Microsoft Weekly: Xbox now costs more, GTA 6 delayed, and interesting Windows trivia

This week's Microsoft news recap is here with bad news for gamers, more expensive Xbox consoles, no new Windows 11 builds, a nice review of a nice gamepad, some Windows 11 version 24H2 news (good and bad), interesting Windows trivia, and 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.

It is the first week of the month, which means it is time for some fresh stats. Statcounter published new data about Windows 11 conquering the desktop PC market. It currently holds 43.72%, while Windows 10 is now within close range, sitting at $52.94%. On the browser side, though, things are much more stale, showing how near impossible it is to make a dent in Chrome's market share. Finally, among games, Windows 11 is doing well, further increasing its dominant position.

In addition to announcing the broad availability of Windows 11 version 24H2, Microsoft confirmed a new known issue. The company notified users that 24H2 might fail with error code 0x80240069 when updating from versions 23H2 and 22H2. Unfortunately, as of right now, there are no workarounds for this problem, but the company promises to release a fix as soon as possible.

Speaking of other issues in Windows 11 version 24H2, customers find it progressively more irritating that the operating system encrypts drives with BitLocker by default, without asking or even notifying. A lengthy post on Reddit reveals customer frustration over the lost data caused by automatic BitLocker encryption. Plenty of rants have also been spotted on Feedback Hub over the removal of the oobe\bypassnro command, and some interesting discussions about the improved File Explorer performance in the recent Windows 11 updates.

Other Windows stories include updates for Validation OS (DISM, WPF, .NET upgrades), an interesting app based on Microsoft tech for saving disk space, updates to the passwordless experience for new Microsoft Accounts, a few reasons from Microsoft why Windows 10 users should update to Copilot+ PCs, and a big discount on Windows 365 for first-time customers.

Here is some interesting trivia: a veteran Microsoft software engineer published an interesting blog post explaining why having a solid color background would slow Windows 7 login time back in the days of this legendary operating system. Also, did you know that an official cyberthreat song nearly broke Windows PCs once?

To finish this week's Windows section, here are five things in Windows 11 that still grind my gears nearly four years after the launch of the operating system. They include broken dark mode, automatic theme switching, Control Panel-Settings, and more.

Windows Insider Program

Here is what Microsoft released for Windows Insiders this week:

Despite the no-build week, enthusiasts still discovered some interesting stuff in Windows 11. The latest Windows Server 2025 build contains a new "Advanced" settings page, which replaces the old "For Developers." It now has improved grouping and some new features coming from the now-deceased Dev Home app.

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.

If you have multiple audio devices hooked up to your computer, you might find this small application useful. SoundShift lets you configure audio input/output device pairs and assign custom keyboard shortcuts to switch between them without opening the Settings app. SoundShift is well-made and overall, feels like something straight from PowerToys.

Customers with ARM-powered Windows PCs can now use Windhawk, a popular modding tool with a repository of useful tweaks for the operating system and apps. In the latest update, version 1.6, Windhawk received native ARM64 support and various improvements.

This week's Office updates include a bunch of new features for various apps. Excel for Mac, for one, received a popular feature from its Windows counterpart, which allows you to edit multiple worksheets side-by-side. PowerPoint received reworked placeholders with improved look and feel.

As usual, we had a bunch of browser updates (big and small) released this week. Microsoft pushed Edge 136 to the Stable Channel, bringing security fixes, feature changes, and more. Mozilla, on its side, released Firefox 138. The update introduced more Windows 11 UI elements, a profile manager, tab groups for all users, and more. Shortly after, Mozilla released Firefox 138.0.1 with some bug fixes and Firefox 139 beta with improved upload performance and more.

Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting:

• Microsoft will give Europe a multifaceted boost against the backdrop of Trump tariffs.

• Microsoft: Our Phi-4-reasoning takes on larger models, matches DeepSeek-R1 performance.

   

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

• Nvidia GeForce Hotfix Display Driver 576.26 with a long list of fixes
• Nvidia GeForce Game-Ready Driver 576.28 with more bug fixes.

Reviews are in

Here is the hardware and software we reviewed this week

The GameSir Super Nova paid a visit for our testing this week, immediately claiming the title of the best controller for PC. This gamepad ticks all the boxes for PC gamers. Well-built, good materials, rich customizations, good looks, durable hardware, decent battery life, charging dock, and RGB. It is also comfortable, has good performance, and overall is just delightful to use.

On the gaming side

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

Plenty of bad gaming news arrived this week. Microsoft, for one, is raising the price of all Xbox consoles and accessories. Some Xbox configurations now cost $120 more than before, mirroring the current financial uncertainty and trade wars. Controllers and headsets are also now notably more expensive. Note that you can still purchase an Xbox or a controller at old or even lower prices.

Grand Theft Auto VI is officially delayed (shocking news). Rockstar Games announced that its upcoming game is now releasing on May 26, 2026, giving other developers and studios a sigh of relief to release their games in 2025 without being overshadowed by such a massive title as GTA.

Spotify Premium users can now access their music library while playing EA Sports FC 2025. Spotify announced a pilot program for gamers in Australia and Saudi Arabia. It might or might not make it to all supported regions in the future.

Forza Motorsport will soon get its anniversary update, which is expected to bring a long-anticipated track and a lot more content. More importantly, Update 20 will make Drivatar AI more realistic, thanks to a new training model that Turn 10 Studios detailed in a new post. As a result, single-player gamers will see better side-by-side racing (especially in heavy traffic) without random or erratic behavior outside the optimal line.

Nvidia announced new games for the GeForce NOW streaming service. They include DOOM: The Dark Ages, Deadzone: Rogue, Far Cry 4, DREDGE, LONESTAR, ANNO 1800, and more. Keep in mind that you need to own these games to play them on GeForce NOW.

Fresh titles are also available in Prime Gaming, including Wolfenstein II, Amnesia: Rebirth, and many more.

Deals and freebies

The Epic Games Store is giving away the arcade shooter Super Space Club. It is up for grabs until next Thursday, so go get it. As usual, more deals and freebies are available in this week's Weekend PC Game Deals article.

Other gaming stories include the following:

• FromSoftware published the system requirements for Elden Ring Nightreign on PC.
• Valve released Steam Proton 10 Beta 1 with more AAA games, fixes for multiple CPUs, and more.
• Electronic Arts confirmed big layoffs and the end of the new Titanfall project.

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