The Edge beta for iOS is jumping on the new icon train.

What you need to know

• The new Edge icon is now available on iOS.
• Beta testers on iOS can grab the icon with the latest update.
• Presumably, the new icon will launch for everyone around January 15 alongside the Chromium Edge for desktop launch.

The Microsoft Edge beta on iOS now has a new icon that's in line with the icon Microsoft started rolling out to Edge testers on desktop in late 2019. The icon revamp comes ahead of the full launch for the new Edge on desktop on January 15. It also follows the Android beta getting a similar icon revamp earlier this week.

@Daniel_Rubino New Edge iOS icon available in Test Flight on iOS! pic.twitter.com/gjJ6LmqiBr

— S3V3N (@S3V3N_C33s) January 3, 2020

From the release notes:

• A new look and feel, plus an updated navigation for easier access to features like search, favorites, and more.
• We've also made some general bug fixes and performance improvements.

The new Edge for desktop is set to release on January 15 after months of testing. Presumably, we'll see the new icon and navigation improvements launch for everyone on the mobile apps around the same time. Additionally, you should expect to see the ability to sync your passwords, favorites, and more with the new version of Edge once it's officially available.

If you're interested in testing Edge beta releases, you can find downloads for all platforms at the Microsoft Edge Insider site. Note that the iOS beta requires that you be accepted into the TestFlight program, which has limited slots available.

Age of Empires IV is in the works, and real-time strategy fans can't wait to see everything the game entails when it finally launches. Until then we've put together a bunch of important details that give us an idea of what to expect from the game.

Microsoft's return to beloved PC gaming titles includes Age of Empires IV, a revival of one of the best real-time strategy (RTS) series ever produced. While the first two Age of Empires games have been remade and re-released as Definitive Editions (with Age of Empires III undergoing the same treatment), Age of Empires IV promises a new look at the RTS formula while still holding true to its roots. Here's everything you need to know.

What is Age of Empires IV?

If you ask just about any long-time RTS fan what games rank at the top of the list, the Age of Empires series is likely what comes to mind. The first entry, released 1997, focused on human history from the Stone Age to the Iron Age, while the second entry focused more heavily on the Middle Ages. Age of Empires III, released nearly 15 years ago, moved ahead in time to the colonization of the Americas.

Playing the games involves micro- and macro-management of workers and military units belonging to historic civilizations. You must grow a small starting population, collect resources, advance through the ages, and defend against invaders while also planning your own attacks. You can enjoy lengthy campaigns, skirmishes against AI, or multiplayer battles while alone or teamed up with friends. The games are relatively easy to pick up, but the best players employ in-depth strategies to get a slight edge on the competition.

Age of Empires IV is a revival of the series that hopes to capture the old magic while offering something new to veterans and newcomers alike. It appears to be a return to medieval times instead of another step forward in human history. Until its release, many RTS fans are returning to Age of Empires thanks to celebrated Definitive Edition remasters that bring updated graphics, reworked mechanics, and overhauled campaigns.

An RTS for the ages

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition

A lot of game for the asking price

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition manages to make the classic RTS feel new while not straying away from what made the game great in the first place.

$20 at Microsoft

$20 at Steam

Who is developing Age of Empires IV?

The first three Age of Empires games (as well as other titles, like Halo Wars) were developed by Ensemble Studios, a team based out of Dallas, Texas. After Ensemble was closed down in 2009 following the release of Age of Empires III, it didn't look good for a fourth title. The Age of Empires series was kind of left to the community, which did its best to keep the games enjoyable and populated.

Thankfully, an internal development studio at Microsoft called "World's Edge" — lead by Shannon Loftis — has been overseeing new Age content, including remasters of the first three games with help from third-party developers like Tantalus, Wicked Witch, and Forgotten Empires. In an interview with Windows Central's Matt Brown, Loftis clarified that Age of Empires no longer belongs to one studio:

Age isn't ours anymore. We're stewards, it belongs to the community, and it belongs to the globe," said Loftis. "There's no world in which a Redmond-centric game development studio is going to get the right global set of voices in. [...] We have contracts; you know about three of our partners, Relic, Tantalus, and Forgotten Empires. We have others that we're not talking about yet. But it is truly a global development team. All the teams are working together to share assets, to share ideas, the legacy teams are working with Relic.

Age of Empires IV has been in development alongside the Definitive Edition remasters, with Relic Entertainment taking the lead on the latest entry in the series. According to World's Edge Creative Director Adam Isgreen, this has helped with efforts to keep Age of Empires IV feeling true to its roots while also standing out:

[W]e've learned so much with all of the launches. It's been a real growing experience, but it's unfair to say that it's one way. There are things that we've learned in the development of Age of Empires IV that we can even put into Age II. For example, the network technology behind the scenes is actually from Relic. All of the Definitive Edition games are now going to have Relic's modern networking backend. [...] It's this great two-way conversation between the old games and the new one, about what we're going to share, and how we're going to grow the games.

What is gameplay like in Age of Empires IV?

We were finally treated to an Age of Empires IV gameplay reveal trailer at X019. While it includes Pre-Alpha gameplay, there are a lot of small details to take in, especially because of comments made by Isgreen:

Everything in that trailer is real; everything we show will be in the final game. We have wall combat working. That falcon is real, that's gameplay, it's a scout unit. But all that's real, genuine gameplay and nothing we will show won't be in the game. [...] That is why we waited so long, and what we'll continue doing with Age going forward.

The trailer involves an English city besieged by Mongols. We're first shown quite a bit of the city, which includes some familiar buildings and units. We see villagers hurrying to work or carrying resources, mills surrounded by farms, pikemen marching in formation, and castles on a hill. We also see some new features, like walls and towers that allow troops to walk along them and fire on enemies (unlike other Age of Empires games), distinct roads, bridges, fountains, and quite a bit of dressing up with greenery and idle pieces. This is no doubt a set piece with much time put into the layout, and it's unclear whether roads and other improvements to the city will play a role, say in population happiness.

Moving on to the countryside, a falcon flies high, revealing the invading Mongols. We know it will work as a scout, which is an integral part of all Age of Empires games that feature a fog-of-war mechanic to keep enemies hidden. We can see cavalry, infantry, and siege on the field of battle, and there are some interesting tidbits to note. Infantry is seemingly rallied by a lone figure, which might suggest some sort of leader or captain system. Archers seem to be able to set up temporary defensive structures, and elevation will no doubt still play a significant role in combat mechanics.

Siege engines like trebuchets don't appear to be manned, which is a holdover from previous Age games. Buildings that take enough damage will crumble to the ground, offering up a pleasing reward for your attacks. The unit scale also seems significantly more realistic compared to the older games.

Graphics are a bit of a departure, and at first, they seemed a bit cartoonish. However, if you consider how much saturation is usually applied to Age of Empires pre-release content, this should prove to be a beautiful game, and saturation level will be an in-game setting. It seems like it will be a good balance between visibility and realism, and there's plenty of detail for buildings and units alike.

Pathfinding, an RTS game's chief concern, has been overhauled. Instead of the traditional move from point A to point B in the shortest way possible, Age of Empires IV should introduce far more realistic movement. Adam Isgreen explains:

[I]f [you] know real-time strategy games, behind the scenes it's been run by a find path solution called A* for a billion years, pretty much since its invention, with a few exceptions here and there. One of our big changes is moving to a more organic, more modern solution for find-path, which is called flow-field.

Isgreen also mentions how passive upgrades will be visually represented in-game. All armor or weapon upgrades will be visual, easing accessibility. And instead of having the repeated chatter each time you click a unit — which is endearing but can get annoying — there will be much more natural dialogue between units based on the surrounding circumstances.

In an official Behind the Scenes teaser video, we caught a glimpse of some gameplay at the hands of Quinn Duffy, Age of Empires IV Game Director at Relic. Age fans will recognize in the bottom-left corner of Duffy's monitor the four primary resources — food, wood, gold, and stone — as well as what appears to be a population cap counter and unit commands. You'll still need to gather resources with villagers, advance through four ages to gain access to more powerful units and upgrades, and ultimately trounce your foes in any way possible.

The faithful minimap also makes a return in the bottom-right corner, and there are some unit grouping icons along the left side of the monitor. Overall the UI seems reasonably straightforward, though this could all change during development. All previous Age of Empires games have employed a population cap, but it's unclear what will be the max in the new game.

Does Age of Empires IV have a campaign?

Yes, Age of Empires IV will feature a campaign, with a focus on improved historical accuracy. Whereas a lot of civilization meta in previous Age games played somewhat similarly, there's now a more significant emphasis on separating cultures. This is helped along by a new method of ensuring historical accuracy. Adam Isgreen explains:

[W]e went to Mongolia, learned about Mongols. We didn't go to a professor here in London, or someone back in the States. We went to the source to learn how those cultures operated, because respecting them and doing them justice is so important.

We don't know the scope of the campaign in Age of Empires IV yet, but if it lives up to the precedent set by the previous games, we should be in for a treat.

Who is composing the Age of Empires IV soundtrack?

Music in Age of Empires games has traditionally been epic, and many long-time fans of the series can hum the different tracks without any thought. Age of Empires looks to continue this tradition, bringing on composer Mikolai Stroinski to handle the music. If that name sounds familiar, it's because Stroinski composed the music for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Will you need a powerful PC to run Age of Empires IV?

There are not yet definitive specs for PC requirements, but Age of Empires IV is being developed with inclusivity in mind. A new engine that doesn't rely heavily on a single processor core will immediately make an enormous difference. Even those with beefy PC hardware can sometimes see Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition chug along because of the old engine. The ultimate goal is to create a game that can be played the same on a relatively low-end laptop or a high-end gaming rig.

Will Age of Empires IV include microtransactions?

No, Age of Empires IV will not include microtransactions. In an interview with PCGamesN, Adam Isgreen explained that expansions and DLC "will be explored" while microtransactions are left off the table.

When is the Age of Empires IV release date?

There's no set date for an Age of Empires IV release. Those of you itching for a medieval-based RTS can, in the meantime, check out Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. We awarded it a near-perfect score, and we've been enjoying it ever since its release in late 2019.

An RTS for the ages

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition

A lot of game for the asking price

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition manages to make the classic RTS feel new while not straying away from what made the game great in the first place.

$20 at Microsoft

$20 at Steam

The refreshed ThinkPad X1 Carbon and X1 Yoga focus on battery life and privacy.

What you need to know

• Lenovo announced updates to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon and X1 Yoga ahead of CES.
• Both laptops feature enhanced keyboard layouts and an option for a PrivacyGuard display.
• The X1 Carbon starts at $1,499, and the X1 Yoga starts at $1,599.
• Both laptops are expected to be available in 2020.

Lenovo announced refreshes to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon and X1 Yoga ahead of CES 2020. The laptops are powered by 10th Gen Intel processors and include several options focused on privacy. The X1 Carbon starts at $1,499, and the X1 Yoga starts at $1,599, and both laptops are expected to ship in 2020. Lenovo did not specify a month or quarter in 2020 that the laptops are expected to ship.

Both laptops support Dolby Atmos as well as 4K Dolby Vision. The displays of each laptop can reach 500 nits of brightness and are FHD. Lenovo highlights that both devices feature enhanced keyboard layouts with United Communication (UC) controls.

Here's a more complete breakdown of the specs for the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8

Category	Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
Display	14-inch FHD LPS IPS (400 nit) 14-inch FHD IPS LP Touch (400nit) 14-inch FHD IPS ePrivacy AG (500 nit) Touch 14-inch WQHD IPS (300 nit) 14-inch HDR 400 LP UHD IPS (500 nit) 10 bit
Processor	10th Gen Intel Core i5 10th Gen Intel Core i7 10th Gen Intel Core i5 vPro 10th Gen Intel Core i7 vPro (includes 6-core i7)
Graphics	Integrated
Memory	LPDDR3 8GB LPDDR3 16GB
Storage	Up to 2TB PCIe SSD
Webcam	HD+IR with ThinkShutter (supports Windows Hello)
Security	Touch FPR, IR Camera ThinkShutter RGB&IR dTPM 2.0
Wireless	WLAN 802.11 AX NFC LTE CAT9 LTE CAT16
Ports	2 x USB3.1 (Gen1) 2x TBT3 HDMI 1.4 Audio
Audio	Dolby Atmos Speaker System
Battery	51Whr
Weight	1.09kg(2.4lbs)
Rapid charge	Yes (with 65W AC)

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga has largely similar specs, but there are a few key differences.

Category	Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5
Display	14-inch FHD IPS (400 nit) (AG Option) FHD ePrivacy AG (500 nit) WQHD IPS (300 nit) HDR400 UHD IPS (500nit)
Processor	10th Gen Intel Core i5 10th Gen Intel Core i7 10th Gen Intel Core i5 vPro 10th Gen Intel Core i7 vPro (includes 6-core i7)
Graphics	Integrated UHD
Memory	LPDDR3 8GB LPDDR3 16GB
Storage	Up to 2TB PCIe SSD
Webcam	HD with privacy HD+IR with privacy and
Security	Touch FPR, IR Camera ThinkShutter RGB&IR dTPM 2.0
Wireless	WLAN 802.11 AX NFC LTE CAT9 LTE CAT16
Ports	2 x USB3.1 (Gen1) 2x TBT3 HDMI 1.4 Audio
Audio	Dolby Atmos Speaker System
Battery	51Whr
Weight	1.3kg(2.99lbs)
Rapid charge	Yes (with 65W AC)
Pen	Integrated and Optional ThinkPad Pens

Both laptops focus on privacy. They are both secured-core PCs and have ThinkShutter and several other hardware and software privacy features. Both have options for PrivacyGuard displays that can make it harder for people to sneak a peek at your screen. The laptops also work with ThinkPad PrivacyAlert, which can tell when someone is looking at your screen and automatically turn on PrivacyGuard.

Both laptops have 51Wh batteries and support rapid charge. As expected, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga can flip around to be used in tent mode or as a tablet. The ThinkPad X1 Yoga also features an integrated pen. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a traditional clamshell laptop.

If you love the feel of a ThinkPad laptop keyboard, you can bring it to the desktop with the ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II.

What you need to know

• Lenovo announced the ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II ahead of CES.
• The keyboard mirrors the look and feel of the keyboards from the ThinkPad line of laptops.
• The keyboard is expected to launch in May 2020 and costs $100.

Lenovo announced the ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II ahead of CES. The wireless keyboard delivers the same look and feel of the keyboards from Lenovo's ThinkPad line of laptops, allowing people to extend the feel of their laptop to a desktop setup. The ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II is expected to launch in May 2020 and costs $100.

The keyboard connects with either 2.4Ghz wireless or Bluetooth 5, so it should work with a wide range of devices. It charges through USB-C and gets up to two months of battery life on a single charge, according to Lenovo. The keyboard can connect up to two devices to make switching between devices easier. It works with both Windows and Android devices.

Lenovo's laptop keyboards are unique and loved by many. In his review of the Lenovo X1 Carbon (2018), our executive editor Daniel Rubino said the device had a perfect keyboard. Reviews of other ThinkPad devices echo similar sentiments. If the ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II sticks with the same formula, it should receive similar praise.

Lenovo's latest monitors and all-in-one help you get a wide range of work done at your desk.

What you need to know

• Lenovo announced the ThinkCentre M90a all-in-one and four new monitors before CES 2020.
• The ThinkCentre M90a AIO features a 23.8-inch FHD display and runs on 10th Gen Intel Core processors.
• The monitor lineup includes a monitor for creators, a monitor with a curved display, and a budget-friendly monitor.
• The M90a AIO is expected in June 2020 starting at $1,099.
• The monitors are expected in March and April 2020 and range from $264 to $799.

Lenovo announced several new monitors and the ThinkCentre M90a AOI PC ahead of CES 2020. The monitors range from relatively budget-friendly displays to high-end displays for professional creators. Lenovo states that it designed the ThinkCentre M90a AOI for premium users. The ThinkCentre M90a AIO is expected in June 2020 and starts at $1,099. The ThinkVision T34w-20 ($799) and ThinkVision P27h-20 ($499) monitors are expected in March 2020, and the ThinkVision T24v-20 ($264) monitor is expected in April 2020.

The ThinkCentre M90a AIO has a 23.8-inch FHD display. The all-in-one includes several security features, including an option for PrivacyGuard, which makes it hard for people to see the screen when looking over your shoulder. PrivacyGuard works with PrivacyAlert, which can detect when a person is trying to peek at your display. The all-in-one's webcam has a ThinkShutter, which ensures that people can only see you when you want them to. That same webcam also works with Windows Hello.

The ThinkCentre M90a AIO runs on up to a 10th Gen Intel Core i7 vPro processor. It's available with up to AMD Radeon 625 2GB gDDR5 graphics and up to 32GB DDR4 memory. The all-in-one has several storage options, including up to 2TB HDD storage and up to 1TB M.2 OPAL SSD.

Category	Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a AIO
Display	23.8-inch WVA WLED (1920x1080) FHD (250 nit) 23.8-inch PrivacyGuard (1920x1080) FHD (350 nit)
Processor	Up to 10th Generation Intel® CoreTM U i7 vPro Processors
Graphics	Up to AMD RadeonTM 625 2GB gDDR5
Memory	Up to 32GB DDR4, 2x SODIMM
Storage	Up to 2TB 2.5-inch HDD Up to 1TB M.2 OPAL SSD Up to 1TB M.2 Non-OPAL SSD Up to 16GB M.2 Intel OptaneTM Memory Slim ODD Rambo/DVD ROM
Security	Match on Chip Touch Fingerprint Reader dTPM 2.0 chip ThinkShutter camera cover PrivacyAlert PrivacyGuard USB protection KensingtonTM lock slot
Wireless	WLAN 802.11 AX
Ports	2x USB 3.1 Gen 2 1x Type-C USB 3.1 Gen 1 1x 3-in-1 card reader 1x Audio (Headphone and Microphone Combo Jack) 4x USB 3.1 Serial port optional DP out/LAN/DC in 1x M.2 2280 and 2242 for SSD and Intel OptaneTM
Audio	Dolby Atmos Speaker System
Weight	7.51g(16.56lbs)

The ThinkVision Creator Extreme is the highest end monitor of the newly announced displays. It features a 27-inch HDR 1000 compatible display that has 1152 mini-LED zones and 10,368 LEDs for what Lenovo refers to as "dynamic local dimming." Lenovo designed the monitor for professional creators, and its specs match that intention. It has color accuracy of 99 percent DCI-P3, 100 percent sRGB, and 100 percent BT .709 color gamut. It supports HDMI 2.0, DPU1.4, and USB 3.1 Type C Gen 2 to allow creators to connect the monitor to a wide range of devices. The Type C port also has up to 90W power delivery.

The ThinkVision T34w-20 has a 34-inch 1500R curved display with a 21:9 aspect ratio. It has a 3440x1440 resolution and USB-C port that supports Smart Power, delivers 75W of power, and can deliver data and video.

The ThinkVision P27h-20 has extremely thin bezels, a QHD display, and integrated speakers. It works with a single USB-C setup that offers up to 90W power delivery, ethernet passthrough, and supports audio, video, and data.

The ThinkVision T24-20 is the most budget-friendly option of the new lineup at $264. It features an FHD display and an IR camera that works with Windows Hello. The monitor has a 23.8-inch display, dual-microphones, and integrated stereo speakers.

The new ThinkCentre M90a AIO and the expanded range of monitors from Lenovo provide several options for workers across various industries.

NEC's latest LAVIE devices include two laptops and an all-in-one big enough for the family.

What you need to know

• NEC Personal Computers announced three LAVIE PCs ahead of CES 2020.
• NEC Personal Computers, Ltd. is a joint venture company of Lenovo and NEC Corporation.
• The LAVIE Home All-in-One ($1,800), LAVIE Pro Mobile ($1,600), and LAVIE VEGA ($2,100) will be available in March 2020.

NEC Personal Computers announced three new LAVIE devices ahead of CES 2020. The device range includes the LAVIE Pro Mobile, the LAVIE VEGA, and the family-sized LAVIE Home All-in-One. All three of the new devices will be available in March 2020. NEC Personal Computers is a joint venture company of Lenovo and NEC Corporation.

The LAVIE Pro Mobile is a 13.3-inch laptop that weighs just 1.85lbs (837g) and is only 15.5mm thick. It runs on an Intel Core i7- 8565U processor and integrated Intel UHD 620 graphics. NEC states that the laptop gets up to 15 hours of battery life to help people be able to work all day. The top cover of the laptop is made of Toray's "racing car grade carbon." The bottom of the case is a light-weight magnesium lithium array. The LAVIE Pro Mobile starts at $1,600.

The LAVIE VEGA is a larger laptop with a 15.6-inch 4K OLED display. It has a Gorilla Glass 6 back cover and a smart speaker built into the LAVIE logo that works with Cortana and Modern Standby. You can activate Cortana even when the laptop is closed and in sleep mode to kick-start apps. The laptop has a YAMAHA sound system for audio. The LAVIE VEGA runs on an Intel Core i7 9750H processor and integrated Intel UHD 630 graphics. The LAVIE VEGA starts at $1,800.

The LAVIE Home All-in-One has a 27-inch FHD display that's designed by LG Display and speakers embedded in the display. It works with Intel's Wake on Voice function, so you have flexibility with how to control the display. The LAVIE Home All-in-One runs on an Intel Core i7-10510U processor, making it the newly announced LAVIE device with the latest processor.

Playing video games can be an excellent way to teach your child how to problem solve and boost their fine motor skills. Gaming can not only be fun, but it can be extremely educational as well. What better way to motivate your child to learn than to buy them an excellent gaming chair? Allow your child to feel like they're genuinely part of the whole gaming experience with the perfect chair. An added benefit is that these chairs can be used for other activities such as reading and lounging as well. One chair that has it all in terms of style, comfort, and affordability is the Homall Gaming Chair.

Best Overall: Homall Gaming Chair

The Homall Gaming Chair is our best overall pick because it incorporates all of the features of an expensive gaming chair in a slightly smaller, more affordable version. It's an excellent choice for junior gamers. This chair measures at 20.9 x 23.7 x 52.2 inches, and it weighs an impressive 43 pounds. This is because of the high-quality materials from which it is made: high-density shaping foam, steel framing, and PU leather. As durable as this chair is, it is also comfortable. In fact, you can adjust the lumbar pillow to better suit your posture.

This chair can withstand a weight capacity of up to 260 pounds. It is an excellent choice for most kids as its sturdy build can withstand occasional bumps and tumbles. With that said, some Homall Gaming Chair owners mention that this chair can be a little top-heavy for those really small children, causing the chair to tip over occasionally.

The Homall Gaming Chair comes in a variety of bold accent colors, so your kid can personalize their chair by choosing their favorite color option. Another great feature is that your kids can adjust the degree of tilt and recline the chair with an easy pull of a knob. Cleaning this piece of furniture is a breeze as spills can easily be wiped away with a cloth.

If your child's room is carpeted, then this Homall Gaming Chair is an excellent option as it rolls well on the carpet and other types of flooring. It has been successfully roll-tested for 1000 miles. If, for some reason, your chair becomes damaged, it comes with a 1-year warranty.

Pros:

• Rolls on carpet
• 1-year warranty
• High-density shaping foam interior

Cons:

• Top-heavy and can sometimes tip over

Best Overall

Homall Gaming Chair

• $124 from Amazon

Comfortable gaming chair that rolls on carpet

The durable Homall Gaming Chair easily rolls on carpet and features a high-density shaping foam interior for extreme comfort.

Best Value: Crew Furniture Classic Video Rocker

The Crew Furniture Classic Video Rocker gaming chair is a remarkable and affordable chair for tight spaces. It's the perfect size for pre-teens and small adults. The chair itself weighs 17 pounds and can carry a sturdy 250 pounds of weight. It's vinyl, and mesh-covered wood frame ensures that it's also comfortable and durable.

This chair conveniently arrives preassembled and ready to go. Simply unbox it and start gaming. If your child is someone who likes to rock in their chair, then this may not be an excellent choice for them. Some Classic Video Rocker chair owners mention that it can tip over quite easily. With that said, if your kid does tip over and spills something on the chair, it is straightforward to wipe clean.

The Crew Furniture chair comes in fun colors, including red, black, blue, and green, to match your child's style. Another plus is that this chair is compact and easy to move around. It's great for reading and lounging, as well as gaming.

Pros:

• Small and compact
• Comes in a variety of colors
• Easy to clean

Cons:

• Can tip over easily

Best Value

Crew Furniture Classic Video Rocker

• $35 from Amazon

Small gaming chair that comes in multiple bold colors

The Crew Furniture Classic Video Rocker gaming chair is high for junior gamers and comes in a variety of bold colors.

Best for Bluetooth: X Rocker 5128301

The X Rocker 5128301 gaming chair is perfect for junior gamers who are ready to take their gaming experience to the next level. This chair measures at 33.1 x 24 x 40 inches and weighs a hefty 40.1 pounds. It features a built-in Bluetooth wireless receiver, which is an excellent way for your child to set the gaming mood by syncing their tunes from a cellphone to their chair. Another plus is that the chair can connect to other chairs, making playing online a lot more engaging.

Two built-in speakers and a hidden subwoofer allow your child to take their experience even further. It creates an opportunity for them to fully immerse themselves in the sounds of their game or movie.

This particular chair comes elevated on a pedestal base, which gives your kid the ability to swivel and tilt as you please. It is designed ergonomically and offers support in all of the right places for when you're gaming, engaging in desk work, or simply sitting. Some customers have stated that they would prefer if the chair had more cushioning for when they are sitting for long periods. It is also too small for individuals who are around 6-feet tall.

Pros:

• Bluetooth connectivity
• Built-in speakers and subwoofer
• Ergonomically designed

Cons:

• Pricey
• Not enough cushion for long periods of sitting
• Too small for taller teens

Best for Bluetooth

X Rocker 5128301

• $214 from Amazon

Gaming chair with built-in speakers and Bluetooth receiver

The X Rocker 5128301 gaming chair has a Bluetooth radio wireless receiver and two built-in speakers as well as a hidden subwoofer for the ultimate gaming experience.

Best for Racing Games: Playseat Evolution Racing Video Game Chair

The Playseat Evolution Racing Video Game Chair is an extremely versatile piece of furniture when it comes to compatibility with consoles. This gaming chair can effortlessly connect to Xbox, Playstation, Wii, and PC, which is excellent when wanting to lose yourself in the latest racing game. Your child can race through all types of tracks and terrain while feeling like they're actually seated in the driver's seat the whole time.

This Playseat racing chair measures at 4.72 x 4.72 x 22.05 inches and weighs in at approximately 3.31 pounds. Although this chair doesn't swivel, it does offer a comfortable and fully adjustable bucket seat and driver settings. It is ergonomically designed with the help of professional racecar drivers to give you the ultimate racing simulation experience. It comes equipped with hardware for the installation of a Logitech steering wheel and pedals.

Made from soft and durable high-quality vinyl, this chair is built to last. It features comfortable upholstered seats that mimic the appearance of leather. The framing on this chair is comprised of powder-coated steel, so you can ensure that although this chair is light, it is sturdy and safe.

When your child is taking a break from the track, the Playseat Evolution Racing Video Game Chair can be folded for easy storage. Customers have mentioned that upon arrival, this chair is easy to assemble. Although this chair seems smaller than expected, users of the Playseat are impressed with its ability to adjust to fit the needs of their children.

Pros:

• Compatible with almost every console and PC
• Fully adjustable driver and seat settings
• Designed with the help of professional racecar drivers
• Easy to store between gaming sessions

Cons:

• Smaller than expected

Best for Racing Games

Playseat Evolution Racing Video Game Chair

• $350 from Amazon

Gaming chair designed for racing games

This Playseat is designed to make you lose yourself in the latest racing game with its comfortable seat and racecar appeal.

Best for Beginners: Extreme X Rocker

The Extreme X Rocker is the perfect gaming chair for children who are just beginning their gaming obsession. It offers a fun gaming experience through its built-in speakers at a price that won't drain your bank account. It weighs 18.9 pounds, which allows for it to fit perfectly in your child's room. This chair is precisely engineered with gamers in mind, and it has a comfortable, curved design that contours your child's back.

This chair comes with built-in speakers and a volume control panel, which gives your kids some control over their gaming experience. Although the chair doesn't connect directly to a gaming console, it can be connected to your console via your TV, which connects to your chair for the ultimate gaming experience.

This chair is perfect for those small spaces as it arrives assembled and can be folded and stored away when you're not using it.

Something to note: Some Extreme X Rocker chair owners mention that there is not enough padding along the back and neck to keep you comfortable for long gaming sessions; however, this can easily be fixed with an additional pillow.

Pros:

• Built-in speakers
• Engineered for gamers
• Connects to TV
• Can be folded and stored

Cons:

• Doesn't connect directly to console
• Not enough padding along back and neck

Best for Beginners

Extreme X Rocker

• $46 from Amazon

Small gaming chair with built-in speakers

The Extreme X Rocker gaming chair is specially designed for gaming. It comes with built-in speakers and a volume control panel.

Best for Gaming With a Friend: X Rocker Extreme III

The X Rocker Extreme III gaming chair is excellent for including multiple friends in your gaming experience. This seat has the ability to connect with multiple chairs at a time. Activate the multi-game mode and enjoy hours of endless fun with your friends. Connect your chairs via the various input and output jacks and control individual volume and bass settings through the built-in control panel.

This chair can also be used to watch movies and listen to music as a group or by yourself. Your child will love using this versatile chair for a variety of activities. The X Rocker Extreme III comes prepared to deliver precise and crisp surround sound as it features two side facing speakers that are strategically placed in the headrest. This chair is also equipped with subwoofers that use the open space inside of the X Rocker to amplify the sound.

Compatible with almost every console, your child will have no problems connecting this chair and syncing it to their favorite games or movies. This gaming chair is ergonomically designed to make sitting for multiple hours comfortable for both your child's neck and back. Your child can enjoy losing themselves in an intense game without having to worry about straining their bodies.

This chair measures at 26 x 17.5 x 17 inches and weighs in at approximately 23 pounds. Some customers mention that the color comes slightly different than what is shown in the image.

Pros:

• Connects to multiple chairs for multi-game mode
• Built-in speakers and subwoofer
• Ergonomically designed

Cons:

• Color is slightly different

Best for Gaming With a Friend

X Rocker Extreme III

• $99 from Amazon

A small gaming chair that connects with other gaming chairs

The X Rocker Extreme III comes prepared for gaming with friends with its ability to connect to multiple chairs at a time.

Bottom line

Picking the perfect gaming chair for your child will not only score brownie points with your kid but will also allow you to ensure that your children are getting a chair that is designed to fuel their success and passion. Having the ability to lose yourself in a great story, whether it is a movie or a game, is a fantastic feeling.

A chair that looks and feels incredible may also help motivate your kid to want to sit at their desk to do their homework. That's why we recommend the Homall Gaming Chair as it can be used as a gaming chair as well as a desk chair, it comes in a variety of bold colors, and is ergonomically designed.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Camille Sanghera is a freelance writer who loves using the power of words to give individuals and objects a voice. When she is not content writing, you can find her running trails with her dogs or writing fiction and self-help books. Check out her blog at www.happycoconut.ca

Grand Theft Auto V joins the Xbox Game Pass lineup, included for all Xbox One subscribers.

What you need to know

• Grand Theft Auto V has joined Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One, Microsoft's Netflix-style subscription.
• Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One starts at $10 per month, with an ongoing promotion granting three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $1.

Microsoft has kicked off the new year with an unexpected Xbox Game Pass arrival, welcoming Grand Theft Auto V to the Xbox One games library. Rockstar Games' open-world epic has joined the Netflix-style subscription service, available alongside over 200 titles under one flat monthly fee. It hits Xbox Game Pass as one of the Xbox One's most prolific series to date, still among top-selling and most-played titles six years from launch.

Grand Theft Auto V joins Xbox Game Pass after shifting over 100 million copies, still regularly topping sales charts since its 2013 debut. While a comprehensive single-player package kickstarted a bestseller, regular free updates with Grand Theft Auto Online have supported the title through 2020. And with the release of "The Diamond Casino Heist" in December, Microsoft opens the title to Xbox Game Pass subscribers on Xbox One.

Xbox Game Pass is available for Xbox One starting at $10, alongside a premium Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier, bundling Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One and PC with Xbox Live Gold. That all-inclusive subscription is currently discounted to just $1 for three months, providing an ideal entry point into Grand Theft Auto V, with an online membership to access the multiplayer features.

Microsoft also confirms existing Xbox Game Pass benefits translate to Grand Theft Auto V, including the 10 percent discount on in-game purchases. The Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack and Shark Cash Cards fall under those purchases, providing a head start on your GTA Online career.

Crazy Value

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

$1 $44.97 $43.97 off

See at Microsoft

Save on Microsoft's now six-in-one Xbox and PC subscription

Wrapping together Xbox Game Pass for Xbox, Xbox Game Pass for PC, and Xbox Live Gold, this trio of services delivers the full experience in 2019. Microsoft's ongoing promotion cuts three months to $1, including Spotify Premium, Discord Nitro, and EA Access.

Sit in your cubicle virtually from the most exotic locations.

What you need to know

• Facebook's Reality Labs chief spoke with The Information about the future of AR and VR.
• AR glasses could reach wide appeal in 10 years depending on the technology.
• VR will replace your workspace, AR will replace your smartphone.

Facebook Reality Labs chief Michael Abrash has seen the future, and it sits upon your nose. Talking to The Information, Abrash says that your desk workspace will be replaced with high-quality VR someday, and augmented reality glasses will replace smartphones, though for a while he expects a companion device like a phone or "a puck" will be needed for battery power and computing.

Everybody sees that AR will replace the phone someday. That seems like a given. But I think that VR will be as important as AR. AR can replace the phone, but VR can replace the personal computer.

Abrash showed concepts for new technology that would allow much thinner displays that look more natural, like modern eyeglasses and not current AR. "In order to be successful AR glasses have to be socially acceptable, weigh no more than about 70 grams and dissipate no more than roughly 500 milliwatts on your head"

There is something bleak in Abrash's utopian vision for the future of reality as controlled by Facebook. The worlds that Abrash describes include "the best workspace in the world." A key benefit to the magic of augmented reality will be your ability "to access a lower fidelity version of the same workspace."

The technology that will allow most of that to happen does not yet exist … but it will.

Abrash believes that it will be 2030 before augmented reality technology catches up to the necessary requirements for success and finally reach the "Blackberry stage," as he says.

Newest VR

Oculus Quest

$598 at Amazon

Untethered VR

The Oculus Quest creates an immersive virtual reality that allows you to dive into games and media without any external sensors or wires. Its support of popular titles and its portability make it an ideal VR headset for use at home or on the go.

It's going to be a heck of a year for Microsoft fans.

This year is shaping up to be one of the biggest for Microsoft in terms of how much tech it's readying for launch. Gamers have a new Xbox to look forward to at the end of the year, while Surface fans will see their dreams of a Surface phone realized with the Surface Duo. Then, of course, there's Windows 10 X and dual-screen PCs in general, along with so much more.

One thing's for sure: 2020 is going to be an expensive year for some of us. Here's a look at all of the tech and software we're looking forward to this year, and just why we're excited about it.

Xbox Series X

Jez Corden, senior gaming editor

2020 is a huge year for Microsoft when it comes to general hardware. Like many others of us here at Windows Central, I'm overly excited for the Surface Duo, and the possibilities of a modern, streamlined Windows running on the Surface Neo. For me, though, the big one to watch is Microsoft's Xbox Series X strategy.

We've heard that Microsoft will ship not one, but two consoles for its next-gen Xbox offering, with modern CPUs that drive ray traced lighting and reflections for more dynamic visuals. On top of that, the two-pronged approach has been viewed by some as a risky proposition, as Microsoft pits itself in direct opposition to Sony's singular PlayStation 5 model. With digital lock-in making it less likely than ever for people to switch from their current preferred ecosystem, it remains to be seen whether features like Project XCloud, and Microsoft's increased investment in first-party games can realistically make a dent in Sony's console marketshare.

The Xbox Series X (and its possible Xbox Series S cousin) are only a part of Microsoft's gaming aspirations for 2020 and beyond. As mentioned, the Project XCloud game streaming service will begin rolling to the masses in 2020, allowing users to turn their home console into a personal game streaming server. In our testing, we've found that console streaming works extremely well for turn-based games on a modest home network infrastructure, but it's really XCloud itself that will prove itself more intriguing. Microsoft's more Netflix-like XCloud service will stream games directly from their high-power data centers, which, so far, has proven itself to be viable for more demanding 3D games such as shooters, fighting games, and sports titles.

Microsoft is also working hard to court PC gamers with its high-value Xbox Game Pass for PC offering, although some of its other social tools, such as Xbox Clubs remain in limbo. It's unclear whether Microsoft will continue to push its own Xbox-branded PC gaming ecosystem into the future, or simply double down on Steam, where Halo: Reach for PC has already seen massive success.

This generation will be the first that is fully representative of Phil Spencer's vision for gaming at Microsoft. With Xbox Game Studios offering more exclusive titles than ever before, huge hardware commitments, and a bigger budget for practically everything gaming at Microsoft, it will be fun to see what Xbox can truly do when it stands on its own, unrestricted by the Windows division and Microsoft at large.

Dual-screen and foldable PCs

Daniel Rubino, executive editor

Two years ago, I wrote how Microsoft – and its OEM partners – were going to try to push the 2-in-1 category forward with dual-screen PCs. Many of the comments were dismissive and even doubtful, but it is evident that 2020 is the year of dual-screen and foldable-screen laptop PCs.

We know now that Lenovo has an X1 PC with a foldable display set for release sometime in 2020. Microsoft, too has its Surface Neo launching for next year's holiday season. Microsoft even let it be known that ASUS, Dell, and HP all have contributions to this push for dual-screens. We also understand that these devices support magnetic physical keyboards to help with that whole typing problem.

So, will they a hit or a flop? At least Windows 10X will help with the new user experience, but like the original 2-in-1 category, it is likely to take a few generations before everyone figures it out. Either way, it's officially happening. For those who yearned for Microsoft's original 2009 Courier concept, it's about to become a reality. And that's super exciting.

Windows 10X

Zac Bowden, senior editor

2020 is going to be a pretty big year for Windows, as Microsoft is expected to debut a new version of Windows 10 built from the ground up with a modern core, designed for modern devices such as foldable PCs. Known as Windows 10X, this new version of Windows 10 features a brand new user interface that's quite the departure from the Windows we know today, along with new features and changes for a more modern experience.

Windows 10X will be the first consumer version of Windows to be based on Windows Core OS, a restructuring of Windows from the ground up that's much more modern and lightweight, compared to the bloated, legacy version Windows we have today. Windows 10X is a modular OS, meaning many legacy features and components that most users don't need today have been stripped out in favor of a far simpler user experience.

Even though many legacy components have been removed from Windows 10X, users will still be able to run legacy desktop applications thanks to emulation and sandboxing. Legacy desktop applications are sandboxed on Windows 10X, which means they run in a secure environment that can't as easily affect the rest of the system. If you're not running a Win32 program, legacy components are shut down and aren't called upon until necessary, meaning improved system performance and battery life too.

Windows 10X will be launching first on foldable PCs at the end of 2020, but we understand that Windows 10X will be coming to more traditional form factors at some point in the future as well. Microsoft wants Windows 10X to be the new default version of Windows for most people. Similar to how Apple treats iPadOS and macOS: iPadOS is for most people, macOS is for power users. Windows 10X is the OS that Microsoft wants most people to use, with existing Windows 10 becoming the option for power users and enterprises who need legacy features and support.

Surface Earbuds

Dan Thorp-Lancaster, news editor

Something I'm pretty excited to get my hands on in 2020 is Microsoft's Surface Earbuds. It may not be as exciting as a new OS, foldable PCs, or a new console for most, but the accessory was one of my favorite takeaways from Microsoft's October 2019 Surface event. That's why I was pretty bummed out when Microsoft ultimately delayed them to Spring 2020.

I was waiting to see if Microsoft would jump into the premium wireless earbud space before buying any for myself, so I'll be happy to at least test a pair whenever they end up launching. I'll admit I'm still coming around to the design, which features a rather large touch area on each bud, but the promise of excellent audio quality, a comfortable fit, and some interesting Office and translation integrations is tempting.

That's not to say I'm handing my money over just yet. Apple's AirPods Pro and Google's Pixel Buds 2 are mighty interesting as well. Then there's the raft of much cheaper earbud options out there that could fit the bill. Still, I'm stoked to go hands-on with a pair once they're available.

Though, if Microsoft ever manages to launch the fabled black Surface Headphones, I might be swayed that direction as well.

Surface Duo and Microsoft's Android efforts

Sean Endicott, news writer

2019 was arguably Microsoft's biggest year ever on Android, and it sets up for an even bigger 2020. Microsoft continues to expand its library of apps and services on Android, with several apps reaching one billion installs in 2019. In 2020, we'll see the rollout and next steps for xCloud, Your Phone, and the Office suite. Microsoft is unifying the look of apps across platforms, bringing dark mode to more apps, and delivering a growing number of services to mobile users.

It feels like years of Microsoft shifting its mobile strategy is coming together in 2020.

On top of all of the apps and services that Microsoft builds for Android, it is also entering the hardware space with the Surface Duo. While this dual-screen phone won't be a direct competitor to the likes of OnePlus and Samsung, it will give us a glimpse into Microsoft's vision for Android.

I'm curious to see what and Android phone from Microsoft looks like. What will its launcher look like? Will it have an upgraded version of Next Lockscreen? Will Microsoft add any features to stock Android? These are just a few questions we'll have answered in 2020. Samsung already integrates Your Phone directly into the Note10. I'm anxious to see what Microsoft will do when it has deep access to the software and hardware of an Android device.

What about you?

What's the tech you're most looking forward to checking out this year? Do you agree with our picks, or is there something else that's caught your eye? Let us know in the comments.

It's hard to say genuinely to someone that they should go and buy this thing, but it's a tantalizing look at one future for portable PC gaming. It's absurd and amazing.

I love many things about ASUS as a company, but at the top of the list is that the Taiwanese hardware maker is never afraid of trying something new. Over the years, ASUS has genuinely broken the mold, with mobile devices like the Padfone and the Zenfone Zoom, or more recently with laptops like the outstanding ZenBook Pro with its extra display panels.

Not to be left out, the Republic of Gamers branch has had a go at creating a wow moment with the ROG Mothership, an utterly bananas, incredibly expensive, impractical, but absolutely amazing gaming machine. I hesitate to use the word laptop, though it does have a battery, and it's hard to suggest a particular 'need' it fills.

But quirks, price and questions on who it's for aside, one thing stands tall. The ROG Mothership is a simply incredible piece of hardware, and it's perhaps an early glimpse at a future for gaming portables I can get behind.

Portable insanity

ASUS ROG Mothership

Bottom line: A breathtaking machine, but ultimately at over $6,000, not something you can easily recommend for purchase.

Pros:

• Insane performance
• 4K display with NVIDIA G-Sync
• Desktop-grade RTX 2080 GPU
• RAID 0 NVMe SSD array
• 64GB of RAM
• User upgradeable storage

Cons:

• Very expensive
• Display limited to 60 Hz
• Odd trackpad
• Can't charge keyboard separately

$6,500 at Amazon

ASUS ROG Mothership hardware: It has everything

Video hands-on with the Mothership after its first announcement at CES 2019.

So, you're going to spec up the ultimate gaming laptop, are you? Just what does that look like then?

Here are the key specs for the ROG Mothership. Hold on to your socks, so they don't get blown off.

• Intel Core i9-9980HK (8-core, 16-thread, 45W TDP)
• 64GB 2666MHz DDR4 RAM
• 3 x 512GB NVMe SSD in RAID 0
• 17.3-inch 4K display
• NVIDIA RTX 2080 8GB (desktop class, 200W TDP)
• Detachable keyboard
• Built in kickstand

The ROG Mothership is so powerful that since I've had it in my possession, my own gaming rig has been cowering in the corner, fearful. Where to begin digesting it?

I'll start with the only thing that I don't like on the spec sheet: the display. It's not that it's bad, per se, because it isn't. It's very nice, and very impressive, with not only 4K resolution but also NVIDIA G-Sync, HDR, and 100% Adobe RGB support. It looks fantastic, and the games look absolutely stunning,

But the decision to go with a 4K panel has led to the refresh rate being limited to 60 Hz it seems. On something with an 8-core CPU and an RTX 2080, that's like getting into the driving seat of a Lamborghini and driving everywhere at 30mph. Sure, on an external display, you'll be able to take full advantage, but this a portable machine. Razer has a 120 Hz 4K display option on the latest Blade Pro, so to see the ROG Mothership hampered to 60 Hz is a letdown.

Everything else about the ROG Mothership is absurd, though. The GPU, for example, isn't one of NVIDIA's trimmed down, power-efficient MaxQ designs. It's the full fat, 200W desktop RTX 2080, which in part explains the two enormous power bricks it takes to provide enough juice to the Mothership to keep it powered up.

So basically, this is a desktop PC in something much more compact. The CPU is a laptop part, at least, but it's the best you can currently get for this kind of machine, with the 8-core i9-9980HK.

It's also interesting that ASUS went with RAID 0 across a trio of NVMe SSDs over having one single, high-capacity drive. What you, the user, gets is a 'single drive' of 1.5TB with high performance (more on that below), with data being split across all three drives simultaneously. The downside is that if one drive fails, you lose everything, just as you would if you only had one drive in the first place. So, you'll still want to be careful with backups.

So, the insides are pretty bananas. But it's what's outside that first catches the eye. It's fair to say that the ROG Mothership looks like a Surface Pro for gamers. The kickstand and detachable keyboard give it a form factor we've not seen before in a gaming laptop, and naturally, there's also RGB galore.

The keyboard operates very similarly to that on the Surface Pro as well. It attaches via magnetic pins and has an angled position for typing. Where it differs is that you can detach it entirely, switch it to wireless mode, fold the excess away, and use it as you would a regular desktop keyboard.

For typing, it's pretty good, and you eventually get used to the right-aligned trackpad, which can also double up as a number pad. It's too small, though, or rather, it feels that way with its vertical design. In practice, it's about the same size as the one on my MateBook D, but the lack of width makes it awkward to use. So you'll want a mouse. It also feels like an oversight that you can't charge the keyboard separately; you have to connect it back to the Mothership to top it up.

It's not exactly portable with its two giant power bricks!

The big elephant in the room, though, to this "Surface Pro for gamers" is that it isn't very portable. It's also why I hesitate to call it a laptop. It's not a 2-in-1, since it has no touch display, and it's so large and heavy, accompanied by its two enormous power bricks, that you can hardly call it a laptop. Sure, it has a battery, but it doesn't last long, and no bag I own can accommodate the Mothership and all its belongings.

This is a portable all-in-one PC. That's the fairest way to describe it. Assuming you have the means to take this on the road with you, you'll have unprecedented power, while at home, it's every bit the high-powered desktop gaming rig with all the ports you need to create a full setup, including Thunderbolt 3.

ASUS ROG Mothership performance: Got it where it counts

If you're even remotely interested in the ROG Mothership, you know it's packing the sort of performance you usually reserve for desktop PCs. The specs speak for themselves, and whether you're working, gaming, or creating, the Mothership will take your tasks, chew them up, spit them out and then ask for more.

ASUS has included some apps that can help you tweak your experience a little, but I'm not a fan of such things personally, and it's not as if you really need to squeeze any more out of this thing. It has an RTX 2080, after all.

Top class performance isn't limited to the GPU, though. For starters, the storage is exceptional. Write speeds are limited to essentially the write speed of a single SSD (which is still impressive), but the read speeds are sufficiently off the charts, thanks to how RAID 0 works.

RAID 0 certainly helps the Mothership extract the very best from its trio of NVMe drives, and it's hard to pick fault anywhere. Whether you want your games to load quickly or you're handling large files, the Mothership is in the upper echelons.

The CPU is also impressive, though perhaps less remarkable since you can also find it inside laptops like the Dell XPS 15. Nevertheless, the Geekbench 4 and Cinebench scores are as excellent as you'd expect from such a chip. The Core i9-9980HK scores about the same my 6-core desktop Ryzen 5 3600X in Cinebench R20, so it's not too shabby at all.

• Geekbench 4 - 5520 (single-core), 29484 (multi-core)
• Cinebench R20 - 3461

But games are why you're going to be interested in the Mothership, so what's it like there, then? Predictably, excellent. However, only if you're not shooting for 4K. Sure, you can play most current games at 4K, and usually at more than 30 FPS, but it's a bit of a waste turning down settings. The display is still reasonably small in the grand scheme of things, so I've sacrificed resolution for these tests and, in most cases, went with one step down from 4K in the respective titles, usually around 2560 x 1600 and RTX was turned off.

• Metro Exodus (DX12 Ultra @ 2560 x 1600) - 51.6 FPS avg (31.4 FPS low)
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider (DX12 Highest @2560 x 1600) - 74 FPS avg
• Borderlands 3 (DX11 Ultra @ 2048 x 1152) - 77.6 FPS avg
• 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra - 11,155 (Better than 80% of results)
• F1 2019 (DX12 Ultra High @ 4K) - 68 FPS avg (60 FPS low)
• Ashes of the Singularity (DX11 Extreme @ 2560 x 1600) - 66.5 FPS avg

Naturally, being an RTX GPU, you also have the opportunity to experience ray tracing in all its glory. As on any other PC with an RTX card, you'll take a performance hit overall. Still, games like Control and Metro Exodus look stunning, especially paired with a high-quality display like the one on the Mothership.

Thermals aren't too much of an issue when gaming, either, though obviously, compared to a desktop, it runs hotter and much noisier. More importantly, I haven't seen any examples of throttling when pushing it hard in gaming, and the location of the exhaust vents on the top of the device means no hot air lingering around near your hands. Stressing the CPU with Intel's Extreme Tuning utility saw temperatures go a little over 80C (176F) where power limit throttling began, but when gaming, the CPU rarely reaches these extremes.

Of course, the design also means that even if you are using the included keyboard, it never gets hot, so all is peachy. As a form factor for a portable gaming machine, the Mothership makes a huge amount of sense. No matter how good the cooling is on a traditional gaming laptop, the heat is being generated below your hands; in the Mothership, it simply gets pushed out of the top and into the atmosphere.

Should you buy an ASUS ROG Mothership?

Honestly, no. Because in the U.S., you'll be paying in excess of $6,000. Anything that costs that much isn't something you can just recommend because it's good. How many of us have ridiculed the price of Apple's new Mac Pro?

In many ways, the ROG Mothership is the most bizarre PC I've reviewed, probably ever. I absolutely adore it, despite its impracticality and some of the issues I find with it like the trackpad, not being able to charge the keyboard separately and the foolish decision to have a 60 Hz display in something like this.

But giving something a high review score usually means it's a product we recommend you buy. The ROG Mothership doesn't fall into that category. It's worthy of high praise because, despite its faults, it's a breathtaking portable gaming PC. But I'm not going to tell you to go out and spend six grand on one.

Instead, the way I see the ROG Mothership is as a tantalizing glimpse at a future for gaming laptops. The Surface Pro is an iconic device that has shaped an entirely new genre of portable PCs, and the Mothership shows that it's possible to squeeze a gaming laptop into that kind of design.

A breathtaking portable gaming PC

This is an ultimate scenario, an absolute technical exercise where the best of the best has been squeezed inside. But imagine a future product from ASUS that has this same form factor, but trims back a little, perhaps using an RTX 2060 or a GTX 1660, a 6-core CPU and 16GB of RAM. One that is smaller, more portable, and crucially, only has one power adapter.

That's a future I could get behind for sure. And hopefully, this is just the beginning.

Glimpse at the Future

ASUS ROG Mothership

$6,500 at Amazon

Utterly breathtaking, supremely expensive

The price makes it almost impossible to recommend to most, but that doesn't change what a feat of design and engineering the ROG Mothership is.

The Xbox One (and soon, the Xbox Series X runs Xbox 360 games via emulation, and as a result of the Xbox One's superior hardware, the games often run far better as well. When backward compatible games launched, they usually did so with all of their DLC, complete with online services intact.

Sadly, no new games are being added at this time, but there are already dozens of the greatest titles on offer. The full list of available games can always be found here.

Here's a comprehensive list of our picks for the best games that you must play available on Xbox One's backward compatibility, in no particular order.

Source: Activision

What's your favorite?

Microsoft announced Xbox backwards compatibility at their E3 press conference in 2015. At the time, it was the most requested feature on the Xbox UserVoice feedback site, but it never seemed particularly likely to become a reality. Xbox head Phil Spencer announced backward compatibility, not only stating that the Xbox One would gain hundreds of titles as part of the system but also that currently owned licenses and discs would "just work," thanks to the emulation.

Since then, every major publisher has contributed games to backward compatibility, from Activision to EA, to Bethesda and beyond. Microsoft worked hard to resolve the licensing issues surrounding getting more Xbox 360 games onto the Xbox One emulator. Still, the team has since shifted focus to getting licenses in place for Project XCloud game streaming. Maybe they'll return to backward compatibility again in the future.

What's your favorite backward compatible title? Are there any you think should be included on this list? Let us know in the comments.

• View the full list of games on backwards compatibility
• How to use the Xbox 360 backwards compatibility emulator

As Rainbow Six Siege kickstarts 2020 plans, Year 5 promises a new wave of free multiplayer updates.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege has concluded its fourth rotation of annual updates, continuing to scale the thriving tactical shooter with free content. It's among Ubisoft's greatest success stories of the decade, recently surpassing 50 million lifetime players, continuing plans for 10-year support. Year 5 is expected to support that growth further, diversifying gameplay, and taking its competitive roots to new heights.

Here's everything we know about Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 plans.

Eyes On Target

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

Addictive, challenging shooter action

Ubisoft's hit shooter is hotter than ever, touting tense tactical gameplay, and regular free updates. Entering 2020 with millions of players, Rainbow Six isn't slowing down.

$20 at Amazon

Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 reveal and release date

Rainbow Six Siege returns with Year 5, kicking off with the Six Invitational 2020 in Montreal.

Much of Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 remains under wraps, expected to make its first formal appearance in February at the Six Invitational 2020. The Montreal-based event serves as the blockbuster homecoming for Ubisoft's shooter, host to its most massive Rainbow Six Pro League final, and yearly content plans. The Year 5 roadmap and Season 1 are likely to feature, with dedicated panels on February 16, 2020.

However, with Rainbow Six Siege seasons consistently spaced across three-month intervals, it provides a general arrival estimate for each update in 2020.

• Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 Season 1 – March 2020
• Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 Season 2 – June 2020
• Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 Season 3 – September 2020
• Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 Season 4 – December 2020

While Year 5 Season 1 will receive a dedicated reveal at the Six Invitational, Ubisoft rarely confirms concrete release dates until just one day before deployment.

Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 roadmap

Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 is expected to maintain Ubisoft's established seasonal template, delivering tri-monthly updates comprised of new playable Operators, multiplayer maps, among other gameplay changes. Its content roadmap is set to predate Year 5 Season 1, providing a brief overview of its annual content plans, including countries and locales.

Ubisoft is yet to unveil planned counterterrorism units (CTUs) for Year 5, likely holding details for its full roadmap unveiling. However, many regions across the globe remain undiscovered, including Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, South Asia, and South Africa.

As Ubisoft drops its second Battle Pass, scheduled for Year 4 Season 4, expect further details on the future of Rainbow Six. While former annual passes launched in late December, the Year 5 Pass also remains absent in early 2020.

Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 Operators

It appears Rainbow Six Siege Y5S1 will introduce two new Operators, codenamed "Quarterback" and "Rekall."

Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 is expected to expand the playable Operator roster and inject new abilities into the game's ever-shifting meta. Expect eight fresh personas with distinct gameplay influences, accompanied by deep backstories as Ubisoft expands supporting lore. And assuming a return of Year 5 Pass, the optional premium membership will grant seven-day early access to all Operators, later available via Renown or R6 Credits.

With Ubisoft tight on plans for Year 5 Season 1 and beyond, it appears an unveiling is scheduled for the Six Invitational. The next milestone expansion has also skirted significant leaks so far, in contrast to Year 4, which regularly saw full seasonal plans surfacing months before release.

We understand Ubisoft plans to release two new Operators under Year 5 Season 1, currently codenamed "Quarterback" and "Rekall" internally. While midway through development, the character codenames loosely reflect their planned abilities, expanding both attacking and defending teams.

Just wait until he comes knocking at your door.

Following accurate leaks throughout Year 4, reputable ResetEra user "Kormora" adds further context, with alleged details on the upcoming Year 5 Season 1 update. The leak references Kool-Aid commercials from the tail end of the last century, famed by the drink's "Kool-Aid Man" mascot, bursting through walls. It alludes to an Operator with similar capabilities, potentially allowing the user to charge through soft walls. While it's unclear how Ubisoft would implement such an ability, a stun or kickback like Nomad's Airjab may provide additional utility.

The leak also details plans for two Operators capable of drone-based medical support, and dual-wielding weapons. Kormora was unable to confirm these Operators progressed beyond early concepts, but it provides a glimpse of ideas shared at the studio.

Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 weapons leaked

Year 5 Season 1 plans to introduce a new attacker wielding the G36C and ARX200 rifles.

While our predictions for Year 5 Season 1 gadgetry rides on unofficial sources, details on firearms come directly from Ubisoft. With the release of Operation Shifting Tides, Ubisoft opened the Test Server (TS) environment on PC ahead of a public launch. But it introduced an unfortunate slip-up, based on a work-in-progress build featuring full Year 5 Season 1 Operator weapon loadouts.

Opening select single-weapon cosmetic skins on the TS game menu outlined the usual compatible Operators, alongside placeholders for upcoming recruits. "Y5S1 ATK" or "Y5S1 DEF" icons featured prominently, with further digging detailing the full planned loadouts, as of late 2019. However, it's worth highlighting both represent pre-release designs and could evolve before the reveal.

The leak indicates Year 5 Season 1 will once again recycle weaponry, as Ubisoft tackles various gameplay and legal hurdles for new additions. That debuts an attacker with the G36C and ARX200, two existing assault rifles from Ash and Nomad, accompanied by the MK1 9mm pistol. The MP5 and SPAS-12 will feature on defense with the USP40 semi-automatic pistol and Bailiff 410 revolver.

Rainbow Six heads to Greece, Six Invitational 2020

It's been a long time coming, but Rainbow Six Siege's Greek puzzle is almost solved.

Ubisoft kicked off its Year 4 unveiling with the introduction of Harishva "Harry" Pandey, the latest Team Rainbow kingpin, and central to future Operator lore. His introductory key art featured a pinboard laced with future content teases. Now looking back, the image provided first references to Phantom Sight and Ember Rise, but still shows one unsolved mystery. The upper-right sector lies plastered in images of Athens ruins, labeled with the tagline "Project R6 Vision."

Ubisoft's first Battle Pass dropped eight months later, once again featuring similar callbacks to Greece. The seven-day limited-time event served as a trial for future monetization plans, serving four exclusive weapon charms for hitting milestones. Initial Battle Pass charms all centered on Harry's possessions, lined with cryptic references to an Athens-based event. The Operation Shifting Tides reveal panel wrapped with the latest teaser, preparing for an Olympic-style stadium event.

Rainbow Six Siege opens the Six Invitational with an Olympic-sized in-game event.

Tying up recent speculation, a leak from Rainbow Six Siege leaker, RolyNoly1, unearthed various in-game assets for an upcoming map titled Stadium. The experience serves as a limited-time celebrating Ubisoft's flagship "Six Invitational" tournament, on track for February 2020. Located in Greece, the map reportedly features a custom close-quarters battlefield situated within a sporting arena, housing Operators suited up on national attire. Building upon universe lore, it's overseen by Team Rainbow's Harry, and supported by custom cinematics and voice lines.

The Six Invitational mode utilizes the Bomb game mode, augmented with tournament rules and Pick and Ban. The event takes place exclusively on the Stadium map, remixing signature landmarks of existing locations, and draped with a new visual palette. That revives similar objective sites and tactics, but with fundamentally altered map flow.

The Six Invitational 2020 event also features custom skins, including dedicated country uniforms for select Operators. Attacker skins rework Sledge, Thermite, Blitz, Hibana, and Thatcher, while defenders receive new looks for Mozzie, Caveira, and Pulse. Those also pair with custom Operator cards, animations, and voice lines.

It's a sizeable event in the same vein as previous Halloween or Showdown modes, featuring limited-time gameplay and rewards. However, it's unclear whether Ubisoft plans to retire this map after February or whether Stadium will become a mainstay of the rotation. The mode will predate Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 Season 1, expected for March 2020.

Year 5 lies on the horizon

Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 remains in initial stages, with more expected during the early months of 2020. However, with an upcoming "Phase 2" of the Battle Pass, Six Invitational 2020, and talk of Year 5 Season 1, a ton lies ahead for Ubisoft's hit shooter.

Rainbow Six Siege Year 4 Pass

All Access Pass

$21 $30 $9 off

See at Amazon

The Year 4 Pass unlocks the game's eight latest Operators, alongside exclusive in-game gear, progression boosters, and much more. With Rainbow Six Siege's next annual roadmap just months away, it's your last chance to secure this all-inclusive bundle.

WaterField has a new premium laptop backpack, available with some extra goodies for pre-release buyers.

What you need to know

• WaterField Designs has a new premium backpack with padded space for up to a 16-inch laptop and 13-inch tablet.
• You can choose from ballistic nylon or tan waxed canvas, as well as full-grain leather accents in black or chocolate.
• Those who preorder before January 10, 2020 can choose a magnetic Fidlock clasp or paragliding buckle. Orders will also come with a free Tech Pocket worth $49.

WaterField Designs, based in San Francisco, makes some of the best tech-oriented bags, sleeves, and cases on the market, and we've generally given them high marks for premium construction and thoughtful design. WaterField isn't slowing down in 2020, with the new Mezzo Backpack now available for preorder.

The Mezzo is a 14-liter backpack that sits somewhere near the middle of WaterField's backpack collection in terms of size and function. Its padded internal sleeves fit up to a 16-inch laptop and a 13-inch tablet, and there is an additional zippered pocket inside to keep smaller items and valuables together.

A water-resistant liner helps keep out any water that gets past the ballistic nylon or tan waxed canvas exterior, and the zipper on the main compartment is waterproof as well. A leather flap flips down over the exterior pocket to keep it safe, and you can choose from a magnetic Fidlock clasp or a paragliding buckle before January 10. Any order following will have whatever was most requested during the preorder period.

Also on the outside are dual water bottle pockets, and the bottom of the bag has the same leather accent for extra protection against wear. Dual adjustable straps and mesh padding along the back of the bag add some comfort, and the back also has a panel to slip over luggage handles for easier travel.

The Mezzo Backpack isn't exactly a budget option at $299, but those who have used WaterField products generally agree they're well worth the splurge. For a bit of extra enticement, WaterField is tossing in a complimentary Tech Pocket (usually $49) for your smaller gadgets.

Premium laptop backpack

WaterField Designs Mezzo Backpack

WaterField's new 14L Mezzo Backpack has padded space for multiple devices, and it can be had in either waxed canvas or ballistic nylon with full-grain leather accents.

$299 at SFBags

Turn your Surface into a full-fledged laptop.

What you need to know

• Brydge has new keyboards in store for Surface devices.
• Laptop-style keyboard accessories are expected to launch in the second quarter of 2020 for Surface Pro and Surface Go.
• A Surface Pro X keyboard is expected in the second half of 2020.

Brydge already makes Surface keyboards that'll turn your tablet into a proper laptop, but it is set to grow its range significantly this year. Dropping before CES 2020 next week, Brydge announced a new set of keyboards for Surface Pro tablets, the Surface Go, and Surface Pro X (via Engadget). For desktop PCs, the company also has a new keyboard and trackpad in store as well.

The Brydge 12.3 Pro and Brydge 10.0 Go are both set to launch in the second quarter of 2020. Surface Pro X owners, meanwhile, can expect to get a Brydge Pro X keyboard in the second half of 2020.

For each device, you'll get a Bluetooth keyboard and glass trackpad surface that allows you to dock your Surface in its hinges like a laptop display. The current crop of Brydge keyboards are made out of aluminum and pack up to three months of battery life on a single charge. If you're looking for something a little more "lappable" than the Surface Pro Type Cover, then these may be the ticket.

In addition to its Surface keyboard lineup, Brydge also has some accessories in store for desktop PC users. The new W-Type keyboard and W-Touch trackpad will give you a set of wireless accessories to use at your desk. Both are expected to launch in the second quarter of 2020.

There's no pricing information available for these devices just yet. However, if you want to get an idea of what Brydge is cooking up, the current Brydge 12.3 is available for $130 for Surface Pro devices.

Laptop time

Brydge 12.3

$130 at Amazon

Transform your Surface

The Brydge 12.3 turns your Surface Pro into a laptop using an aluminum dock with a keyboard and glass trackpad.

Big moves for the CEO of Respawn Entertainment.

What you need to know

• Vince Zampella is the CEO of Respawn Entertainment, a studio owned by Electronic Arts.
• Moving forward, Zampella will also be in charge of the DICE L.A branch.
• DICE L.A will likely be rebranded, while still being a separate studio.
• DICE L.A is also working on a new project.

According to an interview from the Los Angeles Times, Vince Zampella, the CEO of Respawn Entertainment, will be leading DICE L.A in addition to staying as head of Respawn Entertainment. DICE L.A has been a support studio in the past, assisting with the development of games like the Battlefield franchise or Star Wars: Battlefront II.

Under Zampella's leadership, the studio is going to be working on a new project and will likely rebrand and move away from the DICE name, while staying separate from Respawn Entertainment. This will be part of the move to take it from being a support studio to a standalone studio developing its own games.

Stig Asmussen, the director of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, will continue leading a "narrative-driven branch" at Respawn Entertainment. Chad Grenier is continuing to oversee Apex Legends while Peter Hirschmann takes the lead on on a Medal of Honor VR Game.

"I think under Vince's leadership the expectation is to have them work on and create a game on their own," said Laura Miele, chief studios officer at Electronic Arts (EA). "And I genuinely believe that he is going to help guide them creatively. He's going to help them further fortify and build out their talent and their team. I think we're going to have a really strong studio out of our Los Angeles location. They can go from a support team to a full stand-alone studio to create a new game offering."

Zampella and Miele also noted that Respawn has the ability to rapidly get an idea going, sooner than other studios at EA. This has encouraged new ideas of prototyping and experimentation being shared across EA studios.

Use the Force

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

$60 at Amazon $60 at Walmart

Journey across the galaxy

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order puts players into the shoes of a Padawan on the run from the Empire after Order 66 devastated the Jedi Order.

This RPG is breaking records almost five years after release.

What you need to know

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt recently broke its all-time high record of concurrent players on Steam.
• The record was broken again today as the game reached over 100,000 players on Steam.
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt originally released on May 19, 2015.

Recently, we reported that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt had broken its launch day records on Steam and had over 94,000 concurrent players on that platform alone. Those numbers just keep going up, as according to Steam Stats, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt reached over 100,000 concurrent players on Steam today.

It seems likely the success of the new Netflix show has had an impact on the game's playerbase, with more newcomers checking out other works in the franchise and trying the game for the first time, or giving it another go. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt originally released back in May 2015 to critical acclaim and commercial success. Seeing it break records of concurrent players over four years later is noteworthy. It's also worth noting that this is only on Steam and does not count players on GOG or on consoles.

With this resurgence in mind, it'll be interesting to see what comes of the new deal between CD Projekt Red (the developers of the game) and Andrzej Sapkowski, the author of the series. According to a new statement, the two parties reached a new deal where both are happy and CD Projekt Red has gained "additional rights."

Blade of Destiny

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

$40 at Steam

One last contract

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a sweeping RPG where players take on the mantle of Geralt of Rivia, a monster slayer tasked with finding a young woman with unimaginable powers.

Get Some Funds

$50 Steam Gift Card

$50 at Best Buy

Stock up your library.

This large sum of cash is the perfect way to allow yourself to indulge and grab some games from Steam— or help someone else to.

"Now cracks a noble heart. Goodnight, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

2019 marked the official end of Windows Phone, the death of books in the Microsoft Store, and the end of several Microsoft apps and services, but as Dumbledore said, "Do not pity the dead. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love." While these products have passed on, we had the pleasure of using them during their time.

Before marching ahead into 2020 and the thrilling future of xCloud, Windows 10X, and one of the most exciting hardware lineups from Microsoft that we'll ever see in a single year, let's take one last look back at the Microsoft apps and services we lost in 2019.

Windows Phone

Windows Phone was on life support even before 2019, but Microsoft began pulling plugs in 2019. The Windows Phone Store shut down in late December and Windows 10 Mobile support is ending this month. Windows 10 Mobile's end of support begins the final march of the much-loved platform.

Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile are loved by many users, and inspired developers, enthusiasts, and fans to jump onto the Windows platform. I wouldn't be a tech journalist covering Windows if it wasn't for my Lumia 930.

This is the best Windows phone ever, according to Windows Central readers

Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile are survived by Microsoft's dozens of apps on iOS and Android, the Surface Duo, and Launcher 10.

Cortana on Xbox One

One of the Xbox's most popular titles inspired the name of Cortana, but in 2019 Microsoft ended Cortana support for the Xbox One. People can no longer use Cortana for voice commands over Kinect or headsets to control the Xbox One or their TVs. Instead, people can use Alexa, Google Assistant, Cortana over external speakers, or revert to the original locally-processed commands. While these new assistants work well, are useful beyond the Xbox One, and don't require a Kinect, it's a bit sad that you can't call for Cortana when using an Xbox anymore.

How to use an Amazon Echo with Xbox One for voice commands

Cortana on Xbox One is survived by Alexa and Google Assistant.

Books in the Microsoft Store

With Kindle book support on Windows 10 being so poor, Microsoft tried to deliver a reading experience for Windows 10 users by selling books through the Microsoft Store. The idea never really gained traction, and Microsoft decided to stop selling books through the Microsoft Store. Taking it one step further, Microsoft revoked access to any books that people purchased through the Microsoft Store and issued refunds.

Books in the Microsoft Store are survived by a terrible Kindle app built for Windows 7 and Freda.

Streaming music through Groove Music from OneDrive

Groove Music lost one of its final useful features this year, the ability to stream music from OneDrive. Groove was in decline since Groove Music Pass ended in 2017, but losing the ability to stream music from the cloud was the final blow for many people on the service. Groove Music still functions as a music player for local files, but that's about it.

Best iOS and Android apps for streaming OneDrive music

Streaming music through Groove Music from OneDrive is survived by Spotify, CloudBeats, and CloudPlayer.

Wunderlist

Technically, Wunderlist doesn't die until May 2020, but its replacement is entirely in place, and Microsoft is moving on. Microsoft acquired Wunderlist in 2015 and quickly began migrating features to a spiritual successor, Microsoft To Do. It took longer than expected, but Microsoft To Do caught up to Wunderlist and continues to receive updates.

Kill the past: It's time for Wunderlist users (and its founder) to move on

Wunderlist is survived by its successor, Microsoft To Do, and its founder Christian Reber, who wants to repurchase the app from Microsoft.

Looking ahead

While we say farewell to these apps and services, our memories remain, and their legacies live on. While once we streamed music, we will soon stream games. While we once looked at our lists with wonder, we now check off to-dos. While our Lumias may rest in a drawer, our dream of a Surface Phone lives on.

Edge for Android is getting the new icon design that debuted with the Chromium version of Edge for desktop.

What you need to know

• The new Edge icon design is now available on Android.
• Available now for beta testers.
• Launching officially around January 15.

The Microsoft Edge Beta for Android has been updated today with a new icon that matches the icon introduced with the new version of Chromium Edge for desktop, ahead of its official launch on January 15. The new icon is something mobile users have been asking for since November, and Microsoft promised it would show up on mobile around the same time the new Edge launches on desktop officially.

Edge for Android is already based on Chromium, but Microsoft has been working on an updated design to match the version of Edge on desktop which features a customizable Control Center, and more. The new UI is only a minor refresh for the mobile app, but it's nice to see and brings the browser in line with the competition.

Hello there new Edge icon for Android :) pic.twitter.com/M3LJolC5Nw

— Zac Bowden (@zacbowden) January 2, 2020

The mobile version of Edge also now includes the ability to sync passwords, favorites, and more to the new version of Edge instead of the old one, however that behavior appears to be off by default for now. I assume this will be the default behavior once the new Edge launches official on desktop in just a couple of weeks.

For now, are you using Microsoft Edge on Android, and are you excited for the new version of Edge on desktop? Let us know in the comments.

Keeping your streaming services straight will get easier thanks to Dell Cinema Guide.

What you need to know

• Dell announced Dell Cinema Guide to help people streamline their streaming.
• The app will let people search approximately 200 streaming services for content.
• The app will launch on Windows 10 later this year.

Many people subscribe to several streaming services. While this means that a wide library of content is available for viewing, finding that content can be time-consuming. Dell's newly announced app, Dell Cinema Guide, will streamline your streaming experience by letting you search approximately 200 streaming services from one app. Dell Cinema Guide is set to come out later this year and will be available on Windows 10.

Inside Dell Cinema Guide, people will be able to select which services they subscribe to so they only see content that's available to them. People will be able to sort content by genre, actors, actresses, and other filters. The app also supports tracking which content you've viewed.

The concept of aggregate sites isn't new. In fact, a Dell representative told PC World that Dell Cinema Guide is a "Dell-specific iteration" of Reelgood. Reelgood's UI looks very similar to the images that Dell's shown of Dell Cinema Guide.

Dell has not clarified which streaming services will be supported within Dell Cinema Guide. In a conference call with press, Dell stated that the names you'd expect would be supported, but didn't name any specific services.

Dell Cinema Guide will be free through the Microsoft Store. It will not be exclusive to Dell devices. It will be factory installed on XPS, Inspiron, and G Series devices.

Dell Mobile Connect will make your PC and iPhone closer than ever.

What you need to know

• Dell Mobile Connect will soon support screen mirroring and file sharing with iOS devices.
• The new features bring Dell Mobile Connect for iOS closer to feature parity with the Android version.
• The features will roll out in Spring 2020.

Dell Mobile Connect allows people to connect their smartphones with their PC. It supports syncing text messages, making phone calls, mirroring your phone, and transferring files wirelessly. At the moment, screen mirroring and wireless file transfers are only available for Android devices, but a new update to Dell Mobile Connect will bring the features to iOS devices. Dell announced today that Dell Mobile Connect will be able to mirror iPhone screens and transfer files between iOS devices and PCs after an update that rolls out this Spring.

iOS is more locked down than Android, so it's harder for developers to support features like screen mirroring. Dell Mobile Connect gaining these features opens new ways to stay connected for people who have an iPhone and a Windows PC.

Dell states that over one million people have sent or received 150 million text messages or phone calls using Dell Mobile Connect. With more iOS features on the way, usage of the app could go up.

Dell Mobile Connect is available for free on Dell devices purchased after 2018 from the XPS, Inspiron, Vostro, and Alienware lines of PCs.

The Galaxy Book Flex α looks like a solid budget option if you don't need the standard Flex's full suite of features.

What you need to know

• Samsung announced the new Galaxy Book Flex α ahead of CES 2020.
• Starting at $830, the Galaxy Book Flex α offers a more budget-friendly alternative to the Galaxy Book Flex.
• The Galaxy Book Flex α is expected to launch in the first half of 2020.

Ahead of CES 2020, Samsung unveiled another entry in its growing Galaxy Book lineup, the Galaxy Book Flex α (alpha). The Galaxy Book Flex α borrows a lot from the standard Galaxy Book Flex that was announced in October, but it cuts down on the bells and whistles to hit a budget-friendly $830 price. Despite its reduced set of features, however, Samsung still managed to pack in a QLED display.

While Samsung hasn't specified the exact processors the Galaxy Book Flex α will ship with, it promises Intel's latest 10th Gen chips will be on board. In addition, you can snag up to 12GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 1TB of NVMe SSD storage. That's all complemented by a 13.3-inch 1080p QLED display with up to 600 nits of brightness, which should make for crisp viewing.

Also tagging along is Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) support, along with a fingerprint sensor, support for pen input, and a 720p webcam. Port selection includes a USB-C port, two USB 3.0 ports, a single HDMI port, and a microSD card slot.

When compared to the standard Galaxy Book Flex, the Galaxy Book Flex α loses out on Thunderbolt 3 and packs a slightly smaller 54Wh battery (compared to 69.7Wh in the Flex). It's also a tad heavier and thicker, at 13.9mm (0.55 in) thick and 1.19 kg (2.62 lb).

Samsung says that the Galaxy Book Flex α will be available in the first half of 2020 starting at $830. We're also still waiting on the rest of Samsung's recent Galaxy Book lineup, including the standard Galaxy Book Flex, Galaxy Book Ion, and Galaxy Book S, to land in stores.

Dell introduced the Latitude 9000 series, including the Latitude 9510 and Latitude 9510 2-in-1.

What you need to know

• Dell announced the Latitude 9510 and Latitude 9510 2-in-1 laptops ahead of CES 2020.
• The "ultra-premium" laptops support 5G.
• Dell states that the devices get up to 30 hours of battery life.

Dell announced the Latitude 9510 and Latitude 9510 2-in-1 ahead of CES. Both Latitude laptops are part of the new 9000 series of Latitude devices. They're also the first Dell devices to support integrated 5G. Dell states that the laptops get up to 30 hours of battery life.

The Latitude 9510 devices start at 3.2 pounds. Dell describes it as a 15-inch device fit into the size of a 14-inch device. The laptops have Intel processors that support Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and LTE to help people stay connected. They're also the first PCs from Dell to support 5G connectivity. Specifically, the Latitude 9510 devices support sub 6 5G but do not support millimeter wave.

The Latitude laptops have a full HD display that reaches 400 nits of brightness. It also has 100 percent sRGB color gamut coverage. The 15-inch display has a 16:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1080p.

Both Latitude 9510 laptops are available with up to 10th generation Intel Core i7 processors. Dell states that the laptops get up to 30 hours of battery life.

The Latitude laptops include Dell's Optimizer software, which uses AI to improve performance. The software uses machine learning to reduce lag and delays. Dell states that frequently used apps will open quicker thanks to the feature.

The Latitude 9510 and Latitude 9510 2-in-1 will be available on March 26. The Latitude 9510 starts at $1,799.

If you prefer Dell's XPS line of laptops, the company also announced a refresh to the XPS 13.

The latest Dell XPS 13 is thinner, lighter, and has a larger InfinityEdge display.

What you need to know

• Dell announced the refreshed Dell XPS 13 ahead of CES 2020.
• The laptop has a four-sided InifinityEdge display with a 16:10 aspect ratio.
• The refreshed laptop runs Intel's Ice Lake processors.
• The Dell XPS 13 will be available on January 7, 2020 starting at $1,000.

Updated January 2, 2019: This post now includes more details regarding the XPS 13's battery life.

Dell announced a refreshed XPS 13 (9300) ahead of CES 2020. The laptop features a refined design that includes a four-sided InfinityEdge Display. The laptop runs on Intel's Ice Lake processors. The Dell XPS 13 will be available on January 7, 2020 from $1,000.

Category	XPS 13 (9300)
Operating System	Windows 10 Home or Pro Ubuntu 18.04
Display	13.4-inches (16:10) Full HD, 4K Dolby Vision
Processor	10th Gen Intel Core i3-1005G1 i5-1035G1 i7-1065G7
Graphics	Intel UHD Intel Iris Plus
Memory	4, 8, 16, or 32GB LPDDR4X (3733MHz)
Storage	256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB PCIe NVMe SSD
Expandable Storage	microSD
Front Camera	HD 720P (top bezel)
Security	Windows Hello IR camera (face) Windows Hello fingerprint (power button)
Connectivity	Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 Bluetooth 5 Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX500-DBS
Ports	2x Thunderbolt 3 1x 3.5mm headphone Type-C to Type-A converter included
Audio	2x 2.5W (4W peak) stereo
Battery	52WHr
Dimensions	Height: 14.8mm (0.58") x Width: 295.7mm (11.64") x Depth: 198.7mm (7.82")
Weight	1.2kg (2.64lbs.) for non-touch 1.27 kg (2.8 lbs.) for touch
Colors	CNC machined aluminum (outer) Black carbon fiber (interior) Arctic white woven glass fiber (interior)

The latest XPS 13's display has a taller 16:10 aspect ratio that's surrounded tiny bezels. Most notably, the bottom bezel of the device is much smaller. The device has a 91.5 percent screen-to-body ratio and is 13.4-inches. There are options for both FHD+ and UHD+ displays on the laptop. The display supports Dolby Vision HDR with CinemaColor. On the audio side of things, the Dell XPS 13 supports Waves MaxxAudio Pro with CinemaSound.

The keyboard of the XPS 13 now has nine percent larger key caps, and the trackpad is 17 percent larger.

The refreshed Dell XPS 13 is a Project Athena device which focuses on battery life and instant-on capabilities. Dell stated that the new XPS 13 gets up to 19 hours of battery life.

Intel's Ice Lake processors are on the inside of the device, along with Iris Plus Graphics if you opt for the Core i7 model. There are variants of the XPS 13 ranging from the Intel Core i3 to the quad-core Intel Core i7. There is not an option for a six-core Intel chip.

In addition to the Windows version of the Dell XPS 13, there's a Developer Edition that runs Ubuntu. The Developer Edition starts at $1,200 and comes out on February 4, 2020.

Reimagine one of the most acclaimed role-playing games ever made with these stellar mods.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the best games ever made, but if you're a PC gamer, there are some truly stellar community-made mods that will enhance your experience with the game. Some are simple and simply boost graphical quality while others aim to re-balance entire sections of gameplay, but all of them ultimately serve to make The Witcher 3 even better than it already is. Here are our favorites.

Blade of Destiny

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

$40 at Steam

One last contract

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a sweeping RPG where players take on the mantle of Geralt of Rivia, a monster slayer tasked with finding a young woman with unimaginable powers.

Ghost Mode

Ghost Mode is a gameplay overhaul mod that aims to re-balance nearly everything about the game and make the overall player experience tougher, but still rooted within the core principals of the vanilla gameplay balancing. This is achieved by the addition of stamina-based combat, a logical rework of how loot spawns, an overhaul to the alchemy system, and much more. On top of this, the mod buffs and nerfs many under or overpowered items and skills respectively so that every part of The Witcher 3's sandbox has a place. While this mod probably isn't a good pick if you're new to the game, it's absolutely an awesome way for veterans to experience The Witcher 3 in a fresh new light. You can download it here.

Shields

If you like the sound of being able to use shields in The Witcher 3, then you'll love this lore-friendly and well-balanced gameplay addition project. The mod adds a plethora of different shield types to the game world's loot tables and shops, and you can use them for a stronger frontal defense at the cost of speed in combat. In addition, you can still get hit if enemies manage to flank you, meaning that the mod isn't overpowered and actually fits quite seamlessly into The Witcher 3's gameplay design. You can get the mod here.

HD Reworked Project

This mod significantly improves The Witcher 3's graphical quality by massively improving the quality of the textures, all with only a slight impact on system performance. With this overhaul, everything from the mugs in taverns to the rocky sides of castle towers look absolutely stunning and lifelike. As a result, the project makes The Witcher 3 look and feel even more immersive than it already was, which is quite the achievement. You're definitely going to want to break out NVIDIA Ansel for some screenshots with this one. You can download the overhaul here.

More Shadows

This graphics mod adds shadows to lighting objects that don't cast any in the vanilla game, such as torches, candles, and lamps. Though you won't see the effects of this mod much in the daytime, it really works its magic during night gameplay, as the realistic shadow casts make The Witcher 3's evening visuals more immersive and engaging to look at. While it is far from being a game changer in terms of scope, this mod is nevertheless appreciated for how it gives a boost to the game's nighttime look. You can get it here.

The Appearances Menu Mod

This mod allows you to change the look of both Geralt and his horse, Roach, at any time through a new menu in the user interface. You can edit everything from Geralt's beard style to the boots he wears, and doing so is a quick, easy process that will please anyone who wants to mess around with The Witcher 3's fashion options without having to search for, craft, or buy clothes and armor. The menu is also balanced from a gameplay perspective as well, as the edits made in the menu are purely cosmetic. This means that while the menu's options will override the visual appearance of whatever gear Geralt is wearing, it won't alter any stats. You can get it here.

Your thoughts?

What do you think of my top five choices for The WItcher 3: Wild Hunt mods? Are there any that you think I should have put on this list instead of one of the ones I chose? What's your personal favorite mod? Let me know down below.

The Witcher 3 on PC is available for $40 through Steam.

Blade of Destiny

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

$40 at Steam

One last contract

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a sweeping RPG where players take on the mantle of Geralt of Rivia, a monster slayer tasked with finding a young woman with unimaginable powers.

These incredible mods offer something Halo fans have never been able to experience before.

Halo: Reach on PC has only been out for a few weeks, but the modding community has wasted no time and has already cranked out some amazing projects that allow players to enjoy Halo: Reach in fresh, new ways. Here are our five favorite mods that you can download, install, and enjoy right now.

Remember Reach

Halo: Reach on PC

$10 at Microsoft $10 at Steam

From the beginning, you know the end

The Halo: Reach PC port is excellent, and thanks to the passionate modders in the Halo community, there are already lots of awesome projects available for it.

Ultimate Forge World

If you've ever wanted to fly one of Halo's spaceships or dropships around, this mod from RejectedShotgun will make your dream come true. It adds a ton of new vehicles to Halo: Reach's Forge mode, including a UNSC Frigate, a Pelican, a Phantom, the space-variant of both the Banshee and the Phantom, and more. All of these vehicles have full functionality, and their potential for use in custom maps is massive. As an added bonus, the famous Scarab Gun from Halo 2 also makes an appearance in the mod, and the mod also removes the Forge build limit so they can place as many objects as they want without having to worry about using up the Forge budget. You can get the mod here.

Halo Reach Evolved

This mod from TheVengefulVadam overhauls the Halo: Reach Campaign by adding in new weapons, features, and enemies while also rebalancing many sandbox items. The goal of the mod was to create a Halo: Reach experience that feels more like one of the titles from the original Halo trilogy while also adding in new types of content that offer new gameplay experiences. Some of this content includes Elites that use a Jackal shield in conjunction with an Energy Sword, a Revenant that shoots like a flamethrower, the ability to "hijack" Hunters and plant grenades in their bodies, and more. Currently, only a few missions are available to download, but the mod author is constantly working on updating the mod with the goal of eventually applying it to the entirety of Campaign, as well as Firefight. You can download it here.

AI Forge Menu

This mod by Seraphiicy adds something that Halo fans have been asking for since 2007: the ability to spawn AI NPCs in Forge mode (provided you're playing by yourself). Though the AI lacks any kind of pathfinding, they'll still use basic movement to approach and attack other AI that their faction is hostile against (as an example, UNSC versus Covenant). This allows you to effectively create your own warzones by Forging a battlefield and then filling it with constantly-respawning AI. If you want to study Halo's AI behavior, match one type of AI against another, or simply watch some epic battles unfold, this mod is a must-have. You can download it here.

Trooper Firefight

If you've ever wanted to play as a Marine in a Halo game, then this mod by vanya857 will be right up your alley. It allows you to play as Marines, Army troopers, or ODSTs in Firefight, which naturally ups the difficulty significantly and forces you to play smart and use cover constantly, essentially turning Halo into a tactical shooter. The best part, though, is the fact that multiple people can play the mod together if they all have it installed; this means that you could create a Marine fireteam with your friends, crank the difficulty to Legendary, and experience the most hardcore version of Firefight ever made. You can get the mod here.

Halo Reach Third Person Campaign

This awesome mod by AkFumbles pans the camera out slightly in the Campaign, allowing you to experience the game from a third-person perspective. Interestingly, this turns Halo: Reach into a cover shooter of sorts, allowing you to survey your surroundings more frequently and identify positions to use for protection while you fire back at the Covenant. This mod is fantastic for players who want to experience what a Gears of War-style Halo might feel like, or for people who'd simply like a more cinematic angle to appreciate the Campaign from. You can download it here.

ODST Campaign Overhaul

This project by Xulah replaces Noble Six in the Campaign with an ODST, allowing you to experience the Fall of Reach as a regular soldier instead of a Spartan. Like with the Trooper Firefight mod, this massively ups the Campaign difficulty and turns the game into a slower, more intense experience. This is the mod for you if you're looking for a way to enjoy Halo: Reach's story in a brand new light. You can download it here.

UNSC Firefight

Ever wanted to fight the UNSC troops that are always by your side in the Campaign? With this special Firefight mod by 101stephen101, now you can. This project completely overhauls Firefight by replacing all Covenant enemies with human ones. Where you would normally fight Grunts, Elites, and Jackals, you'll now be facing off against Marines, ODSTs, and Spartans instead. This is a great mod if you want to experience a unique Firefight challenge. You can get it here.

All Character Customizations Unlocked

This simple mod by 0sedax unlocks all of the game's armor when you run the game in Anti-Cheat Disabled Mode. While small in scope, this mod is nevertheless an amazing tool for people who would like to have all of the game's armor customization options available to them while they play Custom Games with their friends. Just be aware that this mod does not unlock any armor for you in the "regular" version of the game that has anti-cheat enabled. You can get the mod here.

Royale Reach ReShade Preset

This ReShade preset by swampticks gives Halo: Reach a moodier, cinematic feel by injecting some post-processing effects, enhancing darker colors, and moderately increasing saturation. This is the ReShade preset that I personally use, as I love how it compliments the depressing and tragic tone of the Campaign's story. You can get the preset here.

Nobility ReShade Preset

If you want a ReShade preset that avoids making drastic changes to the game's look, but still makes use of post-processing effects to make the lighting look more natural and realistic, this preset by Spiffyskytrooper is going to be right up your alley. Nobility is a fantastic option for people who want Halo: Reach to look more modern, and it has a negligible impact on performance, which is a bonus. You can get it here.

Your thoughts

What do you think of these mods? Do you have a favorite? Is your favorite mod not on this list? Let us know.

Halo: Reach on PC is available for $10 on both Steam and the Windows 10 Store.

Remember Reach

Halo: Reach on PC

$10 at Microsoft $10 at Steam

From the beginning, you know the end

The Halo: Reach PC port is excellent, and thanks to the passionate modders in the Halo community, there are already lots of awesome projects available for it.

Microsoft has been keen to mention in recent interviews its intent to reach "two billion gamers," looking eastward beyond its Anglocentric home markets. But Microsoft fails at even the most basic attempts at localization.

In recent interviews, Microsoft has talked up its intentions to reach the wider gaming market, comprised of "two billion gamers," it says, as it looks beyond its Anglocentric U.S. and UK markets. Microsoft points to platforms like Project XCloud and Windows PC for future growth in its gaming business. The company has said that selling home consoles to all two billion individuals in the current and future gaming market is impossible, and that may well be true. But one could argue Microsoft has barely even tried.

Recently, I spoke to more than a hundred Xbox fans on Twitter, after asking for opinions on how well Xbox handles localization in their region, outside of the U.S. and the UK. I expected a couple dozen responses on minor issues, and I had no idea how poorly Microsoft approaches its global product efforts, speculatively representing decades of complacency born of its Windows PC monopoly.

If Microsoft truly is serious about creating a platform where developers can access a market share comprised of billions, it needs to start accepting that there is a world beyond the United States.

Is Microsoft serious about 'two billion gamers'?

Recently, we wrote about all the successes Microsoft has seen in gaming under the leadership of Phil Spencer, rebuilding a brand that had been battered by a tone-deaf Xbox One launch campaign back in 2013. As Microsoft looks ahead to the future of its business, it will have to navigate encroaching threats from the East, from Chinese tech giants like Tencent, and the ever-present PlayStation.

Speaking to The Guardian in 2018, Phil Spencer reiterated Microsoft's goal to bring the Xbox platform to two billion gamers across the world:

Our focus is on bringing console-quality games that you see on TV or PC to any device. I want to see the creators that I have relationships with reach all two billion people who play games, and not have to turn their studio into something that makes match-3 games rather than story-driven single-player games. Because that's the only way to reach a bigger platform. That is our goal: to bring high-quality games to every device possible on the planet.

Project xCloud game streaming is indeed showing promise as a viable portable gaming companion, particularly on tablets and low-power PCs which have the screen real estate to remain ergonomic. As of today, the text is simply too small on most games to provide an enjoyable experience on mobile phone screens, not to mention the less-than-convenient reality of having to carry a video game controller around with you. Still, both of these issues are things Microsoft wants to solve, with bespoke touch controls and APIs for making Xbox games viable on mobile devices expected in 2020. xCloud game streaming is only part of the strategy.

Project XCloud could reach millions of new customers... in theory.

Microsoft is also looking to expand its aspirations on Windows PC to build its business and reach consumers. The "Game Core" developer environment will provide creators with a unified codebase for making games that run across cloud, Xbox consoles, and PC with minimal work required to cater to each platform. Microsoft has also been beefing up its own offering on PC, with Halo: Reach dominating Steam sales charts, and Xbox Game Pass for PC winning new customers for the ecosystem at large.

All of this is good, but it fails to address the hard reality that Microsoft remains an Anglocentric company that seems blind to the world outside of the U.S.

Xbox is surrendering global viability

Gamers' habits aren't necessarily changing, but the way the industry views the market at large certainly is. Console gaming only makes up a tiny piece of the overall industry pie, with mobile and PC dominating the East.

Microsoft has long seen opportunities in these regions, but has yet to capitalize on them. Xbox effectively doesn't exist in Japan, and console gaming isn't very popular in China — which remains the world's largest gaming market. Of course, both regions sport a variety of hurdles for Xbox as a business for a range of reasons, including navigating Draconian Chinese trade rules and Japan's home-grown, wholly entrenched ecosystems. But Microsoft hasn't really bothered to capitalize on markets across Europe and parts of the Americas either.

Speaking to scores of Xbox fans on Twitter, I received a small glimpse at the quality of the Xbox ecosystem outside of English-speaking nations. I have written articles previously complaining about not having enough 4K movies on the UK Xbox media store, for example, but these sorts of problems are tiny in comparison to some of the things I've been hearing about various markets across Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

One user pointed to the fact the Xbox dashboard isn't offered in Greek, whereas the PlayStation 4 dashboard is. Another noted that the Xbox doesn't seem to understand that half of Belgium speaks Flemish/Dutch, often offering parts of the dashboard in French, which many Belgians don't speak fluently. Meanwhile, Android and iOS handle these distinctions with ease.

It may come as no surprise to hear that Xbox's support in Japan is atrocious.

It may come as no surprise to hear that Xbox's support in Japan is atrocious as well, with games like Sea of Thieves and State of Decay 2 straight up being unavailable, while games like Gears 5 only get subtitle support, without any form of voice acting. Xbox games in Japan also suffer from terrible matchmaking times, due to the platform's dismal market share in the region. I've been told recently that Xbox in Japan now falls under a general "Microsoft hardware" team that also incorporates Surface, and suffers from absolute bare-minimum support from Microsoft's flagship operation in the U.S. How Microsoft expects to gain the support of Japanese developers without any form of investment in the Japanese market is truly mind-blowing.

A small sample of the complaints I received on Twitter.

Xbox hasn't bothered to enter many markets in South America, conceding the console markets in their entirety to Sony's PlayStation, which often enjoys full support. This leaves Xbox fans in many countries to the mercy of "grey market" scalpers, who charge far beyond the normal price. Many "supported" Arabic users in countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE report to me that PlayStation enjoys far better support, offers, and localization than Xbox. Users in Australia, New Zealand, and Africa also spoke to me about terrible pings, poor regional pricing, and non-existent marketing.

When it comes to subscription services, geoblocking also prevents Xbox 360 games on Xbox One from being downloaded in many countries. I've heard reports that Xbox "Games with Gold" is abysmal in many other countries, with the mediocre platformer Cobalt being offered repeatedly, several times per year. It's as though Microsoft is simply asleep at the wheel in many of these regions, with nobody actively promoting or supporting customers.

Microsoft could hand-wave many of these complaints away, noting that the users are playing from unsupported regions, but the truth is that users in "supported" regions are suffering from sub-par experiences, too, based on Microsoft's apathy. The South Korean Xbox community reached out to voice their frustration that the Xbox Store doesn't display which games support Korean languages, and they took it upon themselves to produce this massive spreadsheet to inform Koreans which games are actually localized. This is basic stuff, that no company of Microsoft's size and value should screw up.

PlayStation Network is officially supported in no less than 73 countries, whereas Xbox is supported in a measly 42, and many of those regions seem to only enjoy halfhearted support.

So, are you serious or not, Microsoft?

I won't pretend to understand the myriad issues Microsoft potentially faces when it comes to entering other markets, especially when it pertains to trade wars and sanctions as a U.S.-based company. It was heart-breaking to hear from Iranian Xbox fans, for example, who cannot access Xbox Live via IP due to on-going U.S. sanctions against Iran's dictatorial government.

Shout out to everyone who in Xbox support who has to see these sorts of complaints every day.

Sanctions aside, neither Apple nor Google seem to have issues localizing their digital offerings for many of Xbox's unsupported countries, so why does Microsoft?

Microsoft can hide behind Steam on PC, but Project xCloud is based on Xbox One, so how does Microsoft hope to reach two billion gamers if it can't even nail the bare minimum basics of decent localization?

I used to get frustrated that Cortana and Bing had poor features in the UK compared to the U.S., but the reality for users outside of English-speaking countries is often far worse. Going through scores of complaints made it clear how much of a sub-par experience many users around the world are getting. Shout out to everyone who works in community support and customer service, and has to experience these sorts of complaints on a daily basis.

Microsoft might be one of the most valuable companies on earth, but it seems that it is also one of the most inward-facing. For Xbox, that may not a viable long-term position.

Check out these games before they're gone.

What you need to know

• Xbox Game Pass is a monthly game subscription service.
• Many new titles like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt regularly join the service.
• Just Cause 3 and Lego City Undercover will be leaving soon, too.
• You can purchase Xbox Game Pass on Amazon.

Xbox Game Pass is a monthly subscription service that grants you access to over 200 games for one monthly price. It's become quite popular over the past few months because major AAA titles have joined the service. However, in order to make room for new experiences, older games have to leave. Soon, Just Cause 3 and Lego City Undercover will depart Xbox Game Pass. Be sure to finish them or buy them with your Xbox Game Pass discount if you want to keep on playing. This information was revealed by the Xbox Game Pass app on iOS.

Just Cause 3

With over 1000 km² of complete freedom from sky to seabed, Rico Rodriguez returns to unleash chaos in the most creative and explosive ways imaginable.

Lego City Undercover

In Lego City Undercover, play as Chase McCain, a police officer who's been tasked with going undercover to hunt down the notorious – and recently escaped – criminal Rex Fury and putting an end to his city-wide crime wave.

Out of both of these, we're going to miss Just Cause 3 the most. It's a lot of fun. Luckily, it's quite cheap on the Microsoft Store so purchasing it isn't too bad.

Best of the best

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold in one

Xbox Game Pass gives you access to over a hundred games for one monthly fee. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate also adds Xbox Live Gold to the package so you can play online with your friends.

$45 at Amazon $45 at Best Buy

Check out the new mode.

What you need to know

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a first-person shooter from Activision.
• A free update with a new mode is available in the game.
• "Grind" is the latest addition to the game from Call of Duty: Ghosts.
• You can purchase Call of Duty: Modern Warfare for $60 on Amazon.

It's almost 2020 and Activision just added a new mode to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. "Grind" was first available in Call of Duty: Ghosts alongside the launch of current-generation consoles. You can read more about it below.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare debuts another way to experience multiplayer with Grind. The mode originated in Call of Duty: Ghosts and has been available in other versions with other names like Stockpile and Fracture. Grind, however, has its own set of objectives, rules, and strategies. Grind combines rules from Kill Confirmed and Hardpoint adding multiple levels of tactics into an already tension-filled battlefield. Kills in this mode must be confirmed by picking up dog tags from fallen players and taking them to an objective location to score points for your team. The objective rotates around the map making it even more of a challenge to earn points. You can collect more than one dog tag as they are stackable, then deliver multiple tags to the objective at once. If you are killed while carrying dog tags, you will drop all of your tags, plus an additional one for yourself. You can also collect tags of fallen teammates, similar to Kill Confirmed, to deny tag collection by the enemy team.

Are you excited for Grind? Let us know. It's great to see that the game is getting such aggressive, free post-launch content.

Look who's back!

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

$60 at Amazon

Captain Price and his cigar make a return

The stakes have never been higher as players take on the role of lethal Tier One Operators in a heart-racing saga that will affect the global balance of power.

You don't have to purchase a sometimes very expensive gaming headset to get the most from your Xbox One audio experience, especially not if you've already invested in a set of good, maybe expensive headphones. There are some features you'll lose, but ultimately it might be better to just go with what you have. Luckily, you can connect those to your Xbox One. Here's how to do it.

Products used in this guide

• Adapter: Turtle Beach Headset Audio Controller Plus ($40 at Amazon)
• Headphone mic: Antlion Modmic Uni ($50 at Amazon)
• Getting advanced: Astro Gaming Mixamp TR ($100 at Amazon)

How to connect your headphones to the Xbox One

This part is super simple as long as you're using the more recent versions of the Xbox One controller. These have the 3.5mm headset jack in the bottom, and so to use them all you have to do is plug the headphones into the controller.

If you're using a first-generation Xbox One controller, there is, unfortunately, no headphone jack. As such, you'll need to invest in a Stereo Headset Adapter. It connects to the bottom of your controller with your headphones hooking up to the bottom of the adapter.

You also get added handy features like volume adjust, chat/game audio mix adjust, and a big old mute button. Even on the later versions of the Xbox One controller (with the headset jack), you can gain a fair bit from using one of these.

The official Microsoft one is no longer sold new, although well-known headset maker Turtle Beach has an excellent alternative.

Sounding good

Turtle Beach Headset Audio Controller Plus

Step up your Xbox audio game

This adapter not only connects headphones directly to the older style Xbox One controller but puts great features like chat/game mix and total volume control into the palm of your hand.

$40 at Amazon

How to control audio without the adapter

If you don't have inline volume controls, you'll have to control the audio on the console directly. It's not difficult, although, with the latest update to the Xbox One dashboard, the audio controls are a little more hidden. Follow these steps:

1. Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide.
2. Scroll to the right to system.
3. Select audio.

You'll now have options for enabling and disabling any microphone attached, adjusting volume, mic monitoring and the mix of game audio to party chat.

Adding a microphone to your headphones

There are some easy, solid ways of adding a microphone to your headphones so you can indulge in a little party chat action on your Xbox One.

One worth investing in is the Antlion Modmic Uni. This is a microphone that you can clip to your headphones to create your gaming headset. You use a splitter to attach the headphones and the microphone, so you can have essentially a full gaming headset plugged into your controller.

The bonus is that you can take the microphone off and then just keep on enjoying your headphones. Not all gaming headsets have a detachable microphone, so you do get the best of both worlds.

Detach at will

Antlion Modmic Uni

Add a microphone to your headphones

This detachable microphone clips on to your headphones and combines with its audio before going into your controller, thus giving you great-sounding game audio and crystal clear party chat.

$50 at Amazon

Getting more advanced

If you want to get fancy, particularly if you're a streamer, you can use something like Astro's Mixamp to integrate your headphones with your PC, console, and even mobile devices' audio.

Hook up to the console over optical audio, stick the USB into your PC, and connect headphones or a music player like your smartphone over 3.5mm.

The Mixamp gives you control over the mix of audio, like your level of game audio to party chat. If you use one of Astro's more expensive headsets you can get the Mixamp thrown in, but it's also available to purchase on its own.

Mix it up

Astro Gaming Mixamp TR

Mix PC, console and more besides

The Astro Mixamp is a remarkable bit of kit for gamers and the latest model has been redesigned and boasts a better audio processor for better sounding games than ever.

$100 at Amazon