• Microsoft has rolled out a Windows 11 preview update to fix multiple Bluetooth bugs
• There are nine individual fixes listed in the patch notes, one of which addresses connection and disconnection speed issues
• More Bluetooth improvements should arrive as Microsoft works to improve Windows 11's driver quality

Bluetooth on Windows 11 is finally getting the attention it needs, after years of major connection and user interface bugs.

As reported by Windows Latest, Microsoft is rolling out major Bluetooth fixes for Windows 11, starting with update 26200.9359 for testers via its preview channel. Windows Latest notes that this includes nine notable fixes, particularly to iron out connectivity bugs.

One fix is designed to "correctly reflect" when a Bluetooth device is connected or disconnected — one of the biggest issues I've noticed is that disconnecting a device (a very slow process) effectively prevents you from connecting to another right away, and when you try, Bluetooth completely malfunctions — so it's promising to see it tackled.

Audio calls have also been addressed in the preview update, with a new Windows volume popup, which appears when adjusting the volume of a "Bluetooth Classic Audio" accessory. Microsoft also claims that "reliability and performance" with LE (Low Energy) Audio accessories have been improved.

The common stuttering and random device disconnections have been reduced, which should go a long way in improving game controller stability on the likes of the PlayStation DualSense wireless controller.

Of course, all Bluetooth bugs can't be fixed in a single update, but as Windows Latest notes, Microsoft previously stated that Windows 11's driver quality would receive improvements in the long run, which should ultimately make Bluetooth and other Windows functions more reliable.

However, I am pessimistic that these long-running Bluetooth issues are actually being eliminated. This isn't the first time Microsoft has rolled out a patch that addresses issues with Bluetooth functionality, and the same bugs have persisted through multiple Windows 11 updates.

Aspects such as failing connectivity with devices and other system-breaking bugs make Windows 11 a frustrating operating system to use, especially for gamers, notably when SteamOS and Bazzite (a SteamOS clone) aren't as buggy despite some compatibility problems.

The good thing is Microsoft isn't ignoring the issues that plague Windows 11, and if it can continue to work towards patching out the persistent bugs, it'll ease the frustrations among multiple Windows 11 users.

WWDC 2026, this year's edition of Apple's software-focused developer conference, has been particularly notable due to it being the last one with Tim Cook as CEO — he'll be handing over the reins to John Ternus later this year. But it's also given us a glimpse of what the future holds for Macs and MacBooks, with the announcement of macOS 27 Golden Gate.

Unlike Microsoft's rival Windows operating system, Apple releases yearly major updates to its macOS operating system which come with a new name (usually taken from a Californian landmark) and number, which now reflects the year of release. While macOS 27 will release at the end of 2026, Apple will count 2027 as its main release year, so it doesn't feel outdated a few months after it lands on people's hard drives.

Since we first reported on macOS 27, Apple has confirmed that the operating system will be available to install on compatible Macs from September 14, 2026.

While WWDC 2026 is noteworthy for being Cook's last event, this year's macOS update is less exciting, and is mainly focused on performance improvements (which are always welcome), and AI integration (less welcome).

Still, it's an update anyone with a Mac or MacBook will want to download, as long as your device is compatible, so read on to find out what's new.

A note about compatibility: perhaps the most noticable change with macOS 27 Golden Gate is that Intel-based Macs and MacBooks are no longer supported. Only Macs that have Apple silicon chips (so, M1 Macs and MacBooks or newer) will be able to install macOS 27.

macOS 27 Golden Gate: at a glance

• What is it? The newest operating system for Macs and MacBooks
• When will it be out? September 14, 2026
• How much will it cost? As usual, macOS 27 will be a free upgrade for everyone who has a compatible device

macOS 27 Golden Gate: Compatibility

Want to know if your Mac will be compatible with macOS 27 Golden Gate? Here’s the full list of Macs that’ll be able to run the operating system:

• MacBook Air M1 or later
• MacBook Pro M1 or later
• MacBook Pro 13-inch M1 2020 or later
• MacBook Pro 14-inch M1 Pro 2021 or later
• MacBook Pro 16-inch M1 Pro 2021 or later
• MacBook Neo
• iMac M1 2020 or later
• Mac mini M1 2020 or later
• Mac Studio 2022 and later

You'll notice that no Macs made before 2020 are supported. That's because macOS 27 Golden Gate is only compatible with Macs running on Apple's own M-series chips (or the A18 Pro, in the MacBook Neo's case).

This is a major change, and could see a lot of people unable to upgrade. Apple likely sees dropping older Intel models as a clean break, and means macOS 27 Golden Gate can include a big focus on AI features — the old Intel chips don't have NPUs for on-device AI.

By concentrating on its own chips, which use Arm architecture, Apple also no longer has to worry about Macs running on Intel's x86 chip tech, which will hopefully mean the macOS team has more time to improve the performance of the software and add features in the future.

If you have an Intel Mac, you can continue to use it with macOS 26, though running an not-updated operating system isn't recommended. So, it might be time to consider a new Mac — see below for some top deals.

macOS 27 Golden Gate: release date

The developer beta preview for macOS 27 was made available the day the operating system was announced, and that was followed by public betas that people could download and test without needing to have a developer account.

If you avoided those (often bug-filled) early beta versions, then your patience has paid off, as we now know that macOS 27 will be available to install on September 14, 2026.

macOS 27 Golden Gate: new features

1. Liquid Glass tweaks

Last year's macOS 26 brought a major design change with its Liquid Glass theme. While macOS 27 doesn't bring another major change to the interface, it does address some of the common complaints about Liquid Glass, especially the issue with transparency effects (which gives the interface its name) making text hard to read.

It will diffuse shadows to make it easier to read, and there's a new slider to adjust the transparency of Liquid Glass.

2. General performance improvements

The major focus of macOS 27 will be making the operating system feel faster and more responsive on Macs and MacBooks, so while the new features might not be that exciting, you should hopefully notice an improvement in the overall performance of your Mac — and for free!

'Responsiveness' is an important word, with animations feeling faster, and Apple promises that Mac apps will load 30% faster thanks to pre-loading.

Photos should appear in your gallery faster, and AirDrop sharing is up to 80% faster.

3. Better Search in macOS

Search has been rebuilt on iOS and macOS for Spotlight, Photos, and Mail (new ranking system for more relevant results), so finding files and folders on your Mac should be a lot easier.

4. Improved parental controls

This is quite a hot topic at the moment, and it's good to see Apple has taken the protection of children seriously. Alongside the existing parental controls, macOS 27 Golden Gate will let parents put a block on apps, and there are now tools that will prevent unsuitable images, including nudity and gore, from being seen.

"We're giving powerful tools to parents," according to Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering at Apple.

5. Siri AI

Personally, I've never felt the need to use Siri much on a Mac, unlike on iPhones and iPads where the virtual assistant feels like a more natural fit.

That could change with the new overhauled Siri, which after several delays, will be a key part of macOS 27 Golden Gate. With advanced AI features, courtesy of Google's Gemini, the new and improved Siri will be able to complete tasks with just a voice command (or text prompt), such as write emails for you, and it can also detect what's on your screen.

Siri will also make using the Calendar app in macOS better, as you can ask it to create events for you, and it can even check to see if you're available before you respond to invites.

There will be a new Siri app for macOS, where you can have conversations with the assistant, as well as see previous chats, much like you would see text messages in the Messages app. Conversations are synced with iCloud, so you'll be able to continue them on your iPhone or iPad.

You also get system-wide context menus, and Siri AI is now integrated directly into Spotlight, where you can ask Siri questions without going into an app. A keyboard shortcut will bring up Visual Intelligence, so you can ask Siri about things on your screen.

6. Image Playground improvements

Image Playground, the generative AI tool that turns prompts into images, has a new look that's easier to use, and it's getting an option that allows you to create wallpapers using AI.

A new model allows for photo-realistic images, and you can use it on your own photos, and nothing is uploaded or shared - it's all done on-device.

Amongst all the hype over Apple’s first-ever foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, which was announced at the company’s ‘Surprise and Shine’ event, Apple (rather quietly) also revealed when Mac users can get the latest version of its desktop operating system, macOS 27 Golden Gate: September 14.

While pretty much all of the attention was focused on the foldable, the launch of macOS 27 is noteworthy for anyone with a modern Mac or MacBook, as this free upgrade brings some tasty new features, while also addressing some of the less popular changes that came with its predecessor, macOS 26 Tahoe.

If you have a compatible Mac, then you should be prompted to download and install macOS 27 Golden Gate once September 14 rolls around. However, if you have a Mac from before 2020 that doesn’t run on Apple Silicon (so any Intel-powered Macs), then you won’t be able to get the update.

For reference, here are all the Mac models that are compatible with macOS 27 Golden Gate:

• MacBook Air M1 or later
• MacBook Pro M1 or later
• MacBook Pro 13-inch M1 2020 or later
• MacBook Pro 14-inch M1 Pro 2021 or later
• MacBook Pro 16-inch M1 Pro 2021 or later
• MacBook Neo
• iMac M1 2020 or later
• Mac mini M1 2020 or later
• Mac Studio 2022 and later

Apple recently announced new M5 and M6-powered Mac mini and Mac Studio products, and they'll likely launch with macOS 27 preinstalled when they start shipping on September 22.

Fixing past mistakes

The main focus of macOS 27, as with Apple’s other operating updates such as iOS 27, and seemingly every piece of new software these days, is AI.

The upcoming macOS 27 upgrade paves the way for Siri AI integration – the long-awaited improvements to Apple’s virtual assistant that should make it more useful. When launched, Siri AI should be able to have two way conversations with you and execute multi-step tasks quickly and easily, which could make using your Mac a lot more convenient. It will be able to interact with apps such as Calendar to complete tasks such as creating events and reminders.

AI is also coming to macOS Spotlight to make finding things on your device better, and Visual Intelligence can be brought up to get information about what’s on your screen. Other AI features, such as Image Playground, are getting improvements as well.

If you’re not a fan of AI, then macOS 27 should still have plenty of reasons to download and install. One reason that will hopefully please a lot of people is that macOS 27 Golden Gate makes tweaks to some of macOS 26 Tahoe’s most controversial changes, especially when it comes to the polarizing Liquid Glass interface. The new macOS will allow you to adjust transparency effects to make using your device more comfortable, and during the beta testing process, it was one of the things our contributor Alex Blake was particularly thankful for. I’m sure he’s not the only one.

When Apple announced macOS 27 at WWDC 2026 earlier this year, it promised lots of performance improvements, especially when it comes to how responsive the operating system feels. This alone should make macOS 27 worth installing on September 14.

If you have an older Mac and feeling left out, make sure you check out our guide on the best Macs and MacBooks, which can help you find a new macOS 27-ready Mac that suits your needs and budget.

• Windows 11's latest update has arrived
• The September update brings in the ability to move the taskbar
• There are also new options for resizing the Start menu, and a really useful tweak for Windows 11's search function

Windows 11's latest update has arrived, and it packs some important new features for the interface of the desktop OS.

Bleeping Computer flagged all the additions in the September 2026 update for Windows 11, and there are three major highlights, which I'll pick out here, before providing a general roundup of some of the other tweaks that Microsoft has brought in this month.

As ever, some of these features are being rolled out in a phased manner, so even if you do install the September update today, you may still have to wait a while for certain pieces of functionality to make their way over to your PC.

1. A movable taskbar

Thanks to the September update you'll finally be able to move Windows 11's taskbar away from the bottom of the screen, to the top instead, or the sides if you prefer (an option that people with an ultra-wide monitor often want to use, as it suits that aspect ratio much better).

This is an ability which has always been in Windows 10, but was dropped for Windows 11 because porting it over was a thornier issue than you might think (or so Microsoft told us).

Finally, however, Microsoft has got its act together and the taskbar can now be repositioned in Windows 11 – although I've a feeling this will be one of the features on a slower rollout. Hopefully I'll be wrong on that score and you'll get this ability promptly if you've been keenly awaiting it for the last five years.

It's also worth noting that there's another option introduced here which can make the taskbar smaller, so it takes up less screen real-estate on devices with small displays.

2. The Start menu can now be resized

Want a more compact Start menu? Your wish is Microsoft's command, as this choice has now been introduced to the Settings app for the Start menu. You can elect to have a standard (large) menu, or a small one, rather than leaving it at the default 'automatic' setting whereby Windows 11 chooses the size itself based on your device. The problem with leaving the OS to decide is that sometimes you get the bigger menu on a laptop screen, where it pretty much eats the whole desktop – and so in these scenarios you can now manually choose the more compact Start menu.

With options to remove sections of the Start menu coming on top of this, you can now trim this part of the interface down so it's truly minimal. This choice will be more important than the movable taskbar for many folks – myself included – and it's great to see it now being rolled out.

3. Windows 11 search improvements

Another notable boon with the September update is that there are a few changes for Windows 11's core search functionality, and the most important is a new option that lets you turn off web results in search.

When you're searching for a file on your local drive, those web results often get in the way, so it'll be a relief for many to be able to switch them off. As well as web results (which open in Edge, with searches in Bing, of course), you can also turn off Microsoft Store suggestions. Essentially this is a general decluttering of Windows 11 search which is long overdue, frankly.

Other features in Windows 11's September Update

There's a performance boost for File Explorer in that the Home page now loads faster, and switching between virtual desktops in Windows 11 is now snappier, too.

Microsoft has made some reliability tweaks as well, including ensuring that the app history information in Task Manager is correct, and also that interacting with the Display panel within Settings is now more stable.

Furthermore, Microsoft informs us that there are some design tweaks here: "This update introduces updated progress indicators across Windows, providing a more consistent and modern experience during startup, sign-in, restart, shutdown, and update installation."

It's also worth noting that the weird mouse bug that affected the preview version of this September update (the optional update released at the end of August) has been resolved.

There's a fair bit happening here, and as one Redditor put it: "What's left for the 26H2 [update] then?"

Well, not a great deal in truth, and if you've been following along with Microsoft's annual updates, you may recall that 26H2 is going to be a very minor upgrade that doesn't do a lot. Indeed, some folks are wondering why Microsoft didn't save these juicy new interface features for 26H2, given that it's out next month.

The reason is likely to be because Microsoft wants to ensure that 26H2 runs as smoothly as possible (with no bigger changes involved). Although to be fair, as noted, due to the rollout process, a lot of folks won't be getting the new Start menu options and taskbar repositioning until October (or possibly later) anyway.

• The Bing Wallpaper app is serving an ad in Windows 11
• The advert is for a Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movie collection
• There's a rebellion against this blatant advertising, with a significant number of users saying they've immediately removed Microsoft's wallpaper app

Some Windows 11 users who've installed the Bing Wallpaper app have been treated to an unpleasantly in-your-face advert for Harry Potter.

To be precise, it's an ad for a collection of 11 Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies, and, as Windows Latest reports, this appears as a full-page promotional image that becomes your desktop background.

This isn't happening for every Bing Wallpaper user, and it appears to be a regional rollout; but based on the plentiful Reddit feedback of the negative variety, it's being piped to quite a number of PCs.

For the uninitiated, Bing Wallpaper is an app that serves up daily wallpapers to those who've installed the software — and note that it isn't installed by default; this is something you have to elect to have on your Windows 11 PC.

Nevertheless, it's an over-the-top move by Microsoft to shovel something like this onto the desktops of those who've chosen Bing to pick their backgrounds.

As one annoyed Redditor says, filing the Harry Potter wallpaper under the 'unskippable ad' category in the 'Mildly Infuriating' subreddit: "I had it [Bing Wallpaper] installed since up until this point it was a fairly harmless program that gave a variety of animals, environments or pattern backgrounds that rotate daily. Wtf?"

Replying, another Redditor observes: "Free software from a trillion dollar company means you are the product." Some folks responded to that to say that Windows 11 isn't free, but this Redditor isn't talking about the OS itself, but rather the Bing Wallpaper app, which is a free add-on for Windows, of course.

Analysis: Bing begone

Windows Latest notes that the terms and conditions of the Bing Wallpaper app allow for "promotional offers" from Microsoft, but what's happening here goes well beyond that. Frankly, this isn't acceptable in any way — and Microsoft really should know better than to serve a blatant advert in this manner.

I'd say I was shocked, but ads have always been a problem in Windows 11. On top of that, about a year ago Bing Wallpaper was used to perform another underhand trick with desktops that made me cringe. In that case, an accidental click on the Windows 11 background fired up a Bing search (yes, really), and I called this "a new low" for Microsoft at the time.

This, however, represents Microsoft plumbing fresh depths. A notable number of those complaining on Reddit have said that they've immediately uninstalled Bing Wallpaper due to this incident (generally with a sprinkling of added curse words).

One of the politer comments notes: "Honestly if they cut out text and just left the base [image] with the option to right click to get more info and it took the user there it would be passable. But current state just time to remove Bing Wallpaper."

This is very much representative of Microsoft's different departments not talking to each other. On the one hand, there's a big drive to fix Windows 11 and try to please users with all sorts of nifty changes and long-awaited features. On the other, the Bing Wallpaper team thinks it's fine to deploy what might be the worst example of advertising I've ever seen in the Windows ecosystem — and there's quite some competition for that accolade, sadly.

At any rate, I assume this won't be happening again, Microsoft, given the reaction here… right?

• Microsoft is working to speed up boot times
• Over at IFA 2026 a Microsoft executive said that 'we've made significant gains' with startup speeds and more
• The exec also underlined Microsoft's commitment to get Windows 11 running more smoothly on 8GB PCs

Microsoft is readying a major boost to the performance of Windows 11 that should speed up boot times.

Windows Latest reports that at IFA 2026 last week a Microsoft exec confirmed improvements to boot speeds are inbound.

This was Mark Linton, who is VP of Windows & Devices at Microsoft, who told the tech site: "We've made significant gains on things like boot time, Windows Hello responsiveness."

Windows Hello is the secure login that's offered with Windows 11 – often facilitated via an infrared-supporting webcam and facial recognition – and that happening more swiftly, alongside a faster boot time, should mean you arrive at the desktop in a far more timely manner.

This work isn't in testing just yet, we're told, but Microsoft is still tinkering with ramping up boot performance in internal builds.

Analysis: performance promises are underlined

The use of the word 'significant' is promising, and Windows Latest talks about getting to the lock screen 'almost immediately'. In fairness, Windows 11 already boots nippily (on my PC certainly), so we could be looking at effectively booting in the blink of an eye – fingers crossed.

As noted, this isn't even in preview builds of Windows 11 yet, but it should be here before too long. It's part of a larger effort and Microsoft's broad promise to make Windows 11 faster in general, ensuring that menus perform more responsively, and that apps load more swiftly (the latter is already rolling out in the form of a CPU boosting feature known as 'Low Latency Profile').

This performance boosting work is all the more important considering that 8GB laptops are making a resurgence – thanks to the RAM crisis pushing up notebook prices – and so Microsoft is also working to ensure that Windows 11 is more performant with that lesser memory configuration. Speaking of which, Windows Latest said that Microsoft also underlined its commitment to make sure that the desktop OS will run better on 8GB over at IFA 2026.

Linton said of Windows 11 that: "We're continuing to improve on the fundamentals," adding that: "We're optimizing so that 8 gig of RAM runs great on machines as well."

However, the exec didn't provide any estimates of what kind of performance jump might be expected – although that's hardly surprising at this early stage of the game.

• RayNeo launched the GT Max glasses at IFA 2026
• They cost $429 / £399
• They boast Dolby Vision, and new optic engine prisms

Since publishing my review of them, I’ve had one pair of XR glasses at the top of my list: the Xreal One Pro. RayNeo has always been a close second, but here at IFA 2026 they may have just snatched the crown.

That’s thanks to the newly unveiled RayNeo GT Max specs, which boast improved audio and visual performance compared to anything RayNeo has made before. Best of all, the upgrades won’t break the bank at just $429 / £399 (not sold directly in Australia) — notably cheaper than the $599 / £579 Xreals.

Let’s start with audio. The big change is the GT Max houses larger drivers than ever before. This leads to richer and more impactful bass and midtones than I’ve ever seen from previous display glasses, and the audio was already solid on RayNeo’s specs.

The hardware has been tuned by Bang and Olufsen, whose expertise has optimized the EQ with the promise that we’ll get the best performance possible out of RayNeo’s tech.

This can be enhanced further by sound tubes, which direct the sound more directly into your ear, though they’re a paid add-on.

The biggest changes come to visuals, however.

The most obvious is the new optic engine prism, which reflects the microOLED screens into your eyes. They’re now the flatter shape debuted by Xreal in its One Pros, which has two advantages.

First, the design plus anti-reflective coating has greatly reduced the impact of reflections disrupting your vision as you watch your show, film, game, or whatever you’re viewing. Secondly, it allows for a larger 57-degree field of view, meaning the virtual image can be much larger and more immersive.

This upgrade was easily the best the Xreal One Pro has boasted, and the main reason it topped my list for so long. This prism’s arrival on rayNeo specs is greatly appreciated.

The other visual enhancement of the GT Max glasses is that they’re the first XR glasses to support Dolby Vision — a codec that enables great color clarity and contrast. You’ll need to view Dolby Vision content to take advantage of it, but when you do, it’ll make the content look better than it has before.

Better, but not bank breaking

Normally, major upgrades like this would lead to a serious price hike. Sure, they’re pricier than RayNeo’s more budget-friendly specs, but at $429 / £399, the GT Max is decidedly mid-range.

In contrast, the Xreal One Pros will set you back $599 / £579. There are still some reasons to opt for the specs, most notably Xreal’s 3Difying tech, which makes any flat images stereoscopic — including games and movies — but this RayNeo launch makes the full-price One Pros look less appealing.

Of course, my full thoughts will have to wait until I can review the RayNeo specs properly, but the GT Max are ones to watch if you want excellence at a more affordable price, and they’re at the top of my list for specs to check back in on during Black Friday (where sales, even on newer RayNeo tech, are sure to land).

IFA, Berlin's huge annual tech expo, is where some of the biggest tech firms unveil their latest innovations — and this year is one of the strongest we've seen in a long time for interesting new releases.

IFA is a great place to find fascinating new gadgets and devices, ranging from next-gen AR glasses to self-driving personal mobility vehicles, and from weird new kitchen appliances to armies of humanoid robots.

We've chosen the top products from those that were nominated for our IFA 2026 'Best in Show' awards to produce this list of our 25 winners, based on how innovative they are, how well they serve their intended use, and the degree to which we think they'll influence their area of the tech market.

There were many more products that we really liked, of course, but we had to be ruthless — here are our top picks from IFA 2026.

Anker Soundcore Sleep Earbuds 4 Pro

The best technology delivers real-world benefits, and what could be more beneficial than a good night's sleep? The Soundcore Sleep Earbuds 4 Pro use in-ear PPG optical sensors to monitor your heartrate, which is more accurate than other optical tracking methods thanks to the rich capillaries and stable position of your ear canal. That monitoring delivers data to the smart-screen, phone-free SleepHub charging case.

The Sleep Earbuds Pro feature passive isolation as well as 30dB active noise cancelling, and the case-based snore monitoring system detects and masks the sound of your partner snoring using its built-in sounds. Despite the addition of multiple new components the housing is thinner than previous generations, and even more comfortable for side sleepers.

Anker's BioSync dynamic audio system monitors relaxation in real time, dynamically adjusting the audio content and structure to help you find the most effective sleep sounds. Sleep earbuds are something that can truly improve your health and happiness by improving your sleep, and these look like a really smart upgrade.

Agibot A3

Agibot is doing some amazing things with humanoid robots, and the full-sized Agibot A3 combines multiple capabilities in a lightweight, extremely dynamic model: if you're assembling a robot dance troupe or planning a big exhibition, the A3's the bot to buy.

The A3 weighs just 55kg, has a power-to-weight ratio of 0.218kW/kg, and delivers up to 12kW of instant peak power, enabling it to somersault. Its battery runs for up to 10 hours and is hot-swappable in seconds, so it's great for applications where it needs to last all day. It'll happily fit in an SUV for travel, too.

In addition to voice and app control, the A3 delivers industry-first touch sensing that adds physical interaction to its controls. It also has a 360-degree multi-array mic system for accurate voice recognition, even in noisy environments.

One of the most exciting features of the A3 is its large-scale swarm co-ordination, which uses precise UWB positioning to enable performances by up to 100 individual robots. That makes it possible to create very complex, high-impact performances for big events, as well as enabling multiple units to work smartly in environments such as factories or warehouses. The awareness and the uptime make this a great new approach to robotics.

Hypershell X Ultra S

The Hypershell X Ultra S exoskeleton helped mountaineer Adriana Brownlee in -30C temperatures on Mount Everest, supported athlete Aurélien Fontenoy's 4,037km Route 66 journey while recovering from injury, and is currently being trialed by search and rescue organizations worldwide.

Before Hypershell, exoskeletons cost $100,000 and above; the same capabilities are now available to consumers for less than $2,000, in a device weighing under 2kg.

The X Ultra S is an end-to-end AI motion-control system that uses an AI model to transform raw sensor data directly into motor torque, enabling faster response, smoother adaptation, and more natural human-machine synchronization.

There are 12 active modes, including walking, cycling and running, and a new Gentle Assist mode for older adults and users with short or shuffling strides. Fitness Mode adds resistance, turning a walk into a workout.

But it's the price that won us over here — this could be a game changer for getting people with limited mobility out and doing more things that they love, from hiking to just visiting the local stores.

JMGO IRIS Ultra Max

The IRIS Ultra Max is one of the world’s first true 4K 120Hz flagship smart projectors, delivering native 4K (rather than pixel-shifted) at 120Hz from input to output, all from its very compact case.

The Ultra Max's dual iris system has 6+9 blades, the highest count in its class, which promises to improve stray light suppression by 11.34% for a more accurate picture, while delivering class-leading contrast, with a quoted ration of 10,000:1. The MALC 6.0 Triple-Laser Engine delivers an impressive 6,500 ISO lumens of brightness, making it more visible in more lighting conditions, and with a promised ability to recreate 110% of the BT.2020 color space, with an astounding color accuracy of delta-E of 0.7, meaning it's truly capable of pro-level color range and accuracy.

The IRIS Ultra Max also introduces an industry-first 3-in-1 Optical System that integrates 0.88–1.7:1 Optical Zoom, Four-Way Lens Shift (V ±130%, H ±53%), and an AI-Powered Gimbal (360° H, 150° V) into a unified projection architecture. This makes it more more flexible than traditional projectors to positioning, because it has so many different options for correcting its picture. It gives small home theater setups top-tier performance without compromise.

DJI Osmo Pocket 4P

Designed for vloggers and movie-makers alike, the Osmo Pocket 4P is the world’s first dual-lens pocket gimbal camera. It delivers cinema-grade imaging in a pocket-friendly form, and features DJI's Academy Award-winning Ronin stabilization.

The main lens is a wide-angle 20mm equivalent with an f/2.0 aperture, and a new 1-inch CMOS sensor that offers 17 stops of dynamic range and over one billion colors via DJI's new 10-bit D-Log 2 color profile.

That's supplemented with a 60mm medium-tele portrait lens, which gives you 3x optical zoom and up to 12x digital zoom. Its f/1.8 aperture is particularly good for creating bokeh effects by compressing the background and pulling it closer to the subject.

The Osmo Pocket 4P also features the latest version of DJI's ActiveTrack, which uses AI algorithms to maintain tracking lock at up to 12x zoom. It can actively track up to eight people, framing groups and centering anyone new who steps into the field of view.

RayNeo GT Max AR Glasses

The RayNeo GT Max AR Glasses are the world's first AR glasses to support Dolby Vision playback as part of creating a virtual cinema experience. They deliver up to 1,200 nits of perceived brightness, a 120Hz refresh rate, and real-time SDR to HDR conversion for super-clear images, too. Their optical system is 29% thinner and lighter than traditional designs, and delivers an industry-leading 59-degree field of view.

One of our favorite features is the adjustable virtual screen sizes, with a choice of 227 inches, 267 inches or 307 inches. That's clever: the tighter size is ideal for spreadsheets and productivity apps if you're using them as a display for a phone or laptop, while the larger sizes deliver immersive gaming and video.

Steady, Pinned and Follow modes enable you to anchor the screen or have it move with you, and 3DoF spatial tracking maintains the screen position without straining your eyes, and keeps subtitles, taskbars and image edges within the viewing area as you move. These look like the most advanced way to take a screen with you everywhere, and they could be indispensable for long flights.

TCL P80 Ultra

If you spend as much time on your phone as we do, you'll be blown away by the screen of the TCL P80 Ultra. It's the first phone to integrate NXTPAPER eye-comfort technology, with a 1.5K sharp AMOLED display for reflection-free reading even in bright sunlight, and a button that instantly turns your P80 Ultra into an e-reader with paper-like viewing.

The P80 Ultra has nano-etched anti-glare glass, eliminating surface reflections without reducing brightness. It also features circular polarized light technology, which changes the light output to more closely replicate the characteristics of natural light, and flicker-free dimming.

The camera's pretty special too. It's a 50MP 3x periscope telephoto lens with a 50MP 1/1.56-inch large-format sensor, capturing more light per pixel than smaller sensors and enabling 6x lossless zoom. Image stabilization eliminates motion blur in photos and video, and TCL's MuseFilm filters promise cinematic-quality images. But it's the groundbreaking display that really won us over — a lot of people will find it much kinder on the eyes.

Lenovo ThinkBook 14x Gen 2

Lenovo's ultra-light laptop makes even ultraportables look positively porky: at just 2.18lbs / 990g and just 12.9mm thick it's one of the lightest and thinnest laptops around, making it ideal for business travelers and students alike — especially if you opt for the backlit keyboard, which is really helpful in dimly lit rooms and airplanes.

Lenovo has somehow managed to give the ThinkBook 14x the super-thin treatment without sacrificing connectivity, so in addition to its Wi-Fi 7 it features two 10Gbps USB-C ports, two 5Gbps USB-A ports and an HDMI 2.1 port, so there's no need to haul a hub around with you. It also has a spare M.2 slot that enables you to expand its storage, which makes this a solid long-term investment.

The ThinkBook 14x Gen 2 is also one of the most customizable ultraportables, powered by Intel Core 7 (Series 3) processors and with display options including vivid OLED and touchscreen LCD. It's good-looking too, with a choice of metallic finishes including Luna Gray, Celestial White, Mystic Violet and Veil Blue.

EarFun Wave Pro X

EarFun's headphones consistently deliver premium performance without the premium price tag, and the Wave Pro X are the brand's best yet. They feature a patented dual-driver system that places a 40mm diamond-like carbon driver and a 10mm liquid crystal polymer driver on a precisely aligned axis, creating a more natural and detailed sound than you typically get from multi-driver designs.

The Wave Pro X feature an 8-mic AI system that continuously optimizes the hybrid ANC system, even in wired AUX mode, and the Qualcomm QCC3095 chipset delivers Bluetooth 6.0, aptX Lossless, LDAC, USB Audio and Auracast. Add AI translation and up to 90 hours of battery life to the mix and you've got a truly excellent pair of headphones — EarFun has been working on these for a long time, and even delayed them in order to get the tuning just right.

Urevo CyberPad 3

The CyberPad 3 is a home/office treadmill that's designed differently to traditional models. Its WalkFree Adaptive Speed Control uses pressure sensors built into the running board, which detect your stepping motion to automatically start and stop operation; when you're walking or running it takes data from the motor to calculate speed adjustments in real time.

Its multi-user support is smart too, capturing raw weight and stride-rate data to generate a structured user profile that's directly linked to the speed-control algorithm.

The support structure is made from Q235 steel with a side frame of die-cast aluminum, and it utilizes a redesigned transmission path to deliver an exceptionally compact construction: the ultra-slim body is under 11cm thick. Despite its small size it features a 15% incline-lift mechanism and a 42cm running belt, with its size based on analysis of human shoulder widths.

Plaud One

Plaud One is a wearable AI companion that combines three key features that are usually separate: wearable conversation capture, context that builds across day-to-day conversations, and AI that can analyze data and take appropriate action. It can capture online meetings, and face-to-face discussions and phone calls, and it has built-in eSIM and 4G LTE for phone-free operation.

What makes Plaud One different is that it understands context. Instead of treating each recording as a standalone transcript, it can retain context across multiple discussions — so a conversation from one meeting can be connected to a later conversation or call.

That understanding enables the Plaud Agent to help you take action, identifying next steps and completing tasks across tools such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Notion, and Slack.

Minisforum MS-S1 Max-P495

The MS-S1 Max-P495 delivers large-model AI computing from an exceptionally small footprint with a very high specification. It combines AMD Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 with up to 192GB of unified memory to run 128B+ LLMs locally, delivering up to 126 TOPS, and its unified memory architecture eliminates VRAM bottlenecks while also reducing latency.

That power is cooled by a high-performance thermal solution featuring a copper base, six heat pipes, dual fans and phase-change cooling, and it's encased in a fully scalable design, with a slide-out chassis for easy upgrading and a rack-ready form factor.

With 4x PCIe expansion, dual 10Gb Ethernet, dual 40Gbps USB4 v2, Wi-Fi 7, and a built-in 320W PSU, the MS-S1 Max-P495 delivers future-proof power for desktop systems and scalable AI clusters alike — it's a mind-blowing beast made to meet a new kind of research and development need.

XPPen Magic Pro 13

XPPen's Magic Pro 13 is a mobile drawing pad designed for creative pros, featuring an industry-first hardware-level drawing display mode that delivers low latency, native color output and higher bandwidth video transmission over a simple one-cable connection, giving you a paper-like experience with 16K pressure sensitivity and cursor hover support.

It's the first drawing pad in its category to come with dual-USB support, enabling you to benefit from a high-speed data connection while charging your Magic Pro 13.

The Magic Pro 13 features the new Shelf digital asset management system and XPPen's Canvas software, designed to deliver a simple and intuitive sketching experience for capturing ideas when inspiration strikes. And for creatives on the move it offers two thermal management modes, balancing performance and energy efficiency based on different creative scenarios.

Strutt ev1c

Strutt's ev1c reimagines the power chair with three major advancements: Strutt's evSense sensing array, a quad-drive drivetrain, and a modular, connected design.

eVSense uses two LiDARs, 10 time-of-flight sensors, six ultrasonics and two cameras to create 3D maps in real time, powering the Co-Pilot collision avoidance for people, pets, and edges, and the Auto-Pilot, which enables you to select on-screen destinations, or use LLM-powered voice commands such as "Take me to the kitchen" — basically it's a self-driving personal mobility vehicle.

The drivetrain features four-wheel independent suspension, ABS, active steering, and an integrated electronic stability program (ESP), safely managing 13-degree slopes, cobblestones and rough terrain without slippage or tipping. And when it's time to travel, it breaks down into five modules for easy trunk storage. It looks like a genuine move forward for this kind of mobility device.

xTool M2 Color Craft Laser

The xTool M2 is the first desktop machine to combine full-color CMYK printing, laser engraving and laser cutting into one enclosed Class 1 system, delivering a full print-then-cut workflow. Simply print your full-color design onto a piece of wood, leather or acrylic, and the xTool M2 Color Craft Laser cuts or engraves the exact contour with camera-guided precision. And there's a built-in air-assist pump, an industry first for a semiconductor laser, that keeps cut edges clean by reducing carbonization and yellowing.

Having these three capabilities in a single device is a huge power-up: instead of having to print on one machine and engrave or cut on another, you can turn your raw idea into a finished, professional-looking product in a single operation. It's ideal for stickers, labels, signage, personalized gifts, and small-batch products — you could start a whole business with this one device. And because it's an enclosed system, it's also very safe.

Perlegear AX1 Smart Adaptive Mount

The Perlegear AX1 Smart Adaptive Mount answers an interesting question: what if your TV mount was as smart as your TV? The AX1 is an AI-powered, motorized TV mount that can automatically adjust the height of your TV to different viewing positions, so for example you might have it low for solo TV watching, but raised for watching sports with friends, or for following an on-screen fitness app or motion-based game.

The AX1 is controllable via gesture commands, its mobile app, via remote control, or via Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri. It can distinguish between single- and multi-person viewing, with the latter calculating the best screen height for the group, and it's capable of moving a 200-pound / 90kg TV up to 15.7 inches / 400mm vertically, with real-time obstacle detection that stops and reverses the move if the path is blocked.

Speediance Gym Monster 3

The brilliantly named Gym Monster 3 delivers serious strength training for home workouts, combining the experience of a Smith machine, barbell, dumbbells, cable machine, rowing machine, pulley system, and squat rack into one streamlined setup with up to 200lbs / 90kg of intelligent digital resistance.

Twin 800W direct-drive motors deliver smooth, consistent resistance through every rep, and it's adjustable in one-pound / 0.45kg increments, so you can progress at your own pace, rather than make big jumps you might not be ready for.

The Gym Monster 3 is controlled via a clever Bluetooth Ring Control that enables you to make adjustments without stepping away or breaking your flow, and it features four dedicated training modes: Standard, Chain, Eccentric, and Fixed Speed. It also features a built-in AI coach that can guide you from your first session onwards.

Midea GreenApex Dishwasher

The humble dishwasher hasn't changed much since Josephine Cochrane's 1886 invention went electric in the late 1920s and gained spray arms in the 1950s. But the Midea GreenApex is very different from traditional grease-busters. It's a dual heat-pump system that uses a single coordinated heat pump platform to deliver washing, rapid drying, and dry storage in a single appliance.

The GreenApex is 50% more energy efficient than conventional dishwashers, delivers 30-minute rapid drying and 168 hours of dry storage without continued system operation, and offers gentle heat-pump drying at around 45°C, so you don't need to worry about high temperatures damaging more delicate items. It feels like a major leap forward for an appliance type that doesn't often have the phrase 'cutting-edge' associated with it.

Reolink OMVI 2i Ultra

The Reolink OMVI 2i Ultra Security Camera features an innovative, decoupled dual-lens tracking system in which the individual lenses operate fully independently of one another. Unlike in other dual-lens or hybrid zoom security cameras, the two lenses here are not mechanically linked, so the fixed 130-degree 4K wide-angle lens never moves, while the telephoto camera is free to rotate anywhere, including to cover areas outside the field of view of the main lens.

This means that when the 4K camera's on-device AI spots a person, vehicle or animal, it triggers the pan-tilt camera to lock onto and follow that subject even after they exit the wide camera's field of view — but you don't lose any recording from the wide camera's view during that time.

You can also use the wide-angle view to redirect the pan-tilt camera to a particular location by simply tapping that point in the live camera view, or have the wide camera and the pan-tilt camera monitoring two distinct locations, such as your driveway and a side gate.

Navimow H510 Pro

The Navimow H510 Pro features four key innovations: precise edge finishing, zero-turn steering, adaptive mowing intelligence, and 3D modelling.

Rather than edging with a trimmer line, which can be noisy and cause minor damage, the H510 Pro has an extendable robot arm that performs zero-gap edging quietly and safely — it's the most interesting and smart version of this technology that we've seen.

The all-wheel-drive system protects your turf too, with a zero-steering system that avoids dragging the wheels across the grass during lateral turns. And the Adaptive Mowing Intelligence feature analyzes grass growth patterns to determine the optimal mowing frequency, using the 1/3 cutting rule to preserve lawn health.

With 3D terrain modeling rather than the industry-standard 2D, and a sensor array including infrared as well as LiDAR and vision for low-light reliability, and triple-sensor avoidance to protect wildlife, the H510 is a smart solution for even the most challenging lawns.

DJI Romo 2 Series

The Romo 2 Series is a robot vacuum that won't be defeated by obstacles such as deep rugs, sliding door tracks and other barriers. That's because it has robotic legs that can step over obstacles as high as 4cm, and double-step thresholds up to an impressive 8.5cm.

It also features a built-in LiDAR-guided ultra-wide-swing robotic arm to extend the mop's reach, and its powerful suction system features an automatically lowering plate that forms a semi-seal on carpet for better extraction of dust and allergens.

The Romo 2 Series also benefits from the tech of DJI's flagship drones, with a Structured Light-Speckle projector and dual fish-eye vision sensors for full 3D depth perception. It can detect items such as cables and training pads as thin as 2mm, and its AI can distinguish between debris and liquid, as well as deal with transparent obstacles such as glass doors and mirrors.

Acer Vero 16

With so many laptops sacrificing easy maintenance and repairability for super-skinny styling, the Acer Vero 16 is a breath of fresh air. While it doesn't skimp on style or power — it's highly portable, delivers up to 180 platform TOPS with an Intel Core Ultra X9 processor 388H, and can be configured with a stunning 16-inch 3K OLED display — it's made with longevity in mind.

A tool-free latch provides easy access to the Vero's innards, and the battery and SSD are replaceable, while the system is designed to support the next two generations of processors if you want to upgrade. Fully 70% of the chassis consists of a blend of PCR (post-consumer recycled) and bio-based oyster shell material, and it meets US military standards for toughness. This is a laptop that's built to last, in a way that's rare to see — and very welcome.

Asus ProArt GR1X

The Asus ProArt GR1X is tiny, measuring just 150 x 150 x 51mm. But there's nothing small about its specification. Designed for advanced content creation and local AI workflows, it delivers data center-class compute inside a mini PC, removing the need to run LLMs remotely while eliminating cloud latency, cost, and IP protection concerns for pro creators.

The ProArt GR1X features the groundbreaking Nvidia RTX Spark 'superchip', which means you get a 20-core Grace CPU and a 6,144-core Blackwell GPU, delivering up to one petaflop of FP4 AI inference performance. With up to 128GB of LPDDR5X unified memory at 9,400MHz, it enables you to run up to 120B-parameter LLMs locally, and render entire 3D scenes on-device in Windows 11.

That kind of power demands highly efficient cooling, and Asus has developed an advanced precision-cooling system that delivers 1.6x more efficient thermal coverage than standard compact systems. Asus also solved the challenge of metal-enclosure signal attenuation by embedding the Wi-Fi 7 antennas behind a glass-like signal-transparent material. It's quite the design coup, and an impressive showcase for Nvidia's new elite chip.

EcoFlow STREAM 5000 / STREAM AC 5000

The EcoFlow Stream series is a plug-and-play modular system for residential solar energy generation and storage that's designed to be renter- and apartment-friendly. It can add battery storage and smart power-management to existing solar PV installations, as well as being employed to create a new home system from scratch.

The Stream Series features EcoFlow's Oasis 3.0 home energy management system, which understands dynamic energy tariffs, keeps an eye on the weather forecast, and continuously analyzes your home energy needs to optimize generation, storage and consumption.

That means you can give the EcoBot AI agent instructions such as "I need my car charged by 7am tomorrow at the lowest possible cost" and it will implement the necessary steps, or have your energy schedules reconfigured automatically when you have visitors or other instances of increased demand.

From October the EcoFlow Stream series will also get a new feature: Local Mode, which gives you uninterrupted operation and local app control even if there are cloud or connectivity outages. It's a very powerful (no pun intended) system that's been designed with the real world in mind.

Tapo D260

The Tapo D260 wired/wireless security camera is a video doorbell that delivers all the benefits of high-spec security without the potential downsides: it stores facial recognition data locally to protect privacy, and no features are locked behind a subscription. It's advanced, yet totally cost-free once you buy it.

It has 4K resolution, a wide 180-degree field of view to cover the entire doorway, and delivers sharp detail in subjects up to 30 feet away.

The D260 features multiple intelligent detection and recognition features, including radar as well as the obligatory infrared motion sensor. These enable it to discount false alerts from things such as moving branches or passing headlights, while on-device AI can recognize people, packages, vehicles, and animals.

If you wish, you can opt in to build a library of family and friends using facial recognition, and there's even a voice changer to disguise your voice when speaking to unfamiliar callers. In a world where people are sick of subscriptions, this offers a great security upgrade without the monthly fee.

• Google Pics lets you generate and precisely edit images using simple text prompts
• It will be integrated directly into Google Docs, Slides and Drive
• Pics is rolling out to Google AI Pro, Ultra and eligible Workspace customers

Google has started rolling out Pics, a new AI-powered image creation and editing tool that looks like the company’s answer to Canva and even Adobe Express.

Canva became enormously popular by enabling ordinary people to produce good-looking graphics without needing professional design skills. Google Pics is attempting something similar, but rather than giving you a huge library of templates and asking you to assemble a design yourself, it puts AI at the center of the entire process.

Pics isn’t as fully featured as Canva, at least from what Google has shown so far. However, it’s included with Google AI Pro and Ultra subscriptions and selected Workspace business plans — and that could prove to be its biggest advantage.

All AI, no templates

Pics starts with a prompt. You describe what you want to create, perhaps a child’s birthday invitation, an event poster or a social media graphic, and the AI generates several versions for you to choose from.

You can then select individual objects or pieces of text and ask Pics to change them without regenerating the entire image. Text can be edited, reformatted or translated while preserving the surrounding design, and images can be cropped for different formats or upscaled to 2K or 4K. You can also request several changes at once and return to an earlier version if the results go wrong.

While some people will dislike how heavily Pics relies on generative AI, others may appreciate how much of the traditional design process it removes. Instead of learning how to use layers, masks and selection tools, you can simply describe the change you want.

Google Pics is powered by Nano Banana, Gemini’s image generation and editing model. You can see how it works in this video:

Why Workspace changes the equation

The biggest difference between Pics and Canva is that Pics isn’t being positioned only as a standalone design app. Google is also integrating its editing tools directly into Docs and Slides, with deeper Drive integration arriving over the coming weeks.

That means you’ll be able to select an image in a presentation or document and edit it using Pics without opening another app. If an image in a document is too dark, for example, you could ask Pics to lighten it while remaining inside Google Docs. Creations can also be shared and edited collaboratively in much the same way as other Workspace files.

That integration is what makes Pics potentially significant. Canva remains a much broader and more mature design platform, complete with templates and tools covering everything from presentations to websites and video. Pics doesn’t need to replace all of that, however. It only needs to make Google users wonder whether opening Canva is still necessary for the everyday graphic they’re trying to create.

Google Pics is rolling out over the coming weeks to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, as well as eligible Workspace business and education customers. I’m still waiting for it to reach my account, but I’ll be putting it through its paces as soon as it does.

• Microsoft is rolling out a new security feature for Windows 11
• Memory integrity provides stronger defenses for a crucial part of the operating system, and it's being automatically enabled
• Some gamers say the feature hampers gaming frame rates considerably, and they're not happy

Windows 11 is getting its security bolstered with a feature that's being automatically enabled, but which comes at a cost that some PC gamers don't want to pay — and this is proving quite the controversy on social media.

The Verge reports that Microsoft has announced that it's rolling out the enablement of memory integrity protection across eligible Windows 11 PCs, and that this is because "security works best when protection is built in, not bolted on".

Microsoft explains: "More devices will soon receive stronger protection by default, with no additional setup required. Windows quality updates will begin enabling memory integrity protection on eligible devices.

"If not already enabled, these updates will also enable VBS [Virtualization Based Security], helping make additional security capabilities available and reflecting our commitment to making Windows secure by design and secure by default."

The idea is to tighten security for Windows 11's kernel-mode drivers, a core aspect of the OS with direct access to the system's hardware, and there can be no argument that this additional protection gives host PCs tougher defenses and makes them more difficult to exploit. So why the controversy? Let's dive into the pros and cons of what's going on here.

Analysis: a divisive move — but we can't ignore that the threat landscape is changing

In Microsoft's view, this is a no-brainer: stronger security is being rolled out to Windows 11 devices, or at least those which are eligible (older PCs may not be). However, PCs configured via group policy not to use memory integrity, or machines where it's been disabled before, won't have the feature forced on them.

Other supported PCs will get memory integrity (and VBS, because it's required for memory integrity) turned on automatically by Windows 11, and this is where some gamers are up in arms. VBS has a long history of being a thorn in the side for gamers, with the feature being linked to frame rate losses.

How much of a headwind does this cause for PC games? Well, therein lies a big part of the issue, because it's difficult to pin that down exactly, and as ever, it's bound to vary depending on your PC's exact hardware and system configuration.

Some gamers observe frame rate hits of approaching 10%, while others say the impact isn't noticeable at all. There's a lot of back-and-forth on Reddit arguing about the extent of any slowdown, and here's a typical exchange:

One Redditor notes: "HVCI [memory integrity] is a great security feature, and the performance impact on newer platforms (to which this automatic switch will apply) is negligible."

Another replies: "It ain't negligible. 9800x3d, 5080, ddr5 6000 cl28 and my 1% lows get wrecked with this feature on. Way smoother disabled."

This isn't just about frames per second performance for some gamers, then, as there are also accusations of it affecting the lowest troughs (bottom 1%) that the frame rate hits (meaning the game suffers more stuttering at times and generally feels jerkier).

As the first comment points out, though, the likelihood should be that a more modern PC won't feel much of a hit (if anything). The gaming rigs that might see more of a spanner in the frame rate works are those which are older, but still modern enough to get the auto-enablement of memory integrity. In other words, a collection of PCs which are on the outer fringes of that compatibility limit (older machines, but not too old to avoid the feature rollout).

Of course, even those PC owners can always turn off memory integrity. The major beef for some is that they remember that Microsoft got into trouble for automatically switching on VBS in the past in a quiet, under-the-radar manner — and the question now will be whether gamers realize that this feature has been enabled alongside memory integrity.

In all honesty, when I saw what Microsoft was doing here and fired up Reddit to test the temperature of the reactions, I was expecting nothing short of a flamethrower being turned on the software giant. However, the feedback is split quite evenly between the haters — or those who disapprove at least — and users who are applauding Microsoft for this deployment.

Here are a couple of further examples from either side of the fence: "Apparently a controversial opinion, but systems that are for everyone should be failsafe, and that includes the most secure option being the default. There should be an option to disable security to get higher performance, but most secure should be the default."

Juxtaposed with this: "Already have memory integrity turned off as this 'feature' already hits gaming, I've used Windows without memory integrity for decades I think I'll be ok."

I must admit I'm inclined to agree with Microsoft's decision here — providing that when it happens, Windows 11 is clear on informing the user, so they can reverse the change if they aren't happy with it.

I think part of what Microsoft is doing here is keeping one eye on the future in terms of the difference AI might make to the security of Windows 11 PCs.

I keep hearing about how AI is already driving new threats and exploits, and so the kernel defenses that are being brought into play here may not have been quite as necessary in the past — as the last Reddit post I highlighted indicates — but they may be very much needed before too long. AI is accelerating the development of new threats considerably, and making it easier for anyone to becoming a peddler of malware, so Microsoft likely feels the pressure to act.

• Windows 11's antivirus is bugged as of the latest updates
• Microsoft Defender is telling users that it's turned off, when in fact it isn't — it's working just fine
• The warning keeps popping up, though, and that's proving to be frustrating, although Microsoft is now working on a fix

If you use Windows 11's built-in antivirus and you keep getting worrying messages warning that it's turned off and you're no longer protected, the good news is that this is a bug, and you've got nothing to be concerned about.

That said, this is still an annoying glitch, as it's one that's happening repeatedly to those using Microsoft Defender following its most recent updates. Windows Latest noticed the problem, which has been acknowledged by Microsoft on the Windows release health dashboard.

Microsoft tells us: "After installing the latest updates for Microsoft Defender Antivirus, notifications might appear stating that 'Microsoft Defender Antivirus is turned off,' even though the antivirus is functioning correctly and all settings show it as active."

The software giant says you may see these warnings when Windows 11 first boots and "intermittently afterward", noting that they'll appear even if notification settings are switched off. This is also a problem for Windows 10 users.

Microsoft explains that it's working on a fix that will be provided in an update for Defender Antivirus, but we aren't given an ETA for its arrival.

Analysis: a persistent bug that's been hanging around

The bugged pop-up asks you to click to turn virus protection back on, but you obviously don't have to, as it hasn't actually been turned off. Confused users have likely been clicking to re-enable Microsoft Defender, though, and then wondering why they're repeatedly being asked to do this — possibly coming to the conclusion that the antivirus is broken.

Rest assured, it isn't, but this has proved to be a frustrating bug for some, as it sounds like it's appearing quite regularly. As one Redditor complains: "Turns out, yep, it's a bug with their latest update. Fortunately it's harmless but annoying."

Based on reports on Reddit, the issue has been around for over a week at least, and Windows Latest believes it goes back further than that, to early August — although Microsoft only recognized and flagged the problem on its health dashboard a few days ago. Given that the bug has been in play for a while now, hopefully it'll be resolved this week.

I'm surprised that Microsoft hasn't already issued an update to cure this glitch, frankly, but maybe it's a spanner that's pretty deep in the works of Defender Antivirus, so it's taking some time to extract.

It's worth noting that the first time you see this error, you may want to double check whether it's the bug, or a genuine problem elsewhere with Microsoft Defender. You can always ensure that the antivirus is still running by going to Windows Security (type that in the taskbar search box) and looking under 'Virus & threat protection' which will give you the current (correct) status of Defender, flagging any problems if they're present.

• Microsoft has made a welcome change to OneDrive in Windows 11
• Prompts to use the backup service can now be permanently dismissed
• The change has been positively received by most users online

There have been complaints about this going back years, but Microsoft has finally caved in and decided to stop nagging users to back up their files to OneDrive: these alerts can now be permanently dismissed with an Opt out of backup button.

As spotted by Windows Latest, the move is going to please users who have no intention of using OneDrive to store their files, and would rather not have occasional reminders from their operating system that this is an option.

The change seems to be tied to the latest stable Windows 11 25H2 build. Previously, if you didn't want to go ahead with the OneDrive sync, you could only pick Remind me later or Remind me in 3 days — and the message would eventually loom back into view.

It's something we see across the majority of software now, and it's what Windows Latest rightly calls "dark patterns": interface choices that are designed to nudge users towards a certain option even if they're not sure about it.

Heading in the right direction

The reaction on Reddit has been mostly positive, with the general sentiment of the comments suggesting that this change was long awaited. "I fully opted out of Windows instead," remarks one commenter in the thread.

Several contributors to the Reddit discussion say they've already bailed on Windows 11 and switched to Linux or macOS — not just over the OneDrive issue, but also for other problems like memory management and privacy concerns.

For many years now, Microsoft has been trying to foist OneDrive and its other Windows-adjacent apps on to users of its desktop operating system, but it appears that it's finally figured out that this may be doing more harm than good.

To give Microsoft some credit, it has largely been making good on its promise to address the biggest complaints users have had about Windows 11 in recent months, even if a lot of the improvements should've been made a long time ago.

• Windows 11 has a new preview update for August
• It offers some nifty new features, including the ability to move the taskbar
• There are some frustrating bugs in the update, though, which include an oversized retro mouse pointer you can't switch away from

Windows 11 just got a new update — albeit still in preview — and while it delivers some smart goodies for the interface (including a taskbar option many users have been waiting for), there's a problem with bugginess here.

As a result, the preview update for August is an 'install at your own risk' affair, and although it's not going to put you in danger of being trapped in a boot loop or something equally terrible, the bugs are annoying.

Windows Latest noticed the initial reports of problems with this update, which include the mouse pointer being changed to a "big white cursor" and the wallpaper becoming a blank black background.

There are plenty of reports of this happening in the official Reddit thread (posted by Microsoft's Jen Gentleman) pertaining to this Windows 11 update. Apparently the old-style cursor which is appearing in some cases can't be changed, and if you try to revert the cursor back to what you had before, it'll just switch to the legacy pointer again, going by the reports on Reddit. You can, apparently, get rid of the plain black wallpaper.

While this update is optional, as are all preview releases, there's been quite a rush to grab it, because, as mentioned, it comes with some long-awaited interface changes: the ability to move the taskbar away from the bottom of the screen, and to resize the Start menu. There's also functionality that allows you to turn off Bing in Windows 11 search, which is great to see.

Analysis: QA and gradual rollout frustrations

While the bugs are purely cosmetic issues, you do end up with a stark and basic-looking operating system if they happen to your system. The really annoying bit is that you can't escape from the clutches of the oversized white retro mouse pointer (the only solution is to remove the update by all accounts).

One unimpressed Redditor complains: "Wow a buggy mess of an update for everyone."

It's easy enough to draw this conclusion scanning through the official Reddit thread, where there are quite a lot of reports of this issue. However, we've got to remember that those who are affected are more likely to be vocal and drop a complaint (or a straightforward bug report) on social media. So, that skews things and makes matters look worse than they actually are – and notably some folks are chiming in saying they've installed the August optional update just fine with no problems. Windows Latest didn't encounter any pointer-related shenanigans, either.

That said, there are enough reports of this to be a worry, and it's a weird glitch to have made it through to the final stage of Windows 11 testing — where preview updates are actually pushed to customer (non-Insider) devices (if they elect to install the optional release, of course). This again points to issues around QA (quality assurance) and testing for Microsoft, something that I keep banging on about.

At any rate, hopefully it'll be a quick fix from Microsoft here. This preview release will become the September update next month, and so this bug will certainly need to be squashed before then.

It's also worth noting that there are people who've not encountered the mouse cursor bug, but are still expressing their disappointment that they haven't got the mentioned interface changes for the taskbar and Start menu. This is because those features are on a gradual rollout, so they will only come to a selection of PCs to begin with, which will broaden over time.

As another Redditor observes: "So I got black screen, my cursor is stuck to Windows 98 and can't be changed for some reason. I got the movable taskbar but don't have the big or small Start menu. With all due respect, this OS is a 'joke' (more than that actually just wanted to stay super polite)."

It's frustrating to take a chance on an optional update because you want the features therein, only to find you don't get some — or indeed any — of them, but such is the nature of functionality deployment in Windows 11. You just have to be patient, although Microsoft has had some of its bigger changes on a very slow-paced rollout in recent times, and this is proving to be an increasing annoyance for some folks. Better to be 'right' than 'rushed' though…

• Meta is again updating its smart glasses software to stop people from circumventing the privacy controls
• The camera won't film if you start filming and then block the LED
• There's also a marketing campaign designed to educate consumers

Sentiment around smart glasses that can capture photos and video is quickly turning, and not in the direction chief smart glasses purveyor Meta would prefer. Now, to stop the — admittedly small — percentage of users who are trying to circumvent the glasses' built-in protections for nefarious filming, Meta is introducing a new slipstream technology update. And it's coming to Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses as we speak.

In a post on Threads, Meta's VP of Wearables Alex Himel announced a software update that will make it impossible for wearers to film or capture pictures if the glasses detect that you're covering the LED.

That LED is designed to signal to others that you were filming them, but hackers soon figured out how to disable it. Meta quickly made it so the system could detect that. Now, it seems they've noticed another workaround, which this update will quickly squelch. If you, say, start filming and then somehow cover the LED to hide the signal that you're doing so, the system will stop recording.

Here's how Himel explained it in his post:

"The camera won’t start recording if the LED is blocked, but some people try to bypass this by starting a recording and then covering it up. A fix for this is starting to roll out — the camera will now stop working if the light is covered during a recording."

Perhaps more importantly, Himel is aware that hackers probably won't give up trying to jailbreak the wearable cameras and promises. "We’re going to keep rolling out updates like this to make sure the capture LED can reliably alert bystanders when photos or videos are being captured for someone’s gallery."

The second update is perhaps less impactful in that it's mostly a marketing campaign designed to "educate' or convince people that these glasses have a place in our world.

Meta is already putting up billboards claiming the glasses are "Designed for everyone, not just the people wearing them". Smaller text below that announces: "The camera lets you capture the moment. The light lets everyone around you know when you do."

There's also some social media reminding folks that "The glasses announce themselves," which is another reference to the integrated LED light.

It's an admirable effort, though it seems that people are not just concerned with creepers who are surreptitiously recording: they are growing increasingly uncomfortable with people potentially walking into any space and filming. The glasses are being outright banned in all sorts of venues and face potential bans in theaters and even countries.

Of course, people filming everything everywhere has long been the case with smartphones, and we have countless hand-held, on-the-scene videos and social media to prove it. It seems to be the unexpected nature of these smartglasses. Even with the light, people don't realize at first that they are being filmed, which can lead to some uncomfortable conversations.

For Meta, convincing consumers that they have this situation under control — even if it is relatively few bad actors — is critical. The company is deeply committed to the wearable intelligence space. They have been rolling out new smart glasses models, including the recent Essilor Luxottica models that feature a frame designed by Kylie Jenner, and the company is a month away from its big Connect conference, where it's expected to announce more updates across all its smart eyewear, including the Ray-Ban Displays, which include cameras and an in-lens display.

Is this update enough to make you comfortable around Meta Ray-Ban smart glass wearers? Let us know in the comments below.

• Meta's official GTA San Andreas VT port never launched
• So a modder has vibe-coded a port for the Meta Quest 3
• You can play it yourself, but it's not easy

The Resident Evil 4 VR remaster on the Oculus Quest 2 was the best the platform had to offer, so a Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas VR port was easily the most exciting news to come out of Meta’s 2021 Connect event. But it never arrived. So now modders are making up for Meta’s biggest letdown by finally bringing San Andreas to Quest systems.

In fact, there’s a whole VR porting community that connects via the Flat2VR Discord. One such member, called GeT_RiCh, has made it his mission to bring the long-promised GTA title to Quest headsets, though you will need a Meta Quest 3.

It’s still a work in progress — you can follow updates on Discord — and installing this game isn’t as easy as pressing a button. As the mod’s GitHub explains you’ll need not only this mod but an original copy of GTA San Andreas from the Google Play Store (specifically version 2.11.311 exported as an APK), a PS2 sound pack for the game, a PC, a Quest 3 headset in Developer Mode (to authorize USB debugging), and around 15GB of space on your PC and 6GB on your headset.

Plus, you’ll need plenty of time and confidence that you can accurately go through the technical steps. I was considering trying to jump into the game before writing this piece up, but quickly realized that might be a challenge.

Despite the shortcomings, the effort is pretty incredible. It’s also, interestingly, being aided by Claude, which the modder is using to help him vibe-code aspects of the software.

Say what you will about vibe coding in the wider coding world, but the tool’s apparent effectiveness at helping someone complete a long-term passion project like this is pretty incredible.

Better late than never

It’s never been officially confirmed what went wrong withMeta’s version of the GTA VR remaster but general development issues of converting all the flat games’ elements into first-person VR, problems with the Quest 2’s low processing power being able to handle the game world, profitability concerns (especially when faced with the massive profits GTA Online expansions or GTA 6 promise), or one of a dozen other possibilities have been floated.

Regardless, all we know is that after that tease, GTA San Andreas VR never managed to get out of the starting gates.

Many have questioned this decision over the years — GTA in VR would be a slam-dunk for plenty of gamers — and others have been perpetually frustrated at Meta for hyping them up into buying a Quest headset, then killing the project.

Thankfully there is now a way to sort of play San Andreas in VR on Quest. Yes, it’s a Quest 3, and yes, it’s not the simplest port to set up, but it’s better than nothing — which is what Meta and Rockstar gave us.

• There's a new version of PowerToys out
• The suite of tools has a new utility called Window Hopper
• This allows you to easily cycle through open instances of the same app, and it's a nifty trick for multi-tasking in certain situations

Microsoft has released a new version of PowerToys, its suite of tools for Windows 11 (and 10), and it packs a smart new addition.

This is PowerToys v0.101.2362.0, and as flagged by XDA Developers, the release notes on GitHub introduce us to Window Hopper.

As the name suggests, this utility lets you easily hop between windows in Microsoft's OS with a shortcut that defaults to Alt + backtick (the ` symbol top-left of your keyboard, usually under the Escape key, or on the left of the number 1 key).

At this point you may be thinking: can't you switch between the windows of running apps by using Alt + Tab? Yes, you can, but there's a key difference between that shortcut and this new ability.

With Window Hopper, you are switching between the open instances of the same app, in the case that you're running multiple windows of said app. For example, like me, you might commonly have three or four browser sessions running in different windows, and pressing Alt + backtick will cycle between just those.

That's handy because it means all the other apps you may have open won't get in the way if you specifically just want to 'hop' between multiple instances of Chrome, say, or a clutch of Word documents you're working with (or folders in File Explorer).

If you don't like the default key combination to invoke Window Hopper, that can be changed.

On top of this new PowerToy, the existing Command Palette tool now has a compact mode, so it opens as a tiny window (and then expands with results when you start typing). This offering has also been tweaked to be more responsive and stable in general.

The new version of PowerToys also features some general interface polishing and tweaks to some other tools, including PowerDisplay, which is now capable of controlling the brightness of multiple monitors simultaneously. The Mouse Highlighter feature, which draws attention to the cursor when you left or right click (with a color to differentiate between both clicks), now has a smart new ripple effect.

Analysis: more power, fewer problems

I'm a big fan of PowerToys, and I think there are some highly useful tools here. Granted, some of these bits of software are for power-users only, but some are very handy for everyday users – and the good thing with this suite is that you can install it and only turn on a small handful of utilities that you really want, leaving the rest aside.

However, PowerToys is still not all that well known, and many average Windows users are missing out on nifty bits of functionality because they simply don't know about them. This is why I've argued in the past that certain PowerToys features should just be ported over to Windows 11 directly, where Microsoft could have them as options in the Settings app, removing the hurdle of having to find and install this suite of utilities (which, in overall terms, still remains somewhat obscure).

I think the Window Hopper is a prime example of something that could be easily ported over to Windows 11, where it would be useful for some folks to have as a native ability. Power Display, which just got a smart tweak with this new release of PowerToys, is another utility that I've said in the past would be great to have in the full version of Windows 11.

Would these tools be adding to system bloat, arguably? Well, some people may feel that way, but remember, they would be disabled by default and therefore wouldn't be eating any system resources (save for a small bit of drive space) unless you turned them on. Microsoft could also focus on very lightweight additions, too, as a starting point (simple tricks like Window Hopper, or partial ports of pieces of the beefier utilities).

For some people, PowerToys could even reduce bloat, as it might mean they can uninstall other third-party software that they've set up to achieve certain ends.

Hopefully Microsoft will at least be considering picking some choice pieces of functionality from PowerToys for inclusion in its desktop OS – and I note that there is a modernized mouse-finding ability inbound for Windows 11 (as Windows Latest spotted), which is good to see.

• Crooks used Google Sites and stolen Google Ads accounts to push fake OpenAI Codex pages
• macOS users tricked into pasting Terminal commands, leading to AMOS infostealer infection
• Campaign abuses Google’s trust signals; Windows download button was a decoy, only Mac payload worked

Cybercriminals were seen abusing Google Sites, the Google ad network, and OpenAI’s good name, in a campaign that targets macOS users with infostealers.

According to security researchers CATO CTRL, the crooks used Google Sites to create a fake version of the OpenAI Codex download site. To avoid being flagged by Google’s security systems and ultimately removed, the site itself contains no malicious code or download links, whatsoever. Instead, it hosts an iFrame that displays content hosted elsewhere.

Then, they advertised that site on the Google Ads network. Google is usually good at spotting and preventing malicious ads from running on its network, but sometimes threat actors steal legitimate accounts with good standing and use them to bypass automated scans and get the ads listed, while also spending other people’s money on the ad campaign.

Not ClickFix

The ads were displayed to users searching for “codex macos download”, at the very top of the page. Using both Google Sites and Google Ads is a deliberate attempt to appear legitimate and trustworthy since after all, many people trust whatever Google displays as the top result without double-checking or scrutinizing the result.

Those that do click will see a website that, by all accounts, looks like OpenAI’s download site for Codex, the company’s AI coding agent. The site has download buttons for both Windows and Mac, but only the latter works. The download and installation process was designed to look “advanced” - instead of getting an executable, the victims are told to paste a command in Terminal.

Cato’s researchers call this a ClickFix attack, but ClickFix usually displays a fake problem, before offering an equally fake solution. This looks more like another way to appear legitimate because after all, several AI agents are specifically designed to be installed and run from the macOS Terminal, including OpenAI’s Codex CLI.

The end goal of the campaign is to deploy AMOS, a known macOS infostealer capable of grabbing browser data, login credentials, cryptocurrency wallet information, and more.

Via SiliconANGLE

• Microsoft has concocted another scheme to pay people to use Edge
• It's a referral link that gives you reward points for every friend invited
• A strange Bing app has also been spotted that switches some browsers to have Microsoft's search engine by default, and it's proving controversial

Microsoft is once again pushing Edge — and also Bing — in promotional efforts that may elicit more than a few groans from Windows 11 users.

We're used to this kind of thing in Windows 11, mind, and I'll come back to Bing later, as this is an apparent plan that hasn't kicked into action yet. However, the latest Edge scheme is active, and as Windows Latest reports, it's offering financial incentives to get people to use Microsoft's web browser.

This is happening on the mobile version of Edge where users are being offered a referral scheme. If you can get a friend to switch to Edge via a referral link, you'll receive 500 Microsoft Rewards points (with the ability to accumulate up to 7,500 points per month if you're feeling ambitious).

The person you invite can't be an existing Edge user (they must never have installed the mobile browser), and they will also earn 500 points for signing up. However, your invited friend must sign into Edge and use the browser for at least two days (web searching on Bing, too) within the first two weeks of being referred.

Windows Latest observes that there's no way to access this referral scheme should you be interested — you'll just have to keep using Edge mobile and wait until it's presented to you.

As well as the promotion of Bing in that offer (in terms of the requirement to use the search engine for a couple of days), there's a more brazen initiative to push Bing usage that Windows Latest also spotted.

This was highlighted in a post on X by leaker Xeno who discovered a small app called 'Microsoft Recommended Search' which has one sole and simple purpose: to change your default search engine to Bing.

When run, it offers up a simple slider to set Bing as the default engine, and if you allow this, the app switches to Microsoft's search engine across some of your installed browsers. That means Chrome and Firefox, and also apparently Brave and possibly others, via extensions which are added to these browsers. Apparently the experience is rounded off by sending the user to the Microsoft Rewards page.

Where is this app exactly? Thankfully it isn't something that's being deployed to Windows 11, and Windows Latest notes that it's just a standalone application hosted on Microsoft's official download servers (download.microsoft.com) — for the time being, anyway.

Analysis: an ominous sign?

Does this mean that the Bing switching application is something Microsoft intends to pipe out to Windows 11 at some point? That's the obvious worry, because you've got to wonder why Microsoft built this mini app in the first place. I'm guessing that this is something for use in testing, though, and not active deployment — although it could come to Windows 11 in theory (or something similar could).

I really hope not, and given that Microsoft is doing its level best to get everyone to appreciate its desktop OS this year, it's obvious that anything along these lines would be highly counterproductive to that goal.

However, there's plenty of suspicion on Reddit about Microsoft's intentions here, and chatter from those who've already switched to Linux, pointing out that this kind of thing is exactly why they migrated. As one Redditor put it: "Every day is a Microslop news day, I'm so glad I quit Windows a while ago." There are quite a few others in that thread who see this as another reason to defect to Linux, despite the fact that nothing has happened with this Bing app yet.

As for the referral scheme to promote Edge, this isn't the first time Microsoft has effectively offered lowkey bribes to get people to switch to the browser. Indeed, the likes of million-dollar prizes have been thrown around recently (and the same has been true of Bing in the past). Not that there's anything wrong with this idea in principle, except it does show that Microsoft's getting rather desperate in its efforts to recruit folks to use Edge and Bing.

The most baffling part of all with Edge is that it's a good web browser which stands on its own merits, and I think it would benefit from not being promoted so much (as that activity only makes people suspicious, or determined not to use Edge as a reaction to being constantly cajoled about it).

• Windows 11 can remove a discrete GPU driver as part of its clean-up routines, as shown on Reddit
• This can happen if the laptop has been in Eco mode for an extended period
• Because the GPU is effectively gated off from the system, the driver is marked as unused and therefore deleted by the OS during clean-up – but you can stop this from happening

Apparently, Windows 11 can end up stripping away the discrete GPU driver from your laptop in certain scenarios if the OS is left to run in Eco mode for a long time – and that's a distinct annoyance if you own a gaming laptop, as per a report on Reddit.

Wccftech spotted a Redditor who posted about their Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop with a discrete Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti, and how Windows turned off that GPU.

At this point, some of you may immediately be thinking: who runs their gaming laptop in Eco mode? And that's a fair point, and one raised in the Reddit thread – I'll come back to that.

First, let's look at the mechanics of how this works, based on the Redditor's investigation of what went on (they noted that it "took me months to work this out"). When the laptop is put into Eco mode, power is completely cut to the discrete GPU, effectively leaving it offline (just as if it were an unplugged USB stick, as the Redditor describes).

That's not a problem – obviously it's a power-saving measure – but the issue is that Windows 11 runs a driver clean-up process from time to time as part of routine system maintenance. By default, this happens every 30 days, though the Redditor notes their laptop was set to 15 days, and this can be modified.

What happens is that if the laptop has been in Eco mode for a long time, with the GPU effectively walled off and not present as far as the system is concerned, and the clean-up happens, it judges the driver to now be superfluous, and it's removed.

When Eco mode is subsequently switched off, the driver doesn't return – it remains ditched, and the GPU shows as a 'Microsoft Basic Display Adapter' instead of an Nvidia GPU in Windows 11's Device Manager.

The Nvidia graphics driver must then be reinstalled to get the GeForce graphics card functional again – and the same is reportedly true of AMD discrete GPUs.

Analysis: a niche problem, but an annoying one – here's how to avoid it

Let's return to that question: who runs a gaming laptop in Eco mode? No gamer really does this, at least not when they're regularly playing some of the top PC games on their notebook. However, someone might be a student cramming for finals and using the laptop for work, having given up gaming distractions for a few months. In this case, with Eco mode enabled to keep battery life up while studying, Windows 11 could disable the GPU.

Okay, so it's something of a niche situation – and the Windows 11 clean-up routines are useful for keeping the system streamlined. But it's not an unthinkable scenario, and Microsoft's OS should be tuned to be more careful around GPU drivers – and it'd be useful if the system could give a warning of such a clean-up happening (so it could be avoided).

That said, this may not happen in all situations. Another Redditor notes that they have had their Zephyrus G16 in Eco mode for two months, and the Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti is still present and correct.

Whatever the case, if you run into this problem yourself, at least you know why it's happening. The fix is to simply reinstall the Nvidia driver, although the same thing could happen again if you're one of those people who regularly uses Eco mode on your gaming laptop.

You can apply a Registry fix to permanently stop the clean-up process, but I wouldn't recommend messing with those settings unless you're confident (see the Reddit post for instructions). Also note that you'll miss out on other clean-up duties, not just GPU-related activity.

A better solution is to simply remember to take your laptop out of Eco mode now and then (every couple of weeks), which will bring the discrete GPU back into play, and save the driver from being earmarked for removal.

The Redditor notes: "Or just keep the GPU visible now and then. Optimized mode in G-Helper turns the dGPU [discrete GPU] on whenever you plug in. Flipping to Standard [mode] every couple of weeks does the same thing. Resets the counter, no Registry editing."

• Windows 11's August update has broken some PC games
• Microsoft is investigating reports of crashes, but right now it's unclear what the root cause is
• Theories point to security measures in the update potentially causing issues with certain drivers and conflicts with anti-cheat tools

Windows 11 has run into trouble with gamers (again) after the latest monthly update for the OS, and Microsoft is investigating what's gone wrong.

The Register noticed that Microsoft has posted on the Windows release health dashboard about "reports of certain games becoming unresponsive" following its latest patch.

In some cases, games are either freezing and becoming unresponsive, as mentioned, or simply closing (crashing to the desktop), with an error ('Exception Access Violation') being displayed in some cases. There are also some reports of spontaneous reboots occurring after a game crashes.

Not all PC games are affected by any means, with Microsoft noting that reports are coming in from players of Arc Raiders, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals.

Microsoft is currently trying to work out what's going on, saying: "Ongoing investigation indicates that this issue is related to peripherals or internal device components which have RGB lighting features. Such devices may install drivers or code components with file names similar to inpoutx64. In systems where these drivers are found, the issue is then triggered by launching certain games."

Microsoft adds that it's currently trying to "understand the relationship between these RGB components and the games which trigger this issue", and says it will update gamers when more information becomes available.

Analysis: theories and workarounds

Microsoft is suggesting that this may be a driver-related issue of some kind, rather than a problem with Windows 11 itself. Of course, changes to Windows 11 could be the root cause, and the company admits that, and says it's still trying to "determine if this is an issue caused by Microsoft" on the release health dashboard.

As The Register points out, some on Reddit are theorizing that this bug is to do with "tightened kernel handle validation" which was introduced with the latest patch for Windows 11. Essentially meaning that Microsoft has tightened aspects of security with the August update, and that this is causing driver glitches, ones that were previously ignored, to be picked up (and subsequently crashing games).

The mentioned driver (inpoutx64) isn't just used in software controlling RGB lighting, but also in some system utilities needing low-level system access (for hardware monitoring, for example, and one such tool is mentioned in the above Reddit post: ZenTimings). It seems that if this driver is present on the host PC, the game's anti-cheat probing it now throws up a problem (post-patch), and that leads to the crash.

If this bug is causing you grief — and there are a lot of Arc Raiders players out there in that particular boat — there are workarounds that can make the game playable again.

The first is the most obvious and easiest fix: remove the August update for Windows 11 (or roll back the OS to before it was installed). You can remove an update in Windows Update, in the Update History panel — just find the patch (KB5121003 in this case) and uninstall it. However, bear in mind that you will be without a bunch of security fixes (and other features, including faster app launching) if you don't have this update on your PC.

The other alternative is to remove the problematic driver file, which seemingly won't harm your system (that said, if you do so, it's at your own risk — I haven't tested this). Going by the advice in the above Reddit thread — and also from the developer of Arc Raiders (Embark) — what you need to do is open the Command Prompt in Windows 11 by typing cmd in the search box, then right-click on Command Prompt and select 'Run as administrator'.

Once the prompt appears, type the following and press enter:

sc stop inpoutx64

Then type this second line and press enter:

sc delete inpoutx64

Now close the Command Prompt, open File Explorer, and find the following folder: C:\Windows\System32\drivers.

In that folder you should see the inpoutx64 file, it may be a SYS or DLL file (or both). Delete any of those files which are present.

That's the driver removed, and you should now be good to go, and you can still have the August update installed. But as I already noted, proceed at your own risk if you take this route.

The best bet for now may be to sit tight and wait for the results of Microsoft's investigation, and hopefully we'll hear something soon. However, this could be a somewhat thorny problem to untangle, and it rather sounds like a case of Microsoft dealing with a security issue — one which should be fixed — and that cure causing collateral damage due to driver wonkiness.

Whatever the case, on social media, a good many PC gamers are blaming Microsoft for this latest gaming-related issue in Windows 11.

One Redditor delivers the following barb: "They can't even keep the one thing they had over Linux. If you have to worry about whether or not your games work anyway, why still use Windows?"

Another observes: "Since 2025 December update till today — EVERY single month the update breaks something! There was no single month without issues."

There's no shortage of shots fired at Microsoft for monthly update woes, accusations of this being the fault of vibe coding (AI), and threats to leave for greener Linux desktop pastures. Business as usual, then.