I'm just going to say it as plain as I can: Microsoft customer support really needs to improve. We have, of course, had the recent case where someone being locked out of their account went viral on social media, which seemingly magically prompted some action.

Now, over on the Steam Deck subreddit there's an exhausting tale of a player who has been locked out of playing Forza Horizon 6 for 70 days over an issue with cloud sync. And guess what? Xbox support apparently can do nothing to help.

The detailed explanation goes through the entire ordeal, but the problem boils down to an issue with Forza Horizon 6 syncing to Microsoft's servers, not Steam. The game crashed and appears to have created a server-side block on the sync completing, and now leaves the game unplayable as soon as it tries to connect.

I can already hear some that would point at the Steam Deck being the problem. But for starters, the game is Steam Deck verified, and user reports on ProtonDB for the game are pretty good. But games crash on Windows, too.

The alarming part here seems to be that what's happened could, in theory, happen to anyone who bought the game on Steam and doesn't have access to an Xbox to fix it.

Because the short end to the long story is that the final official support 'solution' is to use an Xbox console to delete the cloud save. Which is fine, if you have an Xbox console. Chances are if you bought Forza Horizon 6 on Steam, though, maybe you don't? Either that or you hate money since it's Xbox Play Anywhere through the Xbox App on Windows.

Part of the frustration seems to be that neither the Forza nor Xbox support teams can delete this data on a player's behalf. I find it very hard to believe that a company the size of Microsoft with such an intricate web of servers and cloud support wouldn't be able to do this. It is, however, more convenient to try and pass it down to us to sort out.

It also potentially highlights a weakness within the Xbox cloud system itself, but that's a discussion for another day. But it wouldn't be a stretch to hope that if a sync fails, the system just falls back to the last one that didn't rather than locking up entirely.

Reading this whole drama is just disappointing. Either there are fundamental problems with Microsoft systems that need addressing, or, and I feel like this is probably more likely, customer support just isn't up to scratch.

I've had my own issues over the years with other areas of customer support within Microsoft, so I definitely don't think it's new. And let's be real, the chances of support agents being replaced by AI loom ever larger.

Fortunately, there is a potential way out, but it's not exactly what you'd call a solution. Many on the Reddit thread have suggested signing up for Game Pass and trying to utilize Xbox Cloud Gaming to see if that can help unblock the cloud sync.

Without an Xbox console handy, this is probably the only thing that could be tried, and it sounds like it could work, but the OP hasn't yet come back with an update. Even if it does, it's still some added expense and effort that shouldn't be needed.

Trying to access the cloud storage via the Xbox web app hasn't seemed to work, either, as if the game hasn't been played through cloud streaming in the last 30 days, nothing appears. Likewise, the original poster hasn't had any joy using the Xbox App on Windows 11.

But it's yet another tale after years and years of tales of poor support from Xbox/Microsoft when it comes to technical issues blocking players from their content. It should not take someone going onto the internet and going viral to prompt action.

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Xbox has been on a bit of a tear when it comes to new platform features lately.

Yesterday, Microsoft announced the latest build for the Xbox Insider Program, with a variety of new features big and small. The features included better management for Xbox cloud saves, better sorting of your games library, and other bits and pieces. The headline act, however, is voice clip recording on the Xbox Game DVR. This is a feature people have been asking Microsoft to add for over a decade, all the way back to the Xbox One era.

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When you have an epic gameplay moment with friends, it would be awesome if you could also capture their reactions without having to use a complex capture rig. You'd need to use a streaming PC with StreamLabs OBS or a capture card like the Elgato 4K S to extract the audio alongside your Xbox gameplay. But yesterday's update has made it a million times easier.

Here's a clip from a quick gameplay session on Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 I had this morning, showing how the first iteration works.

As you can see (or ... well, hear) the audio levels aren't ideal out of the box. You can barely hear me in this capture over the audio of the game. You would have to lower the gameplay sound a fair bit in order to be able to hear me, but it would be ideal if Microsoft would add settings for this.

In order for this feature to work, users have to enable it in the settings. Only users who have enabled game or party chat audio capture will appear in the sound mix, giving you total control over whether or not your reactions are captured (potentially saving your more embarrassing gameplay moments from going viral.)

You can also set whether your voice is clippable in public audio settings too, such as lobby chat on Call of Duty (oh boy) or in proximity chat games like Arc Raiders and the like.

Hopefully, Microsoft will add audio mix granularity sliders in the future, as it's far too quiet in my opinion as of writing. Additionally, capturing a clip seems to temporarily freeze a game for 0.2 seconds when you have voice capture turned on. I'm not sure if that's a consequence of the feature or an instability in the latest Alpha build, but I'm sure the experience will be improved before hitting general availability.

It's potentially exciting how this feature could evolve in the future. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is a former Meta executive, and likely has thoughts on how to leverage social media virality as a vector for growing Xbox's footprint. Perhaps there's a future where Xbox supports webcam picture-in-picture clipping too, and maybe we'll even get direct sharing to social networks back again some day on top. Perhaps even native Xbox Series X|S video editing tools will return as well, who knows?!

Microsoft has been listening to user feature ideas more aggressively lately via the Xbox Player Voice portal over here. The top most requested feedback is still "Xbox exclusive games," which Xbox has delivered in the form of Clockwork Revolution and Gears of War: E-Day. Xbox also confirmed it will deliver "Platinum" completion achievements later in 2026.

What features would YOU like to see Xbox deliver? Let us know in the comments.

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The Nintendo Switch 2 is now a little over a year old, but one game that a whole bunch of owners would have been hoping for an upgraded version of hasn't yet materialised. That game is Minecraft.

The good news is that will end fairly soon, as Microsoft's behemoth is almost ready for it. The Nintendo Switch 2 Minecraft upgrade is currently confirmed for October 27, 2026.

Obviously this is good news for Switch 2 owners, which includes my own impatient son. For existing owners a "digital upgrade path" will be available, with more information to come. It also doesn't say this upgrade will be free, and the wording definitely makes me feel like there will be some kind of cost attached. But I guess we'll have to wait and see.

The Switch 2 upgrade to Minecraft will bring it more in line with other platforms, with the new Vibrant Visuals experience being enabled as default.

"Let me unfurl this metaphorical scroll a little to remind you why we’re all so excited. First, the Nintendo Switch™ 2 renders the world of Minecraft to lush life with Vibrant Visuals – set as the default visual experience. This means enhanced lighting, shadow effects and more – and you can even enjoy Vibrant Visuals* enabled content across all the supported content in Minecraft Marketplace. "

This also extends to the exclusive Super Mario pack that's only available on the Nintendo version of Minecraft. It, too, will be given some Vibrant Visuals, so have fun with it.

If anything, I'm only surprised it's taken this long. Vibrant Visuals launched around the same time as the Nintendo Switch 2, and it'll be 16 months on when the upgrade is finally made available.

Minecraft has recently been brought directly under Xbox leadership and its CEO, Asha Sharma. It's reported she feels Microsoft has underinvested in Minecraft as a platform and wants to change that in the face of increasing competition from other game-as-a-platform titles such as Roblox.

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GTA 6 + Netflix. Just completely out of nowhere. But it's not a joke.

Announced today by its creator, Rockstar Games, is "Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look" and it will be premiering on Netflix on August 27 at 3pm Eastern.

If you're still at work or you don't subscribe to Netflix, don't panic, it will be added to YouTube later.

Netflix has an exclusive on probably the hottest show of the year, but not for long. Later the very same day, August 27, the same show will be uploaded to the Rockstar YouTube channel and the GTA 6 website at 9pm Eastern.

What are we actually going to see, though? That's still a secret. But since December 2023 we've only had two actual trailers, and neither of those has shown us any gameplay. Both were full cinematics showing off some of the characters and locations we can expect to see in Vice City.

So, surely you'd expect an "extended look" to at least show us some gameplay, right?

At this point, though, any information would be good information. We know nothing official about the story, the size of the map, any online plans, gameplay. It's the most hyped game of all time and we know essentially nothing about it.

We do know that it's currently scheduled to release on November 19, 2026, and that to play at launch you'll need to be on Xbox Series X|S or PS5. And that you can pre-order GTA 6 now.

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Halo: Campaign Evolved launched just days ago, and it appears Microsoft is moving quickly to make cuts at Halo Studios now that the game is out. A number of developers who were previously employed at Halo Studios have posted on LinkedIn today confirming that some roles have been laid off. (via Insider Gaming)

Halo Studios producer Nick Treitman confirmed that he was impacted by the layoffs, stating that "after 6.5 years working on Halo and dodging just as many rounds of layoffs - it has finally caught up to me. I have nothing but love for Halo and the folks at the studio, this is just a tough reality in the gaming industry right now."

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Paul Morris, listed as Scrum Master at Halo Studios, also confirmed that his role had been impacted by layoffs this week. "Today, I learned my time at Halo Studios will be coming to an end following the successful launch of our latest game, Halo: Campaign Evolved. I know this is one of the most challenging job markets our industry has seen, and I know the road ahead won’t be easy."

A number of other Halo Studio employees have updated their LinkedIn pages confirming that they are now available for work. The layoffs come as new reports claim Halo: Campaign Evolved's development was troubled throughout, taking up more resources than originally planned and causing other projects such as a Halo multiplayer game to be canceled.

Halo Studios had confirmed plans to use Unreal Engine 5 in future Halo titles to help streamline development and make building Halo games faster. But for the Halo remake, it chose to use a modified version of the Halo: Reach engine known as Blam, but with Unreal Engine 5 graphics and assets on top.

Unfortunately for the studio, this led to development being more complex, with third-party studio Abstraction struggling to meet deadlines imposed by Halo Studios and being ultimately kicked off the project, forcing Halo Studios to scrap much of the work done by Abstraction and rebuild assets in the Blam engine instead.

If this story sounds familiar, that's because it closely mirrors the development of Halo: Infinite. That game also suffered from a troubled development cycle, with contractors struggling to meet deadlines and work in the Slipspace Engine (which was just the Blam engine with a new name.)

Now, with layoffs impacting Halo Studios, it's clear that Microsoft is moving forward with its confirmed 3,200 layoffs, 1,600 of which were already made back in July.

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Xbox has just announced on its website that it is rolling out new Xbox Series X|S console features for Xbox Insiders before sending them out to the general public, one of which has been requested by many Xbox players since the days of the Xbox One.

These new features include being able to have voice chat included in game captures, more options for viewing achievements, more control over Cloud save data, and improvements to Xbox wishlists.

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Voice Chat in Game Captures

The first and possibly biggest new feature of this bunch is allowing gameplay captures to include your voice and those of your chat party instead of just the gameplay audio alone.

Each player can choose if they want to have their voice included in the clip, and you can also choose to include in-game chat audio in your captures if you're not using the Xbox app's voice chat party feature.

This feature is now available for Xbox Insider users in the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring.

New methods of viewing your Xbox Achievements

Keeping track of your Xbox Achievements has now been made less of a hassle for Xbox Insider users in the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring.

In addition to the 'last played' view option, players can now sort games by title, completion percentage, Gamerscore earned, and the number of Achievements unlocked.

These options can also be sorted in ascending or descending order, whichever a user prefers.

This feature will no doubt be super useful for those hunting for the newly announced Xbox Platinum Achievements coming soon.

More Control Over Your Cloud Saves

This feature is already available for Xbox Insiders, but starting next week, more Xbox players will have the option to restore previously synced cloud save data directly from their Xbox console with games that support it, starting with Forza Horizon 6.

This means that if you need to recover a precious version of your save, you can browse cloud save versions and restore it to an easier save file directly from your console instead of just the Cloud.

You can access this feature for Forza Horizon 6 by going into the Xbox console's 'Manage game & add-ons' options menu, going to 'Saved data', and then clicking 'Restore saved data'.

More Xbox games will support this feature in future updates.

Add More Games To Your Wishlist

The final new feature announced is available for all Xbox users and it's a simple one.

Starting today, you can now add up to 1,000 Xbox games to your wishlist, instead of only 301, allowing you to keep track of more upcoming Xbox you're interested in playing and when they'll go on sale.

Windows Central's take

All these features are all fine and dandy, but the one me and my friends are hyped about mostly is the voice chat becoming available to be included in game captures.

Some of my favorite gaming moments have been listening to my friends freaking out being mauled by monsters in Monster Hunter, or screaming triumphantly after killing a boss I've been stuck on for hours in Elden Ring.

Yes, you can do this already if you're a livestreamer, but that usually requires going out of your way to purchase recording capture cards and learning how to stream, which can be expensive and time-consuming.

With this new feature, you can have your voice in gameplay clips with just your Xbox console alone; no capture gear or streaming knowledge needed, which is good for me, as I never want to become a streamer anytime soon due to stage fright.

But what about you? Are you happy that voice chat in recorded game clips is now possible? Are there any other features you want Xbox consoles to include?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit page.

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Xbox is back with a flurry of updates for the Xbox Series X|S, including one headline act that I think will make many people very happy.

Today, Xbox revealed that it has acted on some of the top feedback requests from the Xbox Feedback site, including voice clip and party chat recording inside the Xbox game DVR. Recordings will now also capture your team mates' cries of valor or wails of defeat (if you enable it, that is), alongside other various Xbox system improvements.

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Microsoft has been on a bit of a tear with regards to fan feedback through 2026. It started delivering Xbox exclusives again, added the Xbox backward compatibility emulator to PC, and also reverted the much-hated Xbox Game Pass price hike from last year. And now, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma just confirmed one of the most-requested features for "later this year."

Speaking on X (Twitter), Xbox CEO Asha Sharma replied to a fan "team is working on something for later this year," when asked if Microsoft would implement "Platinum"-styled completion achievements.

Players have been pining for an answer to PlayStation's platinum trophy system, which rewards players with a trophy for achieving 100% completion rates in games. Xbox games typically come with 1000 gamer score to earn per title, but there's no reward for acquiring all of the achievements.

I suspect Xbox was probably working out some of the finer details about how it would work in continuity with gamer score. Many games receive extra achievements post-launch, which would obviously remove your "100%" completion status. Perhaps you get the platinum achievement simply for hitting the base 1000 gamer score in the title? Who knows. Either way, it seems that Xbox will have an answer for it later this year!

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Lenovo Legion Go gaming handhelds are reportedly being bricked by a BIOS update. According to reports, installing the N3CN42WW update results in a black screen and systems not booting correctly.

It's not clear how widespread this issue is, but I suggest holding off on installing a BIOS update on your Legion Go until Lenovo has clarified the situation.

The problem affects the original Legion Go (often called the Legion Go 1 by fans), including both the Z1 and Z1 Extreme models.

In some cases, the Legion Go failed to boot immediately after the BIOS update was installed. In other cases, the failure occurred later.

Some users have said the performance of their Legion Go has gotten worse over time, such as the controllers not working.

Several Legion Go owners have reported issues on Reddit. The mods at the LegionGo subreddit shared the following:

"It has come to our attention that some of the Z1E and Z1 versions are being bricked when updating to the latest BIOS that was released on June 17th, 2026.

Please do not update your devices unless you are willing to assume all risks. We the mod team are trying our best to understand and get help on this."

They also asked people to share if they've run into the same issue.

Reddit user mherold11 said they reached out to Lenovo support to have their Legion Go repaired. They were told that fixing the gaming handheld would be a chargeable repair since the device was out of warranty. The quote for repair was €237.16 (roughly $273.81).

Other people in that same Reddit thread said their Legion Go gaming handhelds were repaired at no cost when still in warranty.

One Reddit user had luck performing their own repair, but that fix was complicated and is not recommended for general users.

This is a developing story and we do not know the extent of the issue. If you have a Legion Go and have been affected by the issue (or have upgraded and not run into the problem), please share with us through the comments below and reach out to Lenovo and the mods of the LegionGo subreddit.

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