iTunes Will Remain Unchanged On Windows (For Now)

iTunes users rejoice, as the music app we all know and love it still alive and in the last place you’d probably expect. As noted by Ars Technica, the revolutionary music app will still exist on Microsoft’s Windows. 

Apple told the publication that users of iTunes under Microsoft Windows won’t see any changes. It won't be broken up into several apps, it will work just like it does now. However, Apple did not provide any clarification about what support will be like for future features. The company simply says that Windows users will continue to have the same experience as before and that it is not announcing any plans to end support for iTunes in Windows. Thought this doesn’t  mean that Apple could break iTunes for Windows down the road.

Windows 10 May Update Ands Light Theme And Upgrade Controls

Microsoft is starting to roll out the May 2019 Update for Windows 10. The most interesting change is the addition of a light theme that brightens up the interface. It also splits Cortana and search on the taskbar, although you can still perform Cortana tasks in the search box.

Other additions include having more control over installing updates, with the option to pause them for up to 35 days in week-long increments. And with Windows Hello now toting FIDO2 certification, you can sign into apps, devices and services using biometrics and PIN codes instead of passwords.

It should be noted that if you're upgrading from the April 2018 or October 2018 releases, you'll have to remove any SD cards and USB storage before you upgrade. Otherwise, you should feel free to install the May 2019 build when you can.

Acer Reveals New Windows Mixed Reality Headset

Acer has launched a new Windows 10 Mixed Reality headset called the OJO 500. The model features detachable components, the lens and head strap are removable for easy cleaning and storage. Acer created it that way for those planning to share a headset with friends and people who run establishments or theme parks that offer VR experiences. Like the first Windows headset Acer released, this one also has cameras on the front that track users' movements and head position, eliminating the need for external sensors its rivals require. As for the display, it has two 2.89-inch LCD screens with a wide 100-degree field of view, a 2880 x 1440 resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. The OJO 500 will be available in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa in November for $399/€499.

Skeleton Ships And More Coming To Sea Of Thieves In Free Update

Rare's Sea of Thieves is getting pirate ships and a treasure chest full of new content. This should bring waves of players back to the game when it’s biggest update yet hits on July 31 for free. These new additions will be introduced in a new three-week-long campaign called Cursed Sails. This time-limited story pits you against A.I.-controlled skeleton ships that are terrorizing outputs and pirates on the high seas. To combat this new threat, players can set sail in a new three-player Brigantine ship, and even work with other players to gain bigger rewards through alliances. If you get deep into this story, and want to know where the origin of the skeletons, you can take on a new side quest. If you arrive to the part after the three-week campaign ends, you'll only miss the story. All of the content that comes from it will remain in the game. Check out the Cursed Sails brings in the video below.

Three Gears Of Wars Titles Have Been Announced

During the Xbox E3 conference, Microsoft unveiled 3 Gears of War games, and they couldn't be more different from one another. The games include Gears of War 5, Gears Tactics, a  strategy game and a mobile game based on Funko Pop! characters. First up is Gears Pop!. This mobile game is being developed with Funko, and it features characters that are rendered in the style of the FunkoPop! collectables. We saw a quick CG clip of the characters looking cute, but there weren't any clues as to what the gameplay is actually like. It's coming to iOS and Android in 2019. Next, Gears Tactics, a Windows 10 exclusive that features turn-based battles with plenty of tactical decisions. Players will be able to customize their squads and upgrade weapons as they face off against enemies 12 years before the events of the first game. Last but not least, Gears of War 5. The game continues the story as it left off in Gears 4. Kait is on a journey to learn the origins of the necklace that she acquired from her mother. From what we saw from the teaser clip, it's clear that Kait isn't going into this personal mission with the full confidence of her superiors.  It's coming to Xbox One and Windows 10 in 2019. 

Sea Of Thieves' First DLC, The Hungering Deep, Is Out Now

Sea of Thieves has received its first free DLC expansion, bringing a slew of new content to the pirate adventure. The Hungering Deep will be followed by 2 other expansions called Cursed Sails and Forsaken Shores in the future. The Hungering Deep features new items, a story campaign, flags, exclusive cosmetics, and more.  The time-limited story campaign centers around Merrick the bard, who is Sea of Thieves' first established character. Players will attempt to find Merrick in the world, and if successful, they can go against his nemesis to reap substantial rewards. New cosmetics include tattoos and scars that can be added to your customized pirate. New instruments are coming, drums and a speaking trumpet which allows you to be heard from a distance. New flags for your ship will give you some new ways off signaling your intentions to other ships during your voyage.

Sea Of Thieves Update Adds Limited Edition Rifle + More

The latest Sea of Thieves update, patch 1.0.6, adds a sweet new limited edition rifle, alongside a few quality-of-life improvements. As detailed on a forum post, players can purchase the “Launch Crew” Eye of Reach rifle for only the next two weeks. The weapon will cost one Gold and you can check out how it looks like in the image below. Due to player feedback, Rare has reduced Skeleton accuracy when shooting cannons from islands at long distances. Rare has also adjusted the position of ammo crates on both the sloop and the galleon. Players can also look forward to trying out four new cosmetic outfits, which you can view in this Reddit thread. For a more detailed look at the update, check out the full patch notes.

The Windows 10 April 2018 Update Is Here

The Windows 10 April 2018 Update is here, and includes a bunch of features designed to make your screen time more efficient. The update's headline addition is Timeline, which lets you go back in time up to 30 days to find the things you've been working on. It works across devices, as long as you're signed into your Microsoft account, so you could do some research on your phone while you're out and about, then pick it up on your desktop at a later date. Another key feature is Focus Assist, designed to eliminate the zillions of web-based distractions that get in the way of productivity. Turn it on and it'll block emails, updates and notifications, turn it off and it'll give you a summary of what you missed. It's customizable, so if you're waiting on a specific email you can choose which stuff can break through.The update is available now for free.

State Of Decay 2 Might Be Coming To Steam

As we already know State of Decay 2 is coming to Xbox One and Microsoft Windows on May 22, but it looks like the game could also be coming to Steam. Due to an error message that appeared during a developer livestream of the game's PAX East demo build (which has since been removed from Undead Labs' Twitch archive) it appears to support Steam. Though a PC game headed to Steam isn't surprising, Microsoft has largely restricted the distribution of its exclusive games to the Microsoft Store, supporting its Play Anywhere ecosystem that allows you to play a purchased digital game on your Xbox One/Windows 10 PC. However, the State of Decay 2 FAQ page has listed Steam support as a topic of community interest for quite a while, simply answering, "Stay tuned – we’ll have more to share in the future," indicating the developer could make an announcement at some time down the line. Thoughts ?

Here’s Whats Coming To Sea Of Thieves

Sea of Thieves has had a rocky launch, but developer Rare is attempting to correct course as executive producer Joe Neate and design director Mike Chapman outline in a video update detailing Sea of Thieves' future. The two discussed how the next month will be focused on addressing major fan feedback first, which informs how the team broaches new content down the line. Some of these design philosophies include offering more goals and rewards for exploration, more emergent events taking place during PvP and PvE, and expanding the ways players can become Pirate Legends and what they can do beyond that status.

Diverse weekly events are in the works that reuse mechanics and portions of the world in new ways, granting rewards for your efforts to explore as well. Beyond this goal, the first content update in May will unveil The Hungering Deep, which will encourage players to band together against a mysterious new threat. Summer will see the release of Cursed Sails and Forsaken Shores, which offers new enemy types that rock the proverbial boat. Three more free updates are scheduled for the fall and winter. Thoughts ? will this bring you back to Sea of Thieves ? Depending on the content, I would definitely could get back into Sea of Thieves.

Sea Of Thieves Is Microsofts Fastest Selling First Party New IP

Microsoft has announced sales for Sea of Thieves, Rare's open-seas pirate adventure, as the fastest-selling first-party new IP of this generation. Over 2 million players have joined in on the first week, prompting Microsoft to not only call it the fastest-selling first-party new IP, but also declare it the best selling Microsoft Studios game on Windows 10. There are a number of qualifiers in that statement, but Microsoft marketing boss Aaron Greenberg pointed out that these accolades do not include Game Pass numbers.

State of Decay 2 Collector's Edition Doesn't Come With The Game

Microsoft has announced State of Decay 2 is getting a $69.99 collector's edition. A reasonable price for a collector's edition, theres is a catch though. It doesn't come with the game. The State of Decay 2: Collector's Edition comes with a collectible steelbook case (why ?), a human brain stand for the steelbook, zombie mask, a zombie thumb 4 GB thumb-drive, and a patch. The game itself is available separately for $29.99 for the base edition or $49.99 for an ultimate edition that includes two DLC packs As previously announced, the title will also be available for free to Xbox Game Pass members. State of Decay 2 releases May 22 on Xbox One and PC.

Rare Reveals What You’ll Need To Run Sea Of Thieves On PC

Rare has shared the requirements for all specifications to run Sea of Thieves on PC. A handy graph shaped like a treasure chart reveals specific settings, such as what is needed to run the game at 1080p resolution and 30 frames per second, or the same resolution but at 60 fps. Regardless of your rig, everyone will need at least 60 GB of hard drive space.

Rare Extends Sea Of Thieves Beta After Connectivity Issues

Rare has announced  that it will extend the closed beta for Sea of Thieves until Wednesday, January 31. This comes after numerous players reported issues connecting to the beta, including a "too early" message for those who pre-ordered the game digitally.

"We know your gaming hours are precious and our number one goal is to get everyone with closed beta access into the game as soon as possible," said Sea of Thieves engagement manager Emma Bridle in an update post. "We want to ensure that anyone who has missed out on any time sailing the seas still gets to enjoy the closed beta to its fullest." 

The beta will now run until January 31 at 8 am GMT.

Microsoft Security Fixes May Slow Older PCs

Microsoft has run some benchmarks on the Meltdown and Spectre memory vulnerabilitie, and it's unfortunately bad news if your system is a few years old. While the patches for Meltdown and one variant of Spectre will have a "minimal performance impact," fixing a second Spectre variant through low-level microcode imposes a tangible speed penalty and it's particularly bad on systems released around 2015 or earlier. If you have a PC with a 6th-generation Intel Core processor or later, you should only see a hit in the "single-digit" percentage range. That's small enough that you might not notice a thing. If you're using a 4th-generation Core or older CPU, however, you'll see "more significant slowdowns," some of which could be noticeable. And that's if you're using Windows 10. Most Windows 7 or 8 users on similar hardware should notice the effect, while Windows Server is bound to take a more substantial performance blow due to its heavy dependence on I/O.

Sea of Thieves Closed Beta Coming On January 24

Microsoft has announced a closed beta for Sea of Thieves will be taking place on January 24. The beta will run its start date 4:00 AM PT on January 24 to 12:00 AM PT on January 29. The closed beta is available to players who preordered the game and anyone who joined the Sea of Thieves Insider Program before December 1, 2017. The beta will be available on both Windows 10 and Xbox One. Sea of Thieves will also be releasing on both those platforms on March 20.

Original Xbox Duke Controller Coming To Xbox One And Windows 10

It looks like Microsoft is brining the original Xbox Duke controller to the Xbox One. Seamus Blackley (who worked on the original Xbox) has tweeted that a redesigned version of the controller for Xbox One and Windows 10 machines has gone into tooling and been approved by Microsoft. No release date or price has been announced for the controller. 

#NewDuke has gone to tooling and is approved by @Xbox THIS IS HAPPENING! pic.twitter.com/zSVA4TFh08

— Seamus Blackley (@SeamusBlackley) September 20, 2017

Forza Motorsport 7 Demo Available Now On Xbox One And Windows 10

Forza 7 is available for a test drive on both Xbox One and Windows 10. The demo is  weighs in at nearly 18GB on Xbox One and 23GB on PC. Microsoft have released the minimum and recommended specs for the PC version.

Minimum
OS Windows 10
Architecture x64
Keyboard Integrated Keyboard
Mouse Integrated Mouse
DirectX DirectX 12 API, Hardware Feature Level 11
Memory 8 GB
Video Memory 2 GB
Processor Intel i5-750 2.67 GHz or AMD FX-6300
Graphics NVIDIA GT 740 or NVIDIA GTX 650 or AMD R7 250X
Notes A Windows PC built for Minimum requirements should expect 720p resolution running at 30 frames per second

Recommended
OS Windows 10
Architecture x64
Keyboard Integrated Keyboard
Mouse Integrated Mouse
DirectX DirectX 12 API, Hardware Feature Level 11
Memory 8 GB
Video Memory 4 GB
Processor Intel i5 4460 3.2GHz or AMD FX-8350
Graphics NVIDIA GTX 670 or NVIDIA 1050 Ti or AMD RX 550
Notes A Windows PC built for Recommended requirements should expect 1080p resolution running at 60 frames per second.

Forza Motorsport 7 is scheduled for a release on Xbox One and Windows 10 on October 3 and will be compatible with the Xbox One X on November 7.

Microsoft Holding Mixed Reality Event on October 3rd

Microsoft is inviting the media to a Windows Mixed Reality event in San Francisco on October 3rd, and the company promises that you'll see where it’s  headed next" in the wearable technology space. An event like this isn't surprising. For Microsoft, Windows Mixed Reality is its big chance at controlling the future of headset technology, particularly VR. Thoughts ?

The Redesigned Xbox Wireless Adapter Has Been Delayed

Microsoft's New Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows 10 PCs has been delayed into 2018. The adapter lets PC gamers hook up to 8 Xbox controllers wirelessly at once. The current Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows 10 PCs already does this, but the new one is much smaller. Microsoft's  web store lists a new release date of January 31, 2018, which could just be placeholder. Regions like Japan and Australia are getting it this fall, so if you can’t wait you can always import it. Thoughts ?