The Office Blog announced today that Office 365’s new Advance Security Management features will begin rolling out now to give organization better control over their data. The new Advance Security Management features are powered by Microsoft Cloud App Security, which was first introduced in late February.
The focus of Advance Security Management is to better understand and protect, from what is described as your organization’s shadow IT. The shadow IT is all of the cloud services and apps employees connect to and use but are unsanctioned or not administered by your organization. The hope is with Advance Security Management organizations will gain transparency over their shadow IT, allowing them to control flows of information and prevent breaches in security.
Advanced Security Management includes the following three new features:
Threat Detection — Helps you identify high-risk and abnormal usage, and security incidents.
Enhanced control — Shapes your Office 365 environment leveraging granular controls and security policies.
Discovery and Insights — Get enhanced visibility into your Office 365 usage and shadow IT without installing an endpoint agent.
Advanced Security Management begins rolling out today to Office 365 E5 plan as an included feature. Other Office 365 plans can add Advance Security Management to their plan for an addition $3 per month. Threat detection and activity policy creation will be enabled starting today, but the ability to view application permissions and the application discovery dashboard will not be available until sometime in the third quarter.
Microsoft announced yesterday the winners and finalists of the 2016 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards, recognizing top Microsoft partners that have “demonstrated excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology”. This year, there have been more than 2,500 nominations submitted from 119 countries to be acknowledged in 37 categories including cloud technology, public sector, citizenship and more.
Among US winners, Blue Metal has been selected as the Internet of Things Partner of the Year after using Microsoft Azure, Power BI, and Microsoft Surface to help develop a cloud-connected refrigerator designed to improve vaccine storage. AvePoint Inc. has also been selected has the Government Partner of the Year for developing 6Degree.org, a new crowd funding platform built on Microsoft Azure that allows anyone to support survivors of human trafficking in a safe and secure way.
A complete list of winners and finalists is available on the Microsoft WPC Awards website, and all of them are also invited to an exclusive celebration during Microsoft 2016 Worldwide Partner Conference taking place July 10–14 in Toronto where they will meet with Microsoft executives. Gavriella Schuster, Microsoft General manager, Worldwide Partner Group, added :
It was evident this year that our partner ecosystem is maturing in its transformation. Many award winners found that embracing cloud technology was a spark for continued innovation and rapid growth. Microsoft’s cloud technology enables partners to develop creative applications, transform go-to-market, and deliver greater customer success.
Google Apps for Work not only took an early lead in the market for cloud-based productivity but in many ways defined the market. While Google’s cloud-based apps weren’t as full featured as Microsoft’s traditional suite of Office products, they were inexpensive and flexible, and thus became very appealing to small and mid-sized businesses looking to move their productivity software to the cloud. The ubiquity of Office in corporate America had also comparatively given Google the appeal of being an alternative to the corporate world, and its less enterprise like user experience was appealing to some new and small businesses.
Microsoft eventually responded to the emerging disruption from Google Apps for Work with their own cloud-based productivity software, Office 365. And last year Office 365 overtook Google Apps for Work in market share, after tripling its share in a single year. As we reported last year, most of the growth in Office 365 was from larger businesses choosing Microsoft over Google for their move to the cloud. Among businesses with over 1,000 employees, Office 365’s share had increased six-fold.
Google Apps for Work
But while Office 365 subscriptions are continuing to grow and are becoming a significant source of revenue, a new report by SkyKick shows that Office 365 is still lagging among small to midsize business (SMBs) in the United States.
As spotted by GeekWire, the SkyKick’s report shows that Office 365 only has a 7.5% share among SMBs in the US. For comparison, in the other report from last year mentioned above, Office 365 had 30% market share among large businesses with at least 1,000 employees. While comparing that report with SkyKick’s report is not precisely apples to apples because of their differing methodologies, it clearly shows there is a discontinuity to Office 365’s growth, and it has still yet to catch on with SMBs.
SMB market share via SkyKick
Skykick, a four-year-old cloud-management/migration software provider, conducted their study by surveying 109,000 US businesses with employee headcounts of 250 or less. They accomplished this by checking the company’s email domains to see if Office 365 was their provider. The population of their survey ended up being skewed towards small companies as 75% of the SMBs analyzed had less than 10 employees.
What Skykick found was even though Office 365 adoption was down to 7.5% on the whole, there was a lot of variance between industries and even states. SMBs in certain industries, such as Coal Mining, Computer Facilities Management Services, had Office 365 adoption rates of 30.96% and 21.26% respectively. Some of the lowest numbers were in industries like Commercial Art and Graphic Design, Agricultural Services, and Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaning (3.88%, 2.91%, and 1.87% respectively).
Industries leading in SMB adoption rates via SkyKick
While SkyKick’s report gives a great view into Office 365’s adoption rates among SMBs, it does not give a breakdown of competitors’ individual market share, instead lumping everything that isn’t Office 365 into an “other” category. The report concludes there is an opportunity for growth among every sub-segment of the SMB market.
But it might be harder said than done. Google is heavily incentivizing IT providers to push Google Apps for Work, and offering Google Apps for Work for free to companies currently under an enterprise agreement with Microsoft. And there are still yet other growing startups looking to disrupt cloud-based productivity, such as Slack, Box, and Dropbox.
Office 365’s low market share among SMBs might well mean there is ample opportunity for growth. But in the context of how uneven Office 365’s growth has been, the continued low adoption numbers among SMBs might mean Microsoft needs to find a way to specifically market to these smaller companies looking for alternatives to traditional enterprise software.
To read more about Office 365’s adoption rates, you can read SkyKick’s full report for free after signing up.
With E3 2016 just a few days away, Director of Program Management for Xbox Mike Ybarra has just teased today on Twitter that the next Xbox One preview build could be released “soon”. However, it’s not clear yet if this new build could include enough new features to generate useful buzz about Microsoft’s gaming console before the annual gaming show:
Next Xbox One preview build for our preview audience = soon! #Xbox#YouAllRock
Back at Build 2016 in April, Ybarra previously revealed that the Xbox One would get a preview release of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update end of May/early June. At the time, Ybarra said that the Anniversary update would bring “key gaming features” to the Xbox One, and we already know that Universal Windows 10 apps and Cortana are in the pipeline. Furthermore, Microsoft also explained during the developer conference that all retail Xbox One consoles would be allowed to be converted into devkits for developers at home to test apps and games.
As usual, this upcoming Xbox One preview build will only be available for members of the Xbox One preview program, which is still invite-only. Over the last few months, Microsoft has been consistently releasing monthly preview builds to members of this program before public release, and all Xbox One consoles are currently running version 10.0.10586.1202 of the Xbox One OS which has been released to everyone on April 27.
As a reminder, Microsoft shared during Build 2016 that the Xbox Preview program and the Windows Insider program would come together this summer. However, while the Xbox One Preview program is currently quite similar to the Windows 10 Release Preview Ring, it’s not clear yet if the Xbox One system software could also get the same Insider rings as both Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile.
We can’t wait to learn more about the Xbox One Anniversary Update and we hope this upcoming preview build will bring us a lot of interesting stuff. Let us know in the comments what are the the features you would really like to see implemented in the upcoming big update to the Xbox One.
The Windows 10 FitBit app is getting some love from the FitBit team by way of a new update. This time, though, the update is delivering improved exercise and food features, and more.
The update brings the app to version 2.10. Along with the usual big fixes, it also delivers exercise editing, updates to food logging search, improvements to accessibility, and also makes the new design for the FitBit dashboard available for preview.
This is just the latest update for the FitBit app on Windows 10. Back on May 17th a previous update delivered a new GPS map detail view, and the ability for Fitbit Alta trackers to sync using Bluetooth LE.
The update should be rolling out now, so if you’re an avid user of the FitBit app be sure to head over to the Windows Store now and press that update button! However, even if you don’t currently use the app, we’ve included a download link below.
If you’re an Outlook.com user, you may have received a lot of spam in your inbox over the last few hours. It’s not clear if Outlook.com spam filters have been down for all users of the service, but Microsoft has acknowledged the problem and has been hard at work to implement some fixes since yesterday.
According to a report from CNNT (via Windows Central), the spam emails started to spread on Tuesday around noon (3PM eastern time). Later that day, Microsoft released an explanation on the company’s service portal for Outlook.com:
“We’re implementing two fixes. One will provide short term relief preventing spam reaching your inbox. The second will be a longer term fix which should stop spam reaching our infrastructure.
The company’s service portal for Outlook.com.
The problem now seems to have been resolved according to the latest status update. Microsoft has yet to reveal the full details about this spam flood, but we’re glad the company was quick to fix it. Was your Outlook.com inbox hit by spam? Please let us know in the comments it the problem has now been fixed for you.
Microsoft has announced at Computex that it has new plans for Windows Holographic, the platform underlying their popular HoloLens augmented reality solution. The company detailed at Computex that Windows Holographic will be coming to devices of all shapes and sizes, and that it will be inviting OEM, ODM, and hardware partners to build PCs, displays, accessories and mixed reality devices with the Windows Holographic platform.
With Microsoft noting that the market for virtual reality devices is expected to reach 80 million devices per year by 2020, the Windows Holographic partnership will mean for new business opportunities and a mixed reality experience across devices. For instance, Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, HTC, Acer, ASUS, CyberPowerPC, Dell, Falcon Northwest, HP, iBuyPower, Lenovo, and MSI are just a few of the new partners who will be supporting great virtual reality experiences on Windows 10.
Additionally, in a article published on The Verge about the same plans for Windows Holographic, Terry Myerson notes that he fully expects OEM partners to build Windows Holographic devices with a wider field of view than Microsoft’s HoloLens. He also noted that HoloLens will be one device that will exist within the future Holographic ecosystem.
When asked about HoloLens’ accessibility, Myerson also hinted that the OEM’s could build hardware on the Windows Holographic platform for cheaper:
“And the current price point of HoloLens is $3,000. What we’re announcing today is the opportunity to work with our partners that have their own vision for different price points, different form factors and other ways to use the same platform.”
With 300 Million devices using Windows 10, this all no doubt shows that Microsoft is focused on providing devices with the ability to perceive the world, and break down the barriers between the virtual and physical reality. So, we would love to hear your thoughts on this announcement by Microsoft, so be sure to drop us a comment below!
Earlier today, Microsoft held its keynote at IT Trade show Computex 2016 to showcase a range of new Windows 10 devices from various OEM partners including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and MSI. While all these OEMs may already be familiar to PC owners, the Redmond giant also teased a new 2-in-1 Porsche Design made in partnership with a “local OEM”. More details from the official blog post below:
Porsche Design and a local OEM have collaborated to develop an exciting new 2-in-1 device. The device will support Windows 10 features like Windows Hello 2.0, Cortana and new Inking Features coming with the Windows Anniversary Update due later this summer. The device will come with a pen, 13.3”screen, Intel processor, and hardware components. It will be available this Winter.
The 2-in-1 device from Porsche Design that Microsoft revealed at Computex 2016.
While this 2-in-1 device definitely looks pretty, the hardware specs are still quite a mystery. However, the most interesting part from Microsoft’s blog post may be the mention of “Windows Hello 2.0” as it seems it’s the first time that the company has been talking about it. If you’re not familiar with it, Windows Hello is a is a more personal way to sign in to your Windows 10 devices (either PCs or phones) with just your face or a fingerprint. Microsoft already implemented the feature on the latest Surface Pro devices as well as its 5th generation Lumia handsets Surface Pro 4 through iris scanners, and third-party OEMs have also started to ship new laptops supporting the feature over the last few months.
Windows Hello 2.0 may well bring support for new authentification methods beyond iris scanners, infrared cameras and fingerprint readers. Earlier in March, we reported that Microsoft was working on a new app called “Phone Sign-In” that could let users sign into their Windows 10 PC by using their phone’s Bluetooth connection. Microsoft could also well allow wearables such as the Microsoft Band 2 to be Windows Hello-enabled. Stay tuned on WinBeta as we’re going to dive in all Computex 2016 announcements today.
Computex 2016 is officially under way in Taiwan and Microsoft is one of the many companies showcasing the latest technology at the event. As per our friends at Windows Central, though, Microsoft commenced their Computex keynote with a small demonstration of logging into Windows 10 with a fingerprint scanning wearable.
Given Microsoft’s already existing Windows Hello technology, this fingerprint scanning wearable appears to be yet another a step towards a world without passwords. Nonetheless, Microsoft stated at the Computex keynote that “support for fingerprint scanning is already built into Cortana.” The project “is part of the Windows Hello Companion Device Framework, which will enable third party companies to produce new hardware that can connect to Microsoft’s own platform.”
Microsoft has recently been working on other ways for you to sign into your Windows 10 PC. For instance, back in March we reported on the fact that a “phone sign-in beta” app appeared in the Windows Store. At the time, based on the listing for the internal testing only app, it appeared that the app uses the Bluetooth connection of a phone to unlock a Windows 10 computer.
Brainy Studio LLC’s new video game, TurnOn, is now available to buy, download, and play on the Xbox One. The action and adventure title was actually inspired by the World Wildlife Foundation’s Earth Hour and features some pretty funky graphics.
Here’s the official game description: The whole city has been plunged into darkness. After an accident at the power station, a living electric spark must restore electricity to the city and give citizens back their safe and carefree lives. “TurnOn” tells the spellbinding tale of a brave alien creature and its striking journey through blackout world, in an incredibly colorful and detailed platformer without platforms. Featuring a charming art style and visual storytelling, cute character personality, and a soothing and magical soundtrack, “TurnOn” makes the world the way it was before, but a little better and kinder.
Also out today on Xbox One is Draw a Stickman: EPIC and Friend’s Journey DLC which contains both the original Draw a Stickman: EPIC game and the new Friend’s Journey downloadable content.
Here’s the game description with all the details: Set off on another dangerous adventure while taking on familiar creatures such as dragons, zombies, and trolls. But watch out for new villains in new lands! Pirates might be lurking about on a haunted island, and you may find yourself up, up, and away amongst the clouds! Beware of hot lava along your trek! Survive the challenge, locate the hidden map pieces, and you will finally be reunited with Stickman!
If you like management games, you won’t think twice before playing Sheltered, a survival-themed management game where you have to protect your family members after a global apocalypse. While they’ve succeeded in finding a deserted shelter and taking refuge there, you can’t stay inside the shelter forever. You have to eventually go outside to find food, water, and medical supplies. But outside, danger is lurking everywhere. Your main task? To stay alive.
If someone offered you a choice to go or not to go outside, you would probably take the second option. But you have to keep your family alive as they all depend on you. You keep reminding yourself why you stay alive: you do it for you daughter and your wife. They are happy when you come back and bring food or medical supplies, but you never tell them how you got the supplies.
Choices are not always easy and you’ll have to face harsh moral decisions. Sometimes, you’ll do unthinkable things just to keep your family alive.
Sheltered is a post-apocalyptic disaster management game that gives a whole new meaning to the term “nuclear family”. Given a head-start over the billions lost in a nuclear holocaust, you must gather as many supplies as possible en route to the concrete underground shelter that will soon become your family home for the foreseeable dreary future. With all hope lost, how will you cope in this bleak new world?
How you handle the many moral choices you’ll encounter on a daily basis could be the difference between your family surviving or dying. Combat claustrophobia, radiation and mental exhaustion as you cling desperately to life in the cramp, cold and scary underground shelter. You’ll have to leave the scant protection the shelter offers behind as you’re forced to venture outside into the dangerous desolate wasteland to scavenge for vital supplies which could ensure your families survival for just one more day.
HTC has done exceptional work with its VR device, the Vive, but the company is not stopping there. From what we have come to understand, HTC is working on its own virtual reality game for its Vive headset, something we view this as a great move.
According to the company, the game in question is called Front Defense and HTC plans to demo it at the upcoming Computex conference. Not much is known about the game other than the fact that it is a wartime shooter. We’re not sure if this is a first-person shooter or a third-person action game.
This is a big move for HTC seeing as the company is not known for creating video games. However, one can understand why it decided to go down this route. There won’t be many developers creating video games for the Vive, so HTC needs to push forward and help prove to content creators that the Vive is a worthy piece of tech.
Developers will mostly likely target the Oculus Rift and the PlayStation VR more, but that doesn’t mean these games won’t work on the Vive — just probably not as great as they could. Then again, HTC did partner with Valve to bring the Vive into existence, so it is possible the Steam creator will show support.
Front Defense is being developed by Fantahorn Studio and not HTC itself. Fantahorn Studio has close ties to HTC and we’re guessing if things go well, the company may decide to acquire the studio for future work.
We hope to see more of this game at E3 2016 in just a few weeks. It would be the perfect place to showcase both the Vive and Front Defense since Sony is going to make a big impression with VR. HTC could ride the coattails to help push its own titles into the spotlight.
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You can now try out HTC Vive units at select Microsoft Stores
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is an upcoming cyberpunk-themed action role-playing game developed by Eidos Montreal and published by Square Enix, and is expected to be released on August 23. A new live-action trailer for this game was just published that explores the backstory and themes of this game.
In the short video featured below, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided’s creators have imagined the future and it’s not about a happy place. Instead, people receive mechanical hands and legs to aid disabilities and other ailments and at some point in the year 2027, mechanical augments begin to lose control of themselves, resulting in a less than stellar global environment:
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided will be available on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles and gamers can already pre-order it from the Xbox Store where it costs $60.
In spite of the ubiquity of always-on Internet connections and a vast array of streaming music options, Satellite radio remains a new-car option. Satellite vendor SiriusXM is the main competitor in the space, and they’ve promised in the past to bring support for streaming their service to Windows 10 at some point–and likely as a Universal Windows App running on all relevant devices.
Now, according to a tipster over at Windows Central, it appears that SiriusXM will be keeping to their word. They’re kicking off a beta program for an upcoming Windows 10 app, and have been soliciting participants via email:
We are establishing a select group of listeners to help us test our Windows 10 app before it is released to all subscribers. We’d like to invite you to be a part of this testing experience. You will gain advance access to the latest versions of the app and have the opportunity to help shape the future of SiriusXM’s Windows 10 streaming experience.
Windows Central notes that SiriusXM provides no timetable for how long the beta program will last and when the app will hit Windows 10. However, if you’re a SiriusXM customer using Windows 10, then you should take some solace in the fact that an app will be making its way to you at some point in the future.
The Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview’s Windows Store now shows minimum system requirements for certain apps. So, if you’re a Windows Insider running one of the Preview builds for Windows 10 Mobile, you can easily check if your phone meets the minimum system requirements for an app you want to download.
The system requirements section shows up in the app’s information, telling you whether your phone is compatible with an app or not. If your phone is compatible with an app, green check marks appear next to each system requirement. Of course, if your device doesn’t match all system requirements, you’re going to see a red X next to a missing component.
System requirements only show up in the Windows Store on Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview, as Insiders on a PC are still unable to see this section on the store page of an app. The list of recommended hardware is actually available in the PC version, but only for some bigger gaming titles, like Tomb Raider or Forza Motorsport. Apps, however, are still missing that information on PCs.
As Microsoft plans to integrate Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile (and other platforms) as much as possible, we expect this feature to arrive for the PC in some of the future Preview builds, as well. We also expect system requirements for the Windows Store apps to arrive for regular users with the Anniversary Update for Windows 10. No one actually confirmed this claim, though, so don’t be surprised if Microsoft actually leaves it for another major update.
This is certainly a welcome addition — especially with paid apps — as you’ll always know whether your device can run an app or notquickly and easily.
Modding in a gaming title can add incredible amounts of value, enabling players to create and share their own gaming visions that, sometimes within limitations, extend a game’s playability indefinitely. Fallout 4 is no exception, and as we reported a few days ago, the title’s developer, Bethesda, has been planning to release modding to Fallout 4 on the Xbox One today, May 31, 2016.
True to their word, modding has indeed been delivered. Bethesda let everyone know in a post on the game’s site:
Starting today, we are excited to deliver on something we’ve wanted to do for a very long time – bring Mods to a console audience. With the latest title update for Fallout 4, Xbox One gamers are now able to browse Mods on Bethesda.net and, more importantly, can directly download and play Mods within the game’s main menu.
Playing Fallout 4 on PlayStation 4? Your wait is almost over, too. We anticipate Mods arriving on the PS4 next month.
For news and updates on Fallout 4 Mods, keep your eyes on Bethesda.net, our community forums, and on the @bethesdastudios and @fallout Twitter accounts.
Probably the easiest way to get a handle on what’s possible with Fallout 4 modding on the Xbox One is to watch the video overview hosted by none other than Xbox Live’s Major Nelson (a.k.a., Larry Hryb):
If you’re a Fallout 4 fan itching to get your modding on, then now’s your chance. Go check things out, then let us know in the comments what you think.
Waking up in the morning is about to get a little more technical. We’ve seen sneak peeks and demos of Microsoft’s Magic Mirror. The ‘smart mirror’ can easily recognize facial identification and tailor a display individually for you as you look in it. Earlier this month we learned about the backbones of the Magic Mirror, but today Microsoft has released a blog post giving more depth to the project.
The physical creation of the mirror seems relatively simple. In front is the one-way mirror. Behind it, however, is a black LCD screen that shows a high contrast white interface. As you brush your teeth, get dressed, and straighten your tie, all of the information that you deem noteworthy is made available on the display for you. Time and weather, being the primary factors in morning preparation, have a dominant display at the top of the mirror with less important information at the bottom.
Magic Mirror Interface
Built with Windows IoT Core on Raspberry Pi 3, the Hosted Web App is able to utilize very basic coding from HTML, CSS, and JavaScript making it an ideal opportunity for novice developers. By making the Magic Mirror app into a UWP through the Hosted Web App’s bridge, it has capabilities to use APIs provided by Microsoft Cognitive Services. Facial recognition is a key element to the Magic Mirror, and through Cognitive Services, users can save a picture of themselves into the mirror’s database and the camera can load it once they are in front of the mirror again.
The Node instance sends the image as ‘octet-stream’ to Cognitive Services through the REST API which then binds the face_id to the user’s preferences:
While the mirror isn’t being used, it will fall into a rest mode that displays only the clock in the corner. This does two things: it allows the Magic Mirror to use up fewer resources and it lets the mirror greet the user. Upon someone approaching, the Magic Mirror attempts to recognize the face but displays a message such as “Is that you?” to encourage users to come closer to the mirror.
The ‘facedeteced’ event only triggers to retrieve information from Cognitive Services after a face is detected:
Microsoft designed the Magic Mirror to be user-friendly, making it easy to put together and use. Interested parties are even encouraged to try their own smart mirror with instructions available on Github. After the mirror is assembled and all connected, users on both PC and Mac will be able to install the Magic Mirror app.
The potential is nearly limitless with the open source on Github being available to developers, allowing them to play with the code and provide feedback for the project. It will be interesting to watch the current status of stocks and driving conditions develop into a list of available interfaces that will be personalized by each user’s profile.
While we’re here patiently waiting for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, it is abundantly clear that time is near due to the lack of exciting features in the newest Insider update. It’s not surprising then that a new report proves Microsoft is now adding the finishing touches to the operating system.
As it stands right now, no other new features are in active development. The goal is to work on the bugs and overall improvements. We’ve also come to understand there’s a possibility Microsoft might also improve the Settings app, though the publication did not specify what we should be expected.
As for the Anniversary Update version number, it could turn out to be 1607. The number makes a lot of sense seeing as the update will land in July 2016 (2016 and the 7th month equals 1607). Microsoft did something similar with the big November 2015 update as its version number was 1511.
Microsoft is also planning to launch a new update in 2017, internally referred to as Redstone 2. This particular update is expected to mature Windows 10 a great deal, with a more pronounced effect on Windows 10 Mobile. This update is intended to launch several features that will not make the Anniversary Update. We’re not certain what these features are, but no doubt we’ll find out in the coming months.
Recently, Microsoft released a new version of Windows 10 for Insiders to help prepare for the impending Anniversary Update. Furthermore, the Anniversary Update may not be the only cool thing the software giant is planning to hit us with this year: Rumors claim there’s an Xbox One Slim along with a new Xbox system in development, along with the concepts of4K video playback and VR expected to continue playing a big role going forward.
For fans of the electronic gaming convention E3 or Microsoft’s Xbox keynote reveals at the event, a potential spoiler alert is just beyond this sentence. Read at your own discretion.
With roughly two more weeks until Microsoft reveals its plans for what many believe is a hardware refresh to the Xbox One console, along with the potential announcement of plans for a pair of streaming devices with undetermined functionality, the rumor mill is churning at full throttle.
An Xbox One-focused Reddit page has revealed what could be an upcoming Xbox media briefing along with some of what might be planned for Xbox at E3 2016:
People asked me what else I could catch from Xbox API etc. I will just share it now. Take these as rumors or whatever. I don’t know what will be at E3 or whatever.
Rare is working on a new Battletoads (maybe just the Rare name though like at the Killer Instinct reveal trailer, game could also co-developed by another studio)
Sea of Thieves won’t be a straight MMO, more like The Division/Destiny, seems like MS will give this game a huge focus, cross-play, cross-buy
FH3 set in Australia
General RAAM for Killer Instinct
Something Age of Empires (still not sure what exactly, probably new game)
Halo Wars 2 Beta is a thing, no cross-play mentioned
Zombie online game by MS, probably new State of Decay, could also be Dead Rising
Anniversary update will get its own landing page on Xbox.com with the major features listed, probably “available now” at E3 for preview
Reddit poster dieklobrille claims that through searching “hundreds of lines of source code” the above bits made the most logical sense. Dieklobrille also punctuates his claims by saying, “I only wrote down the things that will most likely be accurate and are based on recent data updates,” leaving the window open for other last minute changes.
Again, these reveals are based on interpretation and seemingly leaked information. Nothing has been confirmed and things will most likely remain that way until Microsoft’s Xbox briefing at E3 2016.
Let us know your thoughts on how the Xbox team can make a splash at this year’s gaming convention.
Microsoft has just announced the first big update to Windows Holographic, the platform underlying their popular HoloLens augmented reality solution. The update marks a big step forward Microsoft’s holographic venture, and based on user feedback, brings multi-tasking, Edge tabs, more to the HoloLens experience.
Multi-tasking – With this update, you can run multiple applications at the same time.
Input – You can now connect a regular Bluetooth mouse to your HoloLens device. In addition, the clicker has been fine-tuned to enable resizing and moving of holograms.
Voice – We’ve added new commands. Find out what happens when you gaze at a hologram and say “Face me!”
Edge – Edge now supports many of your feature requests such as tabs.
Photos – The Photos app has been updated to support pinning of pictures without any borders or chrome. Your walls will never look the same.
For more information and the full details on the update, you can watch the video above, or visit Microsoft’s documentation page for the full listing of all things HoloLens.
Earlier this month, Microsoft hosted its annual WinHEC event in China to share with its hardware partners all the upcoming features included in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. While WinHEC is usually a yearly event, it seems that Microsoft will organize another event called “WinHEC Fall Event” that is slated or November 1st-5th, 2016 in a still undisclosed location.
The news was first spotted by Twitter user WalkingCat (via FraWin) who found a registration page about a “WinHEC Mixed” event in fall 2016. While this page is now archived, we can see the official description of the event:
Welcome! This is a pre-registration page for the WinHEC Mixed coming Fall 2016. This event will provide presentations and hands on labs to enable partners to fully utilize the Windows Mixed. To get updates on this exciting upcoming event, sign up today!
While “Windows Mixed” was quite confusing, FraWin reported that it could be the new branding for Windows Holographic, the dedicated operating system for the HoloLens mixed reality headset. However, WalkingCat discovered later today that Microsoft has now set up a new registration page for the event which is now called “WinHEC Fall Event“. In the meantime, the official description of the event has become quite shorter as you can see in the screenshot below:
The new registration page for the WinHEC Fall Event.
So, as this new page no longer refers to “Windows Mixed”, it appears Microsoft is not quite ready to talk publically about the somewhat cryptic name. According to the dates of the event, Microsoft could also well use it to show its hardware partners new Windows 10 features that will be part of the Redstone 2 wave of updates that was originally slated for release this year but has been pushed back to Spring 2017 (though that is pure speculation from our part). Anyway, we’ll have to wait to see if Microsoft shares more information about this WinHEC Fall Event in the coming days.
The weather may be getting hot outside for the Summer season, but the Xbox deals never cool down. Major Nelson has once again taken to his blog to announce this week’s Deals with Gold and spotlight savings, and they’re doozies.
Savings this week are valid from now until June 6th and include BattleBorn, Grand Theft Auto 5, and NBA 2K16. On the Xbox 360 side, the deals include Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, Guncraft, and so much more. We’ve given a few of the biggest Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles a look and have included Microsoft’s descriptions and download links below.
A tremendous band of badass heroes fight to protect the universe’s very last star from a mysterious evil in this next-gen shooter by the creators of Borderlands. Slash and parry, run and gun, cast and dash, or simply obliterate foes while building and growing your personal team of heroes.
When a young street hustler, a retired bank robber and a terrifying psychopath find themselves entangled with some of the most frightening and deranged elements of the criminal underworld, the U.S. government and the entertainment industry, they must pull off a series of dangerous heists to survive in a ruthless city in which they can trust nobody, least of all each other. Features across-the-board graphical and technical enhancements for a deeper, more vibrant world.
NBA 2K is back with the most true-to-life NBA experience to date with NBA 2K16. The NBA 2K16 Starter Pack Bundle includes NBA 2K16 and 75,000 VC. NBA 2K16’s in-game currency, VC, can be spent on your MyPLAYER, MyTEAM card packs, and more!
Again, the above-mentioned titles are just a few of the Xbox One titles that are part of this week’s Deals with Gold savings. Other deals (seen below) include savings on NBA 2k16 VC, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, Grand Theft Auto 5 bundles, and more.
Tony Hawk’s® Pro Skater™ 5 boasts an all-star lineup of skaters that represent the incredible diversity of skating today. Select from 10 pro skaters, which include long-time veterans to recent Skaters of the Year who grew up playing Tony Hawk games! Each pro brings their own unique skating style to the game, so whether you like street, thrasher, vert, ripper or hybrid skating, THPS5 has you covered!
Block and Load! Combining the addictive nature of block building sandbox games with the speed and competition of modern first-person shooters, Guncraft takes voxel-based gaming to a whole new level. Players can create maps and arenas based on anything imaginable and, once complete, can utterly destroy them with bullets, bombs, grenades, tanks, helicopters, gunships, and much more. In the heat of battle, soldiers can create custom blockades and fortresses instantaneously.
Just like on the Xbox One side, these above-mentioned titles are just part of the Xbox 360 Deals with Gold savings. As seen below, NBA 2K16, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD, and Battle Field Hardline Getaway round out the Xbox 360 savings.
Xbox 360 Deals with Gold savings
So, what do you think? Do you regularly check out the Weekly Deals with Gold savings? These deals are only valid with a Xbox Live Gold subscription, and so will you pick up any of these Xbox titles? Let us know your thoughts by dropping us a comment below!
While news of Windows 10’s steady advances towards Microsoft’s hefty ambition of a billion devices are abound, they only focus on the numbers and not the situation of Windows 10 distribution around the world. For that kind of big picture we have to rely on metrics site like StatCounter. whose newest desktop operating system usage stats, noted by Microsoft employee @dstorey, shows some encouraging development in key markets for Microsoft’s ultimate OS.
Specifically, Windows 10 is reported topping the usage chart for North America. The operating system has surpassed its three-generation-behind predecessor and in some sense biggest competitor, Windows 7, in the region, albeit by a very slim margin. Zooming a bit closer, the reason for this might be a similar dethroning in the US, where Windows 10 is now used more than Windows 7 by almost 1%, at 28.82% share of the market.
A tiny lead, but a lead nonetheless.
Over “downunder” in Oceania, Windows 10 has a much more significant lead of almost 5% marketshare. While a bit exaggerated in its presentation, the map view of the usage statistics gives us a pretty clear idea why. One word: Australia. The country’s seems pretty taken with Windows 10, with nearly 30% of market share. Interestingly, Windows 7 is only at third place here, as OSX seems to have somehow taken the second spot in usage ranking, prompting assumption that Australian consumers may have a bit more money to spend than their fellow humans. Nevertheless, the fact that Windows 10 is still leading in such an Apple-entrenched market can only be a good sign.
A bit exaggerated..
While Windows 10 has not achieved market dominance in the whole of Europe yet (that number one spot still belongs to Windows 7), the part of it where gains are showing is very interesting. True to their tradition of taking in new technology, Northern European consumers are shown leading the adoption of Windows 10 in Europe, despite some bad blood between Microsoft and one of the region’s main countries, Finland. Seeing how Microsoft’s newest job cuts has again touched the nerves of the Finnish government, and most likely its citizens, one has to wonder if there will be visible effects on adoption rate in the upcoming months.
All in all, these new stats paints a pretty positive picture of Windows 10 adoption rates in crucial markets, Microsoft’s home base included. Of course, there is a way yet until the OS reaches the global-domination mark of 1-billion; as Microsoft perfects its OS however, that day may come sooner than you think.
While we already expected a busy E3 2016 following our previous reports on new Xbox hardware reportedly in the pipeline, it seems that the upcoming gaming show could also reveal new Xbox One VR experiences, according to a new report from Techradar. Our colleagues spotted on NeoGAF that a user called “00ich” has discovered that four companies are currently registered under the “Virtual Reality > Xbox One” category on the official E3 website: Rebellion, Maximum Games, Readily Information Company and 3DRudder.
Game developer Rebellion on the E3 website.
Of course, this could well be an error but Techradar recalled in its report that both Rebellion and 3D Rudder already shipped VR products. Indeed, as a game developer, Rebellion developed Battlezone VR for PlayStation VR while hardware company 3DRudder builds feet-based VR and 3D motion controllers.
Furthermore, a previous report from Kotaku revealed last week that Microsoft is currently pursuing a partnership with VR company Oculus, which could mean that the next iteration of the Xbox One (codenamed Project Scorpio and slated for release in late 2017) could be VR enabled and probably compatible with the current consumer version of the Oculus Rift headset. Last, an additional report from Ars Technica confirmed last week that there would be an announcement of an Xbox One virtual reality game at E3.
If you have been following the news around virtual reality, you may be aware that Sony has already a clear VR strategy as the Japanese company is expected to introduce PlayStation VR later this year and is also rumored to be reveal a PlayStation 4.5 during E3. It makes sense for Microsoft to reveal its VR plans during the upcoming gaming show as the Redmond giant can’t afford to miss the VR train and continue to appear as the underdog in its fight against Sony’s very successful Playstation 4. Do you think Microsoft is ready to reveal the first Xbox One VR experiences at E3 2016? Please let us know what you think in the comments.
A new report out by the BBC is showing that tech and online giants Microsoft, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook have pledged to remove hate speech within 24 hours. This pledge comes in support of a part of new code of conduct drafted by the European Union which is aimed towards limiting the spread of online abuse on social media.
As part of the pledge, Microsoft and the other companies also agree to work with groups that monitor and flag hateful content. Additionally, BBC also reports that the companies also pledge to “develop and promote ‘counter-narratives’ to challenge those who post hate speech or illegal content.”
BBC notes that under the proposed European Union code, Microsoft and the other companies will also have to “overhaul their notification systems” for faster access to reporting inappropriate content. A European Commission, though, will still hold meetings with Microsoft and the other technology companies to see what effect the code will have.
MSI has just announced a new line of Windows 10 powered gaming notebooks built for the best of virtual reality gaming. The devices were shown off at the MSI’s 30th Anniversary Gaming Night event at Computex, and are being featured on Microsoft’s Windows Experience blog.
The GT73 gaming laptop
Leading the pack are MSI’s new SLI platform design GT83 and GT73 Titan SLI laptops. Set to be released in August for $4,500 The GT83 packs a NVIDIA GeForce GTX980 SLI graphics solution and a 4K display with surround mode for the best true-to-life gaming experience.
The GT73, meanwhile, is ideal for gamers who are looking for a smooth gameplay at 4K settings under 3 monitor surround sound mode. It also will be released in August for $2,500 and will be the lightest mobile SLI with dual GTX980M SLI level graphics, and will also support single GTX980 top-tier mobile graphics.
GS63 Stealth Pro
Also available in August, next up is the new $1,600 17.7 mm thin GS63 Stealth Pro gaming laptop. It features Cooler Boost Trinity and has a total of 5 heat pipes and enhanced Whirlwind Blade fans to exhaust the heat out of the system effectively and silently. It is also powered by the Intel Core i7 6700HQ and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX970M for the ultimate gaming performance.
GS73 gaming laptop
Third on the list is the $1,700 5kg in weight GS73 laptop, which accommodates mobile GTX970M graphics and Cooler Boost Trinity. The GS73 includes a SteelSeries gaming keyboard and SteelSeries Engine 3 software, True Color display with better gamut color panel, ESS SABRE HiFi headset AMP and Nahimic 2.0 for better sound experience.
Backpack PC
Last is the MSI Backpack PC. Microsoft notes that this PC is guaranteed to bring new levels of performance and capabilities. It is fueled by Intel extreme Core i7 processors and a NVIDIA GeForce GTX980 graphics card. It also will allow gamers using VR to move naturally without restraints for full immersion in the exhilarating world of virtual reality. Pricing and availability for this device are set to become available later this year.
To learn more about these MSI PCs you can visit gaming.msi.com. Then, once you check out the full details, be sure to drop us a comment below to let us know your thoughts on these new offerings from MSI.
Back in February, we reported that the classic survival horror title Resident Evil 5 would be getting an update and would be heading to Xbox One and PC. Today we can report that developer Capcom has confirmed that the updated version of Resident Evil 5 will be launching on June 28th for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
As per a report by Polygon, the re-released Resident Evil 5 will have all the downloadable content seen in the original game, including the two expansion episodes and the Mercenaries United and Versus Modes in multiplayer. The re-release will be priced at $19.99 and also will include improved frame rate and support for the 1080p resolution.
The Resident Evil games put you in the shoes of recurring characters facing global virus outbreaks that threatens to destroy the world. Resident Evil 5 was the first opus to feature a multiplayer coop mode as well as a much-improved gameplay.
The two Dead Island video games are being re-released on the Xbox One today in their new, shiny Definitive Edition formats. These versions of the games come with big graphical improvements, new content, and a host of downloadable content that came out with the original versions.
Here are the descriptions for Dead Island Definitive Edition: The game that re-defined the Zombie genre – fully remastered. Paradise meets Hell! Welcome to the Zombie Apocalypse experience of a lifetime – and now more beautiful than ever. Caught in the midst of an epic zombie outbreak on the tropical island of Banoi, your only thought is: Survival! Smash heads, crack skulls and slice ‘em up with visceral astounding melee combat and true story-based 4 player co-op in a sprawling open world just waiting for exploration.
And here’s the description for the sequel, Dead Island: Rip Tide Definitive Edition: Continue the story of the Outbreak and see another Paradise gone to Hell – fully remastered. Welcome to the Zombie Apocalypse experience of a lifetime – and now more beautiful than ever. Caught in the midst of an epic zombie outbreak on the tropical island of Banoi, your only thought is: Survival!
Both games are available separately but they can also be purchased as part of the Dead Island Definitive Collection which also comes with the old school-inspired brawler, Dead Island Retro Revenge. Are you going to buy any of these re-releases? Share the hype in the comments below.
A special physical disk edition of Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition is now available to pre-order on Amazon and numerous other stores before its June 14th 2016 release date.
Here’s the official game description: Winner of several prestigious awards, “Ori and the Blind Forest” tells the tale of a young orphan destined for heroics, through a visually stunning Action-Platformer crafted by Moon Studios. Featuring hand-painted artwork, meticulously animated character performance, a fully orchestrated score and dozens of new features in the Definitive Edition, “Ori and the Blind Forest” explores a deeply emotional story about love and sacrifice, and the hope that exists in us all.
This physical release of the game comes with a free digital download of the original Ori and the Blind Forest video game, special making of behind the scenes videos, and a CD version of the game’s acclaimed soundtrack. Are you going to purchase this physical release or do you prefer to have digital copies of your Xbox One video games? Let us know in the comments below.
The Xbox One has been selling in a variety of stores for very cheap prices recently. A variety of bundles are being sold on store shelves with combinations of games that take a significant bit off of the regular sale price for each game and piece of hardware and now, with rumors swirling of a new slimmer Xbox One model coming in 2016 and a more powerful edition in 2017, more stores appear to be trying to get rid of the current Xbox One model.
Groupon currently has an offer for the Xbox One 1TB Console with Rainbow Six: Siege Bundle at an $80 discount (20% off the regular price). This bundle comes with the Xbox One console with one terabyte of built-in memory, one wireless controller, one copy of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, full digital downloads of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, one chat headset, and 14 free days of the Xbox Gold Live service which is needed for online multiplayer gaming and a variety of other features.
For Australians, leaked information has revealed details of a Big W games sale that’s due to begin on June 16th. Interestingly, this is two days after Microsoft’s E3 presentation where the company is expected to announce its future Xbox One hardware. Big W is expected to sell a 500GB Xbox One bundle with three games for AU$299, which is a fantastic price. If a new Xbox One is announced, this discount would make a lot of sense as once word spreads, very few people would want to buy the current version of the console. Woolworths (the company behind Big W) has since requested the details of the sale be removed, which is understandable.
Are you thinking of buying an Xbox One console or will you wait to see what Microsoft announces at E3? Let us know in the comments below.
We’ve been seeing several VR devices ever since the Oculus Rift. HTC showcased the Vive and Sony is pushing its PlayStation VR headset as well. However, what about MSI, what are its plans for VR in order to stay relevant in the space?
Well, the company doesn’t seem too interested in releasing its own VR device any time soon. What MSI is working on is an interesting computer backpack. It is called the MSI Backpack, and it is basically a computer designed to be worn on your back.
Now, folks might be wondering how this little thong will work seeing as it has an Intel Core i7 processor and an NVIDIA GTX 980 graphic card built in. Don’t worry, MSI is aiming to attached a huge battery to the thing, so it should perform for quite some time.
For those who might be wondering, this is not designed to be used as a regular PC, but for VR users who would prefer more movement free from wires and the risk of tripping over. The MSI Backpack won’t protect you from walking into a wall, however.
We should point out this Backpack PC thing is not an original idea. Zotac is working on something similar, but we do not have much information on what is going on there.
Here’s what MSI had to say about its latest innovation:
MSI unveils a breathtaking Backpack PC powered by high-end Intel® Core i7 processor and NVIDIA® extreme level GTX980 graphics card. Free from the restraint of a fixed VR platform, users get to move around and enjoy VR with big movements and total immersion. No more worries about accidently unplugging the wires between the VR device and the platform. MSI Backpack PC renders greater mobility and freedom for VR gaming.
Keep an eye out for the MSI Backpack at Computex 2016 later beginning on May 31.
Taking into account the events surrounding Microsoft’s phone business from last week, one could easily conclude that Windows phones are dead and in the process of being buried. The tech giant sold the Nokia brand and cut more than 1,800 jobs from Windows phone factories, causing investors to fuss and forcing Microsoft to confirm its commitment to Windows phone in a rather awkward moment.
In an internal memo, the company assured investors their investments were not at risk. The company also confirmed it would support Windows 10 phone OEMs in developing new devices and do the same themselves. Developing better security and productivity features is another area Microsoft will be heavily focusing on.
I want to assure you that your investment in Windows phones is not at risk. The mobility of the Windows 10 experience remains core to our More Personal Computing ambition. We will continue to support and update the Lumia devices that are currently in the market, and the development of Windows 10 phones by OEMs, such as HP, Acer, Alcatel, VAIO, and Trinity; as well as develop great new devices. We’ll continue to adapt Windows 10 for small screens. We’ll continue to invest in key areas – security, management, and Continuum capabilities – that we know are important to commercial accounts and to consumers who want greater productivity. And we’ll help drive demand for Lumia devices.
Speaking of OEMs, HP is expected to launch its Elite X3 Windows 10 phone in June, designed with Continuum in mind. The Acer Liquid M330 is an interesting, low-cost Windows 10 phone with a good-looking design while Vaio offers high-end business phones for exclusive markets. Somehow, it awkwardly seems that OEMs are focusing more on Windows 10 phones than Microsoft itself.
The next Windows 10 phone Microsoft to roll out will be the Surface Phone, the company’s last hope to finally wash away Windows phone shame. Maybe this is what Microsoft has in mind when it says it would “drive demand for Lumia devices.” Maybe it was a simple reflex that made Microsoft write “Lumia” instead of “Surface phone” in the memo. So far, its security, productivity, and Continuum apps alone haven’t been very successful at driving demand for the latest Windows phones.
The decision to make the Windows phone baggage lighter was probably the wisest choice Microsoft could have made. After two years of continuous failure, the company is finally focusing more on what really works: its apps. Chances are that this “Microsoft app, OEM hardware” combo could finally bring some cash to the company.
After months of testing, the Remote Desktop app for Windows 10 is finally out after Microsoft began beta testing the app back in December, using Insider feedback to improve its user experience
This app was only available to those who had installed the Microsoft Remote Desktop Preview app. As Microsoft finishes the preview phase, the app is now universal and replaces the 8.1 version for devices running both Windows 10 and Windows 10 mobile.
After a few months working on the core feature set, we’re excited to bring the app out of preview so everyone on a Windows 10 device, whether that be a desktop, tablet, phone or through Continuum for phone can benefit from the same great experience.
The Remote Desktop for Windows 10 allows you to connect to a remote PC from anywhere and get your work done wherever you are, a great tool for professionals on the go. In order to use the Remote Desktop app, you have to first configure your PC for remote access. Download the app to your PC, install it and you will be able to access your computer from everywhere.
The list of features include:
Access remote resources through your Remote Desktop Gateway
Rich multi-touch experience with Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and RemoteFX supporting Windows gestures
See all your remote connections in the home screen and open them with a single touch.
Access and manage work resources published via RemoteApp and Desktop Connections.
Secure connection to your data and applications
Simple management of all remote connections from the connection center
Seamless audio and video streaming
Support for Azure RemoteApp.
Microsoft’s efforts to improve the app and roll it out as soon as possible are appreciated. However, it seems that Remote Desktop app runs terribly in Continuum mode. The app works slower than similar remote connection apps, and mouse interaction is not at all precise. Users complain that in Continuum mode, they can only use the app for basic tasks, severely limiting their output.
We suggest you first use this workaround to fix Continuum problems in Windows 10 and then launch Remote Desktop in Continuum mode to see if the issues have been fixed.
The Windows Store is gaining more popularity among app platforms, with more than 6.5 billion visits since Windows 10 became available for free. This means that 18 million people hit the Microsoft Store every day in search of the perfect app for their needs.
The impressive number of visits also means that developers are becoming more interested in creating apps for the Windows platform. Microsoft made their work easier thanks to the Universal Windows Platform which allows developers to build apps for all Windows platforms using the same programming. The tech giant also rolled out improved specific developer tools or is planning to do so soon: an upcoming SDK tool will allow developers to test their code before pushing it out to users, VSMacros are back, and new BingMaps technology for developers is now available. The addition of Hyper-V containers and the PowerShell Dev feature eliminate cross-machine issues. Another powerful incentive for developers is the Centennial Project, allowing them to convert their Win32 apps to the UWP. This is the perfect initiative for the many legacy Win32 apps that will never be rewritten from scratch to support the Universal Windows Platform.
Windows 10 is more attractive to developers thanks to the huge number of users since more than 300 million devices are powered by Microsoft’s latest OS. This translates into higher revenues for developers compared to Windows 8 and 8.1.
The number of Windows Store visits will only increase in the coming months thanks to the recently launched Ready, Set, Summer Collection which offers 50% discounts on a series of apps, games, and movies. The promotion will end on June 6, 2016, which means that you have only one week to buy these discounted products.
Unfortunately, Microsoft did not mention what the actual sales numbers or the actual download numbers generated by the Windows Store. Many users could have simply hit the Store icon by mistake, so it would be interesting to know what those figures are along with the number of unique visitors or how long users stay on Microsoft’s Store page.
Windows 7 is king on the operating system market, with an impressive 48% market share seven years after its official release. Microsoft’s current goal is to convince users to upgrade to Windows 10, currently at a 15% market share. The tech giant hasn’t been shy, showing off its bag of tricks in its attempt to convince — or force — users to do so. The company made the Windows 10 upgrade free until June 29 while unexpected upgrade pop-ups appear in the middle of live TV, and its latest involves the X button from the upgrade window that takes your no for a yes.
According to analysts, Microsoft’s dream of turning Windows 10 into the most popular OS in the world will soon come true thanks to the Redstone update. Many companies running Windows 7 are choosing to wait until the mature version of Windows 10 is rolled out before making the switch to the new OS. Companies need to know what increased value Windows 10 offers before deciding to upgrade.
Organizations will only upgrade to Windows 10 if they have a clear insight into its business value. […] Most organizations are still in the early planning stage when it comes to Windows 10. This means that most of the PCs running Windows 10 today are in the consumer segment of the market, and thus Windows 7 is probably running on 80 percent-plus business Windows PCs.
Companies will start to upgrade their systems after Redstone is launched, but the mass-upgrade is slated to take place only after the second Redstone wave, expected to land in the second half of 2017.
It will be very interesting to see whether analyst prediction come true. Another possibility could be that users and companies delay the update until 2020, when Microsoft ends support for Windows 7.
There’s also a third possibility: Windows 7 could go down the road of Windows XP. Windows 7 is an extremely popular and reliable OS, and users might decide to keep running it even without support from Microsoft, just as is the case with Windows XP — still the third most popular OS in the world. Even US government agencies are still running Windows XP-based systems. Windows 7 becoming another Windows XP would definitely be Microsoft’s worst nightmare. RELATED STORIES YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT:
Microsoft introduced the Windows Game bar along with Windows 10, to improve experience of playing games. The Game bar allows players to quickly take screenshots or record videos from the game, without needing any third party software.
But even though the Game bar works great with a lot of games, it still needs some improvements. For example, some games are not able to pull the Game bar while running in full screen. Microsoft is aware of this, mostly because a lot of people told the company via the Feedback Hub that they need more games to support the Game bar wile in full screen, so we finally received a welcomed improvement.
Namely, in the latest Windows 10 Preview build 14352, the Game bar supports more full screen mode game than it used to before the most recent release. Microsoft added support for six additional games in full-screen mode with Windows game bar: League of Legends, World of Warcraft, DOTA 2, Battlefield 4, Counterstrike: Global Offensive, and Diablo III.
Now you can record content from these games while in the full screen mode with the Game bar without any problems. In case you’re not sure how to use the Game bar, just press Win + G while in-game, and the Game bar will automatically show up, if the game is supported, and if your computer meets minimum system requirements for it.
Since this is the first Game bar update of the kind, we expect Microsoft to add even more games in the future. The improved Game bar is for now only available to Windows 10 Insiders running at least build 14352, but it will arrive to regular users with the Anniversary Update.
Tell us what do you think about the improved Windows Game bar in Windows 10 Preview build 14352, and what game you would like to see next on the list of supported games for running the Game bar in full screen.
