The Xbox team has just wrapped up a special episode of Inside Xbox which aired live from gamescom in Cologne, and the 2+ hours live stream packed much more gaming news than expected. First of all, we got some important updates for certain Microsoft Studios titles, including the Xbox One version of PUBG.

Following its launch in beta in December, PUBG 1.0 will be released on September 4 and introduce the new Sanhok map and War Mode, as well as an in-game currency to buy cosmetics and more. The full release of PUBG on Xbox One will also be available as a physical disc that comes with an exclusive collection of cosmetic items inspired by the Xbox brand.

Rare’s pirate game Sea of Thieves will also get a new content update on September 19 called Forsaken Shores. This third free update will introduce a new volcanic world, forcing pirates to deal with new environmental threats such as volcanos and geysers.

Sea of Thieves’ EP Joe Neate talks skeleton ships, cursed cannonballs, and what’s new in Forsaken Shores: https://t.co/dKsn621QSr #XboxGC pic.twitter.com/6ukVoSuqPV

— Xbox (@Xbox) August 21, 2018

State of Decay 2, the latest big Xbox/Windows 10 exclusive released back in May is also getting a new Daybreak Pack on September 12. This DLC will bring a new defense game mode where you’ll have to team up with up to three friends to fight off waves of enemies. The Daybreak Pack will be free for players who own the game’s Ultimate Edition, and it will available for everyone else as a $9.99 purchase.

Nearly four years after its release on Xbox One, Halo: The Master Chief Collection will get a major update on September 1 with improved matchmaking, visual enhancements for the Xbox One X and more. On this occasion, the Xbox One anthology will also join the Xbox Games Pass catalog on September 1, which is great news for Xbox gamers who have yet to discover these old Halo games in their best presentation ever.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection will be included with @XboxGamePass beginning September 1! Experience Halo CE: Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4 – all updated with improved matchmaking, offline LAN, faster load times, Xbox One X visual enhancements, and more. pic.twitter.com/FOXgThA6y3

— Halo (@Halo) August 21, 2018

Even though the existing Xbox mobile apps have an Xbox Store section featuring Xbox Games Pass, Microsoft apparently thought that its gaming subscription deserved to have a dedicated app. A new Xbox Games Pass app for iOS and Android is launching in beta today, and it will let you browse the catalog and download any games you want right from your phone.

If you’re looking for a new Xbox One console right now, Microsoft also announced 8 new Xbox One bundles today including the Xbox One X Gold Rush Special Edition Battlefield V Bundle. We also got a glimpse at the Xbox Wireless Controller – PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Limited Edition and its exclusive trigger grips, and the Xbox team also announced new Shadow and Camo Xbox Design Labs Controller colors which are now available online.

Last but not least, Microsoft didn’t forget PC gamers today as it has teamed up with THQ Nordic to release five of its Xbox Play Anywhere games on Steam and at physical retailers. That’s right, ReCore: Definitive Edition, Super Lucky’s Tale, Disneyland Adventures, Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure and Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection will be able to reach a whole new audience starting September 14. This is a really interesting move, especially at a time when Microsoft is using Microsoft Store exclusivity to push more gamers (including PC gamers on Windows 10) interested in Microsoft Studios games to subscribe to Xbox Games Pass.

Microsoft also had many guests on stage to discuss upcoming Xbox One releases including Forza Horizon 4, Fallout 76, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Devil May Cry 5, and more. You can learn more about these games by checking the detailed recap on Xbox Wire.

After months of testing with Insiders, Microsoft announced today that the first update in years for Halo: The Master Chief Collection will be available on September 1. This major update will bring improved matchmaking, customizable installation options, offline LAN support as well as 4K and HDR support on the Xbox One X.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection will be included with @XboxGamePass beginning September 1! Experience Halo CE: Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4 – all updated with improved matchmaking, offline LAN, faster load times, Xbox One X visual enhancements, and more. pic.twitter.com/FOXgThA6y3

— Halo (@Halo) August 21, 2018

This is just the first in the series of upcoming updates for Halo: MCC, as developer 343 Industries is still working hard to bring more improvements to the collection of classic Halo games. The Xbox One anthology will also become available on Xbox Games Pass on September 1, joining Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Wars: Definitive Edition and Halo Wars 2.

That’s not the only thing that Microsoft announced for Xbox Games Pass subscribers, as a dedicated Xbox Games Pass app is also launching today in beta on Android and iOS. The app will allow you to browse the catalog and download any game you want on your console when you’re on the go. The main Xbox mobile app already had an Xbox Store section featuring Xbox Games Pass, but Microsoft apparently thought that its gaming subscription service deserved more. The Xbox Games Pass is available from the Google Play Store today, and iOS users can request access to the beta on this page.

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The enterprise messaging app Slack is now worth more than $7.1 billion following a new $427 million funding round, the company announced today (via CNBC). That’s pretty impressive for a product that launched just four years ago, but is already being used by more than 500,000 organisations across the world.

So far, Slack has raised more than $1.26 billion from investors, and the company isn’t expected to go public before 2019 at the earliest. “We pursued this additional investment to give us even more resources and flexibility to better serve our customers, evolve our business, and take advantage of the massive opportunity in front of us,” the company said today. “Even with our rapid growth in just four years—we now have more than 8 million Daily Active Users (DAUs) and more than 70,000 paid teams—there is still enormous potential to change the way that people and organizations collaborate and work together.”

A couple of weeks ago, Slack also announced that it was purchasing the IP for Atlassian’s HipChat and Stride, encouraging users of these services to transition to Slack before they shut down next year. Slack definitely remains an early leader in the enterprise messaging space, but Microsoft Teams is now chasing its tail with its new free tier for freelancers and SMBs. Microsoft has the advantage of having over 100 million commercial active users for Office 365, but not all of them are using Microsoft Teams yet.

Partly due to the political climate in the world and the back and forth finger pointing of international powers, hacking has become a more commonplace verb at plenty of breakfast tables around the world.

While the current connotation is perceptually negative at the moment, there is a lot of good that can come from the understanding, use and participation in the hacking community.

Jess Huckins, a writer at Microsoft Research and freelance editor, takes us on a tour of her time during Microsoft’s One Week, which includes employee activities such as Expos, Science Fairs, a Give Fest and Hackathon.

Huckins presumably participated in most if not all the events of the week, but her writings about the Hackathon were of particular interest and wound up as a post on Medium.

The Microsoft Hackathon varies from any similar event I’ve witnessed. A mashup of “hacking” and “marathon,” the word “hackathon” typically conjures images of engineers coding at 3 A.M. while pounding black coffee. Here, though, employees and interns from across the company come together to create, innovate, and hack on ideas that light them up. In 2017, more than 18,000 people in 4,000 cities and 75 countries participated, making this the world’s largest private hackathon.

In meeting with several organizers and employees, Huckins was quick to point out the difference between the misconceptions surrounding the idea of “Hackathons” versus the reality of Microsoft’s approach.

Instead of people sleeping under tables and making questionable dietary choices in the wee hours of the night, Microsoft clears its tents out every night around 7 P.M. The seemingly early curfew is mostly likely meant to give coders a chance to clear their minds and return the following day with fresh perspective and creative workarounds.

The other misconception Huckins highlights is the very nature of what’s being hacked. Instead of computer screens filled to the brim with code attempting to shutdown, break into or crash security threats, most of the hacking done during Microsoft’s Hackathon, was for good.

 Other projects were decidedly personal. Cormier McSwiggin, inspired by her previous work with nonprofits, said she joined her Hackathon team because it aligned with her politics. “We’re trying to create a design that would benefit people living with ASD, and that also is a great opportunity for us to think of accessibility, UI, and UX from the very beginning rather than as an afterthought.”

User researcher Keola Ching was inspired by his stepmother, who had ALS, to create a device that would improve a quadriplegic person’s quality of life by giving them more control over their environment and reducing caregiver burden. “Three of us have very personal reasons to be part of this team,” he said. “Two have lost family members to ALS, and one of the engineers has a father who has been quadriplegic for quite some time.”

While there is a need and market for Black, White and Grey Hat Hackers the world over, it’s nice to know that the term is broadening to call attention to the extensive knowledge of people have for taking current systems and improving them.

The Xbox team is bringing its monthly Inside Xbox live show to the Gamescom conference in Cologne, Germany today, and those of you who watch it on Mixer will get another free “Mixpot” digital gift. This time, Microsoft will offer a free Huntress Figurehead to add to your ship in Sea of Thieves, Rare’s popular pirate game released on Xbox One and Windows 10 earlier this year.

On Tuesday August 21st at 3.30pm BST we'll be a part of the Gamescom Inside Xbox episode! We'll be sharing some Forsaken Shores news and you can earn a glorious Huntress Figurehead via the Mixpot! Don't miss out! We'll be live here: https://t.co/2HGQYEB7jx pic.twitter.com/bTid2tfRbb

— Sea of Thieves (@SeaOfThieves) August 16, 2018

Today’s Inside Xbox episode will also bring some news about Sea of Thieves’ Forsaken Shores free expansion, but we also expect to get some updates about State of Decay 2, PUBG, Forza Horizon 4 and more upcoming Xbox One games. The Xbox accessories team is also present at Gamescom, with Xbox product marketing manager James Shields doing some teasing on Twitter yesterday.

#Gamescom18 pic.twitter.com/CSEJEuQcEW

— James Shields (@shieldsjames) August 21, 2018

The Gamescom Inside Xbox episode will kick off at 7:30AM PST / 4:30PM CEST on mixer.com/xbox, and make sure to link your Microsoft account to your Mixer account if you want to grab the exclusive Sea of Thieves content during the show.

Parallels is launching today Parallels Desktop 14 for Mac, the latest version of its virtualization software that we’ve been using to run Windows 10 on a Mac. The new major release is ready for the upcoming Redstone 5 update for Windows 10 as well as macOS Mojave, which will both be released later this Fall. Parallels Desktop 14 brings several improvements across the board for Mac users including improved performance, storage optimizations and more.

“Millions of Parallels Desktop customers highly value performance and efficiency,”said Jack Zubarev, Parallels president. “With Parallels Desktop 14, we’ve taken those to the next level by focusing on graphics and storage, allowing customers to save as much as 20 GB of disk space while enjoying the best-ever performance,” he continued.

Parallels claims that Parallels Desktop 14 users should see up to 80% faster application launch, up to 10% faster application launch, and up to 17% more FPS in Coherence mode. As a reminder, Coherence mode is a neat feature that allows you to completely hide the virtual machine and use Windows 10 apps on macOS like any other Mac app, as seen below.

Performance improvements are great, but Parallels also did some work to make virtual machines use less storage than before. A new Free Up Disk Space pop up will suggest some actions to save up to 15% of storage on your Mac hard drive, which is nothing to sneeze at.

There are a lot of other new features in this release, especially for those using the virtualization software with the new MacBook Pros with Touch Bar: Parallels says that more popular Windows apps such as OneNote, Visual Studio, AutoCAD and Sketchup now support the Touch Bar, and there’s also a Touch Bar Wizard to put your favourite app shortcuts right at your fingertips. Other highlights in this release include support for Ink Gestures in Word as well as pressure sensitivity in Powerpoint (using the trackpad, since there are no Macs with touchscreens), improved OpenGL support, compatibility with shared 4K cameras and smart card readers.

Parallels Desktop 14 for Mac is available today as a $99.99 purchase for the perpetual release, but it’s also available as a free update for customers who pay for a $79.99 Parallels Desktop for Mac annual subscription. There’s a lot to like in this release, especially the performance improvements and better support for Windows 10 features such as Windows Ink. Parallels Desktop for Mac probably remains an ideal solution for having the best of both worlds on your Mac, without having to constantly switch between macOS and Windows 10. 

Ahead of the first day of Gamescom today, Dell took the wraps off their latest Alienware gaming desktops and monitors. The desktops and laptops come packed with the latest 8th Gen Intel Core i9 k-Series processors, NVIDIA or AMD graphics cards, and plenty of power under the hood, so here’s what you need to know.

First off, there is the Alienware Aurora. This Windows 10 desktop is designed for VR experiences, including Oculus VR and HTC/VIVE, and comes with total 600W (2x 300W) of dedicated desktop graphics. You’ll also find liquid cooling and 120W of dedicated power for overclocking the CPU. Dell is opting to use a MicroATX motherboard with this desktop, so you’ll be able to experience 4K gaming and even up to 12K gaming. It all supports Intel Optane memory, technology, and you can use up to five storage drives and one optical disc drive. Other features are listed below.

• Tool-less design, for access to graphics, expansion cards, hard drives, and memory
• AlienFX customizable lighting
• Exhausts at the top and rear of the system
• Killer Gigabit Ethernet hardware and software
• 11ac wireless technology on all configurations
• Whisper-quiet operation

Next up, is the Alienware 15 ($1,399) and Alienware 17 ($1,599) laptops, which now come with an anodized aluminum, and magnesium alloy build and design. This beast of a gaming laptop comes with 8th Gen Intel Core i9 k-Series processors, and a super flashy Alienware TactX keyboard, with per key RBG LED. It also supports the highest performance available AMD- or NVIDIA-based graphics cards using GDDR5 video memory and has an optional 120Hz TN+WVA 400-nits display designed for NVIDIA G-Sync experiences. Other notable features are below.

• Copper thermal management
• New speaker design that includes internal smart-amps
• Access to internal components through a new bottom door mechanism
• 80 quadrillion lighting combinations via per key RGB lighting with many effects and modes
• Support for desktop graphics cards from NVIDIA or AMD with the optional Alienware Graphics Amplifier
• Killer Networks e2500 Gigabit Ethernet and Killer 1550 Networks 802.11ac 2×2 Wireless with Bluetooth 5.0 technology
• 3 USB 3.0 ports
• One USB Type C Thunderbolt 3 Port

Finally, Dell also announced new 24-inch FHD resolution and 27-inch QHD gaming monitors. These monitors allow for sharp tear-free gaming, can be overlocked at 144Hz and 155Hz, and support AMD FreeSync.  Other features on the monitors include tilt, pivot, swivel, and height adjustable stands. The 24-inch monitor will cost $319, and the 27 inch $549.99.

If you’re a Windows Insider in the Fast Ring you might want to head to the Microsoft Store and check for some inbox app updates. Spotted by Windows Observer, Microsoft recently released a new version of the Windows 10 Photos app, complete with a new image editing UI.

This new version reportedly breaks up the image altering options into three different editing screens. That is a major change from previous versions of the Windows 10 Photos app, where all editing tools were available at a quick glance on the right-hand side of the UI.

Additionally, opening the edit function on a photo in this version will now default you to a crop and rotate page. You can then use the tabs on the top of an image to switch to filters and the other options, as seen below.

This version apparently also introduces a new drop-down menu for adding Animated text. That feature shows up on Skip Ahead devices, whereas the new editing options only appear on Fast Ring. This all might as well be in A/B testing for now, as we’re not seeing it on any of our Insider machines just yet, so best to check it out and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

When Microsoft originally launched a lineup of Windows Mixed Reality headsets, Samsung’s $499 HMD Odyssey was dubbed the premium offering of the bunch. Spotted by Road to VR, a little over half a year later, it is looking as though the Korean firm is working on a new version of the Odyssey, though it might just be a minor upgrade (via Thurrott.com.)

The news primarily comes from an FCC listing for “Odyssey+” which revealed a new XE800ZBA model number for the would be updated headset. Though that listing does not provide any external, internal, or test set up photos, it does also suggest a new “‘AMOLED+SFS” display, “Wider Eye box” and “Anti Fog” set up for the updated headset.

As seen in the diagram above, both the wider eye box and the Anti Fog set up are different from the previous Odyssey HMD. It is likely coming to help address both the fogging and uncomfortable design problems reported by some users with the first generation HMD. But asides from that, it’s not clear from the listing what else is new, or what the “AMOLED+SFS display” refers to.

With the headset now passing through the FCC, it should not be too long before an official public unveiling. There’s still no word on pricing,  availability, or if the viewing angles and resolution will be the same, so will have to tell. Best to keep tuned for more in the months ahead.

Way back in June, Microsoft introduced Screen Sketch, a new Windows 10 screen capture experience for Windows Insiders. With its many new features in tow, it was even foreseen as a consolidation to the snipping tool. Well, a few months later, Microsoft has re-named the Screen Sketch app to Snip and Sketch, also adding new features in the progress (via Neowin.)

The name change is currently being tested with Skip Ahead Insiders and comes in version 10.1807.2286.0 of the application. This release also delivers new methods of capturing the screen, including taking instantaneous snips from the “New” menu, and delayed snips of up 3-10 seconds.

This same feature was already present in the old screen snipping tool, so it makes sense now to see it ported over to the new app. Anyway, you can expect for Microsoft to continue testing the new Snip and Sketch app with Windows Insiders for the foreseeable future before eventually rolling it out to all Windows 10 users. The app at one point had an issue where captured images were blurry, so there is definitely more work and testing to be done on the road ahead.

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The Xbox One racing game Forza Horizon 2 will reach “end of life” status next month, a blog post on the official Forza Motorsports website revealed on Friday. The game is currently free for Xbox Live Gold subscribers through the end of the month, but it will be removed from the Xbox Store on September 30. Those of you who grab it for free or purchase it before that date will still be able to download it once it disappears from Microsoft’s digital store.

Here is what the official announcement said:

A heads up for the Forza community: Forza Horizon 2 will reach “end of life” status on September 30. That means that the game and its associated DLC will no longer be available for purchase. After September 30, players who own Forza Horizon 2 will still able to download and play the game and its associated content as normal. However, Forza Horizon 2 and its DLC will no longer be for sale. Forza Horizon 2 is currently available as part of August Games With Gold so, if you haven’t played it already, now is a great time to grab it.

The blog post didn’t really explain why the game has to be removed (it was released just four years ago), especially since the game will continue to work as usual after September 30. Microsoft also delisted the first Forza Horizon game from the Xbox Store two years ago, but that game has since received some enhancements for the Xbox One X earlier this year.

Our colleagues over at Polygon suggest that licensing issues could be the cause of the removal, and the same thing usually happens for sports games or other games that used licensed music. Anyway, Xbox Live Gold should really grab the open world racing game for free before the end of the month, because soon your only chance to play the game will be to get the physical disc.

It’s been a while since the Twitter PWA was updated with significant new features, but that has just changed. Indeed, the app recently picked up both the ability to upload videos and also see a profile card with a hover.

Update: The Windows 10 Twitter PWA is also getting support for Windows Timeline. Now, when you view live events or moments, an entry will be created in Windows Timeline so you can return to it later to see updates.

The Twitter app now integrates with Windows Timeline for viewing live events and moments. This is a great use of Timeline! pic.twitter.com/hYpl7pHQ3l

— Michael Gillett | #WIMVP (@MichaelGillett) August 18, 2018

To upload a video on the Twitter PWA, all you need to do is compose a tweet, then click the insert media icon on the left. You can then select your video file, and get a small preview of the video below the compose box. Interestingly, this preview video uses the same media player UI as Windows Phone 8.

Additionally, as the name of the second feature implies, you can now hover your mouse over the name of a profile to see a preview of the profile. The pop-up box will show you the bio, the number of followers, and the number of people the person is following.

Support for video uploads has been one of the most anticipated features for the Twitter PWA, but it does have a 15 MB limit at the moment. Anyway, you won’t need to download any updates for this to work, as all PWAs are updated automatically. Check it out now, and let us know in the comments below if it is working for you.

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About three days ago, Microsoft started testing a shopping cart feature for the Xbox Store with select Insiders. And with the store being universal across all of Microsoft’s platforms, the shopping cart even showed up on Windows 10. Well, Microsoft’s Brad Rossetti just announced today that the feature is now going offline, and will return in the next few weeks.

Though the feature went down quickly, Rossetti notes that it is being taken down for “fixes and improvements” sent in by Xbox Insiders. That’s actually all for the good, as even we had noted that the cart’s “Save for later” feature on Windows 10 didn’t show up on all store listings.

At any rate, we’re looking forward to the next instance of the shopping cart feature. You may recall that Microsoft also recently removed Sets on Windows 10, so this isn’t the first time an under development feature was pulled early. Anyway, Xbox Insiders are known to give good feedback, and Microsoft’s decision to pull the shopping cart feature only helps ensure a quality experience for everyone once it rolls out to the general public.