Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will be available on PS5 in April of this year, and there will be no additional cost to enjoy it in Virtual Reality. Sim Update 5 includes the VR mode as well as a few other minor improvements, such as snazzy new avionics and compatibility for five new payware aircraft. Anyone who already owns the game on PS5 will be able to try out the VR feature for free because, let’s be honest, the timing looks promising for a release in the first half of next month.
Microsoft has just launched Copilot Health, a completely new feature of its AI assistant that functions as a health hub, deciphering your medical records and fitness tracker data to identify key health trends. Users get started by simply creating a dedicated tab in Copilot and give authorization to import data from the appropriate sources.
Photo credit: Video Games History
The original Xbox prototype made a comeback appearance at GDC 2026, generating a lot of interest as part of a larger Microsoft exhibit showcasing Xbox history. That first concept design was originally shown at the Game Developers Conference in March 2000, just as the company was about to enter the console market.
Microsoft’s Project Silica has reached a significant milestone in its goal to develop ultra-long-lasting storage that can survive for generations. Researchers in the field have just published a paper in Nature outlining a major breakthrough in the approach, as they are now using good old-fashioned kitchen cookware glass, such as that found in an oven door or a Pyrex dish, rather than super-specialized glass that is far too expensive for the job.
The Microsoft Cordless Phone System debuted quietly in late 1998, marking the company’s first move into hardware. It plugged directly into a Windows PC, aiming to combine ordinary calls with the power of home computers. This product was launched on October 6th, and by November, it was available in stores for an anticipated price of $199.95 ($395 today).
Microsoft has recently launched its latest custom AI processor, the Maia 200, and the timing, or should I say circumstances, of its release could not be more coincidental. Inference, the stage where a trained AI model generates responses and other outputs, has become the most expensive part of running AI systems at scale. To address that issue square on, Microsoft designed the Maia 200 from the ground up with the sole purpose of making inference more efficient and cost-effective, and the results are very evident.
Windows RG started off as a snarky little Flash animation in 2001, when using Windows ME felt like an endless misery. James Webb, the person who came up with the idea, programmed a spoof of Windows ME that captured the irritation of dealing with a broken operating system that simply wouldn’t operate.
Microsoft knows how to time a release perfectly. With the second season of Prime Video’s Fallout series just around the corner, the company has released a pair of controllers that draw inspiration from the game’ most recognizable device: the Pip-Boy. The Xbox controllers are available in two versions: a normal Wireless model and a top-tier Elite Series 2 variant.
Microsoft’s annual holiday sweater release has arrived, and this year they’ve thrown caution to the wind by creating three sweaters commemorating the good, terrible, and ugly of Microsoft history. Each of them is essentially a wearable essay on the company’s greatest achievements and mistakes, a jumble of software flaws, faded content that no one remembers, and console releases that changed everything, for better or worse.
