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Valve has announced a new console-like PC for playing games on big screens like TVs. It's called the Steam Machine.

Technically, this isn't the first Steam Machine. Valve had released one in 2015, but these PC-style consoles were manufactured by third-parties such as Alienware, Gigabyte. If you're curious, check out this archived web page to learn more about the legacy hardware. Though the first-gen Steam Machine was discontinued in a few years, it wasn't a complete failure, as they were the first devices that came with Valve's Linux-based operating system, SteamOS. We all know where that has led to, the Steam Deck is one of the most popular handheld consoles today, and SteamOS is now available for OEMs again.

Anyway, the new Steam Machine runs on SteamOS 3 which is Arch-based, with KDE Plasma desktop. It supports many features such as fast suspend and resume, a desktop mode, notifications, Steam Input, Steam Store, Cloud Saves, Friends List, Steam Chat, Remote Play, to name a few. It can also stream games to your other devices. Games on Steam will have the Steam Machine Verified if they are compatible with the device, just like how the Steam Deck Verified ratings work.

Valve says that though the Steam Machine comes with SteamOS, users can install any apps they want, or any operating system that they like. It also supports other PC accessories such as a keyboard and mouse. Now, that's a proper console.

It is powered by a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 CPU 6C / 12T that supports up to 4.8GHz, and has a TDP of 30W. The GPU is a semi-Custom AMD RDNA3 28CUs, with 8GB GDDR6 VRAM, 2.45GHz max sustained clock, 110W TDP. Valve says that the Steam Machine is 6 times more powerful than a Steam Deck, and delivers 4K gaming at 60 FPS with FSR. The Steam Machine has 16GB of DDR5 memory, and comes with two storage options: one with 512GB NVMe SSD and the other with 2TB NVMe SSD. There is a high-speed microSD card slot on both models.

For connectivity, the Steam Machine supports 2x2 Wi-Fi 6E, 1 Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 5.3 (dedicated antenna), and an integrated 2.4 GHz Steam Controller wireless adapter. The Steam Machine has an LED Strip on the front that has 17 individually addressable RGB LEDs, that can indicate the system status and is customizable.

Coming to the ports on the console, it has a DisplayPort 1.4 that supports up to 4K @ 240Hz or 8K@60Hz, HDR, FreeSync, and daisy-chaining, a HDMI 2.0 port that supports up to 4K @ 120Hz, HDR, FreeSync, and CEC. There are 5 USB ports on the Steam Machine, including 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports in the front, 2 x USB-A 2.0 High speed ports in the back, and 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port in the back. The Steam Machine's power supply is built-into the device, and it supports 110-240V. Users can connect up to 4 Steam Controllers with a single adapter.

The console weighs 2.6kg, and measures 152 mm tall (148 mm without feet), 162.4 mm deep, and is 156 mm wide. Here is the official video announcement for the Steam Machine, and this is the listing on the Steam Store.

Valve has not revealed the Steam Machine's price yet, it will be launched in early 2026. If it is priced affordably, the console is likely to provide some serious competition to the Xbox, and PlayStation. With Xbox's insane price hikes, I wouldn't be surprised if the Steam Machine becomes the main competitor to the PlayStation. Check out our article about the new Steam Controller.

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Back in July this year, Google introduced some AI features in the Photos app that allowed users to create videos from photos. Now, it's adding more features, including some that are powered by its image editing AI model, Nano Banana.

Nano Banana was introduced in Gemini 2.5 Flash. To use it in Google Photos, tap the on Edit and then on "Help Me Edit". Select a style that you want to apply to the photo.

e.g. You could ask it to paint you as a Renaissance portrait, or restyle it with a mosaic made of colorful tiles,  or turn the photo into a page from a children’s storybook.

You can use these editing tools to personalize images. Google says it can be used to fix mistakes like forgotten sunglasses, or closed eyes, or a missed smile.

Users can tap the "Help me edit" button, and type things like “Remove Riley's sunglasses, open my eyes, make Engel smile and open her eyes.” And the AI will follow your instructions to edit the photo.

Does anyone else think that's a little creepy?

(Images courtesy: Google)

Moving on, you now use your voice or type prompts to ask the AI to edit images in Google Photos. This feature, which debuted in August 2025 for Android, is now available for iOS users in the U.S.

The iOS app is also gaining the redesigned photo editor which was introduced in May 2025, and lets you edit images using simple gestures, one-tap suggestions and natural language.

Google is introducing a new Create with AI section under the Create tab in the Photos app, that contains AI templates for popular edits, which you can use to quickly generate images without having to type anything. The images are generated by Nano Banana.  Create with AI is rolling out to Android users in the U.S. and India. Google is planning to introduce personalized templates, based on your usage. This will roll out in the U.S. in the coming weeks.

Google's Ask Photos tool, which you can use to find specific photos and search your gallery, is now available in over 100 Countries. It supports 17 new languages. Here's a support page that lists all Countries the feature is available in, and the languages that it supports.

There's also an Ask button that you can tap on when viewing an image to ask the AI about the content in it, to find related moments. You can also ask it to edit the image by typing something, or by using one of the suggestions.

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Microsoft has announced that Windows 11 now has native support for passkey managers. It has partnered with 1Password and Bitwarden to make it easier for users to manage the passwordless authentication method.

Microsoft had begun testing support for 1Password as a passkey provider a few months ago in the Windows Insider Preview Program. This feature is now available for all users.

Windows 11 supports passkeys natively via Windows Hello, so what's this new feature about? Microsoft worked with third-party password managers to create a passkey plugin API for Windows 11. But, why do you need to use these third-party tools? Well, it gives users a choice, they can opt to save passkeys in their favorite password manager, and sync the passkeys across their devices.

To manage your passkeys via 1Password or Bitwarden, you will need to install their respective desktop tools.

1Password says its users can access passkey management from the latest version of the desktop app, by heading to Settings > Autofill and toggle the option that says Show passkey suggestions. This will open Windows' Settings app where you can choose 1Password as the system authenticator.

(Image courtesy: 1Password)

Bitwarden's announcement says that users will need to install the latest beta from GitHub to try the feature. You can download it from this page. It requires Windows OS build 26200.7019 or newer. Go to Windows' Settings > Accounts > Passkeys > Advanced options. Here you will be able to select the default passkey manager, choose Bitwarden, and it will prompt you to authenticate with Windows Hello.

(Image courtesy: Bitwarden)

Now you will be able to create passkeys for websites and store it in your password manager, and use it to log in to your accounts in browsers, and other apps. I tested the beta version of Bitwarden briefly in my Windows VM, and it seems to work fine.

According to Microsoft's announcement, native support for passkey managers is available with the Windows November 2025 security update, aka KB5068861. The feature is available for both Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2.

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Microsoft has released security updates for all supported versions of the Windows operating system, including the first Extended Support Release update for Windows 10.

This overview of the security updates that Microsoft released provides system administrators and home users with actionable information. Apart from giving you an overview of what has been released, it also provides links to resources, highlights all known issues confirmed by Microsoft, and more.

Note: This is the last time Home and Pro editions of Windows 11, version 23H2 will receive security updates.

Note 2: Did Microsoft stop releasing security update information on its website?

Tip: Windows 10 users who have not joined ESU on their machines may want to do so asap to continue receiving updates.

Microsoft Windows Security Updates: November 2025

You may download the following Excel spreadsheet to get a list of released updates. Click on the following link to download the archive to the local device: Windows security updates November 2025

Executive Summary

• Microsoft released a total of 63 security updates for various Microsoft products and 5 security update for non-Microsoft issues (e.g. Chromium).
• Windows clients with issues:
  • Windows 10: none
  • Windows 11: none
• Windows Server clients with issues:
  • Windows Server 2008, 2025
• Microsoft won't release a preview update for December 2025.

Product overview

Each supported version of Windows and their critical vulnerabilities are listed below.

• Windows 10 version 22H2: 34 vulnerabilities, 2 critical, 32 important
  • GDI+ Remote Code Execution Vulnerability -- CVE-2025-60724
  • DirectX Graphics Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability -- CVE-2025-60716
• Windows 11 version 23H2: 34 vulnerabilities, 2 critical, 32 important
  • Same as Windows 10, version 22H2
• Windows 11 version 24H2: 35 vulnerabilities, 2 critical, 33 important
  • Same as Windows 10, version 22H2
• Windows 11 version 25H2: 36 vulnerabilities, 2 critical, 34 important
  • Same as Windows 10, version 22H2

Windows Server products

• Windows Server 2008 R2 (extended support only): 14 vulnerabilities: 1 critical,  13 important
  • GDI+ Remote Code Execution Vulnerability -- CVE-2025-60724
• Windows Server 2016: 25 vulnerabilities: 1 critical, 24 important
  • GDI+ Remote Code Execution Vulnerability -- CVE-2025-60724
• Windows Server 2019: 33 vulnerabilities: 2 critical, 31 important
  • GDI+ Remote Code Execution Vulnerability -- CVE-2025-60724
  • DirectX Graphics Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability -- CVE-2025-60716
• Windows Server 2022: 31 vulnerabilities: 2 critical, 29 important
  • Same as Windows Server 2019
• Windows Server 2025:  32 vulnerabilities: 2 critical, 30 important
  • Same as Windows Server 2019

Windows Security Updates

Windows 10 version 22H2

• Support Page: KB5068781

Updates and improvements:

• Note that the machine needs to have joined ESU to continue to receive security updates.
• Includes unspecified security updates.

Windows 11 version 23H2

• Support Page: KB5068865

Updates and improvements:

• Security updates.
• Fixed a networking issue in the HTTP.sys request parser.

Windows 11 version 24H2

• Support page: KB5068861

Updates and improvements:

• Security updates
• Just a few fixes to address issues, including:
  • Fix for gaming handhelds, which prevented them from staying into low-powered states, which caused batteries to drain faster than expected.
  • Fix for gaming handhelds, which caused the gamepad to stop responding in apps for about five seconds.
  • Fixes an issue in the HTTPS.sys request parser.
• Plus all features of the November preview updates, including plenty of new features that continue to be rolled out over time.

Windows 11 version 25H2

• Support page: KB5068861

Updates and improvements:

• Same as Windows 11, version 24H2.

Known Issues

Windows 11 version 24H2 and 25H2

• [FIXED] Problems playing protected content using some Blu-Ray, DVD, or Digital TV apps. Some content may not play in certain apps, playback may be interrupted, copyright messages may show, playback may stop, or show black screens.
  • Partially resolved according to Microsoft, stating that it has been addressed in the September 2025 preview update (and also this update)

Security advisories and updates

• ADV 990001 -- Latest Servicing Stack Updates

Microsoft Office Updates

You find Office update information here. How to download and install the November 2025 security updates

Here is how you install the update immediately on a system:

1. Open the Start menu, type Windows Update, and select the result.
2. Activate the "check for updates" button. This runs a manual check for updates.
3. Activate the "download & install all" button, if the update is not downloaded automatically.

Direct update downloads

Below are resource pages with direct download links, if you prefer to download the updates to install them manually.

Windows 10 version 22H2

• KB5068781 -- 2025-11 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 22H2

Windows 11 version 23H2

• KB5068865 -- 2025-11 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 version 23H2

Windows 11 version 24H2

• KB5068861 -- 2025-11 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 version 24H2

Windows 11 version 24H2

• KB5068861 -- 2025-11 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 version 24H2

Additional resources

• November 2025 Security Updates release notes
• List of software updates for Microsoft products
• List of the latest Windows Updates and Services Packs
• Security Updates Guide
• Microsoft Update Catalog site
• Our in-depth Windows update guide
• How to install optional updates on Windows 10
• Windows 11 25H2 Update History
• Windows 11 24H2 Update History
• Windows 11 23H2 Update History
• Windows 10 Update History

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Mozilla has released a new stable version of its open source Firefox web browser a moment ago.Firefox 145 is the latest version of the browser and it comes with several new features, improvements and changes.

On the feature side, Mozilla is adding support for PDF comments, which lets you add, edit or delete comments. There is also a handy option to reveal all tabs of a tab group and a new option to create links to specific parts of webpages. On the downside, support for 32-bit versions of Linux is ending with this release.

The Firefox Extended Support Releases (ESR) 140.5 and 115.30.0 are also released today. As usually, they focus on security fixes and bug fixes, but do not contain new features.

Firefox 145: the major changes and new features

Comments in PDF documents

If you use Firefox to view PDF documents, you may know use new editing tools. Mozilla added support for adding, editing, and removing comments from PDF documents. This is a built-in feature that does not require any plugins or third-party applications.

To add a comment, simply highlight content, right-click on the selection and

The PDF viewer supports a range of editing options already. You can add text or highlight sections, add a signature, draw on the PDF or add images to it. The new commenting option complements these features and may improve the appeal in business scenarios.

Reveal tabs in tab groups

Tab groups is a relatively new feature, at least in the current form, in Firefox. The feature enables you to add multiple tabs to a group, which you can then collapse or reveal. It improves manageability, especially if you happen to have lots of tabs open.

You could create tabs for various activities, such as shopping, gaming, or research, keep them collapsed most of the time to only expand them when needed.

Firefox 145 introduces sort of a preview feature for tab groups. If you want to know which tabs are in a group, you can now hover over the tab group to reveal all its tabs. Previously, you had to click to expand it, and then click again to collapse it.

It is a handy little feature that improves the handling of tab groups in the browser.

Improved fingerprinting

Ashwin reviewed the new privacy feature in a detailed article already and I suggest you check out the article for a deeper dive into what is changing. Put simply, Mozilla is implementing changes that make less users appear unique to fingerprinting scripts that are used on the Internet.

According to Mozilla, the figure drops from over 60 percent when no protections are used to about 20 percent under the new anti-fingerprinting system. That is a big improvement over the previous version, which dropped the figure to about 35 percent.

Other new features in the release

• Firefox supports linking to specific sections of a page now. Highlight content on any webpage, right-click on the selection and then select the new "Copy Link to Highlight" feature of the browser. This creates a link that points directly to the highlighted c content.
• Firefox 145 does not support 32-bit Linux distributions anymore. Mozilla recommends installing the 64-bit version. Another option for the time being is to switch to Firefox 140.5 ESR, which should continue to support 32-bit Linux for the time being.
• Horizontal tabs are slightly more rounded to match the look and feel of vertical tabs.
• Clicking on the Extensions button with no extensions installed displays a text now about the benefits of using extensions. It also includes a link to the add-ons store.
• Passwords can now be accessed and managed directly from the sidebar.
• The translations feature has been improved. It works better now when translating between languages that use different script directions.
• The new tab-page features new wallpapers. Mozilla says these are brand-inspired. Does that mean that they are ads? I could not check, as I do not see them there in Firefox 145.
• New "open links from apps next to your active tab" feature. This opens them next to the active tab instead of at the end of the tab strip as before.
• Enhanced Bounce Tarcking Protection's stateless mode is now enabled in strict mode of the Enhanced Tracking Protection feature. This blocks "more advanced tracking techniques based on redirection".
• Mozilla has changed the shortcut of Firefox for most Windows users. It points to "a small program that will launch Firefox" now, if the browser is still installed. If not, it will prompt to install Firefox.

Developer changes

• The text-autospace property is now supported.
• The math generic font family is now supported as a value of the font-family property.
• Firefox for Android supports separators in <select> menus now.
• Firefox now supports the Atomics.waitAsync() static method.
• The Integrity-Policy and Integrity-Policy-Report-Only HTTP headers are now supported for script resources.
• The source property of the ToggleEvent interface is now supported.
• A CSSStyleProperties instance is now returned for the style property on HTMLElement, MathMLElement, SVGElement, and CSSStyleRule, and the Window.getComputedStyle() method.
• RTCEncodedVideoFrame and RTCEncodedAudioFrame are now serializable objects, and RTCEncodedAudioFrame() and RTCEncodedVideoFrame() copy constructors are supported.
• The Matroska container (.mkv) is now supported for the most commonly-used codecs: AVC, HEVC, VP8, VP9, AV1, AAC, Opus, and Vorbis.
• Cookies created with cookies.set() are now validated, and invalid cookies are rejected.

Enterprise changes

• Fixed the Chatbot option of the GenerativeAI policy, as it did not turn off the Generative AI of the right-click context menu.
• GenerativeAI policy has a new option to turn of all GenerativeAI features
• The EnableTrackingProtection policy has been updated so that BaselineExceptions and ConvenienceExceptions can be set when in strict mode (not in ESR).

Security updates / fixes Mozilla addressed a total of 16 security issues or potential vulnerabilities in the Firefox 145.0 version. No critical vulnerabilities, but several that are rated as high. Mozilla does not make any mention of exploits in the wild. Still recommended to upgrade as soon as possible. Firefox Firefox 145.0 download and update

Firefox installations should pick up the Firefox 145.0 update automatically. Desktop users may speed up the installation by selecting Menu > Help > About Firefox.

This should run a check for updates and will download any update that is found automatically.

Manual downloads are also provided on Mozilla's official website for desktop operating systems.

• Firefox Beta download
• Nightly download
• Firefox ESR download

Outlook

Firefox 146.0 will be the least main release of the Firefox web browser in 2025. This happens on December 9, 2025. The first release of the new year is Firefox 147, which Mozilla plans to release on January 13, 2026.

Firefox 115.x ESR continues to be supported until at least March 2026 for older versions of Windows and Mac OS. Firefox 140.x is the current main ESR base, and it will be replaced in mid-2026 by Firefox 153.x ESR.

Additional information / resources

• Firefox 145 release notes
• Firefox 115.30.0 ESR release notes
• Firefox 140.5.0 ESR release notes
• Firefox 145 for Developers
• Firefox 145 for Enterprise
• Firefox Security Advisories
• Firefox Release Schedule

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Paramount Plus is the latest streaming service to hike its prices. The new prices come into effect early next year.

Skydance Media acquired Paramount in August 2025, in a deal worth $8 Billion. In an earnings call, Skydance had reported that Paramount Plus has 79.1 million subscribers, having gained 1.4 million subscribers in the previous quarter. While this is the first time that the prices have increased since the merger, this is the third time that the streaming service has hiked its prices in 3 years.

As The Verge reports, the ad-supported Paramount Plus Essential plan's price went from $4.99/month to $5.99 in May 2023, while the ad-free Premium with Showtime plan's price jumped from $9.99/month to $11.99 in June 2023. A year later, in August 2024, the ad-supported plan's price was increased to $7.99 per month, and the Premium with Showtime plan's price increased from $11.99 to $12.99/month.

The price of the ad-supported Paramount Plus Essential plan is being increased by $1, i.e. from $7.99 to $8.99 per month. The ad-free Premium plan's price will also go up by a $1, from $12.99 per month to $13.99. These prices will go into effect on January 15th, 2026 for subscribers in the U.S.

Paramount said that "these changes will fuel continued reinvestment in the user experience and deliver an even stronger slate of programming" for its subscribers. It's also worth noting that Paramount is removing free trials, and is "reviewing discount practices". The company also wants to use AI for better personalization and recommendations to improve its free, ad-supported streaming platform, Pluto TV.

Paramount Plus joins the likes of HBO Max, Disney Plus, Hulu, Apple TV, Peacock, and Netflix, all of whom increased the prices of their streaming services in the past year. Even Xbox Game Pass saw a massive price hike for its plans.

Meanwhile, YouTube and Disney are still trying to work on a deal to bring Disney, ESPN, etc. back on YouTube TV. Google is offering a one-time $20 credit to YouTube TV subscribers to compensate for the disruption of live sporting events due to the blackout/failed negotiations.

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Google is adding an option for live video sharing to emergency calls on Android. The feature is included in the November Google Play Services update.

The feature was spotted by Android Authority in September, before it arrived via this month's update. Android devices support various safety features such as Satellite SOS, Car Crash Detection, Safety Check, etc. Users have an option to record videos and share them with emergency contacts using the Personal Safety app. But recording a video and sharing it can take a while, delays could be costly, and sometimes the person who is in need of aid may not be able to record the video. You can learn about safety features on Android at Google's website.

Now, Google is adding an option to share live video during an emergency call, which can help rescuers understand the situation/injury, check whether the person is in danger, perhaps to offer medical advice or how to stay safe until help arrivers, or even assist them in determining the location where the caller is at.

Apple offers a similar option in iOS as part of the Emergency SOS feature, which allows rescuers to request access to your camera, which will share the live video with them if you grant them permission.

Live video support for emergency calls on Android is available via the Google Play Services 25.44 update. The feature may be exclusive to Google's Pixel phones at the moment.

Here are some other notable changes that are included in the November update. Android users can now back up and restore SMS retriever preferences. Google Wallet no longer supports the Cards QR feature in Brazil. Google is improving Parental controls to allow parents to get clear information before they block the Gemini app on their kids devices. One interesting change that is part of the Google Play Store v48.8 update is that it now allows users to uninstall apps directly from the Play Store listing, without using the device, i.e. you can remove the apps from a web browser.

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Mozilla is strengthening Firefox's fingerprint protections. Mozilla says that its research showed the improvements halved the percentage of users detected as unique.

For those unaware, a digital fingerprint is like a trail of breadcrumbs that websites use to identify you uniquely. This could be anything from your operating system and its settings, your browser's settings, time zone, etc. Mozilla warns that fingerprinting may happen when cookies are blocked, or even in private browsing, and they could continue tracking users for months.

(Image courtesy: Mozilla)

Firefox already has some built-in features such as Enhanced Tracking Protection (introduced in 2020), and Total Cookie Protection (debuted in 2021), which prevent websites/trackers from stalking users around the web for displaying ads, or for nefarious purposes. Here's how many trackers Firefox blocked on my computer in about 4 months.

While Firefox already blocks social media trackers, cross-site tracking cookies, known fingerprinters, cryptominers, etc., Mozilla explains that online trackers often target various information, from the font that is used to render a web page, to scripts that request hardware details such as the number of cores a CPU has, the multitouch capability of a display, and even the dimensions of the dock or taskbar.

Firefox will block such tracking by reporting limited details to ensure that the website and its features don't break. Mozilla's new anti-fingerprint techniques are outlined at this support page.

Images generated in canvas elements will contain random data, when the website tries to read it. If a website just renders data to the canvas element, nothing is modified. In the rare event that a website reads the image data, and displays it to the user again, it will have subtle noise that may affect how the image is displayed.

Firefox will not use locally installed fonts to render text on a web page, especially fonts that are not bundled in operating systems. This will ensure that a user-installed font is not detected by the website, to identify them.

In order to mask the number of simultaneous touches your hardware supports (multitouch support), Firefox will tell websites your device supports either 0, 1, and for all other values, it will report it as 5.

Your screen resolution will be reported, without including your dock or taskbar, as the available resolution. If your CPU has 4 processor cores or fewer, Firefox will tell the website your computer has 4 cores, or 8 cores if your CPU has more than 4 cores.

These hardware-based tracking methods may be used by gaming websites or other pages that request such data. The new techniques will prevent websites from accurately identifying your computer and browser, aka fingerprint them.

Mozilla says that the new fingerprint protections are rolling out with Firefox 145, which releases today (already available at Mozilla's FTP servers). The feature is not enabled by default, likely to prevent websites from breaking, but they are available in Private Browsing Mode, or when Enhanced Tracking Protection has been set to Strict Mode. Users don't need to tinker with more settings to protect their privacy.

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Microsoft released the 2025 feature update for its Windows 11 operating system less than two months ago. The new version of Windows 11 did not really impress with many new features or major changes, with the majority remaining in testing or the usual slow rollout to stable systems.

Rumors about Windows 11, version 26H1 emerged recently, mostly from inspections of pre-release code. A release of a --- supposedly -- feature update in the first half of the year would be a major change in Windows 11's release schedule. In fact, this never happened for Windows 11 before.

Veteran Windows users may get flashbacks to the early days of Windows 10 releases, when Microsoft decided to go with two feature updates each year. This put a lot of strain on IT departments and home users alike. Many decided to install only the feature update of the second half to keep their sanity.

Windows 11, version 26H1 confirmed

Microsoft confirmed the existence of Windows 11, version 26H1 just a few days ago when it released a new build to the Windows 11 Insider Preview Canary Channel. However, Microsoft added several remarks to the release in order to explain what it is doing.

The details:

• Windows 11, version 26H1 is not a feature update for Windows 11, version 25H2.
• Windows 11 continues to have an annual feature update cadence.
• The update is only for Windows 11 devices with "specific silicon".

In other words, Microsoft is introducing this non-feature update to add support for certain chips. While Microsoft does not mention which, the leaks suggested that Microsoft was targeting Snapdragon X2 Elite processors specifically with that release.

Microsoft notes that this build "should not be seen as matched to any specific release of Windows" and that "features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders.

All in all, this new build should not affect the majority of Windows users -- testers or stable -- in any way. The bulk continues to rely on AMD or Intel silicon, which appears to not be targeted by Microsoft with this new Windows 11, version 26H1 release.

As for what is changed in the new build: not much. Microsoft lists just a few corrections of issues, but no major changes or new features. Going forward, Microsoft is likely going to improve compatibility and support for the chips that it plans to better support with this release.

Now You: Do you run Windows 11 on your PCs? Or do you stick to an earlier version of Windows or an entirely different operating system? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

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It has been ten days since Disney, ESPN pulled their channels from YouTube TV. And Google has started issuing a $20 credit to subscribers to compensate them.

In case you missed it, YouTube's contract with Disney to broadcast its channels on YouTube TV expired on October 30th, 2025. Negotiations to renew the agreement have failed, and both companies have publicly blamed each other for the fiasco.

Google says the blackout affects the following YouTube TV channels:

• ABC
• ABC News Live
• ACC Network
• Baby TV Español (Spanish Plan)
• Disney Channel
• Disney Junior
• Disney XD
• ESPN
• ESPN Deportes (Spanish Plan)
• ESPN2
• ESPNews
• ESPNU
• Freeform
• FX
• FXM
• FXX
• Localish
• Nat Geo
• Nat Geo Mundo (Spanish Plan)
• Nat Geo Wild
• SEC Network

The 4K Plus and Spanish Plus add-ons are impacted by the blackout. Around 10 million YouTube TV subscribers have been unable to watch the NFL, NBA, College Football, etc. If you want access to these sporting events, you will need to subscribe to ESPN's service directly.

Google had said that it was in talks with Disney to bring its content back to YouTube TV, and that it would issue a $20 credit to subscribers if this blackout continued. That's what's happening now. According to users at reddit/YouTubeTV, Google is sending out an email to YouTube TV subscribers with instructions on how to claim this credit.

Note: Please be aware that this a one-time $20 credit towards your next bill, it's not a $20 refund. They don't want to lose subscribers.

Why isn't the partial credit automated? These subscriptions are renewed monthly, via recurring payments. Many people may not know about this, and could easily miss the $20 credits. I'm not sure if there is some legal reason for this not to have been automated.

They kind of did, but not for everyone. YouTube TV subscribers who are billed through Google Play or another provider will get the $20 credit automatically. However, users who pay for YouTube TV directly will need to redeem their credit manually by visiting tv.youtube.com. Click on your profile picture, go to Settings, select Updates, and then select Claim Credit. The $20 credit will be applied to your next bill.

(Image courtesy: Google)

Please refer to the official support page on Google's website for further details.

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Microsoft is testing a new feature in Windows 11's Snipping Tool. You'll soon be able to use the app's built-in image editor to add text to your screenshots.

The Snipping Tool has had an optical character recognition (OCR) feature for a while now, which you can use to extract text from screenshots. It even has some AI-powered options, but it's kind of funny that you couldn't add text to an image until now. It's such a basic feature.

Anyway, the feature was spotted by PhantomOfEarth, a reliable Windows insider, who also uploaded a video to demo the new options. The Snipping Tool has a new T button, aka a Text icon on the toolbar, clicking on which opens a secondary toolbar in the image editor.

(Image courtesy: PhantomofEarth)

While it can be used to watermarking images, that's not its primary purpose. The text tool is used to annotate images, to highlight something.

Users will be able to select the font type and size of the text, and choose from basic formatting options such as Bold, Italics and Underline. You can customize the color for the text. Once you have made your selection, just draw a box where you want the text to appear, and type in what you want it to say. That's pretty simple. There is also an option to add a highlight/marker pen effect to the text.

It is unclear which build of Windows 11 the Add Text feature is being tested in, but given that PhantomofEarth usually tests the latest builds to spot new features and changes, it is likely being tested in the newest Dev Channel version. Microsoft had released Windows 11 26220.7070 to the Dev and Beta Channels a few days ago for participants in the Windows Insider Program

Want a more powerful screenshot utility? Take a look at ShareX or Flameshot

Which screen capturing tool do you use?

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Valve has made various improvements to the Steam Store this year, here's one more. Steam store pages are now wider.

Up until now, the width of store pages has been 940 pixels, which left quite a bit of unused space on either side of the screen. In order to improve this, Valve began testing an updated design that supports 1200 pixel width.

So, why 1200 pixels? According to Steam's Hardware Survey, a lot of gamers have 4k monitors with widescreen resolutions. Well, it's less than 10%. I wouldn't call that a lot, but over 25% of users have a 2K monitor. I think that's important to consider, because Valve says not many people run the Steam client or web browsers in full screen mode, and based on its tests, it found 1200 pixels wide was optimal than 940p.

Here's a comparison screenshot, courtesy Valve, that shows how the page looked prior to this update, and now.

There's still a bit of wasted space on the sides, but it looks a lot better than before, even on lower resolutions like 1080p. Text is slightly larger, images are crisper, it's neat. And it's important to note that this is not restricted to the Steam client, it also applies to Steam's website. It's useful when you access it from a web browser. Valve says that Steam's store pages adapt dynamically to fit smaller monitors, browsers, tablets, Steam Decks and Mobile Devices. It said it even worked on an old iPod with a tiny screen.

The wider store page layout is not available for Steam's homepage. Valve says it is working on it, and that it will be available in the near future. Search results are wider, with slightly larger tiles for the game's image.

Valve has also made some changes to the video player and screenshot carousel. It now supports 3 modes: default, theater mode, full-screen mode. Clicking on a video lets you switch from the default view to theater view or full-screen mode. Images on Steam are now higher in resolution. The "About the Game" section now supports bigger and higher-quality images, and new formatting options. Store pages now have background imagery, making them more immersive.

On a side note, Apple launched its App Store on the web last week. You can now browse categories, view recommendations, check the Today page. It also lets you search for apps, games, making it a lot more usable than the bare-bones web version it had before.

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Microsoft released the feature update of 2025 for Windows 11 recently. The new update did not include many new features compared to its direct predecessor Windows 11, version 24H2. However, Microsoft continues to release new features gradually to Windows throughout the year.

One of these changes is a revamped start menu that, Microsoft promises, makes things a lot better for users of the operating system and introduces some new features on top of that.

The big features are an all-application listing on the first Start menu screen, new category options, and a responsive layout that adjusts to the size of the screen.

The main requirement for the new start menu is that your PC runs Windows 11, version 25H2. While the feature update has reached a broader distribution, it is still not offered on all devices.

Side note: if you installed Windows 11 on a PC that does not meet the system requirements, you won't get the update via Windows Update. You can use a tool like FlyOOBE to upgrade these systems. While primarily designed for upgrading Windows 10 PCs to Windows 11, it can also be used to upgrade Windows 11 PCs to a newer version.

Tip: Open the Start menu, type winver, and press the Enter-key to display the current version of the Windows 11 operating system.

Enable the new Start menu

Chance is, the new Start menu is not enabled by default. If that is the case, you can force-enable it using an open source tool and just a few steps.

1. Download the newest version of the ViVeTool from the GitHub repository. Unless you run an ARM-based PC, you need to pick the IntelAMD ZIP file.
2. Right-click on the downloaded ZIP file and select to extract it.
3. Open the Start menu.
4. Type Terminal.
5. Select Run as administrator.
6. Confirm the security prompt.
7. Now run the command CD PATH, if you have saved the file into C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\Downloads\, run the command CD C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\Downloads\ViVeTool-v0.3.4-IntelAmd
   1. Replace YOURUSERNAME with your actual username. Check the address in File Explorer if you are unsure.
   2. Depending on the ViVeTool version, you may need to adjust it as well.
8. Run the command vivetool /enable /id:47205210,49221331,49381526,49402389,49820095,55495322.
9. Restart the PC.

This should be all there is to enable the new Start menu. Note that you can also enable the new smartphone widget of the start menu by running vivetool /enable /id:48697323,48433719. You need to run the Phone Link application afterwards and maybe update it.

There you have it. If everything went well, you should be able to use the new Start menu right away on your PC, even if Microsoft did not pick it yet for early delivery of the feature.

Now You: What is your take on the new Start menu? It is a big improvement over the old Start menu? Anything still amiss that you would like to see? Feel free to leave a comment down below. (via Windows Area)

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Security researchers have revealed that the Google Play Store had played host to malicious apps. The malware were downloaded over 40 million times.

Welcome to the safest mobile app marketplace, people!

A report published by Zscaler ThreatLabz (via Bleeping Computer) reveals how hackers are using malware to target users on mobile devices. It says that based on Telemetry data that it analyzed, Android Malware has jumped by 67% year-over-year.

For those curious, last year Zscaler had discovered over 200 fake apps on the Play Store. During June 2024 and May 2025, this number rose to 239 malicious apps. Many of these malware apps were distributed under the Tools category, masquerading as productivity and workflow tools. This resulted in the apps being downloaded 42 million times. The report points out that threat actors are now targeting mobile payments instead of credit card-focused fraud, with the help of spyware, banking malware, phishing trojans to steal financial information and login credentials which are used for malicious transactions.

According to the report, these Countries were most impacted by malware attacks: India (26%), United States (15%), Canada (14%), Mexico (5%) and South Africa (4%). Zscaler says that threat actors used an Android Void malware, to infect 1.6 million Android-based TV boxes, primarily in India and Brazil. A Remote Access Trojan (RAT), called Xnotice, was targeting jobseekers in the oil and gas industry, in the the Middle East and North African region. Adware is the number one threat with 69% of cases, while the Joker malware family dropped to 23% of cases from 38% last year.

Meanwhile, Google is enforcing a rule that will require Android app developers to verify their identify by submitting their personal information to register with the Android Developer Console, provide a Government issued ID, and pay a fee to Google. App developers who fail to comply will not be able to distribute their apps, even outside the Play Store on third-party websites and app marketplaces. This could effectively kill sideloading, a term that refers to the installation of apps outside the vendor's control, in this case, the Google Play Store.

Why does it want to kill sideloading? Google believes that verifying the identity of app developers will reduce the amount of malware attacks on Android. The Mountain View company had claimed that "our recent analysis found over 50 times more malware from internet-sideloaded sources than on apps available through Google Play."

But F-Droid says that Google has failed to produce any evidence about this number, and this move is just to give Google full control over the Android ecosystem. And now we have a report that says Google Play was kind enough to give shelter to 239 freaking malware apps. This situation reminds me of the "This is Fine" dog from Gunshow Comic. Fix your own ship, Google. It leaks!

Did you know that a billion new passwords have been added to Have I Been Pwned's database?

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The next iteration of Linux Mint is going to make some interesting changes to the user experience, including a redesigned Start Menu for Cinnamon. Clement Lefebvre, aka Clem, the project and development team leader of the distro has published some details about the upcoming features.

This is what the Cinnamon Menu applet, or the Start Menu, looks like in its current style on Linux Mint 22.2.

It looks fine, and works perfectly. Notice how it blurs out the last item in the list?

Also, here are the current options for customizing the menu.

Well, here is a screenshot of the new Start Menu. It's detached from the bottom of the screen, and looks way better.

It seems to be wider, yet not taller, and still manages to display more items. This design makes better use of the screen real-estate. The sidebar has been expanded and displays the labels of each shortcut. Moving to the right pane, the list of app categories now uses the same 9-dot grid icons like "All Applications" does. Another improvement that this menu will bring is that it has a description for each shortcut. It kind of reminds me of macOS' Settings app.

Users will be able to choose where the system buttons are placed (Lock Screen, Log Out, Shut Down), you can choose to keep it as it is, on the left sidebar, or move them to the right of the search bar. Their icons have been redesigned slightly. The search bar can be moved to the bottom of the menu, and this is customizable, so if you like to keep it at the top, you can. If you move the system icons to the left, the search bar will be longer. A customizable Start Menu, imagine that.

The next big change that is heading to Mint users in the future is a new System Reports tool. It has been rebranded as the System Information tool. But, we already have a System Info applet.

Jokes aside, Clem admitted that the old tool is not enough if a user wanted to troubleshoot problems, such as finding what steps they need to do, or how to use a fix. The System Information tool is designed to provide additional data to help users troubleshoot common issues. It as 4 new pages including a USB page that lists devices connected via a USB port along with their type, name and ID.

The GPU page has details about graphics card and hardware acceleration info, while the PCI page that lists details about your computer's internal components and drivers. There is a BIOS page with info about your motherboard, BIOS version, boot mode and secure-boot.

And finally, there is a new tool, System Administration, which has a similar UI, but is meant for admins. Currently, it only has a boot menu, where you can show/hide the boot menu, configure how long it stays open before the default option for dual-booting/multiple kernels. Users can also add boot parameters while troubleshooting hardware problems.

When a user asked whether Linux Mint 23 will improve support for Wayland session, i.e. switch from experimental to beta, Clem explained that Wayland Cinnamon is missing a screen locker, and that it’s a complex feature to implement. It may not be ready for Mint 23, but it’s possible. That is very interesting.

The other changes are expected to ship with Mint 22.3 in December 2025.

On a side note, LMDE 6 will reach End of Life on January 1st 2026. Please be aware that LMDE 7 is 64-bit only.

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Rockstar Games has announced that it has postponed the Grand Theft Auto VI release date to November 19, 2026. The game had originally targeted a Holiday 2025 launch, before it was scheduled to be launched on May 26, 2026.

GTA 6 is one of the most anticipated games, so this second delay is sure to disappoint fans who were eagerly waiting to take part in Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos' adventures in the fictional state of Leonida, which includes Vice City. Such things happen. The launch of its predecessor, GTA V, was also postponed from a Q2 2013 release to September 2013.

(Image courtesy: Rockstar Games)

Rockstar Games' last original title (not counting remasters), Red Dead Redemption 2 also suffered some delays, it was set for release in mid/late 2017, and postponed to Q1/Q2 2018, but was released in October 2018. An 8-year gap between RDR 2 and GTA 6 seems huge for two projects, even for a company as big as Rockstar.

The studio published a short statement on its X handle to confirm that GTA VI's release has been pushed to Q4 of next year. It said that it needed extra time to polish the game to a level that fans have come to expect and deserve. Oddly, the game's official website still says GTA VI is coming on May 26, 2026.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told The Game Business, "When we set a date, we really do believe in it. We said when we set the last date, if a game requires more polish to be the best possible version of itself, then we will give that game more time." He said that Take Two fully supports Rockstar's approach. Take Two seems pretty cool with the delay. Hopefully, the game will have the same quality of RDR 2, and that's worth the wait, in my opinion.

Now, the question is, how would this delay affect the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI for PC? Rockstar's original plan was to release GTA 6 in May 2026 for the Xbox Series S, X and PlayStation 5. A PC version would be released later. Given the 6-month delay for the console release, it could spell further delays for the PC version of the game too, possibly pushing it to late 2027 launch, or perhaps into 2028. We don't know how much GTA 6 will cost, there have been rumors floating around that claim it could be priced at $100. There's no official word about whether the game will be released for the Nintendo Switch 2 either.

While we are on the topic of delayed releases, Skydance Games has announced that the launch of its action-adventure title, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, has been postponed. It was targeting an early 2026 release, but now it's unclear when the game will be launched.

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Have I Been Pwned is a free service that anyone may use to check for password leaks associated with email addresses. All it takes is to provide an email address and you are presented with a list of known breaches the email address was discovered in.

While that does not mean that the account has been compromised, as strong passwords may prevent that from happening too quickly, it is a good idea to change the affected passwords.

Troy Hunt, the creator of the service, adds new public collections of passwords and other sensitive data to the service regularly. Just this week, he revealed that more than 1.3 billion new passwords were added to the main database of the service.

The passwords come from the Synthient database,  a collection of passwords from various sources, including Telegram groups and publicly accessible cloud storage locations. The majority of data appears to have been stolen by infostealers.

Good to known: Infostealers are a specific type of malware that record usernames and passwords on infected PCs or mobile devices. The data is then submitted to servers on the Internet, where it is sometimes publicly accessible.

The new database entries consist of username and password combinations. The database entry reveals two billion affected accounts and 1.3 billion unique passwords, all of which are now searchable via Have I Been Pwned. At least part of the data includes old account passwords that are no longer in use. However, new passwords are also found in the database, but the ratio is unclear.

Tip: If you use the KeePass password manager, you can run local checks as well against all stored passwords.

Recommendations for affected accounts

Users who notice that their accounts are affected may want to consider doing the following:

1. Immediately change the passwords of affected accounts.
2. Change the password of any account that has not been breached, but where the same password is used or a slight variation, such as "password", "password1" and so on.
3. Enable two-factor authentication.

Other options include switching from using passwords to passkeys, but these are not supported by all services yet.

Note that some breach entries do not list a service. This is the case when passwords came from a source that can't be associated with a specific Internet service.

You can check out this guide on the potential risks and how to protect your accounts, which offers additional explanations and tips on staying secure.

Have I Been Pwned is a free service.

Now You: Do you use services like Have I Been Pwned to check if your passwords were found in a breach? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

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Google Maps is getting some big navigation upgrades, featuring Gemini AI. The improvements are focused on the hands-free driving experience.

You can speak to Gemini in Google Maps using natural language to ask questions with the Hey Google command. It can handle complex queries like "Is there a budget-friendly restaurant with vegan options along my route, something within a couple miles? " Gemini will analyze your query and provide a response, and offer to re-route a detour, with details about the top result for your query. In this particular example, it found a café and also informed the user about the cuisine, ratings, etc.

Users can also ask follow-up queries such as "What's parking like there?" or "What dishes are popular there?" You can respond to the voice assistant's suggestion by saying something like, "OK, let’s go there." This will initiate the navigation. Or you can ask it to pick a different place. Maps users can also ask Gemini to recap the news, or last night's game.

Google is integrating Calendar in Maps to allow the AI to create events easily.  E.g. You can ask Gemini to add a calendar event for soccer practice tomorrow at 5 PM. The AI will automatically create the corresponding event, if you choose to grant it permission for accessing your calendar.

Users can report disruptions to Google Maps quickly by speaking to Gemini. Some examples: “I see an accident,” “Looks like there’s flooding ahead” or “Watch out for that slowdown”. This can help other users.

Google says the Gemini navigation improvements in Google Maps are rolling to Android and iOS users worldwide. It will be available on Android Auto later.

Google's announcement admits that traditional navigation instructions from apps, like “turn right in 500 feet”, can be quite confusing, leaving the user guessing where they have to turn. To improve this experience, it's introducing landmark-based navigation. This feature will use popular locations, buildings, restaurants, gas stations that users can spot easily, in addition to traffic lights and stop signs. It will also highlight the landmark on the map as you drive closer to it. For example, instead of just saying "turn right after 1000 feet" it will say “In 1000 feet, turn right after the Thai Siam Restaurant.”

It sounds natural, like how a real person may guide you. To power this guidance feature, Gemini analyzes Google Maps data and cross-references it with Street View images, to curate the most useful landmarks that can be spotted easily. Landmark-based navigation is rolling out to users in the U.S.

Google Maps will warn you about unexpected closure of routes, or heavy traffic jams, even when you are not navigating actively. The app will proactively notify you of any disruptions on the road ahead. You can choose to dismiss the notification, turn it off, or tap on it to view more details. These Proactive traffic alerts are rolling out now in the U.S. on Android.

The fourth improvement that Google has announced is called Lens built with Gemini. Users can tap the camera button in the Maps search bar, point the phone's camera at locations like restaurants, cafés, shops or famous landmarks, to identify the place. You can also tap on a pin on a map, press the mic button, and ask questions like "What is this place and why is it popular?" or "What’s the vibe inside?". Gemini will provide a summary about the place, or your query, and also read it out aloud. Lens built with Gemini starts rolling out gradually later this month in the U.S.

In case you missed it, Apple Maps may soon display ads in the search results.

Update: Techcrunch reports that Gemini navigation will also be rolling out to users in India in the coming weeks, and will support 9 Indian languages at launch. Proactive alerts are also rolling out on Android for users in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Google has partnered with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to provide near real-time updates about road closures, diversions, repairs, etc., and will display restaurants, fuel stations, restrooms along national highways.

Google Maps is adding voice support for flyovers in the coming weeks. The app will also display speed limits on the navigation screen. This experience is rolling out to Android and iOS users in Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Noida.

Landmark-based navigation and proactive traffic alerts sound good. What about you? Do you like any of these features?

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Obsidian Entertainment has announced a public beta update for Pillars of Eternity 1. It adds an option to toggle turn-based mode for the game's combat system.

Obsidian released the game in 2015, with Paradox Interactive as the publisher. Up until now, the game featured a real-time with pause (RTWP) combat system. A sequel to the game called Pillars of Eternity: Deadfire was released in 2018, also with RTWP. However, Obsidian added a turn-based mode to Deadfire in an update that was released in 2019. This was likely inspired by Owlcat Games' Pathfinder: Kingmaker, which released the same year as Deadfire.

Coming back to PoE 1, Obsidian had announced in April 2025, that it would update Pillars of Eternity 1 to add a turn-based combat mode, and that this would be available later this year. Well, it's not a stable release yet, but the studio has kept its promise by updating the cult-classic game.

While RTWP has its own fan-following, it can become tedious if you have 6 characters in your party, each doing their own thing, targeting different enemies, and potentially getting their butts kicked in the process. It can get confusing in battles where enemies are spread around in an area, often pulling other enemies into the game. I say this as a huge fan of Tyranny, also an Obsidian CRPG, but set in a different universe. Managing 4 characters in Tyranny was significantly easier, and it's a shorter game anyway.

Want to try the new turn based mode in Pillars of Eternity? Open the Steam client on your computer, switch to your Library. Right-click on the game's name and select Properties. Click on Betas on the sidebar, and then on the drop-down menu next to "Beta Participation." Select the Public Beta. Click on the install button and Steam will download the latest beta version. If you already had the game installed, it will download an update for the game. The version number of PoE 1 beta is 3.9.0.88179. Here's the official announcement.

Despite the beta being announced as available for Xbox, it's only available for Xbox Insiders on PC, not on console. Don't ask me why. Anywho, to get into the beta, Open the Xbox Insider Hub app, go to Previews > Pillars of Eternity – Hero Edition and click on Join. After registering for the beta, you will be able to install the Hero Edition and play it. Microsoft says that this applies to users who own Pillars of Eternity, or have access to it via an active Game Pass subscription. Refer to this page for more details.

Pillars of Eternity's latest beta runs fine on Linux, I tested it with Proton-GE. You can't enable turn-based mode from the main menu, it's only available from the in-game menu, or when you start a game. To enable it, press Escape and select Difficulty. Click on "Turn-based mode" on the right side of the screen. There is no option to switch between RTWP and turn-based mode during combat. Obsidian says it is working on a "direct HUD toggle", i.e. a button you can press to switch between the 2 combat modes, without having to navigate the menu.

Note: The game will display a pop-up explaining the mechanics of the real time combat system, even if you have turn-based mode enabled.

 

Once you have enabled turn-based mode, and you enter a battle, you will see a list in the top right corner. The current round sections lists the order of the combatants as they will take part in the battle during the ongoing turn, similarly the next round lists the order in which they will fight on the next turn.

Pillars of Eternity uses Unbound Turns, it is influenced by a character’s overall speed. Obsidian says this improves the value of Real-Time with Pause attributes and mechanics. What does that mean? When battles start, characters with the highest initiative get the first go. If an enemy has a higher initiative, they will start first. Or if one of your characters has the highest initiative.... you get the picture, right? Battles will automatically start in paused mode when it's your turn. Hit the space bar to unpause the game. You can take your time to think about your move. Right-click on an enemy to study it.

Left-click on an enemy for a standard attack, or left-click on a spell/move on your character's bar and target an enemy/ally to cast the spell. Hit End Turn to end the round. You can attack and move. Both mechanics have a counter displayed above the end turn button. Beware of the disengagement penalty when moving away from a melee attacker standing next to you. But this also applies to enemies.

Obsidian says that the update also comes with some other improvements. The game now allows "Smarter Free Actions" such as swapping weapons, drinking potions, or enabling modals. But these are limited to one per turn per type for balance. The game's combat has a faster pacing, and combat lethality has been significantly increased for both enemies and players.

Here are the other changes in the game (quoting the release notes)

General

• Added support to change to the original Pillars of Eternity main menu art by clicking base game and DLC icons.

Visual and Audio

• Fixed characters sometimes being stuck in a running animation during cutscenes.
• The title screen background should no longer appear with a delay.

User Interface and Interaction

• Fixed Player-controlled characters sometimes being unable to attack if any Class Behavior is active.
• Fixed an issue that allowed summoned Concelhaut to be looted after death.
• Fixed cursor changing to the default one while hovering over party members outside of combat.
• Fast mode now can now be enabled without toggling off slow mode first.

I've previously played Pillars of Eternity (about 20 hours), but didn't finish it because of the tedious combat. The update might help people like me. Turn-based combat can be useful for boss encounters and tougher enemies, but seems to take a lot of time when fighting low-level mobs. So we can use RTWP for faster battles, and switch to turn-based when we need to calculate each move.

Earlier this year, Obsidian released Avowed, a first-person/third-person RPG that is set in the same universe as the Pillars games. And now, it has updated Pillars of Eternity 1 with a turn-based mode, ten years after the game was released. Interesting, isn't it? Does this mean we could see Pillars of Eternity 3 in the future? I wouldn't say no to Tyranny 2 either.

On a side note, Steam Deck users can now download games when the console's display is off.

Players who own the game on GOG or Epic Games will have to wait for the beta to end, and a stable update to be released.

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Apple is reportedly working on a new version of Siri, which is powered by Google Gemini. A report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that the Cupertino company will pay Google $1 Billion per year for using its tech.

This shouldn't come as a big surprise, since Apple has an agreement worth $20 Billion a year with Google to use its search engine as the default in Safari. It also wants to add AI search engines to Safari.

Apple has fumbled AI badly, and Siri powered by Apple Intelligence on iPhone, iPad and Mac is nowhere close to what was promised. Meanwhile, OpenAI, Microsoft, Google have been very successful with their own AI services. After integrating ChatGPT in Apple Intelligence and Siri, Apple had decided to explore using third-parties to power Siri's capabilities, while it continued working on its own models, a 1-trillion parameter model is expected to be launched next year. The Cupertino company had tested various solutions including OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic Claude, and Google Gemini.

Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, had told CNBC last week that the company is targeting a 2026 release for the next-gen Siri, and that Apple is looking at more partnerships with AI services. That checks out with what Gurman says, the new voice assistant powered by Google Gemini could be released as part of the iOS 26.4 update in Spring 2026, and is code-named Linwood.

He mentioned that Apple will use a custom Gemini system, meaning Google will build a special version of its AI. Apple has already allocated AI server hardware for hosting the model, and it will run on Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers.

This custom AI model made by Google supports 1.2 Trillion parameters, compared to the 150 Billion parameter model that powers Apple Intelligence. Google's Gemini model will be used to power Siri’s summarizer and planner, these help the voice assistant synthesize information, and execute complex tasks. Apple's own AI models will still be used for some of Siri's features.

Gurman says Apple will not promote this partnership publicly, and will treat Google as a behind-the-scenes technology supplier instead. Gee, I wonder why!

Some users weren't too pleased about the news. Apple loves to say it cares about the privacy of users, we always take a privacy-first approach, your data is yours, even we don't know what you access on your device. This new partnership with Google (and the Search deal) could make people feel otherwise, despite the AI being a custom model running on Apple's servers.

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