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Famitsu sales (5/11/26 – 5/17/26) – big Nintendo Switch 2 sales ahead of price increase
Famitsu reports the latest Japanese hardware sales figures, with the Nintendo Switch 2 leading sales at 217,922 units. Software charts show Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream at the top, followed by several Nintendo Switch 2 titles like Pokemon Pokopia and Mario Kart World. The data also includes sales for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles.
PC Game Pass Revenue Growth Outpaces Traditional Console Market In 2026
Microsoft's Q3 2026 earnings reveal a significant decline in Xbox hardware revenue, contrasting with the surge in the PC gaming market. The company is recalibrating its strategy to prioritize PC Game Pass, lowering its subscription price to attract the vast PC player base and combat high churn rates by focusing on esports and live service games for retention.
Xbox hires analyst who said games were losing the attention battle with gambling, crypto and porn as chief strategy officer in another leadership revamp
Xbox has undergone another leadership revamp, with new gaming boss Asha Sharma hiring Matthew Ball as chief strategy officer. Ball, an analyst who previously stated games were losing the attention battle to gambling, crypto, and porn, is tasked with strengthening the console side of Xbox. Scott Van Vliet, with an AI background, has been hired as chief technology officer to improve product development.
Security researcher describes freshly uncovered Windows 11 vulnerability as 'one of the most insane discoveries I…
A security researcher known as Nightmare-Eclipse has discovered a BitLocker bypass vulnerability in Windows 11, dubbed YellowKey. The exploit allows attackers to access encrypted drives by abusing the Windows Recovery Environment, a vulnerability that does not appear to affect Windows 10. Microsoft has acknowledged the issue as a security feature bypass.
Microsoft Cancelled Game Pass Family Plan Due to Objection From EA – Rumor
Microsoft has reportedly cancelled its plans for a Game Pass Family Plan due to objections from partners, primarily Electronic Arts. The proposed plan would have allowed up to four users to share a single subscription. This decision comes despite the family plan being a highly requested feature by Xbox players.
Xbox Adds Two New Heavy Hitters to Its Leadership Team
Xbox has appointed Matthew Ball as Chief Strategy Officer and Scott Van Vliet as Chief Technology Officer to bolster its leadership team. Ball, formerly of Amazon Studios and CEO of Epyllion, brings extensive strategy and investment experience, while Van Vliet has a background with Microsoft products and gaming development. These appointments are part of ongoing leadership changes under CEO Asha Sharma.
A Forza Horizon 6 Sound Effect Might Just Trigger Some Awful Memories For You
Forza Horizon 6 features a car horn sound effect that mimics the Microsoft Teams notification sound, a callback to its publisher, Microsoft. This sound effect, also present in Forza Horizon 5, has been noted to evoke negative memories for players associated with office work. The game has also set new player records on Steam and will be released on PlayStation 5 later this year.
Microsoft hired an analyst with an influential video game blog to fix Xbox
Microsoft has hired Matthew Ball, an analyst known for his influential video game blog, as the new chief strategy officer for Xbox. This move comes ahead of the initiative known as Project Helix, indicating a significant strategic shift for the gaming division.
I read every document in the Musk vs Altman case and my takeaway is: 'Heartbreaking: The Worst Person You Know Just…
An analysis of the Musk vs Altman legal case, which was dismissed on statute of limitations grounds, suggests Elon Musk may have had a valid point regarding OpenAI's initial non-profit mission. Documents reveal early exchanges where Sam Altman and others committed to a non-profit structure, contrasting with later developments towards a for-profit model.
In the early 1990s, Doom was famously installed on more PCs than Windows itself—but how many was that, actually?
An analysis explores the historical popularity of Doom in the early 1990s, citing figures suggesting it was installed on more PCs than Windows. While shareware downloads reached 20 million, a study referenced by Gabe Newell indicated Windows was on 30 million PCs in the US, with Doom being the number one product. The article questions the exact numbers and the significance of Doom's widespread adoption compared to the dominant operating system of the era.
ToxMod vs GGWP: Which AI Moderation Tool Is Actually Better? (2026) | TAG
This analysis compares ToxMod by Modulate and GGWP, two leading AI moderation tools for the gaming industry. ToxMod specializes in real-time voice chat analysis, significantly reducing toxicity in games like Call of Duty. GGWP offers a broader platform, focusing on reputation scoring across text, voice, and gameplay behavior to influence matchmaking. While not direct competitors, both tools represent significant advancements over previous moderation methods, with ToxMod excelling in voice and GGWP offering a more comprehensive community management solution, especially with its integration via Unity Vivox for smaller studios.
Report: Xbox adds Matthew Ball and Scott Van Vliet to leadership team
Xbox has appointed game industry analyst Matthew Ball as chief strategy officer and Scott Van Vliet, formerly of Microsoft's Azure OpenAI, as chief technology officer to bolster its leadership team. These changes follow Xbox CEO Asha Sharma's recent appointments and directives to accelerate operations.
Midday Legal Briefs
Microsoft has successfully dismantled 'Fox Tempest,' a cybercrime service that exploited legitimate platforms for illicit activities. The FBI is also seeking nationwide access to license plate camera data for near real-time monitoring.
This indie dev's dungeon crawling 'descent into madness' was inspired by motherly love
Indie developer Christopher Yabsley is creating Heathen, a dark fantasy dungeon crawler inspired by a cherished childhood memory of playing Diablo with his mother. The game will feature first-person combat, randomized loot, and online co-op, with an early access release planned for Steam.
Devs, be careful what you plug in: GitHub security breach was apparently facilitated by a 'poisoned Visual Studio…
GitHub has reported a cyberattack resulting in unauthorized access to its internal repositories. While customer information does not appear to be compromised, the platform confirmed that the attacker's claims of exfiltrating approximately 3,800 repositories are consistent with their investigation. Hacker group TeamPCP has claimed responsibility, but stated their motivation is not extortion, and they are seeking buyers for the data or will leak it for free.
A Forza Horizon 6 Sound Effect Might Just Trigger Some Awful Memories For You
Forza Horizon 6 features a car horn sound effect that mimics the Microsoft Teams notification, a callback to its publisher, Microsoft. This sound effect, also present in Forza Horizon 5, has elicited humorous and sometimes negative reactions from players. The game has also set new player count records on Steam and is currently available on PC and Xbox Series X|S, with a PlayStation 5 release planned for later this year.
Web infrastructure company Cloudflare says Claude Mythos reasoning 'looks like the work of a senior…
Cloudflare has analyzed Anthropic's Claude Mythos AI model, finding it to be a significant advancement in identifying and exploiting software vulnerabilities. While the model can chain low-severity bugs into severe exploits, Cloudflare suggests a more directed, multi-agent approach is more effective than a single agent reviewing large codebases. The company believes the focus should shift from rapid patching to architectural defenses that make exploitation harder, even when bugs exist.
Are Forza Horizon 6 Servers Down? Check FH6 Server Status
This guide helps players determine if Forza Horizon 6 servers are down due to maintenance, outages, or other issues. It advises checking official Forza Support channels on Twitter/X, the Xbox Network Status page, and community reports on platforms like Reddit and Discord. Common online errors and basic troubleshooting steps are also provided.
Microsoft plans to launch a cheaper 8 GB Surface laptop later this year which won't meet the requirements of a…
Microsoft is planning to release a cheaper 13-inch Surface laptop later this year with 8 GB of RAM, starting at $1,300. This configuration will not meet the minimum requirements for a Copilot+ PC, which mandates 16 GB of RAM. The new models will feature Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips, with higher-end versions offering 16 GB or 24 GB of RAM starting at $1,500.
US: Tomodachi Life No.1 and Nintendo Switch 2 No.1 hardware for April 2026
The Nintendo Switch 2 was the best-selling hardware in the U.S. for April 2026, while Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream topped the software sales charts. The article lists the top ten best-selling games for the month, including new entries like Pragmata and Crimson Desert.
