Microsoft | The Verge

Xbox CEO lays out priorities in memo after major ‘reset’

2026-07-31T05:28:15-04:00

Asha Sharma. | Image: The Verge, Microsoft

After a massive Xbox "reset" that laid off thousands of employees and spun off four studios, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma wants to get Xbox back to growth. In a memo obtained by The Verge, Sharma told staff by the end of fiscal year 2027 (which runs through next June), "we will return XBOX to player and revenue growth." Xbox will also "improve profits back in line with industry averages," Sharma said. "Every function and studio will own part of that outcome."

Since taking over Xbox in February, Sharma has made sweeping changes to attempt to turn things around. Previously, she has cited challenges like a low accountability margin, increasing compone …

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LinkedIn actually adds a ‘seems like AI slop’ button

2026-07-31T06:23:33-04:00

A lot of content on LinkedIn might seem like AI slop, and now, you'll be able to report those posts. As part of a series of updates to reduce the volume of AI slop on the platform, LinkedIn is introducing an actual button that lets you flag a post as something that "Seems like AI slop."

The new feature is part of a broader push to reduce the volume of apparent AI slop on the platform. AI detector Pangram recently found that 41 percent of longform LinkedIn posts were flagged as being completely generated by AI, as reported by 404Media.

"AI slop is a top priority for all of us," chief product officer Hari Srinivasan says in a post. "We reall …

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Microsoft confirms Copilot ‘super app’ coming this year

2026-07-29T18:25:04-04:00

Microsoft is working on an AI "super app" that combines Copilot's chat, coding, and agentic capabilities. During an earnings call on Wednesday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the app will span "both consumer and commercial experiences" when it launches this year.

"Copilot is evolving rapidly from chat to Cowork to Autopilots," Nadella said. "This quarter, we are bringing these Copilot experiences together, including code, in one super app… This is a major step forward, and I look forward to sharing more soon."

Nadella's confirmation comes months after a report from Fortune revealed that Microsoft is working on a super app that blends its …

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Xbox revenue drops 10 percent as Microsoft’s cloud and AI business surges

2026-07-30T05:39:42-04:00

Xbox is having yet another tough quarter, as revenue from content and services like its Game Pass subscription dipped 10 percent over the past few months. At the same time, Xbox hardware sales declined 13 percent, according to Microsoft's fourth-quarter earnings report released on Wednesday.

The news comes just weeks after Xbox head Asha Sharma announced a "reset" plan for Xbox that included sweeping layoffs and the spinoff of four games studios, including South of Midnight developer Compulsion Games and Psychonauts creator Double Fine Productions.

Sharma has also made some other big changes to Xbox, including lowering Game Pass prices, te …

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Xbox outage shouldn’t have affected games on disc, Microsoft confirms

2026-07-29T06:58:29-04:00

After the recent Xbox outage even blocked people from playing offline disc-based console games, Microsoft is trying to soothe concerns that you don't truly own anything under Xbox's license system. In a statement to The Verge, Xbox technology chief Scott Van Vliet says that while physical game discs are subject to licensing inspections, that shouldn't have prevented them from working during this week's outage, or while consoles are offline.

"We're looking into reports that some players were unable to access games using discs as expected during the service interruption. Disc-based entitlement checks should not prevent players from accessing …

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Perplexity’s Personal Computer turns Windows PCs into AI agents

2026-07-28T08:11:42-04:00

Perplexity has expanded its agentic Personal Computer tool to Windows, allowing computers running the world's most popular OS to be used as a locally run AI system. Like the Mac version that Perplexity launched in April, Personal Computer for Windows operates like a "general-purpose digital worker" that can access local files and apps to perform actions on your behalf, such as creating documents and updating spreadsheets.

This launch builds on Personal Computer integrations that Perplexity launched for Microsoft's 365 workspace apps and Teams virtual meeting software in May. Personal Computer for Windows aims to bridge the remaining gap by …

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This is my new favorite laptop, but thanks to RAMageddon the price already went up by $800

2026-07-27T18:36:47-04:00

Framework’s Laptop 13 Pro looks great in black but costs lots of green. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

Framework laptops always come with compromises in exchange for their unique DIY premise. Even though you pay extra for one compared to sleeker options from competitors, it's easier to excuse minor flaws for modular ports, easy repairs, and an impressive range of upgradeable parts. So what happens when Framework goes "Pro"? We get a one-of-a-kind jewel among notebooks.

The 13 Pro corrects and improves many shortcomings of the regular Laptop 13. It has a bright and sharp touchscreen, the best haptic trackpad not made by Apple, and an impeccable build and feel. Take all that and marry it to a great Intel chip and cutting-edge user-replaceable …

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Microsoft pressures LG into killing unwanted McAfee ads

2026-07-24T10:35:12-04:00

Microsoft has intervened to stop Windows 11 users with LG monitors from being bombarded with annoying McAfee trial pop-ups. In response to complaints about the LG bloatware, Microsoft's Windows chief, Pavan Davuluri, said that LG has agreed to immediately disable the McAfee pop-up from its LG Monitor App Installer, and pledged that Microsoft will "keep improving here with our ecosystem partners."

This crackdown follows backlash about large pop-up ads for McAfee antivirus and LG's own apps appearing on Windows 11 PCs after being connected to LG monitors. Upon connection, a Windows driver update was silently installing LG driver updates and t …

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Microsoft is testing free, ad-supported cloud gaming for Xbox Insiders

2026-07-23T14:22:27-04:00

Xbox Insiders can stream games from their libraries for free in ad-supported streaming sessions starting today. The free streaming sessions are limited to games you already own, and sessions are capped at one hour. However, ads will only play "before sessions begin." It's also optional - you won't need to watch ads if you have a paid cloud gaming subscription.

Microsoft says the ad-supported streaming option will only be available for a limited time during a "test period." It previously began internally testing an ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming late last year, with sources telling The Verge at the time that the test included abo …

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Microsoft is bringing original Xbox games to PC

2026-07-22T11:03:20-04:00

Microsoft is expanding its Xbox backward compatibility efforts today by bringing original Xbox games to PC. An early preview release will see four classic Xbox games available on PC today, as part of a bigger effort to bring more Xbox console games to PC in the future.

The first four games are Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, and Fuzion Frenzy. You'll be able to purchase and download each of these games on PC, and they'll also be included with all Xbox Game Pass plans. If you already own a digital copy of these games, you can now play them on PC or handhelds like the Xbox Ally and Xbox …

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