With a little less than a week out from Christmas in the US, Microsoft is once again reminding folks that it has several deals on hardware and software available for last-minute stocking stuffers.

As we shift into the final days of the holiday shopping season, it’s not too late to find great deals on your favorite Surface devices, Xbox games and consoles, accessories and more. In fact, “Super Saturday,” the Saturday before Christmas which this year falls on Dec. 21, has become one of the biggest shopping days of the year. This year, 62% of U.S. shoppers plan to shop on Super Saturday, according to the NRF. The good news for all you last-minute shoppers: it’s not too late to find great savings at Microsoft Store and microsoft.com.

Microsoft’s Super Saturday deals list consists of Surface Pro 7 & X bundles, various Xbox One offerings, discounts on HP, Dell and Razer laptops, as well as a myriad of savings on headphones, smartphones, and games.

Surface

• Starting at $599, the new Surface Pro 7 + Type Cover Bundles (save up to $330, offer ends Dec. 29)
• Save $300 on select new Surface Laptop 3, starting at $999 (offer ends Dec. 29)
• Save up to $700 on select Surface Book 2 (offer runs Dec. 20-22)
• Save $320 on Surface Pro X (8/256) + Keyboard + Pen, now $1249 (offer ends Dec. 24)
• Save $130 on Surface Go (8/128) + Type Cover, now $549 (offer ends Dec. 29)

Xbox

• Save $100 on Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, now $149 (offer ends Dec. 25)
• Save $150 on Xbox One X consoles + free controller, now $349 (offer ends Dec. 31; controller offer ends Dec. 22)
• Save $100 on select Xbox One S, now $199 (offer ends Dec. 25)
• Save $30 on Turtle Beach Stealth 700 (offer ends Dec. 29)
• Save $100 on Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 (offer ends Dec. 29)

PC

• Save up to $500 on select PCs and gaming devices, starting at $399 (offer ends Jan. 2)
• Save $300 on the Razer Blade Stealth 13, now $1499 (offer ends Dec. 31)
• Save $210 on the HP Envy x360 13, now $549.99 (offer ends Dec. 31)
• Save $100 on the Dell 24 Touch Monitor – P2418HT (offer ends Jan. 3)

Connected Life

• Save on Bose audio with $70 off Bose QuietComfort 35 II Wireless Headphones, $30 off Bose Soundlink Micro Speaker, and more (offer ends Dec. 30)
• Save $200 on Samsung Note10/10+ plus get a free wireless charger (offer ends Jan. 5)

Perhaps, even better than snagging those last-minute items for friends and loved ones is finally treating yourself with a gift and Microsoft’s Super Saturday extends the savings day beyond just the upcoming weekend as well as extending the return window for items purchased through December 31, 2019, until January 31, 2020.

Microsoft has acknowledged an issue with its Outlook.com webmail, with many users being unable to log into their outlook.com, live.com or hotmail.com mailboxes. If you’re affected, you may encounter the following message: “There was an issue looking up your account. Tap Next to try again.”

We're investigating an issue in which some users may be unable to access their https://t.co/ZUfyjsZv4k, https://t.co/dK4dtmrPhL or https://t.co/GE0RkePwEO mailboxes. Additional details can be found at https://t.co/nEuSQaJn6B.

— Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) December 19, 2019

According to data from Downdetector, the issue seems to be mostly affecting users in Europe and the US. We currently don’t have any issues logging into our own Outlook.com email inboxes, so your mileage may vary.

On its Service Health website, Microsoft currently indicates that it has taken some measures to restore the service. “Our analysis indicates that a portion of infrastructure responsible for authentication appears to be operating in a degraded state. We’re removing the affected systems from rotation and rerouting the impacted traffic to mitigate impact,” the company explained.

We invite you to bookmark this page for additional updates from Microsoft, but we’ll also update this post once Outlook.com is fully restored.

Update 10:20 AM PT: Outlook.com is now back up and running according to Microsoft. “We redirected the impacted traffic to alternate systems and confirmed that service has been restored,” the company indicated on Twitter.

Microsoft has a trio of games that are available to play for free for those who are subscribed to Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass Ultimate this weekend. Starting today until Sunday, December 22, users will be able to play SEGA’s turn-based strategy RPG Valkyria Chronicles 4 and their Japanese puzzle game Puyo Puyo champions, as well as the widely popular Goat Simulator.

The games will only be available during the limited trial run, so if you want to continue playing after the weekend, you’ll need to buy them, although Goat Simulator will continue to be available for those with either Xbox Game Pass for consoles or Game Pass Ultimate. Luckily, all three games are also on sale: Valkyria Chronicles 4 is half off, which brings the Standard and Ultimate editions of the game to $15 and $25, respectively. Puyo Puyo Champions is also just $40, and Goat Simulator can be owned for a mere $2.50, all exclusively for Gold members.

Any any case, this is the perfect chance to try some new games, or perhaps share these games with a friend who is also subscribed to Xbox Life Gold or gets it though Game Pass Ultimate.

Which game(s) will you be playing over the weekend? Let us know what you think in the comments area below.

Download
QR-Code

Valkyria Chronicles 4

Developer:
SEGA

Price:
$5.99

Download
QR-Code

Puyo Puyo Champions

Developer:
SEGA

Price:
$1.99

Download
QR-Code

Goat Simulator

Developer:
Double Eleven Limited

Price:
Free

Microsoft is aiming to launch its Windows Terminal application in the first half of next year, or potentially “around February/March” according to its blog post. The new app, which is currently available on the Microsoft Store as a preview, combines the Command Prompt, PowerShell, Windows Subsystem for Linux, and the Security Shell into a single command-line interface for Windows 10.

Microsoft has been putting effort into the preview version of Windows Terminal. The company has added accessibility support, dynamic profiles, many bug fixes, and more recently multiple panes and tab organization.

Being able to manage all command lines into a single interface will allow developers to better keep their work organized for increased efficiency. Microsoft has chosen to make the app’s code available open source on GitHub, and is also taking suggestions from users before its full release next year.

The company will continue to release preview builds each month for individuals to test and provide feedback on before polishing and providing performance improvements ahead of the launch of version 1.0.

What do you think of the Windows Terminal so far? Are there any features or improvements you’d like to see before its official release?

If you missed the Xbox Black Friday Sale last month, Microsoft is once again discounting tons of Xbox games during the Xbox Countdown Sale, which kicked off today and will last through January 2, 2020. More than 500 Xbox One and Xbox 360 games are currently on sale, and Xbox Live Gold members can take advantage of bonus discounts on almost titles.

We’ve highlighted below some of the most interesting discounted games released since the end of last year, be aware that prices don’t take into account the additional discounts for Xbox Live Gold members:

• A Plague Tale: Innocence – $29.99 (40% off)
• Borderlands 3 – $38.99 ($35% off)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – $44.99 (25% off)
• Destiny 2: Shadowkeep – $24.49 (30% off)
• Devil May Cry 5 – $23.99 (60% off)
• FIFA 20 – $35.99 (40% off)
• Gears 5 – $29.99 (50% off)
• Kingdom Hearts III – $23.99 (60% off)
• Life is Strange 2 – Complete Season – $23.99 (40% off)
• Madden NFL 2020 – $41.99 (30% off)
• Metro Exodus Gold Edition – $50.99 (40% off)
• Monster Hunter World: Iceborne – $29.99 (25% off)
• Mortal Kombat 11 – $29.99 (50% off)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 – $35.99 (40% off)
• Resident Evil 2 – $19.79 (67% off)
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – $44.99 (25% off)
• Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order – $53.99 (10% off)
• The Outer Worlds – $44.99 (25% off)
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 – $17.99 (70% off)

Some games we listed above including Gears 5, Devil May Cry 5, Life is Strange 2, Metro Exodus, or The Outer Worlds are also available for free with Xbox Game Pass. If you have yet to subscribe, we remind you that you can still get 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for just $1 ($45 value), which is an amazing deal.

The Crash + Spyro Triple Play Bundle is now live and available to play on all of Microsoft’s Xbox One consoles.

While this bundle does include three main titles, hence the Triple in the title, the Crash + Spyro Triple Play Bundle actually contains seven video games due to Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy featuring three titles and Spyro Reignited Trilogy containing another three.

The Crash + Spyro Triple Play Bundle retails for $99 which is rather good value for the amount of content contained in it. Given its release so close to Christmas, this could make for a pretty good family-friendly present for the household’s resident gamer.

Here’s the full game description, trailers, and shopping link:

Get seven full games in one amazing package with the Crash + Spyro Triple Play Bundle.
Includes:

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy:

Take on the epic challenges through the three games that started it all, Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot: Warped. Relive all your favorite moments in their fully-remastered glory.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy:

Rekindle the fire with Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! and Spyro: Year of the Dragon. Same sick burns, same smoldering attitude, now fully remastered and all scaled up.

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled:

It’s the authentic CTR experience plus a whole lot more, now fully-remastered and revved up. Start your engines with the original game modes, characters and tracks. Race to glory with additional characters, karts, tracks and arenas from beyond CTR. Crash the competition with online play.

Are you a fan of the Spyro and Crash video game franchises? Share your favorite with the community in the comments below and then follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter for more Xbox gaming content.

Download
QR-Code

Crash™ + Spyro™ Triple Play Bundle

Developer:
Activision

Price:
$39.99

Microsoft today, December 17, announced the release of the latest update for the Edge Dev channel. Coming in at version 80.0.361.5, this release is the final for version 80, and will eventually become the candidate for the next Beta channel update. Also the final Dev channel update for the year, the build introduces native ARM64 support, Dolby Vision playback as well as some new reliability improvements.

We’ll be starting first with the new features and reliability improvements. Importantly, Microsoft is now bringing native ARM64 support to the Dev channel today, with the caveat of certain DRM video on websites not playing properly. As you may recall, ARM users only previously had access to a native version in the Canary channel.

On top that is new support for Dolby Vision playback and a new ability for users of Windows Mixed Reality to view 360° videos on VR headsets. The reliability has also been improved for when opening PDFs, and using the Collections feature. Have a look below for the full list of changes:

• Fixed an issue where clicking on the Feedback button crashes the browser
• Fixed a crash when closing the browser.
• Fixed an issue where typing passwords into password fields sometimes causes a tab crash.
• Fixed a crash when playing the Surf game.
• Fixed an issue where certain websites don’t load properly.
• Fixed an issue where Netflix playback fails for certain videos with error D7381.

In the changelog of today’s release, Microsoft’s Josh Bodner also teased some new features coming ahead in the new year once new releases resume. These include a new “pinning wizard” which will appear in the Task Bar and suggest for you to pin the most frequently visited websites. Here are some other new features coming soon.

• For users of high contrast themes in Windows, Edge now supports high contrast themes as well! It will follow the theme you’ve chosen in the OS Settings and brings us back to parity with the support offered in Edge Legacy.
• And for users of Immersive Reader (formerly known as Reading View), we’ve greatly expanded the number of color themes you can choose from. Many of these are specially designed to reduce eye strain and increase reading comprehension.

Microsoft also reminds users that in this release, favorites sync will be disabled by default. It is recommended for you to manually export favorites as a file, and import them manually. The company says it is working on on a deduplication mechanism once favorites sync is re-enabled, which should prevent new duplicates from coming in. You can check below for some new known issues and changed behaviors, and check out the full list here.

• Navigation in new tabs sometimes fails, either showing an error that the connection is closed, or crashing the tab. In some cases, subsequent navigations in the tab are okay.
• After an initial fix for it recently, some users are still experiencing Edge windows becoming all black. UI popups like menus are not affected, and opening the Browser Task Manager (keyboard shortcut is shift+esc) and killing the GPU process fixes it.
• Highlighting text in the address bar then clicking on webpages sometimes causes black-on-dark text when the browser is in Dark Theme.
• ixed an issue where the search engine can’t be edited because the Save button doesn’t work.
  Fixed an issue where the current display language can be removed from Edge even though it shouldn’t be.
• Fixed an issue where Edge installations on Azure Active Directory domain-joined machines get signed into the wrong account on first run.
• Fixed an issue where some webpages aren’t able to be translated, and instead show an error saying that the source language and target language are the same.

In related news, the Microsoft Chredge browser will officially be coming out of beta next month on January 15. Microsoft will also be shipping out the browser through Windows Update to all users running the Windows 10 April 2018 update or newer.

Microsoft has been promising changes to the Windows Insider program, and we’re starting to see some details of what will be different in 2020. Last month, the company announced that it was eliminating the Skip Ahead Ring, and now more news came out yesterday, with news of a new direction for the Fast Ring.

Basically, now instead of the Fast Ring being tied to a specific release, it will be used to test new features from the “Active Development Branch.” Fast Ring Insiders will still be testing the latest features (even more so now with the demise of Skip Ahead), but these features won’t necessarily be tied to a specific release. In other words, next year’s Fast Ring won’t be “20H2,”, or even “21H1.” Instead it will include features in testing, features that may or may not even make it to future releases.

So how is that different than what we’ve seen in the past? Features have come and gone from Insider builds before, and been announced as “coming in a future release.” Zac Bowden has some interesting information on why Microsoft might be making this move:

According to sources, many of the changes coming into play also tie into Windows 10X. Since Windows 10X will only be available on new devices, Microsoft can’t test it with Insiders. What it can do, however, is test specific features built for Windows 10X on desktop builds. Now that the Fast ring isn’t tied to any particular release, Microsoft can essentially use it as an experimental ring for features that aren’t intended to ever ship on desktop.

The Windows 10X angle is significant. Microsoft isn’t going to be able to pull off a “Windows 10X Insider Program,” these devices simply don’t yet exist (aside from a few internal test machines), and even when they do, there won’t be time or scope for testing. But with a Fast Ring capability to test out some of the new features of 10X before these dual screen devices launch next holiday season, Microsoft can move ahead with putting the finishing touches on Windows 10X without too many surprises.

Will Fast Ring Insiders test the new Start Menu, or other UI features coming with Windows 10X? Introducing a new sleek Start Menu and then pulling it away seems like a recipe for disappointment. It’s a bit of a conundrum: if Windows 10X features can work in testing on Windows 10 machines, then why not release them to Windows 10, instead of tying them to dual screen devices, as Microsoft has said it will do? We’ll have to wait and see, but at least Windows Insider builds in 2020 should be interesting!

In addition, although they’re not yet saying it publicly (so much for transparency!), Microsoft appears to be ready to stick to a major/minor release schedule for Windows 10. Mary Jo Foley has more:

I’m hearing from my contacts that Microsoft actually has decided already to adhere to the same major/minor release schedule in 2020 that it has used in 2019. That means Windows 10 20H1 is considered a “major” Windows 10 feature update, but 20H2 will be a very minor one that will look and act like a Cumulative Update when it is released in the fall of 2020. Microsoft’s blog post today asserts that the company may or may not pursue this path.

Windows Insiders have been testing the next “major” release, 20H1 for a year, and according to reports it’s nearly ready, but not slated for release until Spring of 2020. This new Fast Ring system could allow developers to get early feedback on potential 21H1 features, and spread them out over time, without preparing a full 21H1 build for testing and then having to sit on it, as we are with 20H1 now for months between RTM and launch.

Should we expect features to pop in and out of next year’s Fast Ring willy-nilly? My guess is probably not, although there may be some of that with Windows 10X features. Will we see very early glimpses at important new changes coming to Windows 10? Again, probably not, for as much as Microsoft likes to tout their transparency, there are still competitive advantage issues to deal with: Microsoft won’t want to give away its hand too early. For the most part, the new Fast Ring allows Microsoft to test Windows 10X with no promises that these features will come to Windows 10, cleans up the long lag time between testing for major vs. minor release cycles, and allows the company to pull back on new feature ideas that don’t resonate with Windows Insiders (think Paint 3D, etc.). Think of the new Fast Ring as Fast Ring with tweaks, rather than a whole new way of working.

Microsoft is adding four new games to the Xbox Game Pass library for consoles this week. Available today is the Untitled Goose Game that was recently announced for Xbox One and PS4, so subscribers will be able to play it immediately without an additional purchase.

Starting on Thursday, December 19, three additional games will also be available on Game Pass for consoles. Perhaps the most surprising of the titles announced is episode 5 of Life is Strange 2, which was released earlier this month. The company previously revealed that new episodes would be available on Game Pass three months after their initial releases.

Also available on Thursday are a couple of role-playing games from 2015—The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, an open-world RPG with enhanced visuals perfect for the Xbox One X, as well as Pillars of Eternity, a fantasy RPG from Paradox Interactive.

Microsoft has been working hard to push its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription service in recent months. The company recently added more than fifty games last month, and is still offering three months for just $1 for new subscribers.

Download
QR-Code

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Developer:
Microsoft Corporation

Price:
$1.00

What do you think about these new games? Which one are you most excited for? Feel free to drop a comment down below.

It’s taken a few years but Star Wars characters have finally been added to the free-to-play Disney Magic Kingdoms video game on Windows 10, iOS, and Android devices.

As part of today’s update, a new Galaxy’s Edge-inspired land area has been added to the bottom of players’ theme parks and C3P0 and R2D2 have been added as permanent game characters. In two days, a special limited time event for The Rise of Skywalker will begin which will give everyone the opportunity to unlock Finn, Poe, Rey, BB-8, Kylo Ren, General Hux, and a First Order Stormtrooper.

Note that R2D2, BB-8, and the Stormtrooper are premium characters that need to be unlocked with gems.

In addition to the new area and characters, several Star Wars rides have also been added, as have several concession stands which will allow park visitors to obtain lightsabers.

Here’s the short release notes for this update:

A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY HAS ARRIVED!

STAR WARS™ content arrives in Disney Magic Kingdoms as the biggest update of the year. Collect STAR WARS characters and expand your Kingdom with a new STAR WARS themed land!

THE RESISTANCE NEEDS YOU!

Join Rey, Finn, Poe and BB-8 in their fight against the First Order—Kylo Ren’s forces are regrouping and the Resistance needs your help! Just in time for STAR WARS™: The Rise of Skywalker, don’t miss this limited-time event starting on December 19, 2019!

Disney Magic Kingdoms is a theme park simulation game based on the real-world Disney theme parks. The game is completely free to play and updates on a very regular basis with new characters and other content from Disney properties. It also continues to work on Windows phones running Windows 10 Mobile.

Disney Magic Kingdoms isn’t the only video game getting new Star Wars content this month. Both Fortnite and Star Wars Battlefront II have each received updates inspired by The Rise of Skywalker to help promote the new movie.

Do you play Disney Magic Kingdoms? Let us know if you’re happy to see Star Wars content in the game in the comments below and then like us on Facebook for more Windows 10 gaming news.

Download
QR-Code

Disney Magic Kingdoms

Developer:
Gameloft SE

Price:
Free

The Windows 10 Microsoft Whiteboard app updated this week with some improvements for the user inking experience.

Among the improvements are a smaller pen size, thicker highlights, a color picker, and visual improvements for some languages.

Here’s the full release notes:

This release has updates that will help you manage your ink

• Step up your color-coding game using the ink color picker. Select some ink and hit the color palette button to change the ink color.
• The smallest pen size is now thinner, making it easier to write small.
• Highlighter sizes are now thicker, making it easier to highlight your notes.
• Ink beautification improvements for several languages including German, Spanish, and Dutch.
• More bug fixes and improvements!

Do you use Microsoft Whiteboard on your Windows 10 device? Let us know which of the above improvements you appreciate the most on the comments below and then follow us on Twitter for more Windows 10 app news.

Download
QR-Code

Microsoft Whiteboard

Developer:
Microsoft Corporation

Price:
Free

Despite arguably having its finger on the pulse of next-generation gaming and ticking most of the boxes gamers have been clamoring for, Microsoft still found a way to muff up an aspect of its upcoming console release by tossing out a new naming convention that left many fans initially scratching their heads.

Last week during The Game Awards, Microsoft unveiled the name of its Project Scarlett next-gen console, dubbed Xbox Series X, to which the internet offered a collective “what?”

Perhaps, now that the dust has settled, the meme machines have cooled, and the internet has had its fun, executives within Microsoft are now out in force attempting to redirect the narrative it seems.

According to a report from Business Insider (France), Microsoft intends for fans and customers to refer to the upcoming Xbox Series X as simply Xbox. Last week’s name reveal was set as a marker to “help” buyers differentiate between the umbrella gaming experience in which Xbox Series X represents and the top-tier feature sets that will come with new versions of the consoles.

Microsoft seems to want to draw a divide between tiers of offerings down the road, similar to Apple and its iPad, where the iPad Pro represents a tablet with the company’s best feature sets and its Air or Mini offer fewer and different features.

Microsoft is using the Xbox Series X title to help broaden gamers’ view of the family of consoles and experiences.

Similar to what fans have seen with previous generations, the name ‘Xbox Series X’ allows room for additional consoles in the future, the Microsoft rep told Business Insider.

From an early interpretation of Microsoft’s new rebranding effort, it appears the company is setting the stage for a refresh in naming that could see separate upcoming consoles identified in groupings based on features, hardware specs, and compatibility.

Presumably, the Xbox Series X will represent a top tier model of the Xbox console being offered at the time like the One X, and eventually a Series S like the One S and maybe even a Series C designed specifically for xCloud gaming.

At the end of the day, Microsoft’s Xbox naming may not be as streamlined a Sony’s Playstation + version number, but at least the company appears to be ironing out a plan for future console releases that should help customers identify the best value proposition for each potential purchase.

Microsoft is improving its Windows Search Bar and Windows 10 with a new Bing Visual Search feature that is now rolling out to users in the US. This feature will allow Windows Search users running the Windows 10 May 2019 Update or newer to search the web using a screenshot, with the Bing-powered Windows Search surfacing similar items or shopping suggestions.

Bing Visual Search has its own dedicated button in the bottom right corner of the Windows Search window, and clicking it will bring up the Windows 10 snipping tool. You can see how it works in the GIF below:

“We found people also wanted to search with screenshots, so we brought searching with screen snips to the Windows search bar,” says Nektarios Ioannides, Bing Image Search lead. Microsoft has already built similar visual search features in other places such as the Windows 10 Photos App, Microsoft Edge, the Bing App, the Microsoft Launcher on Android phones. Bringing Bing Visual Search to Windows Search seems like a welcome addition, and the tool can actually identify celebrities, landmarks, animals, as well as text in images.

It was just earlier this year that Microsoft finally separated Windows Search from Cortana in the Windows 10 May 2019 Update. “This will enable each experience to innovate independently to best serve their target audiences and use cases,” the company explained in a blog post for Windows Insiders. It’s nice that we’re now starting to see the results of these changes, though if you’re not in the US the company says that Bing Visual Search in Windows Search will be available soon in other international markets.