Windows Central
THE news & reviews site for Microsoft, Windows, Xbox, AI, and PC gaming. Tips: tips@windowscentral.com | Not part of Microsoft.
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has been dated for Xbox, and it's coming sooner than you might think. www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/...
- Microsoft Teams is kicking off January with some genuinely great upgrades — smarter multitasking tools, cleaner UI tweaks, and a sneak peek at what’s coming next. If you live in Teams all day, these are the features that actually make work feel smoother.
- Windows 11 vs. Linux debates can get loud, but when you look at what most people actually need day‑to‑day, Windows still comes out ahead. From app compatibility to hardware support and ease of use, we break down the four biggest reasons Windows 11 is the more practical choice for the average user.
- Microsoft recently shipped AI agents in OneDrive to general availability for AI-powered document search and analysis, but you'll need a 365 Copilot license to access them. Would you want to? 🤔
- There's a massive 40% discount on ASUS' long-lasting Vivobook 14 laptop, a dependable laptop for work and studies powered by Snapdragon X. It's a no-nonsense compact pick, but this price won't last forever ⤵️
- Satya Nadella has announced that Microsoft's Security Chief, Charlie Bell, is moving on to a new role to focus on "engineering quality". He'll be replaced by Hayete Gallot, Google Cloud’s former President for Customer Experience and a long-serving Microsoft veteran.
- Steam Machine gaming PC delayed by AI-driven component shortages Valve's plan to ship new hardware in the first half of 2026 "has not changed", but the company clarifies that it currently can't confirm an exact release date, nor prices for a trio of upcoming devices.
- Epic’s store ambitions are getting bolder. As the company puts it, “We’ve been talking to the folks at Microsoft,” and the goal is clear: bring the Epic Games Store to the next‑gen Xbox. buff.ly/tIOYRNl
- Here we go again. Recent changes to the Read Aloud function have been spotted in Edge Canary. Rather than reading your text as expected, it now launches Copilot Vision. But why?🤷♂️ www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/wi...
- Microsoft is expanding Copilot again — this time with the ability to send reminders straight to your phone. It’s a small feature on paper, but it pushes Copilot closer to being a true cross‑device assistant that follows you beyond the PC.
- 💀Microsoft has officially deprecated the 3D Viewer app, marking another quiet step away from the 3D and Mixed Reality ambitions it once pushed heavily in Windows. We break down what’s changing, why it matters, and what this means for the future of Microsoft’s built‑in apps on Windows Central.
- Xbox consoles are already capable of becoming strong emulation machines, and recent community rumblings suggest Switch emulation could be the next major step forward. Nintendo lawyers won’t be happy to see Ryujinx on Series X|S.
- Microsoft Teams is adding a new feature to help organizations quickly identify the right person for any job, streamlining task assignment and accountability. No more "Who should handle this?" debates (at least in theory).
- Razer's Basilisk V3 Pro from 2022 is still a killer gaming mouse in 2026 (especially at this price). An ergonomic shape, programmable buttons, and a clever "HyperScroll" tilt wheel that swaps between tactile and free-spin modes make it a great pick.
- Microsoft is on the verge of allowing your organization's identity to stand out during video meetings with branded "reactions". These custom icons can reflect elements of their company's brand or just the theme of a particular event, and will be displayed and available to all meeting participants.
- Mini-PCs have become a popular, budget-friendly alternative to full-sized desktops and laptops. They're a great space saver, and crush your everyday productivity suites. ACEMAGIC's K1 Mini has finally dropped to a price that more closely matches its specs, but it won't last forever ⤵️
- Xbox players have plenty more to look forward to in February, with major releases, Game Pass additions, and a handful of standout honourable mentions ⤵️
- Raspberry Pi prices just went up again, and it's a more significant price hike than the one in December. The global RAM shortage can't end soon enough.
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Yakuza: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, and more are coming to Xbox Game Pass during the first half of February 2026. 👀
- A new Xbox PC app update brings native "UU Accelerator" support to China, reducing reliance on third-party tools and improving matchmaking reliability.
- Mozilla announced that it's adding an easy AI kill switch to Firefox. Wouldn't something similar look great in Edge?
- PC prices are going up, but the Surface Laptop 7 says "No." It's one of our all-time favorite laptops, and now it's available with a massive $650 discount on the 15-inch Snapdragon X Elite model. 💻
- Xbox just scored a major win as Crimson Desert pledges Xbox PC / Play Anywhere support. ... As other Xbox PC games get delisted, with no replacement. Inconsistency continues: www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/... 👇
- Finding an RTX 5070 Ti GPU is tricky, especially if you want one at a fair price. A better option is to buy a prebuilt gaming PC. Right now, Lenovo's Legion Tower 7i (Gen 10) is on sale, and it delivers top performance! Then again, its new value hinges entirely on this limited-time coupon code. ⤵️
- Only 3.3% of Microsoft 365 users pay for Copilot despite a billion-dollar investment — while CEO Satya Nadella assures that it's "becoming a true daily habit" Nadella has indicated that Copilot's user base has grown “nearly 3x year-over-year”, but it's unclear how much revenue it is generating.
- YouTube mobile users have recently relied on third-party mobile browsers to play audio from videos with the screen off. However, YouTube is now blocking the popular workaround. Google is already clamping down on desktop video ad blockers.
- Newly surfaced documents reveal that a former Windows executive shared confidential Microsoft emails with Jeffrey Epstein at the same time leadership was scrambling to contain the catastrophic failure of the Surface RT.
- Microsoft recently announced its plans to disable the legacy New Technology LAN Manager (NTLM) protocol by default in upcoming Windows releases. The move is designed to address critical security vulnerabilities that would expose organizations to malicious attacks.
- NVIDIA denies reports it's "unhappy" with OpenAI ... but refuses to commit to the previously rumored $100 billion investment. OpenAI is bleeding cash and is seeking new investors at a valuation of $830+ billion, according to reports. Amazon, Microsoft, Softbank, and others are supposedly involved.
- On Tuesday, February 10, Microsoft is scheduled to begin rolling out a new "Patch Tuesday" update for Windows 11. It isn't flashy, but it'll deliver (some) meaningful changes. Here are 8 new Windows OS features expected to arrive with it ⤵️ www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/wi...
- NEW GUIDE: 3 steps to declutter Windows 11 Windows 11 can feel a little crowded out of the box, but you don’t need scripts or risky tools to clean it up.
- 🪟Weekly Windows Wrap Microsoft’s rough week continues as the company sheds around 440 billion dollars in value while finally starting to read the room on Windows 11.
- With the Galleon 100, Corsair integrated the Stream Deck into a mechanical gaming keyboard, and it's brilliant. ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ You are paying a premium here, but if you need the versatility of the Stream Deck in your keyboard, there really isn't anything better.
- AMD Ryzen 5 9600X for $184.99 One of the best “why is this so good for the price?” CPUs on the market just slid under $200, and it’s hard not to be impressed. Six cores, 3.9GHz, excellent efficiency, and performance that punches way above its weight class.
- Orico's straightforward Thunderbolt 5 SSD enclosure proves they'll only get more popular as storage prices rise. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Just make sure you're using an M.2 2280 drive and that your workflow doesn't require active SSD cooling.
- Google is testing a new feature that launches Chrome in the foreground the second you boot up your PC. Because why wait 5 seconds to start browsing? www.windowscentral.com/software-app...
