Mishaal Rahman, an employee at Google, revealed that Android 17 will feature a new foldable gaming mode designed to enhance gameplay on foldable devices. This mode will split the screen, displaying the game on the top half and a customizable virtual gamepad on the lower half, equipped with buttons similar to those on PlayStation or Nintendo controllers. The gaming mode is set to launch with the Android 17 platform release in the coming months. Additionally, Android 17 includes a multitasking tool called "Bubbles" and is currently undergoing testing with QPR1 Beta 5, which addresses various fixes.
SIE held a recent investor Q&A session, addressing various inquiries from stakeholders about its strategic vision and operational updates. Key points included:
- Commitment to innovation in gaming technology, focusing on immersive experiences and user engagement.
- Exploration of new markets and partnerships to enhance global presence.
- Discussion on upcoming game releases and expansion of exclusive titles to maintain competitive advantage.
- Dedication to fostering a vibrant gaming community and improving communication channels and support for developers.
- Initiatives aimed at reducing environmental impact and promoting diversity within the gaming industry.
Steam has launched its Summer Sale, offering discounts of up to 90% on thousands of games. Fanatical has introduced the Very Positive Deluxe Collection bundle, which includes 11 Steam Deck-compatible titles. The pricing for the bundle is tiered: .50 per game for three or four titles, and per game for five or more. Purchasing the entire bundle costs .98, a 79% discount from the original price of 4.89. The bundle includes games such as Ancient Kingdoms and The Smurfs – Dreams, with seven games verified for Steam Deck compatibility and four rated as playable.
Many users have expressed frustration with the Gemini AI assistant, particularly regarding its performance in controlling smart home devices through Android phones. Complaints include sluggish response times and inaccuracies in interpreting commands, leading to disappointing interactions. Users have reported issues such as inaccurate weather updates and frequent error messages. To switch back to Google Assistant, users can navigate to the Settings menu, select Apps, locate the Assistant setting, and choose Google Assistant over Gemini. For devices with customized Android skins, users can open the Google app, tap their profile photo, access Settings, select Google Assistant, and choose between Gemini and Google Assistant. Further guides are available for reducing Gemini's visibility in various platforms and applications.
YouTube is enhancing its Shorts platform with several new features:
- Introduction of 2x playback speed, allowing users to accelerate through content by holding either side of the screen.
- A "clear screen" mode that hides on-screen elements for a cleaner viewing experience.
- Replacement of the thumbs-up icon with a heart for expressing approval.
- Elimination of the dislike button, with users now able to select "Not interested" or "Don’t recommend this channel" for feedback.
- Current dislike counts will remain accessible in YouTube Studio, but new dislike counts for Shorts will not be collected starting at the end of June.
- Users can mute Shorts directly from the player for a quieter browsing experience.
The US government is offering rewards of up to million for information on individuals associated with two Russian-linked cyber threat groups, UNC5792 and UNC4221, which target US officials, military leaders, journalists, and personnel in Ukraine. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI have reported that these groups conduct sophisticated phishing campaigns via commercial messaging applications (CMAs), using social engineering and masquerading as support accounts to gain unauthorized access. The attackers now request victims' Backup Recovery Keys, which can lead to future account takeovers even if new accounts are created. Both groups are linked to Russian intelligence services, with UNC5792 associated with the FSB Border Guards and UNC4221 with Russian military services. The US government seeks information on the identities, locations, affiliations, and funding sources of the actors behind these groups.
On June 29, 2026, players of Minecraft are experiencing difficulties connecting to the game, with widespread reports of issues across social media. There has been no official communication from Mojang about the game's status, and there are no definitive answers regarding when the game will be restored.
Players are experiencing significant disruptions with Minecraft, particularly on Monday, with difficulties in logging in, launching the game, and connecting to servers. According to DownDetector, 56% of reported issues were related to login challenges, 26% to game launch failures, and 16% to server connectivity problems. The outage has affected both Bedrock and Java versions, preventing users from engaging in authentication processes and multiplayer games. Many gamers are unable to access their worlds or log in using Microsoft accounts across various devices. Mojang Studios has not yet released an official statement regarding the disruptions.
The May 2026 Security Update for Windows 11 introduced "XBOX mode," replacing the previous "Xbox mode" as part of Microsoft's rebranding effort to align its gaming identity with the original console. This change was influenced by community feedback, with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma noting user preference for the all-caps version. XBOX mode is designed to optimize gaming performance by prioritizing gaming processes and can free up to 2GB of memory on a PC. Future iterations of XBOX mode are expected in the next generation of Xbox, referred to as Project Helix. Microsoft is also working on enhancements to Windows 11 through its K2 initiative to improve the gaming experience.
