor, and the decline of physical games could lead to more legal challenges.

A survey has found that 45% of PlayStation fans are seriously considering switching to PC. The shift appears to a result of Sony’s retreat from physical games, weakening exclusivity, rising game and hardware prices, and the growing accessibility and value of PC gaming.

It looks like Xbox is preparing for a major announcement for next week. While the Xbox official did not specify what it will be about, an insider has shared his opinion and seems quite confident about it.

Obsidian Entertainment is a subsidiary of Xbox and has also been affected by the major reshuffling. The studio has shifted focus from developing Avowed 2 and is now working on a new Fallout game.

A new The Elder Scrolls 6 update isn’t encouraging for fans awaiting the Bethesda game. A reputable Bloomberg insider doesn’t anticipate the open-world RPG arriving until at least 2028. With Microsoft prioritizing the franchise, Xbox layoffs shouldn’t delay its release date.

Anbernic has released a new software update for five of its handhelds. The OTA update brings a new launcher, an easy access control center, and a button remapping feature for touch-based games to the supported devices.

The Wall Street Journal revealed how Xbox Game Pass price increases impacted subscriber counts. With around 30 million users, it shed 4 million gamers since 2024. Aiming for 77 million subscribers by 2026, the service’s underperformance is a factor in recent Microsoft layoffs.

The Halo: Campaign Evolved developers already shifted their focus to improve efficiency. Yet, a leak reveals that Xbox could task Activision Blizzard with overseeing Halo Studios. Microsoft wants the shooter franchise to become more profitable by releasing games regularly.

IO Interactive is cutting staff after Xbox reportedly ended its funding and publishing deal for Project Fantasy, an online RPG the Hitman studio says it remains committed to completing. The layoffs come despite the strong launch of 007: First Light, which sold 3 million copies in two weeks and earned broadly positive reviews.

Xbox eagerly pointed out that many first-party titles are not exclusively digital games. Ahead of the July 28th Halo: Campaign Evolved release date, buyers can pre-order a physical version . Even so, like with the PS5 disc, a download is necessary before playing the Combat Evolved remake.

Microsoft may allow the conversion of Xbox game discs to digital licenses. The rumored Disc2Digital program could debut by the Project Helix release date. While the new Xbox console and PS6 likely won’t ship with optical drives, Helix would boast more versatile backward compatibility.

Microsoft launches Windows 11 update KB5095093, delivering a major speed boost to File Explorer by cleaning up the Home tab layout and fixing BITS shutdown lag.

The storage and memory shortage threaten to inflate PS6 and Project Helix prices. Developers like Del Walker also aren’t anxious for the new PlayStation and Xbox consoles to debut. The ex-Naughty Dog artist cautions that they will balloon budgets, resulting in more layoffs.

GTA 6 comes out on November 19, and pre-orders are live on PlayStation and Xbox. The latter allows players a chance to get a discount on the game or get it for free.

A new report suggests that the library of Xbox Game Pass games could shrink. A Caboodle Games representative claims that Microsoft is pausing deals with third-party studios. The company recently reduced the price of the subscription service, but also removed new Call of Duty titles.