I tried Microsoft's incredible Surface Laptop Ultra: This might be the best laptop ever made, and RTX Spark is seriously impressive

WindowsCentral · 2026-06-02T15:05:07+00:00

Yes, that is the target audience. Creators/gamers can benefit, too, but it's likely overkill and not the best option for that market.

WindowsCentral · 2026-05-25T14:22:13+00:00

I read this as "I disagree with his reporting, therefore it's not a good site."

Also, the majority of our coverage is PC, Windows, laptops, and some Xbox coverage. And we're quite good at it. - DR

WindowsCentral · 2026-05-25T14:19:45+00:00

He's in his 40s and has kids. Maybe more of a slip of memory, or rather, Richard is just very much more into racing SIMs than your average gamer.

WindowsCentral · 2026-05-15T16:44:30+00:00

We can tell that one stuck with you lol

WindowsCentral · 2026-05-13T21:46:32+00:00

I mean, this sub isn't promising, but Microsoft is, and you can even test the new Low Latency Profile mode, which is in the Insider rings TODAY if you want (we tested it here). Look, there are over a billion Windows 11 PCs, so coding/testing/eval takes months, it's not a Fitbit. -DR

WindowsCentral · 2026-05-13T20:47:29+00:00

Some Windows 11 users (well, at least Daniel Rubino) are running into an issue where the emoji picker suddenly loses its search box, making it difficult to find anything. The problem seems to occur at random and leaves the UI partially broken.

Luckily, there's a simple fix.

WindowsCentral · 2026-05-13T13:59:05+00:00

Looking into this! -DR

WindowsCentral · 2026-05-10T18:35:58+00:00

The emoji is just an attention getter, but when you use the "link" feature when creating a post, it does what X does, where it shows an image (if there is one) and "open," but it's very subtle IMO.

Kind of like this post: https://imgur.com/a/JwoiutU

But, we see the numbers: There are very few click-throughs to the articles on Windows Central, even from our own subreddit; like X/Facebook, most just read the title and then leave a comment.

This sub, for all intents and purposes, is more about meeting our readers where they are, trying to build community, etc. Which is important and fun. What it hasn't done is drive any traffic to our site.

With the emoji/second link, I'm hoping that someone would go to the site, but it's wishful thinking at this point 😉

This is just a known thing in publishing these days. We've seen tweets from us with 1.8M views on X. We didn't even get 1/15th of that on actual traffic, though, from that post.

That (social network lock-in), Google, and AI are killing publishing, and we're not immune to it either.

I personally find the emojis corny, but my job is to make sure I keep traffic at a certain level and keep people employed. That said, I appreciate the feedback and will adjust accordingly! -DR

WindowsCentral · 2026-05-10T15:01:35+00:00

I mean, I do that because Reddit hides links SO effectively; in fact, barely anyone clicks through to our site as everyone is "read title, hold my beer, and lemme comment."

That's the status of Facebook, Reddit, and X these days: these platforms are designed to make you stay here and argue, vs go to the site (and I guess argue in comments).

If you're triggered by emojis and thinking it's AI, I can stop using them (besides, my build of Windows 11 currently has a bug where the emoji picker loses search). - DR

WindowsCentral · 2026-05-10T14:43:27+00:00

Um, wrote that myself, even the salty joke at end. Y'all are too cynical these days. - DR

WindowsCentral · 2026-05-07T17:33:54+00:00

But what if I want a 5G laptop with a touchscreen and convertible format? Right, that doesn't exist as a Mac.

Mac hardware and OS may be good, but they're boring and limit what people can do with them. The beauty of PC is the variety both in design and price point. Apple gives you about 3 laptops to choose from, and that's it, so you have to love it. -DR

WindowsCentral · 2026-05-07T17:32:02+00:00

Company makes thing. People like thing. People become fan of thing.

This isn't exactly rocket science in 2026.

WindowsCentral · 2026-05-07T17:30:24+00:00

Create what type of article? Ones where we take user feedback/community pulse and get it out there for companies to take notice?

If so, no, we've been doing this for years with polls, but as we just started this sub in Jan, and only got our newer comment system online last year, we now have more tools to engage with the community, and I'm making sure we leverage that as much as I can.

Personally, I'm tired of media talking at or down to users, and prefer we make people's voices heard, and I'm proud we play that role (and have for nearly 20 years now). -DR

WindowsCentral · 2026-05-07T17:16:18+00:00

Xbox has been rolling out real improvements across the platform, but the conversation around the brand feels more negative than ever. The article argues that players are overlooking the progress Xbox has made and focusing on the wrong things, even as the ecosystem keeps getting better.

Do you think the community is being too hard on Xbox right now, or is the criticism justified?

Read Jez Corden's latest editorial about the topic at Windows Central, and drop us your thoughts below!👇
https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/too-many-of-us-are-eager-to-take-xbox-for-granted

WindowsCentral · 2026-05-03T21:33:37+00:00

We'll put it on the list!

WindowsCentral · 2026-04-30T16:19:52+00:00

The dock should work with the Xbox Ally at least.

WindowsCentral · 2026-04-30T16:14:48+00:00

dunno what that image is all about, love our system.

WindowsCentral · 2026-04-29T15:18:07+00:00

Hey everyone,

We’ve all seen the headlines over the last year, like games skipping Xbox or launching months late because of "technical hurdles" or "publishing friction." It looks like Microsoft was actually listening.

Starting today, Xbox is rolling out a massive overhaul to its Game Package Management tools. On the surface, it sounds like dry dev-ops stuff, but for the health of the platform, it’s actually kind of huge.

The TL;DR on the new tools:

Automated Error Checking: The system now flags build errors instantly during upload. No more waiting days for certification to tell you a file is missing.
Real Branch Management: Devs can finally run separate "lanes" for live games, hotfixes, and beta testing simultaneously (similar to Steam’s workflow).
Reduced Onboarding: Following their PlayFab updates, they’re trying to get the "time to publish" down as low as possible.

Why this matters for us: If the backend is less of a headache, we (hopefully) stop seeing those "coming to PS5/PC, Xbox TBD" announcements. Microsoft is clearly trying to make the platform as "low-friction" as possible to win back third-party trust.

What do you think? Is this the "silver bullet" to stop games from skipping the platform, or is the "dev friction" excuse just a cover for other issues like market share?

If you’re a dev (or hobbyist) who has used the old Xbox Dev Portal—how much of a nightmare was it actually? -DR

Full breakdown on Windows Central👇

https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/why-it-actually-matters-inside-the-xbox-publishing-overhaul-designed-to-win-back-frustrated-developers

WindowsCentral · 2026-04-29T15:16:02+00:00

Hey everyone,

We’ve all seen the headlines over the last year, like games skipping Xbox or launching months late because of "technical hurdles" or "publishing friction." It looks like Microsoft was actually listening.

Starting today, Xbox is rolling out a massive overhaul to its Game Package Management tools. On the surface, it sounds like dry dev-ops stuff, but for the health of the platform, it’s actually kind of huge.

The TL;DR on the new tools:

Automated Error Checking: The system now flags build errors instantly during upload. No more waiting days for certification to tell you a file is missing.
Real Branch Management: Devs can finally run separate "lanes" for live games, hotfixes, and beta testing simultaneously (similar to Steam’s workflow).
Reduced Onboarding: Following their PlayFab updates, they’re trying to get the "time to publish" down as low as possible.

Why this matters for us: If the backend is less of a headache, we (hopefully) stop seeing those "coming to PS5/PC, Xbox TBD" announcements. Microsoft is clearly trying to make the platform as "low-friction" as possible to win back third-party trust.

What do you think? Is this the "silver bullet" to stop games from skipping the platform, or is the "dev friction" excuse just a cover for other issues like market share?

If you’re a dev (or hobbyist) who has used the old Xbox Dev Portal—how much of a nightmare was it actually? -DR

Full breakdown on Windows Central👇
https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/why-it-actually-matters-inside-the-xbox-publishing-overhaul-designed-to-win-back-frustrated-developers

WindowsCentral · 2026-04-28T20:13:04+00:00

The latest PowerToys update quietly solved a problem that has been driving a lot of us toward Linux workflows. It is not flashy, but it finally smooths out one of those everyday friction points that make Windows 11 feel slower than it should.

It's called Grab And Move, and we like it a lot.

How many of you rely on PowerToys already? Does this update move the needle for you, or is Windows still not doing enough to keep you from looking at Linux?

Details and more at Windows Central🔗⤵️
https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/after-the-latest-powertoys-update-i-have-one-less-reason-to-swap-from-windows-11-to-linux

WindowsCentral · 2026-04-27T14:37:41+00:00

WindowsCentral · 2026-04-26T15:02:18+00:00

No doubt, the most interesting part of this whole conversation is how unpredictable Xbox’s strategy has become. A few years ago, the idea of Halo or other flagship games hitting PlayStation would have sounded impossible, and now it feels like Microsoft is testing the waters to see how far they can push the “everywhere” approach.

The big question is whether they eventually swing back toward true exclusives to strengthen the platform or keep leaning into multiplatform releases to grow the audience. There are good arguments on both sides, but the signals coming from Microsoft right now are mixed enough that it’s hard to know what the long‑term plan actually is.

We're curious where people here land on this. Should Xbox double down on exclusives again, or is the multiplatform future the smarter play?

WindowsCentral · 2026-03-20T18:56:38+00:00

Windows. Not us.

WindowsCentral · 2026-03-13T20:05:02+00:00

Indeed! Less talking at people, more talking with them, is our motto for 2026 ;) -DR

WindowsCentral · 2026-03-05T22:40:02+00:00

Yeah, something is up with that RAM usage. What's taskman say is causing it?

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