Windows Central Insider
The Call of Duty entry that everybody hated comes to Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Call of Duty: Vanguard, EA Sports FC 26, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, and more join Xbox Game Pass' second batch of titles.
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Features
The most interesting features in June’s Windows 11 Insider builds
Windows 11 Windows 11 Insider builds add Screen Tint, Low Latency Profile, quieter Widgets, smarter Search, File Explorer fixes, and fewer restarts.
Capcom’s rethink of DLC makes me wish more games respected player time
Gaming Capcom’s new DLC approach rewards players instead of charging them.
Windows laptops are too confusing for consumers, but Microsoft could help
Opinion Shopping for a Windows laptop is more complex than for its MacBook rivals, due to the sheer number of options. Microsoft could help simplify everything.
Windows Wrap: Should Xbox CEOs have term limits?
Windows Xbox’s financial troubles and leadership questions overshadowed Windows 11 updates and PC reboot fixes this week.
Moonraker turns 10 and still looks ahead of its time
Flashback A decade later, Microsoft’s unreleased Moonraker smartwatch still feels like a glimpse into an alternate timeline.
Looking back at 2016’s “I love you, Xbox” — and how much (and little) has changed
Flashback Looking back at the 2016 editorial that captured Xbox’s growing pains and predicted the decade ahead.
Revisiting the LG Lancet, 11 years later
Flashback A look back at the LG Lancet and the era when Windows Phone 8.1 defined Microsoft’s mobile peak.
The 2016 Android‑apps warning that now echoes Googlebooks
Flashback A 2016 warning about Android apps on Chrome feels newly relevant as Googlebooks pushes Android PCs into the agentic era and challenges Microsoft again.
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Windows & Software
The most interesting features in June’s Windows 11 Insider builds
Windows 11 Windows 11 Insider builds add Screen Tint, Low Latency Profile, quieter Widgets, smarter Search, File Explorer fixes, and fewer restarts.
Windows 11 in-box apps are getting a massive wave of new features
Apps Calculator, Camera, Clock, Media Player, Paint, Photos, and Sound Recorder all have new features and improvements on the way.
Windows Wrap: Should Xbox CEOs have term limits?
Windows Xbox’s financial troubles and leadership questions overshadowed Windows 11 updates and PC reboot fixes this week.
PC Hardware
Review: CHUWI's latest mini PC has a lot to offer at an attractive price
Review CHUWI's fresh AuBox X mini AI PC is super compact, relatively powerful, and comes at a very attractive price. Is it right for you? I've been using it for a few weeks to find out.
Windows laptops are too confusing for consumers, but Microsoft could help
Opinion Shopping for a Windows laptop is more complex than for its MacBook rivals, due to the sheer number of options. Microsoft could help simplify everything.
Moonraker turns 10 and still looks ahead of its time
Flashback A decade later, Microsoft’s unreleased Moonraker smartwatch still feels like a glimpse into an alternate timeline.
GPUs still ship despite the RAM crisis, but the worst could be yet to come
PC gaming New findings from Jon Peddie Research indicate that GPU shipments held strong in Q1 2026, but there's more to the story than just a flat market.
Deals
My PC's ailing storage will be fixed with this external 1TB SSD and its speed
Deals The Samsung T7 Portable SSD with 1TB of space is enjoying a limited, early Prime Day discount at Amazon.
Some of Geekom's best Mini-PCs for work and gaming are having a summer time sale
Deals The critically acclaimed Geekom A9 Max, A8, and A7 Max Mini-PCS that offer fast performance rates for workloads with plenty of storage space and internet connectivity options are on a limited-time summer sale at Geekom
One of ASUS' reliable workhorse laptops is on sale with a bonus 8-in-1 Hub
Deals The ASUS Vivobook 14 laptop with an Intel Core 5 120U (10 Cores) CPU, 16GB RAM, and 1TB of storage is currently on an early Amazon Prime Day discount with a Plusera 8-in-1 Hub bundled in.
This RTX 5070 laptop is perfect for everything from Summer Game Fest
Deals The Alienware 16X Aurora is a high-end gaming laptop, and its RTX 5070 configuration is now on sale for $730 off.
Handheld Gaming PCs
AI costs are killing the Lenovo Legion Go 2 and portable gaming at large
Handhelds Lenovo's Legion Go 2 handheld exceeds $2,000 at some retailers, and remains far above its MSRP at others. The once-lauded device is becoming unattainable.
Gaming
Everything coming to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 in Sim Update 6
Gaming Sim Update 6 has been revealed for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, due to drop on an as yet unknown date in the next couple of months. Here's everything it's bringing to the skies.
The world's most popular truck simulators on PC will soon be easier to play
PC Gaming SCS Software plans a Multi-Function Display (MFD) to simplify the extensive list of controls in Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator on PC.
Head of Xbox's Call of Duty studio Treyarch retires after 22 years
Call of Duty After 22 years working at the Call of Duty developer Treyarch, its studio head Mark Gordon has left his position and Microsoft and Xbox.
EA just made an entirely new division for putting ads in its games
Gaming Electronic Arts has opened a new Advertising division that will enable "brands to integrate directly into gameplay" with in-game ads.
Microsoft is gearing up to let you spread the cost of Xbox purchases — partnering with Klarna and PayPal
Xbox Microsoft is exploring ways to help Xbox customers manage the cost of living crisis, adding the ability to split costs in over weeks or even monthly instalment payments "interest free."
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Artificial Intelligence
Microsoft CEO admits he is a tokenmaxxer
AI Satya Nadella warns Microsoft staff against tokenmaxxing, urging smarter AI use as the company balances innovation with efficiency.
Microsoft employees restricted from Claude Fable 5 over data fears
AI Microsoft clamps down on Anthropic’s Claude Fable 5 over data protection concerns.
Quote of the day: "AI can't decide which problems are worth solving"
AI AMD CEO Lisa Su stresses AI can’t replace human judgment in critical decisions, especially if it lacks data to reference.
Microsoft exec clarifies that AI won't replace your job, just automate it
AI Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman's statement about AI's impact on white-collar jobs was misconstrued. He said the technology will automate mundane tasks, not wipe out the jobs entirely.
Microsoft
A massive week for Windows (and Xbox) — Windows Central Podcast LIVE
LIVE Join Daniel and Zac at 2PM ET on June 12 for the LIVE Windows Central Podcast!
Microsoft unveils a Bing search 'kill switch' to remove AI answers
AI Microsoft gives Bing users more control with a new extension that lets users remove AI-generated answers.
Windows 11’s June update closes an intentional BitLocker backdoor with full file access
MICROSOFT Windows 11’s BitLocker flaw, described as an intentional backdoor, has been patched by Microsoft in the June update.
LibreOffice accuses Euro-Office of being a freeware Microsoft Office clone
Office LibreOffice calls Euro-Office a freeware clone of Microsoft Office, questioning its open-source claims and sovereignty credentials.
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Peripherals & Accessories
Best gaming keyboards 2026
Keyboards Windows Central tests and reviews the latest and greatest gaming keyboards to help you make the best possible decision for your gaming setup.
