Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) launches on Xbox One and Series X/S consoles today in Brazil.

The cloud gaming service, alongside Xbox Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate, allows users to find and try out different Game Pass titles before installing them. Gamers can also join a game they haven’t yet downloaded when receiving an invite from a friend, and Xbox One owners can even play games that aren’t normally playable on that console – such as Microsoft Flight Simulator – via the cloud service if they have Game Pass Ultimate. Such is the beauty of cloud gaming.

To be clear, Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) launched in September 2021 in Brazil for Game Pass Ultimate users with PCs, tablets and mobile devices. Today’s launch makes the service available in Brazil for Xbox consoles. Xbox Cloud Gaming (beta) has now brought cloud gaming to over 1 billion devices worldwide.

Microsoft released Windows 11 build 22593 last week to both Dev Channel Windows Insiders and Beta Channel Insiders, and there was an interesting feature that wasn’t mentioned in the release notes. As spotted by Neowin, it recently became possible in this build to disable all icons in the system tray to the left of the clock area.

It already was possible to hide system tray icons in Windows 11, by adding them to an overflow menu by going to Windows 11’s settings (Personalization, Taskbar, Taskbar corner overflow.) Yet, this new option lets you remove them entirely. In the Dev channel, Windows 11 now shows a new third option in this settings menu called Hidden icon menu. And when this is clicked, along with toggling all the other switches for icons to off, you’ll see a clean space to the bottom right of your taskbar with just the time and usual indicators for Wi-Fi, volume, and battery on laptops.

Of course, it might not make sense to do this, as some apps will only quit from the system tray, but it is nice to see that you can clean up this area a bit. Do note, though, that this doesn’t mean the feature will make it to the retail version of Windows 11.

Features that are tested in the Windows Insider program are known to come and go. Yet, the fact that this feature is in testing with the Beta Channel, too, could hint at a possible release for all Windows 11 users in a future update, but don’t hold your breath for it.

Just Like Microsoft, both Nintendo and Sony have followed suit and stopped billing dormant game subscriptions in the UK. Earlier this year, Microsoft had indicated that they will no longer bill dormant Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass subscriptions in the UK, instead, they would notify their customers about their dormant accounts, and if no action was taken they would then stop the payments. (via Engadget)

UK’s Competition and Markets Authority and Sony are already in agreement that they will no longer charge dormant PlayStation Plus accounts. Sony has also taken it upon themselves to send out reminders to dormant users on how to end these payments.

On the other hand, Nintendo does not auto-renew its Switch Online Subscriptions. This move has led to the conclusion of an investigation launched by the CMA back in 2019 that was mainly focused on auto-renewals and how difficult it was for one to get a refund back.

Youtuber and hobbyist Akaki Kuumeri has released a blueprint for a 3D-printable mod that allows Xbox Series X/S controllers to be used one-handed.

The modification uses multiple snap-on parts that allow buttons on the right side of the controller to be accessed with the left hand. The right thumbstick is used by laying the controller on a flat surface and swaying it, manipulating the thumbstick via an attached mechanism.

Kuumeri has also made a similar one-handed mod for the PlayStation 5 Dual Sense controller. He says he is looking to complete the set by making a one-handed solution for the Switch JoyCon controllers. He has made the blueprints for the Xbox controller mods available on printables.com. The mod can also be purchased through Kuumeri’s Etsy store.

Microsoft To Do is an app that can help you increase your productivity by helping you remember the tasks you need to accomplish each day. It’s designed for users of all ages and skill levels, and it’s compatible with other Microsoft apps like Outlook, Teams, and more.

It is a powerful tool that syncs across several computers and devices and works across different platforms and can sync to other smartphones via the Microsoft cloud. This makes it a great app for the average user who wants to be able to view their lists anywhere.

The app can be downloaded for free on Windows, Android, and iPhones. The system works integrally with Cortana which makes using it super easy. You don’t have to worry about remembering your tasks when you are away as they will sync automatically so that they are ready for you when you need them on your computer or any other device you’ve synced the app onto.

Recently, Microsoft introduced new features to the app, smart due date, and reminder recognition. These features are geared toward providing a better, fast, and convenient way for users to add due dates, reminders, and repeat information by naturally typing all the necessary information in a task title.

Integrating Microsoft To Do with Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft To Do is available across a number of different platforms, making it easy to stay organized no matter where you are or what device you’re using. It works well on its own, but it can also be integrated with Microsoft Outlook, letting you manage your tasks from the same place as your email. Furthermore, the flagged emails can be renamed, assigned due dates, and even given reminders.

However, Microsoft To Do is not yet able to support all the varied features of Outlook Tasks. The information users enter in additional details in Outlook tasks is securely stored, but will not be reflected in Microsoft To Do. “Microsoft To Do doesn’t currently support the start and end dates, task status, task completion percentage, multiple priority levels, task work hours, task colors, or categories that are available in Outlook Tasks.” You can also check out our detailed guide on How to use To Do in Outlook with Microsoft 365 for your productivity advantage to get started.

Note: If you want to escalate the importance of a particular task, then you can mark the email flag in Microsoft Outlook as high-priority. It will then appear in Microsoft To Do starred.

Microsoft To Do and Cortana integration

Cortana is a digital assistant that works across your devices and other Microsoft services. Depending on the capabilities of your device and the version of Cortana you’re using, Cortana can provide a range of functionality, including the ability to answer questions; send emails and text messages and other important details; set reminders and alarms; create and manage lists, join a meeting in Microsoft Teams; and more.

Microsoft To Do’s integration with Cortana allows users to use the app from any Cortana-enable device, be it Windows, Smart Home devices, Android, or iOS. Moreover, through this integration users are able to create both reminders and to-do lists directly from the app, as opposed to the conventional way where you have to use Cortana. Cortana has access to all the tasks that you have created and can read them out.

To Do and Microsoft 365 integration

Users have the ability to integrate Microsoft To Do with Microsoft 365 apps, however, some of the apps come with in-built integrations.

There are some instances where you will be required to customize your own.  Here you will need an assistance tool, Microsoft Power Automate. The main focus of Power Automate is on automating workflow processes and business logic across applications and services. It uses connectors to interact with applications such as SharePoint, Office 365, and others.

Enhance your productivity with Microsoft To Do

For an app to be effective, it has to be easily accessible and used. Microsoft To Do is an app that can help you increase your productivity by helping you remember the tasks you need to accomplish each day. It’s designed for users of all ages and skill levels, and it’s compatible with other Microsoft apps like Outlook, Teams, and more.

To Do makes it easy to keep track of everything in one place. You can add, organize, complete and review tasks on your phone or computer, so no matter where you are, you’ll always have access to what needs to get done.

Yesterday brought us some exciting news, .NET MAUI hit Release Candidate. In a nutshell the SDK is almost ready for General Availability. This is huge news for those of us which tempted fate and built commercial production apps on this platform. We can now breathe easy as this news means Microsoft will begin offering production support.

What’s included?

For those that have not been keeping up with .NET MAUI here is a quick overview. The project leverages platform specific SDKs to give developers the ability to target Android, iOS, macOS and Windows directly from C# and a shared code base. This means build once, release on multiple platforms.

For those familiar with Xamarin.Forms, you get access to every UI control you’re already familiar with plus additional controls like BlazorWebView, Border, GraphicsView, MenuBar, Shadow, and Window. The XAML language you know and love is also present, which means making the jump from Xamarin or WPF will be extremely easy.

How to get started?

The first thing I would recommend is to give the official documentation a quick read.

.NET Multi-platform App UI documentation

After you are familiar enough to get started, then you need to make sure you’re using the latest preview version of Visual Studio 2022 which you can get here.

Visual Studio 2022 Preview

When you run the installer, be sure to select .NET MAUI (preview) under “Mobile Development with .NET workload” and you’re off to the races!

To read more about what’s included, coming and even what might be broken, check out the release notes on .NET MAUI’s repository on Github.

The official Xbox Gear Shop online store this week added a variety of merchandise and collectibles inspired by the Wasteland 3 video game.

Amongst the new Wasteland 3 merch are Cult of the Holy Detonation T-shirt and hoodie, Major Tomcat T-shirts and sweatshirt, Wasteland 3 stickers, a Battle of Steeltown print, a Major Tomcat mug, and a Los Payasos hoodie.

In non-Wasteland 3 merch news, the Xbox Gear Shop has also added the official Halo Infinite Marc V and Escharum Funko Pop figures.

The Xbox Gear Shop is an official online storefront products based on and inspired by Xbox video games. It ships to most major regions and often sells products that are unavailable anywhere else.

Want to get future news on Xbox merch? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Happy Patch Tuesday! As is routine, Microsoft has just released the monthly round of security updates for all shipping and supported versions of Windows today. On Windows 11 this month, the patch brings some tweaks for notifications, and on Windows 10, security tweaks. Here’s what you need to know.

If you’re running Windows 11, you’ll be seeing KB5012592 (OS Build 22000.613) in Windows update. Microsoft’s official changelog mentions that this build updates security for Windows, integral to OS functionality, as documented here. Yet, there’s also a video on the changelog page that mentions tweaks to notifications in Windows 11.

Per that video, it’s now possible to show up to four different toast notifications simultaneously, three high priority and one normal notification. There’s also a fix for OneDrive, where files might lose focus. The final new feature covers Widgets, where you now can find the proper settings option when searching in the settings for it. All of these features were in Windows 11’s March preview update.

On Windows 10 version 21H2, and version 21H1, meanwhile, you’ll be seeing KB5012599. This bumps the OS to builds 19042.1645, 19043.1645, and 19044.1645. Yet unlike on Windows 11, this just brings security patches. As always you should automatically see these updates in Windows Update as a download. If not, you can manually download it through the Microsoft Update catalog.

Microsoft has seemingly dodged the mainstream antitrust scrutiny that’s hounded similarly rooted tech companies such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook; but that could be coming to an end soon as the volume of customer complaints over a 2019 contract change increase.

According to a report from Bloomberg, current Microsoft customers are raising concerns in the way the company is handling licensing of its products to interoperate with competing platforms.

Back in 2019 Microsoft made a head scratching decision to overhaul the licensing of its famed Windows and Office platforms that raised the price across the board for customers, however it has now become apparent that the move was arguably a smoke screen to inject “discounts” for existing customers who continue to use Azure platform rather than rival ones.

Rather than simply raising the price for customers who choose to use Microsoft platforms alongside competitor services, which would likely be seen as a direct anticompetitive move, the company raised the price of all its products while offering those who unilaterally use its services steeper discounts as financial incentives to boost its cloud market share.

Unfortunately for Microsoft, some customers are beginning to connect the dots and are requesting European regulators investigate the matter.

“The excrement is about to hit the fan,” said Wes Miller, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, a research firm that advises customers on Microsoft licensing. He said that using the company’s software on a competing cloud service is “significantly more expensive than it used to be, and more expensive than it costs you to do the same thing on Azure.”

Other stories conveyed to Bloomberg include:

A person familiar with the company said it started using AWS when it began rolling out mobile devices to employees. The company used its Amazon and Windows combination successfully for several years, until the changes in late 2019. The conflict came to a head more recently, when the company began renewing its contracts with Microsoft—to keep using Windows on virtual desktops via Amazon’s cloud, the customer is required to buy a license that was formerly included, adding millions of dollars to the total cost.

The company considers this a penalty, the person familiar said, because Azure customers get that additional license for free. The customer isn’t allowed to run Office software through a competing cloud at all without violating the terms of its license with Microsoft, the person said. The company spent months negotiating with Microsoft on the issue, eventually getting a reprieve of several years. After that expires, this customer will again be out of compliance.

Anecdotal cases alone may not be enough to warrant the ire of the dreaded antitrust microscope but given Microsoft’s past along with the totality of the market, the company could be on the hook for a “tying” antitrust violation.

As defined by the Federal Trade Commission:

For competitive purposes, a monopolist may use forced buying, or “tie-in” sales, to gain sales in other markets where it is not dominant and to make it more difficult for rivals in those markets to obtain sales. This may limit consumer choice for buyers wanting to purchase one (“tying”) product by forcing them to also buy a second (“tied”) product as well. Typically, the “tied” product may be a less desirable one that the buyer might not purchase unless required to do so, or may prefer to get from a different seller. If the seller offering the tied products has sufficient market power in the “tying” product, these arrangements can violate the antitrust laws.

According to customers and rivals such as Amazon and Google, Microsoft is not unaware of the request to address the issue as all parties have issued complaints directly.

Microsoft President and vice chair Brad Smith has acknowledged some of the concern and issued the following statement, “there definitely are some valid concerns, it’s very important for us to learn more and then make some changes.”

While Microsoft hasn’t officially made any changes to its 2019 licensing overhaul, the company has also acknowledged that rival platforms can in fact offer their own discounts to win over seemingly disgruntled and unsatisfied customers, an argument sure to be used if the company is hauled into court over the matter.

As customers and rival platforms await movement on their complaints from either Microsoft or regulators, competitors such as Amazon face their own scrutiny as the House Judiciary Committe follows up on their 2020 report targeting AWS titled Investigation of Competition in Digital Markets.

In the end, Microsoft, AWS, Google, IBM and the like will all come under further scrutiny as each jockey for customer acquisition and retention in a shrinking pool. At this point, antitrust violations may be less a matter of “if” and more a matter of “when” depending on how aggressive each platform provider becomes.

Earlier this week, we highlighted Microsoft’s new addition to Edge Canary, the option for PWAs to better handle and open external links. And now, its latest version comes with enhancements for managing extensions, as spotted by Neowin, and Redditor u/Leopeva64-2.

Once this feature reaches general availability, users will be able to turn on and turn off extensions easily. This will enhance security where users can easily turn off the extensions and prevent third-party applications from accessing their credentials.

To disable extensions from your browser, open the extension flyout then click on the ellipses in the upper-right corner and select Pause extensions on this site. Microsoft Edge will then notify you that the extensions have been disabled. However, if you wish to restore this setting then click on the Resume extensions button.

Moreover, Microsoft has also incorporated a new setting that will detect websites with sensitive information and automatically turn off the extensions. This setting is set to work when using banking and payment sites.

Currently, this setting is available to some Edge Insiders in the Canary channel as part of A/B testing. However, most users will have to wait till it is past the testing phase and see if it will make it to general availability.

Preview 3 of version 8 of the .NET Community Toolkit just dropped and it comes packed with a ton of goodies. For those unfamiliar with what this is, it a set of APIs and helpers to assist .NET developers with a large number common tasks regardless of the UI platform they chose to build with. Today we are going to dig into a couple of new features headed our way, let’s get to it.

Microsoft MVVM Toolkit

This new MVVM Toolkit version expands on the source generator functionality released in previous releases. These APIs are intended to significantly simplify the necessary boilerplate when dealing with MVVM, with help ranging from observable properties to commands and more. Here are some of the features.

Cancellation support for commands

The [ICommand] attribute now contains a new property that can be used to direct the source generator to generate a cancel command in addition to the original command. This cancel command can be used to stop an asynchronous command from running. Check out the example implementation below.

[ICommand(IncludeCancelCommand = true)]
private async Task DoWorkAsync(CancellationToken token)
{
    // Do some long running work with cancellation support
}

Revamped observable grouped collections

These APIs are especially handy for working with grouped items, and they now feature improvements to substantially simplify basic tasks such as adding an item in the correct location within a group. Starting with this release all the observable grouped collection types from the CommunityToolkit.Common moved to to CommunityToolkit.Mvvm. Sergio Pedri Software Engineer II at Microsoft shows us a sample of this in the GIF below.

This was just a glimpse at the changes coming our way with the latest Preview release of the Community Toolkit. As always be sure to watch out for breaking changes, as some are in fact included.

For more details on what we just discussed here plus more information on other improvements, please visit the original blog post here or check out the official Community Toolkit’s Github repository for a more comprehensive view of all new features and changes.