Monster Hunter Wilds is finally no longer sluggish on Xbox
Gaming Monster Hunter Wilds' redemption arc has come to an end as its latest update has brought significant performance improvements to Xbox and PC, along with new challenging and fun quests
Features
Black Ops 7 is on a roll and the latest content is the best from Call of Duty in ages
Opinion It might be the in thing to rip on Call of Duty on the internet, but they're cooking with Black Ops 7. The most recent content is some of the best in a long time.
Two of the most legendary games of all time get new content this week
Gaming For veteran gamers who have been at it for decades, this week's new content for Age of Empires 2 and Diablo 2 feels like time travel. Kudos to Microsoft for preserving these games the right way.
The AI Tax — Why you're paying for tech you don't use
AI The "AI Tax" is hitting consumers through electricity price hikes and hardware delays. Even if you don't use AI, you're still paying the bill.
I'm replacing Task Manager on all my PCs with this free app
Windows 11 I decided to test out a new monitoring app for Windows called AppControl, and after only a few days of use, I've sworn off Task Manager. Best part? AppControl is completely free.
Windows & Software
Microsoft Edge update — useful AI PDF tools and faster performance
Browsing Microsoft Edge finally adds AI PDF tools that save time, including instant summaries and a faster, more reliable Read Aloud experience.
Microsoft is turning Surface into the ultimate always‑connected laptop
Windows Microsoft and Ericsson's new partnership will make 5G laptops more secure and reliable with AI. This enterprise feature is expected to arrive in Surface Copilot+ PCs first.
Firefox says goodbye to legacy Windows versions when Mozilla cuts support
Software Mozilla is ending support for Firefox on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 in February 2026. Users must upgrade to a supported version of Windows to stay secure and continue receiving browser updates.
PC Hardware
I compare two of the lightest, thinnest laptops launching in 2026
Laptops Here's how the new Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Ultra Aura Edition and ASUS Zenbook A14 for 2026 compare.
Western Digital shifts supply to AI, leaving consumers short
News AI infrastructure demand is reshaping the storage market, as Western Digital confirms firm orders through 2026 and long-term agreements stretching into 2028.
Acer and ASUS PC sales halted in Germany over a codec spat with Nokia
Hardware Acer and ASUS pause PC sales in the European country after a court ruled in favor of Nokia in a HEVC legal battle.
The best Windows laptops out of 70+ recent reviews
Laptops The Windows Central team has tested and reviewed more than 70 Windows laptops in the past year, and I've curated this list with the 9 best options as well as several honorable mentions.
Deals
This highly rated mini PC drops below $600 for an easy recommendation
Deals The Geekom IT13 mini PC, with 16GB of RAM, a max CPU clock speed of 4.8 GHz in its Core i5 CPU, is now on a 29% discount exclusively on Amazon.
Xbox Ally is defying the "Rampocalypse" price hikes with this 18% discount
Deals The Xbox Ally is a powerful gaming handheld with performance rates and resolutions equal to those of the vaunted Steam Deck, and it's enjoying an 18% discount across various retailers.
This highly effective MMO mouse and near-perfect keyboard are on a Presidents' Day sale
Deals Presidents' Day has given Best Buy a chance to sell off a couple of vital discounted PC gaming accessories for players looking to conquer World of Warcraft's upcoming Midnight expansion.
I bought this discounted Lenovo laptop; here's why you should too.
Deals Lenovo's IdeaPad Slim 3X is heavily discounted for President's Day and if you're shopping on a budget, this is definitely the laptop deal you should grab.
Handheld Gaming PCs
Valve confirms RAM shortages affecting Steam Deck
Handhelds Valve has acknowledged that Steam Deck OLED stock shortages are due to memory and storage supply issues, raising questions about pricing and how this will affect the Steam Machine.
Gaming
Turtle Beach is becoming a real racing sim competitor with this wheel and pedals
Review Turtle Beach's VelocityOne KD3 set, with add-ons like the F-RX Formula Wheel, makes this a serious racing competitor and another entry in its racing lineup.
WWE 2K26 reveals tons of MyGM, Universe, & Creation Suite updates
Gaming WWE 2K26 has unpacked a tidal wave of new information regarding its take on the series' MyGM, Universe, and Creation Suite features, and we've rounded it all up in one place.
Bungie clarifies Marathon platform-exclusive bonuses
News Marathon will not restrict cosmetic perks to PlayStation players, as Bungie confirms weapon charms are also planned for Xbox and Steam ahead of the game’s March 2026 launch.
Artificial Intelligence
Microsoft AI CEO warns white-collar jobs face AI automation in 18 months
AI Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman predicts most white-collar tasks will be automated within 18 months, potentially reshaping the future of work as we know it.
Microsoft AI chief confirms plan to ditch OpenAI
AI Google Deepmind co-founder and Microsoft AI lead Mustafa Suleyman suggests that the big tech firm is moving away from OpenAI reliance, as the latter's financials look increasingly dire.
How OpenAI pushed a key researcher to resign — the implications are dire
AI OpenAI researcher sounds the alarm over ChatGPT's ads, which could exploit users' psychology and most intimate secrets to bombard them with turbo-manipulative ads.
How Google's search monopoly abuse will destroy Microsoft AI
AI Microsoft and OpenAI cannot hope to replicate Google's dual-purpose crawlers, owing to the search firm's total monopoly over web traffic.
Microsoft
Microsoft Azure usage by ICE triples — but is it mass surveillance?
Microsoft Leaked files show ICE tripled its data on Microsoft Azure to 1,400TB. As AI usage climbs, Microsoft faces fresh scrutiny over its "mass surveillance" pledge.
Microsoft Teams faces a class action lawsuit over "illegal" voice collection
Teams Microsoft could face penalties if found to have violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) with voice transcription.
Opera complaint over Edge sparks investigation from Brazil.
News Opera’s complaint has triggered a regulatory investigation into whether Microsoft’s OEM incentives reduce consumer choice at the point of purchase.
AI “recommendation poisoning” is real, and Microsoft says it’s getting worse
News Microsoft is warning that attackers can plant hidden memory instructions inside AI systems to subtly influence recommendations and decisions. The company says this emerging threat could affect everything from chatbots to automated tools
Peripherals & Accessories
X / Twitter knocked offline as major outage impacts service
X A major outage has taken X offline for millions of users, with people reporting they are unable to access the website or the app.
