As usual, a number of interesting things came out Redmond this week. Gaming news aplenty, some preview builds as well, plus a hefty chunk of Surface updates. All that in the handy guide below.
Some gaming news surfaced this week, as did a few more preview builds and updates. That, plus a few cross-platform software niceties can all be found below in your Microsoft digest for the week of August 25-31.
As we get close to the RTM of Redstone 5, builds are starting to pop up a tad more often, but that doesn’t mean other software previews are being put on the back burner.
In a bit of good news for those stockpiling ISOs – or really just needing an image for a clean install – the disc image files for build 17738 were made available this week. In other preview news, those relying on the SDK got to play with build 17744 of said development kit, while Server 2019 testers were offered an identically numbered build which brought improvements to Hyper-V. At long last also joining this group is the exact same build, which made its way to the at times forgotten Slow ring of the Insider Preview.
Fast ring testers were treated to build 17751 which removes the lower right-hand corner watermark, fixes the logout Green Screen of Death issue, optimizes some design-related bugs, and generally improves performance. Do keep in mind that Ease of Access and Narrator are still experiencing a couple of hiccups, as are links in PWAs, which at the time of writing cannot open inside a browser.
While the news over on the Skip Ahead ring hasn’t been quite as frequent, said Insiders got a taste of version 3.0 for Sticky Notes, complete with cross-device sync, a dark theme, and support for many other formatting and input types detailed previously.
Flipping the page over to the stable builds of Windows 10, an update to the Intel graphics driver has fixed YouTube playback issues and has optimized performance for games like Vampyr, Monster Hunter: World and World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth. And while we’re on the subject of updates, here’s what you should look out for if you open up Windows Update on your Windows 10 system:
On the subject of updates and software enhancements, the SharePoint mobile app on iOS and Android is now improved thanks to a new design and the addition of a Find tab – which merges the Links, People, Sites, and Search tabs. You can also create and share updates, reports, and more with a team, as well as receive notifications when people publish news articles or engage with the ones published.
Last but not least is Skype. The service has received a brand new update across the board which fixes a lot of the issues users had with the new design – especially on the desktop. While it’s by no means perfect, version 8.29 heralds a return to simplicity, which should please long time and power users alike.
Seems like Microsoft’s flagship hardware division is hard at work on something akin to fast charging, only proprietary.
We should start with something that’s not exactly widespread, and that’s quite the hefty discount on a number of Surface models. Currently, all models are $200 off, which means the cheapest Surface Pro starts at $599.
If you’re already an owner and are using a Surface Studio, a big pile of firmware updates is headed your way. As always, these improve system stability, but nothing more is provided beyond this cryptic line of text.
In other Surface news, the newest Pro model got its own firmware update to improve LTE stability – even though this got offered to Wi-FI only models as well. Updates are always welcome, even if it’s for a capability the device doesn’t really have.
In the patent department, the Redmond giant has hinted that it may be working on „ ultrafast charging ” for its Surface line of devices. While other manufactures seem to have adopted the TypeC / Thunderbolt 3 port for fast charging needs, Microsoft looks to be sticking with its proprietary offering. We’ll just have to wait and see what the performance is like via this new breed of „smart batteries”.
What we won’t have to wait for is the Surface Plus program, which is going away less than a year after its creation. This program offered consumers easy financing options and upgrades every year and a half. And now, it’s no more. Oddly enough, Surface Plus for Business is still going at the time of writing.
It may be borrowed from the mobile carrier world, but what the Redmond giant’s vision for „the future of play” is might just make sense.
Last week there was some speculation about something called Xbox All Access and what it could really be. Turns out, we didn’t have to wait long, as Microsoft made it official this past week. This financing deal (because that’s what it is in essence) would allow someone to finance either an Xbox One S or Xbox One X along with Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass over a two year period for $21.99 or $34.99 per month (depending on which console you choose). This is done through a Dell Preferred Account and will be exclusively available through physical Microsoft Stores.
Switching things to the hardware side, a white version of the Xbox One X that’s part of the Special Edition Robot White Fallout 76 bundle has been announced, along with a White Special Edition Xbox Elite Wireless Controller (yes, the name is that long), plus a Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 headset. If anything, this won’t necessarily do anything to assure consumers who were already confused by the similar sounding One S and One X variants.
Also on the hardware side is a cancelled Xbox VR headset, which was said to be made to compete with PlayStation VR. Microsoft even went as far as to talk to certain developers in order to have games for this other gaming experience. Sadly, the unit was said to be on par with offerings like the Vive or the Rift and wouldn’t have been a match for the Xbox One X, quality-wise at least.
In a bit of Xbox software news, Dolby Vision HDR was made available to Alpha Skip Ahead and Alpha rings of the Xbox Insider Program, while these same rings got a preview build for Xbox One version 1810. A streamlined My Games & Apps section, a grouping of filter options under a single button, and a bunch of performance improvements have all arrived via this build. Keep in mind that it’s still rather buggy since we’re looking at test software.
For those using the Plex app on Microsoft’s console, a brand new update has added a bunch of settings and fixes for bugs related to album preplay, UI unresponsiveness, Mark as Played inconsistencies, and more. Furthermore, the EA Access Hub app is now available to Xbox Insiders, and the Xbox Forums are now part of the unified Microsoft Community Forums.
But really, the main point of owning an Xbox is represented by the games on it, be it the ones you already have or are planning to buy. And those? Well those are plenty.
First off, Xbox Live Gold subscribers get to pick Prison Architect: Xbox One Edition (Xbox One, September 1-30), Livelock (Xbox One, September 16-October 15), LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (Xbox 360, September 1-15), or Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World (Xbox 360, September 16-30).
