CES showcased significant advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) integrated into the Windows ecosystem, with various companies unveiling new products. Acer introduced the Copilot+ PCs, including the Swift 16 AI laptop with a haptic touchpad and Predator Helios Neo 16S AI gaming laptop. ASUS launched the Zenbook DUO, featuring dual OLED touchscreens, and the ROG Zephyrus Duo, a dual-screen gaming laptop. Dell refreshed its XPS brand with new laptops and monitors, while HP presented the EliteBook X G2 Series and the EliteBoard G1a Next Gen AI PC. Lenovo revealed several new Copilot+ PCs, and Samsung introduced the Galaxy Book6 series. AMD and Intel announced new processor lines, with AMD's Ryzen AI 400 Mobile Series and Intel's Core Ultra Series 3 processors. Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon X2 Plus for enhanced AI experiences in PCs.
Valve is set to launch the Steam Machine in early 2026, potentially up to April 2026, though delays may occur due to a RAM crisis affecting component prices. Pre-orders are currently unavailable, but customers can add it to their Steam wishlist for notifications. The Steam Machine is a PC-hybrid console, running SteamOS, and offers a desktop environment for flexibility. It has performance specifications between the Xbox Series S and PlayStation 5, with 16GB of system memory and 8GB of video memory. Key specifications include a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 CPU, semi-custom AMD RDNA3 GPU, and storage options of 512GB or 2TB NVMe SSD. The Steam Machine will come with a Steam Controller, featuring standard controls and enhanced precision through dual trackpads and a gyroscope.
Playing PC games on an Android device using GameHub and GameNative is legal and does not involve questionable workarounds. Game emulation for older systems and retro consoles is different and may have legality issues. GameHub and GameNative are recommended methods for playing games on Android, with GameHub being the best all-rounder. Tweaking settings may be necessary for optimal performance. Android handhelds have advantages over x86 gaming handhelds but may not be a proper replacement yet. The future for PC gaming on Android looks promising as more development is being done in this area.
HP introduced the EliteBoard G1a at CES 2026, a keyboard that integrates a mini PC powered by AMD's Ryzen AI 300 PRO mobile processors, featuring a neural processing unit (NPU) capable of delivering up to 50 TOPS. It is designed to cater to hybrid workers using external monitors with laptops closed. The internal components include upgradeable DDR5 SODIMM RAM and M.2 NVMe solid-state drives.
Key specifications include:
- OS: Windows 11 Home, Windows 11 Pro
- CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 PRO, AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 PRO, AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 PRO
- GPU: Up to AMD Radeon 860M integrated
- RAM: Up to 64GB DDR5-5600 SODIMM
- Storage: Up to 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2, 512GB encrypted PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2, 32GB eMMC v5.0 (Ryzen AI 7 350 only)
- Ports: 1x USB4, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (detached cable); 1x tethered USB4, 1x USB4, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (attached cable)
- Connectivity: MediaTek RZ616 Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth 5.3, MediaTek MT7925 Wi-Fi 7 + Bluetooth 6.0
- Audio: Stereo speakers, Stereo microphones
- Power: Configurable 32Whr battery (3.5+ hours), 65W USB-C GaN power adapter
- Dimensions: 358mm x 118mm x 17mm, weight 1.49 - 1.69 lbs
The design includes a spill-resistant keyboard that can be replaced in about ten minutes and a removable bottom panel for easy access to internal components. Both models support up to four 4K monitors at 60Hz and offer around 3.5 hours of usage on a full charge. The EliteBoard G1a has received a CES Innovation Award.
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 Abxylute M4 controller is small and fits effortlessly into the pocket, making it convenient for mobile gaming on the go.
- The MCON controller is built like a tank and combines MagSafe magnets, Bluetooth controllers, and a PSP Go-style sliding design.
- More magnetic controllers are expected to hit the market in the future as magnets become a standard feature on modern smartphones.
- Magnetic controllers are seen as a natural evolution for mobile gaming, providing convenience and portability for short gaming sessions outside the home.
- Microsoft’s Surface Pro 11 is a top performer this Black Friday and Cyber Monday, currently priced at 9 with no discount.
- The Microsoft Surface Pro 12-inch with keyboard is priced at 9, down from 9.
- The original Steam Deck LCD was recently discounted from 9 to 9, but the deal has been retracted.
- The Lenovo Legion Go S is available for 9, down from 9.
- Two 3-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate cards can be purchased for .98, allowing access for six months and saving .
- The Dell 15 laptop is priced at 9, featuring an Intel Core processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD.
- The Surface Laptop 7 is available for 9, a 0 discount from its usual price of ,599.
- The HP OmniBook 5 16-inch is priced at 9, down from 9, and offers up to 34 hours of battery life.
- The HP ProBook 4 G1i is currently available for 8, down from its typical retail price of ,000.
- Microsoft’s Windows Ugly Sweater has sold out.
Netflix operates a global streaming service using a distributed microservices architecture, with the Online Data Stores (ODS) team managing persistent data store solutions. The ODS team aims to enhance developer productivity and operational efficiency but faced challenges due to a fragmented relational database strategy involving multiple PostgreSQL-compatible engines, leading to operational inefficiencies and increased overhead for both infrastructure and application teams.
To address these challenges, Netflix evaluated database solutions based on criteria focused on developer productivity, operational efficiency, performance reliability, and scalability. After thorough evaluation, Netflix selected Aurora PostgreSQL as the preferred database solution for relational workloads.
Key reasons for choosing Aurora include its ability to handle single-Region and multi-Region workloads effectively, employing asynchronous storage-based replication for low-latency operations. Aurora's log-based write operations and shared storage architecture provide higher write throughput and lower latency. As a fully managed service, Aurora eliminates the manual operational overhead associated with self-managed databases, allowing developers to leverage existing PostgreSQL expertise with minimal code changes.
Post-migration results for applications like Front50 and the Policy Engine showed significant improvements in latency and stability. Front50 experienced a 50% reduction in average latency and a 70% reduction in maximum latency. The Policy Engine noted overall latency improvements across all endpoints, with specific reductions in key functions, enhancing responsiveness and operational efficiency.
Dev Drives are virtual drives introduced in the Windows 11 version 22H2 update, designed specifically for software development. They can be created as partitions on physical drives or as virtual hard drives (VHDs) and use the ReFS file system instead of NTFS. This allows them to bypass continuous malware checks by Microsoft Defender, resulting in performance improvements of up to 41%. Dev Drives are intended for developers engaged in data-intensive tasks, but storing non-development files on them poses security risks. They can enhance workflow efficiency for developers and are accessible through the Settings app in Windows 11.
