Microsoft is cutting 268 jobs across Halo Studios and other first-party teams as part of its ongoing Xbox restructuring, while also consolidating studios under fewer publishing umbrellas. Activision will now oversee World's Edge and Rare and take charge of developing the next Halo title through a newly formed team separate from Call of Duty, leaving a smaller crew at Halo Studios to support existing games. Other changes include Bethesda absorbing Obsidian, King merging with Microsoft Casual Games, and Playground Games combining with Turn 10 to focus on Forza and Fable.
Xiaomi has released MiMo-V2.6 Pro and a lighter Flash variant as open-weight omnimodal AI models handling text, images, video and code. The company says Pro tops open-source rankings on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, trailing only closed models like Claude Opus 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol, and it showcased a feature called Vibe World that turns prompts into interactive 3D games, Blender assets or robotic arm controls.
Google has made the games category for Android Auto and Android Automotive OS generally available, ending its beta phase. Developers can now publish compatible titles directly through Google Play's open testing and production tracks, rather than relying on early-access programs.
A project called BootLife implements Conway's Game of Life entirely within a 512-byte x86 boot sector, using VGA memory to display the simulation grid. It's shared on GitHub as a Show HN post, built with NASM and runnable via QEMU, with source code and a Makefile provided for building and testing.
South African studio Free Lives is developing Dressmaker, a game that lets players control the entire process of creating dresses, from choosing fabric patterns to sewing and adding trims and accessories. Players can fulfill commissions for townspeople with varying tastes or design their own ready-to-wear pieces to sell. The project began as a prototype posted to itch.io in July 2025 and was officially greenlit by Free Lives that September.
Nintendo designer Gunpei Yokoi conceived the Game & Watch after spotting a commuter fidgeting with a calculator on a train in 1979, realizing games could be portable rather than confined to arcades or living rooms. He pitched the concept to Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi just before a meeting with Sharp, the leading calculator maker at the time, leading to a partnership that borrowed calculator technology like LCD screens and segment-based displays.
A new game in the Silent Hill series, titled Silent Hill: Townfall, has been revealed, signaling the franchise's return to its roots in psychological horror. Details on release date and platforms have not been disclosed yet.
Newly discovered internal account codes suggest T-Mobile is developing a system letting customers select their own subscription perk instead of a fixed bundle. The codes reference services including Apple Music, YouTube, SiriusXM, Paramount Plus, ESPN Plus, Xbox Game Pass, Google AI, and DashPass. T-Mobile has not confirmed the program, so details on eligibility, tiers, and rollout timing remain unknown.
Retailers such as Apple, Samsung, Best Buy and GameStop let customers trade in old phones for store credit, discounts, or occasionally cash, offering a fast and hassle-free alternative to selling privately. However, the payout is notably lower than market value—Apple's trade-in program reportedly offers only $585 for a well-maintained iPhone 17 that retails for $899, and most programs pay in credit rather than cash.
Zach Cregger's new take on 'Resident Evil' has opened to a record-setting box office haul for the long-running franchise, buoyed by positive critical reception and strong audience word of mouth. Industry watchers expect the film to maintain steady earnings over the coming weeks rather than fade quickly after opening weekend.
GDQuest, a game development education group, has published a free tutorial teaching newcomers how to write their first shader in the Godot 4 engine. The lesson is part of the organization's broader library of open-source learning resources for game developers.
Windows 11 includes an Xbox mode feature that replaces the desktop with a full-screen, console-like gaming interface, though it isn't enabled by default. Users can turn it on and access it through Settings, keyboard shortcuts like Win + F11, the Game Bar, or the Xbox app, and can exit back to the desktop just as easily.
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