The Microsoft Store has recently added applications like VLC, Foobar2000, Firefox, and Brave, but several essential applications are still missing, leading users to download installers from developers' websites. Microsoft has discontinued support for Office installations via the store, and the transition to allowing Win32 app formats has introduced more applications, although many developers may find this shift too late, with full support for Win32 apps not expected until 2025. Notable applications currently unavailable on the Microsoft Store include:
- Steam: A critical gaming platform with over 140 million users, absent from the store due to Valve's competition with Microsoft.
- Notepad++: A popular text and code editor known for its simplicity and versatility, requiring direct download from its official website.
- Calibre: An open-source e-book manager that allows users to organize, convert, and enrich e-books, also needing to be downloaded from its official site.
- qBittorrent: A free and open-source torrent client offering a clean interface and extensive features, available only through direct download from its official website.
- Paint.net: While available on the Microsoft Store for a fee, it can be downloaded for free from the developer's website, providing robust image editing features.
Samsung has removed the Creature Collection feature from its Gaming Hub app, which allowed players to unlock collectible "monsters" by progressing through games and hatching virtual eggs. Despite this change, all the unlockable monsters are now available for users to set as their display pictures inside the app without having to complete specific missions or reach certain progress levels.
Owlcat Games is developing its own game launcher to serve as a central hub for players, aiming to improve cross-promotion of its titles. Market research indicated that many Pathfinder 2 players were unaware of Rogue Trader. The decision has received mixed reactions, with concerns about the crowded landscape of game launchers and their functionality. Owlcat plans to roll out the launcher gradually, ensuring no mandatory registration or data collection from users. Players in the alpha test for Warhammer 40k Dark Heresy will be the first to use the launcher, which will provide access to all of Owlcat's games and links to social media and announcements. The launcher will allow users to buy, install, or launch games regardless of the original distribution method, but players can bypass it if accessing games through Steam.
The tech landscape is expected to see significant advancements in chips and software by 2026, particularly with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X series enhancing Arm-based Windows laptops. The Snapdragon X chips improved performance and battery life, making Windows on Arm laptops more viable, especially in Microsoft’s Surface Laptop and Surface Pro lines. However, challenges with app compatibility persisted, limiting users to simplified versions of software like Adobe Lightroom. In 2025, software enhancements allowed more creative applications to run natively or through improved emulation, including Adobe Premiere Pro and a functioning version of Lightroom Classic on lower-end Snapdragon X Plus chips. Gaming options improved with advancements in emulator technology, and compatibility for Epic's Easy Anti-Cheat was established. The Xbox game launcher expanded to support local installations on Arm devices. Despite the growing appeal of Windows on Arm laptops, traditional x86 options remain dominant for gaming. The first generation of Snapdragon X chips set new benchmarks for battery life, but competition from Intel’s Lunar Lake and AMD’s Strix Point chips is emerging. Nvidia is rumored to be developing an Arm-based chip for Alienware laptops, indicating a competitive landscape. The gap between x86 and Arm Windows laptops is narrowing, with Arm laptops becoming more accessible, though x86 systems are likely to remain preferred for gamers. Microsoft’s evolution of Windows into an “agentic OS” raises questions about the future of Windows laptops.
The Xbox Full Screen Experience (XFSE) is now available on all Windows handheld devices, including the Legion Go 2. Users can customize their experience by replacing XFSE with a different game launcher, such as Playnite, upon startup. To exit XFSE and return to the Windows desktop, users can swipe up from the bottom of the screen, tap on Windows desktop, and select Continue. XFSE enhances gaming performance by minimizing background processes and allows seamless access to Xbox services and games. The rollout of XFSE is ongoing, and users may need to explore options to stop XFSE or set up alternative launchers if desired.
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Europa Universalis 5 allows players to use console commands to enhance gameplay after enabling Debug Mode. To enable Debug Mode on Steam, players must right-click the game in their Library, select Properties, and enter "debug_mode" in the launch options. For the game launcher, players should toggle the option to open the game in debug mode. The console can be accessed by pressing the tilde key (~). Some impactful console commands include:
- disaster, activate_disaster []: Activates a specified disaster.
- screenshot: Captures a screenshot.
- settings: Opens a settings GUI.
- create_character [] [lowborn/random/new]: Creates a new character.
- event [eventid] [target]: Triggers a specific event.
- setflag []: Overrides the flag of a selected country.
- Manpower: Adds manpower to reserves.
- Sailors: Increases the number of sailors.
- cash: Provides cash to the treasury.
- WarExhaustion: Adjusts war exhaustion.
- killallunits []: Eliminates all military units in a specified country.
- population []: Modifies the population of a location.
- freeze []: Freezes the ocean in a specified area.
- religion []: Changes the state religion of a country.
Microsoft has updated its Xbox app on Windows 11 to streamline the gaming experience by consolidating all installed games into a single library, allowing access to titles from various third-party storefronts like Steam and Epic Games. The update includes an aggregated game library, support for popular storefronts, customizable visibility settings, and easy access to individual storefront applications. Microsoft plans to introduce cloud-playable games and play history features in a future update. The update is now live for Windows 11 gaming PCs after a successful testing phase with Xbox Insiders.
Many users are exploring alternatives to Windows 10 as it approaches its end-of-life, particularly those hesitant to upgrade to Windows 11. One notable option is WINUX, a Linux distribution designed for users transitioning from Windows. WINUX closely mimics the aesthetics and functionality of Windows 11, featuring a familiar interface with a taskbar, Windows logo, and application icons that resemble their Windows counterparts. It uses the KDE Plasma desktop environment and includes stock wallpapers and themes from Windows 11, making the transition smoother for users.
WINUX replaces familiar Windows applications with KDE equivalents that maintain a similar appearance, such as a terminal icon resembling Windows Terminal and Dolphin as the file explorer. The distribution allows for easy app installations and system management through a graphical user interface, making it less intimidating for new Linux users. Although Microsoft Office is not available, WINUX provides shortcuts to web versions in the Start Menu and sets Microsoft Edge as the default browser, with Google Chrome also available.
For gamers, WINUX includes pre-installed access to Steam and Heroic Game Launcher, facilitating gaming on AMD graphics, while NVIDIA or Intel Arc users may need to install drivers. Overall, WINUX offers a user-friendly experience that prioritizes familiarity for those considering a switch from Windows to Linux.
