With so much going on every day, it’s easy to miss a few stories from around Microsoft. Every weekend, we summarize the biggest stories from the past seven days and put them into a small package. From the potential shutdown of Twitter to the return of Windows 11’s taskbar functionality, here are this week’s biggest news.
Windows 11 taskbar
When Microsoft launched Windows 11, it caused controversy with the new operating system taskbar. Besides getting a new look and location for the Start menu, the taskbar lacked features that had been on Windows for years. Two of those removed features are set to return, according to recent reports (via Albacore on Twitter).
Windows 11 will soon regain the “never combine apps” option and the ability to show seconds in the system tray. Some features, such as docking the taskbar to the top or side of your screen, won’t return to Windows 11, so getting some options back will be a welcome change.
After all, Windows 11 is going to get a “Never combine” taskbar item setting. It no longer features window titles like in Windows 10 and earlier, but retains the icon per window mechanism which some might still find useful. New in build 25246, hidden behind feature 29785186 ✨ pic.twitter.com/IyW5t2CZWQNovember 16, 2022
Steam Deck fear for Destiny 2
Due to a screenshot shared on Reddit, it appeared that Bungie blocked Destiny 2 on Steam Deck when the device was running on Windows. The image showed an error message that read, “Destiny 2 is currently not supported on Steam Deck.” This caused concern in the gaming community, as Destiny 2 is not available on Steam Deck when Linux is installed and Windows was one of the only ways to play the popular game on the device.
Luckily for Destiny 2 players, the error message turned out to be an isolated incident. The original poster on Reddit reinstalled the new APU driver which seemed to be the cause of the error. Following the update, the game ran fine on Steam Deck.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 launched
NVIDIA launched its powerful RTX 4080 graphics card this week. Hot on the heels of the RTX 4090, the RTX 4080 promises significant gains over the previous generation while not being as expensive as its maxed-out sibling.
The RTX 4080 will be the sweet spot for many gamers looking for one of the best graphics cards. It targets 4K gaming and supports DLSS, ray tracing, and other features you’d expect from a GPU in its class.
Pricing for the RTX 4080 starts at $899, though it’s hard to find one in stock or at its suggested retail price. We have a live blog on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 pre-orders and where to find stock to help you order the new GPU.
Qualcomm announces Oryon processors
Qualcomm announced its Oryon processors at its annual Qualcomm Summit this week. Nuvia-based processors are poised to deliver a significant step up to Windows 11 on ARM and Apple’s M-series processors. While Oryon processors were once going to ship sooner, the current plan is for them to become commercially available in 2024.
ARM processors are expected to reach a 30% market share by 2026, according to some industry experts. Reaching that mark would require steady growth in Apple’s Mac devices as well as more Windows 11 on ARM PCs. Qualcomm’s Nuvia-based Oryon processors could play a major role in ARM’s PC growth, but we’ll have to see if the chips live up to expectations.
Twitter issues
The ongoing issues on Twitter are one of the biggest news stories in the world, not just in tech. The social media platform has encountered several problems since its takeover by Elon Musk for $44 billion. The company’s new owner made several controversial decisions, many of which drove away veteran employees. He also led the verification confusion involving Twitter Blue.
Twitter is feared to be shut down following a mass exodus of employees (via iMore). We recently conducted a poll on Twitter and whether Microsoft should buy the social media platform. Our readers were quite divided on the subject.
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Our team of experts keeps up to date with the latest accessories, devices and games. Over the past week, we’ve reviewed a WaterField Designs cover for Steam Deck, Sonic Frontiers on Xbox, and more.
