Paul Thurrott

Paul Thurrott is an award-winning technology journalist and blogger with 30 years of industry experience and the author of 30 books. He is the owner of Thurrott.com and the host of three tech podcasts: Windows Weekly with Leo Laporte and Richard Campbell, Hands-On Windows, and First Ring Daily with Brad Sams. He was formerly the senior technology analyst at Windows IT Pro and the creator of the SuperSite for Windows from 1999 to 2014 and the Major Domo of Thurrott.com while at BWW Media Group from 2015 to 2023. You can reach Paul via email, Twitter or Mastodon.

Paul Thurrott’s Recent Posts

Immersive Reader Features are Coming to Word for iPad

Immersive Reader Features are Coming to Word for iPad

Microsoft revealed today that it is adding immersive reader features like Read Aloud and Text…

Microsoft is Integrating Mixer Broadcasting into Minecraft

Microsoft is Integrating Mixer Broadcasting into Minecraft

Minecraft is being updated to include integrated Mixer game broadcasting capabilities, first on Windows 10…

SmartDeploy: PC Deployment Made Simple

SmartDeploy: PC Deployment Made Simple

SmartDeploy offers a simple and scalable image-based PC deployment solution for organizations of all sizes.

It's finally happening: The first 13 original Xbox games will be made available on Xbox One via Backward Compatibility starting tomorrow. Instead of just announcing the news, Microsoft instead allowed a single video game publication, IGN, to reveal the information exclusively, which I feel is unfair. But here are the details: 13 games. Microsoft is releasing 13 original Xbox games to Xbox One Backward Compatibility: BLACK, BloodRayne 2, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, Dead to Rights, Fuzion Frenzy, Grabbed by the Ghoulies, The King of Fighters Neowave, Ninja Gaiden Black, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Psychonauts, Red Faction II, Sid Meier’s Pirates!, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. I actually owned at least half of those back in the day. Enhanced for Xbox One. Each of these games is "enhanced for Xbox One" (not to be confused for "Enhanced for Xbox One X"), meaning that each plays in 1080p and offers higher and/or smoother frame rates than was the case on the original console. Your discs will still work. If you still have any of these games on disc, you can insert them into your Xbox One and it will just work. Ditto for digital purchases. Multiplayer works across platforms. You can play multiplayer games with these titles across console types, but only in System Link mode. The online multiplayer servers for original Xbox games were shut down long ago, apparently. You can buy them all now. Each of the games is available for purchase now from the Microsoft Store digitally for $9.99. I actually purchased Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge over the weekend in anticipation of this move. (You can use the links above.) You can start playing tomorrow. The first original Xbox games arrive via Xbox One Backward Compatibility tomorrow, October 24. Good stuff.

First Original Xbox Games for Xbox One Arrive Tomorrow

The first 13 original Xbox games will be made available on Xbox One via Backward…

Google, We Have a Pixel Problem
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Google, We Have a Pixel Problem (Premium)

It's like watching a horror movie that unfolds in slow motion.

Google Brings Speedy Online Checkout to PC and Mobile

Google Brings Speedy Online Payments to PC and Mobile

Google today launched Google Payments, a new online checkout service for PC and mobile.

Microsoft Discusses a Years-Long Effort to Set Halo: MCC Right

Microsoft Discusses a Years-Long Effort to Set Halo: MCC Right

Stung by its abysmal launch in 2014, Microsoft has been working for years to fix…

Essential Phone Gets a Permanent $200 Price Cut

Essential announced this weekend that its first smartphone, the PH-1, is getting a permanent $200…

Tip: Get Ready for Xbox One X

Tip: Get Ready for Xbox One X

Anyone who is purchasing an Xbox One will want to get up and running as…

Surface Studio is Updated for Windows Mixed Reality

Surface Studio is Updated for Windows Mixed Reality

Surface Studio owners can now access some pre-release drivers to improve Windows Mixed Reality compatibility…

Microsoft is Retiring Office Mix, Bringing Features Elsewhere

Microsoft is Retiring Office Mix, Bringing Features Elsewhere

Microsoft has emailed users of its Office Mix add-on for PowerPoint today to inform them…

Cortana Gets a Major Update on Android and iOS

Cortana Gets a Major Update on Android and iOS

The new update for Cortana offers a new look and feel and better integration with…

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Paul’s Tech Makeover: Our TV Defeat (Premium)

As many predicted, and as I had feared, streaming TV services simply aren't ready for…

Hey Cortana, It's My Harmon Kardon Invoke First Impressions

Hey Cortana, It’s My Harman Kardon Invoke First Impressions

With the Harman Kardon Invoke, Cortana takes her first confident steps into our homes.

Samsung is Bringing Linux Desktop to DeX

Samsung is Bringing Linux Desktop to DeX … What About Windows?

Samsung announced that it is bringing a Linux desktop environment to its DeX docking solution…

Microsoft Updates Several Surface Devices

Microsoft Updates Several Surface Devices

Microsoft has unleashed a tsunami of firmware and driver updates for Surface Laptop, Surface Pro…

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