Windows Weekly 869: Pretty, Pretty Bueno

With Richard stuck in the air, Leo and Paul discuss the Xbox strategy announcement, Windows 11, Build 2024, AI, and more Xbox and gaming news.

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Xbox strategy reveal

Microsoft’s big Xbox strategy event was exactly what I expected it was going to be

• It was going to be about Activision Blizzard originally (nailed it)
• All first-party games will be in Game Pass on day one (as is the case now)
• Game Pass will only be on Xbox (whatever “Xbox” means as it’s on PC too)
• The strategy is unchanged: Meet gamers where they are
• But the best experience is on Xbox (this is like going from “Windows only” to “Windows first” to “Windows best”)
• Portability across hardware platforms is a key part of the strategy – Backward Compat, etc.
• A future generation of Xbox console hardware will offer “the largest technical leap you have ever seen in a hardware generation.”
• Oh, and four games are coming to “other consoles.” No details yet but they leaked – this was the lamest part of the whole thing – UPDATE: We know the games now
• Hopefully, this calmed some nerves

Windows 11

Windows Insider

• Microsoft is quietly adding off-ramps to the Insider Program after killing the Magic window with their screwed-up release schedule
• Canary and Dev (last week) – 24H2, same builds. New navigation pane in Widgets – new accessibility setting for low-vision users – that same tired weather experience on the lock screen that is already in stable and seriously kill me now I can’t stand this company anymore. Oh, and there are ISOs.
• Beta (last week) – New prompts for that “manage mobile devices” features, updates to Snipping Tool and Notepad (also in RP)
• Release Preview (last week) – we’re testing Moment 5 now, so this is a huge update

Microsoft fixed a bug that let Edge siphon browser data from other browsers. That said, this is literally a feature. And people OK it during Windows Setup.

Related: Stardock brings pre-release support for Arm versions of Start11, Fences, and Groupy to new Object Desktop Insider program.

Google has an answer for those out of support Windows 10 PCs. But I have a question: What’s the support timeline like, really?

Build 2024

Microsoft confirms that Build 2024 is May 21-23 in Seattle. No word on press invites.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft will finally unify the Teams clients on Windows and Mac

Microsoft is killing Publisher in 2 years and even though no one uses it, people are freaking out

AI

Microsoft to use Intel Foundry for at least one in-house custom AI chip

Now OpenAI is worth over $80 billion, is world’s third-biggest unicorn

OpenAI announces Sora and … HOLY #$%^

Gemini (formerly Duet AI) comes to all Workspace customers – Will compare this to Copilot Pro

Google brings Gemini down to size with Gemma for free, local use – after releasing Gemini Pro 1.5 last week

Adobe Acrobat is getting an AI assistant

Xbox

Game streaming is (probably) coming to all the Xbox games you own

More (non-AB) games are coming to Game Pass in February

Microsoft goes after Apple’s non-compliance DMA compliance in the EU

Epic announces a game store for iOS in Europe, will launch this year

Breaking: Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story will release on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch on March 13.

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Androids by Chet Haase

Haase is leaving Google after almost 18 years, he wrote the Android version of “Showstopper!”

App pick of the week: Dashlane

I switched to Dashlane because I want a passwordless password manager now

App pick of the week #2: Firefox 123

Latest version adds search to Firefox View, Web Compatibility Reporting Tool

App pick of the week #3: Bonjourr

This free, open-source, and privacy-focused minimalist web browser home page just got a lot better

Cocktail of the week: Sumi

This is a “clasicos Baltra” from the most famous bar in Mexico City…

Tanqueray Ten Gin Violet liqueur Jasmine syrup Yuzu (a citrus fruit that tastes kind of like a grapefruit, lemon, orange blend) Egg white

Serve in a coupe glass, garnish with dried flowers.