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Video Games Weekly: Every time this industry grows, it shrinks

Welcome to Video Games Weekly on Engadget. Expect a new story every Monday or Tuesday, broken into two parts. The first is a space for short essays and ramblings about video game trends and related topics from me, Jess Conditt, a reporter who's covered the industry for more than 13 years. The second contains the video game stories from the past week that you need to know about, including some headlines from outside of Engadget. Please enjoy — and I'll see you next week. In a 2024 interview wit

I'm a mobile gadget expert and these Moft MagSafe accessories are my favorite under $35 Prime Day deals

The Moft Tripod accessory. Kayla Solino/ZDNET Prime Day is here, and while plenty of hefty discounts on expensive tech, my favorite offers to scout during a sale are always on cheaper items. After all, who doesn't like saving even more on an already affordable product? Also: The best Prime Day tech deals That's why when I caught these MagSafe accessories on sale, I knew I had to share them. At ZDNET, I test dozens of MagSafe accessories, from battery packs to wallets, phone cases, tripods, an

It's Prime Day. Here's How You Can Get a $250 Amazon Gift Card Right Now

Zooey Liao/CNET Amazon's Prime Day starts today and runs through Friday. It's one of the summer's biggest sales with hundreds of discounts across countless categories. If you're planning to shop this July's Prime Day, you might want to consider applying for the Prime Visa. For this event, Amazon increased the card's welcome offer to a $250 Amazon gift card instantly upon approval. But act quick, it'll only be available until July 14. It's rare for a credit card to offer a welcome bonus that yo

Court nullifies “click-to-cancel” rule that required easy methods of cancellation

A federal appeals court today struck down a "click-to-cancel" rule that would have required companies to make cancelling services as easy as signing up. The Federal Trade Commission rule was scheduled to take effect on July 14 but was vacated by the US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. A three-judge panel ruled unanimously that the Biden-era FTC, then led by Chair Lina Khan, failed to follow the full rulemaking process required under US law. "While we certainly do not endorse the use of unf

Microsoft Surface Laptop (16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) Hits a Price That Makes Old Tags Look Silly Thanks to Prime Day

Happy Prime Day to all who celebrate. This week you can all sorts of excellent deals across every product category at Amazon from laptops to treadmills to food processors to other laptops. If that happens to be exactly what you’re in the market for, you should pay attention to this Microsoft Surface deal. This 2024 touchscreen laptop is part of this week of savings and you can chop off 34% from the price. It’s normally $1,200, but for a limited time you can grab it for just $790. That’s bring it

It's Prime Day. Here's How You Can Get a $200 Amazon Gift Card Right Now

Zooey Liao/CNET Amazon's Prime Day starts today and runs through Friday. It's one of the summer's biggest sales with hundreds of discounts across countless categories. If you're planning to shop this July's Prime Day, you might want to consider applying for the Prime Visa. For this event, Amazon increased the card's welcome offer to a $250 Amazon gift card instantly upon approval. But act quick, it'll only be available until July 14. It's rare for a credit card to offer a welcome bonus that yo

I love Microsoft’s new 12-inch Surface Pro and it’s $685 for Prime Day

is a deputy editor with 18 years of experience writing and editing product reviews, gadgets and business news. Previously, he was a deputy editor covering technology companies at CNBC. Microsoft’s new 12-inch Surface Pro is awesome, and at $115 off at Best Buy, it’s a fantastic deal to jump on during Amazon Prime Day. Both Amazon and Microsoft are selling it for $699.99. No matter where you buy it, you can use the discount to cover most of the cost of the $150 keyboard, which anyone who’s inter

The tech behind Rivian’s 2026 Quad Motor truck and SUV — and that kick turn

As Rivian starts accepting orders for its 2026 Quad Motor pickup truck and SUV, customers may initially be enticed by the power and tricks the four motors in these rebooted EVs can unleash. After all, four motors delivering a combined 1,025 horsepower and 1,198 pound-feet of torque — and the ability to accelerate from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in less than 2.5 seconds — is hard to ignore. But they should also pay attention to the software. “The Quad is really the pinnacle of everythin

Windows 11 KB5062553 & KB5062552 cumulative updates released

Microsoft has released Windows 11 KB5062553 and KB5062552 cumulative updates for versions 24H2 and 23H2 to fix security vulnerabilities and issues. Today's updates are mandatory as they contain the July 2025 Patch Tuesday security patches for vulnerabilities discovered in previous months. You can install today's update by going to Start > Settings > Windows Update and clicking on 'Check for Updates.' You can also manually download and install the update from the Microsoft Update Catalog. Wha

In a blow to Google Cloud, Replit partners with Microsoft

Replit on Tuesday announced a strategic partnership deal with Microsoft that should be good for business for both of them. Replit will become available through Microsoft’s enterprise cloud app store, Azure Marketplace, meaning Microsoft shops will be able to purchase Replit subscriptions there. Replit is also integrating its tech with a number of Microsoft cloud services like containers, virtual machines, and Microsoft’s version of Postgres — the database that Replit supports — called Neon Serv

Microsoft Teams now has threaded conversations

is a senior editor and author of Notepad , who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years. Microsoft has added threaded conversations to its Teams communications app this week. After promising to launch the highly-requested feature in mid-2025, Microsoft is now releasing a public preview of threaded conversations for Teams users to enable. The Microsoft Teams threads integration debuts in the channels section of the app, where it works a little differently to how Sl

Apple cleared in case tied to two union-busting allegations at NYC retail store

Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit overturned a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision that found Apple in violation of federal labor law at its World Trade Center retail store in New York. Here’s what that means. A bit of background The case centers on events from 2022, during an organizing campaign by Apple store employees in coordination with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). One employee, Jordan Vasquez, testified that a senior manager asked him

Why I recommend this Kindle e-reader to bookworms and tablet users alike - especially at $100 off

ZDNET's key takeaways The Kindle Colorsoft is normally $279, but is on sale at Amazon. It has a bright display (even in direct sunlight), customizable color settings, and zippy performance while browsing titles and turning pages. It could be a bit larger to get the full effect of the color display. $279.99 at Amazon $279.99 at Target more buying choices The Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition tablet comes with 32GB of storage and a generous $100 discount, bringing it down to just $180 (

Microsoft, OpenAI, and a US Teachers’ Union Are Hatching a Plan to ‘Bring AI into the Classroom’

Microsoft and OpenAI are planning to announce Tuesday that they are helping to launch an AI training center for members of the second-largest teachers’ union in the US, according to details about the initiative that appear to have been inadvertently published early on YouTube. The National Academy for AI Instruction will be based in New York City and aims to equip kindergarten up to 12th grade instructors in the American Federation of Teachers with “the tools and confidence to bring AI into the

Microsoft Offers Free Windows 10 Extended Security Updates: Here's How to Get Them

Microsoft is closing the door on Windows 10 in October 2025, and will be ceasing security support for that operating system unless users pay $30 for a one-year extended security update. Now, Microsoft has added a free option. Users need to turn on cloud backup and connect it to their OneDrive account. The ability to get free updates on Windows 10 is a pretty big deal because it is still the most widely used Windows OS, accounting for just over 53% of installs as of May 2025. That leaves million

Last call: Fortnite players only have two days left to claim their settlement payout

Gary Sims / Android Authority TL;DR Fortnite players who were charged for unwanted purchases can submit a claim to receive compensation stemming from the FTC’s settlement with Epic Games. Eligible claimants only have until July 9 to apply. Refunds are expected to arrive in 2026 after the agency has reviewed and validated all claims. If you’re a Fortnite player, you might be entitled to some money. But you’ll have to act quickly, as those who are eligible only have two days left to submit a c

Get $200 to Spend on Tomorrow's Prime Day Sale With the Prime Visa

Zooey Liao/CNET Amazon's Prime Day starts tomorrow and ends on July 11. It's one of the summer's biggest sales with hundreds of discounts. If you're planning to shop, Amazon is offering a $200 gift card when you're approved for the Prime Visa. It's rare for a credit card to offer a welcome bonus that you don't have to "earn" by spending a certain amount with the card. And while the Prime Visa technically has no annual fee, to get approved for this card, you'll need to be a Prime member, which

Microsoft’s Edge browser now loads sites even faster

is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid. In a new post shared to its Windows blog, Microsoft says that it has “reached a major milestone” when it comes to improving the speed of Edge’s user interface. It now takes Microsoft’s browser less than 300 milliseconds to start rendering the first parts of a website for users, whether it’s text, images, or parts of the user interface. It’s a me

Arkane founder calls Game Pass an 'unsustainable model' that's wrecking the industry

Arkane Studios founder Raphael Colantonio had some harsh words for Game Pass in a thread on X, calling it an "unstainable model" that's "damaging the industry." He also said that Microsoft's ability to throw "infinite money" at the platform will eventually wane because "reality has to hit." Colantonio continued by saying Microsoft will "kill everyone else, or give up" and that gamers only like the service because "the offer is too good to be true." He also wrote that these same players will tur

This mid-range Acer laptop is my go-to for work travel, and it's on sale

ZDNET's key takeaways The Acer Swift Go 14 (2024) is on sale now at Amazon for $791. It's a lightweight, responsive laptop with a touchscreen, and a slick media playback menu. However, for a laptop so optimized for media, its speakers aren't the best. $799.99 at Amazon The 14-inch Acer Swift Go was among the first round of laptops to come loaded with Intel's Meteor Lake AI processors last year, and it does so for a sale price of $791, a mid-range price point right in the sweet spot for many c

Xbox producer tells staff to use AI to ease job loss pain

Xbox producer tells staff to use AI to ease job loss pain One X user called it "plain disgusting" while another said it left them "speechless". The BBC has contacted Microsoft, which owns Xbox, for comment. The post, which was captured in a screenshot by tech news site Aftermath , shows Mr Turnbull suggesting tools like ChatGPT or Copilot to "help reduce the emotional and cognitive load that comes with job loss." Matt Turnbull, an executive producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing, wrote the

Windows 11 has finally overtaken Windows 10 as the most used desktop OS

is a senior editor and author of Notepad , who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years. Microsoft has finally crossed an important milestone for Windows 11, months ahead of Windows 10’s end of support cutoff date. Stat Counter, spotted by Windows Central, now lists Windows 11 as the most used desktop operating system nearly four years after its release, with 52 percent of the market, compared to 44.59 percent for Windows 10. Windows 11 became the most popular OS

Building a Mac app with Claude code

I recently shipped Context, a native macOS app for debugging MCP servers. The goal was to build a useful developer tool that feels at home on the platform, powered by Apple's SwiftUI framework. I've been building software for the Mac since 2008, but this time was different: Context was almost 100% built by Claude Code1. There is still skill and iteration involved in helping Claude build software, but of the 20,000 lines of code in this project, I estimate that I wrote less than 1,000 lines by ha

The New Corporate Memo: Let AI Ease The Pain

A troubling new trend is crystallizing in the tech industry. A company at the forefront of AI development lays off thousands of its human employees, then encourages them to seek comfort from the very technology supplanting them. It’s the automation of suffering, and it’s happening now. This week, Matt Turnbull, an Executive Producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing, became a case study. Following Microsoft’s decision to cut thousands jobs from its gaming division, Turnbull took to LinkedIn. With

Operators, Not Users and Programmers

This post is part 0 of a multi-part series called “the computer of the next 200 years”. the modern distinction between “programmers” and “users” is evil and destroys agency. consider how the spreadsheets grow🔗 spreadsheets are hugely successful. Felienne Hermans, who has spent her career studying spreadsheets, attributes this success to "their immediate feedback system and their continuous deployment model": the spreadsheet shows you its result as soon as you open it, and it requires no steps

Local-first software (2019)

Martin Kleppmann, Adam Wiggins, Peter van Hardenberg, and Mark McGranaghan. Local-first software: you own your data, in spite of the cloud. 2019 ACM SIGPLAN International Symposium on New Ideas, New Paradigms, and Reflections on Programming and Software (Onward!), October 2019, pages 154–178. doi:10.1145/3359591.3359737 This article has also been published in PDF format in the proceedings of the Onward! 2019 conference . Please cite it as: We share some of our findings from developing local-fi

Local-first software: You own your data, in spite of the cloud

Martin Kleppmann, Adam Wiggins, Peter van Hardenberg, and Mark McGranaghan. Local-first software: you own your data, in spite of the cloud. 2019 ACM SIGPLAN International Symposium on New Ideas, New Paradigms, and Reflections on Programming and Software (Onward!), October 2019, pages 154–178. doi:10.1145/3359591.3359737 This article has also been published in PDF format in the proceedings of the Onward! 2019 conference . Please cite it as: We share some of our findings from developing local-fi

Best Laptop Stands (2025): 25+ Models Tested and Reviewed

More Laptop Stands to Consider There’s no shortage of computer stands out there, and most of them get the job done. While these didn’t quite make my top picks, they still have some perks worth considering. Rain Design iLevel2 Photograph: Rain Design Rain Design iLevel2 for $65: I wanted to love the Rain Design iLevel2, assuming that it was a bestseller for a reason. Adjusting the height is easy—you slide the front level—but even at its lowest (5.4 inches), it still feels too high for some set

French City of Lyon Kicks Out Microsoft

European countries have been growing increasingly wary of relying on Microsoft for critical government and public sector services. Concerns about data privacy, digital sovereignty, and potential governmental surveillance have led many to question the viability of depending on an American tech giant for sensitive infrastructure. Many worry that dependence on Microsoft could leave them vulnerable to sudden service interruptions or the risk of sensitive data being accessed without consent. This g

Microsoft is closing its local operations in Pakistan

Microsoft is closing its operations in Pakistan, marking the end of a 25-year presence in the South Asian nation. The Redmond-based company on Friday told TechCrunch that it is changing its operational model in Pakistan and will now serve its customers through resellers and “other closely located Microsoft offices.” “Our customer agreements and service will not be affected by this change,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “We follow this model successfully in a number of