A few days ago, LG was discovered to be automatically installing adware via their monitors when connected to a Windows PC, resulting in popups for apps like McAfee appearing on screen that users are forced to dismiss. Naturally, this has caused outrage online, and appears to have even caught the attention of Microsoft.

Now, Microsoft has confirmed that it has intervened and reached out to LG to see what can be done about stopping this. Windows chief Pavan Davuluri says that LG has agreed to stop McAfee from appearing within their LG monitor popups.

"We’ve connected with the team at LG and as an immediate next step, they have agreed to disable the McAfee pop-up from their app," Davuluri said in a post on X. "We appreciate LG working with us toward a shared goal of a better experience for our mutual customers."

It's good to see Microsoft stepping up to help here, as OEMs often get away with gross practices on their hardware. Many Windows PCs ship with adware and bloatware out of the box, and Microsoft has done little in the past to reduce this.

With the company reaching out to LG directly, it's clear that Microsoft thought LG's practices here were a step too far, and is eager to improve the overall health of the Windows ecosystem by ensuring OEMs are dialing back on the amount of bloatware and adware that appears on third-party hardware.

McAfee is one of the most pre-installed OEM bloatware apps you can find. Almost all major Windows OEM hardware will include a free-trial of McAfee, along with other demo or trial apps like Dropbox, Microsoft Office, and more.

Unlike actual PC hardware, LG's adware is being installed through a monitor app that is automatically downloaded onto a Windows PC when you connect an LG monitor to it. The app is designed to allow you to control functions and settings of the monitor, but it includes a popup that previously displayed ads for things like McAfee.

It's unclear if LG is planning to stop showing ads there permanently, if it it's only doing so temporarily until the outrage dies down. Hopefully, this change is a permanent one, as most users are not interested in being advertised to via a popup appearing because of the monitor they've chosen to use.

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When Diablo 2 launched in 2000, it essentially took over my gaming life. Never before had I played something so addictive. It was (and still is, to a certain degree) impossible to put down. Little did I know that I'd still be playing it 26 years later.

My love for action RPGs with isometric graphics and oodles of loot was indeed borne from my love of Diablo 2, and trust me when I say that I've tried almost every other game similar to the best there is.

Grim Dawn. Titan Quest. Nox. Torchlight. Last Epoch. Path of Exile. I could go on and on.

The thing is, none of these Diablo 2 competitors ever gripped me in the same way as Blizzard's opus. Hell, even Diablo 3 and Diablo 4 failed to get me to keep coming back in the same way that Diablo 2 continues to do today.

I've thought a lot about exactly what Diablo 2 does differently than its competition to make it so compelling, and I've never really been able to pin it down.

This mental block was recently lifted. In a video on his personal YouTube channel, Path of Exile co-creator Chris Wilson dropped some serious ARPG knowledge that made Diablo 2's appeal finally click.

Diablo 2's eternal appeal is all about ... breakpoints?

Chris Wilson helped create what is arguably the best non-Diablo ARPG around with the Path of Exile series. To say he knows a lot about the genre is an understatement, and the wisdom he shares in the video is proof.

Wilson argues that it's Diablo 2's breakpoints that make it particularly compelling.

In Diablo 2, rather than each piece of superior gear making a tiny change to your character's power level (as we see in most modern ARPGs), the effects are only felt once the numbers reach a certain threshold, aka a breakpoint.

Block rates, cast rates, attack rates, and hit recovery rates all depend on breakpoints. Diablo 2 was designed to run at an internal 25 frames per second no matter how many frames your PC is outputting, and each of the actions I just mentioned has to fit into that metric.

Wilson uses the Amazon's base faster cast rate number as an example. It takes 19 frames to complete, which eats up a big chunk of those 25 frames, and it only goes up by equipping new gear.

Here's the catch. The Amazon, in this case, only starts casting faster spells once those frames drop to a certain breakpoint. You need a total of 152% faster cast rate from gear in order to hit the lowest 11 frames per second casting speed, with several stops along the way.

If you aren't hitting those breakpoints, there's no actual difference in speed.

Wilson explains that modern ARPG systems "preserve a fractional time and carry it into the next action." This results in your toon acting at an average speed.

Diablo 2 does the opposite. It rounds "up to a whole number of frames and just discards that fractional time. " The result of this system is a series of meaningful power spikes that actually make your character feel so much more powerful.

Any Diablo 2 player who has slotted in a piece of Hammerdin gear that helps finally hit the final casting breakpoint knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Wilson explains the drawback to how modern ARPGs operate.

The modern approach to ARPG power is indeed smoother and requires far fewer spreadsheets with listed breakpoints, but it's also far less rewarding.

Speaking from personal experience I have with Diablo 4, this seems to be the game's biggest problem. Everything feels the same all the time, and character progression is not even slightly engaging. Oh, look, a new piece of gear that's marginally better. Guess I'd better equip it.

Diablo 2's addictive qualities were not an accident

Wilson wraps up his video by stating that David Brevik, one of the original Diablo 2 creators, confirmed that breakpoints were an intended mechanic.

Wilson adds that he doesn't think players "love inaccurate timing," but he does agree that "many players love systems where reaching a target requires planning and produces a noticeable payoff."

I've pored over breakpoint spreadsheets for so many hours it's probably better to measure in days, but for whatever reason, this mechanic never crossed my mind as what makes Diablo 2 so exciting.

For my other Diablo 2 diehards out there, do you agree with Wilson's analysis? What else do you think contributes to the game's lasting appeal? What are modern ARPGs lacking that would make them as compelling as Diablo 2? Let me know in the comments section below!

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Creative Assembly, the developers behind the upcoming strategy game Total War: Warhammer 40,000, has recently concluded its first Alpha Strike Livestream, which showed their first unedited look at its real-time strategy combat system.

The developers demonstrated this gameplay through several 1v1 skirmishes, playing as the Astra Militarum faction defending their cities from the savage Ork faction.

As seen in the PC Gamer trailer, the combat system is fast-paced and chaotic, where you will need to command massive armies to blast enemies with sheer, overwhelming firepower while taking care not to get overwhelmed by making strategic use of cover and making sure enemies don't flank your units.

You must also decide which units are best suited to take down foes, when to use limited-use Stratagem abilities to lay waste to enemies to give your army breathing room, and make liberal use of your army's special abilities.

The Astra Militarum, in particular, have unique abilities where commanding officers within a squad unit can issue special commands to move faster, fire faster, and employ other unique tactics similar to how they operate in the original Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game.

The developers demonstrate these mechanics expertly as they command their light infantry units to take cover and lay down suppressing fire to slow down the Ork infantry's advance, leaving them open for their heavy units and strategems (which in this case are tanks) to blow them to smithereens.

Windows Central's take

I thought I'd seen my fair share of large-scale carnage in Warhammer 40,000 games before, like Dawn of War or Battlesector, but they're nothing compared to Total War: Warhammer 40,000.

Taking control of over 40 units (some of which consisted of 100-man squads), charging across the battlefield, watching them rain down a hail of gunfire upon the enemy, and seeing Orks explode in a shower of blood and guts is an awesome sight to behold.

Now, whether I'll be able to pull off such glorious spectacles without getting massacred in the first seconds of deploying my units is another matter, as I'm woefully inexperienced with real-time strategy games.

But I'm willing to learn because, even this early in development, Total War: Warhammer 40,000 looks awesome, and I can't wait to play it when it comes out on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

🗨️ Over to you

So how do you feel about Total War: Warhammer 40,000? Does it make you excited as a longtime Warhammer 40,000/strategy game fan, or does it make you want to try the Total War series for the first time if you're a newcomer?

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

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Valve has recently announced a major improvement for the Steam digital storefront.

As of now, Steam has new and improved features to help PC gamers send digital gift cards and games to their friends and family with greater ease, and we've got the patch notes on how they will work.

Guest checkout

First off, the patch notes on Steam describe changes to the guest checkout system. Before, it allowed family members or friends to make gifts without needing a Steam account, but it was limited to digital gift cards and hardware.

Now, it's been updated so people can buy and gift any game on Steam. You just send a wishlist share to a friend or family member, and they buy gifts directly from the wishlist without needing to make a Steam account on their end.

If a guest user wants to send a surprise gift, they can send it to any email address instead.

Gift to email

Next up, we have the new gifting via email feature, which allows players to send digital gift cards and games directly to a recipient's email account in case they don't know their Steam account.

Additionally, if the recipient's email address is linked to their Steam account, the email they'll receive will include a link to sign into their account and accept a player's gift.

However, any gift email not accepted within 30 days of being sent will automatically be refunded, so it can't be scheduled for future delivery, plus the recipient of the gift must live in the same country as the gift purchaser.

Cross-region gifting

Next we have improvements for cross-region gifting. Previously you couldn't buy Steam games for friends and family overseas on Steam, and you had to send digital gift cards to get around that, while also doing research on how much games cost in different regions due to currency conversion.

However, this update will now allow you to gift games directly to people so long as they're on your Steam friends list, while Steam automatically calculates how much a game you're sending to a person in a different region will cost during checkout.

Direct from wishlist

Finally, Steam has implemented improvements for its wishlist share link feature.

With this, you can send digital gift cards or gift games directly from a person's wishlist without needing to be friends with them on Steam. You can also create a shared wishlist that's been filtered to specific games.

Additionally, when a friend or family member clicks on your shared wishlist link, if they decide to buy you a game, the gift recipient in the cart during checkout will be automatically filled with your information.

As a reminder, friends and family members can checkout as guest users without needing a Steam.

Windows Central's take

These new changes sound really cool, but the change I'm liking most is being able to directly buy games for my friends overseas without needing to guess how much it will cost due to regional currency conversions.

This is more than I can say for Xbox, because, as of right now, you can only gift games on the Xbox ecosystem to people who live in the same region as you. Which is really inconvenient for me as I have family overseas who I would love to send Xbox games to but can't.

So I hope that Microsoft takes notes from Steam and copies this update so I can more easily buy Xbox games for my family overseas for Christmas and birthdays without having to use circumventing tactics like sending gift cards.

What do you think? Do these improvements to sending gifts on Steam sound cool? Would you like to see Xbox copy this update?

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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Halo and Xbox fans are having a bad day today. Not only are people locked out of playing Halo: Campaign Evolved's early access despite paying for it, but Xbox Live's services have become inoperable as well.

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."

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.

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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.

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.

We revealed exclusively last year that Microsoft was building a free version of Xbox Cloud Gaming, powered by ads, and now it's confirmed.

"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

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.

RELATED: Best Xbox Cloud Gaming controllers

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.

Now, Microsoft ... it's about time you released that direct-to-cloud Xbox controller already, huh?

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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.

"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.

It's nice to see the incremental updates flooding back to the Xbox platform. For a long time it felt like Xbox was grossly under-funding its hardware platforms, but new CEO Asha Sharma seems intent on bringing back Xbox as a platform. She's pledged console exclusives again for Xbox for the first time in years, and we've already seen a variety of small and major improvements to the Xbox ecosystem. Xbox achievements are once again getting new additions, Xbox back compat program just hit Windows PC, among other smaller changes.

Although with Xbox's huge layoffs biting throughout this year, it remains to be seen just how long this new feature shipping cadence will last ...

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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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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 too vibrantly purple 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.

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

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.

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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.

Alas, here we are. These four classic Xbox games are spearheading the new Xbox backwards compatibility program on Windows PC, with more titles expected to arrive in the future.

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

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.

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."

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

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.

I don't know how this all relates to Xbox's "Positron" disc-to-digital program, but I can't imagine the two initiatives won't collide at some point.

Microsoft hasn't yet made anything official, but I'm feeling hopeful

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.

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.

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.

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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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