Xbox's multiplatform pivot led to the successful release of multiple former console exclusives such as Starfield on other consoles, but it seems like the new company leadership is considering returning to console exclusives, so much so that “there are very, very big discussions internally” on the matter, according to what Windows Central's Jez Corden said during the latest episode of the Xbox Two podcast. The debate stems from a growing perception that consumers are consistently steered away from Xbox hardware because “all the games are on PlayStation.” Corden noted that while releasing games on competing consoles works well, as some games […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/xbox-considering-return-exclusives/

A privacy search engine called webXray conducted an audit of Microsoft, Meta, and Google web traffic, specifically checking for the presence of ad cookies that were dropped onto machines which had already…

In an ailing industry, Microsoft just surrendered to the inevitable by implementing across-the-board price hikes for its Surface laptops, enhancing the already-sizable competitive advantage that Apple's MacBooks continue to enjoy over their Surface counterparts. Apple's MacBook lineup expands its competitive lead as Microsoft implements an across-the-board price hike for Surface laptops Microsoft has just raised the prices of its Surface laptops within the Microsoft Store, with third-party retailers also expected to follow suit. After these ill-timed price hikes, Apple's comparative price advantage has become crystal-clear. For instance, the 12-inch Surface Pro now starts at $1,049, while the 13-inch M4 MacBook […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/apples-macbook-price-advantage-deepens-as-microsoft-goes-scorched-earth-on-surface-laptops-price-tags/

Yet another reliable rumor suggests Microsoft may lower the price of its Game Pass subscription service. Yesterday, we reported Jez Corden's claim that Microsoft may be considering dropping this year's new Call of Duty game from Game Pass. Today, The Verge's Tom Warren has shared the content of a leaked internal memo penned by new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma. According to Warren, Sharma made it clear to Xbox employees that there will have to be structural changes to Game Pass: Game Pass is central to gaming value on Xbox. It’s also clear that the current model isn’t the final […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/game-pass-price-drop-soon-leaked-memo/

It came as quite the surprise when Pete Hines left Bethesda. The company's long-time PR lead departed once Starfield hit the market, and it sounds like the merger with Microsoft played a major factor.

In a recent interview with Firezide Chat (via VGC), Hines said that it “it was really hard to walk away” and alluded to his retirement coming sooner than planned: “I think I’ve done everything I can do. This is not when I wanted it to end or how I wanted it to end, but that’s not really up to me.”

It sounds like Hines wasn't a fan of his new Microsoft colleagues, saying things like:

“That was the worst part. To join a place that I genuinely was a fan of and people there I genuinely held in high regard and esteem, and then to get there and see how it actually worked. To talk is something, right? But I’m very much about what is the follow up to that? Do you mean what you say?”

Ultimately, Hines thinks that Bethesda is now part of something “not authentic and not genuine”.

Since joining Microsoft, the wider Bethesda Publishing line-up of studios have suffered pretty hard with layoffs and several studio closures. Microsoft shook up the Xbox leadership team earlier this year and is now putting in place plans for its next-generation console.

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KitGuru Says: Xbox has new leadership now, so we will have to wait and see if things with its studios and game sales can turn around. 

Microsoft has begun removing Copilot AI branding and icons from the latest versions of Notepad and Snipping Tool in Windows 11. Following reports of negative user sentiment, the company has rebranded AI-driven features such as rewrite and summarise as “Writing tools” and paused the forced inclusion of AI buttons across its core application suite.

According to Windows Latest, the transition follows an update in March 2025 that initially integrated Copilot directly into Notepad for text summaries and rewrites. These integrations were generally not well received by users, leading to significant negative feedback about Microsoft pushing AI to users who didn't want it. The latest software revisions restore the standard appearance of these applications by removing the persistent Copilot icon.

Image credit: Windows Latest

Microsoft has confirmed that while the AI-assisted functionality remains accessible, features such as summarisation are now listed under a generic “Writing tools” menu. The company has also paused the mandatory deployment of Copilot buttons across all applications, citing minimal user interest in the forced integration. This adjustment occurs as Microsoft continues to manage approximately 80 different Copilot-related apps and services.

In addition to the UI changes, Microsoft is reportedly working on performance and security enhancements for Windows 11 that we expect to see being deployed on Insider builds in the near future.

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KitGuru says: Are you glad that Microsoft is changing its AI approach? 

Over its nearly 10 years of operation, Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass has undergone many different iterations. That said, throughout all of it, one standard which has remained true is the fact that first-party Microsoft titles would launch day-and-date onto the subscription service in conjunction with their wider releases. It seems as though this could come to an end however, with one insider claiming that future Call of Duty entries in particular could be exempt from day-one Game Pass launches.

As reported by known Xbox insider Jez Corden via the XB2 Podcast, the addition of Call of Duty to Game Pass as a day-one title could come to an end after just two years.

While its inclusion was certainly a boon to the service, reports over the past few years have indicated that sales for COD have taken a notable hit as a result of their Game Pass arrivals; adding up to the tune of $300 million in potential losses.

As a result, it appears as though the strategy might be shifting, with Corden claiming that “it’ll be interesting to see like if…if they take Call of Duty out of Game Pass this year, which is a possibility from what I’ve heard.”

Considering the fact that Call of Duty has historically been the best selling game of the year every year since 2009 (with only a few exceptions) the decision to include the annual titles onto Game Pass day-one was always somewhat of a gamble – a gamble which appears to not be paying off.

2026 is said to be a big year for Call of Duty, with Infinity Ward reportedly developing Modern Warfare 4 alongside an engine refresh, making for what should be a big jump up in technology compared to the past half-a-dozen releases.

Assuming this to be the case, it will be interesting to see how Microsoft will choose to spin this shift as a positive for current subscribers. We will have to wait and see.

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KitGuru says: What do you think of this latest claim? Would this be a big loss for Game Pass? How interested are you in a potential Modern Warfare 4? Let us know down below.

One of the most anticipated Xbox titles for quite a few years now has been Playground Games’ Fable, with the reboot of this classic RPG series first being announced all the way back in 2020 (though rumours of its existence had begun as early as 2018). After years of waiting, the team at Playground Games officially confirmed earlier this year that the title is set to launch sometime this Autumn. Unfortunately, according to insiders Fable may be getting one more final delay.

As reported by known industry insider Jeff Grubb (and transcribed by Idle Sloth), Playground Games’ highly-anticipated Fable Reboot could be pushed out of its previously-announced “Autumn” 2026 release window, claiming via the Game Mess Morning Show:

“I've heard that Fable has been pushed internally. That doesn't mean that it's coming out next year. Apparently they're still trying to get it out this year, but they are worried about the launch of GTA 6.”

Grubb continued, “If it's getting delayed beyond the release of GTA 6, that could push it into December, which might make it a prime candidate to get delayed into 2027.”

As mentioned by Grubb, the impending release of Grand Theft Auto VI will likely create a black hole of sorts within the industry, and so it makes sense for Playground Games / Xbox to try and avoid launching around the same time as Rockstar’s upcoming juggernaut.

All that said, considering the fact that it’s been over 8 years since rumours first popped up surrounding Fable (and half a decade since its initial announcement), potentially waiting a few more months shouldn’t be the end of the world.

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KitGuru says: How long have you been looking forward to Fable? Will it make it out this year? Let us know your thoughts down below.

Forza Horizon 6 is a little more than a month away from releasing on PC and Xbox Series X/S (with a PS5 version set to arrive later). With its May 19, 2026, release date quickly approaching, we're getting more looks at the coming racer, with recent previews from media outlets, and new gameplay footage showcased by developer Playground Games, which, unsurprisingly, is chock-full of some truly stunning visuals. The studio shared gameplay from the game's prologue in a new trailer, which seemingly just shows how you'll jump from one event to the next, similar to previous Forza Horizon entries, and […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/forza-horizon-6-gameplay-prologue-playground-games/

State of Decay 3 was announced all the way back in 2020 with a cinematic teaser trailer and little else. While not an uncommon practice in the video games space, the team at Undead Labs have now revealed that when the game was first shown off work on the title had barely begun, claiming that all they had was a simple “word document.”

Years on from its initial reveal trailer, Undead Labs’ State of Decay 3 is finally beginning to materialise, with sign-ups for the game’s technical alpha officially going live. Alongside this, the studio spoke to YouTube channel Sunny Games, discussing the past 6 years worth of development.

Regarding the game’s initial 2020 reveal trailer, Undead Labs Studio head Philip Holt revealed just how early they were in development at the time, stating:

“So that trailer, there really wasn’t a game or game team when we were working on that trailer, like, it was so early…You know, the game was in a Word document…It was really the very beginning of [the] software.”

According to Holt, the trailer was created by known CGI studio Blur, confirming that “it was all pre-rendered,” representing “a concept, our thoughts at the time of what might be cool to explore in State of Decay 3.”

Unfortunately, it seems as though a number of these concepts won’t be making their way into the final product, with one of the trailer’s most notable aspects – the addition of zombie animals – being canned, with Holt stating:

“As we’ve had a chance to build a team and get going on the game, some of those elements I think are gonna persist in the game that we deliver and some of those things are just, like, we’re not doing zombie animals.”

As mentioned, releasing CG trailers far ahead of a game’s actual launch is nothing new, but in the case of State of Decay 3 is it now quite clear that the project was announced way too early.

KitGuru says: Are you excited for State of Decay 3? Is the removal of zombie animals a big deal to you? Let us know down below.

Two and a half years on from its initial release on Xbox and PC, Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield is finally set to land on the PlayStation 5. Arriving tomorrow alongside the long-awaited Terran Armada DLC (and their ‘free lanes’ update), the team have detailed all of the various PS5 exclusive features being implemented – including creative use of the DualSense controller.

Taking to YouTube to release an ‘Official PS5 Features Trailer’ the team at BGS confirmed that Starfield will be making ample use of the DualSense controller’s unique hardware, with the Adaptive Triggers adding “physical resistance and feedback to the L2 and R2 buttons” depending on the weapons you are using (both on the ground and during ship combat).

Though technically a hardware feature which stretches as far back as the PS4, Starfield will also make use of the DualSense’s light bar; shifting colour “to match your health on the ground or your starship’s status in space”. While not the most transformative of additions, it is welcome to see and does lend itself towards an added sense of immersion.

One hardware feature which has been woefully underutilised in the past is the PlayStation’s trackpad. Starfield seems to be making full use of it however, with a left press switching camera perspectives; a right press opening the map; a right hold activating the scanner and various swipes across the trackpad opening different menus such as your Inventory, Missions, and Skills.

Last but not least, Starfield on PS5 will also offer the option to play all audio logs and intercom chatter through the DualSense’s speaker “pulling you deeper into life among the stars.”

Those who own a PS5 Pro will of course also benefit from the use of PlayStation’s Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) upscaler across both its 30fps Quality and 60fps Performance mode. Unfortunately, there was no mention of a 40fps Balanced mode, and so we will have to wait until tomorrow to find out whether such an option is included.

Regardless, given the fact that Starfield started its life as an Xbox console exclusive, it is encouraging to see the first-party Xbox-aligned studio seemingly taking full advantage of the PlayStation 5 and its unique hardware features.

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KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to Starfield on PS5? Do you care about the DualSense’s various hardware features? Has Bethesda sold you on Starfield in 2026? Let us know down below.