We already knew that Korean developer Shift Up's action game Stellar Blade was coming to Windows PC this June, but now, it appears we have an exact release date of June 11, 2025.

That's thanks to a trailer that apparently went up a little early on PlayStation's YouTube channel. Per this trailer, this port is bringing a bunch of extras that PC players would expect, including ultrawide (32:9) monitor support, DLSS 4 and FSR 3, higher-resolution textures, and more.

There's also a new boss battle, as well as 25 new costumes, adding to the already-impressive roster of outfits available for protagonist EVE to try out.

At the time I'm writing this, the trailer has been pulled from the PlayStation YouTube channel, though you can still see it on Reddit. The trailer ends by noting that preorders are live, which is still not the case at the moment.

Stellar Blade first launched exclusively for PlayStation 5 back in April 2024, quickly reaching a million copies sold. The game also received a crossover DLC with NieR: Automata, letting players dress EVE up with 2B's now-iconic outfit.

Interestingly, the PC version of Stellar Blade is also being published by PlayStation, just like the console version, adding to the ever-growing list of PlayStation Studios games on Windows PC.

June 11 isn't far away, so I'm curious when we'll see preorders go up and this trailer's official debut. It could happen by itself without any fanfare, but it's also possible that this trailer was meant to be included as part of a State of Play presentation.

Switch and Switch 2 users who try to hack their consoles or play pirated copies of games may find their devices rendered completely inoperable by Nintendo. That new warning was buried in a recent update to the Nintendo User Account Agreement, as first noticed by Game File last week.

Nintendo's May 2025 EULA update adds new language concerning the specific ways users are allowed to use "Nintendo Account Services" on the console, a term defined here to encompass the use of "video games and add-on content." Under the new EULA, any unlicensed use of the system not authorized by Nintendo could lead the company to "render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part." (Emphasis added.)

That language would apply to both the current Switch and the upcoming Switch 2.

Later in the same EULA, Nintendo adds new language clarifying that it reserves the right to "suspend your access to any or all Nintendo Account Services, in our sole discretion and without prior notice to you." That suspension can even come before a EULA violation occurs if Nintendo has "a reasonable belief such a violation... will occur, or as we otherwise determine to be reasonably necessary for legal, technical or commercial reasons, such as to prevent harm to other users or the Nintendo Account Services."

Play inside the lines

So what kind of Switch usage counts as a "violation" here? Unsurprisingly, playing pirated games is high on the list; the EULA now specifically calls out "obtain[ing], install[ing] or us[ing] any unauthorized copies of Nintendo Account Services." That language would likely apply to users with hacked console hardware and those who use any number of third-party flash carts to play pirated games.

But the EULA also restricts a wide array of largely synonymous verbs associated with hacking your own console for potential non-piracy uses. That includes restricting the right to "modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble all or any portion of the Nintendo Account Services..." as well as the ability to "bypass, modify, decrypt, defeat, tamper with, or otherwise circumvent any of the functions or protections of the Nintendo Account Services, including through the use of any hardware or software."

Nintendo has long had robust systems in place for detecting when hacked systems are being played online and has not been shy about issuing device-level bans to stop those consoles from ever accessing any of Nintendo's online services. But the new EULA language suggests that Nintendo is now preparing the ability to completely disable Switch devices that run afoul of the usage agreement, even for offline use.

It's currently unclear what technical means Nintendo would use to enforce this new ultimate punishment for Switch hackers or if users might be able to restore functionality to any remotely bricked consoles. Still, the new language suggests that Nintendo is prepared to play hardball in its ongoing war against hackers and pirates.

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This new display, model G60SF, is a 27-inch panel featuring QD-OLED technology. It offers a sharp QHD resolution at 2560 x 1440 pixels and boasts an incredibly fast 0.03ms response time.

This launch comes hot on the heels of Samsung's strong business performance. The company recently reported its highest-ever quarterly revenue in the first quarter of this year, heavily driven by sales of its Galaxy S25 smartphone series and other premium products.

Beyond the raw speed, the new gaming monitor packs in a few thoughtful features to improve how things look and feel on screen. There's a glare-reducing layer to cut down on reflections, and some built-in burn-in protection to help OLED panels hold up better over time, especially during long sessions with static HUDs.

It's certified for VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500, and its color accuracy has been verified with Pantone Validation. It also works seamlessly with both NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro for smoother, tear-free gameplay.

Regarding this launch, Hoon Chung, Executive Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics, said:

With the Odyssey OLED G6, the world’s first 500Hz OLED gaming monitor, we are pushing gaming performance, visual quality and immersion to entirely new heights — delivering the next evolution of display technology for gamers around the world.

The Odyssey OLED G6 will initially roll out globally, starting in select markets like Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Samsung plans to expand to additional regions later this year.

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Quick links:

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

Windows 11, Windows 10, and Surface

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.

The biggest news of the week was the May 6 Surface event, where the company announced quite a lot of interesting stuff. For one, Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 12-inch and the Surface Laptop 13-inch. These computers boast some serious battery life improvements, smaller footprints, and a few compromises here and there to bring the price tag a little lower.

Interestingly, alongside the announcement, Microsoft quietly killed its entry-level $999 configurations of the Surface Pro 11 and the Surface Laptop 7, increasing the price gap between the two "budget" models and their more expensive siblings.

If you are curious to learn more about those devices, check out our Specs Appeal articles for the Surface Pro 12-inch here and the Surface Laptop 13-inch here.

In addition to new Surface PCs, Microsoft announced quite a lot of new features for Windows 11 that will soon be available for testing in the Windows Insider program. The operating system is getting a massive Start menu overhaul (Microsoft has finally acknowledged it), text formatting in Notepad, AI actions for File Explorer, and more. These changes will be available to all Windows 11 PCs. Some changes, however, sparked some skepticism from users.

Microsoft also shared some design prototypes for the new Start menu and explained how the upgraded variant came to fruition.

For those with Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft dropped new AI-powered capabilities for Paint, Snipping Tool, and Photos. Plus, the Settings app is getting an agent to fix and tweak your PC. Just tell it in natural language what is wrong, and Windows 11 will fix it for you.

Fixed Windows bugs this week include a patch for Windows 11 systems unable to upgrade to Windows 11 version 24H2 from older releases. Microsoft also published a note in the official Windows 10 documentation to let users know that it patched a bug in Start menu jump lists. It is not clear what took Microsoft so long to address the issue, but it is what it is. The problem was quietly patched, and end users did not need to install new updates or restart their systems.

Soon, however, Microsoft will stop fixing Windows 10, at least for those who are not willing to pay the company $30. There are already plenty of alternatives, and one of them is a new Linux-backed project that shows how to save unsupported Windows 10 PCs from going to landfill.

Speaking of patches, Microsoft announced a bunch of improvements for Windows Autopatch, a set of tools that manage software updates within organizations. With the upcoming update, Autopatch will receive hotpatching capabilities (the first hotpatch is coming soon) and improved data management.

Finally, Microsoft announced new HLK and VHLK May 2025 releases for Windows 11 version 24H2, deprecated Device metadata and the WMIS, and added Fedora Linux support to WSL. Also, one of Microsoft's engineers revealed how the company optimized the clipboard for the best performance.

Windows Insider Program

Here is what Microsoft released for Windows Insiders this week:

Unfortunately, Microsoft failed to release some of the promised upgrades this week. The cancelled Friday preview builds had serious bugs, forcing the company to delay the rollout.

Updates are available

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

Microsoft is making life a little easier for those who have to jump between the new Outlook and the classic Outlook. With the latest update, it is easier to return to the classic Outlook from the new one without the need to make a switch. The new Outlook is also getting offline calendar support.

Other Office updates include new features for Copilot in PowerPoint. Microsoft's AI assistant can now suggest presentation designs if you have a hard time overcoming your creativity block. OneNote also received a small update, which gives more space for your canvas and notes. In addition, Microsoft announced a big upgrade for the sharing experience in Office apps, which is coming in late 2025.

On the browser side, we have a single update for Microsoft Edge, which fixed the non-working Microsoft Editor spellchecker.

Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting:

• Microsoft launched Visual Studio Code 1.100 with custom instructions and reusable prompts for Chat.
• The Docker Desktop app is now available in the Microsoft Store.
• UniGetUI received big performance improvements and TRIM support.
• Battery Flyout for Windows 11 received a new update, and now lets you change classic power plans.
• The Windows App on the web received new features and various enhancements.

• Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat received SafeLinks protection and more.

• The revamped Teams chat and channel experience is now available to commercial users.

• Explorer Tab Utility for Windows 11 has been updated with fixes and new features.

• Microsoft 365 received changes to High Volume Email and extends Basic Authentication.

   

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

• Intel 32.0.101.6793 non-WHQL with optimizations for DOOM: The Dark Ages and more.
• AMD 25.5.1 WHQL with support for DOOM: The Dark Ages, the RX 9070 GRE, and more.

What is not going to receive updates anymore is Skype. On May 5, 2025, Microsoft put the final nail in Skype's coffin and put the once beloved but ultimately failed VoIP service to rest. Rest in peace!

Reviews are in

Here is the hardware and software we reviewed this week

Steven Parker reviewed the AMD RX 9070 graphics card from Sapphire. He compared AMD's latest, more affordable GPU to the RTX 5070, RTX 4070, RX 9070 XT, and RX 7800 XT, discovering that the new RX 9070 is "just good enough."

On the gaming side

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

Fans of the Gears of War franchise received an unexpected surprise from Microsoft. The company announced the return of the original Gears of War with a fresh coat of paint to celebrate the upcoming 20th anniversary of the title. Gears of War: Reloaded will arrive with optimizations for modern hardware, 4K 120 FPS support, enhanced textures, zero-loading screens, and more. More importantly, the game will launch on PlayStation 5 as well.

Another game from Microsoft is also celebrating its 20th anniversary. Forza Motorsport turned 20, and to celebrate the occasion, Turn 10 released Update 20 with a lot of new content. There are new-to-Forza cars, a new car pack, fresh Car Meetup modes, a big new track, AI improvements, steering wheel improvements, and a lot more.

This week, Rockstar Games decided to make up for the delay of GTA VI with a new trailer showcasing bits of the game's story and its graphics. The new trailer is here to tease your patience for the game that is not coming out for at least one year:

Microsoft announced a new pack of games for Game Pass subscribers. This month's additions include Dredge, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Police Simulator: Patrol Officers, Metal Slug Tactics, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, Dungeons of Hinterber, and more.

Some hardware announcements include a new mobile controller from Backbone. The Backbone Pro offers wireless support, full-size thumbsticks, and other conveniences to elevate your gaming experience on the go.

Also, we have seen a bunch of regulatory images from the FCC spilling the beans on the upcoming Xbox handheld designed by Microsoft in collaboration with Asus. Its public debut is expected later this month during the annual Computex show.

Nvidia announced new games for GeForce NOW. The cloud gaming service now lets you play the entire Mafia series, plus a few other games, such as Towerborne and Spirit of the North 2.

Deals and freebies

The Epic Games Store is giving away two games this week: Deadtime Defenders and Touch Type Tale. These indie titles are up for grabs until next Thursday. As usual, you can find plenty of other deals and specials in our weekly Weekend PC Game Deals series.

Other gaming news include the following:

• Minecraft Bedrock Edition now has presets for flat world customization.

• Xbox Cloud Gaming is getting mouse and keyboard support on Xbox consoles.

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Paul's Hardware (1.52M subscribers)

May 11, 2025

Video length: 9m 49s

0:00 Welcome to Paul’s Tech News - May 11, 2025 

1:40 Nvidia Blocks RTX 5060 8GB Launch Reviews - Debuts May 19 for $300 

3:41 AseTek AIO Pump/Block Patent Expires after 20 years 

4:50 RX 9060 XT 16/8GB GPUs listed by retailer - price starts at $449 

TECH BRIEFS

6:16 Intel to launch Arc Pro B60 graphics card with 24GB memory at Computex 

7:09 RTX 5060 Ti 8GB is slower than the Intel Arc B580 

7:47 NVIDIA reportedly no longer accepting orders for GeForce RTX 5090D in China 

8:45 Doom: The Dark Ages launches to positive reviews

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Meanwhile, Microsoft itself is also aware that this move can be quite a challenge for many. As such, the company quietly extended the support for Microsoft 365 apps like Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, Excel, and more, on Windows 10.

Another good thing Microsoft has done recently is to list all Surface devices that originally shipped with Windows 10. Neowin spotted this recently updated support page while browsing.

With the looming end of support for the OS, the list has two parts, first shows the PCs which can be upgradable to Windows 11 as they meet the system requirements, and second, the devices that cannot be upgraded. Microsoft writes:

Surface models that can be upgraded to Windows 11

 

These devices came with Windows 10 installed but are also compatible with Windows 11.

 

• Surface Book 2 (on 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U or i7-8650U processor only)
• Surface Book 3
• Surface Go 2
• Surface Laptop 2
• Surface Laptop 3
• Surface Laptop 4
• Surface Laptop Go
• Surface Pro 6
• Surface Pro 7
• Surface Pro 7+
• Surface Pro X
• Surface Studio 2
• Surface Hub 2S

 

[....]

 

Devices that are not compatible with Windows 11 include:

 

• Surface Book (1st Gen)
• Surface Book 2 (on 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U processor only)
• Surface Go (1st Gen)
• Surface Laptop (1st Gen)
• Surface Pro (1st Gen)
• Surface Pro 2
• Surface Pro 3
• Surface Pro 4
• Surface Pro (5th Gen)
• Surface Studio (1st Gen)

If your PC is on the second list, ie, it cannot upgrade to Windows 11, Microsoft's official recommendation is to buy a new Copilot+ Surface PC. The company has also explained with some numbers and data why such AI PCs make for a commendable upgrade choice.

You can find the support article here on Microsoft's website.

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Gamers Nexus (2.44M subscribers)

May 11, 2025

Video length: 25m 47s

In another hardware news episode for the week (there's been a ton lately!), we're talking about the GN Made in Germany series of factory tours continuing, early RTX Pro 6000 pricing, RTX 5060 GPU availability, early RX 9060 XT leaked listings, layoffs in EA and Giant Bomb, Skype shutting down, and more. Computex is also in about a week. We'll be posting a ton of coverage for that (multiple times per day), so stay tuned for all of that!

00:00 - Recap for the Week 

01:12 - GN Update: Made in Germany Series Continues 

05:50 - Early RTX Pro 6000 Pricing and Performance 

08:57 - RTX 5060 GPUs Available on May 19 

11:25 - Radeon RX 9060 XT Retailer Listings 

13:27 - EA Layoffs, Cancels Titanfall 

15:09 - Giant Bomb Explodes, Polygon Gets Sold 

17:03 - Microsoft Announces Gears of War Reloaded 

19:43 - Second GTA VI Trailer 

22:05 - Skype Shuts Down 

23:16 - Computex Update

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However, these potential efficiency gains may come with a hidden social cost, according to a new study from Duke University, published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This research claims that despite AI's productivity benefits, using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini might lead to your coworkers and managers viewing you as less competent. The research, titled "Evidence of a social evaluation penalty for using AI," involved four experiments with over 4,400 participants.

Researchers Jessica A. Reif, Richard P. Larrick, and Jack B. Soll from Duke's Fuqua School of Business found a consistent pattern: employees who use AI tools tend to face negative judgments from colleagues and managers regarding their competence and motivation.

In the first experiment, participants imagined using either an AI tool or a standard dashboard creation tool for a work task. Those in the AI group anticipated being seen as lazier, less competent, less diligent, and more replaceable. They also indicated they would be less willing to tell their managers or colleagues about their AI use. A supplemental study replicated these core findings, showing that participants in the AI condition expected significantly lower competence ratings from colleagues compared to those using a dashboard tool. In the table below, higher scores indicate a more positive outcome for "Disclosure," "Competence," and Diligence. On the other hand, higher scores for "Lazy" and "Replaceable" represent a more negative outcome.

The second experiment seemed to confirm these anxieties. When participants evaluated descriptions of employees, those who received help from AI were consistently rated as lazier, less competent, less diligent, less independent, and less self-assured compared to those who got similar help from non-AI sources or no help at all. Another supplemental study investigated whether these social penalties changed if AI use was described as common versus uncommon in the workplace. Interestingly, the perceived norm of AI use did not significantly alter these negative social evaluations, suggesting the penalty is quite robust.

The researchers also found that this bias can influence real-world business decisions. In a hiring simulation, managers who did not personally use AI frequently were less likely to hire candidates who reported regular AI tool use. Conversely, managers who were frequent AI users themselves showed a preference for AI-using candidates. This aligns with findings from another part of the study, indicating that the perception of laziness in an AI-using candidate is stronger among evaluators who themselves use AI less frequently.

The final experiment identified perceived laziness as a primary driver for this negative evaluation. However, this penalty could be lessened if the AI tool was clearly beneficial and appropriate for the specific task at hand. When AI use made obvious sense for the job, the negative perceptions were significantly reduced. For example, the study detailed that for manual tasks, using AI had a negative direct effect on perceived task fit, even beyond the laziness factor.

In contrast, for digital tasks where AI could be seen as more useful, AI use had a positive direct effect on perceived task fit, which helped to partially counteract the negative impact of perceived laziness.

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For decades now, you could count on there being a certain rhythm to a Doom game. From the ’90s originals to the series’ resurrection in recent years, the Doom games have always been about using constant, zippy motion to dodge through a sea of relatively slow-moving bullets, maintaining your distance while firing back at encroaching hordes of varied monsters. The specific guns and movement options you could call on might change from game to game, but the basic rhythm of that dodge-and-shoot gameplay never has.

Just a few minutes in, Doom: The Dark Ages throws out that traditional Doom rhythm almost completely. The introduction of a crucial shield adds a whole suite of new verbs to the Doom vocabulary; in addition to running, dodging, and shooting, you’ll now be blocking, parrying, and stunning enemies for counterattacks. In previous Doom games, standing still for any length of time often led to instant death. In The Dark Ages, standing your ground to absorb and/or deflect incoming enemy attacks is practically required at many points.

During a preview event earlier this year, the game’s developers likened this change to the difference between flying a fighter jet and piloting a tank. That’s a pretty apt metaphor, and it's not exactly an unwelcome change for a series that might be in need of a shake-up. But it only works if you go in ready to play like a tank and not like the fighter jet that has been synonymous with Doom for decades.

Stand your ground

Don’t get me wrong, The Dark Ages still features its fair share of the Doom series’ standard position-based Boomer Shooter action. The game includes the usual stockpile of varied weapons—from short-range shotguns to long-range semi-automatics to high-damage explosives with dangerous blowback—and doles them out slowly enough that major new options are still being introduced well into the back half of the game.

But the shooting side has simplified a bit since Doom Eternal. Gone are the secondary weapon modes, grenades, chainsaws, and flamethrowers that made enemy encounters a complicated weapon and ammo juggling act. Gone too are the enemies that practically forced you to use a specific weapon to exploit their One True Weakness; I got by for most of The Dark Ages by leaning on my favored plasma rifle, with occasional switches to a charged steel ball-and-chain launcher for heavily armored enemies.

See green, get ready to parry...

Credit: Bethesda Game Studios

In their place is the shield, which gives you ample (but not unlimited) ability to simply deflect enemy attacks damage-free. You can also throw the shield for a ranged attack that’s useful for blowing up frequent phalanxes of shielded enemies or freezing larger unarmored enemies in place for a safe, punishing barrage.

But the shield’s most important role comes when you stand face to face with a particularly punishing demon, waiting for a flash of green to appear on the screen. When that color appears, it’s your signal that the associated projectile and/or incoming melee attack can be parried by raising your shield just before it lands. A successful parry knocks that attack back entirely, returning projectiles to their source and/or temporarily deflecting the encroaching enemy themselves.

A well-timed, powerful parry is often the only reasonable option for attacks that are otherwise too quick or overwhelming to dodge effectively. The overall effect ends up feeling a bit like Doom by way of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! Instead of dancing around a sea of hazards and looking for an opening, you’ll often find yourself just standing still for a few seconds, waiting to knock back a flash of green so you can have the opportunity to unleash your own counterattack. Various shield sigils introduced late in the game encourage this kind of conservative turtling strategy even more by adding powerful bonus effects to each successful parry.

The window for executing a successful parry is pretty generous, and the dramatic temporal slowdown and sound effects make each one feel like an impactful moment. But they start to feel less impactful as the game goes on, and battles often devolve into vast seas of incoming green flashes. There were countless moments in my Dark Ages playthrough where I found myself more or less pinned down by a deluge of green attacks, frantically clicking the right mouse button four or five times in quick succession to parry off threats from a variety of angles.

In between all the parrying, you do get to shoot stuff.

Credit: Bethesda Game Studios

In between these parries, the game seems to go out of its way to encourage a more fast-paced, aggressive style of play. A targeted shield slam move lets you leap quickly across great distances to get up close and personal with enemy demons, at which point you can use one of a variety of melee weapons for some extremely satisfying, crunchy close quarters beatdowns (though these melee attacks are limited by their own slowly recharging ammo system).

You might absorb some damage in the process of going in for these aggressive close-up attacks, but don’t worry—defeated enemies tend to drop heaps of health, armor, and ammo, depending on the specific way they were killed. I’d often find myself dancing on the edge of critically low health after an especially aggressive move, only to recover just in time by finishing off a major demon. Doubling back for a shield slam on a far-off “fodder” enemy can also be an effective strategy for quickly escaping a sticky situation and grabbing some health in the process.

The back-and-forth tug between these aggressive encroachments and the more conservative parry-based turtling makes for some exciting moment-to-moment gameplay, with enough variety in the enemy mix to never feel too stale. Effectively managing your movement and attack options in any given firefight feels complex enough to be engaging without ever tipping into overwhelming, as well.

Even so, working through Doom: The Dark Ages, there was a part of me that missed the more free-form, three-dimensional acrobatics of Doom Eternal’s double jumps and air dashes. Compared to the almost balletic, improvisational movement in that game, playing The Dark Ages too often felt like it devolved into something akin to a simple rhythm game; simply wait for each green “note” to reach the bottom of the screen, then hit the button to activate your counterattack.

Stories and secrets

In between chapters, Doom: The Dark Ages breaks things up with some extremely ponderous cutscenes featuring a number of religious and political factions, both demon and human, jockeying for position and control in an interdimensional war. This mostly involves a lot of tedious standing around discussing the Heart of Argent (a McGuffin that’s supposed to grant the bearer the power of a god) and debating how, where, and when to deploy the Slayer (that’s you) as a weapon.

I watched these cutscenes out of a sense of professional obligation, but I tuned out at points and thus had trouble following the internecine intrigue that seemed to develop between factions whose motivations and backgrounds never seemed to be sufficiently explained or delineated. Most players who aren’t reviewing the game should feel comfortable skipping these scenes and getting back to the action as quickly as possible.

I hope you like red and black, because there's a lot of it here...

Credit: Bethesda Game Studios

The levels themselves are all dripping with the usual mix of Hellish symbology and red-and-black gore, with mood lighting so dark that it can be hard to see a wall right in front of your face. Design-wise, the chapters seem to alternate between Doom’s usual system of twisty enemy-filled corridors and more wide-open outdoor levels. The latter are punctuated by a number of large, open areas where huge groups of demons simply teleport in as soon as you set foot in the pre-set engagement zone. These battle arenas might have a few inclines or spires to mix things up, but for the most part, they all feel depressingly similar and bland after a while. If you’ve stood your ground in one canyon, you’ve stood your ground in them all.

Each level is also absolutely crawling with secret collectibles hidden in various nooks and crannies, which often tease you with a glimpse through a hole in some impassable wall or rock formation. Studying the map screen for a minute more often than not reveals the general double-back path you’ll need to follow to find the hidden entrance behind these walls, even as finding the precise path can involve solving some simple puzzles or examining your surroundings for one particularly well-hidden bit that will allow you to advance.

After all the enemies were cleared in one particularly vast open level, I spent a good half hour picking through every corner of the map until I tracked down the hidden pathways leading to every stray piece of gold and collectible trinket. It was fine as a change of pace—and lucrative in terms of upgrading my weapons and shield for later fights—but it felt kind of lonely and quiet compared to the more action-packed battles.

Don’t unleash the dragon

Speaking of changes of pace, by far the worst parts of Doom: The Dark Ages come when the game insists on interrupting the usual parry-and-shoot gameplay to put you in some sort of vehicle. This includes multiple sections where your quick-moving hero is replaced with a lumbering 30-foot-tall mech, which slouches pitifully down straight corridors toward encounters with equally large demons.

These mech battles play out as the world’s dullest fistfights, where you simply wail on the attack buttons while occasionally tapping the dodge button to step away from some incredibly slow and telegraphed counterattacks. I found myself counting the minutes until these extremely boring interludes were over.

Believe me, this is less exciting than it looks.

Credit: Bethesda Game Studios

The sections where your Slayer rides a dragon for some reason are ever-so-slightly more interesting, if only because the intuitive, fast-paced flight controls can be a tad more exciting. Unfortunately, these sections don’t give you any thrilling dogfights or complex obstacle courses to take advantage of these controls, topping out instead in a few simplistic chase sequences where you take literally no incoming fire.

Between those semi-engaging chase sequences is a seemingly endless parade of showdowns with stationary turrets. These require your dragon to hover frustratingly still in mid-air, waiting patiently for an incoming energy attack to dodge, which in turn somehow powers up your gun enough to take out the turret in a counterattack. How anyone thought that this was the most engaging use of a seemingly competent third-person flight-combat system is utterly baffling.

Those too-frequent interludes aside, Doom: The Dark Ages is a more-than-suitable attempt to shake up the Doom formula with a completely new style of gameplay. While the more conservative, parry-based shield system takes some getting used to—and may require adjusting some of your long-standing Doom muscle memory in the process—it's ultimately a welcome and engaging way to add new types of interaction to the long-running franchise.

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JayzTwoCents (4.2M subscribers)

May 9, 2025

Video length: 12m 43s

NVIDIA is not allowing any reviews of the RTX 5060 prior to its launch day nor are they allowing board partners to send cards to reviewers... Are they hiding something or just salty for being held accountable for anti-consumer practices?

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While it just announced a remake of what began the journey, 11 Bit Studios is keeping its promise of continuing to update Frostpunk 2. Today, the developer delivered the first major content update for the survival city-building experience on PC, and it touts a brand-new map, new challenges, an overhaul to the heating system, the modding tools launch, and more.

The Pit lands as a massive Utopia Builder mode map that takes players to a landscape where the remnants of a failed generator project are still standing. At the same time, the Utopia Builder mode now sports Tales from the Frostland, which are optional challenges offering unique quests and storylines. These can even be expanded upon by the community via modding.

Next, the Frostpunk 2's heating system has been overhauled to let players manage temperature by district, offering unique local effects and consequences when the cold gets tough. A new UI will make the battles with heat and cold easier to comprehend and manage too.

The Serenity Mode from the original Frostpunk has returned as well, letting players play through the game with gentler weather, more resources, shorter whiteouts, and without the faction conflict system. This is meant for newcomers and those looking for a more laid-back city-building experience.

Lastly, the Frostkit 1.0 release is now here, letting the modding community get their hands on the game for many more changes. The launch has landed with features like a search bar, a mod menu overhaul, in-editor testing, modding tutorials, and more resources. Find the complete patch notes for this update over here.

11 Bit Studios added today that it has more free content updates planned for Frostpunk 2 alongside upcoming DLC launches. It was also confirmed that the recently announced Frostpunk 1886 project to remake the original experience is being developed by a separate team inside the studio.

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NVIDIA made its mid-range RTX 5060 GPUs official on April 15, and the RTX 5060 Ti in 8GB and 16GB versions debuted one day later on April 16.

Rumors suggested that the non-Ti 5060 model would launch on May 19, and NVIDIA has now confirmed that release date with a 9 AM PT (12 PM ET) launch.

Gamers Nexus (2.44M subscribers)

May 6, 2025

Video length: 33m 20s

For hardware news this week, we're talking about Microsoft raising its prices significantly on games and Xbox consoles, Radeon GPUs being continually above MSRP, more of the tariff impact, rumors of a new Battlemage GPU from Intel, and Apple losing its lawsuit vs. Epic Games.

00:00 - Recap for the Week

02:16 - GN B-Stock Modmats Now Available at Discount

06:00 - Microsoft Significantly Raises Xbox Prices Worldwide 

11:07 - Asetek May Sell Liquid Cooling Business 

13:19 - Rumor: Another Battlemage GPU in Development 

14:21 - More Tariff Thoughts on Factory-Retail 

21:41 - Judge Rules Against Apple in Feud with Epic Games 

25:10 - Radeon GPUs Above MSRP for Months 

29:32 - Rumor: Half-Life 3 is Being Playtested

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Google searches fell in Safari for the first time ever last month, Apple’s senior vice president of services, Eddy Cue, said during Google’s antitrust trial on Wednesday. “That has never happened in 22 years,” Cue added.

Cue linked the dip in searches to the growing use of AI, which the company is now considering putting into Safari. The rise of web search in AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot may make users less inclined to visit Google as their primary way of finding information.

Google currently pays Apple around $20 billion to make its search engine the default in Safari, and a decrease in searches could mean less money for Apple. “I’ve lost a lot of sleep thinking about it,” Cue said, when considering what Apple would do without revenue from Google Search.

As Google and other companies continue to embrace AI, traffic to websites that would normally receive clicks from search results is falling, dealing a huge blow to some businesses. In response to concerns from independent site owners, Google Search vice president Pandu Nayak said he can’t offer “any guarantees” that things will turn around.

The Verge reached out to Google with a request for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.

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The company reportedly stopped selling its entry-level Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 models that cost $999. Now, both devices start at $1,199. Microsoft effectively killed the 256GB configuration, leaving lower-tier storage options available in the $799 Surface Pro 12-inch and the $899 Surface Laptop 13-inch. This increased the price gap between the newly announced "budget" variants and their more expensive lineup siblings.

Considering that both Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 can be found on frequent sales for as low as $799, from a financial standpoint, the new Surface PCs make little to no sense unless you want a smaller-sized device. But now, with a $300-400 price gap between them, the new models look much more appealing to those who cannot afford a $1,199 tablet or laptop.

Luckily, you can still find the baseline Surface Pro 11 for $799 and the Surface Laptop 7 for the same price. The latter is a much better PC than the new Surface Laptop 13-inch (also $100 cheaper). However, these configurations are no longer available in the Microsoft Store configurator, even though the description says the Surface Pro 11 starts with a 256 GB SSD.

The new Surface Pro 12-inch and the Surface Laptop 13-inch are now available for preorder, with availability scheduled for May 20. If you are interested in these devices, check out our detailed spec-by-spec comparisons here and here.

Source: Windows Central

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The old Reddit layout sometimes looks a bit outdated, but it’s beloved by many Reddit users, including me. I’ve worried for some time that Reddit would eventually pull the plug on it in favor of the newer and more modern interface, but based on a recent post from Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen anytime soon.

As part of a larger post published Monday about “Reddit’s next chapter,” which we saw via TechCrunch, Huffman, who goes by the username spez, snuck in what looked like heart-stopping news for us oldheads right at the end.

“Sunsetting old.reddit: old.reddit is the version of Reddit that we built back in the mid-2000s,“ Huffman said. ”It doesn’t scale, it’s impossible to develop on, and it’s ugly af. We will be shutting it down at the end of the month.”

But, apparently, that was just a joke. (A bold move, given outcry to other Reddit-related shutdowns.) “Just kidding,” he said. “I don’t know why I say stuff like this. We’ll figure out how to work around it and keep it online as long as people are using it.”

The post covers many other actual planned changes to the platform, including that “core product improvements” like making it easier to make subreddits and “evolving r/popular” are in the works. Reddit also wants to shift the primary role of moderators from “policing to community cultivation,” in part with “better tools – especially more AI-driven automation,” he said.

Huffman acknowledged that “unwelcome AI in communities is a serious concern” and that it’s the worry he hears most from users and mods. But he believes that “Reddit works because it’s human” and said that “our focus is, and always will be, on keeping Reddit a trusted place for human conversation.”

Reddit is going to ask for a bit more identifying information from its users, too. Here’s Huffman’s description of what will happen:

To keep Reddit human and to meet evolving regulatory requirements, we are going to need a little more information. Specifically, we will need to know whether you are a human, and in some locations, if you are an adult. But we never want to know your name or who you are. The way we will do this is by working with various third-party services that can provide us with the essential information and nothing else. No solution is perfect — including the status quo — but we will do our best to preserve both the humanness and anonymity of Reddit.

On Wednesday, Reddit also shared details about improvements it’s making to Reddit Chat, including the ability to add users to an allowlist. The company announced in March that it would be replacing user PMs with Chat.

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Move over Mac vs PC, a new battle is taking center stage. A series of ads from Qualcomm places the company's Snapdragon X processors squarely against the best from Intel.

"Here's a little intel on what's really inside," jabs one of the ads comparing a PC powered by Snapdragon to one powered by an "unnamed" CPU (that's clearly Intel).

One ad from Qualcomm focuses on figures, such as the fact that Snapdragon X chips run "at max performance" while Intel chips drop off in performance when unplugged.

That claim has merit, though some context is needed. While there are some PCs powered by Intel chips that drop performance to "as little as 55%," it's common to see much smaller dips.

That same ad highlights the long battery life of PCs powered by Snapdragon as well.

Another ad is more direct in highlighting the 55% performance claim, showing spouses, soldiers, and CEOs only committing 55% effort.

The final ad drives home the same point, showing how PCs running at 55% performance when unplugged would affect office producitivy.

Unlike the Surface Laptop 7, which has a 13.8-inch display, the Surface Laptop 13-inch (not a very creative name) is smaller and lighter. The chassis is made of anodized aluminum, and customers can pick between three colors, including the new Violet.

The computer is powered by an 8-core Snapdragon X Plus processor with a 45 TOPS NPU for AI-powered experiences in Windows 11. In its announcement post, Microsoft claims the laptop is 50% faster than the Surface Laptop 5 and delivers better performance than the MacBook Air M3.

Although the Surface Laptop 13-inch does not have the fastest chip, it makes up for that with better battery life. According to Microsoft, the Surface Laptop 13-inch features the longest battery life of any Surface device, and it can deliver up to 23 hours of video playback or 16 hours of web browsing.

Of course, being cheaper, the Surface Laptop 13-inch has some corners cut. The touchscreen display is only Full HD (1,920 x 1,280), and the refresh rate is only 60Hz. RAM is limited to 16GB, and storage options include just 256GB and 512GB UFS, not SSD. Also, Microsoft removed the infrared Windows Hello camera in favor of a fingerprint reader built into the power button.

Still, the laptop has a backlit keyboard and a haptic trackpad. Its charger is also included in the box, unlike the new Surface Pro 12-inch, which only comes with a USB-C cable. As for ports, you get two USB 3.2 Type-C ports with display output (up to two 4K 60Hz displays), one USB 3.1 Type-A, and a 3.5 mm audio jack. Like in the Surface Pro 12-inch, the Surface Connect is no longer here.

The Surface Laptop 13-inch is now available for preorder at $899 for the base 256GB configuration. Shipments begin on May 20, 2025.

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Microsoft's goal here is to give customers a more affordable and more portable device than the standard Surface Pro 11. The 12-inch Surface Pro costs $799 for the base configuration, and for this money, you get a Windows tablet with a fanless 8-core Snapdragon X Plus processor, 16GB of memory, and 256GB of UFS storage (not SSD). There is also a more expensive 512GB configuration.

Microsoft has also cut some corners on the screen side. The PixelSense LCD display is 12 inches diagonal and has a resolution of 2,196 x 1,464 (220 PPI). The refresh rate is 90Hz with 60Hz set as default.

Like all the other Copilot+ PCs, the new Surface Pro supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. It also has Qualcomm's 45 TOPS NPU, which enables all the AI experiences, such as Recall, Click To Do, image generation, and more (they are now publicly available).

Ports include two USB 3.2 Type-C for charging, data transfer, and display output. Microsoft says the tablet can drive two 4K monitors at 60Hz, plus it is compatible with the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock and other accessories. The Surface Connect is no longer present as Microsoft is moving fully to USB-C.

The battery is rated for up to 16 hours of local video playback or 12 hours of active web usage. The 12-inch Surface Pro charges at up to 45W, but the unfortunate thing is that the charger is not included. Microsoft recently ditched the charger in the Surface Pro 11 for the European market, and it is now doing it worldwide.

As for accessories, the Surface Pro supports the Surface Slim Pen 2 and other styluses that utilize Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP). You can charge the Slim Pen 2 on the back of the tablet. As for the keyboard, the Surface Pro 12-inch keyboard ditched its charging dock but retained the backlight. It is good to see Microsoft keeping this feature, which was a major complaint in other budget-friendly Surface devices like the Surface Laptop Go. Also, the keyboard now folds back completely flat for better ergonomics.

The 12-inch Surface Pro is now available for preorder for $799. Shipments begin May 20. On July 22, the tablet will also be available for business customers, featuring Windows 11 Pro, an anti-reflective display, and an NFC reader. If you are interested in seeing how the Surface Pro 12-inch compares to the Surface Pro 11 spec-by-spec, check out our fresh Specs Appeal article.

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People love Nvidia's XX60 graphics cards. They are the most popular GPUs on Steam, and their reasonable price tag makes them an affordable choice for millions of gamers worldwide. With that said, it will be interesting to see how the market reacts to the launch and whether you will be able to find one at the $299 price tag.

The price of the RTX 5060 is the same as the price of the RTX 4060. For the same money, you get more CUDA cores (3,840 over 3,072), faster memory (28 Gbps over 17 Gbps), and higher memory bandwidth (448 GBps over 272 GBps). On top of that, the RTX 5060 supports all the platform changes Nvidia introduces in the RTX 50 series, including DLSS 4 multi-frame generation and newer ray-tracing and tensor cores.

The biggest complaint about the RTX 5060 is undoubtedly its 8GB of VRAM. Even though it is now GDDR7, tests show that having more memory, ideally 12GB or higher is always a big plus as we pointed out in our recent RX 9070 review. Rumor has it that Nvidia is considering finally dropping 8GB with the alleged RTX 50 SUPER series.

In addition to announcing the launch of the $299 desktop RX 5060 graphics card, Nvidia is launching the laptop variant. According to the company, laptops with the RTX 5060 will be available for as little as $1,099 on the same day. Also, more games are getting DLSS 4 support, including MechWarrior 5: Clans, New World: Aeternum, and Spirit of the North 2.

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The Surface Laptop 13-inch was announced alongside the Surface Pro 12-inch, and you can check out its Specs Appeal article here.

Like the Surface Pro 12-inch, the new Surface Laptop is powered by an eight-core Snapdragon X Plus processor with a 45 TOPS NPU for AI-powered experiences, such as Recall, Click to Do, and a bunch of other features that Microsoft announced today (including new features for stock apps). Memory is limited to just 16GB, and storage options are either 256GB or 512GB UFS (no SSDs here).

The biggest downgrade in the Surface Laptop 13-inch is its display. It is a 1080p touchscreen display at only 60Hz, a big step down from the 120Hz displays in the Surface Laptop 7. HDR is not supported, the contrast ratio is lower, and the max brightness peaks at only 400 nits. That is a lot of sacrifices for a device that is only $100 less expensive.

Microsoft also ditched a Windows Hello webcam. The 1080p webcam supports all the AI enhancements, but it cannot be used for biometric authentication. Instead, Microsoft borrowed the fingerprint reader from the Surface Laptop Go and implemented it in the power button. Fortunately, the fingerprint reader is present in both configurations, not just the more expensive 512GB variant.

Ports in the Surface Laptop 13-inch include two USB 3.2 Type-C (no USB-4, but dual 4K 60Hz display output is supported), one USB 3.1 Type-A, and a headphone jack. Like in the Surface Pro 12-inch, the Surface Connect port is no longer with us as Microsoft is now committing fully to Type-C.

On the bright side, Microsoft introduces two new colors: Ocean and Violet. Also, while being smaller and thinner in size, the Surface Laptop 13-inch boasts significantly better battery life, taking the title of the longest battery life in any Surface device (up to 23 hours of video playback).

Here are the key changes summed up in a list:

• Smaller and lighter
• Two new colors: Ocean and Violet
• Lower-resolution display with a lower refresh rate and max brightness without HDR
• 8-core Snapdragon X Plus processor with a fan
• UFS storage instead of SSD
• Fingerprint scanner in the power button instead of a Windows Hello camera
• Better battery life
• USB 3.2 ports instead of USB 4 and no Surface Connect
• $100 cheaper

And here is a detailed spec-by-spec comparison, with changes highlighted in bold:

	Surface Laptop 13-inch	Surface Laptop 7
Chassis	11.25 x 8.43 x 0.61" 2.7 lbs 285.65 x 214.14 x 15.6 mm 1.22 kg	11.85 x 8.67 x 0.69" 2.96 lbs 301 x 220 x 17.5 mm 1.34 kg	12.96 x 9.41 x 0.72" 3.67 lbs 329 x 239 x 18.29 1.66 kg
Colors	Platinum, Ocean, Violet	Sapphire, Dune, Black, Platinum
Display	13-inch:   1920 x 1280 (178 ppi) 1000:1 contrast ratio 60Hz 10-point multi-touch	13.8-inch:   2304 x 1536 (201 ppi) 1400:1 contrast ratio 120Hz 10-point multi-touch HDR support	15-inch:   2496 x 1664 (201 ppi) 1300:1 contrast ratio 120Hz 10-point multi-touch HDR support
Processor	8-core Snapdragon X Plus	10-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 12-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
Memory	16GB LPDDR5x	16GB, 32GB LPDDR5x
Storage	256GB, 512GB UFS	User-removable PCIe 4 SSD 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Security	Microsoft Pluton TPM 2.0 Fingerprint sensor Windows 11 Secured-core PC	Microsoft Pluton TPM 2.0 Windows Hello face sign-in Windows 11 Secured-core PC
Network	Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
Battery	TBD mAh   Up to 23 hours of video playback   Charger included	13.8-inch:   54Wh   Up to 20 hours of video playback	15-inch:   66Wh   Up to 22 hours of video playback
Camera	1080p front-facing camera	1080p front-facing camera with Windows Hello face sign-in
Ports	2x USB 3.2 Type-C 1x USB 3.1 Type-A 3.5 mm headphone jack	13.8-inch:   2x USB-C/USB4 1x USB-A 3.1 3.5 mm headphone jack Surface Connect	15-inch:   2x USB-C/USB4 1x USB-A 3.1 3.5 mm headphone jack Surface Connect microSDXC reader
Launch Price	$899+	$999+ $1,299+

In conclusion, the Surface Laptop 13-inch looks appealing at first sight. However, as you start digging deeper into its specs and discover cut corners, the Surface Laptop 7 begins to look like a significantly better option. Right now, you can get the baseline Surface Laptop 7 for just $799 on Amazon, $100 cheaper than the new Surface Laptop, and for this money, you will get a lot more: a more powerful processor, better storage, a much better display, and a better camera.

The Surface Laptop 13-inch is very hard to recommend at its launch price. Unless, of course, you want a smaller laptop with three extra hours of battery life (according to Microsoft). Also, I cannot blame anyone for wanting that Violet variant. It just looks so good.

The Surface Laptop 13-inch is now available for preorder in the Microsoft Store. Shipments begin on May 20, 2025. Are you getting one?

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Simply dubbed 'Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 2,' matching the original trailer's naming sequence, the trailer has a much more personal look at the two protagonists that players will be taking control of. There's plenty of action, and the lives of Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos are in focus in the gameplay footage, taking place all around Vice City.

According to the studio, the trailer's footage had been captured on a PlayStation 5. Here's the YouTube video's description straight from Rockstar:

Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.

Despite the publisher Take-Two repeatedly confirming that Grand Theft Auto VI would not be delayed, the game was pushed all the way back to 2026 by Rockstar last week. It said that the extra time is needed to exceed fan expectations for the behemoth project.

The delay did attach a firm release date to the project though. Grand Theft Auto VI is now releasing across Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 on May 26, 2026. It doesn't look like a PC release announcement is coming anytime soon.

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The Surface Pro 12-inch is primarily for those who want a more portable and lighter tablet than the standard Surface Pro 11. It is notably lighter and thinner: only 1.5 lbs vs. 1.97 lbs and only 0.3 inches vs. 0.37 inches. The screen is 12 inches diagonally instead of 13 inches, and it has a lower resolution and refresh rate. Still, unlike the Surface Laptop 13-inch with its rather dull 60Hz display, the Surface Pro 12-inch can operate at a more modern 90Hz refresh rate.

To lower the price, Microsoft also ditched the 10-core Snapdragon Plus in favor of a lower-spec 8-core variant, which Qualcomm announced in the second half of 2024. Memory is limited to just 16GB, and for storage, the new Surface tablet uses UFS instead of SSD. Only two configurations are available: 256GB and 512GB.

Another cost-cutting measure is the front-facing camera. It still supports Windows Hello, but its resolution is limited to 1080p instead of 1440p in the Surface Pro 11. However, it supports all the AI-powered features like auto-framing and other Windows Studio effects.

Despite being smaller, thinner, and lighter, the Surface Pro 12-inch has a better battery life than the Surface Pro 11. Microsoft promises up to 16 hours of local video playback, while the Surface Pro 11 is rated for two hours less. Also, Microsoft managed to put a built-in wireless charger for the Surface Slim Pen, so there is no need to use its own charger if you do not own a keyboard cover—just attach the pen to the back of your Surface Pro.

The keyboard was also redesigned. It attaches magnetically and, due to the tablet's smaller size, now lies flat on the table. The Surface Pro 11, for reference, has an angled keyboard and even a separate wireless version with an eye-watering price tag. The Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard costs $149.99.

Finally, Microsoft has limited USB-C ports to just USB 3.2 and removed the Surface Connect port altogether alongside the bundled charger.

Here are the key changes summed up in a list:

• Smaller and lighter chassis
• Smaller display with a lower resolution, lower max brightness, and a 90Hz refresh rate
• Fanless 8-core Snapdragon X Plus processor
• UFS storage instead of user-replaceable SSD (256GB and 512GB)
• Built-in wireless charger at the back of the tablet
• A redesigned keyboard that lies flat
• Better battery life up to 16 hours of local video playback
• No charger in the box
• Two USB 3.2 Type-C ports without Surface Connect
• More affordable

Here is a more detailed spec-by-spec comparison:

	Surface Pro (12-inch)	Surface Pro (11th Edition)
Chassis	10.8" x 7.47" x 0.3", 1.5lbs 274 x 190 x 7.8 mm, 686 g	11.3" x 8.2" x 0.37", 1.97lbs 287 x 209 x 9.3 mm, 895 g
Colors	Platinum, Ocean, Violet	Sapphire!, Dune, Platinum, Black
Display	12" IPS PixelSense 2196 x 1464 (220 ppi) 90Hz (60Hz by default) 1200:1 contrast ratio 400 nits	13" IPS PixelSense Flow 2880 x 1920 (267 ppi) Dynamic refresh rate up to 120Hz 1200:1 contrast ratio 600 nits (SDR) 600 nits (HDR)	13" OLED PixelSense Flow 2880 x 1920 (267 ppi) Dynamic refresh rate up to 120Hz 1M:1 contrast ratio 600 nits (SDR) 900 nits (HDR)
Processor	8-core Snapdragon X Plus Qualcomm Hexagon NPU Qualcomm Adreno GPU	10-core Snapdragon X Plus Qualcomm Hexagon NPU Qualcomm Adreno GPU	12-core Snapdragon X Elite Qualcomm Hexagon NPU Qualcomm Adreno GPU
Memory	16GB LPDDR5X	16GB LPDDR5X	16GB or 32GB LPDDR5X
Storage	256GB, 512GB UFS	User-removable PCIe Gen4 SSD 256GB, 512GB	User-removable PCIe Gen4 SSD 512GB, 1TB
Security	Microsoft Pluton TPM 2.0 Windows Hello face sign-in Windows 11 Secured-core PC
Network	Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4	Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 Optional 5G
Battery	TBD Wh   Up to 16 hours of video playback	47Wh   Up to 14 hours of video playback	53Wh   Up to 14 hours of video playback
Cameras	Front-facing 1080p Full HD Surface Studio camera with Windows Hello 10 MP rear-facing camera with 4K video support	Front-facing 1440p ultra-wide camera with Windows Hello 10MP rear-facing camera with 4K video support
Ports	2x USB-C/USB 3.2	2x USB-C/USB4 1x Surface Connect
Accessories	Surface Slim Pen 2 with charging on the back of the tablet Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard	Surface Slim Pen 2 Surface Pro Flex Keyboard Surface Pro Keyboard Surface Pro Signature Keyboard
Price	$799+	$999+	$1,499+

Overall, the Surface Pro 12-inch looks like a very interesting device in the sea of 13-inch Windows tablets. Smaller, lighter, and with great battery life. However, at $799, it also has some significant downgrades from the Surface Pro 11. Unless you are looking for a more portable device, the baseline Surface Pro 11 with a more powerful processor, better storage, better display, and a bundled charger looks like a better pick, especially when you consider that it is available right now on Amazon for exactly $799.

The Surface Pro 12-inch is now available for preorder in the Microsoft Store. The tablet will be available on May 20, 2025. Are you buying it?

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