Microsoft’s Xbox One consoles are getting support for one more digital assistant today. Following the launch of the Xbox skill for Alexa and Cortana last Fall, the Redmond giant has just announced the availability of the Xbox Action for the Google Assistant.

This new capability is currently available in beta to all customers using the Assistant in English. The new Xbox Action for the Google Assistant will work on all Home-enabled devices from Google, but the Google Assistant apps for iOS and Android will work just as well. You’ll also need the Google Home app for iOS and Android to get started with the beta:

Here are the steps you’ll have to follow to get started:

• Join our Google Group with the Google Account you intend to use
• Sign into your Xbox
• In the Google Home app for iOS or Android:
• Tap “+ Add”
• Tap “Set up device”
• Tap “Have something already set up?”
• Search for and select “[beta] Xbox”
• Sign in with the Microsoft account you use on Xbox
• Follow the instructions to link your Xbox and give it a device name

When you have connected to Google Assistant to your Xbox One, you’ll be able to use voice commands to turn your console on and off, launch games, apps, and videos, control music or video playback, and much more. You can find below a couple of voice commands you can try today:

On October 2 (next Wednesday), Microsoft will be holding a media event in New York City. For the first time since 2017, the event will be live-streamed. We’ll also be in attendance, bringing you all the latest news direct from the floor of the venue in the West Side of Manhattan.

However, in the lead up to the event, there has been plenty of talk on what Microsoft could have in store for Surface fans. There’s a lot to think about, but we’ve gathered up all the rumors for you in a single post. From Surface Pro 7, Surface Centaurus, Windows Core OS, and more, here’s a look at what we expect, and don’t expect to be revealed at Microsoft’ October 2 event.

Most likely to be announced

Surface Pro 7

Last year, Microsoft took the wraps off the Surface Pro 6 at a similar media event in New York City, but it was not live-streamed for all to see. The Surface Pro 6 was more of a minor upgrade, without any major design changes, but this year, we’re expecting something different — the Surface Pro 7.

Rumors have indicated that Microsoft could be releasing three different models of the Surface Pro 7. It’s been said that the entry-level model could feature an Intel Core i3 processor and 4GB RAM. Other leaks have indicated that the Surface Pro 7 could be powered by Intel Ice Lake CPUs, which were just announced a few months ago.

Elsewhere, the Surface Pro 7 could come with a new Surface Pen that supports wireless charging. Other talks include USB-C replacing Surface Connect, and perhaps a Surface Pro 7 featuring a custom-designed ARM processor. Codenamed as Excalibur, that ARM-based Surface could be a first for Microsoft.

More details about Windows 10 19H2 and 20H1

Surface events are not always about hardware, as the last live-streamed Surface event in May 2017 saw many mentions of Windows 10, Office 365, and more.

Well, since the launch of the Windows 10 May 2019 Update, Microsoft has changed the way major featured updates are rolled out. It appears as though major Windows 10 updates are only released once a year, with a big release in the Spring, followed by a minor release with bug fixes in the Fall.

That said, we expect that Microsoft could explain this a bit more during its October 2 event. We could get a recap of all the features introduced in the May 2019 Update, and a look at what’s to come in the 19H2 and 20H1 updates.

Of course, Microsoft could also give the 19H2 update an official launch date and name. We also could hear the company discuss its Chromium-based Edge browser, and perhaps give it an official release date alongside.

Additionally, since Windows Insiders have been testing the 20H1 update for months now, Microsoft could perhaps mention it one way or another during the October 2 event. We might hear them recap the features, and surprise with an announcement of anything new to come in the release — but that’s just speculation.

Surface Laptop 3

Right with the Surface Pro 7, it is very likely that Microsoft could talk about its other Surface products. One of those happens to the Surface Laptop 3, the follow up to last year’s Surface Laptop 2. Based on rumors, and the fact that Microsoft’s stock of last year’s Surface Laptop 2 is now sold out, we expect that there could perhaps be two different versions of the Surface Laptop 3.

A 13-inch Intel version and a 15-inch AMD version could both be released. It has been said that the AMD version could come in up to six variants. One of those could feature an Octa-core CPU, and maybe a dedicated graphics card, which could bring the Surface Laptop closer to the MacBook Pro.

Surface Go 2

The $400 Surface Go was Microsoft’s little surprise to take on Apple’s iPad and the education market. It hasn’t seen an update since it was announced in July 2018, so it’s likely that we could hear a bit more about it during the October 2 event.  Current models sport an underpowered Intel Pentium Gold CPU, but rumors show that a refreshed version of the device might sport an Intel Core m3 inside.

Could be announced

Surface Book 3

The final member of the Surface family is the Surface Book 3. Although it went under the radar, the Surface Book lineup last received a refresh with new quad-core Intel Core i5 processors in April. That was an exception, as all these other Surface devices have been stuck on a refreshed version of of the 8th Gen Intel Kaby Lake CPUs.

Still, there hasn’t been much talk about the Surface Book when compared to the Surface Laptop or Surface Pro. We’re assuming it could be getting a minor upgrade. The CPUs inside could see the bump to 10th gen Ice Lake, and perhaps Microsoft could stuff a newer Nvidia GTX 1650 or RTX 2060 GPU inside the 15-inch versions of the Surface Book.

Dual-Screen Surface Centarus?

Microsoft’s dual-screen PC, codenamed Surface Centaurus. has been one of the company’s best, but also worst kept-secrets. There have been plenty of rumors around it. Patents and LinkedIn job listings have revealed the work around the device. However, Microsoft has remained quiet and has never officially acknowledged the device at all.

So, judging that we know employees at the company have seen Centauraus, we’re assuming it could make an appearance during the October 2 event. Additionally, this is the first *major* Surface event since 2017. With the company teasing “experiences” in the event invite, that makes it a major chance for Microsoft to tease or reveal Centaurus in front of the world to see.

It might not be an official reveal or the highlight of the event, but we’re assuming that Microsoft will mention Centaurus one way or another.

Windows Core OS?

If Microsoft were to reveal Surface Centaurus, it would need an operating system for it. Windows 10 isn’t optimized for dual-screen PCs, so the answer would have to be Windows Core OS.

Given that rumors show variants of Core OS powers both HoloLens 2 and the Surface Hub 2X, Microsoft could talk more about it during this October 2 event. We know HoloLens 2 is coming in September, and Surface Hub 2X next year, but we could perhaps get a demo of Core OS on a dual-screen device. That could finally give us a peek at the modularity of the operating system. It could likely include the new start menu and taskbar, for which a recent Windows Insider build leaked.

Teams for Life, Microsoft 365 for consumers, and new Surface accessories?

Surface Laptop, Pro, Book 3, Windows, and Surface Centaurus are not the only things we think might be discussed during the October 2 event. Based on patents and FCC filings, we might also see a new smart speaker from Microsoft, as well as a new Surface Keyboard and Mouse. Of course, there could also be updates to the Surface Headphones, which just launched last year — perhaps a version similar to Apple earpods.

Given that it’s been indicated that the line between Microsoft subscriptions is blurring, we also think that Microsoft could introduce a version of its Microsoft 365 subscription for consumers. This could tie in with “Teams for Life,” a version of Microsoft Teams that was shown off internally at the company. It could extend the chat functionality beyond enterprise and business, allowing general consumers to keep in touch with family and friends, as they would with a standard chat app.

We’ll be on the ground in New York City and will be covering the event live. So, be sure to keep it locked right here to OnMSFT for all the latest news and information.

Seemingly in homage to former CEO Steve Ballmer’s infamous “Developers! Developers! Developers!” keynote chant, Microsoft seems to be repeatedly beating the drum of cloud protections through a “Security! Security! Security!” typed of mindset as of late.

To that end, Microsoft announced earlier this week that Azure Sentinel, the company’s cloud-native SIEM is now generally available.  Azure Sentinel represents Microsoft’s intelligent security analytics platform designed for scale at a cloud-level and specifically targetting various sized enterprises and workloads.

Recent research tells us that 70 percent of organizations continue to anchor their security analytics and operations with SIEM systems, and 82 percent are committed to moving large volumes of applications and workloads to the public cloud. Security analytics and operations technologies must lean in and help security analysts deal with the complexity, pace, and scale of their responsibilities. To accomplish this, 65 percent of organizations are leveraging new technologies for process automation/orchestration, while 51 percent are adopting security analytics tools featuring machine learning algorithms. This is exactly why we developed Azure Sentinel—an SIEM re-invented in the cloud to address the modern challenges of security analytics.

In cultivating Azure Sentinel, Microsoft worked with partners to gain feedback from over 12,000 customers and two petabytes of data analysis to create a solution that empowers customers to defend their infrastructures with more efficiently.

In a new blog added to Microsoft Security, the company shares details about how successful some of its partners have already become successful with their own anecdotes of Azure Sentinel usage.

With these design partners, we’ve continued our innovation in Azure Sentinel. It starts from the ability to connect to any data source, whether in Azure or on-premises or even other clouds. We continue to add new connectors to different sources and more machine learning-based detections. Azure Sentinel will also integrate with Azure Lighthouse service, which will enable service providers and enterprise customers with the ability to view Azure Sentinel instances across different tenants in Azure.

For now, Azure Sentinel is in public preview and in general availability for anyone in charge of their company’s more traditional SIEM’s while also looking for a more cost-effective solution. For anyone still up in the air about Azure Sentinel, Microsoft will be hosting an Azure Security Expert Series tomorrow September 26, 2019, from 10-11 AM Pacific Time and signs are here.

Microsoft is pushing out new features to Office 365, primarily PowerPoint, giving users more tools to help them with their presentations. Probably one of the most useful is what Microsoft is touting as “Presenter Coach”, a tool that was announced last month and is currently in public preview. It improves publish speaking skills by providing feedback on reversion in areas such as filler words and speech pacing. Microsoft is rolling the feature out to English speakers first, but promises to “add new capabilities and improve performance in the coming months.”

PowerPoint in Office for the web is also gaining Inking capabilities, allowing users to add annotations to their slides in real time. The new feature lets individuals to animate process flows and diagrams in Slide Show, allowing them to interpret ideas in a more effective way.

Microsoft is also bringing templates to the Whiteboard app for desktop and iOS devices, including those used for brainstorming, KANBAN sprint planning, SWOT analysis, project planning, learning, and others. The templates are currently in public preview for users on Windows 10, but will make its way to iOS and iPadOS devices “within a few days.”

Microsoft has also added 23 education-based 3D models created by Lifeliqe to Office as well, allowing teachers and students to use them within Powerpoint presentations. These models are available now to Office 365 subscribers in Windows now, although no word has been provided on them coming to other platforms.

What do you think of these new features? What else do you think Microsoft can do to improve its Office 365 services? Let us know what you think in the comments area below.

Microsoft released yesterday a new preview of Windows Terminal, the new command-line tool that it introduced at its Build developer conference earlier this year. Windows Terminal Preview 1909, now available on both the Microsoft Store and GitHub, introduces many new features including support for the new Cascadia Code monospaced font that Microsoft is developing along Windows Terminal.

Other new additions in this latest release include a Settings Schema providing auto-fill suggestions when editing your profiles.json file, Stylus selection support, as well as a new “closeWindow” key binding option for the Terminal. This latest preview also includes a fix for a bug causing the app to sometimes crash when copying items, and you’ll see that copying text from the Terminal will now respect newline characters.

Microsoft plans to have a feature complete version Windows Terminal by the end of the year. Windows Terminal 1.0 is expected to be released in April 2020, and the team plans to release updates every four weeks once the app goes out of preview. You can learn more about all the features planned for Windows Terminal 1.0 on GitHub.

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Everyone remembers their first Surface, and for me, that was the Surface RT. I carried it as a daily driver for two years of community college. I then traded up to a newer Surface 3. Eventually, I finally upgraded to the Surface Pro 4 when I headed to a four-year school to study Journalism, and landed my job here at OnMSFT.

Well, it wasn’t a first only for me. The Surface RT was also part of Microsoft’s first venture into PC hardware. At a time when OEMs like Dell were known for making the best laptops, it was unexpected for Microsoft to launch its own device.

Though Surface RT flopped and never sold well — and caused big internal shakeups at Microsoft — it marked a big moment for the company. With iPads being dominant, Microsoft was looking to ship an operating system and device that satisfies the needs of both desktop and tablet users.

That’s part of the reason why RT flopped, but it’s also why there were many lessons learned — and why the Surface lineup is where it is at today.

Now, over four years later, and the week before a Surface event, I dug up my Surface RT from my closet, and feel the need to talk about it in retrospect. This little device really started a revolution at Microsoft.

The kickstand

To begin, I’ll mention the thing that started it all — the kickstand. It’s something that Microsoft really played up when it first marketed the Surface. You might recall it, but a commercial for Surface RT featured dancers snapping the keyboard into the device, and pulling the kickstand up and down to the tunes of a very catchy rhythm.

So, yeah, we get it. Surface RT features a kickstand that makes using the tablet on a lap easy and without the need for a case. But, compared to modern Surface devices, I see a big difference and evolution here.

The kickstand on the RT is really thin and fragile. As I pull it, I feel like it can bend. It also only opens up to one position and one angle, making it hard to get the tablet in the right position in your lap.

Over seven years later, the Surface Pro kickstand is much different. It’s so much more sturdy and can take pressure from my hands when using the Surface Pen on the screen. The modern Surface Pro kickstand also opens up to a near-endless angle, almost allowing you to press it flat to the table and open it to any comfortable angle.

While many say you can’t reinvent the wheel, the kickstand is an area that Microsoft really has paid attention to between Surface generations.

The bezels

Something else I noticed was bezels. This is often a topic that many people bring up when talking about the Surface, but Microsoft has made major progress over the years.

Older Surface devices feature a capacitive Windows button under the keyboard and thick side bezels. Those bezels on Surface RT gives the device an ugly bottom border around the 10.6-inch screen, with a 16:10 aspect ratio. So, for productivity, a low resolution 1,366 x 768 screen on the RT, really takes away from the immersive experience. Everything is cramped and squished.

Compared to a modern Surface, which ups the size to a 12.3-inch screen, the difference is night and day. While the capacitive button is gone, and bezels still there, the screen is just so much bigger and more immersive. Combined with the 3:2 aspect ratio on newer Surface devices, stacking windows side by side Surface Pro or Surface Go, is just so much easier than it was for me on my Surface RT. It’s nice to see advancement in this area.

Overall design

Finally, there is the overall design. As the critics often say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” We’ve never seen Microsoft make significant design changes to the Surface between generations. The screen has gotten bigger, bezels a little less thick, and ports have changed, but the build and design have stayed the same.

Visually, the only difference between Surface RT and modern devices is its black color. But, when it comes to the overall design, the devices are almost the same. There are a few exceptions, such as the addition of Windows Hello on the Surface Pro, a magnet on the side for the Surface Pen, and the Surface Connect Port.

But, we still have the kickstand and the POGO detachable keyboard. That same cool to the touch magnesium material also wraps both devices, making it feel light. At 1.7 pounds vs 1.5 pounds on the RT, It’s hard to argue that the Surface Pro is much heavier than the RT. Microsoft has always kept its devices slim and light.

Wrapping things up, Microsoft has paid much attention to three core design areas of the Surface over the years. Bezels, screen, and kickstand. With rumors of a dual-screen Surface spreading like mad, I wonder where it can go next.

Performance, and Windows RT vs Windows 10

When Surface RT launched, Windows RT was the operating system you were trapped with. Based on Windows 8, but locked down to only running apps from the Microsoft Store, I initially remember quite hating the operating system.

It also should be noted that the Surface RT sported an Nvidia Tegra 3 processor and 2 GB of RAM, which means that drivers, programs, and everything on the device was proprietary. You couldn’t install apps like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. You were stuck with what Microsoft loaded to the device, or what you can find in the store.

Coming from a Windows 7 desktop PC, the Live Tiles and Start Screen, Charms Bar of Windows RT were oh so confusing for me. But, switching the tablet to desktop mode didn’t prove too bad. Since Surface RT included Office 2013, I was able to type up my school assignments, get work done in Internet Explorer and more.

Over time, I grew used to Windows RT’s weird touch gestures, and I appreciated the Start screen which gave me info at a quick glance. Microsoft even brought back the regular Windows 7 style Start Menu with the Windows 8.1 Update 3. But it was too late, Surface RT already flopped.

Anyway, with modern Surface devices, like the Surface Pro, I think Microsoft learned its lesson from Windows RT.  Microsoft recently launched the Surface Go, which shipped with Windows 10 S, an operating system similar to Windows RT that’s locked to the Microsoft Store only apps. However, it allows consumers to switch to regular Windows 10 if needed.

While some modern Surface devices shipped with Windows 8, users could have upgraded to Windows 10 for free. That operating system itself is also more optimized for those more familiar with Windows 7, but it also keeps the option for live tiles, and a tablet mode if needed.

At the end of the day, compared to what I had with Windows RT, things have come a long way. Today, on my Surface Pro, I am using apps like Spotify, Instagram, Twitter, Slack, and more.

Microsoft really learned its lesson and invested in its store. Despite the constant bugs, it also developed a more efficient operating system for its hardware that doesn’t make users feel violated as Windows 8 did.

A whole different Type Cover

Now, I can’t compare Surface RT and Surface Pro without mentioning the keyboard. This is something that Microsoft has invested heavily in over the past few Surface generations. It’s also one of the first things that I noticed when picking back up my Surface RT.

With its small 10 inch screen, the Surface RT feels more like an iPad — and so does its Type Cover. The keys don’t have any spacing between them, and barely any room for key travel. The trackpad is also tiny and features a weird felt material, that makes dragging my fingers hard.

Pulling out my Surface Pro Type Cover, the differences are amazing. With a bigger screen, the TouchPad is larger, but it’s made of glass and is so much more accurate. The keys on the Type Cover are so much more spaced out, and I can actually type out sentences, without touching more than one key at a time. There’s also the benefit of having the convenience of the Type Cover on the Surface Pro “snapping” to the screen. That raises it up for a more comfortable typing experience. With the Surface RT, the cover stays flat to the lap or a table, making it harder to type.

Where’s the pen?

Finally, there is support for pens. While the original Surface sported a Wacom stylus, the Surface RT doesn’t. This wasn’t something that didn’t really bother me, as I used a capacitive stylus in place to ink on the screen and take notes. It isn’t as convenient as a physical Wacom stylus, but it worked.

But, moving between Surface generations, I can see that Microsoft realized pen support is important. Not only does the modern Surface Pro still support pens, but so does the Surface Laptop, Book, and Studio. You might not get the pen with the Surface anymore, but there’s quite a bit to miss out when it comes to inking and annotating without it.

Come a far way, but more places to go

At the end of the day, the Surface lineup has come a very far way. The screen, kickstand, keyboard, and operating systems on the devices have all evolved over the years — but there are still more places the Surface lineup can go.

Sure, critics have has bad things to say about the reliability of the Surface Lineup (especially Consumer Reports.) But, they’re lessons that Microsoft can, and actually has, learned from.

We best saw that with the Surface Pro 3, which addressed complaints saying the original Surface was too heavy and the battery life was horrible. The Pro 3 was not only lighter but also sported a bigger display, as well as an improved kickstand. However, even that model too faced reliability and WiFi issues.

The follow-up, the Surface Pro 4, also suffered from an issue with the display, known as flickergate. And, Microsoft’s then-new take on the convertible laptop, the Surface Book, suffered problems where the battery would drain when the device is in sleep mode.

Despite what Consumer Reports have said about Surface devices not being reliable, newer Surface devices build on the failures and feedback of Surface past. Microsoft is always working to improve its products.

In fact, the introduction of the Surface lineup and Surface RT invented an entirely new form factor for PCs — the Windows 2 in 1. This eventually lead many Microsoft OEMs to imitate the Surface, best seen with devices like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet. 

With the news that a dual-screen PC codenamed Centaurus could be on the way, there are only more places the Surface lineup can go. But, as my coworker told me while I was writing this piece: Let us hope that Microsoft learned from its lesson and that Centarus won’t be another Surface RT.

Some users of the Windows 10 May 2019 Update (build 1903) may see a new “PortableBaseLayer” virtual hard drive appear in Disk Management. When it shows up, this drive cannot be changed or removed.

Posts across various online support forums suggest that plenty of people have concerns about “PortableBaseLayer.” Although not acknowledged by Microsoft, the drive does however have a simple explanation.

PortableBaseLayer is part of the Windows Sandbox component within the May 2019 update. After enabling the Sandbox feature, PortableBaseLayer will appear. It will remain present until the Sandbox optional feature is removed.

Microsoft appears to be using this approach as a way to guarantee the integrity of the Sandbox environment. As Sandbox is meant to provide you with a clean virtual desktop, Microsoft needs to ensure users and programs can’t modify the “base image” which hosts the feature.

Using a locked virtual hard drive gives Microsoft a way to seal Sandbox off from your wider system. Unfortunately, the mysteriously-named drive ends up visible in Disk Management, even though users can’t interact with it.

Evidence from Windows Insiders (via Winhelponline) suggests this issue has been resolved in current insider builds of Windows 10. The next major update should hide PortableBaseLayer, even if Windows Sandbox is enabled. In the meantime, Sandbox users will appear to have an invisible virtual hard drive attached to their machine.

Microsoft announced earlier today that the video games, Bad North, Cities: Skylines, Dirt Rally 2.0, and Saints Row IV would soon be coming to the Xbox Game Pass for PC subscription service.

No dates or times have been released just yet but it’s assumed that they’ll be joining the library of playable titles by the end of October at the latest.

Dirt Rally 2.0 is coming to the console version of Xbox Game Pass tomorrow so it would make sense if the PC version of that game came to Xbox Game Pass for PC then as well.

Xbox Game Pass is kind of like a Netflix for video games. Users pay a recurring monthly subscription fee and in exchange are given full access to around 100 video games on Xbox One as part of Xbox Game Pass for Console and around 100 games on PC with Xbox Game Pass for PC.

The Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription plan gives subscribers full access to both the PC and Console plans in addition to an Xbox Live Gold membership.

Are you an Xbox Game Pass subscriber? Which version do you have? Let us know in the comments below and then follow us on Twitter for more gaming news.

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Build 79.0.279.0 is now available to download for Edge Insiders within the Dev Channel. The main focus of this build is the addition of a new keyboard shortcut for Mac users for muting tabs, the enabling of the static certificate pinning feature, and increased stability but there are a host of minor fixes and improvements as well.

Here’s the full release notes for build 79.0.279.0:

New Features:

• Enabled the static certificate pinning feature that was originally available in Chrome.
• Added a keyboard shortcut to mute tabs on Mac.
• Added support for hyphenated words when performing single-word intranet searches.

Increased Stability:

• Fixed an issue where watching DRM video like Netflix causes some devices to freeze.
• Fixed an issue where webpages sometimes crash when watching certain videos.
• Fixed a crash when using Read Aloud.
• Fixed an issue where using ctrl+F to find something on a webpage while certain things on the page are highlighted leads to a crash.
• Fixed some issues with Application Guard sessions not starting.
• Fixed an issue where navigation in Application Guard windows doesn’t work.

Improved Behavior:

• Fixed an issue where context menus sometimes don’t show all contents properly.
• Fixed an issue where the autosuggest popup appears on fields where it shouldn’t.
• Fixed an issue where a collection that’s deleted in one browser window isn’t immediately deleted from other browser windows.
• Fixed an issue where the translation popup didn’t have a button to close it.
• Fixed some issues when adding or deleting words in the spellcheck dictionary.
• Fixed an issue where using the keyboard shortcut to open the downloads page on an IE mode tab opens Edge’s downloads, not IE’s.
• Fixed an issue where opening the downloads page on an IE mode tab sometimes doesn’t open it in the foreground.
• Fixed an issue where installing IE mode sites as apps doesn’t properly show the site’s icon.
• Fixed an issue where the new tab button is invisible on Windows 7 if the Aero theme is used.
• Fixed an issue where the loading spinner shows up unexpectedly on items in collections.

Edge Insiders are passionate users who have volunteered to test in-development versions of Microsoft’s upcoming revamp of their Microsoft Edge web browser. The Dev Channel receives a new test build on around a weekly basis with previous builds adding Collections and mobile syncing.

Are you an Edge Insider? Let us know what you think of this latest build in the comments below and then follow us on Pinterest for more Microsoft app content.

Microsoft’s Project xCloud game streaming service will be available for public testing next month, and the company revealed today during its latest Inside Xbox webcast that it has just opened registrations for consumers in the US, UK, and South Korea on this page. “We’ll begin to send invites in the coming weeks,” the company said today.

The company expects to receive a lot of applications starting today, and not everyone will get early access to Project xCloud. “It is our intention to accommodate as many eligible players as possible and we’ll continue to invite more gamers into the preview over time,” the blog post on Xbox Wire reads.

Kareem Choudhry, CVP of Gaming cloud at Microsoft was on stage during today’s Inside Xbox to share more details about the service. Four games will be available when the public beta kicks off next month: Halo: 5 Guardians, Gears 5, Sea of Thieves, and Killer Instinct. “This is just the beginning as our content library will continue to grow as the preview progresses,” the Xbox team announced today. Importantly, all these games will be free to play even if you don’t purchase them on your Xbox One.

As for the console streaming feature that Microsoft announced back at E3 2019, it still being developed and will ship to Xbox Insiders first, but the company didn’t share an ETA today. Unlike Project xCloud, this feature will just stream Xbox games you own from your own console to mobile devices, and it should be a nice extension to Microsoft’s full-fledged cloud gaming service.

To try Project xCloud, you’ll just need a Bluetooth-enabled Xbox Wireless Controller and an Android phone or tablet. The service will work on both Wifi and mobile networks, and Microsoft has also teamed up with T-Mobile in the US, Vodafone in the UK, and SK Telekom in South Korea to optimize the experience for gamers on these networks, but xCloud will/should work with any cellular network within the US, UK, or Korea.

Project xCloud content will be available through a dedicated Microsoft Game Streaming app that will be released on Android in the coming weeks. Microsoft didn’t share a launch date for the Project xCloud public beta next month, and it’s also not clear how long the beta test will last. “The preview will continue until customers are consistently reporting a great, fun experience and the technology meets our internal quality standards. As is typical of our preview programs, we plan to begin with focused groups in the early stages for stability purposes and then to expand over time,” the company said today.

As Microsoft’s first 20H1 Bug Bash will kick off tomorrow, September 25, the Windows Insider team has just announced the release of Windows 10 20H1 build 18990 for Fast Ring Insiders. This latest build is a minor update that brings more control over restarting apps at sign-in. In the build 18965, a new setting allowed registered desktop apps from your previous sign-in session to automatically restart when signing back in to Windows, and Microsoft is now enabling automatic restart for UWP apps in the build 18990.

This new build also includes minor improvements for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), and the team also mentioned today that an FPS counter and achievement overlay has started rolling to the Xbox Game Bar app. You can learn more about new features and other updates for Insiders below.

Enabling automatic restart for UWP apps

Last month, we introduced a new separate setting to control if registered desktop appsfrom your previous sign-in session are restarted when signing back in to Windows. In the latest Insider Preview builds, in addition to registered desktop apps, when you opt into this setting, the majority of open UWP apps are now also automatically restarted as well! To reduce sign-in time, UWP apps are restarted minimized, in a suspended state, giving Windows and other apps more resources to get started. To try it out:

1. Go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and turn on “Automatically save my restartable apps when I sign out and restart them after I sign in.” under “Restart apps”.
2. Start one or more UWP apps, such as Feedback Hub.
3. Sign out and then sign back into Windows.

UWP apps that were started, such as Feedback Hub, should restart minimized with a taskbar button.

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) improvements

• Improved the performance for directory listings in \\wsl$
• [WSL2] Injected additional boot entropy [Github Issue 4461]
• [WSL2] Fixed Windows interop when using su / sudo commands [Github issue 4465]

For the full details of changes in this latest Insider Preview build, please see the WSL release notes.

Other updates for Insiders

Xbox Game Bar Updates

In case you hadn’t seen, we’re starting to roll out an FPS counter and achievement overlay! Thanks to everyone who shared feedback about this. The update will come via the Microsoft Store. Just set focus to your favorite game and press WIN + G to get started.

Updated Xbox Game Bar via Win10 Store and …. pic.twitter.com/25kf5YavwH

— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) September 20, 2019

 

NOTE: You may have to be joined to receive Game Bar updates via the Xbox Insider Hub app (under Insider Content) from the Microsoft Store to see this update.

Reset your PC from the cloud

Earlier today in our Windows Insider webcast, we had the Deployment Team as guests to talk about the new feature that is coming with 20H1 that allows you to reset your PC using the cloud. For more information, check out this article from Program Manager Aaron Lower. You can also watch the on-demand video of this morning’s webcast by visiting our Mixer channel!

As usual, this new build also comes with bug fixes and quality improvements, and the release notes mention a fix for an issue impacting Action Center reliability. You can learn more about other fixes and known issues in our separate post.

Lastly, if you want to participate to the first 20H1 Bug Bash, you can check out the Windows 10 Feedback Hub app at midnight (PDT) to start completing the first Bug Bash Quests. The event will last through October 2, and more quests will be added in the coming days.

Following the release of Windows 10 20H1 build 18985 last week, Microsoft is following up by flighting the Windows Server vNext Insider Preview Build 18985 and the Windows 10 SDK preview build 18985 today. The new Windows Server build includes no new features (just like the previous release), and you can get it from the Windows Server Insider Preview download page.

The new SDK also doesn’t bring any new features except some under the hood API changes. As usual, you can download this new Preview SDK from the developer section of Microsoft’s Windows Insider website.

We were hoping to get a new Windows 10 20H1 build ahead of the first 20H1 Bug Bash, but that’s apparently not happening. The Bug Bash will run from September 25th to Oct 2nd, and those of you interested in participating can get ready to check out new quests in the Windows 10 Feedback Hub.