Microsoft

The developer behind the Better xCloud script has found that Microsoft is already adding references to “stream your own games” to Xbox Cloud Gaming. I’m expecting to see this debut initially to Xbox Insiders next month, allowing you to stream your existing library of games to mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV sticks, and much more.

Sebastien Bubeck, an AI VP and a distinguished scientist at Microsoft, was key to Microsoft’s work developing its small language models.

A Microsoft spokesperson tells The Information that Bubeck is leaving to continue his work developing AGI. The company also says it looks forward to “continuing our relationship through his work with OpenAI.”

Microsoft is holding a new Xbox Partner Preview stream on Thursday, which will include more than a dozen new trailers, new game announcements, and even a first look at Alan Wake II’s next expansion, The Lake House. The 25-minute stream kicks off at 10AM PT / 1PM ET / 6PM UK on October 17th, and you can watch it live on YouTube or Twitch.

The Windows build of the Arc browser finally supports Arm64 processors. I’ve gotten so used to Arc that I really felt its absence on the Surface Pro. But no longer! Now all I have to do is reinstall twenty extensions and I’m back in business. (Tab and bookmark syncing work fine; extension sync doesn’t seem to.)

Ikea, let me know if you need an updated Windows 11 screenshot. I got you.

The free version of Microsoft Teams will no longer include Google Calendar sync, location sharing, and tasks. Microsoft is also removing the safe feature that lets you store sensitive information in Teams, and the compact mini view for Teams. The loss of Google Calendar sync is probably the most impactful for Teams free users, though.

The Information reports that the Microsoft CEO has instructed his staff to set up the twice-daily CEO calls.

He also apparently “often taps” people outside tech and business about leadership, like former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. I’d love to be on a fly on the wall for their conversations.

Microsoft just announced a bunch of new features for its OneDrive cloud storage service today. The software giant must be super excited about these new features, because it has created a OneDrive song to celebrate the moment. This has to be AI-generated, surely?

Last year’s “Tatanka” rumor of a technology switch is confirmed, with these clips from a new “research project” dubbed Project Foundry and a new studio name.

According to Halo Studios head Pierre Hintze, the UE5 move “allows us to put all the focus on making multiple new experiences at the highest quality possible,” while this preview shows what to expect in future projects.

The game already kicked players into a third-person mode when wielding big machine guns — and a modder extended that to the whole single-player game in 2022 — but this November it’ll be an official multiplayer mode at minimum.

Curious if they’ll balance the rocket launcher and sniper rifle. In first-person mode, they’re partially balanced by how much the weapon blocks your view.

Unless Microsoft’s chatbot knows something we don’t, David Attenborough, Ian McKellen, Michael Caine, and Julie Andrews are definitely not dead.

And neither is Star Trek actor William Shatner, for that matter. Perhaps the Copilot overhaul announced yesterday will be better informed.

As part of the big overhaul of Copilot today, Microsoft quietly announced it’s bringing the chatbot to WhatsApp. Intrigued, I gave it a go and asked it a really basic question. The result was all a bit Dutch. I’m now looking forward to it teaching me how to play darts.