Microsoft News Roundup: Surface Laptop Studio 2 specs, the end of Xbox Live Gold, and an Xbox controller without stick drift

Catch up on all the latest Windows 11 and gaming news right here.

From Surface leaks to Xbox controllers without stick drift, we saw a wide range of news stories pass our desk this week. With so much going on, it's easy to miss a few stories, so we gather together all of the biggest news into one bite-size piece.

Toss in a healthy heaping of reviews and editorials and sprinkle on some deals and you have tasty treat that satisfies your hunger for news.

Surface Laptop Studio 2 details

Microsoft plans to unveil a Surface Laptop Studio 2 later this year, according to a report by our Senior Editor Zac Bowden. The PC will feature the same general design as its predecessor, though it will reportedly have a wider selection of ports.

The screen of the Surface Laptop Studio 2 should be brighter, but it will keep the same 14.4-inch size seen on the original Surface Laptop Studio. Bowden has heard whispers of an upgraded haptic touchpad (likely from Sensel) to provide more granular feedback.

The biggest change between generations will be on the internal side of things. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 will have "the latest Intel 13th-Gen processors, the most RAM ever seen on a Surface device and powerful NVIDIA 40-series GPUs." according to Bowden's sources.

With an expected September or October timeframe for its announcement, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 will likely ship with Windows 11 version 23H2 and have AI features such as Windows Copilot.

Xbox Live Gold going away

Microsoft announced the end of its Xbox Live Gold branding this week. The company will replace the well-known subscription with Xbox Game Pass Core. This aligns Microsoft's subscriptions under the Xbox game Pass branding, which already included Xbox Game Pass Console, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

While the Xbox Live Gold branding is going away, people will still have the option to play online with a similar subscription. In fact, Xbox Game Pass Core has some extra benefits when compared to Xbox Live Gold. The new subscription will have 25 "high-quality" Xbox Games, including Doom Eternal, Forza Horizon 4, Gears 5, and The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited. We have a list of every game included with Xbox Game Pass Core, but it's worth noting that the library will grow over time.

All Xbox Live Gold members will have their subscriptions converted to Xbox Game Pass Core in the future.

Massive Windows 11 Insider update

Microsoft rolls out Insider builds of Windows 11 every week, but they aren't always as big as the update we saw a few days ago. Windows 11 Build 22621.2050 and Build 22631.2050 shipped to Beta Channel Insiders with a long list of changes. The update includes a modernized File Explorer, support for Dynamic Lighting, and improvements to Windows Ink.

Build 22621.2050 has new features off by default and Build 22631.2050 has new features enabled, so if you want to try out the new features, you'll have to make sure to be on the right version of Windows or enable specific options.

Xbox controller without stick drift

Stick drift is the bane of existence for many gamers. The issue isn't exclusive to Xbox controllers, but it certainly can be a problem on them. GameSir aims to fix that with its recently announced GameSir G7 SE Controller. It features Hall Effect sticks, which use non-contact magnetic sensors to prevent stick drift from creeping in.

The controller costs $45, which is rather affordable for an Xbox controller. The only downside is that it's a wired controller. If you're okay with connecting to your Xbox with a cable, the GameSir G7 SE Controller looks like a solid option.

If you've been lucky enough to avoid stick drift in a controller, or if you'd just like to learn more about what causes it, make sure to check out our announcement post of the GameSir G7 SE Controller.

ChatGPT getting dumber?

Late last year, ChatGPT burst onto the scenes. The easy-to-use AI tool placed artificial intelligence at the fingertips of everyday users and sparked a surge of interest in AI. But according to a study out of Stanford, ChatGPT may have gotten worse, not better, since it launched.

The study "How Is ChatGPT’s Behavior Changing over Time?" examined how the chatbot responded to a series of questions. Testers studied how ChatGPT handled math problems, questions with sensitive information, requests to generate code, and visual reasoning.

While the study flags up questions about OpenAI's ChatGPT, further study is needed to determine if the chatbot has actually gotten less intelligent. The study concluded that ChatGPT had shifted, in some cases for the worse, but that's only in a limited scope of testing.

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