Few MMORPGs have lasted as long or even longer than the iconic World of Warcraft, and one such active MMO that predates it is RuneScape, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.

What started as a humble little game to play with friends online grew into a massive franchise, spawning three games (Old School RuneScape, RuneScape, RuneScape: Dragonwilds) with over 250,000 concurrent players for just the original Old School RuneScape alone.

Yet, it's always been seen as the No. 2 runner-up of top-rated MMORPGs compared to the juggernaut that is World of Warcraft. However, Jon Bellamy, the CEO of RuneScape's studio, Jagex: The RuneScape Company, has recently stated in an interview with The Game Business YouTube channel that he plans to change that.

Jon Bellamy proclaims that, and I quote, "The dream is that we’re not the number two biggest MMO brand in the world; we’re number one. There’s a big old gap between us and number one, but if we get it right, we know we can make headway."

He continues, “It’s lofty and ambitious, but if you’re going to set lofty and ambitious goals, why not swing for the top? So, that’s the number one goal.”

Jagex is already working towards Jon Bellamy's lofty ambitions by cutting out RuneScape's unpopular microtransactions like the Treasure Hunter perk, while at the same time improving its gameplay systems to remove "much of the clunkiness and pain within the game", according to Jon.

Additionally, Jagex is planning to release RuneScape's survival spin-off, RuneScape: Dragonwilds, on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, and reveal big news updates for the RuneScape franchise as a whole on October 3, 2026, at RuneFest in hopes of winning back fans who have long since quit the game while bringing in new fans at the same time.

Windows Central's take

Declaring that you want to be the No.1 MMO in the world is no easy task, as many big-name titles from Final Fantasy XIV to Star Wars: The Old Republic have tried and failed to overthrow the titan that is World of Warcraft.

In fact, the only times any MMO has managed to get a leg up on World of Warcraft is whenever the game and Blizzard Entertainment stumble over their own feet. Such as when World of Warcraft: Shadowlands came out in 2021, which was so panned by critics and fans that it (along with a controversial lawsuit laid at Blizzard at the time) caused players to embark on a mass exodus to Final Fantasy XIV before they returned for World of Warcraft: Dragonflight.

So RuneScape has a lot of work to do if it hopes to take World of Warcraft's crown. However, considering that the current World of Warcraft: Midnight expansion has been panned by fans for having one of the most rushed, glitchiest launches in the game's history, while angering fans for its absurd monetization practices, RuneScape might not have to do THAT much to win fans over, especially if plans to buck FOMO live service trends and microtransactions.

But on the other hand, Blizzard Entertainment has a chance to turn things around quickly if it takes time polishing its content releases and announces something really cool for World of Warcraft at BlizzCon 2026, thus putting a spanner in RuneScape's plans.

Either way, we will have to wait and see who will rise as king of the MMORPGs in the coming months.

But what do you think? Do you think RuneScape's plans to expand its franchise will help it overtake World of Warcraft, or will Blizzard's iconic MMORPG retain its position as the most popular and successful game in the genre?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know in the comments, on Reddit, or in the poll.

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It's been a long wait, but BlizzCon's grand return is nearly here, as we're less than two months from BlizzCon 2026 opening on September 12, 2026.

To celebrate the occasion, Blizzard Entertainment has announced several digital bundle packs containing new in-game items for World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo IV, Diablo Immortal, and Hearthstone available right now for purchase on the Battle.net shop.

These in-game items include mounts, cosmetic costumes, weapon skins, and more. Additionally, there are two free in-game items (a Heroes of the Storm Fix It Gear Head Thrall armor and StarCraft II 15-day co-op XP boost) to claim on the Battle.net shop with no extra charges.

You can buy these digital bundles individually, depending on which game you play, or together in the BlizzCon Ultimate Collection pack, which includes extra goodies not found in the other packs. What's more, if you bought a BlizzCon 2026 Pass ticket, you will get the BlizzCon Ultimate Collection by default.

Do note that these bundle packs and the two free in-game items will only be available until September 28, 2026.

BlizzCon is right around the corner

Blizzard fans are no doubt excited to see BlizzCon after it went on hiatus for the past couple of years, especially after breathing a sigh of relief hearing Blizzard seemingly avoided serious damage from Xbox's big 'reset', which laid off 3,200 people across Xbox's gaming studios.

This event will no doubt bring tons of new, exciting announcements for Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch, while also bringing the fan community together through various fun activities like cosplay content, getting hands-on playtime with video games, watching esports competitions, and more.

But what do you think? Are you excited for BlizzCon 2026's announcements? Are you planning to attend the event in person or watch the livestream of its announcements at home? Do you think rumors of StarCraft getting a new shooter are true and will be announced at BlizzCon 2026?

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

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Fans eager to know what Gears of War: E-Day's multiplayer modes will look like won't have to wait any longer. Coalition has confirmed on X that on July 30, 2026, at 6:00 am PT | 9:00 am ET, it will reveal the first gameplay footage of Gears of War: E-Day's multiplayer on Xbox's official YouTube channel.

What we know so far about Gears of War: E-Day's multiplayer is that, according to Xbox Wire, it will feature a 12-player PvE horde mode similar to Gears of War 2's horde mode, but on a much grander scale, where you and other players work to fend off invading Locust across giant city maps.

Plus, it will feature a 4v4 PvP mode where players fight in classic Gears of War-style symmetrically designed maps with new traversal mechanics thrown in.

Additionally, playing both these modes will contribute towards completing in-game challenges, events, and achievements, and these multiplayer modes will be seasonally updated via a content roadmap.

Players who pre-ordered the game or who are subscribers of Xbox Game Pass/PC Game Pass will be able to play these multiplayer modes early through an Open Beta test weekend starting on August 6, 2026.

However, this gameplay reveal on July 30, 2026 will give fans a brief early taste of what they can expect to see before then.

Windows Central's take

Gears of War's multiplayer modes are often a major highlight alongside the main campaign, featuring insanely brutal, fast-paced, and challenging firefights that always end in fun chaos.

I still have fond memories of my brother screaming in fear as he was overwhelmed by a squad of Locust before soloing them in a blind panic in Gears of War 2's Horde Mode.

So I can't wait to see how Gears of War: E-Day plans to improve upon Horde Mode because the idea of 12 players scrambling to fight Locust at once with the possibility of friendly fire getting everyone killed sounds like my brand of mayhem.

Gears of War: E-Day is set to launch on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass, and PC via Windows and Steam on October 6, 2026.

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One depressing part of the Xbox story over the past few years has revolved around Xbox hardware sales, which have been in near freefall decline quarter in, quarter out.

Factoring the memory crisis, attention market saturation, bad marketing, and the general negativity over the Xbox brand — the Xbox Series X|S platform has had a pretty awful gen, despite arguably being the best console Microsoft has ever made (on paper).

RELATED: Xbox Series X|S price / stock tracker (before price hikes)

There's no reason to think that Xbox's hardware fortunes won't continue to struggle in the near term. Price hikes are pending for these consoles, and the memory shortage is expected to get even worse before it gets better. But, hey, positive momentum is positive momentum, I guess.

Xbox Series had a good June in the US. Units up 86% vs last June, avg price up as well. Highest US Xbox Series units this year. Last June, Xbox Series was seeing impact of the May price increase and the Switch 2 launch. So, big % growth on a smaller base last year. Still, good month for Xbox Series.

— @matpiscatella.bsky.social (@matpiscatella.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-07-22T18:35:49.083Z

Mat Piscatella of Circana noted Xbox's positive June upswing on BlueSky, charting that Xbox had its best month ever. He noted that the increase offsets a nasty decrease from last June, owing to the Nintendo Switch 2 launch and Xbox's initial price increase wave. Xbox also has price increases pending for August, which has likely driven additional sales in the short term as users get on board now before rates go up. Piscatella noted that Nintendo Switch 2 was down -78% year over year, and PS5 was down -43%.

There are other potential factors here too for Xbox. Xbox has had a bit of a spotlight on it recently. Forza Horizon 6 has enjoyed massive sales success, and is presently exclusive to Xbox Series X|S on console (exclusives sell systems? who knew). New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has also created some positive excitement for the brand, and hints of a more aggressive posture on exclusive content, a price cut for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and the promise of new games like Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution also might be having some impact. There's also the GTA 6 bounce. The Xbox Series S is going to be the cheapest way to access GTA 6 for the foreseeable future, despite the price hikes.

Microsoft might also simply be allocating more stock to the U.S. market. Japan, for example, has seen Xbox sales dive down from thousands of units, to hundreds, to mere dozens of units in recent years. Prioritizing Microsoft's core market in the short term seems like a smart play than trying to muddle through in markets where it has traditionally struggled. Although longer term, new CEO Asha Sharma has signalled intents to grow Xbox beyond its traditional Western shores.

Xbox isn't out of the woods yet

It's also true that Xbox is growing from a very small base number of units. An 86% increase might seem like a lot, but if you're starting with a low number already, Xbox still has a ways to go to show real growth. Still, up is up, and "up" is probably the only way Xbox can go from here.

I wrote recently how only heavy-hitting exclusives will change Xbox's console fortunes. The overall base of console gamers probably won't grow until Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo figure out a way to siphon youngsters moving directly to Roblox when joining the industry. Roblox is under pressure from world governments to tighten protections for youngsters, as the dangers of the social media-adjacent gaming platform become increasingly apparent.

RELATED: Xbox brings back compat games to PC for the first time

Games like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls enjoy mass market appeal. It's particularly true of Fallout, which has enjoyed mainstream TV show success recently. Minecraft as well represents vast untapped potential as a potential system seller for Xbox. The previous Xbox administration felt content to leave Minecraft to its own devices, but new CEO Asha Sharma has brought Minecraft directly in-house at Xbox, potentially signalling intent to leverage its mainstream status to synergise marketing beats with Xbox hardware.

It remains to be seen if Xbox Series X|S can finish with positive hardware growth for the quarter overall. The RAMpocalypse is on-going, and Xbox Series X|S consoles will pick up price hikes soon, too. But many gamers on Xbox One will likely be looking to upgrade for the first time specifically for GTA 6 soon, as well as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, which is cutting off last gen for the first time.

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Microsoft's new Surface Pro pairs Snapdragon X2 processors with a 2-in-1 design that set the standard for the form factor. The new Surface Pro launched this summer, and it comes with some serious graphical improvements.

You'll see some people refer to the device as the Surface Pro 12, though it's officially known as the Surface Pro 13-inch. Pricing starts at $1,499.99 and scales up depending on the processor you want and how much RAM and storage you need.

• Shop all Best Buy Surface deals

The new Surface Pro is available in black, platinum, or dune, giving you a chance to add a bit of flair to the convertible PC.

Surface Pro

The latest Surface Pro looks a lot like its predecessor, and that's a good thing. This form factor matured through over a decade of refinements and innovation, so there's not much Microsoft could do to revamp the design.

Our Editor-in-Chief called the Surface Pro 11 a "stunning achievement" and "one of the best Windows PCs of 2024." The same design that earned a five-star review from Rubino is here in the new Surface Pro, but with a noticeable spec bump.

The Snapdragon X2 Plus and Snapdragon X2 Elite that are available in the Surface Pro promise significant graphics improvements (up to a 53% increase depending on the model you choose).

When you hear about a graphics bump in a PC, you may think about games. But in the Surface Pro it's more about productivity. Better graphics means smoother scrubbing through timelines, better video editing, and smoother performance when handling demanding tasks.

The new Surface Pro has more affordable options with LCD screens or premium-priced offerings with OLED panels. Creators should lean toward the OLED display for its pitch blacks, better HDR, and higher contrast. If you're on a budget, the LCD options are the better choice.

As is always the case, I recommend grabbing a keyboard to go with your Surface Pro. The Surface Pro Flex Keyboard provides the best experience, since it can be used wirelessly or when physically connected. It's currently on sale, which reduces sticker shock ever so slightly.

The new Surface Pro only started shipping recently, so reviews are scarce and few customers have had a chance to share their thoughts. Early buzz around the web says the Surface Pro powered by Snapdragon X2 is faster and gets better battery life than its predecessor.

If you already have a Surface Pro 11 that's holding its own and aging well, I'd suggest holding onto it. But if you want a new flagship 2-in-1 that can tackle productivity workloads all day when plugged in or unplugged, the new Surface Pro with a Snapdragon X2 chip is the way to go.

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There's a story doing the rounds about how Steam Deck sales have cratered in recent times, courtesy of the team at Boiling Steam looking at data and crunching numbers.

There's plenty of reaction out there, but honestly, what did anyone expect? I love my Steam Deck and I will defend it to the hilt, but at this point in time, nobody should be buying one anyway. And no, this isn't some thin attempt at selling the virtues of a Windows 11 handheld gaming PC instead.

Just look at where we are. The Steam Deck is nearly four and a half years old, it hasn't had any performance upgrades despite a newer version of its APU and an OLED display, and the AI-induced RAMpocalypse means it's more expensive than it ever was.

Speaking with a sensible head, the same applies to the Steam Deck as it does to the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles, each of which is also more expensive towards the end of their product cycles than when they begin. Don't buy one, definitely not at full price.

As such, it's no surprise to see Steam Deck sales are slowing. The cheapest model available is now $789/£649, a significant increase on the launch prices. Admittedly, there is now only the upgraded OLED model, and the base storage is 512GB, but it's still substantially more expensive than it once was.

I was lucky to get my 256GB Steam Deck LCD in the first few batches back in 2022 and paid £459. For a device that doesn't perform any better in games, which is ultimately what matters most, the new prices just don't make any sense.

It makes even less sense when you consider that Valve has opened up SteamOS to be installed on other handhelds. The base Xbox Ally is currently $599, with a better APU, a higher refresh rate display, and the same storage/RAM combination, while costing almost $200 less. If you were eying up a 1TB Steam Deck, you'd be better off getting the Xbox Ally X, which is far more powerful and only $50 more expensive.

I appreciate what Valve has done with the Steam Deck; after all, it really kicked off the handheld gaming PC category as we know it today. It's a phenomenal device, and I've had zero regrets. I think SteamOS is still a superior handheld experience, too, with only anticheat holding it back.

But we can't look at the situation right now and lament falling sales, because it should be happening. It's four years into its cycle, it's been usurped handily by others in the performance stakes, and it's just too expensive.

We should appreciate it for what it is and what it's done. But if you want a somewhat affordable handheld gaming PC right now, the Xbox Ally is the smart choice. Then throw SteamOS on it if you want; I know I'd be tempted to.

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Xbox fans have been wondering for a long time what might be next for its backwards compatibility and game preservation efforts. Today, we got a pretty big hint.

Shared on Xbox Wire, Xbox VP Jason Ronald revealed that the Xbox backward compatibility program is expanding to PC, with new emulation tech supporting Xbox games on Windows for the first time.

It's early days yet, but it's an encouraging step about where Xbox's efforts to preserve its gaming legacy will end up in the coming years.

"Your library is more than just a collection of games. It is your personal history of epic stories and treasured memories from the past. And as players, we don’t want to leave our gaming legacy behind even as technology continues to evolve and advance. We expect our library of games to move forward with us and to be able to play them in entirely new ways," Jason Ronald explained.

The initial wave of games will include Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Fuzion Frenzy, Crimson Skies, and Conker: Live and Reloaded. All are classic OG Xbox games fully owned by Microsoft, but it stands to reason that even more titles previously locked away on Xbox consoles could eventually appear on Windows PCs and Xbox gaming handhelds, like the Xbox Ally.

Additionally, and surprisingly, these games will also eventually support Xbox achievements "later this year," says Ronald. Considering the source code for these games is likely covered in cobwebs, I'm curious how Microsoft has managed to achieve this one.

The games will also support a variety of PC-oriented upgrades. They will support Xbox Play Anywhere with Xbox Cloud saves. They have 4X resolution scaling, V-Sync support, Full and Windowed display modes, anisotropic filtering, anti-aliasing, and other PC-expected features.

In a universe where digital ownership rights are in the spotlight, it's great to see Xbox leading the charge for backward compatibility and preservation here. It increasingly seems like disc-based games are not long for this world, but platforms like GOG are stepping up to offer DRM-free digital options, and companies like Xbox continue to invest in bringing more console-locked titles to Windows PC, complete with dual-platform license entitlements via Xbox Play Anywhere.

It's only four games for now, but could we realistically see a future where all your digital Xbox content could move between platforms even as console hardware becomes obsolete and stops being manufactured? One can hope.

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Microsoft is making it genuinely difficult to write original headlines. The company is moving so many free features behind paywalls that I’m starting to worry readers will assume I’ve published the same article twice.

Just this week, I've covered Microsoft Whiteboard requiring a Microsoft Business account, meeting preparation in Outlook needing a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, and Microsoft getting rid of Copilot Podcasts without offering any way to download previously created content.

Now, Deep Research in Copilot is on the chopping block. And in a not-so-surprising move, the replacement for that feature requires a Microsoft 365 Premium subscription.

Deep Research is a Copilot feature that creates detailed reports and provides full citations. It will be retired on August 18, 2026. The successor to Deep Research is Researcher.

I wanted to run Deep Research to further detail the transition, but Copilot said it was already impossible to activate Deep Research mode. Apparently the August 18 cutoff is for full retirement but the feature is already being phased out.

Researcher and Deep Research overlap when it comes to features and purpose, but there are some differences. Researcher integrates with Microsoft 365 and is meant for business users.

Are we all just AI beta testers?

It feels like Microsoft has turned a corner in its AI strategy. After spending billions of dollars and trying to force-feed Copilot and other AI tools onto its users, Microsoft now has an idea of what people actually want. With all that data, Microsoft is trimming the fat and moving any tasty AI morsels behind paywalls.

The freemium model is not new, but it can be frustrating for users when pushed to the extreme. Companies often introduce features for free only to later evolve them into paid tools. This is especially common with smartphone apps, but it's a widespread strategy.

But requiring payment goes over easier when the paid products are better than what was once free. I'm fine paying for an app or service that's worth it, but simply shifting free features to paid subscriptions is poor form.

Microsoft should have the basic versions of features available through free apps, such as Copilot, then make better versions with more capabilities that are accessible to paid users. Right now, Copilot feels like a glorified demo or an interactive ad for what will eventually be paid products.

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NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang seems to be everywhere these days, and there's often an interesting tidbit of history that gets revealed during his appearances.

The latest comes from last week's GiGO Akihabara arcade gaming event, where Huang made an appearance to help celebrate the institution's historic relationship with Sega.

At the event, which was also attended by Sega's current CEO, COO, and former president, Huang expressed his gratitude toward Sega (via Automaton Media) for helping make NVIDIA the tech giant that it is today.

I certainly never knew this, but Huang pins NVIDIA's success today largely on an early investment from the Japanese gaming giant.

One of NVIDIA's earliest mistakes nearly killed the company

NVIDIA began its run in 1993 with Huang at the helm, with a focus on creating GPUs to power 3D games. Unfortunately, at the time, the only 3D games to be found were in arcades.

Daytona USA, one of Sega's smash hits, arrived in North American arcades in 1994, and Huang explains that the NVIDIA team was addicted to the "beautiful 3D graphics and incredible sound."

With a clear goal in mind, Huang's NVIDIA received a stroke of good luck when it was asked by then Sega President Shoichiro Irimajiri to help create the Dreamcast console's GPU.

This isn't what saved NVIDIA. If anything, it nearly killed the company. After about nine months of collaboration, both sides of the partnership realized NVIDIA's tech wasn't going to be a good match for the Dreamcast.

As Huang explains, NVIDIA had been working on "forward texture mapping and curved surfaces," but the Dreamcast needed "inverse texture mapping and polygons.

Huang says he explained the predicament to Irimajiri plainly, and the two companies agreed to part ways. At least on the Dreamcast project.

Here's where history could have gone two ways. Realizing his company was in dire need of funding, Huang asked Irimajiri and Sega for an investment package. It was approved, and Huang says without it, "the company likely wouldn't exist today."

Where would video games be without NVIDIA ... and Sega?

Following Huang's history lesson, he revealed the real reason for his visit to Japan. It appears that the Japanese government and NVIDIA are prepping an announcement for a major partnership involving AI and robotics.

Go figure. NVIDIA is currently the world's most valuable company, and that value is built largely on the back of GPUs designed specifically for AI workloads.

As NVIDIA continues to print money with its AI sector, its gaming division has come under fire recently for its AI-soaked DLSS 5 upscaling technique.

I've been saying for years that AI in games isn't going anywhere, but that doesn't really make it a pill that's any easier to swallow. No matter what you think about NVIDIA, the video game landscape probably wouldn't look anything like it does today without the company that created CUDA and drove the ray tracing revolution with its RTX hardware.

And for that, we can thank an investment from Sega more than 30 years ago.

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LeBron James will play for the Miami Heat in the 2026/2027 season, at least if a private video by the Miami Heat YouTube channel is to be believed. The official YouTube channel of the NBA team posted a video titled "LeBron James Introductory Press Conference" that specifically mentions July 27, 2026.

The YouTube video, which is marked as private, was quickly delisted and removed from Google search results, but Bing still shows the video (though you can't actually watch it).

With an NBA player of James' fame, people would have likely spotted the video if it appeared on Google for only a few seconds. But Bing made it much easier to see the video.

The basketball world is eagerly waiting for James to make a decision regarding where he will play next season. NBA commissioner Adam Silver even said the schedule of the league cannot be finalized until James announces his plans.

So, should Silver finish the NBA schedule and send it out now that the Miami Heat YouTube channel published a video? Probably not. While there's always a possibility that James will return to Miami, the Heat organization claimed the video was mistakenly made public by the social media department of the team.

A Heat spokesperson further clarified to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald that the team prepared the video because of the possibility of James returning to Miami.

I'll point out that Miami did not deny that James will sign with the Heat or claim the video is incorrect. The spokesperson said there is "currently no validity to the video" (Chiang's phrasing of what he was told).

That being said, it's normal for organizations to prepare for different scenarios. A more somber example is that media outlets often have obituaries written in advance for key figures.

We'll have to wait to see if James decides to return to Miami or play elsewhere next season. In the meantime, we can see if betting lines about his future signing shift based on the mistakenly shared video.

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For years, Microsoft has wrestled with modernizing the File Explorer app on Windows. Over the last few years, we've seen Microsoft slowly introduce modern UI elements across the File Explorer interface. Areas like the top of the app, Home page, and details pane have been modernized with WinUI 3, but the rest of the app has pretty much remained untouched.

This means that the File Explorer experience right now is very fragmented, being shared between decades-old interface design and modern WinUI design. Well, it looks like Microsoft is slowly moving to fix that, as evidence that the company is planning to modernize a pretty major aspect of the File Explorer has now appeared.

First spotted by Phantomofearth on Bluesky, the latest Windows 11 preview build includes a hidden modernized File Properties window that appears when you open properties on a file in the Recycle Bin. This is the only window that's been discovered so far, but it's clear that Microsoft is planning to modernize the entire File Properties dialog soon.

This move matches Microsoft's commitment to bring WinUI to more areas of the Windows Shell. The company confirmed plans to bring WinUI to the Start menu and in-box apps and experiences earlier this year, in an effort to streamline performance and design consistency across the entire Windows UI.

One of Windows 11's biggest criticisms amongst users is that the interface is very fragmented. In apps like File Explorer, it's very easy to come across a popup or window that hasn't been modernized like the rest of Windows 11, in some cases even missing support for dark mode. Moving these interfaces to WinUI should make them appear more consistent and support dark mode.

Microsoft has also confirmed plans to improve the performance of WinUI itself, which is why it's confident that moving more of the Windows Shell over to WinUI should result in a faster overall experience. These improvements are part of the company's ongoing Windows K2 effort, which is focused on fixing Windows 11's biggest issues.

The modernized File Properties on Windows 11 are yet to be announced, but now that the first signs of this work are now appearing in preview builds, it's unlikely to be much more of a wait before we hear more about Microsoft's plans for modernizing more areas of the File Explorer.

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Best Buy's Back to School is still ongoing and providing healthy discounts on our favorite laptops we've personally tested and confirmed will help you smash your exams and homework with no effort.

One such device that will be invaluable to your schoolwork is the HP Omnibook X Flip 16-inch laptop with an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD that's now on sale for $749.99 at Best Buy (cut down by 38% from its listing price of $1,199.99).

Why buy the HP OmniBook X Flip 16-inch laptop?

We've reviewed the 14-inch configuration of the HP OmniBook X Flip laptop, and aside from having a larger screen, a slightly larger battery life of 23 hours (as opposed to 22 hours), and a larger NPU with 47 TOPS (as opposed to 40 TOPS), the 16-inch version of the HP OmniBook X Flip is conceptually the same machine with the same generation processor selections.

This means that the 16-inch version we're spotlighting features all the great draws that made the 14-inch version earn 4/5 Stars from us.

These features include strong performance rates when tackling productivity tasks thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 7 (Lunar Lake) 256V 2024 CPU and 16GB of RAM, vast amounts of space to store valuable homework within a 1TB SSD, and the aforementioned NPU with 47 TOPS to run through AI programs with great speed and stability.

It also includes a practical 2-in-1 design with a sturdy build to help it withstand bumps and occasional falls off desks (it's happened to the best of us), and stylus compatibility so you can draw digital art on its touchscreen, rather than use a mouse if you prefer.

So, if you're fretting over schoolwork and need a reliable and fast-performing laptop to help you get work done, and if you don't mind if it has a plain design with no RGB lighting, then the 16-inch HP OmniBook X Flip that's now $749.99 at Best Buy will save your day.

FAQ

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There's not many active Meta Quest users out there these days, but the Facebook firm isn't going quietly into the night it seems.

The so-called "Metaverse" might've amounted to a gigantic dud, but Zuckerberg's VR outlet isn't giving up, and it's leveraging Xbox to help it out.

Microsoft and Meta partnered on the Xbox edition Meta Quest last year, offering a special Xbox-branded style headset that came with Xbox Cloud Gaming in the box, and a special pre-connected controller. Meta and Microsoft are taking the partnership a bit further today, announced via Xbox Wire.

"For years, XBOX and Meta have teamed up to make it easier to play the games you love across more devices.

Today, we’re building on that with a new benefit connected to the Meta Horizon+ subscription, giving you another way to discover and play with Game Pass, alongside the existing access to XBOX and Game Pass on Meta Quest devices."

Meta and Microsoft will now offer Xbox Game Pass Starter subscriptions for users with Horizon+, which costs $59.99 USD per year, or $7.99 USD per month. Horizon+ offers over 150 VR games to play immediately, with new games entering the service on a monthly rotating basis, similarly to Xbox Game Pass.

Xbox Game Pass' starter edition offers 50 additional games on top of that, playable for up to 10 hours a month via Xbox Cloud Gaming. The package includes games like Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Grounded, DayZ, Snowrunner, and many more. The games on Xbox Game Pass are not native, of course, and require high-speed internet and an Xbox Bluetooth controller to experience via a virtual cloud screen. At least, for now.

Meta and Microsoft say that they're working on bringing native Xbox controller support to the Quest VR touch controllers. This will map the functions of an Xbox controller natively to the Quest handsets, making it far easier to jump into a game without having to reach and pair an additional Xbox controller. Frankly, I'm wondering why this wasn't already a thing, but better late than never, ey?

You can already pair an Xbox controller via Bluetooth with Meta Quest headsets and use Xbox Cloud Gaming via a web app. It works rather well, and the Meta Quest can detect the Xbox controller functionality flawlessly. I reviewed the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition last year, and thought it was an impressive experience. Having a massive VR screen to play Xbox Cloud Gaming on is fantastic, and I completed W40K Space Marine start to finish that way. Of course, whether or not you actually want to wear a foggy computer on your head really depends on the user. My Meta Quest headset has sadly been gathering dust for many months.

As a glasses wearer, the last thing I really want to do is wear additional glasses when TVs and laptops exist, which are just far more comfortable to game on in my view. But some people love it, and all the more power to them. I think VR and AR have some kind of role to play in the future of tech, but makers will have to figure out a way to make them far more comfortable than they already are. And it seems we're probably still far away from that in my view. I could be wrong, though.

Given the fact Xbox Helix is meant to be a Windows PC of sorts, it makes me wonder if Microsoft won't eventually offer VR games directly via the Xbox PC Store, similarly to Steam. It's also true that Meta is the only big player left in the VR space, though, and it makes me wonder how much longer they'll try to tough it out.

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Xbox Game Pass dropped a healthy selection of day-one releases this past week, some of which have been getting plenty of praise. But the one folks have been playing the most, well, it's none of those.

It's PBA Pro Bowling 2026. A game that first launched eight months ago but has only just joined Game Pass.

It comes by way of TrueAchievements charting the most played games on Xbox for the week ending July 12. There are no surprises at the top, but when you drill down and specifically look at the newest Game Pass additions, only two even made the top 40, with PBA Pro Bowling 2026 by far the highest-ranked.

I'll admit, I haven't played it, and I'm not much of a bowler, but I'm installing it right now. Of the games it dropped with, Denshattack! with its mad Jet Set Radio-like styling was the one I was planning to play first. I hadn't even given PBA Pro Bowling 2026 a second thought.

As it turns out, it seems to be a pretty good game, though. It's rated well on Steam, and personally, I think it's actually the sort of game that's a great fit for Game Pass.

As much fun as playing brand-new releases may be, or the latest AAA blockbuster out of one of Microsoft's many studios, I actually think that casual games make the most sense to bulk up the Game Pass library.

There's been plenty of discussion about Game Pass as a platform recently, but I know I'd be lost without it. So would my son. Between us, we've enjoyed so many games that otherwise wouldn't have been given a second glance if they'd had to have been bought.

While I use it to play big new first-party titles like Forza Horizon 6, the rest of my time on Game Pass is spent trying out a real variety of games. Some casual, some less so. But because I don't need to make a purchase decision, it's easy. And I've found plenty of real gems.

I can't be alone there, either. I really do think that could be an element of what's been seen here with PBA Pro Bowling 2026. Unless you're a hardcore bowler, it was probably never high on your list. But it's a casual game with a recognizable theme that's easy to pick up and play without having to sweat your eyeballs off or devote the next month of your life.

Xbox Game Pass should be like Netflix. Always something new and fun to discover beyond the big hitters we hear about every day. It doesn't need to be filled with day-one releases. Games like this prove that.

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I grew up in an analog world. Smartphones were at least a decade away. Laptops were bricks of hardware with tiny, low-res screens and enormous hard drives. The first PC games I played shipped on floppy discs. I bought my first music album on cassette. I spent a lot of time outdoors, exploring the woods and building forts with friends.

You get the idea.

It pains me to say that the analog world in which I grew up has disappeared over time, giving way to a digital reality. Have you ever seen a toddler effortlessly operate a phone or tablet? Yeah, they know what's up.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there's a growing resistance to this digital takeover. The analog revival, as it's often called, is usually framed as an anti-technology story. I don't think that's fair.

Younger generations aren't quitting all tech as a rule. They're mostly quitting smartphones and the digital hypnosis they can affect with seemingly no effort at all.

Sure, knitting needles, film cameras, vinyl records, landlines, and inked journals seem to be taking over TikTok and other social media hot spots, but there's another revival underway. One that could place Microsoft and the PC landscape in a very good spot.

The children yearn for the analog hobbies

In March 2026, crafting superstore Michaels published its latest Creativity Trend Report.

The findings suggest that there's some serious digital fatigue going on, noting significant upticks in searches for journals, hands-on crafts like sewing or knitting, crafting parties, party decorations, and more.

Searches for these analog hobbies rose, in some cases, by 919% in 2026. Yarn accessory sales alone grew by 40% compared to 2025, according to Michaels.

Similarly, CNBC covered the analog revival shortly before the Michaels report was published, noting that it's an effort pushing beyond a simple digital detox.

I have to agree; the movement feels a lot like an attempt to slow down and do things by hand at a time when generative AI is taking over the thinking and doing, especially in the creative and professional spaces.

Gen Z is largely driving the analog revival, and I wouldn't say it's afraid of tech. This is the generation that grew up with a phone in hand, after all.

But it's also the generation that's experiencing the worst AI fatigue, and it's the generation that Microsoft has largely focused on courting with its Copilot+ AI PC movement.

Microsoft's AI PC collision with analog refugees

Microsoft seems to have been in a collision at the crossroads of AI PCs and the analog revival.

When Copilot+ PCs were first introduced in May 2024, it was the very beginning of an "AI everywhere" push for Microsoft's Windows 11. I won't go into the specifics here, but it was a hard time for Windows users as it seemed like AI was being injected into just about every aspect of the OS.

The backlash from users led to Microsoft's Windows president, Pavan Davuluri, stating in early 2026 that the company would be focusing on addressing pain points like performance and reliability.

Since then, Microsoft has been stripping Copilot features out of areas where they make the least sense, including Notepad, Teams, Snipping Tool, and Photos.

At Build 2026, the Copilot+ PC brand was barely mentioned. The strict NPU requirement to run Copilot+ tools? It might not be around long, as Microsoft is reportedly testing the features to run on GPUs as well.

The company that created an entirely new hardware category around AI handling tasks on your PC is backing away from its original pitch. The fact that it's happening at the same time that there's a major analog movement is probably just a coincidence.

I certainly don't think Microsoft alone is driving the digital desertion trend, but it's definitely not fighting it, either.

Where do PCs fit into an analog lifestyle?

I don't believe the analog movement is anti-computer. It's anti-friction, anti-ambient, and anti-notification. Phones are designed to interrupt you at every possible chance. One more short video. One more text. One more post. A phone is like a slot machine in your pocket, delivering dopamine on demand.

A PC, on the other hand, is more like a workbench. You don't pull out your laptop to kill a few minutes of idle time. You sit down at a PC because you decided to write something. Edit something. Build something. Play something.

Microsoft spent a couple of years trying to make Windows behave more like a phone while adding AI everywhere it could, and the resulting backlash shows just how flat that bet fell. No, I don't think the analog crowd is rejecting the PC. It's rejecting the parts of a PC that most behave like a phone.

The avenue of intentional computing is what I think Windows is best positioned to own, whether it intends to or not. The PC's real advantage over the phone isn't more AI. It's that it's still, fundamentally, a tool you purposefully use and turn off when you're done.

Will Microsoft lean into the analog revival?

Microsoft has a genuine opportunity here to gain users simply by doing less with Windows 11. Rather than positioning the OS as the de facto AI platform, why not position it as an escape hatch from the AI/attention economy that casts its shadow over so many of our lives?

I'm talking about improving focus modes. Removing ambient monitoring and notifications. Removing more AI features where they don't make sense. Make the PC feel more like a workbench again.

Davuluri's own message about pulling back on AI, listening to users, and fixing what's broken is already halfway there. It just hasn't been articulated expressly as a perk.

The PC doesn't need more AI to remain relevant to younger generations that are rabidly returning to analog hobbies. If anything, it's the opposite.

Will Microsoft make the most of the analog revival? Do you think I'm way off course with this intersection of tech and anti-digital crowds? Is it just a generational phase? Let me know in the comments section below!

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Microsoft Surface will appear prominently in front of football fans, and I don't mean "American football." Manchester United and Qualcomm have expanded their partnership, which will continue to promote Surface hardware.

Surface PCs are now available with Snapdragon X2 processors and are among the flagship devices that showcase the new generation of chips. The partnership between Qualcomm and Manchester United raises awareness of Snapdragon by attaching it to the well-known Surface family of devices.

“Seeing Microsoft Surface join the shirt is a natural next step in the collaboration we’ve built together—bringing Snapdragon-powered innovation to one of the world’s most iconic sports platforms and creating new ways for fans to engage with the club," said Qualcomm EVP and Chief Marketing Officer Don McGuire.

Throughout the 2026/27 season, Microsoft Surface will appear on the back of Manchester United kit. Specifically, the logo will appear on the shirts of the men's first team during the preseason and domestic cup games. Surface will also be featured in all Manchester United women's matches outside of European competition.

While Surface fans may be excited to see the brand appear on Manchester United kit, I imagine they're more interested in the limited-edition Surface PCs that are part of the partnership. Microsoft and Manchester United worked together to create special Surface PCs that feature Manchester United branding.

A fan program will be launched to make sure the devices end up in the hands of supporters rather than scalpers.

Unfortunately, photos of the limited-edition Surface PCs were not shared by Qualcomm or Manchester United. I think it's safe to assume the Surface PCs will feature Manchester United's shade of red alongside white and black accents.

If the special Surface PCs need to be repaired for any reason, I hope Microsoft does not lose them. When a 50th Anniversary Surface Laptop was sent in for repairs, Microsoft lost the device and initially could not return the PC to its owner.

Eventually, Microsoft higher-ups intervened and sorted things out. The 50th Anniversary Surface Laptop was repaired and returned.

That saga happened because there was a gap in Microsoft's handling of Surface devices. The special edition laptop was created for the US market, so it was not flagged in the service workflow outside the US.

Assuming Microsoft has learned from the past, its service department will have flagged the Manchester United Surface PCs in other markets in case a user outside the UK gets one.

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Here's something that I've been investigating for years at this point: Xbox's support services.

One of my personal nightmares as a heavy Microsoft ecosystem user is the prospect of somehow losing my account. I have decades of memories stored in OneDrive, important and crucial documents from everything relating to taxes to medical services. I have thousands of dollars invested in Xbox digital games, movies, and TV shows, and an archive of projects and art work I've built up since I was literally a child — all stored for a hefty annual Microsoft 365 fee.

The problem is, as we're increasingly being reminded, if it's in Microsoft's cloud, you quite literally don't own it. Microsoft can for any reason strip you of access to your account, per their terms of services. What's worse is, Microsoft's own policies seem to suggest that it won't help you either, if you're hacked through no fault of your own. Regulators and national laws have nowhere near caught up on this stuff, and it's becoming a huge problem.

This past week it came to a head somewhat, as a major content creator fell afoul of Microsoft's abysmal support services. He was only able to regain access to his account after luckily going viral. Many hundreds (thousands?) of others aren't so lucky.

You shouldn't need to go viral to save your Microsoft account

Over the past year or more I've been collecting experiences from affected users, banned for dubious reasons, or hacked and then denied support. I've learned all about the Kafka-esque rabbit holes Microsoft's AI-powered support systems send users on, taking them through mazes of dead links and abandoned phone lines. It's simply not good enough, and absolutely needs to change.

One user @ijpex on X told me "it was honestly horrifying" when he began seeing his Microsoft and Xbox account access slip away.

"I remember I tried logging into Minecraft and when I opened the launcher I noticed it had a different email saved. I thought it was weird and tried logging in with my correct email. It said my account didn't exist. Which led to another problem because Microsoft forced Minecraft accounts to be merged. My Microsoft account was shared with my family and we used OneDrive for storage. It also had sensitive information like bank details, passwords, etc. That was when panic really set in to be honest."

@ijpex explained that getting in touch with Microsoft represented a "huge convoluted pain," saving several chats with various support agents, filling in various forms to prove ownership — with questions that required some form of insane eidetic memory for accounts that are particularly old. For some reason, Microsoft didn't seek proof via billing.

He fell afoul of what many many users have fallen afoul of. Microsoft acknowledged that a hack had taken place, but said they couldn't (or wouldn't) do anything about it. Instead, they advised ijpex to start a new account.

As of writing, I've received dozens of accounts similar to the above. I spoke to content creator Joshua Khane who really ended up giving Microsoft a strong kick up the backside about these issues. It was only after going viral that Microsoft seems to have begun giving this a serious look.

Similar to @ijpex above, Khane seems to have been impacted by malware being spread via Minecraft PC mods, via services like CurseForge which are often unverified by Microsoft.

"At that moment, I realized I had lost access to nearly 20 years of digital purchases, achievements, save files, and my OneDrive. That was probably the hardest part. My OneDrive contains irreplaceable family photos of my children, old music projects from the beginning of my career, and videos from performances and studio sessions that simply can’t be replaced."

As you might've expected, Microsoft support basically told him "sorry lol" after admitting that a hack had taken place. They advised Khane to make a new account and buy Minecraft again, taking no responsibility for the decades of lost pictures and documents.

It was only after going viral did Khane get the support he needs.

So, what's Microsoft doing about this?

Microsoft has been grossly underfunding its support services for years now. Speaking to what few people remain at Microsoft's customer services, I've discovered that Microsoft under CEO Satya Nadella joined a variety of other major tech firms outsourcing real support to under-trained and under-funded agencies in developing nations, where language and translation issues prevent real help from materializing.

Microsoft has unsurprisingly also been (poorly) leveraging AI and automated responses, leading users in circles. We've seen this across the entire stack at Microsoft, whether it's Microsoft 365, Activision Blizzard games, Xbox itself, Surface, Windows, and beyond. Microsoft is by no means alone here, of course, a major PlayStation content creator Colin Moriarty recently had a similar issue, and was only able to regain access to his account due to his public status. Sony has cast a big spotlight on digital ownership recently, after pledging to ditch physical discs by 2028.

I spoke to a variety of users who have also been banned from all of Microsoft's services for vague "terms of service violations" despite not providing affected users any additional context. Users suggested to me that Microsoft's AI might be flagging legally-stored digital versions of movies and music as piracy, or even innocent childhood family OneDrive pictures as abuse material for example, which is horrifying to think about. And of course, there's no mechanism in place to force Microsoft to put human eyeballs on cases that are potentially more complex.

I feel as though users affected in this way wouldn't have come forward to me for help had they knowingly violated laws. I also feel that if Microsoft itself knew that laws had genuinely been violated, those affected users would be (and potentially should be) getting visits from law enforcement. None of those I spoke to had received visits from law enforcement.

As more and more of our data goes up to cloud services like this, it becomes increasingly critical that regulators and legal bodies re-examine what rights we have to our digital content in my view. AI is also boosting the cadence by which hostile actors can potentially gain unauthorized access to accounts. You'd have to hope Microsoft is cognizant of this, as a one of the companies pushing this tech on society. I've written to EU regulators and the UK CMA to learn what, if anything, they plan to do about it. I'll update if they respond.

Microsoft says it is working with people via X DM messages to resolve account issues, but that isn't exactly a big help for people not on X.

Xbox sources tell me that Microsoft is reviewing how it handles its support flow for situations like the above, although it could be some time before new systems materialize. "If you invested your time and money in a library with us, we want to honor that trust and keep you connected to what you built," I was told by sources familiar with Xbox's plans here.

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Microsoft has a lot of work to bring good cheer back to gamers after its massive restructuring of Xbox laid off 3,200 people, and one of the ways it's doing that is by announcing more games for Xbox Game Pass.

The first half of July 2026's new additions brought Gears of War: Reloaded, so Microsoft decided to follow up by showing that Xbox's other iconic flagship franchise, Halo, will lead the second batch of Xbox Game Pass games with the much-anticipated Halo: Campaign Evolved.

Other notable titles in this line-up include Beast of Reincarnation, an upcoming action-RPG by Game Freak of Pokémon fame, Heretic + Hexen, a classic first-person shooter bundle created by id Software, and Shift at Midnight, a viral indie PC horror game that's coming to Xbox consoles soon.

Here is the full list of Xbox Game Pass titles from July's second batch as stated on Xbox Wire:

Games leaving Xbox Game Pass (July 31)

• Back to the Dawn (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Celeste (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Crusader Kings 3 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• My Friendly Neighborhood (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Rain World (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Sniper Elite Resistance (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Whiskerwood (PC)

Windows Central's take

The star of the show here is Halo: Campaign Evolved, an upcoming remake of the original Halo's iconic campaign mode that's set to release on July 28, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

It will feature updated next-gen graphics, a new mission for the campaign, new levels, new gameplay mechanics and weapons to bring it more in line with newer Halo games, while remaking the original game's cinematics and audio and bringing the original game's voice cast to re-record dialogue.

While Halo: Campaign Evolved will not feature the original Halo's PVP multiplayer modes, it will support four-player online co-op and two-player split-screen local co-op (which is my preferred way to play Halo) with cross-platform play for all platforms and cross-progression for the campaign for all platforms during online co-op.

Halo: Campaign Evolved has been shaping up to be a long-awaited return to form for the series as it goes back to basics while also wowing new players with its exciting combat and next-gen visuals,

At the same time, Halo: Campaign Evolved has also been earning goodwill from players incensed by Sony's crusade to kill physical media by announcing that it will launch on discs and provide a Machinima mode for players to create screenshots or fan movies similar to the classic Red Vs. Blue series.

Will Halo: Campaign Evolved be the ultimate comeback for the Halo franchise? Only time will tell when the game drops on July 28, 2026.

What do you think of Xbox Game Pass' second batch of games for July 2026? Which titles are you most looking forward to from this list?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know in the comments, on Reddit, or in the poll.

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Microsoft Whiteboard will still be available after August 22, 2026, but you may not be able to use it. After that date, the app will require a Microsoft Business account. Users with personal accounts will still be able to view and export previously created content for a short time, but they will not be able to create or edit whiteboards. After September 5, 2026, personal users will have their content deleted.

The change is happening because Microsoft is moving storage for Microsoft Whiteboard to OneDrive for Business. That transition will also bring new features and other changes. A side effect is that people without a business account will be left out of the Whiteboard experience.

If you are signed into Microsoft Whiteboard with a personal account, you'll be met with the following message when you open the app:

"Microsoft Whiteboard for Microsoft account is being retired

Starting from August 22, 2026, you will no longer be able to create or edit whiteboards. However, you can continue to view and export them until September 5, 2026, after which they will be permanently deleted. Please export any whiteboards you'd like to keep."

Reddit user "DownhillHasASign" asked about the warning message and others were quick to clarify the situation.

Best Microsoft Whiteboard alternative on Windows 11

Earlier this year I took a closer look at Markerpad as an alternative to Microsoft Whiteboard. Markerpad is a lightweight app that's incredibly snappy.

Markerpad is a native application that feels more responsive than Microsoft's offering, but it comes with tradeoffs. The biggest one is that Markerpad is for local use. It does not support syncing to the web or online collaboration.

If you just want a whiteboard app for quick sketches or content you plan to share through another app, Markerpad is an excellent choice.

I need to test alternatives for Microsoft Whiteboard that support online collaboration. One of the most popular choices is Miro, though that app requires a monthly subscription to use more than three boards. I would appreciate suggestions for which apps to try, so please share in the comments.

Of course, if you're a business user you can continue to use Microsoft Whiteboard. It's a solid choice for those already in the Microsoft ecosystem and that have a Microsoft Business account.

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