Adobe has launched special versions of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Express and Adobe Acrobat for ChatGPT. This gives users access to a wide range of features directly in the popular chatbot at no cost, including image editing and the ability to convert text to PDF files. Here’s how Adobe described the new ChatGPT integration: Accessing Adobe’s apps in ChatGPT is as simple as typing the name of the app followed by an instruction. For example, to blur the background of an image with Photoshop, users can type: “Adobe Photoshop, help me blur the background of this image.” ChatGPT then automatically surfaces the app and uses contextual understanding to guide the user through the action. To learn more about how to get started with Adobe apps for ChatGPT, read here. With Adobe apps for ChatGPT, users can: Easily edit and uplevel images with Adobe Photoshop: Adjust a specific part of an image, fine-tune image settings like brightness, contrast and exposure, and apply creative effects like Glitch and Glow — all while preserving the quality of the image. Create and personalize designs with Adobe Express: Browse Adobe Express’ extensive library of professional designs to find the best one for any moment, fill in the text, replace images, animate designs and iterate on edits — all directly inside the chat and without needing to switch to another app — to create standout content for any occasion. Transform and organize documents with Adobe Acrobat: Edit PDFs directly in the chat, extract text or tables, organize and merge multiple files, compress files and convert them to PDF while keeping formatting and quality intact. Acrobat for ChatGPT also enables people to easily redact sensitive details. In a first phase, Adobe apps will be made available in ChatGPT for desktop, web and iOS. For Android, only Adobe Express is currently available, but support for Photoshop and Acrobat is coming soon. Read...

It’s hard to find a graphics card that can do everything. The most powerful ones are usually hot, loud, and expensive, while the smallest ones just don’t have the performance you need to deliver high-resolution gameplay experiences. ZOTAC GAMING’s new GeForce RTX™ 50 Series GPUs are built to give the best of all worlds: Compact performance with quiet cooling, at an affordable price. If you’ve found your gaming system starting to lag during demanding gameplay, micro-stutters are throwing off your aim, or it’s outright freezing entirely, then it’s probably time to upgrade your graphics card. That doesn’t have to mean emptying your wallet, though. With the new ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX™ 5050 and 5060 Ti, you can get serious gaming power with support for all the latest features – and they’re quiet and compact, too. Cutting-edge tech without the sky-high price ZOTAC GAMING The ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX™ 5050 Solo Edition gives you every cutting-edge technology NVIDIA has to offer, but without the sky-high price tag of the flagship GPUs. It has full support for DLSS 4 and multi-frame generation, unlocking much higher frame rates in compatible games, letting you play at higher detail settings and resolutions, or enjoy smoother gameplay. Its low power consumption means it can run with a single fan, too, making it supremely cool and quiet to run. That’s ideal for small form factor and ultra-compact builds. If you’re upgrading an older GPU from a mini PC, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with just how far entry-level graphics cards have come in just a few years. This card can easily outpace the top-cards from just a few generations ago, and it does so far more efficiently, too. If you want to keep energy bills down as you move into the New Year, upgrading to an efficient modern GPU is a great way to do it. Buy the ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX™ 5050 Solo Edition at NeweggView Deal Buy the ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX™ 5050 Solo Edition at AmazonView Deal Unlock faster frame rates in AAA games ZOTAC GAMING If you have a little more space to work with and want to use it for more power, then the ZOTAC GAMING Twin Edge OC GeForce RTX™ 5060 Ti is a fantastic alternative. Boosting VRAM to 16GB of GDDR7 unlocks higher detail settings in even the most demanding games, and its more capable GPU core can hold fast even when gaming at 1440p and 4K resolutions. Perfect for enjoying the visuals of the latest AAA games – and powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, enables game-changing AI capabilities in the latest games and apps. Multiply performance with NVIDIA DLSS 4, enjoy realistic graphics with ray tracing, and take your creativity further with NVIDIA Studio. With next-generation NVIDIA RT cores, the GeForce RTX™ 5060 Ti is even ready for the most demanding of gaming features: Real time ray-tracing and path tracing. The best looking games often need the best hardware to run well, and with the ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX™ 5060 Ti Twin Edge OC you can rest assured that there isn’t a game out there you can’t run, and run well. To keep temperatures down with all that added power, the ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX™ 5060 Ti Twin Edge OC is fitted with ZOTAC GAMING’s IceStorm 2.0 dual-fan cooling system which keeps temperatures and noise levels down, even during demanding gaming sessions. When it’s not working so hard, the 0dB fan-stop technology means it’ll run completely silent until you need it for a cooler and calmer gaming experience. Buy the ZOTAC GAMING Twin Edge OC GeForce RTX™ 5060 Ti at NeweggView Deal Buy the ZOTAC GAMING Twin Edge OC GeForce RTX™ 5060 Ti at AmazonView Deal Read...

Everyone needs a bit of extra storage, and a microSD card is a great way to add more space in a tiny, portable form factor. Better yet, the 1TB Samsung Evo Select microSD is only $70 at Amazon right now, thanks to a 25% discount. (It normally costs $93.) This high-capacity card provides ample storage for all your digital needs. Whether you need one for your dashcam, your smartphone or tablet, or even your drone, Samsung’s Evo Select is a fantastic pick. Built for speed, the Evo Select features transfer speeds of up to 160 MB/s, which makes it ideal for capturing or transferring high-resolution 4K videos or loading large game files. The card meets U3, Class 10, A2, and V30 speed standards, ensuring smooth performance for all your apps. Samsung’s tiny microSD was built to survive all sorts of problems, including water, extreme temps, wear and tear, as well as magnets and X-rays. The best part is that it also comes with an SD card adapter since there’s a bigger chance you actually have a way to read that one. Don’t miss out on the sale for the 1TB Samsung Evo Select microSD for $70, since this deal can vanish at any time. That`s a great deal for a tiny 1TB microSDBuy now at Amazon Read...

I don’t know about you, but I love the holidays. The decorations, the hot cocoa, the snuggling under a fuzzy blanket with my Kindle. Yes, the holidays are great—save for the absolute madness of shopping malls. So, what do I do? I go shopping online. (Surprise!) And this year, I’m adding my own nerdy self to the holiday shopping list. I love all sorts of gadgets and gaming, and my friends and family do too. So, I went digging online for the perfect nerdy presents. Bottom line: I’d buy all these for myself in a blink. I’m PCWorld’s daily deals writer, so I did my best to focus on value, and zeroed in on top-rated products before sharing them with you. Take Pac-Man everywhere — My Arcade Pac-Man Pocket Player Pro My Arcade How cool is it that you can take Pac-Man with you anywhere you go? This legendary video game has been around for decades, and it’s been a part of many of our lives since we were kids, running around eating all the dots while avoiding those annoying ghosts. This thing needs four AA batteries or can be powered via USB-C. And while I picked Pac-Man because it’s one of my personal favorites, the same shop also sells editions for Street Fighter, Space Invaders, Ms PacMan, MegaMan, and Galaga. There’s also an Atari version with 100 separate games. The best part is these handhelds are quite affordable, with the most expensive one going for $40 right now. If you want the Pac-Man version, however, it’ll cost you only $30. View at Amazon Be on time — Nixie Tube Clock ClockTeck Do I even have to explain why I’d buy this in a blink for myself my friends? Look at it! How cool does this thing look?! The retro-future-looking tubes can tell the time in regular monochrome, or you can go RGB and bring color to your life. There are so many modes to choose from, it’ll be hard to pick one. This LED clock is a replica of a Nixie vacuum tube clock, making it much more affordable than the $300 versions you need to order from Eastern Europe. It can be linked to your local Wi-Fi, so it will always tell the time perfectly. You can also set up alarms and switch between a 12 and 24-hour format. If you guys want to get me one… just saying. This model from ClocTeck is $70 at the time of writing with no active discounts. View at Amazon Add magic to your bookshelf — Criolpo book nook kit Criolpo If you’re a book dragon who can’t help but always add new books to the cart, then you’re going to absolutely love this Criolpo Book Nook. I’m going to have to be completely honest here and say that I’ve already fallen for the cuteness of the book nook trend and bought one. The kit is not yet complete, but I’m working on it. I cannot wait to have it on the shelf between two heavy books and to light it up. It’s basically a 3D wooden puzzle. You assemble it yourself (and that’s more than half the fun!) to bring a miniature world into your home. What’s not to love? This one in the image above is $34 at the time of writing, but it’s on sale. If you want a more cyberpunk model, you can certainly find one of those too. View at Amazon We have arcade games at home — Foosball table Best Choice Products Now, don’t tell my husband, but I actually got him a foosball table for Xmas. Shh! This thing looks great, and it will be so much fun to play over the holidays. It’s perfectly sized for gamers of all ages, and even features two cup holders for, ehm, beer hot chocolate? You can play this one 1v1 or 2v2, so you can have tons of fun with friends. It also comes in multiple colors, so you can pick whichever matches your furniture better. It’s only $120 to get right now since it’s 25% off. Now, I have to figure out how to ensure my husband doesn’t read this article… View at Amazon Dungeons and Dragons (and dice) Zhoorqi/Medikaison Can we even talk about nerdy gifts without listing a few cool dice sets? We really don’t think you can. There are so many options out there that we’re having a hard time picking. My kid really loved these LED light-up rechargeable dice (I mean, fair, they’re gorgeous), while I’d go for something more practical like the metal dice on the right, especially since you can actually roll the dice in the box. Whatever floats your boat! There’s an endless list of possibilities when it comes to DnD dice sets. View at Amazon May the Funko Pop be with you — Darth Vader Funko Pop Suggesting Funko Pop figures for a present seems like a “duh” situation, but here we are — how about a Funko Pop with Darth Vader? If they’re into Star Wars, this one’ll definitely be a hit. But then again, Funko Pop has about a gazillion models for just about any fandom, from Stranger Things to Wicked, from Scream to Pokemon, sports teams, anime, Disney, music artists, Marvel, Harry Potter, and soooo much more. They’re pretty affordable, too. This Darth Vader one is only $10 right now. View at Amazon Play with energy — National Geographic Circuit Maker Kit National Geographic So, is this Epic Circuits Science Kit theoretically meant for kids? Sure. Does that mean you can’t have fun with it as an adult? Absolutely not! National Geographic has some insanely fun STEM kits, including this one where you can set up over 120 projects, figuring out how circuits work and more. You can even create songs or make cool light shows, and that’s fantastic at any age. Embrace the kid inside and snag one of these Nat Geo kits for $44. View at Amazon LEGO! — Boost Creative Toolbox 17101 LEGO Who doesn’t want LEGO as a gift? I mean, I don’t know anyone who’d pout over receiving a set like this? Especially this set. I actually bought this a while back, and it’s absolutely amazing. Insanely fun to play with, since you can build one of five models and then hook it up to a tablet and have fun. You can get the little robot to move in certain patterns, and then rebuild it into Frankie the Cat, or into a funky guitar to play music. The LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox is definitely pricey, but it’s a set you can have fun with for years to come. You can even pretend you got it for your kids… as I did. View at Amazon Rest your wrist — Strebito mini electric screwdriver set Strebito If you’re always tinkering with computers and other tech at home (or you know someone who is), then getting one of these 70-in-1 electric screwdriver kits makes perfect sense. The electric mechanism is powerful and will handle all those pesky screws in a blink. There are 64 magnetic bits in the set, so you can be sure those tiny screws won’t get dropped in the void, forever lost somewhere in the computer case. There are three torque levels to choose from, but you can also use it in manual mode if need be. The best part is that you can charge it via the USB-C port. Oh, and it’s only $50. View at Amazon DIY a tiny computer — RasTech Raspberry Pi 5 RasTech There’s an endless list of things you can do with a Raspberry Pi. This RasTech kit is absolutely tiny and it can be such a cool DIY project. The kit features a Pi5 8GB board, a 65GB card, two card readers, a cooler, a case, a power supply, and several cables. There’s even a tiny screwdriver in the pack, but you can always just get the Strebito electric one we mentioned just now. So, whether you want to turn your dumb TV into a smart one or you want to make an old-school gaming emulator, this kit is fantastic. Check out more awesome Raspberry Pi projects you can have fun with. View at Amazon Old school gaming, tiny mode — Retro mini Arcade Game Arcade Classics Hey, remember those big arcade games we used to play? Well, you have adult-money now, so you can get one. Joking. I mean, you can, but this $20 Retro Mini Arcade is probably the type of thing you could purchase without too much drama, right? This tiny handheld game console lets you use joysticks to play Pac-Man, Tetris, WWE, or Ms. Pac-Man. I mean, you could say they’re for kids, but we know who’s really going to play with them. View at Amazon Neat, organized, and pixelated — Numskull Minecraft gaming accessory locker & storage stand Numskull Listen, whatever your age, this Numskull Gaming Accessory Locker is absolutely cool. It’s shaped as a Creeper, and it’s (of course) Minecraft-green. There are four controller holders on the sides, and a “head” holder for headphones. There’s room for up to ten DVDs inside the locker, and the little drawer on the bottom can hold cables, remotes, and other accessories. You can set this thing up next to your console or on your desk and have everything within reach. There are other theme variations available too, like Harry Potter, Fortnite, or Sonic, to name a few. They’re all about $30. View at Amazon Bring your projects to life — Bambu Lab A1 mini 3D printer Bambu Lab Man, I have soooo many projects I could get done with a 3D printer. It’s something I’ve been waiting to get for a while, holding off mostly due to lack of space. But if I were to get one right now, it’s this one: the Bambu Lab A1. I have a friend who reviewed a ton of printers and he’s talked about this one several times. It’s not too big, it’s well-priced, and it’s also fairly quiet, AND it can print in color! View Deal Make it fly — DJI mini 4K drone DJI Haven’t you always wanted a drone to fly across an awesome landscape to record gorgeous video? Can’t just be me! This DJI Mini Drone captures 4K video, which is absolutely amazing considering just how your vids will turn out. Not only will the videos look gorgeous, but they’ll also be steady, given the 3-axis gimbal stabilization. The coolest part is that this drone is absolutely tiny. How tiny? Well, it weighs under 249 grams, and it fits in the palm of your hand. Just imagine what cool vacation vids you’ll capture. View at Amazon Germs be gone — PhoneSoap 3 phone sanitizer PhoneSoap Did you know how disgusting your phone is? You touch that thing all the time, you place it everywhere without worry, you take it with you anywhere you go — it’s so full of germs it might as well be a petri dish. Well, this portable phone sanitizer offers complete disinfection with the help of UV-C lights in just 10 minutes. You can take this with you anywhere you go since it features a battery, and you can recharge it with a USB-A or USB-C cable. Easy peasy! One of these is only $68 right now. Just think how useful it’s going to be to you, your family, and all your friends. Perfect stocking stuffer if you ask us! View at Amazon Read...

Mini PCs are so small that it’s understandable why some people think they’re an entirely different proposition to their standard-sized desktop cousins. I did for a while after I bought my mini PC. The reality, though, is that apart from the obvious difference in size they aren’t all that different. Here we look at some of the common misconceptions people have about mini PCs and why they’re just plain wrong. If you’re looking for a mini PC, be sure to bookmark our continually updated guide to the best mini PC deals. 1. Mini PCs are too underpowered for proper gaming This is a common myth that you see people perpetuating on forums, but the truth is that mini PCs are comparable to desktop PCs for everyday gaming performance. CPU-wise these mini machines usually sport impressive base clock speeds. I’m talking about speeds up to 5.0GHz. The main difference between mini PCs for gaming and standard desktop gaming PCs is the lack of a discrete GPU in some models and the reliance on integrated graphics like AMD Radeon or Intel Iris Xe instead. There are the rare exceptions to that rule, as with the GPU-sporting Asus ROG NUC 970 mini PC, and these are highly sought after. While it’s true that models lacking discrete GPUs are effectively limited to lighter graphics and gaming, it’s also true that some models support eGPUs to dock a video card externally, and can reach frame rates close to desktop PCs. In such cases, it’s not uncommon for mini PCs to clock upwards of 70 frames-per-second in first-person shooters. The GMKtec gaming mini PC, for example, supports an eGPU via its Oculink interface. 2. Mini PCs are noisy and get hot Many people believe that mini PCs are noisy and suffer from cooling issues due to their compact size. But the truth is that a number of technological advancements have made mini PCs both quiet and efficient. One of the reasons mini PCs can stay cool and quiet is that they utilize low-power components. These compact devices usually consume much less power than a standard desktop computer, typically between 10 to 30 watts compared to 200 watts or more. The GMKtec G5 mini PC, for example, consumes only 12 to 15 watts of power. Looking specifically at noise, it differs considerably between different models. While it’s true that under heavy loads some models might activate fans that are audible, it’s also true that some mini PCs like the MeLe Quieter 4C N150 sport fanless designs, which contradicts the idea that all mini PCs are noisy. It makes sense then, to read product reviews before buying a mini PC and to avoid generalizations about noise. Bonnie Bayley 3. Mini PCs don’t last as long as desktop PCs Reliability and longevity are big priorities for most people who obviously want to get value for money out of the products they’ve bought. But the idea that mini PCs don’t last as long as desktop PCs or laptops doesn’t have any weight to it. Mini PCs like Intel’s NUCs have shown to be extremely reliable with minimal failure rates over the years. Most mini PCs come with quality components like RAM and SSD preinstalled and also come with manufacturer’s warranties that protect you in the rare event that something does go wrong with the device. It’s important to note that occasional drive and power supply failures do occur, but these aren’t exclusive to mini PCs. 4. Mini PCs have poor connectivity The connectivity options in any PC play an important role in the PC’s functionality, allowing devices to connect and be used. Modern mini PCs have very good connectivity with most coming equipped with a variety of ports, including multiple USB-A and/or USB-C ports, HDMI outputs, and ethernet ports. The Asus’ ROG NUCs like the Asus ROG NUC 970 even have multiple ports on the backside and frontside. These features ensure you can connect vital peripherals and enjoy high-quality video output without any hassle. The inclusion of the latest standards of Wi-Fi — Wi-Fi 6 or 7 in some models enhances their versatility, offering faster internet speeds and improved reliability for wireless connections. Many mini PCs also support Bluetooth, further expanding the user’s options and allowing them to connect a wide range of devices, from keyboards to speakers. Related content: 5 incredible mini PC perks I wish I knew before I switched Why you absolutely need a mini PC I love my mini PC, but I still want to buy a tower PC. Here’s why Read...

While it may be most common to use Microsoft Teams for work, the communication app is actually also available for personal use through Microsoft 365 subscriptions. However, private users have been missing some of the better features that are only available in the business version of Teams. Going forward, that’s going to change. Microsoft just announced in a post on the Teams Free Blog that Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, and Premium subscribers will now be able to record their meetings and calls in Microsoft Teams. The recordings will be stored for only 30 days in the cloud, but they can be downloaded locally to your PC if you want to save them permanently. Microsoft says these recordings can be useful for remote music teachers, for example, or creators who want to record podcast interviews. User feedback is said to have prompted Microsoft to roll out the recordings feature to personal Teams users, and the company is now asking for more suggestions on how to further improve Teams. Read...

With the update to the newest Firefox 146 version, you can enjoy a number of new features and improvements. A new backup feature saves important data even without synchronization, and using the Firefox Labs experiments will be easier. Plus, several security flaws have been fixed. Mozilla plans to release the next version, Firefox 147, on January 13th, 2026 (which coincides with Microsoft’s next Patch Tuesday). What’s new in Firefox 146? Firefox 146 provides Windows users with a backup feature for all important data. Its main purpose is to make it easier to switch from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Without synchronization, which would require you to log in, you can back up your browser data locally or to OneDrive so that it’s available on your new Windows 11 PC. (This backup feature is rolling out gradually, so isn’t available on all systems yet.) For the weather report on Firefox’s homepage, it makes sense for the browser to know your location. However, this isn’t always desirable, as privacy is pretty important to Firefox users. For users in the EU, the location is now only determined with the user’s consent (opt-in). This new improvement is also being introduced gradually. You can now also activate experimental features in Firefox without having to participate in the transmission of telemetry data. Security fixes in Firefox 146 Mozilla lists at least 13 eliminated security vulnerabilities in the 2025-92 Security Advisory. Five of the externally reported vulnerabilities are categorized as high risk, with two of them relating to errors in the JavaScript JIT compiler. A use-after-free (UAF) vulnerability has also been fixed in the WebRTC component. The last two entries in the Security Advisory concern an unspecified number of internally discovered flaws, which are lumped under CVE-2025-14332 and CVE-2025-14333. They’re only considered medium risk. Attacks on these vulnerabilities are not yet known. Further browser updates In addition to Firefox 146.0, ESR versions 140.6.0 and 115.31.0 are also now available, although the latter is only available for Windows 7 and 8.1 and macOS 10.12 to 10.14. In these versions, Mozilla has fixed the above-mentioned vulnerabilities that are already present in the code of these browser generations, some of which were quite old. The latest Tor Browser 15.0.3 is based on Firefox ESR 140.6 and comes with the NoScript 13.5.2 extension. For users of Windows 7 and 8.1 and macOS 10.12 to 10.14 only, Tor Browser 13.5.26 is based on Firefox ESR 115.31, including NoScript 13.5.2. The Tor Project now hosts NoScript for its browser itself, as seen by the fact that the NoScript version has the suffix “.1984” (currently 13.5.2.1984). Otherwise, it’s identical to the version on Firefox’s Add-On Store. Thunderbird 146.0, which can now handle Exchange, and 140.6.0esr have also been released. The developers have fixed one or two security vulnerabilities that the mail app inherited from Firefox. Read...

Whether you’re gaming or streaming movies, time spent relaxing in front of the TV can be great. But if you want to take it up to the next level, you can’t go wrong with backlighting! Turn your boring TV set into magical evenings with lush colors and highlights. Today, Govee’s TV Backlight 3 Lite is now on sale for just $59 on Amazon, a wonderful 34% discount down from its original $90 and its all-time best price! View this Amazon deal This Govee smart LED light strip isn’t just a backlight for your TV. It comes with a camera (now upgraded with fish-eye correction) that analyzes what’s showing on screen and matches the backlighting with similar colors. Everything looks vividly gorgeous, elevating your movie nights and gaming sessions with next-level immersion. Don’t want it to do that? No problem. Govee’s backlight comes with a companion app that you can use to control its behavior, complete with 99+ preset light effects and features like black bar elimination. It also integrates with Alexa or Google Assistant for voice control, and it can sync with other Govee lights for a fully 360-degree experience. This smart LED backlight is very easy to install. All you do is stick it onto your TV with the included 3M adhesive strips, and the camera mounts to the TV’s top edge. It’s designed for TVs between 55 and 65 inches, and it works well on ultra-thin models as well as “normal” models. What are you waiting for? Grab the Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite for $59 with updated features before this hot deal runs out! Save 34% on Govee`s LED backlight and level up your TVBuy now at Amazon Read...

With the Steam Deck still the favorite of the handheld gaming PC market by a wide margin, and Valve poised to make a swing at console-style living room PCs with the second-gen Steam Machine, Microsoft might be feeling a little nervous about gaming on Windows 11. As well it should. A short Windows blog update says that Microsoft is working on gaming performance. “We’re committed to making Windows the best place to play,” says the Windows Experience blog in a 2025 wrap-up, “and we will continue refining system behaviors that matter most to gaming: background workload management, power and scheduling improvements, graphics stack optimizations, and updated drivers.” If that paragraph made your eyes glaze over like a Google Discover auto-generated headline, then just substitute in “games will run fast” and you’ll get the gist. To be fair to Microsoft, it has made some recent improvements in that very area. The company unveiled its Xbox Fullscreen Experience on the Asus ROG Xbox Ally handheld, and recently expanded it to all handheld devices that run Windows 11. The system bypasses a lot of the stuff you don’t need if you’re only playing games, like the Windows desktop and a bunch of background apps, as well as presenting a fullscreen, controller-friendly game navigation interface. It really does help game performance, albeit in a pretty small sliver. Microsoft is even allowing users to try out this interface on desktops and laptops if you jump through a hoop or two. This is an improvement over trying to run Windows 11 on a 7-to-9-inch screen, and a far better solution than the various Steam-ish interfaces that manufacturers like Lenovo and Asus have managed to cobble together on their own. And it successfully avoids hamstringing the more flexible elements of Windows — you can get back to the “real” desktop quickly, even if reversing the process isn’t so smooth. But the Xbox Fullscreen Experience isn’t anywhere near as smooth or polished as SteamOS (or Steam’s Big Picture Mode, available to all desktop users). Perhaps that’s an unfair comparison, since Valve has been refining this stuff for over a decade and Microsoft’s product is still in testing. But if I may switch into editorial mode, I’d take this inclusion of “performance fundamentals” in the year-end summary as Microsoft being keenly aware of a loss of face. Between the anticipation for new Steam hardware, discontent from gamers who feel like they’ve been strong-armed off a perfectly functional Windows 10 so Microsoft can shill more and more AI and subscription features, and rising prices for the flagship Game Pass service, 2026 could be a make-or-break time for PC gaming on Windows. It’s an opportunity for Valve and others, and a gauntlet for Microsoft. Read...

Yesterday, Microsoft released the big Windows 11 December update with lots of improvements, not only introducing new features but also fixing several annoying glitches and security flaws. One of the bigger fixes addresses graphical issues with AMD GPUs, which significantly impaired titles like Battlefield 6, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and ARC Raiders. It’s mainly gamers with an AMD RX 9070 XT GPU who, after installing the optional KB5070311 update (which also corrected some other Windows 11 bugs), report that they’re no longer experiencing the constant crashes related to “GPU hangs,” “drivers removed,” and “no further commands accepted.” These problems occurred when using AMD’s Adrenalin Edition 25.11.1 driver version. The fact that update KB5070311 fixes these errors is somewhat surprising, as Microsoft only mentions them very briefly and without further details on the official support page: Fixed: Recently, certain games may have displayed the message “Unsupported graphics card detected” even though a supported graphics card was being used. AMD also doesn’t even mention at all in its Adrenalin Edition 25.11.1 release notes that update KB5070311 solves this. Fortunately, you no longer need to install the once-optional KB5070311 update manually to get these fixes since that update is now rolled up into the big December 2025 patch released yesterday, also known as update KB5072033. As soon as this mandatory update is installed on your PC, your Windows should have either build number 26200.7309 (Windows 11 25H2) or 26100.7309 (Windows 11 24H2). Read...