Xbox will let you pin up to three favorite games to your homescreen

Xbox Insiders also get to hide those pesky system apps.

Xbox

You’ll soon be able to get into your favorite games even faster with the updated Xbox home screen. According toMicrosoft, Xbox Insiders are due to get three new customization options later this week that will make their dashboard feel a little more personal. As detailed inXbox Wire, certain Xbox players will have options to reduce clutter and allow them to pull their favorite games to the front of the list.

Xbox settings screen showing customization options for Home recently played games and apps list, including tile size selection, a checked box to hide system apps, and a dropdown to choose the number of visible tiles.

The first major change lets you pin up to three of your favorite games or apps to the recently-played list. Pinning these means that they’ll stay near the front of your list even when you launch other apps occasionally. Beyond that, your Xbox will get the option to “Hide System Apps” which should reduce the clutter and tuck those less important shortcuts away. To further streamline your home screen, Xbox will introduce the “Reduce Tile Count” feature that lets you set how many visible tiles are in the recently opened games and apps list. With more control thanks to these new features, Xbox players should get a cleaner homepage that lets their dynamic backgrounds shine more.

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“We’ve heard from many of you that Home should feel more like your space,” Eden Marie, principal software engineering lead of Xbox Experiences, wrote on Xbox’s blog. “Whether it’s surfacing your favorite games, hiding what you don’t use, or simply making Home feel less crowded, this update is a direct response to that feedback.”

According to Microsoft, these features will arrive on Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha users’ consoles first. However, the company is still tweaking the Reduce Tile Count feature, adding that it “will be coming soon.” Now, if only there were a way to hide those ads on the homescreen.

Microsoft attemps to avoid EU fines by further decoupling Teams and Office

EU regulators will decide whether the offer is sufficient after a feedback period.

NurPhoto via Getty Images

The European Commission (EC) has beenfiring on all cylindersinholding big tech to accountthrough variousfinesand enforcement actions, attempting to create a more competitive landscape in a space that has become increasingly monopolized.

Microsofthas been in a years-long dispute with the EC, whichopened an antitrust probein 2023 after Slack filed a complaint in 2020 alleging that Microsoft’s bundling of Teams and Microsoft 365 was anticompetitive.

The companyunbundled the two productsin the EU shortly thereafter in a bid to avoid antitrust fines, but it wasn’t enough to appease the EC. In 2024, the Commission found thatMicrosoft did not go far enoughand was still in violation of antitrust laws, risking massive fines.

This week,Microsoft respondedwith a more robust set of commitments. Its productivity software suites will continue to be offered without Teams in the European Economic Area (EEA) for at least seven years. Minimum price deltas will be set between versions of the suites that include Teams and those which do not.

Microsoft has also offered to align these options and pricing structures for its suites and Teams globally should the EC accept its proposal. Interoperability enhancements that make it easier to use third-party competitors to Teams were also included in the proposal.

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“The proposed commitments are the result of constructive, good-faith discussions with the European Commission over several months. We believe that they represent a clear and complete resolution to the concerns raised by our competitors and will provide European customers with more choices,” said Nanna-Louise Linde, Microsoft’s VP of European Government Affairs.

The EC hasbegun an open feedback period, seeking comments from competitors and citizens on whether the proposed commitments by Microsoft are adequate and place the company back within the bounds of the EU’s antitrust regulations.

Nintendo officially details FREE Switch 2 upgrades coming to Switch 1 games: Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, more

A group of video game posters

As we detailed previously, not only are there new Switch 2 Edition games, Switch 2 exclusives, and Switch 1 games you can play on your next-gen Nintendo console, but there are also a series of first-party Switch games getting FREE updates for Switch 2. This we already knew, but at the time Nintendo was incredibly vague about what these updates actually were, and now we have official details. 

Nintendo Switch 2: Free game upgrade details

As a quick refresher, there are a series of Switch 1 games that are getting FREE updates for folks with a Switch 2 console starting next month. Not to be confused with the Switch 2 Edition titles that are seeing more substantial upgrades in the form of new features and expansion packs, likeThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV,Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World, these are a series of Switch 1 Nintendo titles that will be seeing visual upgrades and the like when played on Switch 2. 

Here’s a quick reminder on the titles getting free upgrades:

  • Super Mario Odyssey
  • Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
  • New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
  • The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
  • The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
  • Pokémon Scarlet
  • Pokémon Violet
  • ARMS
  • Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
  • Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
  • Game Builder Garage
  • Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain

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We have alreadydetailedthe paid upgrade packs on the Switch 2 Edition titlesright here, but Nintendo has now updated its “games with free updates” page on its official site with additional details on what the FREE updates actually are:

Update available: June 5, 2025

Updates included:

  • Visuals: Optimized for the Nintendo Switch 2 display and high-resolution TVs for improved image quality.
  • HDR support***.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Update available: June 5, 2025

Updates included:

  • Visuals: Optimized for the Nintendo Switch 2 display and high-resolution TVs for improved image quality.
  • HDR support***.

Super Mario Odyssey

Update available: June 5, 2025

Updates included:

  • Visuals: Optimized for the Nintendo Switch 2 display and high-resolution TVs for improved image quality.
  • HDR support***.

GameShare support:

  • Two people can play together, with one player controlling Mario and the other controlling Cappy.
  • Share locally or share online via GameChat****.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury

Update available: June 5, 2025

Updates included:

  • Visuals: Optimized for the Nintendo Switch 2 display and high-resolution TVs for improved image quality.
  • Frame rate: Optimized for smoother movement on Nintendo Switch 2 (including Bowser’s Fury).
  • HDR support*** (Bowser’s Fury only).

GameShare support:

  • Up to four people** can play Super Mario 3D World.
  • In Bowser’s Fury, two people can play together, with one player controlling Mario and the other controlling Bowser Jr.
  • Share locally or share online via GameChat****.

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Pokémon Violet

Update available: June 5, 2025

Updates included:

  • Visuals: Optimized for the Nintendo Switch 2 display and high-resolution TVs for improved image quality.
  • Frame rate: Improved for smoother movement on Nintendo Switch 2.

Pokémon Scarlet

Update available: June 5, 2025

Updates included:

  • Visuals: Optimized for the Nintendo Switch 2 display and high-resolution TVs for improved image quality.
  • Frame rate: Improved for smoother movement on Nintendo Switch 2.

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

Update available: June 5, 2025

Updates included:

  • Visuals: Optimized for the Nintendo Switch 2 display and high-resolution TVs for improved image quality.

Game Builder Garage

Update available: June 5, 2025

Updates included:

  • Visuals: Optimized for the Nintendo Switch 2 display and high-resolution TVs for improved image quality.
  • Supports Joy-Con™ 2 mouse controls.

Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics

Update available: June 5, 2025

GameShare support:

  • Up to four people** can play 34 games.
  • Share locally or share online via GameChat****.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Update available: June 5, 2025

Updates included:

  • Visuals: Optimized for the Nintendo Switch 2 display and high-resolution TVs for improved image quality.
  • HDR support***.

GameShare support:

  • Two people can play all of the courses.
  • Share locally or share online via GameChat****.

Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain

Update available: June 5, 2025

GameShare support:

  • Up to four people** can play in Party Mode.
  • Share locally or share online via GameChat****.

ARMS

Update available: June 5, 2025

Updates included:

  • Visuals: Optimized for the Nintendo Switch 2 display and high-resolution TVs for improved image quality.
  • Frame rate: Optimized for Nintendo Switch 2 for smoother movement (even when playing with 3 or more players**).
  • HDR support***.

*Nintendo Switch 2 system must initiate GameShare session. Users who receive software via GameShare can only play the software during the GameChat session in which it was shared. Shared game will not be playable after the chat ends.

**Additional accessories may be required for multiplayer mode. Sold separately.

***HDR-compatible display required when playing in TV mode.

****Internet, Nintendo Switch Online membership and Nintendo Account required for online features, including GameChat. Not available in all countries. Terms and GameChat requirements apply. support.nintendo.com. GameChat Open-Access Period: Until March 31, 2026, a Nintendo Switch Online membership is not needed to enjoy GameChat. Afterwards, a Nintendo Switch Online membership will be required.

Google adds new AI accessibility features to Android, Chrome, and Chromebook

One highlight is Gemini’s revamped Talkback feature.

A collage of Google accessibility images, including two phone screens showing live captions and an image description.

Google launches new accessibility features in honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Day.Credit: Google


Googletoday announced a suite of newaccessibilityfeatures in honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, includingAI-powered and personality-driven settingsfor users’ most popular assistive tools.

Earlier this week, the company also announced new AI-powered scam prevention tools in Chrome browsers, as it tries tooverhaul the public’s perceptionof tech and its encroachment into our lives,Black Mirror-style.

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Gemini for Talkback can carry a convo

For Android users, Google is enhancing the Talkback experience — the company’s in-house screen reader tool for people who are blind or have low vision — with more Gemini features, including the ability to ask questions about Talkback’s descriptions. Users can also get live information about their entire screens by asking specific questions to Gemini while using Talkback.

Google first announcedGemini for Talkback in 2024, intended to provide support for onscreen images withoutalt text.

More human captions

Google is also revamping itsExpressive Captionsfeature, introduced in December to provide a more accurate captioning experience that includes the vocalizations and emotions of the speaker within the caption’s text, such as gasps, raised voices, and background noise context. The new expressive captions will now add the flair of a speaker’s vocal stylings, such as elongated vowels or dragged out sounds, and even more sound labels, like whistling.

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New accessibility tools for students, and more

Gif of a software engineer demonstrating Face control

google

For Chromebooks, the company is collaborating with College Board — the national nonprofit that oversees AP, SAT, and college admissions curricula — to integrate Google’s accessibility tools into theBluebooktesting app. Students will be able to use their Chromebook’s assistive features, likeChromeVox screen readerandDictation, when taking a College Board test.

In addition, mobile Chrome users will now be able to zoom in on just the text of a webpage, instead of the entire screen, with Page Zoom. And the company is also introducing Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for PDFs, which will allow screen readers to interact and understand scanned PDFs.

Apple CarPlay Ultra just announced — here’s all the new features

A new era for CarPlay begins

Apple CarPlay Ultra in use

(Image credit: Top Gear/YouTube)

Apple has finally started rolling outCarPlay 2. However, the company calls its updated infotainment system CarPlay Ultra.

The new CarPlay Ultra starts with Aston Martin, but other brands, such as Kia and Hyundai, are on board. CarPlay Ultra is integrated deeply into the car, including instrument clusters, and gives you control over everything from the climate system to the radio.

“Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada, and will be available for existing models that feature the brand’s next-generation infotainment system through a software update in the coming weeks,” said Apple in apress release.

New Apple CarPlay Ultra: Apple Just Took Over Your Car!

Unlike the current version of CarPlay, the new one is integrated deeply into the car, which Apple says allows it to “deliver the best of iPhone and the best of the car.” That means it’s not as simple as just putting out a software update to bring CarPlay Ultra to existing vehicles, and it’ll be limited to new cars that add the feature.

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Apple CarPlay Ultra
Apple CarPlay Ultra
Apple CarPlay Ultra

So far, Apple says, “Many other automakers around the world are working to bring CarPlay Ultra to drivers, including newly committed brands Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.”

Here’s all the new stuff coming to Apple CarPlay Ultra.

Apple CarPlay Ultra — what’s new?

The biggest thing that changes with CarPlay Ultra compared to the currentApple CarPlayis that it integrates into more systems within the vehicle.

With it, you can use onscreen controls, buttons and Siri to control car functions like radio and climate (which would previously have been done outside of CarPlay through the car’s built-in operating system).

Additionally, CarPlay Ultra integrates into the instrument cluster. Apple says it offers “dynamic and beautiful options for the speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, temperature gauge, and more, bringing a consistent look and feel to the entire driving experience.”

Things like maps and media can show right in the cluster, which could help drivers keep focus on the road and not theirinfotainment system.

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Apple CarPlay Ultra
Apple CarPlay Ultra
Apple CarPlay Ultra
Apple CarPlay Ultra
Apple CarPlay Ultra
Apple CarPlay Ultra
Apple CarPlay Ultra
Apple CarPlay Ultra

Unlike CarPlay as we know it now, the Ultra will let automakers customize the look and feel to match their design aesthetic.

Otherwise, you can still use your iPhone apps in CarPlay Ultra to play your favorite music and podcasts, get navigation, and so on. The features available haven’t changed much, but how it integrates with the car is a big difference that should bring us closer to theApple Carwe never received.

Vehicle manufacturers supporting CarPlay Ultra

  • Land Rover
  • Lincoln
  • Audi
  • Volvo
  • Honda
  • Nissan
  • Ford
  • Porsche
  • Jaguar
  • Acura
  • Polestar
  • Infiniti
  • Renault
  • Kia
  • Genesis
  • Hyundai
  • Aston Martin

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It’s worth noting that Mercedes was previously on board but has since ditched Apple’s infotainment system. It’s been a long time since Apple announced these brands, so other brands could have jumped ship.