Reddit is one of the most popular forum-style social media sites on the planet, and although Science suggests that most users there love to troll, argue and disagree without any reason, the site remains very popular among its user base.

Recently, Reddit took a couple of big steps against AI scraping, first against Anthropic, and then against Google. People not quite on board with AI would likely be in favor of Reddit for these steps.

However, recently, the company also took a decision that can turn people away from the site. Around a month ago, a Reddit employee with the username boat-botany announced that Reddit was looking to begin requiring a login to access the Old Reddit website (old.reddit), as a way to curb "abusive scraping and automated traffic". They said: ".... we’ll be rolling out changes to how Old Reddit can be accessed. ... Old Reddit’s logged-out experience is a significant source of abusive scraping and automated traffic on the platform. It’s also an important interface for many long-time mods and redditors. To strike the right balance between preserving your access to Old Reddit while preventing abusive scraping and automated traffic, over the next month we will start requiring everyone to log in."

Interestingly, the post also added that "this change will not impact logged-out browsing on reddit.com". However, that may change, at least in some cases. Today, while trying to browse New Reddit on Windows desktop on Google Chrome, I noticed there was a pop-up asking me to sign in to the app to keep using it.

The login prompt says: "Join the most real place on the internet" with two options: "Get Started" which asks you to create a new account, and "I already have an account".

Initially, I thought that this was probably happening elsewhere too, but that's not the case, or at least it didn't happen to me. I tried Firefox, Opera, Brave, and Edge to check the behaviour of the pop-up there, but nothing triggered.

I looked around to see if others were affected, and sure enough, there were people who came across this in the last few weeks or so (link1, link2, link3). Well, let us hope it's just a bug on Reddit's end.

Curiously, in that post about Old Reddit requiring mandatory logging in, boat-botany also suggested that Old Reddit could be retired, as they said, "We can’t promise it will be around forever, but u/spez [Reddit CEO Steve Huffman] himself has said we’ll keep supporting it while folks are still using it. That said, it doesn’t have the same modern security tech stack reddit.com has so we need to tighten security on old reddit to keep it viable."

Hence, with Old Reddit potentially going away, and New Reddit possibly testing the waters with a mandatory log-in, it seems browsing Reddit in a guest mode or as a visitor might no longer be possible for long.

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Posted Tuesday 28 July 2026 at 5:24 pm AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of June) 2,475

RIP Matrix

It's been a while since we last heard of STALKER 2, but after months of radio silence since the Sealed Truth update, GSC Game World has good news.

GSC Game World is releasing the first of its two planned DLC expansions for STALKER 2 on August 20, 2026, for |S, PlayStation 5, and PC via GOG, Epic Games Store, and Steam, and it will be called S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope.

In this expansion, you step back into the role of STALKER 2's protagonist, Skif, as he investigates a mysterious PDA signal that draws him into an epic questline that will run alongside the base game's story.

The Cost of Hope expansion will add new uncharted locales to explore, new allies and enemies to encounter, and new powerful weapons to obtain.

Additionally, this expansion will be launching with a free 2.0 update for the base game of STALKER 2, which will include new content, gameplay improvements, and compatibility with the latest version of Unreal Engine 5.

In the coming weeks, GSC Game World will share info on the content of the Cost of Hope expansion and 2.0 update, so stay tuned for further details. In the meantime, you can add S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope to your wishlists on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation digital storefronts.

Are you ready to return to the post-apocalyptic wasteland of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2?

(Image credit: GSC Game World)

 

(Image credit: GSC Game World)

 

(Image credit: GSC Game World)

 

First-person view of a dark, abandoned room with a shotgun aimed forward and scattered debris.

(Image credit: GSC Game World)

 

First-person view of a dark, abandoned room with a shotgun aimed forward and scattered debris.

(Image credit: GSC Game World)

 

(Image credit: GSC Game World)

 

(Image credit: GSC Game World)

 

(Image credit: GSC Game World)

 

The base game, STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl, received critical fanfare (including a 4/5 star review from us) for its engrossing and unforgiving open-world gameplay, intriguing story with multiple branching paths, and haunting atmosphere.

Yet it was riddled with game-breaking bugs, performance issues, and balance issues when it launched in 2024, which GSC Game World has spent the last two years eliminating along with improving its gameplay and adding new content entirely for free.

Now, with all the problems that plagued it at launch mostly purged and with the DLC expansion on the horizon, are you planning to revisit it, or will this be your first visit to the grim world of Stalker 2?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know in the comments section.

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Posted Tuesday 28 July 2026 at 4:48 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of June) 2,475

RIP Matrix

7 Days is a weekly roundup of picks of what's been happening in the world of technology - written with a dash of humor, a hint of exasperation, and an endless supply of (black) coffee.

This week's highlights include Xbox classics coming to PC, Google facing a massive fine, Facebook going down globally, and updates from Samsung Galaxy Unpacked. Let's get started.

You can check out the recent issues of the 7 Days weekly roundup.

AI hacks AI platform

A recent incident speaks to the horrors of AI getting smarter. Hugging Face, which hosts AI models, reported that it was hacked during an unusual attack fully carried out by an agentic AI. The AI gained unauthorized access to a limited set of internal datasets and to several credentials that are used by its services.

OpenAI later revealed that its GPT-5.6 Sol and a more capable, unreleased model were behind it. They were being tested inside an isolated environment but later found a way to the public internet and exploited vulnerabilities to access Hugging Face.

While being tested on a benchmark suite called ExploitGym, the models reasoned that the answer key might be hosted on Hugging Face. OpenAI eventually shut off access to the internal models involved.

Galaxy Unpacked

Samsung made several headlines this week with its second Galaxy Unpacked event of the year. The South Korean giant unveiled several new foldable devices, including Galaxy Z Fold8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip8.

The global RAM shortage led to a $100 increase in the base price of the Fold8. You can read our detailed specs comparison to see how it compares to the Fold7. Samsung also unwrapped the Galaxy Watch9 and Ultra 2, and unveiled two smart glasses from Gentle Monster and Warby Parker.

Pixel price confirmed

Google's VP of Devices and Services, Shakil Barkat, confirmed that all Pixel models will see a price hike (more details around the Pixel 11 launch in August). Barkat acknowledged in a statement that Google is impacted by the global shortage and price surge. While it tried to shield the customers, "economics have fundamentally shifted and we’re not immune to that."

According to Morgan Stanley, the cost of 1GB RAM has jumped from $2.80 last year to $12 in 2026. Meanwhile, credible leaks from the past suggest the entry-level Pixel model will likely cost $100 more than its predecessor.

Our Features

Our coffee-powered team published a platter of editorials, opinion posts, and guides. Check them out:

• Welcome to the end of budget smartphones — thanks to AI
• How to install apps on your Windows 11 PC with Windows Package Manager (winget)
• Windows clipboard is more capable than you think, here's how to get the most out of it
• Giveaway: Enter to win an AutoFull M6 Ultra 2.0 gaming chair that cools, heats and vibrates
• What data AI chatbots collect from you, and what you can actually do about it

This week in software news

Catch up on some of the latest software news updates that arrived throughout the week:

Firefox adds HDR support: Nearly a decade after Microsoft and Google, Mozilla has finally added HDR support on the Firefox browser with version 153. You can play HDR content on YouTube, Netflix, and other platforms if you have an HDR-compatible display.

New Ventoy update: The popular Rufus alternative released Ventoy 1.1.17 with optimizations for the Secure Boot process, without sharing the exact details. It's believed to address the recent patching of a Secure Boot-related flaw that went unnoticed for 10 years.

NVIDIA's new hotfix: A new driver fixed a long-reported freezing issue for Path of Exile 2. It also targeted stability issues with the Halo: Campaign Evolved seen by 610.xx drivers on RTX 50-series graphics cards.

New app from Elon Musk's company: X launched an overhauled app for Android this week, with claims of being faster, smoother, and way more reliable. However, the company has planned more upgrades, including hosting Spaces and performance improvements for older devices.

Linux 7.2-rc4: The latest release arrived with critical fixes for Wi-Fi, car systems, and gaming handhelds like ASUS ROG Ally X and Lenovo Legion. The Linux 7.2 update is now expected to arrive after the usual seven release candidates.

Adobe Project Indigo: The experimental camera app got updates with new image editing features, powered by the Google Nano Banana model. Project Indigo 1.1 introduced remove distractors, add a shallow depth of field, apply photographic and artistic styles, change the lighting, and more.

This week in hardware news

Catch up on some of the latest hardware news updates that arrived throughout the week:

Garmin takes on Fitbit Air: Garmin has entered the screenless fitness bands market with the CIRQA Smart Band, which doesn't require a recurring subscription. It can continuously monitor heart rate, stress, blood oxygen levels, skin temperature, and Garmin’s Body Battery energy score.

ADATA warns about RAM: Chairman Chen Li-bai said that memory and electricity will be the two most scarce resources in the world over the next decade, and even ramping up production may not satisfy the rising market demand. He doesn't expect top DRAM manufacturers to adopt a large-scale expansion strategy to meet demand.

Ten-finger touch for $80: The new Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2 launched in a 10-inch avatar, with a higher screen resolution, 85-degree viewing angle, and 10-point multitouch. It works seamlessly with other devices from the Raspberry Pi ecosystem.

New ASUS servers: ASUS unwrapped its new server lineup powered by the AMD EPYC 9006 processors. Its new portfolio features dual-socket ASUS RS700A/720A for extreme compute density and the single-socket ASUS RS500A/520A for better space efficiency and deployment flexibility.

More art on your TV: Samsung is bringing 34 new artworks from the Louver Museum in Paris to its Art Store. The artwork collection will be available on compatible Samsung Art TVs, such as The Frame.

This week in Google News

Catch up on some of the latest Google news updates that arrived throughout the week:

Friendship with Reddit: It was reported that Reddit is thinking about not renewing its $60 million data licensing deal with Google due to AI Overviews. While Reddit is a treasure trove for AI companies, the rise of AI Overviews has resulted in a sharp drop in web referrals, and fewer visitors are coming to websites.

More AI muscles: Google announced three new lightweight AI models: Gemini 3.6 Flash, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite, and Gemini 3.5 Flash Cuber to target mainstream workloads. The search giant is trying to keep people hooked, but it's still working on the Gemini 3.5 Pro frontier model.

Sign in with a selfie: Turns out passwords aren't enough. That's why Google now lets you sign in by recording a selfie video. Google promises that your video data is "encrypted" and locked away safely. It is testing hand gesture verifications under reCAPTCHA to protect account logins.

Alphabet crunching money: The Google-parent reported strong performance in Q2 2026 earnings, with revenue of $119.8 billion, up 24% from $96.4 billion during the same period last year. Much credit goes to the success in Google Cloud's AI infrastructure business.

Europe puts massive fine: The European Commission put a massive fine of €890 million ($1.015 billion) on Google for breaching the Digital Markets Act (DMA). According to the Commission, the search giant favored its own services on Google Search and prevented alternative purchase channels on Google Play.

This week in Apple News

Catch up on some of the latest Apple news updates that arrived throughout the week:

New on iOS 27: Apple seeded the iOS 27 Beta 4 release for developers and early testers this week. The iPhone-maker continues to refine Siri AI, security features, first-party apps, and more. You'll see bug fixes across Siri, CarPlay, Messages, Photos, and Safari. The latest beta also contains hints of the foldable iPhone.

Concerns over Live Notes: Apple's opt-in AI note-taking feature has raised concerns among retail employees that Live Notes may be used to coach workers or for performance reviews. Apple has "indicated" otherwise, that they won't be forwarded to managers.

Powered by Apple Maps: The Cupertino giant has started a new partnership with Ford to embed Apple Maps directly into its upcoming Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform. The first Ford cars with the said integration are said to arrive in 2027.

A year-old problem: It took Apple an entire year to fix a flaw in its Hide My Email feature. Last year, EasyOptOuts co-founder Tyler Murphy found that a flaw made it possible to uncover the true identity of people using Hide My Email and alerted Apple several times.

New Voice Assistant: While the iPhone has Siri AI, Apple's recent policy update for the App Store suggests that an AI shopping assistant could be on the way, which can personalize chats and share anonymized data.

This week in Meta news

Catch up on some of the latest Meta, WhatsApp, and Instagram updates that arrived throughout the week:

Facebook went down: The social network suffered a major outage this week that affected users globally. It spread across Facebook's website, app, and Messenger before recovering gradually. Instagram was down too for many users.

Ditching classic feed: We've come a long way from the Facebook wall. Now, Meta is testing a "reimagined experience" for Facebook, which is basically a TikTok-like full-screen video feed for users when they open the app. Users will get an option to switch back to the classic feed.

WhatsApp gets new powers: WhatsApp now has a native PDF reader, which means you can open PDF files directly inside the app. Among other updates, it's also available natively on CarPlay, and you can now share music from Apple Music or Spotify directly to your WhatsApp status.

Facebook Marketplace: Meta rolled out a new Seller app to mark the tenth anniversary of its marketplace. As the name suggests, it's specifically designed to manage a Marketplace business.

Meta AI more useful: The assistant is being upgraded to plan, research, create, and handle tasks with less back-and-forth-prompting. For instance, when decorating a room, it can learn your preferences, automatically browse Facebook Marketplace within your budget, and build a mood board.

This week in AI news

Catch up on the latest artificial intelligence news updates that arrived throughout the week:

AI Kill Switch Act: Arriving days after the Hugging Face hack, two US Congressmen drafted a new bill that gives DHS sweeping authority over major AI developers to shut down or slow operational models during emergency threat events.

They don't like it: Reports suggest that the US government is alarmed by the recent advancements shown by China's Kimi K3 model. There are chances it could lead to possible US restrictions on Chinese AI platforms over security fears. Speaking of which, major tech and AI companies warned the US government against curbing open-weight AI models.

Cisco's affordable model: Cisco announced a low-cost family of security-focused small language models, called Antares, to find code vulnerabilities. They are Antares-350M, Antares-1B, and Antares-3B, and the number at the end represents the number of parameters.

Health in ChatGPT: OpenAI removed the waitlist, and ChatGPT Health is available to everyone in the US (18 and older). It supports Apple Health integration and medical records from US hospital systems, One Medical, and Function Health.

Claude Opus 5: Anthropic's latest frontier AI model is designed for complex coding and agentic workflows. The AI giant claims the Opus 5 can offer better performance and is closer to Fable 5 at half the price.

This week in Microsoft News

You can check out Ivan's freshly baked Microsoft Weekly roundup to catch up on all the interesting stories this week. This week's issue talks about upcoming Windows 11 features, Azure outage, Xbox news, and more.

This week in science news

Catch up on some of the latest science and out-of-this-world updates that arrived throughout the week:

• Nature's Camouflage: UC San Diego scientists are engineering bacteria to produce xanthommatin. It's the natural pigment found in cephalopods, where it helps them quickly change the color of their skin by altering how light is absorbed and reflected. By linking pigment production directly to bacterial survival, they boosted yields one thousand times.
• Why do we even exist? Major experiments in Japan and the US combined neutrino data for the first time to precisely measure particle changes, helping scientists explain why matter survived the Big Bang.
• Cosmic Gold Theory: First computer simulations of neutron star mergers show that transforming neutrinos significantly alter ejected matter. Researchers found this process could increase the cosmic production of heavy elements like gold tenfold.

The week in gaming

The latest issue of Pulasthi's Weekend PC Game Deals curates several exciting games on sale this week. Epic Games Store has a fresh title for you: a copy of Foretales. Meanwhile, Xbox Free Play Days is now offering For Honor, Bleach: Rebirth of Souls, Tides of Tomorrow, and more.

That said, here are some more stories from the gaming world:

• Activision locks in Modern Warfare 4 beta dates for August, here's how to play
• Xbox classics come to PC, Microsoft unveils new Backward Compatibility program
• Steam wishlists and gifting just got a massive upgrade
• Nvidia GeForce NOW gains support for nine more games this week, including Dino Crisis
• Amazon is bringing games to Prime Video at no extra cost

From the review corner

This week, Steven got his hands on the GEEKOM GeekBook M16, a premium Intel Ulta 9 laptop with a 99.9Wh battery and a price tag under $750. The device comes in an all-metal unibody design, a great 16-inch FHD display, Windows Hello fingerprint, Dual USB-C (1x USB 4), and a 5-in-1 Dock. On the flip side, the camera doesn't support Windows Hello, the display goes black when you remove the charging cable, and the fingerprint sensor is hit or miss.

Steven also reviewed the NV1000 M.2 NVMe SSD that was published earlier today, finding that it boasts incredible PCIe Gen5 x4 speeds with very little to complain about. It actually beat the more premium Z540 in some tests.

Halo: Campaign Evolved

Pulasthi published his review of Halo: Campaign Evolved, which marks the 25th anniversary of the popular franchise. This Unreal Engine remake delivers more than just visuals with important reworks for 25-year-old designs, short but sweet new levels, fantastic new cutscenes, and voice acting on point. However, the backtracking in levels is still a pain, there is a lack of multiplayer, it needs a Chromatic aberration toggle, and it could be buggy at times.

Upcoming tech events

• Made by Google (Pixel Event) (August 12)
• iPhone launch event (Predicted September 9)

So, these were some of the biggest tech news and other updates from this week. There will be more issues of our 7 Days series in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned. You can also support Neowin by registering for a free member account or subscribing to extra member benefits, along with an ad-free tier option.

Have a great weekend!

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Posted Monday 27 July 2026 at 8:16 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of June) 2,475

RIP Matrix

Paul's Hardware (1.55m subscribers)

July 26, 2026

Video length: 11:16

0:00 Welcome to Paul’s Tech News - July 26, 2026

2:00 AMD’s Zen 6 Based EPYC CPUs Debut at Advancing AI Event

4:50 NVIDIA Shows More On DLSS5 at Siggraph

6:30 NVIDIA Increases RTX GPU GDDR6 And GDDR7 Kit Prices per Reports

TECH BRIEFS

7:36 LG Spyware Installer Blocked By Microsoft

8:47 Intel commits to 14A mass production in 2028, sales rise 25% year-over-year

9:29 Chinese esports hotels targeted in series of RAM thefts

10:16 Dog ate 96GB Crucial RAM kit

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Posted Sunday 26 July 2026 at 5:49 pm AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of June) 2,475

RIP Matrix

This week's news recap is here, with an Azure outage that took down Windows Update alongside Teams and SharePoint, Microsoft finally reining in Copilot in one small corner of Windows 11, and a fresh wave of Xbox news.

Quick links:

1. Windows 10 and 11
2. Windows Insider Program
3. Updates are available
4. Reviews are in
5. Gaming news

Windows 11 and Windows 10

Here, we talk about everything happening around Microsoft's latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And, of course, you may find a word or two about older versions.

Microsoft confirmed an Azure outage disrupted Windows Update, the Microsoft Update Catalog, Microsoft Store downloads, and WSUS this week. This happened just two days after a separate Microsoft 365 outage took down Teams and SharePoint. These outages severely limited all the activities connected to said services during the crisis period. Fortunately, Microsoft has since dealt with the outages, and all services are now functioning normally.

The LG Monitor App saga also wrapped up this week. Windows Update was found to be silently installing the app on user PCs without consent, and it used a tracking technology called Automated Content Recognition to monitor what's displayed on screen.

The installer was also bundling McAfee antivirus on top of it. Win11Debloat added an option to block the app entirely, and shortly after, Windows chief Pavan Davuluri confirmed Microsoft worked with LG to at least stop the McAfee bundling.

Microsoft is also tightening up Windows volume activation. A new capability called KMS Hardware-Secured will require TPM-based attestation to verify that KMS hosts are running on trusted hardware before they can activate Windows devices. This should stop fake or clone KMS servers, and in theory, make pirating Windows harder.

• Microsoft is killing Whiteboard for personal Microsoft accounts, editing gets blocked August 22 and all content is deleted after September 5, though business accounts are unaffected
• Microsoft and AMD expanded their Azure AI partnership. Microsoft is deploying AMD's Helios rack-scale platform (Instinct MI455X GPUs, EPYC "Venice" CPUs) through new Azure ND MI455X v7 VMs
• Microsoft paused the planned removal of the expanded people card view in Outlook Classic after backlash over it nudging users toward New Outlook

Windows Insider Program

Here is what Microsoft released for Windows Insiders this week:

Microsoft shipped Release Preview updates for Windows 11, with plethora of new features. The Widgets panel received the biggest overhaul, so it's now significantly decluttered and easier to use. Widgets and Discover are now split into two separate sections, finally separating actual widgets from the Bing and MSN clutter. The same build also snuck Copilot into File Explorer Home, with "Ask Copilot" and "Open file location" quick actions on hover, though it didn't actually work in testing.

Elsewhere, a modern dark version of the Properties dialog was spotted hidden in build 26300.8935. So far the new Properties panel design is only enabled for the deleted files dialog, which suggests that Microsoft is still in the early stages of testing this change.

Microsoft is also testing a "Do nothing" option that lets users disable the Copilot hardware key entirely, which is a nice contrast in an otherwise Copilot-heavy week.

Updates are available

This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more from Microsoft and third parties.

Microsoft is killing off Copilot Deep Research and Podcasts in the consumer Copilot app on August 18. Existing Deep Research reports stay accessible in chat history and can be exported to Word, but generated podcasts become completely inaccessible with no way to export them.

Visual Studio Code 1.130 rearchitects agent sessions around a new agent host process that runs Copilot, Claude, and Codex via the Agent Host Protocol. This change allows sessions to render across multiple VS Code windows at once.

Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting:

• Microsoft is bringing a dedicated Copilot entry point to Outlook classic starting August 2026, aligning it with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and New Outlook

• Opera One finally adds vertical tabs and better Google Lens integration

• Rufus alternate Ventoy improves upon one of Windows 11's system requirements

   

Here are the latest drivers and firmware updates released this week:

• Intel Arc graphics driver 32.0.101.8864 (non-WHQL), fixing crashes in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, Assassin's Creed Shadows, Rainbow Six Siege, and LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

• NVIDIA hotfix driver targeting stability issues in Halo: Campaign Evolved on RTX 50-series GPUs and fixing the long-reported freezing bug in Path of Exile 2

Reviews are in

Here is the hardware and software we reviewed this week

This week, Steven Parker played with the GeekBook M16, a16-inch laptop with respectable benchmark scores and respectable battery life that still costs less than competitors. Check out the full review here.

Pulasthi completed another game review, this time on the highly anticipated Halo: Campaign Evolved. If you're feeling nostalgic about the roots of the Halo franchise, check out how the remake of the original campaign looks now, reworked in the Unreal Engine 5.

On the gaming side

Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts, and more.

Microsoft unveiled Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC, a new program that brings classic Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles that never officially made it to PC onto modern hardware. Xbox VP Jason Ronald called it the start of a broader effort to preserve older games long-term.

Xbox is also trialing an ad-supported cloud streaming tier for games you already own. You'll watch an ad before the session starts, so there's no mid-game interruptions, but each free session is capped at one hour. Microsoft says it’s a way to play your existing library on whatever device you have, without needing to buy new hardware. Still, users won’t appreciate the ads too much.

Deals and freebies

• Story-driven card game Foretales is free to claim on the Epic Games Store
• Weekend PC Game Deals: Anno, Civilization, Monster Hunter, and more

Other gaming news includes the following:

• This wave of Xbox Game Pass adds Halo: Campaign Evolved, Game Freak's Beast of Reincarnation, and the pirate city builder Corsair Cove

• Meta Horizon+ subscribers gained access to Xbox Game Pass Starter Edition, following the same bundling model Microsoft started with Discord Nitro

• CD Projekt RED confirmed a reveal for The Witcher 3's Songs of the Past expansion at Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 25

• Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game got a surprise six-week Xbox delay just hours before launch, though pre-orders remain active

• Age of Empires III returns to life as studio uncancels major expansion

• Microsoft could finally fix one of Xbox's biggest download speed issues with new feature

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Posted Sunday 26 July 2026 at 7:55 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of June) 2,475

RIP Matrix

The Age of Empires series has been back in a big way in recent years under Microsoft, gaining multiple Definitive Edition remasters, a popular sequel, and even the return of Age of Mythology. Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition was one of these titles before its updates came to an end in January 2025, canceling plans for an already announced DLC pack containing the Danes and the Poles.

However, even with all the Xbox reset announcements that are laying off entire teams and shifting IPs, Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is now confirmed to be coming back to life.

The development team has announced that The Baltic Powers expansion is now back on the way, and it will carry two new civilizations, over 25 new maps, fresh challenge scenarios, new game modes, and more than 50 hero customizations. "More importantly, it is built around what Age III fans value most: new strategic problems to solve, new matchups to learn, new ways to master the map, and new reasons to return for a game they love," adds the developer.

The Danes and the Poles are the brand-new civilizations, with the former focused on naval control and layered defenses, while the latter touts its booming economies thanks to lowered building costs.

"In Commonwealth Charge, defend the Polish-Lithuanian realm against relentless invaders. Secure nearby villages, expand your resources and population, and time your Winged Hussar strikes to survive overwhelming pressure," says the studio, describing the new Challenge Scenarios. "In Havana Heat, lead a desperate Spanish defense against a British assault. Race against the clock to inflict 1,000 casualties while defending your Town Center, and control key beaches before enemy artillery can come online."

The Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition The Baltic Powers expansion is releasing on September 10, 2026. However, an open beta has already kicked off on Steam for owners of the game to try the new update and content out. The complete patch notes for the beta, which are massive, can be seen here.

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Posted Saturday 25 July 2026 at 7:23 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of June) 2,475

RIP Matrix

Qualcomm sent a letter to customers on Friday warning of plans to increase its prices by “a percentage in the double digits,” Bloomberg reports. The price hikes will go into effect starting with products shipped after September 1st.

Qualcomm claims it has “exhausted its ability to absorb higher costs from suppliers,” as ongoing component shortages continue to drive up prices. The company also said it attempted to source components from alternate suppliers prior to announcing the price hikes.

As Bloomberg notes, Qualcomm’s price increases will likely have a ripple effect, particularly for smartphones. Qualcomm’s chips power everything from Samsung’s new foldables to upcoming smartglasses. Earlier this year, Qualcomm even promised one of its new chip platforms would deliver $300 Windows PCs. Those devices could get pricier if device manufacturers pass the brunt of Qualcomm’s price hikes onto their customers.

Qualcomm’s far from the only company bumping up its prices. Seemingly everything is getting more expensive as a result of component shortages, including Xbox consoles, Raspberry Pi boards, most Apple devices, and Samsung and Google’s smartphones. Some devices are even getting downgraded specs alongside higher prices, while other devices are getting canceled or delayed.

Qualcomm did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Posted Saturday 25 July 2026 at 7:25 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of June) 2,475

RIP Matrix

In a new video, Microsoft Executive Vice President of Windows+Devices Pavan Davuluri, and Corporate Vice President of Surface Brett Ostrum have sat down to talk about what's next for Surface, including more details about the upcoming Surface Laptop Ultra, hints at more surprises to come this year, and even acknowledges people's want for a Surface Studio monitor and Surface Mini.

In the 20 minute video, Davuluri and Ostrum discuss the year so far for Surface PCs. They recap recent announcements around Surface Pro 12 and Surface Laptop 8 with Intel and Snapdragon SoCs, along with the surprise announcements around Surface Laptop Ultra and RTX Spark back in June.

In regards to what's next for Surface, Ostrum clarifies that Surface is going to continue doing what it has always done; validate platform advancements through hardware. Just like it validated touch, pen, and Windows Hello with Surface in the past, the company is currently focused on using Surface to validate Windows on Arm, as recently seen with the RTX Spark.

"We are there to help show what is possible from an experience perspective in terms of technology and experiences and help to lead the way for the ecosystem. These days, oftentimes it shows up in the form of helping to stand up brand new platforms like the, RTX Silicon from NVIDIA. And so I think for us that work will continue."

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 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.

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?

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Posted Saturday 25 July 2026 at 7:18 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of June) 2,475

RIP Matrix

Patreon is laying off 20 percent of its workers, or around 93 employees, as reported earlier by 404 Media. In a memo to employees, Patreon CEO Jack Conte writes that the company isn’t making these changes “because we believe AI replaces humans,” but says AI has “fundamentally transformed the tech industry, including how we work, how we build products, how we communicate, and more.”

That shift has changed “how we operate and organize,” Conte writes.

During an interview on Decoder, last month, Conte laid out his stance on AI, saying that the company is “100 percent embracing” AI tools internally to continue serving creators:

If Patreon does not fully embrace these tools as a product and engineering company — and we are ultimately a product and engineering company — and use them to give the power back to creators, we, as a company, will be dead in three years.

Patreon previously laid off 17 percent of workers in 2022, as well as closed its offices in Dublin and Berlin.

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Posted Friday 24 July 2026 at 7:47 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of June) 2,475

RIP Matrix

Today, after the market closed, Alphabet reported its Q2 2026 earnings. It was another strong quarter driven by rapid growth across Google Search, Cloud, and the Gemini ecosystem.

Alphabet reported revenue of $119.8 billion, up 24% from $96.4 billion during the same period last year. Operating income increased 30% to $40.8 billion, while the operating margin expanded from 32% to 34%.

Alphabet’s net income surged nearly 300% to $112.1 billion, with diluted earnings reaching $9.11 per share. However, most of this increase came from a $98 billion net gain due to unrealized gains on SpaceX equity.

Google Services remained Alphabet’s largest business, generating $94.5 billion in revenue, up 15%. Google Search and other advertising revenue grew 17% to $63.3 billion, while YouTube advertising revenue increased 13% to $11.1 billion. Google Network revenue declined slightly to $7.3 billion.

The star of the earnings call was Google's Cloud business. Google Cloud's revenue jumped 82% to $24.8 billion, driven by demand for AI infrastructure, enterprise AI solutions, and core Google Cloud Platform services. Additionally, the operating income of the Cloud business more than tripled from $2.8 billion to $8.8 billion, with an operating margin of 35.6%. Google also revealed that its Cloud backlog now stands at $514 billion, up from $490 billion.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai commented during the earnings call that nearly 90% of Fortune 100 companies are now using Gemini Enterprise, and 90% of the Fortune 100 are Google Cloud Security users. Google’s first-party model APIs are processing approximately 22 billion tokens per minute, up from 16 billion in the previous quarter. The Gemini app has also reached 950 million monthly active users, with daily active users tripling over the last year.

Due to heavy investments in AI infrastructure, capital expenditure doubled year-over-year to $44.9 billion during the quarter, resulting in a negative free cash flow of $5.9 billion, a first for Alphabet/Google in nearly two decades.

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Posted Thursday 23 July 2026 at 6:08 pm AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of June) 2,475

RIP Matrix

Gamers Nexus (2.63m subscribers)

July 22, 2026

Video length: 26:02

NVIDIA sells a leather jacket and launches trading cards, because paper GPUs weren't enough. The US is pressuring NVIDIA to reduce smuggling that definitely, absolutely does not exist, but also the US wants more money from memory makers. Steam sets a record for sales, according to report, and an OpenPuck XInput mod and game cartridge mod give us something fun to talk about.

00:00 - Recap for the Week

01:51 - NVIDIA Trading Cards and Leather Jacket

05:58 - US Pressures NVIDIA to Reduce Smuggling That Doesn't Exist

08:01 - US Wants Money from Memory Makers

10:26 - Surge in China Chip Exports

12:46 - Memory Shortage Could Last Beyond 2030

16:21 - RAM Takes Up 50 Percent of Phone Price

20:20 - Steam Sets Record for Strongest Half Year

22:49 - OpenPuck Steam Controller XInput Mod

24:13 - Reddit User Creates Game Cartridges

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Posted Thursday 23 July 2026 at 7:15 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of June) 2,475

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Microsoft is expanding its Xbox backward compatibility efforts today by bringing original Xbox games to PC. An early preview release will see four classic Xbox games available on PC today, as part of a bigger effort to bring more Xbox console games to PC in the future.

The first four games are Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, and Fuzion Frenzy. You’ll be able to purchase and download each of these games on PC, and they’ll also be included with all Xbox Game Pass plans. If you already own a digital copy of these games, you can now play them on PC or handhelds like the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X.

Microsoft has also added a bunch of PC features to these games to make it easier to customize graphics settings while maintaining the original gameplay. VSync support has been added, alongside up to 4x resolution upscaling, anisotropic filtering, enhanced anti-aliasing, fullscreen and windowed modes, and more.

Achievements are also coming to these four classic Xbox games in the coming months, a highly requested addition for both console and PC. All four titles will also include customizable language and audio settings.

Most modern PCs will be able to run these Xbox games comfortably, and Microsoft’s minimum system requirements include:

• GPU: Nvidia GTX 950 or AMD Radeon RX 550 or Intel UHD 770 or Intel Arc A310
• CPU: Intel Core i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor
• RAM: 8GB

You will also need Windows 11 to run these original Xbox games, and Microsoft recommends a GTX 1070 Ti or equivalent on the GPU side and a six-core CPU like the Intel Core i5-10400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 to get the best out of these games.

“This marks the beginning of a broader effort to preserve Xbox games from the past and bring them to PC over time,” says Jason Ronald, VP of next generation at Xbox. “Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC is another step toward preserving the games from the past and making it easier for you to enjoy and play more of the games you already own across the devices you use every day.”

Ronald first teased that classic Xbox games were coming to PC earlier this year, in a discussion about the next-generation Project Helix Xbox console. Microsoft’s next Xbox will also play PC games, and the company has been working on a disc-to-digital feature that will allow Xbox owners to digitize their existing physical game collections in preparation for future Xbox consoles.

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Posted Thursday 23 July 2026 at 7:15 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of June) 2,475

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Raspberry Pi has just announced a new size variant for its Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2. The company has already come out with a 7-inch version in 2024 and a 5-inch version in 2025, and now it is adding to the roster with a new 10-inch version, available today from $80.

The UK company has not only upgraded the size of the display, it has also come with a higher screen resolution of 1200x1920, a more generous 85-degree viewing angle, and a touchscreen controller with support for ten-finger touch, up from five-finger touch in the 5-inch and 7-inch models.

The new 10-inch Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2 works seamlessly with other modern devices from the Raspberry Pi ecosystem. For example, it is powered directly from the host Raspberry Pi and comes with the necessary cables, connectors, and mounting hardware. Raspberry Pi OS has full driver support for the touchscreen out of the box with no manual configuration necessary.

One of the most disappointing things about this monitor is that it is not compatible with the Raspberry Pi 4 or earlier models, or with the Raspberry Pi Zero series. This is because this display requires four DSI lanes which is not supported by older devices. If you want a display for those, you’ll want a previously released Touch Display.

Raspberry Pi says its new Touch Display 2 model is ideal for various applications including home automation dashboards, kiosks, robotics interfaces, digital signage, gaming systems, workshop or lab equipment control panels, and more. If you want it, you can get it here.

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Posted Thursday 23 July 2026 at 7:14 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of June) 2,475

RIP Matrix

A powerful version of ChatGPT went rogue and hacked another technology company during internal testing, OpenAI has admitted.

The Silicon Valley AI giant admitted last night that one of its AI bots escaped from a supposedly secure IT system during a trial run of its hacking capabilities.

OpenAI, the $850bn (£630bn) AI lab, said the “unprecedented” hack had seen its AI bot infiltrate another AI and coding business called Hugging Face and attempt to steal information.

The hack will raise fears that AI labs could struggle to contain their most advanced creations and revive concerns that new tools could be repurposed for unstoppable cyber attacks.

The AI lab said it had been testing a highly advanced version of ChatGPT on which it had turned down some protections meant to prevent cyber attacks.

Despite supposedly being contained in a secure digital “sandbox”, a kind of secure system, the AI spent huge computing resources “finding a way to obtain open internet access”, OpenAI said.

It broke out by using a previously unknown hack in an attempt to solve a test that had been set by OpenAI’s researchers.

Once it escaped, it moved quickly to hack the systems of Hugging Face, a major code database, to try and complete the test.

The failure reveals a key problem of so-called AI “alignment”, where an AI bot goes rogue and attempts to complete a task set by its human creators with potentially damaging results.

Clem Delangue, the chief executive of Hugging Face, said: “This incident, possibly the first of its kind, proves a point we have long believed: AI safety won’t be solved by a single company working in secret.”

The hack will raise questions over OpenAI’s own testing procedures for its most advanced chatbots.

There have long been fears from safety experts that powerful AI bots could “escape the lab” without the knowledge of their human creators.

A powerful chatbot from rival Anthropic escaped its testing confines earlier this year and posted messages on the open web.

That AI bot, Mythos, was deemed too dangerous to release and prompted a flurry of calls for beefed-up cyber protections for banks and the government.

The White House has also launched a programme to screen AI bots before they are released for dangerous cyber capabilities.

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Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked event is just around the corner, and the company is expected to take the wraps off a bunch of new devices. Based on the rumors and leaks we’ve seen so far, Samsung’s next generation of foldables will likely be the stars of the show. Samsung is expected to show off a big redesign for the Galaxy Z Fold 8, though we can’t rule out a few other surprises.

Here’s what you need to know about watching Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked and what to expect.

This year’s Galaxy Unpacked takes place on July 22nd at 9AM ET / 6AM PT. Samsung is holding the event in London on an invite-only basis.

Samsung has teased adding a “new shape” for its foldable phone lineup, which is expected to be a wider Galaxy Z Fold 8. Leaker Evan Blass shared several images of what appears to be the upcoming device. It features a passport-like form factor when folded shut, but opens to an extended display. The leaked materials suggest the Galaxy Z Fold 8 could come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor, dual 50MP wide and ultra-wide cameras on its rear, along with a 10MP camera on its cover and main screen. It may also offer up to 26 hours of video playback.

According to Blass’s leak, Samsung will also have a Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra that retains the Z Fold 7’s slim and tall design, but with an upgraded 5,000mAh battery promising up to 27 hours of video playback. The rumored Galaxy Z Flip 8 also showed up in the leaked materials, seemingly offering a 4,300mAh battery and an unchanged camera setup with a 10MP front-facing camera as well as 50MP wide and 12MP ultrawide lenses on the back.

Samsung is expected to reveal some new wearables as well, including a new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Another leak from Blass suggests the watch will be 12 percent thinner than the previous generation and come with several other upgrades, including a Snapdragon Wear Elite processor, a larger 800mAh battery, and a brighter display of up to 5,000 nits. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch 9 is rumored to launch with a familiar design and the Snapdragon Wear Elite chip, too.

Lastly, we might get more information about Samsung’s upcoming AI-powered smart glasses. The devices are expected to launch this fall with designs from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, but maybe Samsung will toss in a demo during this week’s Unpacked.

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Posted Wednesday 22 July 2026 at 11:54 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of June) 2,475

RIP Matrix

Fans of the legendary action-RPG, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, won't have to wonder when they can expect to see gameplay footage of its upcoming Songs of the Past expansion anymore, as CD Projekt Red has confirmed that it will show off the DLC for the first time during Gamescom 2026's Opening Night Live ceremony.

This ceremony will take place on August 25, 2026, 11:00 am PT / 2:00 pm ET / 8:00 pm CEST.

NVIDIA's bombshell RTX Spark announcement at Computex 2026 gave us a glimpse at new competition for Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm silicon in Windows PCs, and now Samsung is reportedly getting in on the fun with its own custom silicon designed for AI PCs.

This is the first PC-centric silicon that I can recall Samsung producing since its 2012 Exynos 5 Dual, which was created for Chromebooks. GAIA is reportedly being designed by Samsung's System LSI business unit, so I'm not expecting it to be a simple experiment.

Before getting too excited, it's well worth pointing out that the new silicon, which Samsung is calling GAIA, isn't a full in the general sense. Rather than incorporating a CPU and GPU, Samsung GAIA is a companion Neural Processing Unit (NPU) that can be added to other hardware to offload tasks.

As first reported by Chosun (via Tom's Hardware), GAIA is expected to use a 4nm process "that places computational functions close to memory." Samsung is also believed to be working on processing-in-memory (PIM) functions with specialized DRAM "capable of processing stored information."

The new standalone GAIA NPU is already making appearances outside the lab, with Lenovo China and HP USA receiving samples for testing.

It's not a comeback, but it could be the end of Copilot+

7 Days is a weekly roundup of picks of what's been happening in the world of technology - written with a dash of humor, a hint of exasperation, and an endless supply of (black) coffee.

This week's highlights include iPhone's variable aperture camera rumors, vulnerabilities in Zoom and other software, and NVIDIA added support for 240FPS recording in ShadowPlay. Let's get started.

You can check out the recent issues of the 7 Days weekly roundup.

Samsung threatens data deletion

The South Korean giant is resorting to different tactics to grab user data for AI training. It has created a dilemma for users by adding a controversial AI data consent toggle in Samsung Health. The users either have to consent to the use of their private health data to train new AI models or risk losing it forever.

Firefox to follow Chrome

Another hot update from the week is about Mozilla Firefox. The web browser will adopt a two-week or bi-weekly release cadence from September 2026 (Firefox 155) along the lines of Chrome and Edge. While these experimental bi-weekly Firefox releases for desktop and Android will ship updates sooner, Mozilla will still focus on quality over speed and won't push unfinished features.

Man loses 25 years of data

A recent incident speaks about the horrors of cloud-based storage and what could happen if things go south. Streamer Joshua Khane said that Microsoft permanently suspended his account after it got hacked, resulting in lost access to 25 years of stored data, which included his son's baby photos.

While Microsoft's cloud security is designed to minimize attacks and data breaches, its support email told Khane that suspension was necessary to prevent further misuse, and any content tied to the account is unrecoverable. It's always recommended that you take the necessary steps, such as enabling 2FA and other recovery settings, or even create your own local cloud to avoid situations like this.

That said, there is still hope. A Brazilian gamer ended up in a similar situation after their Xbox account was hacked and Microsoft refused to restore it, citing policies. It was reported that the gamer won a lawsuit against Microsoft, and the company was ordered to restore the account, digital games, and pay around $400 in damages. However, different countries have different consumer protection laws.

In other security news, the US Department of Homeland Security dismissed signs of cyber intruders twice, calling it harmless activity, while the hackers went wild for weeks and stole credentials.

Our Features

Our coffee-powered team published a platter of editorials, opinion posts, and guides. Check them out:

• Messi or Ronaldo or someone else? Google might have helped finally settle the GOAT debate
• How to find your product key for Windows 11 and 10
• How to check your disk health in Windows 11 to prevent data loss
• How to keep your drivers when reinstalling Windows (no internet connection needed)
• Windows 11 Search finally feels like it does its job properly
• Here's how to update every app on your Windows PC with a single command
• How to check your Windows laptop's battery health (no third-party software needed)
• How to check your motherboard model without opening up your Windows 11 PC

This week in software news

Catch up on some of the latest software news updates that arrived throughout the week:

Spotify's AI assistant: After messaging, you can now talk to an AI assistant inside the Spotify app. It can play songs that you'd like, add them to your library, and answer questions on things that make you curious, all through voice commands.

Don't spoil the show: Discord finally got Spoiler Channels to put major plot twists, emotionally heavy topics, or other sensitive discussions behind a warning screen so people can get context before opening it. Before this, server owners had to rely on workarounds, such as Reaction Roles.

Linux 7.2-rc3: Linus Torvalds released a normal-looking release candidate this week, with fixes for the SEGA Dreamcast driver, display detection improvements, and other areas.

Massive performance drop: Ubuntu engineers warned that an upcoming 7.0.0-28.28 kernel release can lead to a substantial 43 times performance hit on certain compute-heavy workloads. It highlighted that the regression affects the AMD GPU driver and can dramatically reduce throughput.

Update your Zoom app: Zoom recently patched a critical Windows vulnerability that, if exploited, allowed attackers to take remote control of devices over the internet. It's recommended that you download the emergency security update for Zoom on your Windows 11 device.

240 FPS ShadowPlay: NVIDIA App version 11.0.8 comes with 240 FPS ShadowPlay recording support as its biggest perk. But the twist is that the feature is only available to users with GeForce RTX 50 and 40 Series GPUs.

Beware of the Shark: It was reported that a remote vulnerability affects millions of internet-connected Shark robot vacuum cleaners, exposing them to remote code execution (RCE). This due to a misconfigured AWS policy.

LibreOffice vs Microsoft: The Document Foundation (TDF) again went after Microsoft, criticizing its OOXML for creating a long-term vendor lock-in and threatening the sovereignty of users and governments.

This week in hardware news

Catch up on some of the latest hardware news updates that arrived throughout the week:

OnePlus says goodbye to US: OnePlus exited the US and European markets as part of Oppo's major restructuring. It could even abandon India next year and remain active in its home market, China. Realme officially confirmed that it will exit China.

OpenAI's control panel: The ChatGPT-maker launched a new developer-focused hardware called Codex Micro. Featuring dedicated mechanical keys, a joystick, and a rotary dial, the $230 control panel is meant for developers running multiple agents through Codex.

Samsung teases Galaxy Watch: Of course, the "next evolution" of the Galaxy Watch is around AI. But it will also be an "always-on gateway" for tracking how we sleep and move, according to Samsung. Recent leaks suggest Snapdragon chips, bigger batteries, and a 5000-nit display are on the way.

Hope for TV Time: One of the founders is working on a new app called Bingers to serve as the new home for loyal fans. They will be able to import their TV Time archives into the app. Moreover, the app will improve performance and fix technical issues people faced with TV Time.

Who leads smartphones? Samsung and Apple increased their global market share in 2Q2026 despite a worldwide crisis in the memory and RAM markets. It's said that the delayed S26 launch and iPhone 17 series were the primary drivers for the companies.

Six Pixel 11 models? Leaked FCC listings revealed six Pixel 11 models, and Google might replace Samsung's modems with MediaTek's M90 modem. As Google announced, the Pixel 11 series will be announced on August 12.

Samsung 990 non-PRO SSD: The South Korean giant explained that its new offering is better than the 990 PRO in one aspect, noting it offers "up to a 38% improvement compared to the 990 PRO." Starting at $270, it's Samsung's most power-efficient SSD yet.

New display tech: Samsung also unveiled the Flex Titanium display technology, which will power the next generation of Galaxy foldable smartphones. It features a redesigned internal structure to make the screen more durable and reduce the crease.

Amazon bags top ISP: The e-commerce giant's Amazon Leo satellite internet service has partnered with South Africa's largest internet provider, Herotel, to offer internet services in rural areas. While SpaceX is not available in the region, the upcoming service will cater to homes and small businesses beyond the reach of fiber and fixed wireless.

AMD Ryzen 7700X3D: The company announced that the not-so-cheap substitute for the 7800X3D is now available for purchase ($329). However, the AM5-based 7700X3D is slightly slower than the popular 7800X3D.

This week in Google News

Catch up on some of the latest Google news updates that arrived throughout the week:

Don't block DNS resolvers: Google told the European Commission that blocking DNS resolvers, VPNs, and IP addresses might do more harm than good when trying to curb piracy. It might affect legit services that rely on the same infrastructure, give rise to alternative platforms, and it doesn't remove the content from the platforms at all.

Open your data: The European Commission issued binding instructions to Google requiring it to open access to Android and Search data for rival AI assistants and search engines. In other words, key Android features should be available to others under the same conditions as Google's own products, including Gemini.

Chrome features for UK: Several Gemini AI features, including page summaries, product comparisons, and image generation, are now rolling out to Chrome users in the UK. This is happening months after the features were released to people in the US. A new Chrome update fixed seven vulnerabilities, including three critical ones.

Less chatty Waze: Google updated its other navigation app with a new motorcycle mode, AI-powered reports, personalized routes, and Gemini Search. However, the cherry on top is a new setting that keeps Waze voice prompts to a minimum and brief.

Google Images turned 25: The search giant is celebrating the occasion by rolling out a revamped interface. Available in the US, the new Google Images now has a "dynamic, immersive gallery" of images from across the web that updates in real-time.

Global framework for AI: Concerns over AI's impact on society and economy are rising. Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said there should be a global watchdog to regulate and oversee frontier AI models and future AI tech.

Connect your apps: Along the lines of Personal Intelligence, you can now securely link your most-used apps and interact with them directly through the AI Mode in Google Search. The feature is currently rolling out in the US.

NotebookLM is no more: No, it's not dead. Google decided to rebrand the research assistant, and now it's called Gemini Notebook. Google added that native coding abilities are now rolling out to AI Pro users, and Gemini Notebook will soon arrive in the AI Mode.

Gemini faces a setback: Google is unable to release the Gemini 3.5 Pro frontier model, even months after the Flash model launched. The delay is due to a desire to improve the model's coding performance, and the results after training are not meeting expectations.

Google Vids gets new features: The AI video maker added support for the Omni Flash model to generate higher-quality videos and to make changes to existing videos using text prompts. It also added personal avatars that you can use to appear in videos without having to record yourself.

AI note-taking in Meet: The feature is being updated with new controls for administrators and individual users to have more flexibility over when it activates automatically. There is a new option for meetings with three or more people.

This week in Apple News

Catch up on some of the latest Apple news updates that arrived throughout the week:

Apple competing with NVIDIA: It was reported that future Apple Silicon, notably the M7 Ultra, would be powerful enough to rival NVIDIA's Blackwell. It will reportedly support 1.5 terabytes of memory and lay the groundwork for Apple's future AI server chips.

OLED iPad mini, finally: A leaker claimed that the iPad mini 8 could arrive this year with an OLED display. It will be an 8.4-inch LTPS hybrid OLED panel with a 60Hz refresh rate. The iPad mini 8 is also rumored to get the A20 Pro chip.

Knock Knock: Apple is working hard to debut Apple Intelligence in China, and the iPhone-maker turned to Alibaba for its Qwen models and Baidu to power localized features. While there is no release date, it was reported that Apple has cleared regulatory hurdles in China.

Trying to stop Apple: Amid the global memory shortage, the company is trying to source DRAM from CXMT. It was reported that US congressional leaders are urging the Trump administration to step in and block the move.

Variable Aperture: A fresh leak dropped on the web, seemingly confirming that the iPhone 18 Pro will feature a variable aperture camera. However, it could also drive up the device's price, as is expected.

This week in Meta news

Catch up on some of the latest Meta, WhatsApp, and Instagram updates that arrived throughout the week:

ChatGPT WhatsApp chatbot: The ChatGPT chatbot inside WhatsApp apparently started working again. This happened after the EU ordered the social media giant to open its platform to rival chatbots. However, there has been no official statement from Meta about the comeback.

Social media curfew: The UK government is working to introduce overnight curfews for 16- and 17-year-olds, with the aim of having them in place by Spring 2027. Addictive features, such as auto -playing videos (Instagram Reels, TikTok) and feeds, will be disabled by default during this time.

New alert system: Meta is adding a new system to alert parents when their teenager's conversations with Meta AI suggest they are thinking of suicide or self-harm. The company said it worked with parents and experts to determine which conversations should trigger an alert.

This week in AI news

Catch up on the latest artificial intelligence news updates that arrived throughout the week:

75 million songs removed: Spotify conducted a massive cleanup drive on its platform and removed 75 million tracks in the last year, which were mass-uploaded low-quality AI slop. Like other companies, Spotify is also dealing with the cons of AI-generated content while trying to support it.

Don't dismiss AI: Linus Torvalds pushed back hard against contributors opposing AI in Linux. He suggested those who disagree can "do the open-source thing and fork it" or simply walk away. While AI has shortcomings, it also has merits. In May, Torvalds was angry when people flooded the kernel with low-quality AI-generated bug reports.

More of GPT-5.6 Sol: After making its latest AI models globally available, OpenAI has improved GPT-5.6 Sol's efficiency by deploying inference optimizations, which should provide around 10% more usage. Moreover, it temporarily lifted the five-hour usage restriction for ChatGPT Plus, Business, and Pro subscribers.

Fear the Grok: SpaceXAI's new coding agent Grok Build automatically uploaded entire Git repositories to a Google Cloud Storage bucket, a researcher found. Elon Musk later confirmed that all previously uploaded information will be deleted.

Codex deleting files: In related news, OpenAI warned that GPT-5.6-powered Codex may unexpectedly delete files from users' home directories in some cases. It happens when the AI is granted full access or when auto-review is disabled.

Slowly catching up: The open-weight Kimi K3 model now trails Claude Fable 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol in day-to-day general experience. The numbers across several benchmarks suggest it has finally caught up with proprietary US-based rivals.

iPassword for Claude: The Anthropic chatbot now has a secure way to access your 1Password passwords and one-time codes in agentic mode and log in to services. 1Password will show the user what credential is being requested and why; it will also require your biometric approval.

This week in Microsoft News

Read about how the real location behind the iconic Windows XP Bliss wallpaper looks a lot different now. The Redmond giant also open-sourced Comic Chat, the software that introduced the Comic Sans font.

You can check out Ivan's freshly baked Microsoft Weekly roundup to catch up on all the interesting stories this week.

This week in science news

Catch up on some of the latest science and out-of-this-world updates that arrived throughout the week:

Why touchscreens? Modern car touchscreens are a dangerous distraction for drivers, according to safety experts. That's why European and Australian safety programs will encourage automakers to bring back physical buttons for essential driving controls.

Lightning Origins: Researchers used lasers to trap and study tiny airborne particles accidentally discovered that the light itself charges them. These sudden electrical bursts could finally explain how cloud lightning begins.

What sparked life? Researchers at Stanford discovered that tiny electrical discharges between splashing water droplets can create the chemical building blocks of life, offering a new explanation for Earth's organic molecules.

Modern physics puzzle: Virtual particles are one of the biggest puzzles in modern physics. They are mathematical tools essential for explaining quantum forces because their predictions match experimental results with extraordinary precision; physicists still debate whether they are physically real or merely models.

Wild Microsoft Tech: Microsoft scientists demonstrated glass-based data storage capable of preserving terabytes of digital information for more than 10,000 years. The system can store the equivalent of about two million books in a thin, palm-sized piece of glass.

This week in gaming

The latest issue of Pulasthi's Weekend PC Game Deals curates several exciting games on sale this week. On the Epic Games Store this week, copies of Echo Generation Midnight Edition and Luto are free to claim.

That said, here are some more stories from the gaming world:

• Gamers can now plan ahead with Valve's official Steam 2027 sale schedule
• Nvidia GeForce NOW rolls out for new region as five more games gain support
• GTA Online, Planet Zoo, Dragon Ball and more join Xbox Free Play Days
• New Forza Horizon 6 update fixes bugs with in-game AI and resets the Rivals Leaderboards

From the review corner

This week, Steven got his hands on the AutoFull M6 Ultra 2.0 ergonomic gaming chair that cools, heats, and vibrates, which you might get at a discounted price of $539.99. Speaking of the pros, it comes with comfortable PU leather, and the armrests are comfortable. However, the seat depth might be an issue for tall users, lumbar height adjustment is limited, and the vibration is a bit gimmicky.

REDMAGIC Astra 2 Gaming Tablet

A new Android tablet on the market is the REDMAGIC Astra 2 Gaming Tablet, which comes with a 9-inch OLED display, a massive 8300 mAh battery, and a 24-month warranty. The device is Thin and very light at 363g, and its display can shoot up to 185Hz. However, it doesn't have SIM/eSIM or LDAC support, the charger must be bought separately, and it has no Qi wireless charging.

Upcoming tech events

• Samsung Galaxy Unpacked (July 22)
• Made by Google (Pixel Event) (August 12)
• iPhone launch event (date not announced)

So, these were some of the biggest tech news and other updates from this week. There will be more issues of our 7 Days series in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned.

Have a great weekend!

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Posted Monday 20 July 2026 at 7:19 am AEST (my time).

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Today, Bethesda offered a big update on how the studio is mapping its future.

Xbox's massive cuts have left many of its subsidiaries reeling, with fans worried that Microsoft may have cut the legs off many of the industry's most beloved franchises. id Software sought to reassure fans on the topic this week, and now Bethesda is also doing its bit on top.

Bethesda just confirmed in a big note that Elder Scrolls VI is coming along nicely and hitting milestones, Starfield will continue to get new content, and finally, Fallout is getting a ton of new projects. Fallout 5 is in pre-production, Obsidian is returning with its own Fallout spin-off, and Fallout 3 and New Vegas are getting remakes, confirming our previous reporting.

One piece of news that might go under the radar here a bit is on Creation Engine 3, which Bethesda is developing specifically for Elder Scrolls VI and Fallout 5. I recently caught up with Todd Howard to learn a bit more about how the studio is positioning Creation Engine 3, Creation Club, and how it's becoming an increasingly critical part of Bethesda's future.

"I can't say enough about our tech team. It's just incredible."

Paul's Hardware (1.55m subscribers)

July 19, 2026

Video length: 13:16

0:00 Welcome to Paul’s Tech News - July 19, 2026

1:49 AMD is launching Zen 6 - but not for you

5:09 AMD’s Zen 4 based Ryzen 7700X3D Launches, is immediately discounted

7:00 Nvidia RTX 50 Series GPU Hotspot Data Can Now Be Monitored

TECH BRIEFS

9:18 Intel Shifts Majority of "Nova Lake" Production In-House Amid Yield Improvements

10:11 US seeks share of Korean chipmakers' 'excess profits'

10:41 RAM stolen from Church

11:13 Thieves Targeting AI Data Center Build Sites for Copper, Expensive Equipment

11:50 Nvidia shows off GeForce Trading Cards Series 1

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Posted Sunday 19 July 2026 at 6:07 pm AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of June) 2,475

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Scientists at Microsoft Research demonstrated a glass-based data storage system called Silica that can write and read digital information in ordinary glass. According to a study published in Nature, the system can store the equivalent of about two million books in a thin, palm-sized piece of glass, while tests indicate the data could remain readable for more than 10,000 years.

The work aims to address a long-standing challenge in digital archiving. Current storage media such as magnetic tapes and hard drives wear out over time and need to be replaced, making them less suitable for preserving information for future generations. Researchers say long-term digital preservation is becoming increasingly important as governments, research institutions, businesses and cultural organisations look for reliable ways to store valuable records.

Silica stores information using ultrashort laser pulses that last only a few quadrillionths of a second, known as femtoseconds (10⁻¹⁵ seconds). Although incredibly brief, these laser pulses carry enough energy to make tiny, permanent changes inside transparent glass without damaging the surrounding material.

Normally, this type of laser light passes through glass without interacting with it. However, when the beam is focused on a tiny spot, it creates an intense electric field that changes the molecular structure of the glass at that point. Each of these tiny marks is called a voxel, which is the three-dimensional version of a pixel. Instead of storing information only on the surface, voxels allow data to be written throughout the volume of the glass in hundreds of layers.

The idea of storing data in glass using laser-written voxels is not new. In the 1990s, Eric Mazur and colleagues at Harvard University showed that femtosecond lasers could permanently write data structures inside ordinary glass. In 2014, Peter Kazansky and his team at the University of Southampton reported long-term data storage in fused quartz glass with a "seemingly unlimited lifetime."

According to the Microsoft Research team, Silica does not introduce a new scientific principle. Instead, it is the first demonstration of a complete archival storage system that combines every major step needed for practical use. The platform includes data encoding, writing, reading, decoding and error correction, while also testing writing speed, storage density, energy efficiency, reliability and long-term durability.

One of the biggest advances in the latest study is the use of ordinary borosilicate glass instead of fused silica, which was used in earlier research. Borosilicate glass is inexpensive, widely available and commonly found in laboratory equipment, kitchen cookware and oven doors because it can withstand high temperatures and sudden changes in heat. According to the researchers, using this material removes two major barriers to commercial use by reducing costs and making the storage medium easier to source.

The system stores information across 301 layers inside a sheet of glass measuring 120 millimetres by 120 millimetres and 2 millimetres thick. Each piece can hold up to 4.8 terabytes of data. The researchers also simplified the reading system so it uses only one camera instead of three or four, reducing both cost and size. The writing system was redesigned with fewer parts, making it easier to build, calibrate and operate.

The study describes two ways of writing data into the glass. The first creates tiny elongated void-like structures through laser-driven "micro-explosions" inside the material. This method achieves a storage density of 1.59 gigabits per cubic millimetre, allowing large amounts of information to be packed into a very small space.

The second method creates small changes in the glass's local refractive index instead of forming tiny voids. The refractive index is the property that determines how light travels through a material. By changing this property in specific locations, researchers can create patterns that represent digital information and later read them using optical imaging. Although this method stores less data in the same volume, it writes information faster and uses less energy. The researchers reported a writing speed of about 65.9 megabits per second using this approach and said the speed could be increased further by using multiple laser beams at the same time. Across the current system, the overall writing speed is 25.6 megabits per second for each laser beam, mainly limited by how quickly the laser can produce pulses.

To estimate how long the data would last, the team carried out accelerated ageing experiments. These tests expose materials to harsher conditions, such as higher temperatures, to predict how they will perform over much longer periods under normal conditions. The researchers also developed a new ageing method for borosilicate glass, allowing them to estimate the long-term stability of the lower-cost material. The results suggest that data stored using both writing methods would remain stable for more than 10,000 years.

According to the study, this projected lifespan is far longer than that of today's archival storage technologies, including magnetic tapes and hard drives. The researchers say the results show that glass could become a practical medium for long-term digital archiving by combining durable, widely available materials with a complete system for writing, storing and retrieving data.

TL;DR:

• Microsoft Research's Silica is a new glass-based data storage system that can store the equivalent of about two million books in a palm-sized piece of ordinary glass, with data expected to remain readable for more than 10,000 years.

• The system uses ultrashort femtosecond laser pulses to create tiny permanent marks called voxels inside the glass, allowing data to be stored in hundreds of layers rather than just on the surface.

• While the concept of storing data in glass has existed for decades, Silica is the first system to combine the entire process, including data writing, reading, decoding and error correction, into a practical archival storage platform.

• A major advance is the use of ordinary borosilicate glass instead of specialised fused silica, making the technology less expensive and easier to manufacture, while also simplifying the hardware used to write and read data.

• The researchers demonstrated storage of 4.8 terabytes in a 120 mm × 120 mm × 2 mm glass sheet and tested two different writing methods that balance storage capacity, speed and energy use.

• Accelerated ageing tests suggest the stored data could remain stable for over 10,000 years, making glass a potential long-term alternative to magnetic tapes and hard drives for preserving digital information.

   

Source: Microsoft Research, Macquarie University via The Conversation, Nature

This article was generated with some help from AI and reviewed by an editor. Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, this material is used for the purpose of news reporting. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

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Posted Sunday 19 July 2026 at 12:19 pm AEST (my time).

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This week's news recap is here, with a packed July Patch Tuesday, troubles for Microsoft account hack victims, the biggest Fallout news in years, and a lot more.

Quick links:

1. Windows 10 and 11
2. Windows Insider Program
3. Updates are available
4. Reviews are in
5. Gaming news

Windows 11 and Windows 10

Here, we talk about everything happening around Microsoft's latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And, of course, you may find a word or two about older versions.

Microsoft released this month's Patch Tuesday updates, KB5099539 for Windows 10 and KB5101650/KB5099414 for Windows 11. The updates fixed a record 570 vulnerabilities, including 61 critical flaws and three zero-days. Some of the fixes include an annoying Recycle Bin bug showing internal filenames on delete, Secure Boot certificate targeting, and SHA-2 support for trusted RDP publishers.

Microsoft also issued fresh 90-day reminders this week. Windows 11 24H2, Windows Server 2022, and Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016 all reach end of support on October 13, 2026, while OneDrive sync loses support for Windows 10 22H1 and earlier starting August 15.

Media Creation Tool has been updated with ISOs of the Patch Tuesday's updates, so if you want to install a fresh copy of Windows 11, you can now do so with the latest version.

Streamer Joshua Khane said Microsoft permanently locked him out of his hacked account, wiping 25 years of data including his son's baby photos, with support saying its protocols don't allow restoring accounts once security settings are altered. Microsoft ultimately restored Joshua’s account after significant public backlash.

On a similar note, a Brazilian Xbox player took Microsoft to court after his hacked Xbox account was permanently suspended and he lost access to his entire digital game library, and won. A judge ordered Microsoft to restore his account and pay around $400 in damages after it refused to help.

Here are more Windows news to round out the week:

• Microsoft added a registry policy letting IT admins auto-approve SSO prompts on managed Entra ID devices
• Microsoft's Snapdragon X2-powered Surface Pro and Laptop are now available for business
• Windows 11 is matching and sometimes beating SteamOS in benchmarks on Valve's Steam Machine
• Microsoft open-sourced Comic Chat, the 90s IRC client that introduced Comic Sans to the world

Windows Insider Program

Here is what Microsoft released for Windows Insiders this week:

Microsoft didn’t release new builds this week, but it rolled out a batch of Windows Search improvements to Experimental channel Insiders. Changes include a calmer, less cluttered search home and clearer result source labeling. Users will be especially happy to learn that they can now disable promotional content in web results with a new privacy toggle for web/Store suggestions. The overall experience is now faster, and the search handles typos better.

Windows Search finally feels like it’s doing its job properly. Take a closer look at it.

Updates are available

This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more from Microsoft and third parties.

Visual Studio Code 1.129 previews a modernized UI with floating sidebar cards. There’s also a new experimental editor panel in the Agents window that docks the editor and detail area into one pane.

PowerPoint is getting 13 new Smart Layouts, 13 new Design tab themes, and a simplified file open experience that replaces multiple dialogs with a single progress screen. Full rollout is expected next month.

Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting:

• NVIDIA App now supports recording in 240 FPS for select GPUs.
• UniGetUI gets performance boost by improving resource efficiency with NativeAOT
• Exchange Server 2016, 2019, and SE got security updates fixing a critical vulnerability
• Windows Server vNext build 29621 added Trusted Launch for VMs, Quick Machine Recovery, and NVMe-over-Fabrics support

Reviews are in

Here is the hardware and software we reviewed this week

Steven Parker had a busy week. He reviewed the REDMAGIC Astra 2 Gaming Tablet, which is seven grams lighter than last year's model but comes with a price hike. He also tested the AutoFull M6 Ultra 2.0, a gaming chair that heats, cools, and vibrates.

And if you're in the market for a NAS, Steven checked out two new UGREEN NASync boxes this week. The DXP2800 GT is a 2+2 bay setup with 10 GbE connectivity for those who don't need four HDD bays, while the DXP4800 GT is the cheapest in the 4+2-bay DXP series, though that came from some cost cutting.

On the gaming side

Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts, and more.

Bethesda confirmed Fallout 5 is now in pre-production. Elder Scrolls VI remains the studio's main focus, but both games run on Creation Engine 3, so Bethesda can share tools across Fallout, Elder Scrolls, and Starfield. Remasters of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas are coming too, though no release dates yet.

Analyst firm Newzoo estimates Grand Theft Auto VI could pull in $3.25 billion to $5.2 billion in worldwide revenue during launch week alone. The firm predicts Rockstar will sell to 37 to 51 million copies during GTA VI’s debut week.

There's also a new console update for Xbox. The new update brings the ability to add longer gamertags, new library costumization options, and fixes a handful of known bugs.

Deals and freebies

• This weekend's Xbox Free Play Days lineup includes Grand Theft Auto Online, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, and more
• Echo Generation Midnight Edition and Luto are free to keep on the Epic Games Store this week
• Valve published its Steam sale schedule for the first half of 2027

Other gaming news includes the following:

• Marathon director departs Bungie four months into launch

• AdHoc Studio's Dispatch lands on Xbox Series X|S and Windows on July 29

• Star Citizen Alpha 4.9 adds new missions and combat UI improvements, though its Siege of Orison event slips to August

• FromSoftware is running a closed network test for The Duskbloods on Switch 2 from August 21-23

• After its split with Xbox last week, South of Midnight studio is now searching for new partners

• Battlefield 6 getting a Top Gun crossover, brings back a classic fan-favorite game mode

• Modern Warfare 4 is ditching weapon bloom in major gunplay overhaul

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Posted Sunday 19 July 2026 at 7:34 am AEST (my time).

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Although Windows is considered a fairly user-friendly operating system, below that abstraction is an understandably complex system that makes sure that all your software and hardware is communicating with each other and running correctly. Users still have a way to dive deep into some of the OS' complexities through interfaces like Command Prompt and PowerShell, which let you generate battery reports, retain your drivers, update apps in one go, and find your product key, among many other things. Today, we'll be talking about a few methods to determine your Windows 11 and Windows 10 PC's motherboard model and other details without opening up your hardware.

There are several scenarios in which you may need to know details about your motherboard. You might need it when upgrading your PC's internals, troubleshooting a problem, checking BIOS and hardware compatibility, and more. If you're a newbie in this space, it might sound a bit daunting to open up your desktop or laptop PC to find out these details.

Luckily, Microsoft offers a way to find out this information without tearing apart your machine. These methods should work if your PC OEM has programmed the System Management BIOS (SMBIOS) information correctly. If you see that model number fields are populated by generic text like "To Be Filled By O.E.M.", you may need to check up on your PC's information on the OEM's website. That said, the following methods should reliably bring up motherboard details in most cases.

Method 1: System Information

• Open Windows Run (Windows + R)
• Type the following, and press Enter:

  msinfo32

• You'll be able to see all your available system details, but you only need the Baseboard Manufacturer, Baseboard Product, and Baseboard Version, as shown in the enclosed box below:

Method 2: Windows PowerShell

• Search Windows PowerShell after pressing the Windows key
• Right-click and run as administrator
• Run the following command:

  Get-CimInstance Win32_BaseBoard |
  Select-Object Manufacturer, Product, Version, SerialNumber

Method 3: Command Prompt (deprecated)

• Note: Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) is a command-line utility that is deprecated in modern versions of Windows, but it still works on most installations. However, it is recommended that you leverage Method 2 (Windows PowerShell)
• Search Command Prompt after pressing the Windows key
• Right-click and run as administrator
• Run the following command:

  wmic baseboard get manufacturer,product,serialnumber,version

That's pretty much all there is to it! Although Method 1 seems the most user-friendly, you might get overwhelmed with information. To get just what you need, you should leverage Method 2 or Method 3 (while it works).

Do you know of an even simpler way to get to the motherboard details? Let us know in the comments section below!

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Posted Sunday 19 July 2026 at 7:33 am AEST (my time).

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