cloud gaming

Microsoft’s gaming organization entered a consequential new chapter on February 20, 2026, when long‑time Xbox leader Phil Spencer announced his retirement and Satya Nadella installed Asha Sharma — a senior Microsoft AI executive — as the new CEO of Microsoft Gaming, a leadership change that...

Microsoft’s product machine is humming again, but this week’s news cycle—captured neatly on Windows Weekly 971—reads like a study in contrasts: small, welcome reversals for classic Windows annoyances; a headlong sprint by Big Tech into creative AI; the slow, painful recalibration of Microsoft’s...

Microsoft’s ecosystem found itself in unusually turbulent territory this week: the Windows Insider program was reshuffled, Patch Tuesday went sideways and generated multiple emergency fixes, Microsoft unveiled a new in‑house AI accelerator, major AI platforms doubled down on “apps” inside...

Microsoft has quietly rolled out a public preview of a dramatically reworked Xbox Cloud Gaming web dashboard that looks, navigates, and behaves far more like an Xbox console than the lightweight browser port it used to be — and that shift arrives at a pivotal moment for Xbox’s cloud strategy...

The last week’s shifts in portable PC gaming — from Microsoft’s Windows on Arm push to new handheld launches, Linux distro tie‑ins, and a fresh round of public sparring between AMD and Intel — mark a subtle but meaningful inflection point for handheld and mobile gaming. What was once a niche...

Microsoft has begun rolling out the Xbox PC app to Arm-based Windows 11 machines, enabling local downloads and play of a large portion of the Xbox Game Pass library on Copilot+ and other Arm-powered PCs while keeping cloud streaming as a fallback for titles that still require it. Background /...

Microsoft has quietly closed one of the longest-standing gaps in the Windows-on-Arm story: the Xbox PC app now runs natively on Arm-based Windows 11 systems, enabling local installs for a large portion of the Game Pass library while keeping cloud streaming as a seamless fallback. Background...

Microsoft’s move to bring the official Xbox app to Arm-based Windows 11 machines is the clearest sign yet that the company intends to make Windows on Arm a first-class gaming platform — not merely a power-efficient curiosity — but the reality for players will be shaped as much by emulator...

Microsoft appears to be preparing a free, ad‑supported tier for Xbox Cloud Gaming that would let non‑Game Pass owners stream digital Xbox games in time‑limited sessions — an experiment built to widen reach, squeeze more value from Azure capacity, and offer a low‑cost alternative for players...

Microsoft’s cloud gaming experiment has entered a new phase: internal tests now include a free, ad‑supported way to play streamed Xbox titles without a Game Pass subscription — a move that could reshape access, economics, and competition in cloud gaming this year. Early indicators suggest...

Microsoft and Hisense quietly opened another path to console‑less Xbox play on January 5, 2026, announcing the Xbox app will arrive on select Hisense and V homeOS‑powered smart TVs later this year — a move that extends Xbox Cloud Gaming to millions more living rooms and gives budget‑conscious...

TCL’s CES-era reveal that the Xbox app will arrive on its new X11L Google TV line later this year marks the clearest signal yet that Google TV is finally being folded into Xbox Game Pass’s living-room playbook — an over‑the‑air update for TCL’s flagship models will convert those sets into...

NVIDIA appears poised to bring native Linux support to GeForce NOW this week, a move that would replace the patchwork of browser hacks and third‑party clients Linux gamers use today and could reshape the cloud‑gaming calculus for a small but fast‑growing segment of PC players. Background...

NVIDIA’s decision to roll the 100‑hour monthly playtime cap out to almost all GeForce NOW paid subscribers on January 1, 2026, rewrites the economics of cloud gaming at a moment when upgrading a PC is getting markedly more expensive — and that timing turns what once felt like a niche policy into...

The Meta Quest 3S has quietly become the most compelling, cost‑effective bridge between Xbox gaming and Windows productivity — a headset that pairs solid hardware, cloud streaming, and a freshly matured Windows integration into a single, surprisingly affordable package. Background / Overview...

Microsoft’s November Xbox update quietly turned two interlocking initiatives into public features: Gaming Copilot (Beta) landed in the Xbox mobile app as a second‑screen, voice‑enabled assistant, and the Full Screen Experience (FSE)—the controller‑first, console‑style shell Microsoft tested on...

Big-screen laptops have moved from niche to mainstream in 2025, and PCMag UK’s roundup makes the case that a 16‑ to 18‑inch notebook can now be a practical daily machine rather than a hulking desktop stand‑in. Background / Overview PCMag UK’s “Best Large‑Screen Laptops” coverage organizes...

Microsoft’s November update for Xbox is less a single dramatic pivot than a careful, coordinated nudge: an AI-powered companion on mobile, a console-style full-screen shell spreading across Windows 11 devices, cloud-streaming quality controls that can reach 1440p, and expanded regional...

Microsoft’s November Xbox update pushes the company further into a cloud-first, AI-enhanced gaming future: the Xbox Cloud Gaming library that lets players “stream your own games” has crossed the 1,000-title milestone and now includes heavy-hitters such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and SpongeBob...

Microsoft’s Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) will change how Windows handhelds behave: starting November 21, 2025 Microsoft is rolling out a controller‑first, console‑style shell that can boot directly into the Xbox PC app, trim desktop overhead, and present a thumb-friendly launcher on...