In this episode of Microsoft Weekly, we look at the latest soft-wear from Microsoft, the potential release windows for Windows "12" (get it?), new preview builds with some puzzling features, the upcoming GTA "6" trailer, no Xbox Game Pass for Sony and Nintendo, and more.
Table of contents:
- Windows 11 news
- Updates are available
- Gaming news
- A blast from Microsoft's past
- Random fact about Microsoft
A new Ugly Sweater!
To keep up with the tradition, Microsoft announced a new Windows Ugly Sweater for the 2023 holiday season. This time, it features bright colors of the legendary Bliss wallpaper from Windows XP, released 22 years ago. If you want to snag one, you better hurry up since this extremely exclusive, high-fashion product is available for a limited time and in limited quantities.
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 but still supported versions.
Let us start the Windows 10/11 section with some fresh stats from Valve and Statcounter. According to Valve, Windows 11 is having a blast among the gaming audience, and more than 42% of all Windows users on the platform run Windows 11 as their main gaming OS.
Other types of users are slightly less enthusiastic about the OS Microsoft may replace with Windows "12" in 2024 despite allegedly planning to release another "big" feature update. Statcounter claims Windows 11's global market share is slightly above the 26% mark. The latest report from Statcounter also includes new data about Microsoft Edge, which is currently at an all-time high.
If you are thinking about upgrading from Windows 10 to 11, you may be interested in our latest benchmark comparing the performance of the two operating systems after a clean install. Results may surprise you and, spoiler alert, make you think twice before moving to Windows 11.
Windows 10 received a new optional non-security update, with Copilot as its primary change. Those sticking to the good old Windows 10 can try Microsoft's latest AI-powered assistant by installing KB5032278 from Windows Update (no longer requires enlisting into the Windows Insider Program).
Windows Insider Program
After taking a brief pause, Microsoft resumed releasing new preview builds each week. Here is what we received this week:
- Canary Channel: 26002 with a new energy saver, performance improvements for Quick Actions, and more.
- Dev Channel: 23595 with a new place for the Copilot icon and other changes.
- Beta Channel: 22635.2776 with support for more languages for the recently released inking improvements in Windows 11 version 23H2.
The new preview builds contain some interesting changes, some of which you might find slightly controversial. For example, Microsoft decided to try the Copilot icon in the bottom right corner of the screen. As a result, the "Show desktop" button is now turned off by default for some Windows Insiders. Luckily, you can revert that change with only a few clicks.
Another taskbar-related change in the latest Windows 11 preview builds is a new ID that breaks the old taskbar from Windows 10. Luckily, build 26002 ships with the ID turned off by default, so it is a bit too early to say goodbye to the old-styled taskbar.
Here is another slightly baffling story: Windows users discovered an uninvited app on their systems. According to numerous reports, Microsoft is installing the HP Smart app on Windows 10 and 11 for no apparent reason and without permission. If you have found one on your system and you do not use HP products, feel free to delete it without remorse.
As for improvements, the latest Windows 11 Canary builds contain an updated energy saver to help your device work for a bit longer when running out of battery juice. And for the first time ever, battery saver is available for desktop users. Microsoft says the change will help environment-conscientious users save energy.
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.
There is no shortage of good browsers for Windows PCs, and competition is tough, to put it mildly, especially when you have players like Google Chrome absolutely dominating the market. However, Samsung is not afraid, and the company feels like it can get a piece of the pie with its Samsung Internet browser, now available on Windows 10 and 11. If you use Samsung Internet on your Android device, downloading the browser on your PC might be a solid alternative to other solutions, especially with features like sync, extension support, and Chromium under the skin.
Microsoft is finally rolling out the Cocreator feature in Paint on Windows 11, allowing users to generate art within the app using OpenAI's DALL-E model. According to numerous reports, Microsoft no longer requires enlisting in the Windows Insider Program or signing up on the waitlist.
Another great feature coming soon to one of the stock Windows 11 apps is the ability to use your Android phone as a webcam. Enthusiasts took apart one of the recent Link to Windows updates on Android and discovered many code strings hinting at the potential feature.
Paint's Cocreator feature is not the only thing that left the preview stage this week. In the official Bing blog, Microsoft announced that Bing Chat (now just Copilot) is out of preview. According to Microsoft, the end of the preview stage means "organizations and users can feel even more confident adopting it as part of their daily workflows." Ah, and the "PRE" badge is now gone.
Microsoft revealed that the Microsoft 365 extension for Chromium-based browsers is now dead. It is no longer receiving feature or security updates, and Microsoft plans to remove it from customers' computers on January 15, 2024.
The company also deprecated another Office-related product. The updated Windows documentation claims Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Office is no longer in development. Microsoft recommends using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Protected View, and WDAG to keep computers within enterprises safe from infected Office documents.
Finally, TechNet Wiki, a website full of articles and discussions related to Microsoft products for IT Admins, will soon go read-only. The company plans to block new posts on December 5, 2023, so contributors better hurry up and back up their posts before it is too late.
Other notable updates released this week include the following:
- Microsoft is working on "Advanced Windows Settings" to give users and developers more control over their PCs. The change should arrive as a part of the recently launched Dev Home app for Windows 11.
- Skype Insider 8.110 is out with the TwinCam feature that lets you use your smartphone as a secondary camera during a video call. It is a great thing to have if you want to show something to your friend without going out of the frame.
- Preview versions of Word and Outlook received "research-backed" typography refinements with adaptive justification, kerning, and OpenType ligatures. You can try those changes in the latest preview build or turn them off in settings.
- Mozilla released Firefox 120.0.1 to resolve a bug causing 100% CPU usage, slow startup, green screen YouTube videos, and more.
- GPT-4 Turbo is coming soon to Copilot alongside a potential character limit increase (the current one is 5,000 characters).
- Activity-based authentication timeout support will leave Outlook for the Web in January 2024.
New driver updates released this week:
- AMD Software 23.30.13.01 with optimizations for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
The Microsoft 365 Roadmap Weekly finishes the update section with the latest features coming soon to Office and other productivity apps made by Microsoft. Those include Copilot for Microsoft Stream and an in-app device store for Teams where you can purchase Teams-certified cameras, headsets, desk phones, and more. And to make this week's Microsoft Weekly excellent, here is a recap of the new features introduced for Excel in November 2023.
On the gaming side
Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts and more.
After selling tons of GTA V copies for ten years, Rockstar Games is finally ready to reveal a Grand Theft Auto "6" trailer. The company's official X (Twitter) account announced the trailer reveal scheduled for December 5 at 9 AM Eastern time. It is too early for release dates, but at least we will soon know what the game looks like, where it is set, and more.
Do you remember Counter-Strike 1.6, Valve's legendary first-person shooter? In November 2023, Valve released an update to celebrate 25 years of the original Half-Life. As it turned out, the update included the earliest prototype of Left 4 Dead, another critically acclaimed game from Valve. Called "Terror Strike," the prototype uses Counter-Strike 1.6 assets to demonstrate the zombie swarm gameplay.
Another game getting an update with a surprise is Baldur's Gate 3. However, it is not as exciting as the one hidden inside Counter-Strike 1.6. According to Larian Studios, Baldur's Gate 3's upcoming update weighs 30GB, and it requires roughly 130GB of free space to install. The studio even recommends reinstalling the game to download the patched version. Let us all hit F in the chat to pay respects to gamers with sloppy internet connections.
Microsoft confirmed its plans to make Xbox-related announcements during the 2023 Game Awards Show, where, in 2019, the company unveiled Xbox Series X. Although we do not know what the company has in store, customers expect new games or even hardware, especially in light of the latest Xbox app update that brought a dedicated user interface for Windows-powered handheld consoles.
Microsoft also announced a new wave of games to hit Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Cloud Gaming. Look out for Far Cry 6, Raise of the Tomb Raider, Goat Simulator 3, and more. Remnant: From the Ashes and Remnant 2 are also now available in the catalog.
By the way, do not expect Xbox Game Pass on other consoles, such as PlayStation 5 or Nintendo. In an interview with Windows Central, Phil Spencer revealed that the company does not plan to bring its gaming subscription to rival consoles. Still, it is researching a "roadmap for the Xbox Family Plan," something Microsoft abandoned earlier this year.
Deals and freebies
Ubisoft is giving away Assassin's Creed Syndicate to those playing PC games. The 2015-released installment of the Assassin's Creed franchise is up for grabs until December 6, 2023, so you still have plenty of time to snag one if you have not already.
If one game is not enough and you want to get more, check out NVIDIA's latest promo that grants RTX 40 Series buyers three months of PC Game Pass. All you have to do is follow the damn train purchase an eligible NVIDIA GPU.
Also, you can snag two games on the Epic Games Store: Jitsu Squad and Mighty Fight Federation are available for free until Thursday. The first one is an old-school beat 'em up, and the second one is an arena-style fighting. And, of course, you can always find more deals and offers in our weekly PC Game Deals series.
A blast from Microsoft's past
John Callaham's weekly "Look back" series provides throwbacks into the past, detailing the company's products, partnerships, mishaps, and successes from years ago.
Following the release of the original Halo TV series in 2022, Paramount is gearing up for the second season, rumored for a February 2024 debut. But did you know that Bungie, the original Halo development, had plans for a big-budget feature film? Check out this look-back story from John Callaham detailing the idea of a Halo movie and how it never happened due to numerous issues, including financial disputes with Microsoft.
Random fact about Microsoft
And here is a randomly selected piece of trivia about the company, Windows, and other Microsoft-made things.
Did you know that long before Teams, Microsoft launched an app for collaborative work and file sharing among users on a local network? Windows Meeting Space was a part of Windows Vista (Home Premium and more expensive editions) and allowed setting up impromptu meetings, sharing documents, text and ink messaging, and more. Windows Meeting Space failed to gain traction, and Microsoft discontinued it with the release of Windows 7. The company replaced WMS with Microsoft Office Live Meeting, a commercial web conferencing service.
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