[Official] Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts


Recommended Posts

BK_NAB_Boxart.jpg

Developer: Rare Ltd.

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Designer: Gregg Mayles

Composer: Grant Kirkhope & Robin Beanland

Engine: Havok physics

Release dates:

NA November 11 2008

EU November 14 2008

Genres: Platform, vehicle construction & adventure

Modes: Single-player & multiplayer

Hands On - 11th Sept 2008

by Rob Fahey

With only weeks to go before Rare's venerable Banjo-Kazooie franchise emerges from its decade-long slumber, the game is seriously taking shape. This week, at Microsoft's UK headquarters in Reading, we were able to go hands-on with almost finished (albeit not yet bug-free) code.

You can tell a game is approaching its final state when the small touches start appearing - like loading screens bearing helpful hints, tips and suggestions. One of those tips in particular caught our eye - suggesting that if you aren't getting along with vehicle-based gaming, perhaps you might like to try out the Xbox Live Arcade download of Banjo-Kazooie instead.

It's a bit of a throwaway comment (and we suspect it might not make it to the final version), but it sums up our primary misgiving about Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts rather well. A lot of players, we suspect, are going to find that this game has rather too much emphasis on Nuts & Bolts, and not quite enough Banjo-Kazooie to go around. It's going to be a controversial one, and right now, that could be Good Controversial or Bad Controversial. It's tough to call. It could go either way.

In essence, then, this is a game about vehicles. Its nod to its platforming roots lies in the progression system, which is a fairly pure example of Nintendo's well-worn Mario 64 system in action. The idea is that a chap called Log has decided to settle the battle between Banjo and Grunty for once and for all. In order to achieve this, he has created a number of game worlds and populated them with challenges - Banjo has to complete them, Grunty has to stop him.

This gives us our hub world - Showdown Town, a city environment dominated by Log's Castle. Showdown Town has a large number of districts, only one of which (the Central Square) is accessible at the outset. There's also one challenge world available to begin with, Nutty Acres. As you progress, Log will give you new worlds to play with - these come in the form of crystal balls which need to be transported across town (progressively further away from Central Square) and placed on pedastals to activate dormant gateways.

Each world is accessed by several different doorways - and depending on which doorway you enter via, there'll be a number of different challenges on offer. Some doorways open as soon as you place the game sphere on the pedestal - others will only open when you achieve a certain Jiggy Score, indicated by the number above the doorframe.

Jiggys, of course, remain the currency you're awarded for each challenge you complete - the direct analogue of Mario's Stars. One interesting tweak, however, is that you have an opportunity to earn a TT Trophy for completing challenges in excellent time - win the trophy, and you'll earn a quarter-Jiggy, so four trophies add up to an extra Jiggy in the bank.

Each game world is uniquely themed, and is introduced by a retro-TV style video when you first unlock the world. In a nice twist, all of the standard characters from Showdown Town appear in each gameworld in different guises - Rare has deliberately given this an amateur dramatics society feel, with rather weak costumes and some bad character acting thrown in for laughs.

Similarly, each world has been crafted to look like it's been stitched together imperfectly by Log himself. "The design was that Log had created these worlds, and we wanted them to look like they'd been created," lead technical artist Neil Harrison explains. "Our idea was that he's done quite a good job of creating these worlds, but not perfect. There are holes in the floor which have been patched up, and sometimes you can see the workings of the levels, big cogs under the floor and that sort of thing." It's one of the nicest aspects of the game's unique visuals and was, Harrison claims, a fun challenge for the art team. "It's almost like you're trying to deliberately make things look bad sometimes, and that's quite risky.

"It would be quite easy to make a level with grass, put next-gen grass effects on it all blowing in the wind, and that looks great - that's what people expect. If you want to make it look constructed, though, you have to ask how you make it look as good as that, but without doing that - making this patchwork of fabric instead."

Continues at Eurogamer..

Screenshots:

1162_0001.jpg

1162_0006.jpg

1162_0001.jpg

1162_0009.jpg

1162_0010.jpg

1162_0011.jpg

1162_0012.jpg

1162_0002.jpg

1162_0004.jpg

1162_0008.jpg

Videos:

Showdown Town Trailer

E3 2008 Trailer

E3 2008: Chris Chamberlain Interview

E3 2008: Goal Scoring Cam Gameplay

E3 2008: Gameplay Clips

E3 2008: Driving Cam Gameplay

E3 2008: Flying Cam Gameplay

TGS 2008 Walkthrough part 1

TGS 2008 Walkthrough part 2

TGS 2008 Walkthrough part 3

TGS 2008 Walkthrough part 4

TGS 2008 Walkthrough part 5

TGS 2008 Walkthrough part 6

Mumbo's Factory Gameplay

TGS 2008 Terrarium Trailer

Achievements:

Pointless Collector 10

Take part in the L.O.G. badge collecting challenge at the start of the game in Spiral Mountain

Open Nuts 10

Place the Nutty Acres Game Globe on its plinth in Showdown Town

Next-Next-Gen 10

Place the LOGBOX 720 Game Globe on its plinth in Showdown Town

History Lesson 15

Place the Banjoland Game Globe on its plinth in Showdown Town

Let the Games Begin 15

Place the Jiggosseum Game Globe on its plinth in Showdown Town

Super Banjo Universe 20

Place the Terrarium of Terror Game Globe on its plinth in Showdown Town

My First Bank 10

Bank your first Jiggy in Showdown Town

Little Banker 20

Bank 10 Jiggies in Showdown Town

Big Banker 30

Bank 30 Jiggies in Showdown Town

Shower of Gold 40

Bank 60 Jiggies in Showdown Town

Jiggillionaire! 50

Bank 131 Jiggies in Showdown Town

Pimped Up 20

Complete the Showdown Town Trolley with Parts won from Grunty battles

Witch Hunt 50

Defeat Grunty at the end of the game

My First Trophy 10

Earn a T.T. Trophy from any challenge

Few Trophy Pts 20

Earn 10 T.T. Trophies from any challenges

More Trophy Pts 30

Earn 30 T.T. Trophies from any challenges

A Lot of Trophy Pts 40

Earn 60 T.T. Trophies from any challenges

Be Crateful 15

Find and return two crates to Mumbo's Motors

Blueprint Buyout 15

Buy a blueprint from Humba in Showdown Town

Roid Rage 15

Train Banjo once in the Showdown Town gym

Start to Free the Showdown Six 15

Free and re-house a Jinjo in Showdown Town

Vigilante 15

Lock up a Minjo in Showdown Town

Bingo! 20

Complete a line on the Bingo card at King Jingaling's Palace

Stop 'n' Swop 0

Return a Stop 'n' Swop crate to Mumbo's Motors

BBQ Beef 20

In Nutty Acres, they like their steak well done

Massive Damage 20

Aim at the 10 legs for massive damage

Test Your Strength 20

Roll up, show the whole of Banjoland how strong you are

Great Balls of Fire 20

Take a heavy ball around the Jiggosseum and get a burning sensation

Ultimate Combo 20

More like a three-hit combo in the Terrarium of Terror

Floater in the Pipe 20

Eeurgh! That's not going to help the Test-O-Track plumbing

Burn the Witch! 20

Showdown Town witch hunt

Head for Heights 20

Find the best view in Showdown Town

Fuzz Off! 20

POP goes the Weasel!

Paint Your Wagon 10

Paint any part of your vehicle in Mumbo's Motors

Speedy of the Colossus 25

Build a vehicle with 200 blocks or more and go over a set speed

Minimalist 25

Build a vehicle with five blocks or less and go over a set speed

Whoa Nelly! 25

Travel in a vehicle over a set speed

Loose Change 20

Collect ALL the Showdown Town Loose Change

Arcade Pwner 20

Finish all levels of Klungo's Arcade game

Sunday League 20

Play in and complete a multiplayer game League

Premier League! 40

Play in and complete a marathon multiplayer game League (Every Race, Every Sport or Every Race and Sport)

What's That Smell? 10

Play an Xbox LIVE multiplayer game against a Banjo team member, or somebody who has already done so

Bit of Blue 10

Share a blueprint with another player or Friend over Xbox LIVE, or save 20 blueprints

Paparazzi 10

Take a photo and upload it to Xbox LIVE, or take five photos

Caught on Camera 10

Send a video replay to a Friend over Xbox LIVE, or save five replays

High Fives All Round 10

Be on the winning team in a ranked team game

All My Own Work 20

Win a ranked solo game with a custom vehicle

Too Easy! 10

Win a ranked solo race by reversing over the finish line

Too Easy Too! 20

Win a ranked solo race by running or swimming over the finish line

Are You Trophy Thomas? 40

Win 20 Xbox LIVE ranked multiplayer games in any mode

XBLA Titles:

Banjo-Kazooie

It was announced at Microsoft's E3 2008 press conference that Banjo-Kazooie will be made available for download on Xbox Live Arcade in the future. This version would feature increased screen resolution and minor graphical refinements. Properties of Nintendo have been removed throughout the game. For example, the animated Nintendo 64 logo is absent from the opening sequence, while the Nintendo company logo on Mumbo's xylophone in the introduction was replaced by the Microsoft Game Studios logo. Characters who have appeared in other Nintendo-published games will be unchanged, including Bubblegloop Swamp's Tiptup and Click Clock Wood's Gnawty the Beaver. On its website, Rare revealed that the port is being handled by 4J Studios. The game will be publicly released on Xbox Live Arcade on November 26, 2008 for 1,200 Microsoft Points. It will also be offered as a preorder bonus for the upcoming Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts two weeks before the public release.

Source: Wiki

Screenshots:

1739_0009.jpg

1739_0008.jpg

1739_0010.jpg

1739_0007.jpg

Videos:

Leaked XBLA Footage

Leaked XBLA Gameplay

Banjo-Tooie

Banjo-Tooie has been confirmed to be re-releasing in an updated Xbox Live Arcade port, much like its predecessor. So far, only a vague release window of "early 2009" has been given by Rare and Microsoft.

Source: Wiki

Links:

Xbox.com Game Page

GameTrailers Game Page

GameSpot Game Page

IGN Game Page

Eurogamer Game Page

Thanks to my good man .Kick for helping put the topic together!

Edited by DrunknMunky
Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/678602-official-banjo-kazooie-nuts-bolts/
Share on other sites

I'm stoked for this, though I probably won't have it until Xmas. I will get the original on XBLA when it comes out though, as I'm sure I can get all of the achievements for it (considering I've completed it 100% multiple times on N64...) and because I know I'll spend well more than enough time on it to make it worth the money.

I had initial misgivings about the whole vehicle thing at first, but I think I've warmed up to the idea and I think this is going to be an awesome game.

-Spenser

Waiting for reviews on this one.

Want to see how big the vehicle impact is, then how fun/well implemented it is!

I'll just emulate the past games :p

I'm not paying for a game that's not really been improved in anyway since the original (like higher res textures or something). Funny thing is, there is probably an N64 emulator hi-res texture patch for the older games. I know patches exist for Zelda and some other big N64 games.

I'll just emulate the past games :p

I'm not paying for a game that's not really been improved in anyway since the original (like higher res textures or something). Funny thing is, there is probably an N64 emulator hi-res texture patch for the older games. I know patches exist for Zelda and some other big N64 games.

They are upgraded graphically though on XBLA, and they do have achievements now...

-Spenser

They are upgraded graphically though on XBLA, and they do have achievements now...

-Spenser

Yeah just upscaling from the looks of it.

For 1,200 points, which is like ?10.20, I'd expect a bit more:yes:: Especially after buying Wipeout HD for like ?11.99, and it's essentially a "port" seeing as it uses PSP tracks. However it's production values are of a retail game.

If the game was like ?5-7 I'd be happier.

I'm not an achievement ###### so I don't ca:p :p But fair enough, achievements add value to those who care.

@Audio - All the articles about it have said that there are graphical and resolution upgrades to the game - it's not just upscaling. It even says that in the OP in this thread. To each his own though - I'm not trying to sell you the game, I'm just trying to make sure you actually know the facts about it and you're not just spreading around your assumptions in these threads.

-Spenser

Don't need to sell me on the game, it's awesome, I just think that's a bit of a high price to charge for an existing game!

That's all :)

Here's what high res textures are like for it on emulation. Bump up the res as well on the emulator and it looks awesome!

6u9yyds.jpg

7yewxt2.jpg

6je739e.jpg

86skdir.jpg

I am a tight bugger though with money :p

Waiting for reviews on this one.

Want to see how big the vehicle impact is, then how fun/well implemented it is!

I'll just emulate the past games :p

I'm not paying for a game that's not really been improved in anyway since the original (like higher res textures or something). Funny thing is, there is probably an N64 emulator hi-res texture patch for the older games. I know patches exist for Zelda and some other big N64 games.

I'm with Audioboxer, too much for a game you can emulate at higher quality

I preordered with Amazon uk hearing there were going to offer the pre order offer of the first game but because i preorder to early all they could tell me was,

On checking with the relevant department, I can confirm that this offer applies to first 1000 pre-orders only and is only redeemable from Xbox LIVE. Unfortunately we can?t confirm that your order is in the limited 1000. However, if your order is in the first 1000 pre orders you will receive the pre-order code.

Should i cancel order and try to get best price on game and buy the arcade game ? or wait and hope i get an early code.

N64 versus 360 XBLA Version Link (HD)

The XBLA version looks so much better (Y)

Enjoy :)

Looks awesome :woot:

16:9

No blur

No jaggies

Larger draw distance

Better colours

Higher res textures

I can't wait! :drool:

Edited by DrunknMunky

Oh man, that looks AWESOME. I'm not entirely sure which one I'm more excited about, honestly :laugh: I'm definitely going to preorder this now. I heard something about getting BK XBLA free if you preorder the game, does this apply to the UK too?

Oh man, that looks AWESOME. I'm not entirely sure which one I'm more excited about, honestly :laugh: I'm definitely going to preorder this now. I heard something about getting BK XBLA free if you preorder the game, does this apply to the UK too?

Yes, pre-order from Game

http://www.game.co.uk/Xbox360/Action/Adven...-Bolts/?s=banjo

(Y)

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Compared to the 7735HS it is around 25-30% slower in multi-threaded tasks (according to Google search) I did a review of the 7735HS Beelink SER6 Max in 2023, but thinking about it, it's not comparable to the 7730U. For the example you gave about how it will be used, the 7730U is actually an excellent choice for its power and battery efficiency.
    • Yes guys I know we have a memory and storage price gouging thanks to AI datacenters, so basically you are complaining when these crazy prices get discounts. It all starts to sound like the price of gas and a loaf of bread "was so much cheaper ten years ago!" Go wait until 2030 or whenever this BS ends and skip commenting then? Damned if ya do, damned if ya don't... 🙄
    • 7 Days: Windows 11 turns five, Ford made a mistake, and Starlink plans direct mobile service by Aditya Tiwari 7 Days is a weekly roundup of picks of what's been happening in the world of technology - written with a dash of humor, a hint of exasperation, and an endless supply of (black) coffee. This week's highlights include Apple's $4 billion class-action lawsuit, a smartphone with a 14,000 mAh battery, Google catching up with Anthropic, and the Steam Summer Sale 2026. Let's get started. You can check out the recent issues of the 7 Days weekly roundup. Windows 11 turns five Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system completed five years of existence on June 24 this week. According to the latest data, the controversial operating system now runs on almost 72% of Windows PCs worldwide. The launch of Windows 11 had several dramatic twists and an entire preview build leaked ahead of launch. Ford made a mistake Many would agree that one of the biggest mistakes the automobile industry made was surrendering to the giant touchscreens and removing physical buttons. However, Ford made even more. The company executives said they made a mistake by replacing human engineers with AI. Ford admitted that AI couldn't replace experienced engineers and the company is rehiring veterans to improve quality and cut recall costs. Starlink mobile service Elon Musk's SpaceX wants to use its massive constellation of satellites to power your phone's network. The company is reportedly considering building a terrestrial mobile network to complement Starlink’s satellite coverage and planning to sell mobile phone plans directly to customers in the US as part of a wider expansion of Starlink. Our Features Our coffee-powered team published a platter of editorials, opinion posts, hands-on experiences, and guides. Check them out: Hey Google, these are the Gemini features I want in 2026 You've tried DuckDuckGo and Brave Search, now get serious with SearXNG Why Delta Chat is the best decentralized messenger you have probably never tried We check out the SKG PS700 Neck Massager SKG Hand Massager with Heat OS500 hands on Hands-on with BOOX Tappy: cute little reading accessory Hands-on with the ProtoArc EM25: Affordable ergonomic mouse that focuses on the right things Hands-on with iFlyTek AINote 2 E-Ink tablet: insanely thin and smart This week in software news Catch up on some of the latest software news updates that arrived throughout the week: Firefox 152.02: The latest browser update brought fixes for performance, translation, and cloud storage services. It addressed problems with localization, playback issues with certain MP4 files, and performance issues on websites that perform multiple encryption operations simultaneously. Ubuntu Livepatch: Canonical's zero-downtime service Livepatch arrived on Arm64 devices running Ubuntu Core 26 and Ubuntu 26.04 LTS. Livepatch allows users to apply important kernel updates without any service interruption or rebooting. AMD 26.6.2 driver: The new driver version for Radeon hardware owners brought FSR 4.1 upscaling tech to an entire generation of its products: the RX 7000 series. However, the 26.6.2 FSR driver flew dark clouds over users, breaking many Windows PCs and causing a yellow bang or other launch failures on Windows 10. AMD later pushed the 26.6.3 Hotfix update to fix the issues. Goodbye Notion email: It's been a little over a year since the AI-powered email client launched. The company has announced its shutdown, which will take effect on September 22, and said it doesn't see the point in maintaining a frontend email client when people are moving towards automation. Ventoy version 1.1.14: The biggest change in the Rufus alternative is an updated Secure Boot shim file to resolve the UEFI CA 2023 issue, a compatibility problem that affected Secure Boot environments on some systems. This week in hardware news Image: Valve Catch up on some of the latest software news updates that arrived throughout the week: 14,000 mAh battery: Yes, that's something that iPhone users can only dream of. But a Chinese company is reportedly developing a smartphone with a 14,000mAh battery. If it ever sees daylight, it would be the largest battery ever on a smartphone, possibly offering a week of backup on a single charge. Steam Machine prices: Valve finally confirmed the Steam Machine's pricing. Starting at $1,049 for the 512GB option, storage and the included controller are the biggest differences among the four variants presented. Xbox just got more expensive: Rising costs of storage and memory prompted Microsoft to raise prices. Xbox Series X|S models wth 512GB storage will cost $100 extra, and 1TB models will cost $150 extra. However, the Redmond giant discounted the 2TB models. New NVIDIA supercomputers: The company announced plans to deploy 35 high-performance (HPC) AI supercomputers across Europe this year, primarily at national supercomputer centers, AI factories, and research institutes. Fast fast memory: Samsung built the UFS 5.0 storage solution, which pushes the data transfer speeds to 10.8 GB/s on mobile devices. It can open doors for faster local AI performance, which otherwise doesn't look promising under the current scenario. Custom chips for TikTok: Qualcomm is reportedly in talks with ByteDance to build custom video chips optimized for its massive data center workloads. ByteDance needs hardware that can help it ingest, process, and serve billions of short-form videos daily. OpenAI Jalapeño: The AI giant announced its first custom-designed AI chip developed in partnership with Broadcom. Jalapeño is designed specifically for large language model inference and is the first product from a multi-generation compute platform being developed by OpenAI. Galaxy A27 5G: The new mid-range smartphone from Samsung arrived with a platter of updates over A25 5G, including a 120Hz refresh rate, Infinity-O punch-hole camera design, expanded AI features, and more. Qualcomm takes on NVIDIA: The chipmaker baked the new Dragonfly CPU, High Bandwidth Compute technology, and AI chips to challenge NVIDIA in the AI data center market. Qualcomm said its new lineup improved per-watt performance, token throughput, and total cost of ownership for AI data centers. IBM goes sub-1nm: The company reached a semiconductor milestone by announcing the world's first sub-1-nanometer chip technology, based on a 0.7nm (7-angstrom) node. It can pack nearly 100 billion transistors onto a chip the size of a fingernail. This week in Google News Image: Google Catch up on some of the latest Google news updates that arrived throughout the week: What to expect from the Pixel 11 series: The upcoming lineup is expected to feature four different variants and a price hike due to the global memory shortage. Read our detailed coverage to know about the expected Pixel 11 specs. Stopping Google: The Free Software Foundation Europe urged the European Commission to stop Google from silently reinstalling AI models and requiring registration. Users should be able to fully uninstall AI-based features from Android devices and access interoperability features. Chasing Anthropic: The Claude-maker is making new strides every day in the AI world, but the search giant is struggling to catch up. Google is said to be reshuffling its AI coding "strike team" it created roughly about two months ago, turning it into a broader model-training group amid talent losses at DeepMind. New Google Play billing: Google has faced a long legal battle with Epic Games, and the search giant is rolling out a redesigned Play Store billing and fee structure. Available in the US, UK, and the European Economic Area, it will take effect on June 30. Error-free Sheets? A new feature in Google Sheets allows Gemini to inspect formula errors and apply corrections directly in the spreadsheet. Google said the new feature can handle pretty much everything from basic arithmetic to very complex calculations. Breeze through airports: Google Wallet became the first digital wallet to integrate with TSA PreCheck Touchless ID, a program that enables travelers to move through airport security checkpoints using facial recognition instead of a physical ID or boarding pass. Built-in computer control: Gemini 3.5 Flash got a built-in tool called Computer Use, which allows developers to build agents that navigate browsers, mobile interfaces, and desktop applications. Google Finance: The redesigned platform is now out of beta. Google has added several new features, including portfolio tracking, scheduled market briefings, and a dedicated Android app. An iOS app is planned for later in 2026. This week in Apple News Image: Apple Catch up on some of the latest Apple news updates that arrived throughout the week: Trade secrets reportedly exposed: Apple's manufacturing partner in India, Tata Electronics, confirmed a cybersecurity attack on its systems that may have exposed trade secrets of Apple and Tesla. Hackers reportedly stole up to 630 GB of data and posted up to 200,000 files on the dark web. Grab your payout: Apple is facing a class-action lawsuit in the UK and might end up paying $4 billion (£3 billion) if it loses. The iPhone-maker has been accused of trapping users in iCloud by restricting rivals from fully accessing iOS. The tribunal recently set a full trial date for October 2028. iOS 27 Beta 2: Apple's latest iPhone update is moving forward, and a new beta was pushed this week. While iOS 27 Beta 2 for developers pushed several bug fixes across the system, the AirPort Utility was deprecated; it's no longer available to new users. Price hike: Just like others, Apple has raised prices of several MacBook and iPad models, including the MacBook Neo, which now starts at $699. This comes after reports that this year's iPhone will also become expensive. Second-gen iPhone Fold: While the world is desperate to see Apple's foldable iPhone, leakers have started to talk about its second generation. Apple is expected to launch a successor in Fall 2027, featuring a wider folding display while reusing the same screen found in the first generation. The search for memory: Apple is reportedly looking at blacklisted Chinese companies amid rising memory chip prices. The company is seeking clearance from the Trump administration to purchase memory from ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT). This week in Meta news Image: Meta Catch up on some of the latest Meta, WhatsApp, and Instagram updates that arrived throughout the week: WhatsApp gets a new final boss: Mark Zuckerberg announced that CRED's Kunal Shah will become the next global head of WhatsApp, as Will Cathcart steps down and moves to a new role at Meta. The social media giant invested money in CRED through a Series H funding round. AI glasses in 26 styles: A new line of Meta Glasses launched in partnership with EssilorLuxottica. Starting at $299, it comes in more than two dozen styles across different colors, lenses, and frames. More ways to doomscroll: Instagram for TV is now available on Samsung smart TVs launched in 2020 and later years. The company also announced that it's testing several new features on Instagram for TV, bringing it closer to YouTube and Netflix. This week in AI news Image: Microsoft Catch up on the latest artificial intelligence news updates that arrived throughout the week: Water-saving data center: Microsoft is building a gas-powered AI data center with a capacity of 2 gigawatts. The company will deploy a closed-loop cooling system, saying that its total lifecycle water use will be "only a fraction of that consumed annually by a typical fast-food restaurant.” OpenAI beats Claude Mythos: GPT-5.5-Cyber got a limited release for verified defenders. It scored 85.6% on CyberGym, compared with 81.8% for GPT-5.5 and 83.8% for Claude Mythos 5. The AI giant also announced a limited preview of its new GPT-5.6 model series, whose flagship model, GPT-5.6 Sol, is targeted at demanding reasoning and agentic workloads. Proceed with caution: The Trump administration instructed OpenAI to limit the distribution of GPT-5.6 to a small group of government-approved partners rather than the general public, as has happened in the past. Claude Tag: Anthropic launched its new AI teammate for Slack, enabling teams to delegate tasks to Claude directly within Slack channels. What makes it different is that it's designed to operate as a shared assistant for an entire team rather than a single user. Challenging US dominance: The UK government has funded £60 million ($70 million) to Oxford and UCL to keep the country in the AI race by building open-source, low-hardware alternatives. The two organizations will share the money over six years. Paying for AI development: One cost is the loss of human jobs. Oracle laid off about 21,000 employees (13% of its workforce) amid increasing AI adoption. The software giant said that AI advancement and adoption "may continue to result in reductions to our workforce." GitHub strips features: It removed the ability to manually detect an AI model from its Copilot Free and Student plans. In other words, its automatic routing system is the only way to choose a model. Are you a copycat? Anthropic accused Alibaba of creating about 25,000 fraudulent accounts to copy Claude's capabilities at scale. It told US lawmakers that operators linked to Alibaba generated 28.8 million exchanges with Claude between April 22 and June 5, 2026. Reserve my memory: The semiconductor company Micron revealed that AI companies are spending billions to lock up its memory years in advance. Its customers have locked in $22 billion worth of memory supply commitments. Another AI battle: A publisher group that collectively owns 400 newspapers sued OpenAI and Microsoft for scraping their content to build AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Copilot without compensation. Anthropic AI ban: The US government partially reversed the Anthropic AI ban, allowing it to restore Claude Mythos 5. However, it can only be deployed for a limited set of US organizations that operate and defend critical infrastructure. This week in Microsoft News In some of the hottest stories of the week: Windows 10 quietly gained a year of support and updates, Windows 11 KB5095093 released with a long list of features, and Windows 11 26H2 is finally getting the ability to disable web search results in Windows 11 Search. You can check out Taras's freshly baked Microsoft Weekly roundup to catch up on all the interesting stories this week. This week in science news Image by Pascal Küffer via Pexels Catch up on some of the latest science and out-of-this-world updates that arrived throughout the week: 13 billion-year-old secret: Scientists found that the universe's first molecule (helium hyride) reacted with hydrogen much faster in cold temperatures than previously believed. It's a new breakthrough that changes our understanding of early star formation. Cosmic Living Fossil: Astronomers found CR3, a surprisingly pristine 11.5-billion-year-old galaxy dubbed a "living fossil." It suggests the universe's first generation of stars formed much later than previously assumed. Einstein's 100-year-old theory: Thanks to relativity, researchers calculated that clocks on Mars tick 477 microseconds faster per day than on Earth. This minute gravitational difference is crucial for synchronizing future interplanetary space missions. Don't panic: NASA's James Webb Telescope finally eliminated the threat of asteroid 2024 YR4 striking the moon in 2032. The rocky giant will give us a safe fly-by without causing any harm. This week in gaming? The latest issue of Pulasthi's Weekend PC Game Deals curates several exciting games on sale this week. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition and Voidwrought have replaced the old titles in this week's Epic Games Store giveaway. For Xbox Free Play Days, the new titles include House Flipper 2, Blades of Fire, and Assetto Corsa Competizione. Steam Summer Sale 2026 kicked off with discounts for everything from the newest games and retro gems to all sorts of DLC packs, until July 9. Meanwhile, NVIDIA GeForce NOW added support for several new titles, including Dark Scrolls, SAND: Raiders of Sophie, and EMPULSE. That said, here are some more stories from the gaming world: Age of Empires Mobile comes to PC, here's how to carry over progress from your phone Xbox Insiders get Xbox 360 achievements and Gamertag character upgrades Grand Theft Auto VI pricing revealed alongside Ultimate Edition and pre-loading details Sony announces Bungie layoffs that will affect "significant number of employees" From the review corner This week, Steven published a review of the TerraMaster F4-425 Pro AI-powered NAS, featuring an all-metal exterior on the lines of the four-bay F4-425 series. Powered by the octa-core Intel Core N350, the TerraMaster F4-425 Pro is highly energy-efficient, operates quietly, and offers three M.2 slots. On the flip side, OpenClaw support requires removing security hardening (SPC), AI requires a paid subscription, the software feels like a beta, and the rubber feet constantly come unstuck. ZimaBoard 2 1664 Starter Kit Another NAS setup reviewed this week is the ZimaBoard 2 by IceWhale Technology. It comes in a small footprint with great modern hardware through a combo of Intel N150 and DDR5 memory support. On the downside, the memory is not upgradeable, ZimaOS is a bit barebones, factory reset requires USB flashing, and there is no automatic backup via the mobile app. Synology's BeeCamera software Christopher wrote his review of the software that powers BeeCamera Plus and said "the BeeCamera app is a great way to add private home monitoring to your network but there are some limitations." It's free with an easy setup process, fast response time, and good AI and detection features. However, there is no desktop version; it only works with Synology cameras, some configurations are difficult to set up on a phone, and it lacks the features of the surveillance station. More price drops! We got you covered with some hot tech deals all week. For some reason, if you missed out on a great discount, here is a summary of some recent deals that are still alive: Onkyo Dolby Atmos AV receivers are really solid deals 4TB TEAMGROUP MP44Q, 2TB T-Force G50, and 2TB WD My Passport SSDs drop to great prices Edifier S3000MKII hi-fi audiophile grade bookshelf speaker is at its lowest price now The best controller for XBOX and PC is down to the lowest price Limited time Prime Day deal cuts price of this Hisense 65" 4K smart TV in half To view all of our recent deals, click here. So, these were some of the biggest tech news and other updates from this week. There will be more issues of our 7 Days series in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned. You can also support Neowin by registering for a free member account or subscribing to extra member benefits, along with an ad-free tier option. Have a great weekend!
    • Zen Browser 1.21.4b by Razvan Serea Zen Browser is a privacy-focused, open-source web browser built on Mozilla Firefox, offering users a secure and customizable browsing experience. It emphasizes privacy by blocking trackers, ads, and ensuring your data isn't collected. With Zen Mods, users can enhance their browser experience with various customization options, including features like split views and vertical tabs. The browser is designed for efficiency, providing fast browsing speeds and a lightweight interface. Zen Browser prioritizes user control over the browsing experience, offering a minimal yet powerful alternative to traditional web browsers while keeping your online activity private. Zen Browser’s DRM limitation Zen Browser currently lacks support for DRM-protected content, meaning streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max are inaccessible. This is due to the absence of a Widevine license, which requires significant costs and is financially unfeasible for the developer. Additionally, applying for this license would require Zen to be part of a larger company, similar to Mozilla or Brave. Therefore, DRM-protected media won't be supported in Zen Browser for the foreseeable future. Zen Browser offers features that improve user experience, privacy, and customization: Privacy-Focused: Blocks trackers and minimizes data collection. Automatic Updates: Keeps the browser updated with security patches. Zen Mods: Customizable themes and layouts. Workspaces: Organize tabs into different workspaces. Compact Mode: Maximizes screen space by minimizing UI elements. Zen Glance: Quick website previews. Split Views: View multiple tabs in the same window. Sidebar: Access bookmarks and tools quickly. Vertical Tabs: Manage tabs vertically. Container Tabs: Separate browsing sessions. Fast Profile Switcher: Switch between profiles easily. Tab Folders: Organize tabs into folders. Customizable UI: Personalize browser interface. Security Features: Inherits Firefox’s robust security. Fast Performance: Lightweight and optimized for speed. Zen Mods Customization: Deep customization with mods. Quick Access: Easy access to favorite websites. Open Source: Built on Mozilla Firefox with community collaboration. Community-Driven: Active development and feedback from users. GitHub Repository: Contribute and review the source code. Zen Browser 1.21.4b changelog: New Features Updated to Firefox 152.0.2 and 152.0.3 Added 'Edit pinned tab' context menu item to manually set a pinned tab's URL Added 'Add Route for Domain' context menu item to quickly add a tab's domain to the Space Routing settings Fixes Prevent sidebar from flickering when moving a tab (#14131) Full-screening while on a glance tab will now expand the glance tab to a normal tab (#11766) Fixed space routing tabs opening in background when it should be in foreground (#14183) Other minor bug fixes and improvements. Download: Zen Browser | 90.2 MB (Open Source) Download: Zen Browser ARM64 | Other Operating Systems View: Zen Browser Home Page | Screenshots 1 | 2 | Reddit Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
  • Recent Achievements

    • Reacting Well
      JuvenileDelinquent earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • One Month Later
      Excellence2025 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Excellence2025 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      Woland13 earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      504
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      205
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      149
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      72
    5. 5
      FloatingFatMan
      69
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!