ASUS

AppWizard
July 25, 2026
During testing of Halo: Campaign Evolved, a notable performance dip of around 20% was observed when transitioning from Low to Ultra settings, averaging nearly 200 fps on high-end hardware. On an RTX 4070 Super rig, maintaining 60 fps at 1440p without upscaling is affected by these settings. Performance metrics for the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X at 1080p with Very Low settings and FSR Medium upscaling showed: - FSR Low: 49 Avg FPS, 39 1% Low FPS - FSR Medium: 43 Avg FPS, 34 1% Low FPS - FSR Ultra: 33 Avg FPS, 27 1% Low FPS - FSR Native: 22 Avg FPS, 19 1% Low FPS - TSR Low: 33 Avg FPS, 30 1% Low FPS - TSR Medium: 32 Avg FPS, 28 1% Low FPS - TSR Ultra: 31 Avg FPS, 26 1% Low FPS - TSR Native: 20 Avg FPS, 14 1% Low FPS For Low settings, the performance metrics were: - FSR Low: 32 Avg FPS, 27 1% Low FPS - FSR Medium: 26 Avg FPS, 22 1% Low FPS - FSR Ultra: 23 Avg FPS, 27 1% Low FPS - FSR Native: 16 Avg FPS, 14 1% Low FPS - TSR Low: 29 Avg FPS, 23 1% Low FPS - TSR Medium: 29 Avg FPS, 25 1% Low FPS - TSR Ultra: 29 Avg FPS, 25 1% Low FPS - TSR Native: 16 Avg FPS, 14 1% Low FPS For Medium settings, the performance results were: - FSR Low: 28 Avg FPS, 24 1% Low FPS - FSR Medium: 24 Avg FPS, 23 1% Low FPS - FSR Ultra: 21 Avg FPS, 18 1% Low FPS - FSR Native: 14 Avg FPS, 12 1% Low FPS - TSR Low: 29 Avg FPS, 24 1% Low FPS - TSR Medium: 28 Avg FPS, 25 1% Low FPS - TSR Ultra: 27 Avg FPS, 24 1% Low FPS - TSR Native: 15 Avg FPS, 14 1% Low FPS It is recommended to use Low settings for better performance and to disable motion blur for an improved gameplay experience.
AppWizard
July 24, 2026
On the early access launch of Halo: Campaign Evolved on Steam, players faced an issue where they were repeatedly opening the art book instead of accessing the game. A member of the Halo team addressed the problem on Discord within forty minutes, stating that a Steam Client restart would resolve the issue. A workaround suggested on Reddit involved uninstalling the art book through Steam properties. The art book is a standalone application featuring artwork, a game manual, a short story, and a musical score, but it overshadowed the game at launch. Additionally, players needed to link their Microsoft accounts to access the game, which was complicated by server issues on launch day. Performance tips include avoiding Ultra graphical settings for better performance and disabling motion blur for improved clarity.
Tech Optimizer
July 24, 2026
McAfee's reputation has declined from being a trusted antivirus software during the MS-DOS era to facing user backlash against its advertising practices. The advertising partnership between LG and McAfee has ended following Microsoft's intervention, which prompted LG to remove McAfee promotions from its Windows Store app. This controversy arose when users reported that the "LG Monitor App Installer," automatically installed with new LG monitors, displayed McAfee promotions. Microsoft and LG aim to enhance the Windows ecosystem and improve customer software experiences. Several LG monitor models were identified as having inadvertently installed the app. The automatic installation feature used by LG is also employed by other companies, indicating a trend in the industry that raises concerns about user experience and promotional strategies.
AppWizard
July 24, 2026
The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X features a Zen 5 AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor and 24 GB of LPDDR5X memory. Playing Halo: Campaign Evolved without upscaling yields visually appealing graphics but poor performance, as players cannot fully disable upscaling. The device operates at approximately 17 W in performance mode when plugged in. The TSR setting averages 31 fps with lows of 25.6 fps, while FSR Medium averages 43 fps with lows around 34 fps, making it the optimal choice for smoother gameplay. FSR Low averages 49 fps but sacrifices visual clarity. Halo: Campaign Evolved includes a very low graphical mode exclusive to the ROG Xbox Ally X, which improves performance. The difference between low and ultra graphics settings is minimal, and disabling motion blur is recommended for better experience.
AppWizard
July 23, 2026
Microsoft has enabled players to access original Xbox titles on Windows PCs and handheld devices through the Xbox Backward Compatibility scheme, eliminating the need for third-party emulators. The initial game lineup includes titles like Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, and Fuzion Frenzy, available via the Xbox app or Game Pass subscriptions. Players who previously purchased these games do not need to buy them again due to the Xbox Play Anywhere program. The games utilize Microsoft's emulation technology, allowing enhancements such as increased resolution up to 2560×1920, anisotropic filtering, and MSAA anti-aliasing. The minimum system requirements include an AMD Ryzen 3 3100 or Intel Core i3-10300 CPU, 8GB RAM, AMD Radeon RX 550 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 950 GPU, 4GB VRAM, and Windows 11 with updates until January 2026. Microsoft plans to expand the Xbox Backward Compatibility library on PC in the future.
Winsage
July 23, 2026
Huawei will launch its first PCs powered by HarmonyOS in September, aiming to reduce China's reliance on Windows and create a homegrown computing ecosystem. The rollout will initially target government departments, financial institutions, and enterprise customers. HarmonyOS has been developed in response to U.S. sanctions, which restricted Huawei's access to Google services, advanced chips, and Windows licensing. The operating system has achieved high-level Chinese security certifications, making it suitable for sensitive government use. Huawei plans to build an interconnected ecosystem similar to Apple's, integrating HarmonyOS laptops with its other devices.
Winsage
July 19, 2026
Microsoft held an OEM Secure Boot Office Hours event with manufacturers like Acer, Asus, Dell, and HP to discuss issues related to the Windows 11 Secure Boot 2023 certificate rollout. Many IT administrators left with unresolved concerns, particularly regarding Secure Boot certificate errors. Participants reported persistent problems, including failures of suggested solutions from official documentation to apply to their hardware configurations. Ed Tittel shared his experience with compliance issues related to CA-2023 certificates, noting that ASUS motherboards sometimes required Secure Boot to be disabled temporarily, while MSI models exhibited erratic behavior. ASRock systems needed manual key resets, and documentation was lacking. Devices from Dell, HP, and Lenovo performed better but still faced staggered rollouts and required multiple reboots for BIOS updates. Specific issues raised included HP's BitLocker recovery loop persisting even with the latest BIOS, challenges with legacy device support from HP, devices showing Secure Boot Status as Unknown, and failures in updating the KEK on HP EliteBooks. Some questions from IT administrators regarding Dell and HP went unanswered during the session. The experiences highlighted a trend of Secure Boot issues across multiple OEMs, not limited to a single vendor. IT administrators are advised to pilot updates on representative hardware, back up BitLocker recovery keys, and consult OEM-specific advisories. The unresolved issues reflect common challenges faced by users, indicating that problems with Secure Boot certificate deployments are widespread across various manufacturers.
Winsage
July 18, 2026
Microsoft held its OEM Secure Boot Office Hours event on July 15, where engineers collaborated with OEM representatives from companies like Acer, Asus, Cisco, Dell, and HP. IT administrators were able to ask live questions about the Secure Boot 2023 rollout. The discussion thread became a detailed technical record, especially following the expiration of the first certificates three weeks prior. Concerns raised by IT admins included BitLocker recovery loops, stuck confidence ratings, and unhelpful Intune error codes. Key facts include: - Devices offline for long periods will still receive the 2023 certificates upon reconnecting to Windows Update. - Devices with existing 2023 certificates in firmware will switch to the new boot manager after the latest Windows patches are installed. - A new script, Detect-SecureBootCertUpdateStatus.ps1, is available in Windows for checking certificate status. - BIOS updates may reset a device’s confidence rating to unrated, which is normal and does not indicate certificate failure. - Admins should edit the AvailableUpdates registry key, not the AvailableUpdatesPolicy, which is managed by Intune and Group Policy. - A licensing bug affecting AvailableUpdatesPolicy on devices upgraded from Pro to Enterprise was resolved by Microsoft in 2026. - BitLocker recovery is not typically linked to the certificate update process but may relate to firmware or PCR issues. - Dell and HP provided guidance on which BIOS versions include the 2023 certificates for their newer models. - Older HP EliteBook 840 G5 units require a manual update package for the new certificates. - Eligible devices can still receive the 2023 certificates in the future, and Surface devices released from 2024 onward come pre-equipped with them. - Microsoft confirmed that devices running 2011 certificates will not lose the ability to receive the 2023 chain. - The Microsoft Corporation KEK CA 2011 and Microsoft UEFI CA 2011 certificates have expired, with the Microsoft Windows Production PCA 2011 set to expire on October 19, 2026.
AppWizard
July 10, 2026
ASUS Republic of Gamers has launched the ROG Raikiri II Pro PC gaming controller, featuring an 8K polling rate for high responsiveness. It includes customizable hot-swappable TMR joystick modules with two actuation force options (120gf and 50gf), four removable rear buttons, and two extra claw bumpers that can be remapped. A full-color panel allows for on-the-fly adjustments, and ASUS Gear Link software offers detailed customization, including Turbo mode for rapid auto-repeat. The controller boasts up to 79 hours of battery life on a single charge using 2.4 GHz wireless. It comes with premium accessories, including a protective charging case, charging stand, rear button cover plates, a module removal tool, TMR modules, and detachable joystick caps.
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