The Official Neowin NHL Playoff Thread

By Cara
in The Sporting Arena

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

neowin_hipster

Posted
Posted

Maybe some people are in denial because the nhl is being shaken. All the crappy teams are doing well in the nhl, tampa bay, anaheim, vancouver, minnesota. It seems multi-million dollar powerhouse teams are way overpriced. If anaheim were crappy cheaters how come they only lost 1 game so far. Come-on. Anaheim has been screwed a few times by bad reffing. Game 1 for example. Had to go to 5th overtime for them to regain that lost goal.

Anaheim deserves credit. If you guys finally pull that high-and-mighty stick out of your ass maybe you'll finally see why.

Rising Star

djlethal01

Posted
Posted

Well im ashamed of my team.. They are falling apart right in front of my eyes. The nicest guy in the organization, Glen Metropolit wants out cause they have been treating him like ish. Morale from ECHL to NHL is **** poor. The coach is a moron, playing terrible players like Ciernik.. Atlanta wouldnt even play him. As for the playoffs.. I hope its Ottawa/Anaheim. Bettman would be really happy with 2 small markets playing for the cup :p. Im really pulling for Anaheim because I am a big Oates fan, definatley the best passer in the league's history, and u gotta feel good for Steve Rucchin whos brother, a player in Europe died this past summer. Chistov imo, can bloom in to a star like Kovalchuk who actually can play Defense. On another note could anyone imagine New Jesery/Philly series? OMG that would be a bloodbath like no other with the stakes being so high. But as for the Stars its time to write them off :D.. thats what they get for beating the Oilers.

Mentor

axis

Posted
Posted

I love this, I love the Ducks making all this noise. It shows you what happens when you are coached well, stick to a system and that a defense first mentality always works. Anaheim wins by mistakes they generate in the nuetral zone. I just can't believe everyone thinks it is only a goalie thing here though, you don't beat the two best teams in the west without solid defense. Why can't people get off this 'lucky' BS, whatever happen to talent and hard work, I hate jealous people. We all know that Dallas will not beat Giguere three games in a row, even Dallas knows that, Modano is setting up his golf schedule and Hatcher already talking about which team he wants to sign with next season.

If anything, there is a conspiracy to get the Ducks out of the playoffs, if you watched game four with an unbias approach, you would have seen the horrible calls going Dallas' way. And whoever said that the Arnott cross-check wasn't a penalty, let me board you into the boards, see if you get up complaining. Arnott knew it was and so did everyone on the Dallas bench. Anaheim will beat whoever makes it to the confrence finals and play New Jersey in the finals. It will be a 6-7 game series with Martin Broduer outplaying Giguere. The Devils will not loose, Scott Stevens will see to that. Don't be suprsied if Giguere still wins the Conn Smythe if they loose, that is how damn amazing he is this year.

Grand Master

CatnipOligarchy

Posted
Posted
Yeah, I'm so sure none of you would feel that way if your team was in Dallas' position. High and mighty? Look in the mirror.

i would be more than happy to have my team in dallas's position...2nd round of the playoffs...down 3-1 or not....i would love for my team to even make the playoffs...dallas has had a great season...and they still have a decent shot at coming back and winning this series...but there is no reason to start whining and calling the other team cheaters...just accept the situation and deal with it

Grand Master

xpablo

Posted
Posted

Just the thought of Anaheim in the playoffs make me sick.

It would be accepted if this team were called a different name maybe, I grant it that they have a few talented players with Kariya and Oates and Sykora and not too mention the hot goaltending

of Giguere which is the only reason the defeated Detroit.

I would just like to see Anaheim lose, I cant stand the thought of them making it to the playoffs.

But that call last night, was the whole series as that Blow Tart Cherry said tonite.

GO CANUCKS !!!

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

Posted
  • Author
  • Veteran
Posted

Ok, I'm kinda bad guys.

I'll side with the majority, the Ducks suck and rely on cheap goals to win. Can't be argued.

As for the stats, I'm wiping them tonight and will correct them when I get a minute. :)

Mentor

axis

Posted
Posted

Can we define 'cheap goals'? You mean one-timers from Oates to Rucchin or Sykora, or ones where they are banging away at the loose change in front of the net? You have no clue what your talking about. You want cheap goals, look at what Dallas scored on in game 3, deflections off of shin guards. Know what your talking about before talking, jesus, the majority is mindless front runners. Pick your home team and shut up, you bring that crap to Montreal and they lynch your ass.

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

Posted
  • Author
  • Veteran
Posted
Can we define 'cheap goals'? You mean one-timers from Oates to Rucchin or Sykora, or ones where they are banging away at the loose change in front of the net? You have no clue what your talking about. You want cheap goals, look at what Dallas scored on in game 3, deflections off of shin guards. Know what your talking about before talking, jesus, the majority is mindless front runners. Pick your home team and shut up, you bring that crap to Montreal and they lynch your ass.

There is nothing more insufferable than a rookie trying to critique a hockey game...

:rolleyes:

You go back though the ducks playoff series and tell me that the TEAM has been playing good. If you can do that, then you're either insane or a flat lier. :p How many shots on goal did Detroit get?

There is a position in Hockey known as 'DEFENSEMAN' who's job is to defend his goalie... Hrm, when the other team is getting over 100 shots on goal the team is not even playing, the goalie is covering the team.

It's said by every single one of the commentators on ESPN's payroll that the second the ducks goalie realizes he isn't as good as he's playing, the team will dry up and die a quick, painful death.

When facing a team like Detroit or Dallas, the ducks have no consistent depth. A rag tag group of New York Ranger rejects and rookies who throw everything they can at the net and make cheap shots at hitting the opposing goalie in order to try and make themselves appear to be hockey players.

The ducks are playing a 'Hit them and hope you knock out their Stars before they can get close' style of game. That is called, spell this with me, 'D - I - R - T - Y.'

Yes, the teams facing them aren't taking them serious and it's causing their own downfall, but a quick look at the mascot for the ducks would also cause me to loose focus in a fit of mass hysteria.

The ducks are like the 'canes were last year. One shot wonders who are pretending to be Hockey players for a short time before they realize they have to go back to work at their real jobs, the Drive-In at Carl's Jr.

As for taking that to Montreal, try taking your crap to Detroit and, granted, they won't lynch you, but they will have extreme pity on you.

Grand Master

bayrider

Posted
Posted
Just the thought of Anaheim in the playoffs make me sick.

It would be accepted if this team were called a different name maybe, I grant it that they have a few talented players with Kariya and Oates and Sykora and not too mention the hot goaltending

of Giguere which is the only reason the defeated Detroit.

I would just like to see Anaheim lose, I cant stand the thought of them making it to the playoffs.

But that call last night, was the whole series as that Blow Tart Cherry said tonite.

GO CANUCKS !!!

you're a retard, have some respect, theyre actually trying hard. And you acknowledge that, yet u beleive just because they've never gone this far in the playoffs they're a disgrace to hockey?

Grand Master

neowin_hipster

Posted
Posted

from someone who's actually played at a high level of hockey.... (no rookie here)

I can tell you that it takes 3 things to win, hard work, skill, and determination. Tell me the ducks don't have any of those three. Granted they may not be million dollar all stars but they got great goaltending and their offence seem to be creating and capitalizing on their chances. If you look at how the canucks did last game, we got something like 13 shots on net but won 3:2. It was a boring style hockey but it gave us the chances we needed to win. We played ahead all game.

And hitting is an enormous part of the game. It's not dirty at all. It's how you slow the other team down and win battles for the puck. Any one who's ever played hockey can tell you this. You fight hard in the corners and you fight hard in front of the net. Chances will happen that way.

As my name suggests, i'm a goalie. I have had lots of experience beating teams that were technically better than us. Goaltending does have a lot to do with it but it's not the only thing. You still need to generate offence. What good goaltending can do is save you a goal or two every game and many times change the gameplay and entirely eliminate scoring chances in the defencive zone. Good Defence can also help out the entire situation as well. This is turnign out to be really helpfull for the ducks.

Mentor

axis

Posted
Posted

Don't call me a rookie fool, I play hockey at a high level. And from the Red Wings and Dallas, I would hope they get 100 shots on goal a night, there payroll is in the stars. Not ever shot is quality, alot are from the sides of the circles, others are in the slot and Giguere is so technically sound that he is in the right position every time. You do not go 7-1 against the two best teams on luck, so pull your head out of your a$$. They wont be a one year wonder like the 'Canes, Teemu Selanne will be back with Anaheim next year as will most of this team. All that's gonna happen is they will repeat as confrence champs.

Let me take you out on the rink just once, ill do that little hit them thing your talking about. Dallas is so much bigger then Anaheim, so don't try to say anything like that. They just aggresivley forecheck and creat turnovers. Watch the game without a biased opinion. I have been a hardcore Ducks fan since there inception, I watch every game like that.

And Giguere isn't as good as he is playing? Someone delete this guys account. Did you see the shutout streek he put on earlier this season, the longest in the modern era I believe. It was over 4 games long, you have no idea what you are talking about. Look at his GAA and Save %, he is that good, he was that good last season too. Seeing the name 'Mighty Ducks' on the Stanley Cup is kind of bad, but it is over shadowed by seeing the names Paul Kariya and Steve Rucchin. So yea, we will see Vancouver in the next round and beat them. Then lose to New Jersey in the finals. I am done arguing with stupid people, I will lose, you obviously have more practice.

Grand Master

CatnipOligarchy

Posted
Posted
It's said by every single one of the commentators on ESPN's payroll that the second the ducks goalie realizes he isn't as good as he's playing, the team will dry up and die a quick, painful death.

that might be true...but he is almost halfway to his goal...so even if he is playing better than he is...if he can win 9 more games this season he will have his name on the cup...and thats all that really matters in the end.

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

Posted
  • Author
  • Veteran
Posted
Don't call me a rookie fool, I play hockey at a high level. And from the Red Wings and Dallas, I would hope they get 100 shots on goal a night, there payroll is in the stars. Not ever shot is quality, alot are from the sides of the circles, others are in the slot and Giguere is so technically sound that he is in the right position every time. You do not go 7-1 against the two best teams on luck, so pull your head out of your a$$. They wont be a one year wonder like the 'Canes, Teemu Selanne will be back with Anaheim next year as will most of this team. All that's gonna happen is they will repeat as confrence champs.

Let me take you out on the rink just once, ill do that little hit them thing your talking about. Dallas is so much bigger then Anaheim, so don't try to say anything like that. They just aggresivley forecheck and creat turnovers. Watch the game without a biased opinion. I have been a hardcore Ducks fan since there inception, I watch every game like that.

And Giguere isn't as good as he is playing? Someone delete this guys account. Did you see the shutout streek he put on earlier this season, the longest in the modern era I believe. It was over 4 games long, you have no idea what you are talking about. Look at his GAA and Save %, he is that good, he was that good last season too. Seeing the name 'Mighty Ducks' on the Stanley Cup is kind of bad, but it is over shadowed by seeing the names Paul Kariya and Steve Rucchin. So yea, we will see Vancouver in the next round and beat them. Then lose to New Jersey in the finals. I am done arguing with stupid people, I will lose, you obviously have more practice.

First off, check your Private Messages and read that one really, really carefully...

Second, I'm only going to address two statements from your propaganda letter...

Watch the game without a biased opinion. I have been a hardcore Ducks fan since there inception, I watch every game like that.
So you want others to look at the ducks with an unbiased opinion like you do yet you say that you watch every game as a "hardcore Ducks fan." Your reasoning just shot itself in the foot right there.
And Giguere isn't as good as he is playing?

If you actually take the time to read the thread, I'm sure you will see people are saying he is playing good, what we are saying is he isn't really as good as he's playing. It's a fluke/rush which is keeping him going right now which will not hold. If it takes them to the cup round, fine. But thats a long break between cup round and season restarting to give the ducks to return to their normal 7th place team standings.

People have the right to their opinion without you getting your underwear in a knot because they feel your precious team is a fluke. Get use to it, Red Wings fans put up with the fact everyone thinks they are overdone every year while almost no one mentions the First National Bank of the NHL (NY Ranger).

Now, read that PM I sent you, carefully consider it, and go chill out before you get yourself in trouble with that attitude.

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

Posted
  • Author
  • Veteran
Posted
that might be true...but he is almost halfway to his goal...so even if he is playing better than he is...if he can win 9 more games this season he will have his name on the cup...and thats all that really matters in the end.

That is very true, though what people are saying is the reality of the situation will sink in if they are make it to the Cup Round. They will stop and think, "Oh hell, we don't belong here." and even a moment of doubt can be the deciding factor for a team on a hot streak.

If they can take it all the way?

Well then all I can say is the next team to get the cup will need to put it though decontamination for a few months before touching it. ;)

Grand Master

BroChaos Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

giguere is getting by on luck??? he's not playing as good as he really is? that's kinda stretching it. he hasn't had a gaa above 3 since the 98-99 season, and he hardly played then. his save % has been above .91 since then too. those are respectable numbers. he's not some chump wannabe. don't forget to consider that the team he was on wasn't that good either.

great poast Goalie_CA.

anyone who thinks the ducks suck and are relying on dirty play and luck are completely out of their mind. if you know anything about hockey (read Goalie's post) you will know that you don't go 7-1 on the two best teams in the confernce on those qualities. are the people who are saying this stuff even play hockey??? (yes, i do play btw)

these comments sound like they are coming from people who's only experience with hockey is in front of the tv.

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

Posted
  • Author
  • Veteran
Posted

Might surprise you guys to know until recently (Which I am looking to get back into it) I played Hockey in a league myself (Was sponsored by Price Management Company back East Ways.)

So my Hockey Knowledge is more than just your couch potato point of view, I'm saying it how I see it from the perspective of a Center who was on a team that could score like no tomorrow yet had a very, very weak defense.

In my experience most (good) Goalies can and often will make up the slack in a weak defense, but if your offense is scoring 1 chance goal a game (Granted, Ducks have had a few more goals than that but the majority of their game winners are not quality chances) a goalie can only pull your fat from the fire so many times.

I can't say how many times our team would go out there and do a little bit of corner play to generate scoring chances, yes, that is part of hockey. But the amount of uncalled tripping, roughing, high sticking, and even boarding calls the ducks are getting away with would make Colorado blush.

You can't race in and hit the guy in-front of you if he's behind the play, that is called a penalty. The ducks consistently fall back on the play, allow the opposition to carry it in before flat-lining the blue line defense while the play is in the deep corner, that is NOT good Hockey.

A scrum in defense of the puck or attempting to recover the puck is, as you've said, part of Hockey, but nothing bugs me more than to see gooning hockey being played at the blueline by one team.

I've said it before, I'll say it again.

The ducks are a fluke who will be one of those teams we won't see again at this level for about 3-5 years. Once some of their younger players mature into their own, yes, we might see them back in the second/third round of the playoffs, but luck can only carry you so far in a series consistently.

If the ducks are to succeed, they must develop into a more robust and aligned team instead of, in the words of Darren Pang, "Have all their skill on the first line and throw chance to the wind with the rest."

[Edit : I do think it is mildly funny how it seems the ducks only defenders are from California while the rest of the league seem to be in (somewhat) agreement of their skills. ;)]

Rising Star

djlethal01

Posted
Posted

You guys have to admit the ducks are on Role.. Giguere is in his zone, its not like he had a poor regular season, he has just turned it up another notch. The only thing that worries about them is I dont know how much longer Carney could hold up because he wont get any help from Ozolinsh. Also Steve Thomas has basically revived his career, playing like he did in Toronto and earlier. But i dont think It's luck, I think its just all the pieces and I mean all the pieces have fallen perfectly into place. On the other hand Minnesota beat Colorado because they have one of the best Coaches in the NHL in Lemaire, and have a balance of having no superstars at any position, so they play as a team, consisting of mainly grinders and a few finesse players such as gaborik, dupuis, ronning and brunnette. I dont really care who wins what series as long as its not Tampa, i have my favorites but not too strong.. Ill watch either way, cause its the best time of the year.

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

Posted
  • Author
  • Veteran
Posted
On the other hand Minnesota beat Colorado because they have one of the best Coaches in the NHL in Lemaire, and have a balance of having no superstars at any position, so they play as a team, consisting of mainly grinders and a few finesse players such as gaborik, dupuis, ronning and brunnette. I dont really care who wins what series as long as its not Tampa, i have my favorites but not too strong.. Ill watch either way, cause its the best time of the year.

Now there is a team for discussion...

The Minnesota Wild.

Could anyone ask more of a recent expansion team? Dear God! The press was against them from the start yet, from what I saw, they went out there and played to have fun. They didn't figure they'd win so they went out there to enjoy their playoff exposure...

Look what happened, they downed (arguably) the First/Second best team in the NHL.

The Wild continue to impressive me with their balanced lines, exceptional coaching, and stand out players from a lineup of unknowns...

This is Minnesota's dream season, and for being so young, the Hockey world is seeming to be starting to take note that they could be a contending force in the years ahead with this type of play so early.

Collaborator

HyakuMan

Posted
Posted
[Edit : I do think it is mildly funny how it seems the ducks only defenders are from California while the rest of the league seem to be in (somewhat) agreement of their skills. ;)]

Actually, I'm from Canada and I'm backing the ducks. Even though I would've loved to see the Oilers make it all the way in the West, I believe the Ducks have performed excellent throughout the playoffs. Dallas is an formiddable team, and they certainly know what they're doing, but there are so many nae-sayer's when it comes to a team like Anaheim that finally makes it somewhere in the playoffs for the first time. Give them a little credit, they're a hard working team and they deserve every goal they get!

Also, its sickening to REAL hockey fans to hear people complaining that the "BIG" teams are the only teams worthy of playoff hockey... Are you sad cuz your team lost? Are you mad because the underdogs won? Well, GET OVER IT and starting talking with an unbiased opinion if you want to contribute anything that people will actually respect!

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • An actual cosmic "Eye of Sauron" had been looking straight at us all along

      By +Edouard · Posted

      @Sayan...I have defended you at various points as I hope you know. This headline however is utter trash...shame on you sir!
    • An actual cosmic "Eye of Sauron" had been looking straight at us all along

      By hellowalkman · Posted

      An actual cosmic "Eye of Sauron" had been looking straight at us all along by Sayan Sen Image by Kovin P. Vasquez via Pexels | Not representative An international team of researchers has solved a long-standing mystery surrounding a distant blazar known as PKS 1424+240, helping explain why it produces some of the brightest high-energy gamma rays and cosmic neutrinos ever observed despite appearing to have a relatively slow-moving jet. The findings were published on June 6 in Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters. The study addresses a broader challenge in astrophysics: understanding how extreme cosmic objects accelerate particles to very high energies and produce very high-energy (VHE) photons and neutrinos. PKS 1424+240 is located billions of light-years from Earth. It has attracted attention for years because it is both a powerful source of VHE gamma rays and the brightest known neutrino-emitting blazar in the sky, according to observations by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. It is also associated with one of the strongest peaks in IceCube's nine-year neutrino sky map A blazar is a type of active galactic nucleus powered by a supermassive black hole that pulls in surrounding matter and launches jets of plasma moving close to the speed of light. What makes blazars unique is their orientation. One of their jets points almost directly toward Earth, making them appear exceptionally bright across the electromagnetic spectrum and allowing scientists to study some of the most extreme physical processes in the Universe. The scientists exclaimed it's like the 'Eye of Sauron' in deep space. Usually, the brightest gamma-ray-emitting blazars are expected to have jets that appear to move very quickly. However, radio observations of PKS 1424+240 suggested that its jet was moving much more slowly, creating a contradiction that became part of a long-running problem known as the "Doppler factor crisis." To investigate, researchers analyzed 15 years of observations from the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), a network of 10 radio antennas spread across the continental United States, Hawaii and St. Croix. Using a technique called Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), astronomers combine signals from widely separated radio telescopes to create a virtual Earth-sized telescope capable of revealing extremely fine details. The team combined 42 polarization-sensitive radio images collected between 2009 and 2025, creating a much deeper and more detailed view of the jet than had previously been possible. The observations were carried out as part of MOJAVE (Monitoring Of Jets in Active galactic nuclei with VLBA Experiments), a long-running program that studies the brightness, polarization and magnetic field structures of jets produced by active galaxies. The project aims to better understand how activity near supermassive black holes is linked to high-energy radiation and neutrino emission. “When we reconstructed the image, it looked absolutely stunning,” said Yuri Kovalev, lead author of the study and Principal Investigator of the European Research Council-funded MuSES project at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy. “We have never seen anything quite like it — a near-perfect toroidal magnetic field with a jet, pointing straight at us.” The image revealed an unusual geometry. The researchers found that Earth lies almost directly in line with the jet, with a viewing angle of less than 0.6 degrees. In simple terms, astronomers are looking almost straight down the jet. This turned out to be the key to the mystery. Because the jet is aimed almost directly at Earth, a relativistic effect called Doppler boosting dramatically increases its apparent brightness. The study found that this effect boosts the emission by a factor of about 30 while also making the jet appear slower than it actually is. “This alignment causes a boost in brightness by a factor of 30 or more,” said Jack Livingston, a co-author at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy. “At the same time, the jet appears to move slowly due to projection effects — a classic optical illusion.” The nearly head-on view also gave scientists a rare look at the jet's magnetic field. Using polarized radio signals, they detected a clear toroidal, or doughnut-shaped, magnetic field component. The observations suggest the jet carries an electric current and that its magnetic field helps launch, shape and stabilize the flow of plasma. Researchers believe this magnetic structure may also play a key role in accelerating particles to energies high enough to produce both gamma rays and neutrinos. “Solving this puzzle confirms that active galactic nuclei with supermassive black holes are not only powerful accelerators of electrons, but also of protons — the origin of the observed high-energy neutrinos,” Kovalev said. The research was conducted under the MuSES (Multi-messenger Studies of Energetic Sources) project, which investigates how active galactic nuclei accelerate particles and generate different cosmic signals, including light and neutrinos. Scientists say understanding how protons are accelerated and linked to neutrino production remains one of the major unanswered questions in astrophysics. The findings help explain why some blazars can appear to have slow jets while still producing extremely bright high-energy emissions. More broadly, the study strengthens the link between relativistic jets, magnetic fields, gamma rays and high-energy neutrinos. Researchers say the results provide new clues about how some of the Universe's most powerful natural particle accelerators work and offer important insights for multimessenger astronomy, which combines different types of cosmic signals to study extreme events in space. Source: European Research Council, EDP Sciences This article was generated with some help from AI and reviewed by an editor. Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, this material is used for the purpose of news reporting. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
    • What browser do you prefer to use, and why?

      By AnotherITguy · Posted

      Edge
    • Classic Outlook vs New Outlook — Which one do you prefer and why?

      By AnotherITguy · Posted

      Gotenks98 is right... Outlook (new) is absolute trash. Doesn't Mozilla have an Enterprise Version of Firebird?
    • Microsoft Weekly: Surface Laptop Ultra, Windows 11 context menus, Build 2026 recap, and more

      By TarasBuria · Posted

      Microsoft Weekly: Surface Laptop Ultra, Windows 11 context menus, Build 2026 recap, and more by Taras Buria This week's news recap is here, with Microsoft announcing the new Surface Laptop Ultra, fresh chips from NVIDIA for Windows on ARM, a no-build week, fixes for Windows 11's context menus, gaming news, reviews, and more. Quick links: Windows 10 and 11 Windows Insider Program Updates are available Reviews are in Gaming news Great deals to check Windows 11 and Windows 10 Here, we talk about everything happening around Microsoft's latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And, of course, you may find a word or two about older versions. At Computex 2026, together with NVIDIA, Microsoft announced the Surface Laptop Ultra, its most powerful laptop to date, powered by NVIDIA's RTX Spark processor. Details about this computer are currently scarce, as Microsoft has only revealed certain parts of its specs. So far, we know that the computer has a 15-inch mini-LED display, a rich set of ports, a powerful processor, and all-day battery life. It also comes with a new wallpaper, which you can already download here in full resolution. The Surface Laptop Studio is not the only NVIDIA-powered Surface, which Microsoft unveiled this week. At Build 2026, the company also debuted the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, an odd-shaped desktop with a 20-core NVIDIA Grace CPU and an NVIDIA Blackwell RTX GPU with 6,144 CUDA cores and fifth-generation Tensor Cores with FP4 precision, connected via the NVIDIA NVLink-C2C chip-to-chip interconnect for high performance. According to Microsoft, it can run models with up to 120 billion parameters locally without relying on cloud GPU infrastructure. These two new Surface devices are likely to cost quite a lot, and for those who need a more affordable device, Microsoft is preparing the next-gen Qualcomm-powered Surface Pro and Surface Laptop. This week, details about these two devices leaked in plenty of detail. Other announcements at Build 2026 include the following: Microsoft unveils new security tools for IT admins and developers building AI products Microsoft announces Scout, an OpenClaw-powered personal agent for enterprise customers Microsoft unveils MAI-Thinking-1 reasoning and MAI-Code-1 coding models Microsoft announced a new Windows 11 native command-line utility Microsoft unveils Majorana 2 quantum chip, accelerating commercial timeline to 2029 Microsoft believes that AI agents will eventually replace apps through Project Solara Microsoft introduces Web IQ, a Bing-powered search system built for AI agents Last week, Microsoft released a new Experimental build, which introduced a major Start menu upgrade. It now lets you toggle off specific parts of the menu without affecting other features, resize the menu, and hide additional UI elements. We published a closer look here, so if you want to know what Microsoft is cooking without enrolling in the Insider program and installing unstable builds, check it out. Speaking of new features, many users are very annoyed about the way Microsoft delivers them. Recently, a frustrated user shared their experience with gradual rollouts, and even Microsoft engineers admitted there is a flaw in the system that prevents new features from applying properly. One of those new features includes the ability to uninstall AI models in Windows 11 with a single click. Windows 11 is finally getting fixes for its slow context menus. Marcus Ash from Microsoft confirmed that the company is working on fixing Windows 11's context menus. Reworked context menus are going to be faster, simpler by default, and "configurable to what you use most." According to Marcus, Microsoft will share more details soon. Windows Insider Program Windows 11 preview builds, released last week, are now available for download as standalone ISO files. These days, Microsoft regularly pushes new images, allowing users to clean-install its recent Windows 11 preview builds faster and easier. If you want to try the latest Windows 11 features without jumping through the Windows Update hoops, get those new images here. Sadly, Microsoft did not release new Windows 11 preview builds this week. Come back next time. Updates are available This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more from Microsoft and third parties. Microsoft is preparing new features for Teams. Later this month, the messenger will receive a new download manager with auto-dismissing notifications, reducing clutter and making the overall experience less annoying when dealing with downloads. Mozilla released Firefox 151.0.3, a new bug-fixing update for the browser. It is a small release, which fixes problems with pasting into text fields and the oversized VPN button on the toolbar. The update is now available for all users in the Release channel. Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting: VS Code 1.123 introduces massive upgrades for persistent AI developer workflows Microsoft OneDrive is getting a simple yet much-needed feature Microsoft faces heat after quietly blocking promised Office features on Apple systems Microsoft resumes forced Copilot app installation on some Windows PCs Browser vendors pen an open letter to Microsoft, saying "enough is enough" Here are the latest drivers and firmware updates released this week: AMD Radeon Software 26.6.1 with optimizations for F1 25: 2026 Season, World of Tanks: HEAT, and various bug fixes. Reviews are in Here is the hardware and software we reviewed this week Steven Parker dropped more mini PC reviews this week. GEEKOM Air12 2026 Edition is a low-power, affordable computer with an Intel Tiger Lake Pentium Gold processor, up to 16GB of memory, and 512GB of storage, costing just $349. It is light, quiet, energy efficient, and has modern ports on the front. However, the front-facing USB Type-C is data-only, and there are some quirks with the computer's memory, so check out the full review. The AMD RX 9070 GRE has been released worldwide, and we published a benchmark review comparing this powerful graphics card to the RX 9070 XT, 7800 XT, the NVIDIA RTX 5070, and RTX 4070. It has solid, balanced performance, plenty of RAM, and low temperatures, but watch out for mediocre ray tracing performance and not the best efficiency. Also, we reviewed the Cuktech 10 Ultra, a compact, high-power charger with four ports and a big display full of various stats. This tiny charger can pull nearly 120W and spread that power according to each connected device's needs. It also comes with a high-quality 240W cable, three power modes, and retractable prongs. The best part? It is quite affordable, just make sure you have an outlet placed in the right spot to benefit from the built-in display. On the gaming side Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts, and more. Do you remember the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally, Microsoft's first handheld console designed in partnership with ASUS? This week, ASUS revealed a new version of the device to celebrate twenty years of its Republic of Gamers brand. The new ROG Xbox Ally X20 features an OLED display, a transforming D-Pad, TMR sticks, and other changes. However, the chip inside the console is still the same. Forza Horizon 6 launched last month to critical acclaim, but the game will soon have a new rival made by those who used to work on Forza Horizon titles. Mike Brown from Maverick Games announced Clutch, an upcoming racing game with a story-driven campaign, deep car customization, and rich multiplayer. The game is coming to PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 in Spring 2027. The next update for Minecraft now has a release date. This week, Mojang announced that Chaos Cubed will be available on June 16, 2026. In addition, Mojang published a teaser of the next Minecraft movie. A Minecraft Movie Squared has now been confirmed for a release somewhere in 2027. NVIDIA GeForce Now is getting 18 new games in June. Those include Jurassic World Evolution 3, Fatekeeper, GOALS, Gothic 1 Remake, NTE: Neverness to Everness, and more. If you are a Game Pass subscriber, you can also get new games soon: Persona 5 Royal, Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions, and more are coming to the service this month. Sumer Game Fest 2026 happened this week, where we saw plenty of new games, including Alien Isolation 2, Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3, Gen Atlas from the Shadow of the Colossus creator, a new Cuphead game in 8-bit style, a new expansion for Mafia: The Old Country, and more. Finally, here are this week's Weekend PC Game Deals, full of discounts and the latest freebies from the Epic Games Store. Other gaming news includes the following: God of War Laufey announced, introducing Kratos' wife as the new protagonist Ori studio's No Rest for the Wicked 1.0 release and console plans announced Microsoft launches Godot Sample to streamline Xbox PC game development on the engine Great deals to check Every week, we cover many deals on different hardware and software. The following discounts are still available, so check them out. You might find something you want or need. Samsung 990 PRO SSD 2TB NVMe - $389.99 | 39% off Sonos Sub 4 - Wireless Subwoofer - $759 | 16% off Logitech MX Creative Console - $159.99 | 20% off This link will take you to other issues of the Microsoft Weekly series. You can also support Neowin by registering for a free member account or subscribing for extra member benefits, along with an ad-free tier option.

  • Recent Achievements

    • Reacting Well
      X-No-file earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • One Month Later
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      JKR earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Rookie
      moog19 went up a rank
      Rookie

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      510
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      276
    3. 3
      Skyfrog
      75
    4. 4
      +Edouard
      71
    5. 5
      FloatingFatMan
      68
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!