This has been confirmed by Microsoft via Xbox tech support on X, which states, "We are aware that some users are encountering errors when attempting to connect to Xbox services and features. Our engineers are actively working to mitigate the issue."
We are aware that some users are encountering errors when attempting to connect to Xbox services and features. Our engineers are actively working to mitigate the issue. We'll update as soon as we have more — keep an eye on https://t.co/gW4rn6nrjb.July 23, 2026
As of right now, according to the Xbox Support website, Xbox Live's outage currently affects Store & subscriptions, Friends & social activity, Cloud gaming & remote play, Games & gaming, and Apps & mobile, leaving players unable to access these online features on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC, and Xbox Cloud Gaming-compatible handhelds.
Maybe this outage is the reason why players can't enter Halo: Campaign Evolved's early access? I know I've certainly noticed something's wrong, as I've been unable to look at any Xbox games on the Xbox app's store today.
Either way, we will keep an eye on Xbox Live's status updates and let you know when things are back up and running properly.
Have you been affected by these recent Xbox Live Outage issues? Have you been unable to access Halo: Campaign Evolved's early access period because of this?
If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know in the comments, on Reddit, or in the poll.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
Today should've been a joyous day for Halo fans as Halo: Campaign Evolved is now available for people who purchased the Premium Edition or Premium Edition Upgrade, and it's received many glowing reviews on Metacritic (including one from us, which gave it a high score of 4/5 Stars).
Unfortunately, people who bought the Premium Edition or Premium Edition Upgrade via the Xbox Series X|S's store or the Xbox on PC App aren't so lucky because they've been unable to access the game despite paying money for it.
⚠️ We're investigating reports that some players on XBOX consoles and the XBOX app for PC who purchased the #HaloCE Premium Edition or Premium Edition Upgrade are unable to access the game. We will share updates as soon as more information is available. Thank you for your…July 23, 2026
This has been confirmed by Halo Studio's tech support team on X, which says they are aware of the situation and is working on fixing it. They will let players know status updates on their progress as soon as more info is available.
Fans are especially upset over this because if they couldn't get the Premium Edition through Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. You have to shell out $69.99 separately for it, and it promised players up to five days of early access to the game. This isn't the first time Xbox has failed to deliver early access for one of its products, and it's frankly getting odd at this point.
Since this is one of Xbox's flagship franchises, I have no doubt the developers are scrambling as fast as they can to fix this issue, and we'll be sure to let you know when they do, so stay tuned for further updates.
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One of the big existential crises facing Xbox and other platforms is "how do we find new users?"
The memorypocalypse has driven Xbox console hardware to record highs. While that has led to an Xbox hardware bounce in the short term as people buy hardware before price hikes, longer term it's looking like fewer consoles will be sold than we've seen in a long time.
As free-to-play platforms like Roblox and Fortnite capture audiences on the younger end, and older gamers become aged and priced out, Microsoft and other companies are trying to figure out how to find new users in a tough climate.
What's cheaper than a $699.99 Xbox Series X? Well, free Xbox gaming, of course. And that's what Xbox is beginning to test today. Say hi to the long-rumored Xbox Cloud Gaming free tier, powered by ads, featuring all of your digital content.
Xbox Cloud Gaming is available practically anywhere a modern web browser lives. Samsung TVs, iPad and iPhone, Android devices, and even your Xbox consoles. And now, you can jump in completely for free. With some ads, of course. (Image credit: Xbox )
"Today, we’re starting to test an ad-supported way to stream select games from your library for a limited time, available to XBOX Insiders," the Xbox Wire post reads. "During this test period, XBOX Insiders with an XBOX account will be able to stream games they own for free with ads. Players will have one-hour session limits across supported devices and regions."
Microsoft says that ads will only run before the session starts, and won't interrupt gameplay during the one-hour session slots. The ads won't be inserted into games, and it'll remain entirely optional, focused on Xbox Cloud Gaming. The paid tiers of Xbox Cloud Gaming (associated with Xbox Game Pass) will continue to be ad-free in perpetuity.
Microsoft's blog post is clear on its approach to ads, with an attempt to put forward a player-first approach. The idea entirely revolves around improving access to Xbox content, without having to buy a (now, very expensive) console. Xbox One users can gain access to titles that have dropped past-gen versions, and developers can potentially access an all-new audience. Indeed, any digital game you've purchased that is available on Xbox Cloud Gaming will be available to play through this free tier. There are well over 1,500 titles in the pool as of writing.
Microsoft outlined its policy approach to Xbox Cloud Gaming free-tier ads as thus:
We start with the player. Ads should create value.
We do not interrupt the flow of gameplay.
We hold ads to the same quality bar as our content.
We’re clear about what’s advertising.
We make sure ads fit what players expect on each platform.
Indeed, Microsoft wants to emphasize that it is imposing some strict rules on the types of ads that can show up here, too. Given that increasingly YouTube and Meta feature ads that are often wildly beyond irrelevant, this is a refreshing take.
Providing Microsoft remains principled ... of course.
If it helps Xbox and devs find new users and compete with free-to-play mobile games, I'm all for it
Microsoft is testing a new Xbox Cloud Gaming interface as well, which looks like a big improvement over the current version. (Image credit: Windows Central | Jez Corden)
Being completely honest, I've discovered a metric ton of hidden indie gems via Steam advertising on Reddit, Instagram, and X in recent months. If ads actually feature high-quality games or relevant products, I'm personally all for it.
Too many companies went way too hard on ads, and it led to a degraded experience overall. It's a piece of feedback I'm constantly sharing with higher-ups, even here at our parent company, about ads on the site, as we explore models that will help you guys avoid ads here while continuing to support our work.
Developers in the gaming industry, particularly on Xbox, are starving for new users willing to move beyond the CODFIFAFORTNITE triptych. If allowing free access with ads helps Xbox and core game devs find new users in a world dominated by free-to-play mobile titles, I'm all for it. But we'll have to keep an eye on it as a community, to stop the ads eventually appearing in other places ... let's hope Microsoft remains principled on this one.
One thing that has dogged Xbox users since the beginning of time is the inconsistent speeds games often download at.
The same seems true across both Xbox PC and Xbox Series X|S (and older) consoles, where download speeds often fail to come close to what you're actually paying for via your ISP.
There are numerous factors at play when it comes to download speeds specifically. Steam generally has set the bar here, with very visible download metrics in its app that show how data is downloading in addition to the speed at which it's writing data to your storage device. Indeed, I was told before that sometimes Xbox downloads can appear "slow" because it gets backed up while unpacking data to your disk space, even it still displays as a "download" in the app. But I digress.
Xbox announced yesterday evening that it is working to boost download speeds across its network, starting with Xbox Alpha Skip-Ahead users on the Xbox Insider Program.
Downloads seem to be more consistent across the board, even though this update targets console according to the support pages. (Image credit: Windows Central | Jez Corden)
"Users will experience a new feature to optimize game install and update speeds by introducing a smart download client," the update reads. "Shortly after your game download begins, the client will check which content servers are available for the install or update. It will then test the connection speed to each server pool and select the fastest available connection for that install. The speed test will rerun periodically during the install or update to ensure that the client continues using the fastest available connection." The update notes also describe improvements to general stability and performance, as well as a fix for downloads sometimes hanging.
Even though this update is targeting Xbox consoles, it seems to have boosted my experience on Xbox PC devices as well. As someone who plays about 50% of the time on Xbox Ally these days, this boost in download consistency has been a welcome add. My internet at partner's place (in the countryside) is pretty abysmal compared to what you can get in a big city, so every wasted MB is particularly annoying when trying to download big games or updates. I was pleasantly surprised to see Halo Campaign Evolved and Beast of Reincarnation pre-downloads hitting my max 250 mb/s download capacity, which is honestly generally rare to see for me.
A full 25 years after the launch of Microsoft's first-ever Xbox console, it's arguably quite fitting that one of the firm's largest new game releases in 2026 is Halo: Campaign Evolved — a remake of the original Halo title that launched with that system, helped propel it into the video game zeitgeist, and kicked off what would grow to become one of the most recognizable science fiction franchises in all of entertainment.
Halo: Campaign Evolved
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
Genre: First-person shooter Released: July 28, 2026 (EA: July 23) Developer: Halo Studios Available on: Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 Price: $49.99 at Best Buy Xbox Play Anywhere: ✅ Xbox Game Pass: ✅
Despite being a colossal Halo fan, I couldn't help but have a bit of a tepid response to Campaign Evolved when Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries) announced it last year, largely because I'm more interested in Halo Infinite getting a proper follow up and also because Halo: Combat Evolved already got a remaster in 2011.
Still, I resolved to give the new remake a fair shake, as Combat Evolved Anniversary radically and controversially changed the first game's atmosphere in ways I disliked, and Campaign Evolved is notable for being the first Halo project built on Unreal Engine 5. Plus, it also features a three brand new prequel missions in which the Master Chief and the fan-favorite Sergeant Johnson go on a covert operation, introducing a new self-contained story.
Thus, I went into an opportunity to review it with an open mind, hoping for a more faithful modernization of the original experience, a successful adaptation of the series' unique gameplay feel to a new engine, and fun and fresh content to dive into. And now that I've played through the game extensively, I'm happy to report that the remake offers all of this — though I'd be lying if I said it hasn't left me wanting in some ways.
This review was conducted with the Windows PC version of Halo: Campaign Evolved, and made possible thanks to an Xbox PC review code provided by Microsoft and Xbox. The company did not see the contents of this review before publication.
Halo: Campaign Evolved review — Story
Halo: Campaign Evolved's cinematic cutscenes present much of the story of Combat Evolved in some new and creative ways. (Image credit: Windows Central)
The Master Chief's adventure across Alpha Halo in which the crew of the downed UNSC Pillar of Autumn fight for humanity's survival against both the alien Covenant empire and the grotesque parasitic Flood threat remains largely unchanged in Campaign Evolved.
There are a few minor tweaks to the narrative and there's a bit of new dialogue here and there — along with rerecorded voice lines from Steve Downes (Master Chief), Jen Taylor (Cortana), and others — but overall, this story is identical to the one first told 25 years ago, with no radical changes to speak of.
What has changed, though, is how much of it is presented, as the remake features bespoke pre-rendered cinematics instead of the original game's in-engine cutscenes. I feel that all but one of these were done fairly well, though some of the transitions between them and gameplay can be rather abrupt and shots occasionally linger longer than you'd expect them to. Regardless, they generally look great, though I do ultimately prefer the original scenes.
As for Operation: METEORITE — the story that unfolds over the course of the three new prequel missions in which Chief and Sergeant Johnson infiltrate a Covenant ship to learn where the heart of the alien dominion lies — its narrative is solid, though some of its dialogue was dramatically campy to the point where I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Even so, its characters and plot are perfectly serviceable, and I'm curious to see if a loose thread it ends with will be woven into another tale in the future.
Halo: Campaign Evolved review — Gameplay
Here's what your first steps onto Alpha Halo look like in Halo: Campaign Evolved. (Image credit: Windows Central)
Gameplay changes are one of the key things that distinguish remakes from remasters like Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary that strictly update visuals and audio, and Campaign Evolved makes several that elevate the original experience.
For starters, many mechanics, enemy behaviors, and types introduced in Halo's sequels have been implemented in Campaign Evolved, including sprinting, vehicle hijacking and seat-swapping, overcharged Plasma Pistol shots temporarily disabling vehicles, suicide Grunts, Jackal snipers, and Flood tank forms. Also, you can hold onto powerups like the Overshield or Active Camo and use them when desired, rather than when picking them up.
Together with weapons like the Energy Sword, Fuel Rod Gun, SMG, Beam Rifle, Needle Rifle, and Sentinel Beam that weren't available in the classic title, these additions deepen the sandbox and spice up Combat Evolved's encounters without making them feel wildly different. Crucially, their inclusion is carefully balanced and remarkably thoughtful, and made for a truly great playthrough (I recommend Heroic difficulty for the best balance of challenge and satisfying gameplay flow).
Campaign Evolved also makes a variety of changes to level design, with those made in the latter half of the game — including the infamous The Library mission — far more significant compared to others. One of the biggest issues with the original Halo is that its later levels are woefully repetitive and excessively reuse locations from past missions, and that's been addressed wonderfully with a variety of creative new spaces here. I'm a fan of every single rework in the remake, and I expect many others will feel similarly.
The Energy Sword is one of eight weapons that have been added to the sandbox of Halo: Campaign Evolved, giving Master Chief a deadly close-range power weapon to wield. (Image credit: Windows Central)
I also very much enjoyed playing through the three new prequel missions, which have the iconic Battle Rifle and notably throw the Covenant's Brutes — ape-like berserker shock troops — into the mix. Similar to their past iterations, Brutes have their own set of weapons (Spiker, Brute Plasma Rifle) and fill a tanky melee brawler role. This time around, though, they also have a frenzy mechanic you can engage with (for spoiler reasons, I won't go into detail about how to do so).
Causing a Brute to frenzy will fully heal it and drive it into an enraged state, during which it throws its weapon away and starts sprinting after you to pummel you with lethal melee attacks. However, it will also target other Covenant units while frenzied, which can make it easier to contend with large groups of foes. Figuring out when to frenzy Brutes and avoid doing so added an engaging layer of strategy to Operation: METEORITE that I loved.
By default, Brutes are exclusively found in the new missions, though you can find a Skull — one of 42 in the remake — that makes them spawn in the main campaign as well. These Skulls allow you to shake up gameplay with a huge variety of interesting and wacky modifiers, and are at the heart of the Campaign Remix feature that lets you randomize enemy and weapon placements while also roll for which Skulls you have on or choose them manually.
Skins like this Hunter-themed one for Master Chief's armor are only available to players who buy Halo: Campaign Evolved's Premium Edition. Why not include cosmetics for players to earn by playing the game? ("Money" is why). (Image credit: Windows Central)
All in all, I'm extremely pleased with how Campaign Evolved plays, and how replayable it is, too. What frustrates me, however, is that it's a strictly campaign-only experience, without multiplayer of any kind outside of campaign co-op (which does support four players online, up from two in the past). I can understand not having PvP multiplayer given the campaign focus, but for $50, Halo's beloved wave-based PvE mode Firefight should absolutely be here.
The remake's customization system for Master Chief and weapon skins also feels very lazy and tacked on, with no cosmetics available to unlock through actual gameplay. The only way to get them is by preordering or purchasing the $70 Premium Edition ($67.09 at Loaded); not having things players can earn through gameplay achievement is a massive missed opportunity.
Halo: Campaign Evolved review — Presentation and performance
Put simply, Halo: Campaign Evolved is a stunning remake, and elevates the original title beautifully while remaining faithful to its atmosphere. (Image credit: Windows Central)
Halo Studios announced back in 2024 that all future Halo projects would be developed with Unreal Engine 5, and Halo: Campaign Evolved is the first game to use it instead of something proprietary like Halo Infinite's Slipspace Engine. Next to developer familiarity with such a widely used tool, increased visual fidelity has long been thought of as one of the largest upsides of that decision, and it's been proven so by this remake.
Campaign Evolved modernizes the classic Xbox flagship in breathtaking detail, with some of the sharpest and most visually striking textures and lighting effects I've ever seen put to screen. Everything from the weapons in Master Chief's hands to the legions of diverse aliens he's tasked with battling through are the best they've ever looked, as are the sights of Alpha Halo's vibrant skyboxes and its dreary Flood-infested depths.
It's truly shocking how much detail the remake manages to cram into each and every level, and the best part is that nearly all of it feels authentic to the original game's visual style. I have my nitpicks — Covenant vehicles are toovibrantlypurple and some reload animations lack the style of classic versions, for example — but overall, the game looks phenomenal.
Campaign Evolved's remastered soundtrack is also a treat and is similarly faithful, and notably, versions of tracks from several different Halo games feature in the trio of bonus missions. The sound design is also mostly top notch; melee strikes lack oomph and I don't love the sound of the Magnum and Sniper Rifle, but every other weapon, vehicle, and grenade sounds fantastic, and the way audio reverberates around every hallway, cavern, and battlefield is ear candy.
Massive spaces like this Covenant hangar are quite a sight to behold, but you may encounter framerate dips in them. (Image credit: Windows Central)
But while Unreal Engine 5 is at the heart of Halo: Campaign Evolved's terrific presentation, it's a tool that's notorious for its performance issues — and sadly, the remake has some of its own to speak of.
I've been playing the game on my PC that's equipped with an i5-12600K CPU, an RTX 4070 Ti SUPER GPU, and 32GB of DDR4 RAM, and have been running it with Ultra settings with DLSS Super Resolution on an ultrawide 3440x1440 monitor. Generally, I get about 60-80 FPS, which seems about where my rig should be based on the official recommended specs.
However, it's not uncommon that my framerate drops down to the 50s and even into the 40s in larger spaces and engagements, and that can be rather jarring. Turning the settings down some and using Frame Generation can help with this, but even so: expect some FPS dips.
A few of my colleagues here at Windows Central have reported running into performance problems on Xbox as well, with shadows and reflections sometimes looking fuzzy and pixelated on Performance Mode being a particularly noteworthy issue. Hopefully the day one patch for the remake irons wrinkles like these out.
Halo: Campaign Evolved review — Conclusion
Operation: METEORITE, the three-mission prequel story that takes place a year before the events of the main Combat Evolved campaign, is one of the strongest selling points for the Halo: Campaign Evolved remake. (Image credit: Windows Central)
I went into Halo: Campaign Evolved with one big question: was it worth making?
In the end, I feel that it was, both to give Combat Evolved a high-quality remake it deserves and to prove Halo on Unreal Engine is a viable path forward for the series (it's also a great introduction to the franchise for PlayStation players, though I doubt we'll ever see Halo on Sony's consoles again).
Halo Studios has accomplished both of those objectives in my view, even though the remake's performance issues do show it has room for improvement when it comes to optimizing the series on Unreal Engine. The absence of additional content like Firefight is also majorly disappointing, as is the underbaked player customization system.
With all that said, Campaign Evolved ultimately delivers an incredible reimagining of the original Halo, enhancing it with jaw-dropping audiovisual presentation, carefully considered gameplay and level additions, an enjoyable new three-mission story, and a suite of over three dozen collectible Skulls for tons of replay value. For $50, I wanted more ... but I've had a ton of fun with what we got.
Halo: Campaign Evolved
Halo: Campaign Evolved beautifully reimagines the legendary Xbox flagship that kickstarted the iconic series, elevating the original title with gorgeous Unreal Engine 5 audiovisual presentation, thoughtful gameplay and level adjustments, three enjoyable new prequel missions, and more.
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Halo: Campaign Evolved finally launches today, in early access at least, and if you're playing on PC and have an NVIDIA graphics card, then you might need this hotfix first.
Specifically, a stability issue has been highlighted for the RTX 50 series using the recent 610.xx version drivers, and since it launches today, a hotfix has been deployed rather than a whole new driver.
As it's a hotfix, you won't be able to just update it through the NVIDIA app on your PC; you'll need to go to the dedicated support page to grab it and install it manually.
The hotfix is also worth grabbing for Path of Exile 2 players, as it addresses a frustrating issue players have been seeing in the game when running under DX12.
"[Path of Exile 2] Fixed intermittent long pauses that could occur after extended gameplay sessions in DX12 mode"
No other games are affected by this hotfix, so if you're not planning to play either of them in the next week or two, you can hold off. NVIDIA will roll these fixes into its next regular driver release so you'll get them fairly soon.
It's also worth making sure you do a clean installation, which honestly, I'd recommend any time you install an updated driver. During the NVIDIA installation process there is a box you can check to do this, or you can use a tool like Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to remove the old ones first. I've seen some issues first-hand over time that were rectified from doing a proper clean installation, and it's no extra work really to do.
Halo: Campaign Evolved is, of course, another remake of the first game in the legendary series. Beyond looking better, it's actually coming with some fresh content, expanding the classic game, and for the first time folks on PlayStation will be able to see what all the fuss is about.
Early access begins today, July 23, with general access on all platforms and Xbox Game Pass beginning on July 28.
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If you'd asked me a couple of days ago, before Xbox's latest news, what games had me excited about PC gaming, there's no way I'd have named BLiNX: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, or Fuzion Frenzy.
Cale Hunt
(Image credit: Future | Edited with Gemini)
What I'm up to this week: Other than settling back into work after a couple of weeks of dealing with a flood, I'm enjoying summer weather to catch outdoor concerts and to catch up on guitar practice.
Sure, this initiative might seem small today. These are four first-party games without many legal complications. A toe dipped in the water, if you will.
But new information about how Xbox is handling backwards compatibility has emerged since the news first broke, and it has me rethinking the entire situation.
The back-compat OG Xbox games just released on PC are already Xbox 360 games
The OG Xbox games arriving on PC are actually running through an Xbox 360 layer.
In a lengthy thread on X, user @XCTdotLIVE explains how the back-compat program currently works.
As it turns out, the store packages are actually labeled as "Xbox360BackwardCompatibil.*," giving us our first clue at what's happening.
XCT.LIVE goes on to explain that, yes, these games are in fact already Xbox 360 games that are running on the Xbox 360 Xenon Fusion (XeFu) emulator.
Microsoft just put original Xbox games on PC — 4 launch titles. I installed all four (Blinx, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies, Fuzion Frenzy) and reverse-engineered the packages while they were running. How the emulation actually works is wild. Thread 🧵 pic.twitter.com/N6zTvw6cTPJuly 23, 2026
As they put it, "your 2001 game runs inside the 360's OG-Xbox emulator, inside a 360 running on Windows. Two nested generations of Xbox emulation."
As X user @TheLunarixus notes, this is confirmed by "XEX2/STFS magic and strings in the kernel such as "XENON KERNEL EXITING."
Fun fact: The new OG Xbox Backwards Compatibility layer released by Microsoft for the PC is actually an Xbox 360 emulator running Xefu (the OG Xbox emu for the 360), confirmed by the XEX2/STFS magic and strings in the kernel such as “XENON KERNEL EXITING”. Crazy.July 22, 2026
The rabbit hole goes deeper. This is the same sort of wizardry that allows original Xbox games to run on the Xbox One's x86 architecture via layers of Xbox 360 architecture. It's a convoluted way to reach an end goal, but hey, if it works, it works.
This information is really what got my attention. If the foundation is already a working Xbox 360 emulator, 360 games being backwards compatible on PC is more than plausible. In fact, it's probably already almost ready for primetime.
The likelihood of Xbox 360 games on PC just got a lot better
Will we see the Xbox 360's game library arrive on PC? (Image credit: Windows Central)
The core statement that "Microsoft made four old Xbox games run on PC" gets a lot more exciting now that I know how everything works. The four OG Xbox games look a lot more like the tip of a much larger technical foundation that's already capable of running 360-era games.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the hardest part about console emulation is the base architecture rather than the games that run on it. So if the base is already capable of handling Xbox 360 games, the path from four OG Xbox titles to a plethora of 360-era games is a lot shorter than it seemed just a few days ago.
The Xbox 360's library is what really gets me excited. I wasn't much of an OG Xbox gamer (I was too busy with PCs), but I had a lot more experience with the 360. It's the generation that landed right when I was graduating high school, and I know I'm far from the only one who considers its library of games to be peak.
If Xbox 360 emulation is indeed on the table, Microsoft's back-compat news stops being a nostalgia play and instead becomes one of the most significant moves Microsoft could make, not just for Game Pass (on which these games are launching), but for game preservation in general.
Microsoft hasn't yet made anything official, but I'm feeling hopeful
Microsoft's full back-compat plans aren't available, but I'm feeling hopeful. (Image credit: Future via Michael Hoglund)
Let me be honest here. Microsoft has been pretty quiet about what's going on behind the back-compat scenes. There's no roadmap, no announced Xbox 360 support, and no timeline for any of it.
The information I received could be wrong (not likely), or Microsoft could have reasons involving licensing, resources, or other priorities that keep it from acting on the Xbox 360 capabilities, even if they do exist.
It's worth pointing out that my colleague, Jez Corden, has teased that "their plans for this longer term are pretty epic" regarding the back-compat program. He knows a lot more about Xbox than I do and generally has plenty of inside information he keeps close to his chest.
their plans for this longer term are pretty epicJuly 22, 2026
In any case, Xbox seems to be making all the right moves at a time when game preservation is a hot topic. Microsoft might have just flipped the switch on one of the biggest customer service endeavors in video game history, and I can't wait to see what the future holds.
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NASCAR 25 last year ended a long wait for a good stock car racing experience on consoles especially. But that was last year, and now we're onto NASCAR 26, the new and improved release for the 2026 season.
It was recently revealed at the San Diego street race alongside its cover star, reigning NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Kyle Larson. Now, alongside the first Dev Diary for the game, we also have a release date.
NASCAR 26 is launching on September 18, with the added bonus this year of a simultaneous release on both PC and console. NASCAR 25 came to PC players around a month later, so it's great news that everyone's playing at the same time for 2026.
This year's game is more than just a fresh coat of paint, though. First up, the Chase will be part of NASCAR 26, mimicking the change in format in the real-life series'. While it will be part of career mode and seasons, there will also be a standalone 10-race Chase mode where players can choose the 16 drivers they want to be part of it and just race the back part of the season.
AI opponents will also now be able to DNF, which sounds like a small thing but is actually pretty huge. NASCAR games of old have always had a full field finishing every race, but as fans know only too well, that almost never happens in real life. It just adds another layer to the experience.
When points are most important in the championship hunt now, even if you're struggling yourself, finishing ahead of DNF drivers makes it worth carrying on.
Tracks will start off 'green.'iRacingAs the weekend progresses, rubber will be laid down, and the fastest lanes may change. iRacing
The biggest new change coming to the gameplay, though, at least that's been announced so far, is how tracks will change throughout the course of a race. Dynamic Track will aim to mimic how a real-life track alters through the course of a race weekend.
At the start of the weekend it'll be 'green', that is, clean and free of rubber. As cars drive over it, rubber gets laid down, and the track will change. As the track conditions change, so too does the way it has to be driven. Different lanes will become an option. You might start out hugging the bottom, but by the end of the race, you could be up ripping the fence.
Oh, and as is seemingly the norm now, there will be a premium edition with early access to the game. The Gold Edition will be available from September 15. Pre-orders are set to start on July 29, and on the same day we'll get our first gameplay trailer.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
Hier — 23 juillet 2026Windows Central - News, Forums, Reviews, Help for Windows 10 and all things Microsoft.
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.
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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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.
This BlizzCon 2026 pack for World of Warcraft contains a Rabbit’ath Flying Mount, a Garb of the Dawnfire Phoenix Transmog Ensemble, and the Perch of the Dawnfire Phoenix Decor.View Deal
This BlizzCon 2026 pack for Overwatch contains a Lich Queen Mei Legendary Skin, a Frostmourne Ana Weapon Skin, a Lichimari King Weapon Charm, and a Lich Queen Mei Spray.View Deal
This BlizzCon 2026 pack for Diablo IV contains a Streamsnout Pet, Indigo Cat Mount, and Escapeproof Armor Mount Armor.View Deal
This BlizzCon 2026 pack for Diablo Immortal contains a Rimedarter Familiar Transmog, Seekers of Riddergrove (Violet) Portal, 20 Legendary Crests, 10 Telluric Pearls, and a Mother’s Lament 2-Star Legendary Gem. View Deal
This BlizzCon 2026 pack for Hearthstone contains a Bloodmage Thalnos Signature Legendary Card, a Blade of the Black Empire Card Back, five Standard Card Packs., Blade of the Black Empire Card Back, and five Standard Card Packs.View Deal
This pack contains all the content of the other BlizzCon bundles while also including a World of Warcraft Murk’atath Pet, an Overwatch Lich Queen Mei Player Icon and Name Card, Diablo IV Indigo’s Light Trophy and Indigo’s Master Trophy, a Diablo Immortal Player Portrait Icon, and five additional Hearthstone Standard Packs.View Deal
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.
Tune in on July 30th at 6amPT | 9amET for the Gears of War: E-Day Multiplayer Reveal.https://t.co/Wop6ZsNQoH pic.twitter.com/6cD3r3g0nVJuly 22, 2026
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
It's a very, very, mad world. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
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.
Relive the tragic day that started the long, gruelling war between the COGs and the Locust horde in the highly anticipated prequel of the Gears of War franchise, Gears of War: E-Day.
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).
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.
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%.
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
A difficult time for traditional game consoles. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)
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.
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.
The most affordable way into the new hardware lineup. This model swaps the top-tier chip for the Snapdragon X2 Plus and uses an LCD screen, giving you excellent battery life and solid everyday performance while keeping the price in check.
This configuration hits the sweet spot for power and visual quality. The Snapdragon X2 Elite delivers a noticeable GPU boost, while the OLED panel brings deep contrast and accurate colors for media work. Plus the Dune color pops.
This model combines the Snapdragon X2 Elite processor, a vibrant OLED display, and 512GB of storage. It's the go-to setup if you need extra headroom for heavy multitasking and larger files.
The biggest perk here is wireless functionality. You can detach the keyboard and type comfortably while keeping the tablet propped up at eye level, which is a lifesaver on cramped desks or airplane trays.
Built-in haptics deliver subtle tactile feedback that mimics the feel of pen on paper in supported apps. It's an essential add-on if you regularly sketch, mark up PDFs, or take handwritten notes.
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.
The base Xbox Ally is a far better purchase right now than the Steam Deck, and you can still use SteamOS if you wish. (Image credit: Windows Central / Zac Bowden)
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.
Conker lives! (Image credit: Microsoft)
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.
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."
The game was so perfect that I started doubting whether it was actually rendered in 3D. But it really was a 3D game, and the texture mapping was flawless. It may well have been the first game in history to achieve that, and it ran at a smooth 60 fps. We were so inspired by Daytona USA that we knew we wanted to work with Sega.
Jensen Huang, NVIDIA CEO (via Automaton Media)
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.
While we made the wrong technical decisions, I believe Irimajiri recognized that we were the right people for the job.
Jensen Huang, NVIDIA CEO (via Automaton Media)
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?
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang pegs his company's early resilience on an investment from Sega. (Image credit: Getty Images | Chesnot)
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.
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.
Bing still shows a video from the Miami Heat titled "LeBron James Introductory Press Conference." (Image credit: Future)
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.
The first modernized File Properties dialog discovered. With more expected to come soon. (Image credit: Phantomofearth on BlueSky)
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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