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Business Standard
7 days ago
- Business Standard
Microsoft shares vision for 2030: Windows PCs may soon see, hear and talk
Microsoft has dropped a new video titled 'Windows 2030 Vision', giving consumers a glimpse into how it sees the future of Windows unfolding over the next five years. According to a report by Windows Central, the video is expected to be part of an ongoing series, and if the first episode is anything to go by, some major changes could be on the way — with AI leading the charge. The video features David Weston, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President of Enterprise and Security. He opens with a bold statement: 'The world of mousing and keyboarding around will feel as alien as it does to Gen Z [using] MS-DOS.' That clearly hints at a big change in how we might use our PCs in the future — possibly moving away from traditional mouse and keyboard setups. Weston then goes on to say, 'I truly believe the future version of Windows and other Microsoft operating systems will interact in a multimodal way. The computer will be able to see what we see, hear what we hear, and we can talk to it and ask it to do much more sophisticated things.' Although he does not get into details, as per his statement, it sounds like Microsoft is imagining a Windows where an AI assistant does not just live inside an app but runs across the entire system. Instead of clicking through menus, you would talk to your PC and it would understand what you want — kind of like giving instructions to a smart assistant that controls everything on your screen. Though there is a 'Stark' difference, it seems like in five years, everyone will have a Jarvis-like assistant of their own. This is not the first time Microsoft has floated such ideas. Back in 2023 at its Build developer conference, Microsoft explained three ways AI would shape the future of software: AI inside apps, beside apps, and outside apps, Windows Central reported. That last one — AI outside apps — has not really happened yet. So far, AI tools are mostly features within apps or standalone services. We have not seen an operating system where AI is deeply built into the OS itself, controlling apps and managing workflows as an always-on assistant. However, it does seem like that's where Microsoft is headed. With the rise of AI-powered web browsers that manage tabs and sessions for you, the next logical step is to extend that intelligence to the whole OS. Instead of switching between apps, files, or windows manually, you could just say what you need — and let Copilot do the rest. We do not have an official announcement from Microsoft yet, but between Build 2023 and this new video, the signals are there. Microsoft seems to be gearing up for a future where AI is not just a tool, but the main way we interact with Windows.
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Yahoo
Most People Struggle to Tell Real Images From AI Fakes, Study Finds
Just a few years ago, making a realistic fake image required abundant time and skill. Now, it can be done quickly using generative AI platforms—and thanks to those platforms, it's becoming increasingly difficult for internet users to tell authentic images and AI-generated fakes apart. New research from Microsoft's AI for Good Lab reports that many people struggle to identify AI-generated or modified images. In August 2024, Microsoft introduced the "Real or Not" quiz: a simple game that asks users to determine whether images are "real" and "artificial." The study used data from over 287,000 image evaluations from more than 12,500 people who played the quiz. On average, people correctly recognized AI images just 62% of the time. Researchers also found that people had an easier time judging photos with humans, scoring 65%, compared to pictures of nature, for which the accuracy rate was 59%. Researchers say this difference might be due to the human brain's tendency to easily identify faces. A sample from Microsoft's "Real or Not" quiz. Credit: Microsoft The study suggests that authentic images containing odd yet genuine elements, like lighting that seems unnatural at first glance, often cause people to mistake the picture for being AI-edited. This means people's ideas about what "looks fake" can be unreliable. Images made using Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) were especially tough for players, with a 55% failure rate, as reported by Windows Central. The Microsoft research team is developing its own AI image detector, which is said to boast a 95% accuracy rate. Still, researchers explain that even new AI tools can make mistakes. With the "Real or Not" quiz still live, you can see how skilled you are at detecting AI images.
Tom's Guide
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Sony wants to bring PlayStation exclusives to Xbox, according to new job listing
Sony wants to bring PlayStation games 'beyond PlayStation hardware.' According to a new job listing on PlayStation's official GreenHouse hiring platform posted by user Hazzador on X (via Windows Central), the Tokyo-based company is looking to hire someone for the new role of 'Senior Director of Multiplatform and Account Management.' This person would be responsible for expanding PlayStation Studios' games across various platforms. 'Reporting to the Vice President, Commercial Management as Senior Director of Multiplatform & Account Management,' says the job listing, 'you will play a critical leadership role in shaping and executing the global commercial strategy for PS Studios software titles across all digital platforms beyond PlayStation hardware, including Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox, Nintendo, and mobile. This role is accountable for optimising title profitability, ensuring cross-functional alignment, and leading a high-performing team focused on multiplatform expansion, mid-range commercial planning, and platform partner management.' As you'd expect, this story caused quite a stir on X over the weekend. However, industry insider Shinobi602 believes that PS5 fans are 'really getting carried away' with this job posting (via Push Square). Shinobi602 doesn't believe that Sony is radically altering its strategy and is just thinking about bringing its live service games to other platforms. That opinion makes sense, especially given how the PlayStation exclusive Helldivers 2 is coming to Xbox. That said, Sony has released LEGO Horizon Adventures on the Nintendo Switch, so perhaps it's not entirely unreasonable to assume that something like God of War Ragnarok or Horizon Forbidden West could land on Xbox since they're already on PC. Considering how new this job listing is, and that the person who gets hired will need some time to push Sony's multiplatform strategy forward, don't expect to see major PlayStation games on rival systems like the Nintendo Switch 2 or Xbox Series X anytime soon. That said, this job listing is a clear indication that the gaming industry is changing. Though the PlayStation gaming division is more profitable than Xbox's, Sony won't exactly shirk at the chance to increase revenue—even if it means launching its exclusive titles on Xbox. Console exclusives might eventually be a thing of the past. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Phone Arena
28-07-2025
- Phone Arena
Windows 11 widgets are getting an AI glow-up
Microsoft is constantly testing new ways to enrich the Windows 11 experience. The latest test is a brand-new widgets panel for Windows 11 that replaces the MSN feed with a feature called Copilot course, as you can tell by the name, the new layout uses AI to curate stories for you. These curated stories are based on your likes and Copilot usage, and are shown in a clean layout similar to (but not identical with) the old MSN feed. It's worth noting that the new Copilot Discover feed also appears to be significantly faster and smoother, including with its animations and scrolling. And, what's even better is that it looks less cluttered: stores appear in large boxes with big text, so they are more legible. All these stories still take you to the MSN website, though, so it's just the feed itself that has been tweaked and replaced with Copilot Discover. The tested layout. | Image Credit - Windows Central If you hover over a story in that feet, you have different options for actions. Those include voting the story up or down based on whether you find it interesting, you can also bookmark it to check it out later, and you can also follow or block particular media outlets. Stories that have videos in them will automatically begin playing if you hover over them. But that's not all. There's a new Notifications button at the top of the feed. It highlights breaking news, weather updates, and stock market changes for your convenience. Luckily, these notifications can be customized, which gives you the ability to choose to disable certain types of alerts if you don't want them (stock market changes, in my case). Meanwhile, Microsoft is also testing the ability to let you read the stories you click on directly in the widget panel itself. Right now, if you click on a story, your default browser will open, which could be somewhat of a disjointed experience. It would be much better to read the story directly in the widgets panel, and also, much faster. So far, though, very few third-party developers have adopted the ability to build widgets in this area of Windows 11. Until now, this area seemed almost abandoned, in a sense, so hopefully this new update would make it feel more relevant. The new layout also moves your widgets out of the main feed and into a separate widgets tab. This tab can be accessed from the top left of the panel. So now, the only widget remaining on the main page is the weather widget, and it can not be moved or resized anymore. Meanwhile, Microsoft is also working on letting you customize and pin the same widgets to the lock screen on Windows 11. This will be great and give you more options, and also, hopefully, encourage developers to create more widgets for Windows. The widgets panel can no longer be made into full-screen mode. Now, it can only be seen as a tall, narrow slide-out on the left side of your display, somewhat reminiscent of how it's on MacBooks (but on the Mac, it's on the right). Keep in mind that this feature is still in early testing, so it's likely that more capabilities and refinements will be added to it before it becomes a part of a future Windows 11 stable update. Back in May, Windows announced this new Copilot Discover feed. Now, it's testing it with a small number of users. If it receives positive feedback, the feature should get a broader rollout soon. I think it's very nice that Microsoft is paying attention to that part of the Windows 11 experience. It may be a minor change, but the new panel looks cleaner and more legible, and hopefully with more relevant things in there for us to read.
Economic Times
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
Paid too much for 'The Outer Worlds 2'? Microsoft says sorry and starts sending refunds
Microsoft Reverses $79.99 Price Tag After Backlash Live Events Microsoft Initially Justified Price Hike Over Costs Xbox Now Says The Outer Worlds 2 Will Cost $69.99 Refunds Are Now Underway for Pre-Orders When Is The Outer Worlds 2 Releasing? Microsoft Raised Game Prices in 2023 FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Good news for gamers! Microsoft has reversed its intendedprice point on the long-awaited Xbox game,, saying it will now be priced at, and it's already providingto customers who pre-ordered at the higher price, as per a report by Windows action comes as Microsoft followed an emerging trend of game publishers hiking the price of new titles to $80, a price that most gamers considered prohibitive amid increased living costs and economic instability, as per the and Sony both have increased the price of their Xbox and PlayStation hardware bundles since the last few years, and for a short while, it seemed like the industry was set to hike the base price of their mainline games to $80, as reported by Windows trend to hike price of games had started with Nintendo's Mario Kart World being sold for $79.99 at retail, and then back and forth over whether Borderlands 4 would hit $79.99 as well, but it ended up being priced at $69.99, as reported by Windows READ: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reveals which job roles will disappear soon — Is yours on the AI hit list? Earlier this month the firm had revealed that 'The Outer Worlds 2' would be Xbox's first $80 game, and at that time, Xbox justified the price increase on its biggest titles, saying that, "market conditions and the rising cost of development" as quoted in the ING Microsoft and Obsidian revealed across Xbox social channels on Wednesday that 'The Outer Worlds 2' will no longer be $79.99 at launch as it will go back to being priced at the current industry standard of $69.99, as per the Windows Central Xbox spokesperson explained in a statement to Windows Central that, "We're focused on bringing players incredible worlds to explore, and will keep our full priced holiday releases, including The Outer Worlds 2, at $69.99 – in line with current market conditions," as quoted in the READ: Did a doctor's negligence lead to Matthew Perry's tragic overdose death? Plea deal reveals shocking details That also means, if a person has already pre-ordered 'The Outer Worlds 2' at the earlier price of $79.99, they will have to get refunds and Microsoft said that some retailers would start with refunds on Wednesday itself, but some will start accepting refunds from Thursday, as per the Windows Central report.'The Outer Worlds 2' is set to launch on October 29, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PS5, also for Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming, as reported by Windows the original 'The Outer World' was priced at $60 during its launch, and a several fans had criticized the move especially because of the game's generally anti-capitalist themes and story, as reported by has increased the price of its first-party AAA games from $60 to $70 for the first time officially in 2023, according to the report by has reduced the game's launch price from $79.99 to $69.99, aligning it with the current industry standard, as per the Windows Central are eligible for a refund, they should contact the retailer where they pre-ordered to process the refund.
