Xbox One features coming with the Windows 10 upgrade

By trooper11
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Grand Master

trooper11

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So I'm surprised this did not even make the front page of this site yet, but here is a run down of the major features coming to the X1 and Windows 10:

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/windows-10

There is no video of the live feed yet that showed off more detail about these features, but I'll add it when there is.

So to list a summary of what is coming:

1. Streaming Xbox One games: So this sounds like a similar setup to the PS4's remote play and it will work on any Windows 10 pc or tablet

2. Cross platform multiplayer: From the live feed, it sounded like this was an OS level feature that allows any cross platform game to offer this. We will need to hear more about the details, but this is a big change if MS is going to allow any cross platform developer to hook into XBL from the pc.

3. XBox features on the PC: This one is not X1 related per se, but it was very cool to see features like GameDVR built into Windows. On the live stream they loaded up Civilization via Steam and while in game, they were able to call up the GameDVR to make a clip which could then be modified and uploaded just like the X1. It also natively syncs with the X1 activity feed.

Then there is the HoloLens:

http://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-hololens/

So there is so much we dont know about this AR device. They clearly say that it was built with gaming in mind during the stream along with its other uses, but its not even clear if this is for pc only or X1 as well. There is no pricing or firm launch date other than when Win 10 launches. This is definitely a dark horse. We will have to wait for more details and impressions. If it is coming to the X1, then we will need to see content.

Grand Master

trooper11

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cross platform play isn't new, but something they're trying to revive again. we had it on the 360, not sure if any other games than shadowrun used it.

It isn't new, but I thought that it was very limited in scope on the 360, plus it was not marketed as something any game could tap into. What I'm waiting to hear is if MS is allowing any developer to tap into this without extra effort. That would make it different from their attempts in the past.

With the rise of MMO-like experiences, this is a feature that could be tapped into alot more.

Veteran

+Asmodai MVC

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It isn't new, but I thought that it was very limited in scope on the 360, plus it was not marketed as something any game could tap into. What I'm waiting to hear is if MS is allowing any developer to tap into this without extra effort. That would make it different from their attempts in the past.

With the rise of MMO-like experiences, this is a feature that could be tapped into alot more.

 

It was marketed pretty heavily.  It was part of Games for Windows Live and was one of the big selling points of it at the time.  They also had Xbox achievements integration on the PC, voice chats across platforms, send/recieve messages across platforms, cross platform friends lists, etc..  I've never owned an Xbox but I have a "Gamertag" for an Xbox Live account and achievements because of Games for Windows Live.  Games for Windows Live failed horribly and I'm not sure what's different about Xbox Live that would avoid a similar fate.  On the surface at least they look nearly identical (I don't mean the UI, but the capabilities).

 

I'm not sure why Games for Windows Live failed.  I think it's because Steam had already taken root and developers didn't want to tie their games to BOTH Steam APIs and GFWL APIs.  On the PC developers chose Steam over it.  If that is the reason again I don't see what makes that any different now.  If anything Steam is MORE entrenched now so to PC gamers having Steam achievements and steam messages, and such is more important the Xbox Live compatibility.  It should be interesting to see how it turns out though.

Grand Master

George P Global Moderator

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Gfwl was just a messy middleware app, like steam is, but it had issues. The Windows 10 stuff, as far s live goes is native to the OS now, not a app in the middle talking to the game and service. So is the GameDVR feature, native, which is why it works with any game on the PC.

 

And since the Live APIs are the same, as is DX12, developers have little to change when building their game, once it works on the Xbox One then it should work on Windows 10.

 

It'll also help if this time MS supports it more directly with it's first party titles and lets desktop games be sold and managed directly through the new Windows Store.

Veteran

+Asmodai MVC

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Gfwl was just a messy middleware app, like steam is, but it had issues. The Windows 10 stuff, as far s live goes is native to the OS now, not a app in the middle talking to the game and service. So is the GameDVR feature, native, which is why it works with any game on the PC.

 

And since the Live APIs are the same, as is DX12, developers have little to change when building their game, once it works on the Xbox One then it should work on Windows 10.

 

It'll also help if this time MS supports it more directly with it's first party titles and lets desktop games be sold and managed directly through the new Windows Store.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "messy middleware app".  It's a set of APIs a developer can use to provide friends lists, voice chat, achievements, etc.  It's middleware in that Gfwl didn't come with the OS sure but it was from the OS developer and it's still just a set of APIs to use or not.  Xbox Live IS still an app in the middle talking to the game and a service, it's just that app now ships with the OS instead of being installed later.  Maybe Gfwl was poorly written and Xbox Live isn't but their both just APIs a developer can choose to use or not.

 

The problem is if a developer chooses to use the Xbox Live API for voice chat so they can chat with Xbox Live users... then they aren't going to be able to voice chat with Steam users.  They'll divide their community between some people using one and some using another and so they're going to pick one.  Same with achievements, matchmaking, etc.  I could be wrong and I'm interested to see how it turns out but I don't see them picking MS APIs over Steam.  Especially since most will likely still be using Steam as their primary distribution platform.

 

The only ones that clearly benefit from this are former Xbox exclusives that want to move to PC but the bar was previously too high.  Now that bar is lower but if they were formerly Xbox exclusives I bet there is going to be some pressure for them to stay that way.  Fable Legends is a good example of this and I really hope it pans out and most Xbox exclusives become Xbox/Win10 exclusive instead.  As a PC gamer who doesn't own an Xbox I think that would be great because there would be absolutely no reason to ever buy an Xbox if pretty much everything comes out on PC as well.  I'm pretty sure a large faction of the Xbox community would be VERY upset if there were no more (or very few) Xbox exclusives though.

Veteran

+Asmodai MVC

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He means the downloader was terrible and that you had to launch a game just to patch it was retarded.  Game won't launch?  TOO BAD!

 

I didn't hate GfWL, but it was definitely messy.

 

From what I can tell Xbox Live for Win10 doesn't do downloading or patching at all.  So in a sense it's actually LESS than GfWL was (even if GfWL did it poorly)

 

Either way there must be some UI or whatever to view your achievements, friends list, etc.  That UI is just an app that happens to be bundled with the OS.

 

If a game developer releases a game that uses the Win10/Xbox friends list a lot of people aren't going to have any friends on that.  Heck some people who buy that game won't even have Win10 so it won't work even if they do have an Xbox too.  Also where are they getting the game from?  If they're downloading it from Steam they presumably DO have friends and achievements and such on Steam so now they've got this game they just downloaded from Steam that has a friends list from Xbox (which they may or may not own) and not Steam and doesn't even work for anyone who for whatever reason hasn't upgraded to Win10.  I just don't see developers making that choice.  I think they'll stick with Steam but again it should be interesting to watch.  If MS wants to compete with Steam they need to offer to sell the games and do the patches and such too and then convince game developers to use the MS Store over Steam but that doesn't appear to be what they're doing here.

 

Now the Game DVR is something that will work with anything because it doesn't depend on a community.  THAT I can see being big because it doesn't matter what the people you play with are using, it's just recording stuff on your screen.  Your friends have to be using the same friends list as you though, they have to be using the same chat servers, they have to be using the same match making service, etc. for it to work together and Steam already has a dominant position in those areas.  I just don't seem game developers choosing to split their community by supporting both or choosing the Xbox solution over the established tools Steam provides... especially if they're still selling the game on Steam.

Grand Master

spaceelf

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From what I can tell Xbox Live for Win10 doesn't do downloading or patching at all.  So in a sense it's actually LESS than GfWL was (even if GfWL did it poorly)

Yah, they call that part the Windows Store now.  So, not really, it just isn't all integrated into one set.

Veteran

+Asmodai MVC

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Yah, they call that part the Windows Store now.  So, not really, it just isn't all integrated into one set.

Well it will be interesting to see if there is a mass exodus for PC games from Steam to Windows Store as their primary digital distribution method.

Whoever wins that will likely win the "middleware" battle for features that depend on community (voice chat, friends lists, etc.)

Maybe MS will pull it off but if I had to bet my money would be on Steam (like them or not).

Grand Master

George P Global Moderator

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It's middleware just like steam is, to do anything in steam you need the client, just like uplay, just like what EA has. If the clients aren't installed you can't access the backend, and you need it. GfWL was no different, it acted just like the others, had to be part of the install.

 

That's not the case anymore, the needed APIs are part of the OS, natively.  While there is a Xbox app, it's not needed for games to use the Live APIs, the app really just helps with the social parts outside of any games.

 

Just look at the game dvr feature built into Windows 10 as well, it's part of it, no app in the middle like fraps. It thus works with everything, nothing has to be done on the game side.

 

I believe games will be no different, developers won't need to code a Xbox for Windows version to use it like they have with one of the other stores out there, it should be the same as the Xbox One. You install the game through the store and it works, nothing else to install, no clients sitting between the game and the backend service.

Grand Master

trooper11

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It was marketed pretty heavily.  It was part of Games for Windows Live and was one of the big selling points of it at the time.  They also had Xbox achievements integration on the PC, voice chats across platforms, send/recieve messages across platforms, cross platform friends lists, etc..  I've never owned an Xbox but I have a "Gamertag" for an Xbox Live account and achievements because of Games for Windows Live.  Games for Windows Live failed horribly and I'm not sure what's different about Xbox Live that would avoid a similar fate.  On the surface at least they look nearly identical (I don't mean the UI, but the capabilities).

Only one game made use of a similar capability: Shadowrun

It was promoted, but I dont remember it ever talked about in this fashion. There was certainly not easy access to the xbl apis for any developer. I used GFWL myself, but it never felt really connected outside of the syncing of data. The UI and OS just seemed so removed from what everyone was use to on the Xbox and it was not as refined as the Steam client.

If MS is truly going with a more open option this time, one that is built into the OS and not tied to a seperate app, then I think this a great improvement. The Xbox app coming to Win 10 is not a replacement for GFWL. It will not be managing updates, etc. Its there to bring a unified experience between the X1 and PCs. It will offer many of the same features of GFWL as far as syncing achievements and such, but with a UI that does not seem clunky compared to Steam. We will have to see if the app will grow in capability to be more like a Steam experience or if it will stick with being a unified app for gaming related social features across pcs and xbox.

 

The only ones that clearly benefit from this are former Xbox exclusives that want to move to PC but the bar was previously too high.  Now that bar is lower but if they were formerly Xbox exclusives I bet there is going to be some pressure for them to stay that way.  Fable Legends is a good example of this and I really hope it pans out and most Xbox exclusives become Xbox/Win10 exclusive instead.  As a PC gamer who doesn't own an Xbox I think that would be great because there would be absolutely no reason to ever buy an Xbox if pretty much everything comes out on PC as well.  I'm pretty sure a large faction of the Xbox community would be VERY upset if there were no more (or very few) Xbox exclusives though.

MS is always in the unfair position of having to choose between the two platforms. Sony and Nintendo get to happily keep games from the pc and get little flac over it. MS gets yelled at all the time becuase they have any exclusive games on the Xbox. Its usually from pc gamers that dont want any console, but you rarely hear that outcry against any other console platform.

I dont know what the answer is. You laid it out pretty clearly. If MS made all X1 games available on the pc, you would have no reason to buy an xbox. You dont care if it kills the xbox becuase you had no interest to begin with. Unfortuantely, MS can't think of it in those terms. They have to compete against Sony and Nintendo. Who do they have to compete with on pc? Steam is not a competitor, its a service that runs on MS' platform. Heck, MS even mentioned them as part of the live event. They are building OS level features that can be used while using Steam. That's a sign that MS is more interested in growing Windows vs 'taking out' Steam.

 

 

Well it will be interesting to see if there is a mass exodus for PC games from Steam to Windows Store as their primary digital distribution method.

Whoever wins that will likely win the "middleware" battle for features that depend on community (voice chat, friends lists, etc.)

Maybe MS will pull it off but if I had to bet my money would be on Steam (like them or not).

Where is the evidence that MS intends to fight that battle? It seems to me that MS may be trying to avoid that fight and instead focus on brining X1 gaming features over to Windows that you can use regardless of the service you are using.

I hope we actually see MS reach out to Steam, Origin, GOG, etc and allow them to be a part of the Windows Store. Its not so far fetched either. Stores within a store so to speak.

Veteran

+Asmodai MVC

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Only one game made use of a similar capability: Shadowrun

That's not true. Shadowrun was the launch title for the capability but it wasn't the ONLY game that made use of it.

According to the Wikipedia text here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Games_for_Windows_%E2%80%93_Live

Universe at War: Earth Assault from Sega and Lost Planet: Colonies Edition from Capcom also included cross platform play. I doubt that's a comprehensive list of every game to ever support it though either.

Furthermore they have a list of games here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Games_for_Windows_%E2%80%93_Live_titles

Which supported it for Multiplayer, Matchmaking, etc. so it would have likely been trivial to add cross platform support if they wanted, since they were already using the APIs but the developers CHOSE not to either because they didn't want to player bases to mix or they just didn't release a console version of the game at all.

Any game that's on PlayStation 3 and PC could theoretically be cross platform as well. Sony didn't have chat servers and such last gen (that's new for the PS4 and why you now have to play for multiplayer) and doesn't have a "walled garden" so when a company rolls their own voice solution for their game nothing prevents them from letting PS3 and PC players connect to the same sever. Yet they CHOOSE to segregate the communities. They do that due to perceived advantages in controls between the communities as well as because on PC they can roll out patches as fast as they want where they have to submit them for approval on consoles and they don't want to hold up PC releases because of console approval issues since you have to have the same version to connect. None of this has changed between then and now.

It was promoted, but I dont remember it ever talked about in this fashion. There was certainly not easy access to the xbl apis for any developer.

Well I'm sorry you don't remember it but it WAS promoted pretty heavily and it was touted in the same way. It was a way to unify Vista and Xbox 360 player bases, common friends list, achievements, cross platform messaging and voice chat, etc. It was pushed pretty hard and there absolutely was easy access to the xbl apis for developers. Epic even integrated support for it into Unreal Engine 3 so if you were an Unreal engine licensee most of the work was already done for you. There wouldn't be that long list of games that supported various parts of it if it was difficult for developers to use.

I used GFWL myself, but it never felt really connected outside of the syncing of data. The UI and OS just seemed so removed from what everyone was use to on the Xbox and it was not as refined as the Steam client.

I'm not arguing the UI for the client was good. That's subjective and it has nothing at all to do with how available and easy the APIs are for developers to use. I thought the UI was bad as well but then again I think the Steam UI is pretty bad too. Personally I can't stand the aesthetics of the "flat" UI MS uses in Win10 either but that's just cosmetics and not a major factor in my OS decision. I'm actually looking forward to Win10 overall despite the fact I think the UI is pretty ugly. To each his own but that's beside the point.

If MS is truly going with a more open option this time,

If MS is truly going with a more open option this time they'd find some way to link with existing systems instead of trying to replace them. You'd be able to voice chat from an Xbox to Steam to PSN, that's open. They're not going with a more open option this time, they're trying to promote a new version of their closed option.

one that is built into the OS and not tied to a seperate app, then I think this a great improvement.

So because the Xbox Live app is bundled with the OS instead of being a separate download that somehow makes it inherently better? It's still an app. It just happens to come with the OS instead of separately. That doesn't inherently make any difference at all. Maybe it's prettier, maybe it's better written, but the fact it comes with the OS by itself or as you call it "built into the OS" doesn't make it better all by itself.

The Xbox app coming to Win 10 is not a replacement for GFWL. It will not be managing updates, etc.

The point was that the cross platform support, achievements, friends list, etc. aren't new to Xbox Live. They already tried all of that with GFWL. No it doesn't sell you games or manage updates, they have the Windows Store for that now so it doesn't make sense to have a different marketplace for games. That and a prettier UI doesn't make it an entirely new and revolutionary beast. It's a second, perhaps better, attempt at the same thing GFWL was trying to do.

Its there to bring a unified experience between the X1 and PCs.

Just as GFWL was there to bring a unified experience between 360 and PC. The point is that it's not a new thing. It's a second attempt to do the same thing. Maybe it will be much better this time and so maybe it will work but it's not some new thing they are doing.

MS is always in the unfair position of having to choose between the two platforms. Sony and Nintendo get to happily keep games from the pc and get little flac over it. MS gets yelled at all the time becuase they have any exclusive games on the Xbox. Its usually from pc gamers that dont want any console, but you rarely hear that outcry against any other console platform.

I don't believe Sony or Nintendo try to prevent 3rd parties from releasing their games on PC. In fact I seem to recall just recently there have been some announcements about PS4 "console exclusives" coming to PC as well. Of course they don't release first party games on PC, it's not their platform. Windows IS Microsoft's platform. It's not unreasonable then to expect a Microsoft game to run on a Microsoft OS. That's an entirely different thing from expecting a Sony or Nintendo game from running on a Microsoft platform.

I dont know what the answer is. You laid it out pretty clearly. If MS made all X1 games available on the pc, you would have no reason to buy an xbox. You dont care if it kills the xbox becuase you had no interest to begin with. Unfortuantely, MS can't think of it in those terms. They have to compete against Sony and Nintendo. Who do they have to compete with on pc? Steam is not a competitor, its a service that runs on MS' platform. Heck, MS even mentioned them as part of the live event. They are building OS level features that can be used while using Steam. That's a sign that MS is more interested in growing Windows vs 'taking out' Steam.

I think you're looking at that wrong. You're right, if they make X1 games available on the PC then I have no reason to buy an Xbox. That doesn't mean NO ONE does though. I happen to build my own computer where I spend more on the GPU alone than the entire Xbox costs. I am a PC gamer first. I am not the norm. There are A LOT of people who don't have the money, time, and/or interest to build a gaming PC like I do. Those people aren't going to get rid of their Xboxes and buy gaming PCs because all the Xbox games are also available on Win10.
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Vandalsquad

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I think you're looking at that wrong. You're right, if they make X1 games available on the PC then I have no reason to buy an Xbox. That doesn't mean NO ONE does though. I happen to build my own computer where I spend more on the GPU alone than the entire Xbox costs. I am a PC gamer first. I am not the norm. There are A LOT of people who don't have the money, time, and/or interest to build a gaming PC like I do. Those people aren't going to get rid of their Xboxes and buy gaming PCs because all the Xbox games are also available on Win10.

 

Your elitism is showing there bro. No matter what you say, releasing xbox exclusives on PC would damage xbox sales end of story. 

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+Asmodai MVC

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Where is the evidence that MS intends to fight that battle? It seems to me that MS may be trying to avoid that fight and instead focus on brining X1 gaming features over to Windows that you can use regardless of the service you are using.

The defacto voice server for Windows games is already Steam. Steam already offers achievements. Steam already has friends lists. etc. By offering another, yet incompatible version they ARE fighting a battle. Developers will have to choose one or divide their player base, possibly confuse users, and increase their dev time by supporting multiple.

I hope we actually see MS reach out to Steam, Origin, GOG, etc and allow them to be a part of the Windows Store. Its not so far fetched either. Stores within a store so to speak.

I don't see that happening. Typically offering stores within stores is EXPLICITLY prohibited by store owners. Store owners typically take like a 30% cut of the software sold through it. So a game is on Windows Store and Steam then who gets the 30%? Do they both and the software developer just gets the 40% that's left? What developer would do that, they'd just release on one or the other directly and pay the 30% to one instead of a total of 60% to two. If they split it why would Steam give up part of their 30% on games to MS or vice versa? Furthermore if they DO allow stores then EA for example could just set up an EA store that was a free Windows Store download (MS gets 30% of nothing) and then sell all their games through that, giving MS nothing on the individual games.

I would have liked to see MS actually reach out to Steam, Origin, GoG, Sony, etc. and provide an "open" voice solution, a shared "friends list", interoperable messaging, etc. That would have been something amazing but this is just another competitor (maybe a very good one.) By creating a competitor they are showing they intend to "fight that battle".

Your elitism is showing there bro. No matter what you say, releasing xbox exclusives on PC would damage xbox sales end of story.

My elitism was my point. The point is that it's a rare few crazy people (like me) who spend a ton of money building a gaming PC when compared to PC owners in general. I'd image most of those "elite" gamers don't buy consoles at all you know "PC Master race", yadda, yadda, and all that. I'm not in that crowd personally, I DO have a PS4 but the point being is that consoles offer simplicity and a bang for your buck that appeals to most people if you have exclusives or not. Maybe a few people would stop buying consoles but it's likely a VERY small percentage of the Xbox user base that would suddenly stop buying Xboxes because all the games were available on Windows 10. Just because it's available on Windows 10 doesn't make it easy to use or mean you have the system specs to run it.

If I'm so representative though and like me most people wouldn't buy an Xbox One if the games were all on PC what exactly has the exclusives gained them. I still don't have an Xbox so they didn't earn my sale by keeping games exclusive. All they've done is lost my money on any Xbox games. Maybe I'd buy Halo or Gears of War or Forza if it was available on PC. I'd say the money they made from PC gamers buying formerly exclusive Xbox games would more than offset the money they lost from people abandoning the console for PC if the games were on both.

Grand Master

LaP

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Your elitism is showing there bro. No matter what you say, releasing xbox exclusives on PC would damage xbox sales end of story. 

 

And what's the problem with that? Both products are made by MS. MS will never get rich with the xbox. It's pocket money at the very best. What MS should aim at is make the store the most popular they can. This is where the money is. And to maximize this MS needs both PC and xbox.

 

There's no such thing as consoles anymore. Not like they used to be when Nintendo was king. The consoles are basically custom PC in a small box.

 

MS should stop to see the PC as a competitor to the xbox. It should be considered one product

Grand Master

Hedon

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And what's the problem with that? Both products are made by MS. MS will never get rich with the xbox. It's pocket money at the very best. What MS should aim at is make the store the most popular they can. This is where the money is. And to maximize this MS needs both PC and xbox.

 

There's no such thing as consoles anymore. Not like they used to be when Nintendo was king. The consoles are basically custom PC in a small box.

 

MS should stop to see the PC as a competitor to the xbox. It should be considered one product

Grand Master

HawkMan

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The defacto voice server for Windows games is already Steam.

 

Heh, no, I've had people insist on anything from TS to Ventrilo and Mumble to even some who insist on Skype, NEVER have I heard anyone say or insists "you need to connect to our Steam voice chat". Steam is like one of those built in voice chats that no one actually uses, even though it's there and better integrated into the game than the option they use. 

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+Asmodai MVC

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Heh, no, I've had people insist on anything from TS to Ventrilo and Mumble to even some who insist on Skype, NEVER have I heard anyone say or insists "you need to connect to our Steam voice chat". Steam is like one of those built in voice chats that no one actually uses, even though it's there and better integrated into the game than the option they use. 

 

I didn't mean for users to pick.  Steam provides Voice Chat APIs for game developers to integrate into their games as part of their Steamworks services.  If developers don't care to integrate voice directly in their game with steam they probably aren't going to use the MS APIs either.  Sure steam also allows voice chat initiated directly from the client (outside the game itself) but that's supposed to be there for games that don't have voice chat built in and you're right that's almost never used.

 

So there are two situations here.  One, you're a developer and you want to integrate voice into your game.  Your primary distribution method is Steam.  Are you going to use the Steam API that will allow anyone using Steam on any platform steam runs on that you release your game on (WinXP, Vista, Win8.x, Win10, maybe even Linux and Mac) to communicate together or are you going to pick an API that only works with Xbox and Win10 users?  Somehow I doubt many will pick the MS API.

 

The other situation is the developer won't use ANY API and instead rely on an external program (Steam's client Voice Chat, TeamSpeak, Ventrilo, etc.) Now MAYBE gamers will choose to use the Win10/Xbox voice chat but I doubt that too because your clans and stuff probably have people that aren't using Win10 or Xbox so you'd want to stick with things that run on more platforms.  I don't see a mass exodus from TeamSpeak and Ventrilo to a MS provided voice server that only works on Windows 10 and Xbox.

 

Now maybe just about everyone will upgrade to Windows 10 and almost no gamers will be left on Windows 7 so developers will be fine with their chat not working on older windows boxes.  Maybe they also won't care about mac or linux capability since they're pretty small segments of the gaming market.  Maybe tons of future Xbox games will allow Xbox players to play together with Win10 players and so having a shared platform between the two will be a huge deal even if it's at the expense of compatibility with everything else.  I wouldn't be on it though.

Grand Master

HawkMan

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And that was my point, NO ONE uses the in game voice API's for whatever reason. well for some games the reason is obvious as they often have the same limits as chat, Dead people can't speak, use TS/Vent/Mumble and problem solved...  for people who want to win this is more important than built in features like in the RB6 games where you can actually hear other people talking over voice of they're nearby, neat, but ultimately dead people talking is worth more :/  sometimes I wish games could block third party voice services, but the dedicated would just use a separate laptop for it, which many do on consoles...

 

 

So whatever API they use for in game voice coms, it's not going to be used by users. unless they drop the dead people can't talk function,then they might, but even then as you say, many use TS/Vent/Mumble for more than one game and have people not even playing or playing other games on there as well. when they're not playing competitively. At this point, adding voice coms in game is pretty much a waste of dev resources, granted for consoles you get it for free...

Grand Master

MikeChipshop Member

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I'm also interested in the new dashboard they've been teasing ...

 

What what? Or do you mean the one from the W10 promo image? If so, i think that's just a mockup rather than something that's going to happen.

Proficient

Jarrichvdv

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What what? Or do you mean the one from the W10 promo image? If so, i think that's just a mockup rather than something that's going to happen.

Yes, that's what I meant. The other interfaces on the other devices look really similar to what they're going for, so it would be nice if that's the actual interface.

I'm skeptical too, because it'd be a huge change from the current interface, but I wonder why they would show a concept to the public instead of something they're actually building? And they already showed it multiple times.

 

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      ExplorerPatcher 26100.8457.70.3 by Razvan Serea ExplorerPatcher is a versatile and free tool that allows you to tweak and enhance the Windows Explorer. It comes with a range of useful features, including the ability to add new context menu items, change file name colors, and enable hidden features. Feature summary Choose between Windows 11 or Windows 10 taskbar (with labels support, small icons and lots of customization). Disable Windows 11 context menu and command bar in File Explorer and more. Open Start to All apps by default, choose number of frequent apps to show, display on active monitor and more. Choose between the Windows 11, Windows 10 and Windows NT Alt-Tab window switcher with customization. Lots of quality of life improvements for the shell, like: Skin tray menus to match Windows style, make them behave like flyouts and center them relative to the icon. Choose action when left and/or right clicking the network icon. Revert to the Windows 7 search box in File Explorer, or disable Windows Search altogether. Disable immersive menus and use mitigations that help you run the real classic theme without glitches. Discover the program's full range of features by reading this wiki article. ExplorerPatcher 26100.8457.70.3 changelog: Tested on OS builds 22621.4317, 22631.7079, 26100.6899, 26100.8037, 26200.8246, 26200.8457, 26300.8493, and 28000.2113. TIP: Windows Defender no longer flags ExplorerPatcher. It is no longer needed to configure Defender exclusions. Enjoy! Important Update for Windows Insider Users If you're running Windows 11 Beta build 26220.8474 or Experimental build 26300.8493, updating ExplorerPatcher is highly recommended. Microsoft has removed parts of the old Windows 10 Start menu from these builds, which caused ExplorerPatcher's Windows 10-style taskbar and Start menu to crash. This update fixes those issues and ensures Explorer starts correctly after future Windows updates. Because the required components are no longer included in Windows, the Windows 10 Start menu option has been disabled on these builds and future builds that lack the necessary files. A temporary workaround is to replace StartTileData.dll with a version from build 26xxx.8457, but this solution may stop working in future releases. The good news: development on the Windows 10 Start menu isn't over yet. More updates are planned. Highlights Fixed crashes affecting the Windows 10 battery flyout on Windows builds 25951 and newer. As part of that fix, network flyout buttons now behave like they did before Windows 11 version 24H2. Changes to the Primary taskbar location on screen setting now apply instantly without requiring a restart. ExplorerPatcher no longer modifies Windows 11 taskbar auto-hide settings when Explorer starts. The Open Start in All apps by default option is now hidden when the new Windows 11 Start menu is enabled. Fixed Windows 10 Start menu crashes on very early Windows 11 builds (21996–22000.51). Fixed a crash in Registry Editor when switching to thumbnail view during registry import/export operations. Improved compatibility with recent Windows builds, especially ARM64 and upcoming 26H1 releases. Improved overall ARM64 performance. Added Greek language translations. Thanks to @KonVetsos! ep_taskbar Improvements ep_taskbar now supports all 43 Windows 11 display languages. Fixed several issues in the system tray and other taskbar components. For mod developers: DLL naming has been simplified and made easier to understand. For mod developers: internal TrayUI changes provide better stability across Windows builds that use different taskbar implementations. Windows 10 Start Menu Improvements To help preserve compatibility, ExplorerPatcher now includes a newly recreated version of the tile layout engine that Microsoft removed in build 26xxx.8474. Current limitations: Tiles may occasionally overlap when pinned in certain ways. Restarting StartMenuExperienceHost.exe or Explorer usually corrects the layout. Further improvements are planned. Additional Fixes Added a blacklist that prevents ExplorerPatcher's shell extension from loading inside specific applications where it may cause problems. Updated Windows 10 Start menu animation support for newer ARM64 Insider builds. Fixed a rare taskbar initialization deadlock that could occur during startup. Start10 Updates Addressed a new compatibility issue caused by Microsoft's ongoing removal of tablet mode code in Windows 11 25H2 Experimental builds. Pinned tiles are no longer reset after repeated crashes. Various wording and interface text improvements throughout the application. Translation and UI Several interface strings have been cleaned up and clarified. Thanks to @sefinek for wording improvements. Please consult the README for more details. Download: ExplorerPatcher 26100.8457.70.3 | ARM64 | ~11.0 MB (Open Source) View: ExplorerPatcher Home Page | Features | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • AI is indeed eliminating jobs, and Oracle just proved it

      By Zeromus2003 · Posted

      This author may be AI..... we just...... don't know.... lol AI is taking over.....run for the hills!
    • Here's how to grab your share of Apple's $4 billion lawsuit payout (if you qualify)

      By David Uzondu · Posted

      Here's how to grab your share of Apple's $4 billion lawsuit payout (if you qualify) by David Uzondu Image via DepositPhotos.com A UK tribunal has approved a collective legal action letting a $4 billion (£3 billion) claim against Apple proceed to trial after consumer rights group Which? formally accused the company of violating competition laws. The tribunal recently set a full trial date for October 2028. Which? filed the lawsuit way back in November 2024, accusing Apple of trapping users in iCloud by restricting rivals from fully accessing iOS. Apple gives users only 5GB of free space, and once that limit vanishes, the system drives upgrades by repeatedly nudging users through notifications. The group claims Apple overcharged millions who bought plans ranging from 99p a month for 50GB to £54.99 a month for 12TB. If Which? wins the now-greenlit lawsuit, the court will force Apple to pay out damages to roughly 40 million UK consumers, with each person receiving around £77 for the pricing abuse. Apple has already put out a statement telling Reuters that the allegations are completely false and that consumers do have choices. "We work hard to make iCloud a great experience, but no customer is required to use it, and customers in the UK have plenty of alternatives to choose from," it told the outlet. The good thing is that if Which? wins, claiming your share requires almost no effort due to the automatic structure of the litigation. You are eligible if you used Apple's iCloud services between November 8, 2018, and June 8, 2026, and paid for upgraded storage during that time. The tribunal automatically enrolls everyone living in the UK on June 8, 2026. The system operates on an "opt-out" basis, meaning you do not have to register right now, and you will just verify your details to collect your cash. However, if you want to leave the claim, you must notify Which? by October 8, 2026. But if you lived outside the UK on June 8, 2026, you must manually register on the official Which? website before October 8, 2026, to opt into the action. If you ignore this deadline, you will lose your chance to grab a share of the settlement. On a related note, Google recently had to resolve a massive data privacy fight by agreeing to a payout of over $170 million to Android users. In that lawsuit, plaintiffs argued that Google programmed the Android system to transmit user data without permission, wasting cellular data. To settle, Google agreed to pay a $135 million nationwide settlement alongside an extra $35 million in California. Eligible Android users must submit online claims to secure their cash, with the final approval hearing literally taking place today (June 23, 2026).
    • Microsoft outs Windows 11 KB5095093 with long list of new features

      By hellowalkman · Posted

      Microsoft outs Windows 11 KB5095093 with long list of new features by Sayan Sen Microsoft today has released its newest preview update (C-release) for the month of June 2026 under KB5095093, builds 26200.8737 (for Windows 11 25H2) and 26100.8737 (on Windows 11 24H2). The update brings new features across various elements of the OS including the Windows update, the Recovery, Widgets, File Explorer, and more. The full changelog is given below: First up we have the features rolling out gradually: [Point-in-time restore for Windows] New! This flexible recovery feature helps you quickly roll back your PC, including apps, settings, and personal files, to a recent automatic restore point. It helps reduce downtime and simplifies troubleshooting when issues occur. To learn more, see Point-in-time restore for Windows. [Windows Update] New! A calendar experience in Windows Update Settings (Settings > Windows Update) lets you pause updates by choosing an end date, for up to 35 days. You can extend the pause by selecting a different end date and re‑pause updates as needed. For more information, see Pause updates in Windows. [Widgets] New! A quieter, more focused Widgets experience helps reduce interruptions and improves default settings and notification controls: Reduce distractions: Widgets no longer open on hover. Notifications and taskbar badges are minimized by default. Simpler: Open to the Widgets dashboard by default on first use. Customize: Configure Widgets how you want by selecting Settings in the navigation bar, then changing any of the default settings. Stay informed: Dashboard icons show the number of alerts, and badges clear automatically when you leave a dashboard. Adjusted defaults: Some default settings are preserved based on usage, while others adjust to reduce interruptions. Performance improvements: This update provides improved reliability, responsiveness, and visual quality across the Widget experience. [Accessibility] New! This update makes your screen easier to see and customizes your zoom experience: Screen tint: Apply a full-screen color overlay to help reduce eye strain and improve readability. Choose from preset tint options, adjust the intensity, or turn it on automatically. Find this feature in Settings > Accessibility. Magnifier: Enter a zoom percentage directly and change it in increments in the Magnifier window for more precise, flexible control. Magnifier settings menu: You can now also modify zoom increments directly from the magnifier bar instead of navigating to Windows Settings each time. [File Explorer] New! When you hover over a file in File Explorer Home, commands such as Open file location and Ask Copilot appear as quick actions. This experience is now supported for work and school accounts (Entra ID).1 Improves the speed and performance of File Explorer launch.2 Fixes an issue where the OneDrive shortcut in File Explorer stops working when File Explorer is run with administrative mode. The address bar now supports paths containing double backslashes and quotation marks (for example, C:\\Users\\user or "C:\Users\user"), improving compatibility with a wider range of inputs. The address bar suggestion dropdown is more reliable and now consistently closes after an item is selected. This update addresses an issue on File Explorer Home where OneDrive files could appear duplicated in the Favorites section. This update includes several refinements to the Rename experience: Addresses an issue where text was repeatedly selected when renaming items in folder views. Addresses an issue where case-only name changes were not immediately reflected in folder views for items stored locally or in the cloud. [Bluetooth] This update improves reliability and performance when connecting to and using Bluetooth devices: New! Windows now keeps the microphone mute state in sync between the audio mixer and the Hands-Free Profile (HFP) for a more consistent experience with Bluetooth headphones with mute buttons or indicators. Accessory compatibility workarounds: Improves compatibility with specific Bluetooth audio devices, helping AirPods appear faster in pairing mode and improving microphone reliability on Beats Studio Pro headphones. Bluetooth audio stability: Improves overall Windows stability with certain PC manufacturer drivers (error code 0x9F). Improves Bluetooth reliability for voice calls when using Classic Audio devices with the Hands-Free Profile (HFP). Reduces time for LE Audio accessories to start playing audio while using the microphone. Device management: Windows will no longer show a “Remove failed” message when attempting to remove Bluetooth devices if the Bluetooth radio is unavailable or has changed since pairing. Settings experience: Improves stability when using the Bluetooth & devices settings page for a smoother, more consistent experience. Connection reliability and responsiveness: Reduces the time it takes for classic Bluetooth audio devices to reconnect after Windows resumes from hibernation. Improves reliability when LE Audio accessories disconnect, such as when another device (for example, a phone) connects. Improves reliability of LE Audio streaming after a connection is lost and restored. [Bluetooth and Phone Link] This update improves audio routing for calls made through a connected phone: When an outgoing call is dialed from a paired phone, audio remains on the phone while ringing and transfers to the PC only when the call is answered from the PC. When Do Not Disturb is enabled on Windows, incoming call audio from a paired phone no longer rings on the PC. [Voice access and voice typing] New! You can now use voice access and voice typing in French, German, and Spanish. As you speak, your PC improves your text in real time. It corrects grammar, punctuation, and recognition errors, and helps improve clarity—even in the presence of background noise. This makes dictation smoother and reduces the need for manual edits.3 [Audio] This update improves the reliability of the inbox HD Audio driver. [Taskbar] This update improves the reliability of opening the Start menu when selecting the left edge of the taskbar when the icons in the taskbar are left-aligned. [Networking] This update includes networking improvements for virtualized environments. Confidential Virtual Machines (CVMs) now use SR-IOV hardware acceleration by default for improved network throughput, and a configuration issue in nested Hyper-V virtualization network setup has been corrected to ensure reliable VM network provisioning. This update improves the reliability of the Windows networking stack. It reduces bug checks (blue screen errors) related to Wi-Fi power and improves cellular (WWAN) connectivity, including support for IPv6 VPNs. Compatibility with third-party VPN software and SR-IOV configurations on server hardware is also improved. Network adapter settings and bindings are now preserved across OS upgrades. [Printing] New! New printer installations use Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) by default when supported, simplifying setup and improving reliability. For details about third-party driver deprecation, see End of Servicing Plan for Third-Party Printer Drivers on Windows. To control this behavior, use the toggle in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > Default install printers using Windows Ready Print. For more information, see Introducing Windows Ready Print and modernized driver selection. For more information, see Introducing Windows Ready Print and Modernized Driver Selection. [Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)] The update improves usage of WSL in mirrored networking mode with VPNs. [Display and graphics] Improves the reliability of rendering content while scrolling for certain apps spanning across multiple monitors. Improves the reliability and persistence of applying color profiles. [Location services] This update changes how some location settings are displayed in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location to help with clarity. When location services are turned off, settings like Default location and Allow location override don't immediately apply, since location information is not given to apps or services. These settings will now be greyed out when location services are off to reduce confusion over when they take effect. [Search] This update improves the reliability of setting Search related group policies. [Input] New! You can now customize the size of the right-click zone in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad. Choose from default, small, medium, or large to control how much of the bottom-right corner responds to a single-finger right-click. This setting is only available on touchpads with a pressable surface. If your device manufacturer provides customization through their own app, a Custom option will appear to reflect those settings. This update improves recognition of English characters when using Japanese handwriting. [General performance] Improves the time to shut down Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) when you turn off your PC. [General Reliability] ​​​​This update improves the reliability of explorer.exe. It addresses issues on the login and lock screens related to third-party credential providers, reduces the probability of taskbar icons appearing as blank gray placeholders, and improves navigation to Home in File Explorer during OneDrive sync. It also improves explorer.exe reliability when switching between desktops, enhances app launch with shell extensions, and using acrylic blur effects in the Start menu, Settings, and the lock screen. [Apps] Resolves an issue where some installers and applications could show unexpected elevation (UAC) prompts after installing KB5089549. [Remote Desktop] This update refreshes the dialog design when you enable Remote Desktop in Settings > System > Remote Desktop. [Graphics Kernel] Improves memory-management policy that allows PCs with more than 32GB of installed memory to run larger local AI models. Up next we have the features under normal rollout: [Secure Boot] With this update, Windows quality updates include additional high confidence device targeting data, increasing coverage of devices eligible to automatically receive new Secure Boot certificates. Devices receive the new certificates only after demonstrating sufficient successful update signals, maintaining a controlled and phased rollout. [Authentication] This update improves Netlogon secure channel connections between domain controllers, enabling successful connections from member servers to domain controllers set up before 2025. [Emoji Panel Update] The emoji panel (Windows key + period (.)) now uses GIPHY for GIF content following the deprecation of Google’s Tenor API. Starting June 30, 2026, install the latest Windows update to continue using GIFs in the Emoji panel. If you don’t update, you will see a "GIF service is not available" error in the panel. Installing the latest Windows update will restore access to GIFs. [Networking] This update improves how your device connects to shared network resources. Connections used by apps and system features, such as the NetUseAdd function, now work more reliably, including unauthenticated (null session) connections. [Recycle Bin (known issue)] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where the confirmation dialog might display an internal Recycle Bin file name instead of the original file name when permanently deleting a file. This issue might occur after installing the June 2026 security update (KB5094126). [Taskbar] This update improves notification badge display across your apps. Notification counts and badge visuals now update correctly, helping you stay up to date with new activity. You can choose to manually download the update from Microsoft's update catalog website at this link.

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