Stadia just got a big boost for web browsers - just so long as you're using Chrome, of course. This week the streaming video game platform Stadia was boosted to 4K in web browsers, and the rest of the necessary graphics power and hardware. Those requirements include - for starters - a proper internet connection speed.
It's no secret that Microsoft Edge is working from behind when it comes to growing its userbase. After Internet Explorer spent years as the butt of pretty much every joke concerning web browsers, Microsoft decided to hit the reset button by renaming the browser Edge and making a number of changes to it. For the past few years, Microsoft has been building up Edge as a worthy competitor to the likes of Chrome, Opera, and Firefox, and today, the Edge team is launching a new feature that might help turn some heads.
![Outlook, Office 365 won’t connect to internet [UPDATE: Bug affects Internet Explorer, Edge]](https://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/explagwe-1280x720.jpg)
A Windows 10 connectivity bug seems to be affecting workers using VPN connections as Microsoft moves to release fix in early April. This situation is of particular importance at this moment in history due to the abnormal amount of workers working from home. Workers are currently dependent on productivity and connectivity apps Outlook for email, Office 365 (online collaborative tools), and Microsoft Teams while quarantined to avoid the spread of COVID-19 / novel coronavirus worldwide.
It isn't just events and conferences that are being put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even software developers have started announcing a slight pause in their release cycles, both due to the decrease in human resources but also to ensure that users will be able to keep a proven stable version of the program. That is certainly true for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge web browsers but now even Windows 10 is following suit. The only catch is that it won't happen until May.
Half-Life: Alyx is not Half-Life 3, but it is a new Half-Life game. It is a new game from Valve, and it is out and available to play today. Users will find the game released as of the posting of this article. In other words - if you're reading this, there's a brand new Half-Life game available to play via Steam right this minute.
Windows 10 is the most dynamic version of Windows yet. Not only does it get rolling updates in between bi-annual major feature updates, Microsoft has also changed its appearance, albeit in small bits and pieces only. Windows 10, however, is due for a major visual overhaul, along with some behavior changes. Microsoft has been teasing bits and pieces of that future but Panos Panay has just given the public its biggest peek yet.
COVID-19 measures, many of which have involved voluntary or imposed quarantines, have made software become even more critical to people's lives. Ensuring that they have access to stable and secure versions of most used programs, like web browsers or, more importantly, operating systems is even more crucial during this period, To take a load off people's already stressed minds, Microsoft is holding off from putting version 1709 of Windows 10 to pasture until near the end of 2020.
Microsoft is proudly announcing that Windows 10 has reached a historical milestone. The latest version of its operating system is now on more than one billion devices all over the world. Although not completely unexpected, it's admittedly an impressive statistic. And when you consider how Windows 10 continues to be one of Microsoft's most troubled releases in its history, it may even seem like a miracle it reached this point.
Given that there are thousands if not hundreds of thousands of computers running Windows, you'd think that Microsoft would exercise extreme caution when rolling out updates. Given how it has landed with egg on its face so many times already, you'd presume it has already learned its lesson hard. That doesn't seem to be the case, however, if the latest update it released barely two weeks ago is any indicator as it brings the now "normal" story of fixing one or two bugs while introducing a handful of new ones as well.
Whatever changes Microsoft may have for the future of the venerable Windows Start Menu, it might not be as drastic as some expect or even hope. On the one hand, that's a good thing since it will still be a mostly familiar experience. On the other hand, it may also mean that Microsoft isn't yet ready to throw out something that may already be generally if not completely disliked and abandoned, like the interactive icons, a.k.a. Live Tiles. Even if Microsoft itself is likely to de-emphasize its use.
Microsoft has announced an upcoming update to its Cortana personal assistant, one that will bring enhanced security and new capabilities, as well as the removal of consumer skills. The announcement will no doubt upset some users who will need to switch to the mobile version of the assistant for these skills. The changes will arrive in the Windows update scheduled for release this spring.
A Windows 10 update revealed this week included a major change to the search system, creating what appears to be a robust system that'll compete with MacOS' Spotlight feature. This update will come in Windows 10 update 2004, a system that'll be delivered to the average user in the very near future. This version 2004 will improve the full File Explorer system - the most basic bit of the entire OS, the part that makes the OS usable by the average user, and - importantly - the average MacOS user looking to make a switch.