Microsoft and the biggest companies in tech come up with new stories every week. We cover them as they break, but as they roll, it’s easy to miss some pieces. To start each weekend, we collate the latest news into one short piece. This week we saw a leaked Xbox Elite controller, Windows 11, on ARM News, and reports that Microsoft plans to shut down its “Modern Life Experience” team. Away from the virtual press, here are the biggest news stories of the week.
Xbox elite controller leak
A “White Edition” of the Xbox Elite controller was leaked in a video this week. The alleged white version of the Xbox Elite Controller Series 2 replaces the currently available Elite controller’s charcoal body with a white finish. The controller’s handles are black, creating a contrast between black and white.
There’s always a chance that leaked videos like these could be fake, but our gaming editor Jez Corden believes there’s a good chance the controller shown is genuine.
Microsoft will reportedly lay off “Modern Life Experience” team
(image credit: future)
According to a recent report, Microsoft is preparing to lay off its “Modern Life Experience” team. That team focus on “win back consumers” and was established in 2018. Over 200 employees will reportedly be affected by the move. According to the report, they have 60 days to find a position within Microsoft or they have the option to seek severance.
Of course, Microsoft will continue its efforts to win over consumers, but will likely find another way to do so.
Windows 11 on ARM gets a big boost
(image credit: future)
Windows 11 on ARM devices should see an increase in customized apps, thanks to ARM64EC support for the operating system. ARM64EC allows developers to use a combination of ARM code and x64 code within the same application. This lets them migrate to an ARM-friendly basis while seeing immediate performance gains. For example, most applications can be optimized for ARM, but some dependencies or extensions can run x64 code through emulation.
“With ARM64EC, you can choose to start small and build incrementally. You can identify the part of your codebase that will benefit most from native performance and rebuild it as ARM64EC,” Microsoft explained when first announcing this feature. “The rest of the app will remain fully functional as emulated x64, but the recompiled ARM64EC parts will now have native speed. Over time, you can use ARM64EC to improve performance and save battery life for customers of your app.” I can recompile more apps.
Microsoft Edge makes it easier to quit Chrome
(image credit: future)
Microsoft rolled out an update for Edge this week that brought the browser to version 104. While a relatively minor update, it included one feature that grabbed people’s attention. Edge 104 allows users to migrate data from Chrome by logging in to a Google account even without Chrome installed. This should make it easy to swap to Edge without losing data.
Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2022
(image credit: Samsung)
While not directly related to Windows or Microsoft, Samsung Galaxy Unpacked was the biggest news in tech this week. Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 4, Flip 4 and Watch 5 at the event. The Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 are about what we expect, iterative improvements compared to their predecessors.
An interesting thing emerged about the Z Flip 4 that tied it to Microsoft’s Surface Duo. This upcoming device from Samsung will have a better multitasking experience. Our senior editor took a closer look to see if the Galaxy Z Fold 4 can “settle apart the dual-screen multitasking of the Surface Duo.”
review
In addition to covering the biggest industry news, our experts review the latest gadgets and games every week. Here’s what we saw over the past seven days:
