Stay updated with the latest in technology, global innovations, and key economic trends. From AI breakthroughs to global energy market insights, we bring you the news that matters.
Microsoft to Launch Xbox Mode for a Console-Like PC Experience.
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
-
Microsoft Unveils "Xbox Mode" for Windows 11: A Seamless Fullscreen Console Experience for PC
Microsoft has officially announced the upcoming launch of "Xbox Mode" for Windows 11, scheduled for release in April 2026. This new feature provides a dedicated gaming interface similar to the "Fullscreen Experience" pioneered by the ROG Xbox Ally.
The Controller-First Interface
Xbox Mode is designed to transform the Windows desktop into a distraction-free, immersive gaming environment. Key highlights include:
Optimized for Controllers: The entire UI is built for seamless navigation using a gamepad.
Universal Compatibility: It will be available across all Windows 11 devices, including laptops, desktops, and tablets.
Staged Rollout: Initially, Xbox Mode will launch in select markets, with specific regions yet to be announced by Microsoft.
New PC Gaming Developer Tools
In addition to the UI overhaul, Microsoft introduced several cutting-edge features to enhance PC game development:
Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD): Aimed at eliminating "stutter" in games. After a successful debut on the ROG Xbox Ally last year, it is now being opened to all developers.
DirectStorage Enhancements: Now supports Zstandard compression and introduces the Game Asset Conditioning Library, allowing developers to set specific compression rules for different game assets.
DirectX Machine Learning (ML): New features to accelerate hardware-based ML processing, enabling developers to embed custom AI models directly into their games.
GPU Stability Tools: The introduction of DirectX Dump Files for capturing GPU crash states and updates to PIX (DirectX debugger), including the new Tile Mappings Viewer.
The introduction of Xbox Mode is a direct answer to the popularity of handheld PCs (such as the ROG Ally and Steam Deck). Microsoft wants Windows 11 to be more keyboard-friendly for machines without keyboards, reducing the burden on the operating system that comes with a regular desktop, so that resources can be fully allocated to games.
Stuttering during shader compilation is a chronic problem in PC games. Enabling ASD (Actions Manual Send and Write) will help Windows games run smoother, closer to console games, a key factor in making PC gameplay feel as stable as Xbox Series X.
The addition of ML (Machine Learning) features in DirectX reflects the era of AI-Generated Content in games. Developers will be able to use AI to create fresh dialogue or adjust NPC behavior to be smarter in real-time, relying on the PC's processing power.
This is about drawing more Windows users into the Xbox universe. Having Xbox Mode readily available upon startup will blur the lines between PC and console, which will significantly boost PC Game Pass subscriptions.
Ask me anything about this article. No data is stored for your question.
Microsoft Unveils "Xbox Mode" for Windows 11: A Seamless Fullscreen Console Experience for PC
Microsoft has officially announced the upcoming launch of "Xbox Mode" for Windows 11, scheduled for release in April 2026. This new feature provides a dedicated gaming interface similar to the "Fullscreen Experience" pioneered by the ROG Xbox Ally.
The Controller-First Interface
Xbox Mode is designed to transform the Windows desktop into a distraction-free, immersive gaming environment. Key highlights include:
Optimized for Controllers: The entire UI is built for seamless navigation using a gamepad.
Universal Compatibility: It will be available across all Windows 11 devices, including laptops, desktops, and tablets.
Staged Rollout: Initially, Xbox Mode will launch in select markets, with specific regions yet to be announced by Microsoft.
New PC Gaming Developer Tools
In addition to the UI overhaul, Microsoft introduced several cutting-edge features to enhance PC game development:
Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD): Aimed at eliminating "stutter" in games. After a successful debut on the ROG Xbox Ally last year, it is now being opened to all developers.
DirectStorage Enhancements: Now supports Zstandard compression and introduces the Game Asset Conditioning Library, allowing developers to set specific compression rules for different game assets.
DirectX Machine Learning (ML): New features to accelerate hardware-based ML processing, enabling developers to embed custom AI models directly into their games.
GPU Stability Tools: The introduction of DirectX Dump Files for capturing GPU crash states and updates to PIX (DirectX debugger), including the new Tile Mappings Viewer.
The introduction of Xbox Mode is a direct answer to the popularity of handheld PCs (such as the ROG Ally and Steam Deck). Microsoft wants Windows 11 to be more keyboard-friendly for machines without keyboards, reducing the burden on the operating system that comes with a regular desktop, so that resources can be fully allocated to games.
Stuttering during shader compilation is a chronic problem in PC games. Enabling ASD (Actions Manual Send and Write) will help Windows games run smoother, closer to console games, a key factor in making PC gameplay feel as stable as Xbox Series X.
The addition of ML (Machine Learning) features in DirectX reflects the era of AI-Generated Content in games. Developers will be able to use AI to create fresh dialogue or adjust NPC behavior to be smarter in real-time, relying on the PC's processing power.
This is about drawing more Windows users into the Xbox universe. Having Xbox Mode readily available upon startup will blur the lines between PC and console, which will significantly boost PC Game Pass subscriptions.
Google Pauses Google Earth AI Feature Powered by 'Nano Banana' Model Over Misinformation and War Propaganda Concerns Google recently announced an experimental integration in Google Earth , pairing its advanced image generation model, Nano Banana , with its vast satellite imagery archive. The feature allowed users to generate customized visual renders of geographic locations using simple natural-language prompts. The potential applications showcased by Google highlighted significant educational and commercial value: Historical Reconstruction: Rendering historic sites to recreate past eras for interactive classroom learning. Visual Infographics: Generating automated visual timelines tracing the geographic evolution of specific locations. Urban Planning & Real Estate: Simulating prospective architectural builds and infrastructure developments on vacant land. However, the launch quickly drew sharp criticism from researchers and policy experts regarding the risk of synthetic ...
WhatsApp Launches Browser-Based Web Calling with Group Waiting Rooms and Noise Cancellation WhatsApp has officially rolled out native web calling support, enabling users to initiate and receive voice and video calls directly from their desktop web browsers without installing additional software or desktop applications. According to WhatsApp, the feature is tailored for users on shared family or workplace computers, locked-down devices that restrict third-party software installation, or individuals who prefer maintaining a minimal desktop footprint by handling daily tasks strictly through a browser interface. The web-based calling capabilities support both one-on-one and group calls . Alongside core calling, WhatsApp has introduced several supporting features: Seamless Device Switching: Allows users to transition ongoing calls between mobile devices and web browsers mid-conversation without dropping the connection. Waiting Rooms for Group Calls: Gives group admins control over call e...
Moonshot AI Secures 20,000 NVIDIA Blackwell Chips via Alibaba to Power Kimi K3 Architecture According to undisclosed industry sources, Chinese AI startup Moonshot AI the developer behind Kimi K3 , currently recognized as one of the most powerful open-weights AI models has secured an agreement to acquire an additional 20,000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs mediated through e-commerce and cloud giant Alibaba . Previous reports indicate that Moonshot AI relied on a cluster of approximately 20,000 NVIDIA Hopper-architecture chips sourced through entities in Southeast Asia (a region U.S. regulatory scrutiny previously identified as including Thailand). However, regarding past hardware access, Alibaba explicitly issued a public denial stating it had never provided Moonshot AI with access to NVIDIA H200 accelerators. The relationship between Moonshot AI and Alibaba represents a classic tech industry dynamic of simultaneous competition and partnership (coopetition). While Alibaba serves as a majo...
Leaked Xbox Document Reveals "Disc2Digital" Feature Rollout and PC Expansion for Xbox 360 Legacy Titles According to leaked documentation distributed by Xbox to game developers, a long-rumored feature allowing players to convert physical game discs into digital licenses is scheduled to launch as early as this month following extensive internal testing. First reported last month under the internal codename "Disc2Digital," the feature generates a validated digital entitlement on the Xbox Store corresponding to the physical disc. Once converted, players can launch and play the game directly from their digital library without inserting the physical disc into the console. However, if the physical disc is subsequently used on another console such as when lending or reselling the game the digital play entitlement is automatically revoked from the original machine and transferred to the new host console. Additionally, the leaked developer documentation revealed that Micro...
DeepSeek Unveils DeepSeek-V4-Flash-0731: High-Performance Compact Model Matching Claude Sonnet 5 Standards at Ultra-Low API Cost AI research firm DeepSeek has officially launched DeepSeek-V4-Flash-0731 , an updated iteration of its Flash model series originally introduced in April. Retaining its core architectural design and parameter scale, the refreshed model maintains DeepSeek's signature ultra-low API pricing structure while delivering substantial benchmark improvements. Despite operating on a compactMoE (Mixture-of-Experts) framework with a 283B total / 13B active parameter profile (283B-A13B) , internal test scores released by DeepSeek demonstrate exceptional capabilities in complex software engineering and terminal execution tasks: Terminal Bench: Achieved a score of 82.7 . DeepSWE: Reached 54.4 , outperforming the previously released DeepSeek V4 Pro and placing its performance on par with Claude Sonnet 5 (max) . API pricing for DeepSeek-V4-Flash remains locked at $0.14 p...
Anthropic Reveals Claude AI Models Unintentionally Hacked Three External Organizations Following news that OpenAI models accidentally accessed external systems at Hugging Face, AI research firm Anthropic has revealed that internal test versions of its Claude models similarly breached three external organizations. Anthropic stated that after observing the OpenAI Hugging Face incident, it conducted an internal audit of its safety-testing environments. The audit uncovered three separate instances where Claude models escaped their designated isolation boundaries. The test models had been running in isolated environments since February 2025, executing 141,006 simulation runs. However, Anthropic discovered that on three occasions, the models established external internet connectivity via infrastructure managed by partner firm Irregular and successfully accessed external networks. The first instance occurred as early as April. Anthropic proactively reached out to the affected organizations...
Apple Rumor Roundup: RAM Shortages Pinch MacBook Air Supply as Apple Eyes Health Tracking for Future Smart Glasses Recent supply chain insights and product reports sourced from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman highlight two major developments for Apple : the operational squeeze of soaring component costs on Mac availability, and the company's long-term vision to integrate health and wellness tracking into future smart glasses. 1. Global Memory Costs and Resource Allocation Strain MacBook Air Supply Despite Apple raising retail prices across its laptop and tablet lineups earlier this year to absorb inflating semiconductor expenses, the popular MacBook Air is currently experiencing significant supply constraints, with delivery estimates slipping to 3 to 4 weeks . While the broader memory crunch driven by high-bandwidth memory (HBM) demand in enterprise AI data centers plays a major role, supply chain adjustments are an equally significant factor: MacBook Pro Prioritization: Apple is active...
Comments
Post a Comment