Windows Central

1. The Xbox One S is the best value ticket to saying "no" to streaming services and going all-in on physical media

   As we're led into a digital future where we'll own nothing, what about ignoring it and buying movies on Blu-ray again. Where the old Xbox One S remains an excellent value 4K UHD Blu-ray player.

2. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Zombies comes to its dramatic conclusion in Season 05 Reloaded — here's when you can play

   Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's latest mid-season refresh is bringing the Zombies saga to a close, at least for now. Here's when you can play the final map, Rex Infernus.

3. A YouTuber just stress-tested a Snapdragon X2 laptop for 17 hours straight

   YouTuber DevonDoesTech ran a 17-hour live stream on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite.

4. The guy who built Windows Task Manager in 1996 just remade it with a cyberpunk vibe — but there's one big issue for PC users

   The creator of the original Windows Task Manager has returned with an updated version, and it probably doesn't look anything like what you think. The big problem? Task Manager OG is currently only available for macOS, with Windows support coming soon. Here's what it looks like and why you might want to test it out.

5. OLED monitor shipments are up a massive 98% year over year — I think the real reason has less to do with the panels than most people suspect

   Market research firm TrendForce has new data on the considerable rise in OLED monitor sales in Q2 2026. Although the reasons behind the newfound popularity lie in falling prices and improved supply chains, I suspect that there's another factor at play that isn't mentioned in the research.

6. Microsoft begins unified Copilot app rollout: Reveals major plan to merge Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot across all platforms, along with updated branding

   We knew it was coming, and now it's official: Microsoft is beginning to rollout a new Copilot app that merges Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot under one experience.

7. Snapdragon C specs mean Qualcomm could eat Intel's lunch with budget laptops: Here's what we know (and what we still don't)

   Qualcomm revealed full specs for its Snapdragon C platform, promising up to 67% faster battery performance and better power efficiency than Intel's N250.

8. Hogwarts Legacy is getting a sequel — Warner Bros. confirms a follow-up to the best-selling Harry Potter game that took the wizarding world by storm in 2023

   In a recent open letter to shareholders, Warner Bros. casually announced they are making a sequel to Hogwarts Legacy, a popular open-world RPG based on the iconic Harry Potter franchise.

9. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV has been delayed by two months — to polish its gameplay for the fans who have waited almost a decade

   KING Art has announced that Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV, the long-awaited sequel to the fan-favorite Dawn of War RTS series, has delayed its release date so the developers have more time to polish it to its best possible launch state.

10. Hands-on with AltTabby, Stardock's replacement for the Windows 11 Alt+Tab experience

    Stardock's AltTabby brings customizable views, search, and smart grouping to the Windows 11 Alt+Tab experience. I went hands-on with the brand-new app.

11. "If it was opt in ... nobody would opt-in." Twitch CPO squirms, admits everyone hates its new AI training 'feature'

    Twitch's Chief Product Officer accepts that everyone hates its AI "features," but is going to double down on it anyway.

12. Euro Truck Simulator 2 might soon be playable on console for the first time, if you're in Tokyo

    Fans eagerly awaiting Euro Truck Simulator 2 on Xbox and PS5 have their first piece of big news, with its creator SCS Software announcing it might be playable at an event coming soon.

13. Snapdragon X Plus laptops make mincemeat out of homework and exams, and one of our favorites is now on sale in time to help struggling students

    The ASUS Zenbook A14, a reliable and sturdy laptop once held back by a steep price tag, is now offered at a reasonable discount to give students an edge in tackling schoolwork without breaking too much of their budget.

14. Limited Edition Gears of War: E-Day Xbox controllers have been revealed, and they're some of the sickest-designed Xbox gamepads I've seen in ages

    To get players hyped up for Gears of War: E-Day more than they already are, Xbox has revealed new limited-edition Gears of War: E-Day-inspired Xbox controllers, which are now available for pre-ordering.

15. New research shows Windows 11 keeps undermining basic browser choice with harmful design tactics

    A survey from the Browser Choice Alliance says Windows 11 makes changing default browsers harder than it should be. Most users want one‑click control, but many report resets, prompts, and links opening in Edge anyway.

16. Quote of the day by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang: "Moore's law is dead. It's completely over" — Will GPUs ever be affordable again?

    Prices climb as Moore's Law seemingly dies, and AI demand rises, all while NVIDIA dominates. PC builders are left wondering if affordable GPUs will ever return.

17. I checked GOG's most popular games and found shocking gaps in updates, DLC, languages, soundtracks, and more — 1,140 games are affected with 1,531 issues

    GOG is known for delivering DRM-free games and maintaining older titles, but an update to a user-created spreadsheet shows just how many issues there are with the games it offers. Next time you shop for a game, you'll want to check this out.

18. Mozilla Firefox and Brave keep uBlock Origin alive while Chrome and Edge block the adblocker

    Microsoft Edge will soon lose access to uBlock Origin, but Brave and Firefox have both committed to supporting the extension.

19. A severe ASUS Armoury Crate vulnerability affects laptops, handhelds, and desktop PCs — Here's how to check if you're in the clear

    ASUS Armoury Crate and several other pieces of proprietary software have been discovered to have a nasty vulnerability. Here's which software and hardware are affected, how you can update everything properly, and a free alternative download if you'd like to try something different.

20. Microsoft says Windows 11 KB5101684 makes your PC more reliable, especially on devices with low amounts of system memory: PCs with 8GB RAM or less should feel more responsive

    Windows 11 is getting more reliability and performance upgrades with its latest update, which will benefit PCs with low amounts of system memory.

21. Images of what looks like a prototype Xbox Elite Series 3 controller seemingly leaked on Reddit — before being rapidly removed

    Apparent images of Xbox's upcoming Elite Series 3 controller appeared on Reddit and were quickly taken down, lending credence to the idea that it could be real.

22. Students finally have real Windows laptop options that don't break the $1,000 barrier — head back to school with the right PC

    Dell's recently discounted laptops offer affordable Windows performance under $1,000, giving students lightweight, modern options and back‑to‑school value.

23. Atlus is interested in remaking the PlayStation One-era Persona games, something that, after waiting for many years, I hope finally happens on Xbox and PC

    In a recent interview with GamerBrave, Atlus was asked if it had plans to remake the first two games in its world-renowned Persona franchise, and Atlus' answer gives me hope we may finally see the games that gave birth to this series no longer be neglected.

24. My on-the-go Steam Deck setup is now complete thanks to this nifty little Razer keyboard case with kickstand

    The Razer Joro is my favorite travel keyboard already, and now there's a new case for it that helps turn a handheld PC into a portable workstation with ease.

25. Microsoft Edge’s new sign-in option is a quiet admission of defeat on mobile

    You will soon be able to sign into Microsoft Edge with an Apple account. The feature lets iPhone users sync bookmarks and history without needing a Microsoft account.