Fancy yourself a rapid-striking Ninja-style warrior in Minecraft Dungeons? Then you need this guide.

Minecraft Dungeons is an awesome action RPG with a bright future ahead of it. New expansions are fast approaching as we dive deeper into the endgame, farming gear, and figuring out the best builds for each playstyle.

As part of our series on Best Minecraft Dungeons Character Builds, here's a deeper look at what ninja-style rogue players should look out for when making a build.

Smash and loot

Minecraft Dungeons

See at AmazonGet with Xbox Game Pass

Minecraft meets Diablo

Minecraft Dungeons is an action RPG set in the blocky worlds of Minecraft! Team up with three friends and get your dungeon crawl on.

Minecraft Dungeons Spider Armor Assassin Build

This build revolves specifically around the Nightmare's Bite sickles and Spider Armor. Working in conjunction, the Nightmare's Bite spawns a large poison cloud on every strike, damaging enemies in an area of effect. The Spider Armor applies a 3 percent life steal aura on your character too, ensuring that you don't die while in the melee. Your playstyle with this build will depend heavily on what enchants you're able to get onto this gear, which we'll cover in the next section.

As for ranged weapons, since this build is all about melee, ideally you'll be looking for a bow or crossbow that either feed the fantasy or the build, or come with specifically useful enchants, such as Tempo Theft, to help you increase your speed.

All items can be found from the Blacksmith if you're lucky, but you can narrow it down by using Minecraft Dungeon's loot tables. The Nightmare's Bite can drop in Pumpkin Pastures, Arch Haven, or the Desert Temple. The Spider Armor can drop anywhere Thief Armor drops, including the Desert Temple, and Redstone Mines.

Name	Description	Gameplay Image
Nightmare's Bite	A rapid-attacking pair of sickles ideal for rogues. It also spawns poison clouds, stacking with Life Stealing-type enchants for tons of self-sustain. ○ Spawns poison clouds ○ Dual wield
Spider Armor	The Spider Armor is a rogue's best friend, providing a passive lifesteal aura on attacks, alongside bonuses to damage. ○ +3 percent lifesteal aura ○ +25 percent melee attack speed
Auto Crossbow	Function over form, this creation of the Arch-Illager cranks up the fire rate far beyond alternatives. That rate also increases as you shoot, rewarding those who hold down the trigger. Ideal for targeting large groups of hostile mobs. ○ High Firerate ○ Firerate increases upon firing
Mechanical Shortbow	This engineered bow cranks up the fire rate, outputting more arrows per second, than your average bow. Spray and pray, as much as your ammunition reserves can handle. ○ Accelerated Fire Rate

Ideal enchants

Grabbing the right enchants on your items can be a rather random affair, oftentimes it makes sense to just go with the best enchants you get and adapt as necessary. However, if you're able to grab any of these, it can seriously boost your build.

Weapon Enchants	Description	Gameplay Image
Critical Hit	With rapid-striking weapons, critical hit can deal massive amounts of additional damage, and also feeds your life steal. ○ I: 10% chance to trigger ○ II: 15% chance to trigger ○ III: 20% chance to trigger
Leeching	Since the Spider Armor doesn't come with defensive bonuses as standard, Leeching can help you stay alive. ○ I: 4% of mob max health ○ II: 6% of mob max health ○ III: 8% of mob max health
Weakening	Since you're poisoning enemies with Nightmare's Bite anyway, why not throw in some weakening debuffs too? ○ I: -20% reduced damage ○ II: -30% reduced damage ○ III: -40% reduced damage
Tempo Theft	If you can stick this on a rapid-fire crossbow or bow, it's really useful for dealing with larger, slower, heavier-hitting mobs. ○ I: 17% stolen speed ○ II: 33% stolen speed ○ III: 50% stolen speed

Armor Enchants	Description	Gameplay Image
Cool Down	A lot of your survivability with this build will come from Light Feather stuns or Shock Powder, getting access to them more frequently can help a fair bit. ○ I: -10% reduced cool-down ○ II: -19% reduced cool-down ○ III: -27% reduced cool-down
Freezing	If you can grab this on your armor, it can really help with your survivability. ○ I: -20% reduced speed ○ II: -30% reduced speed ○ III: -40% reduced speed
Swiftfooted	This is an underrated enchant. Some of the heavier mobs like Redstone Golems have slow turning circles. Speed enchants can help you dart around the mobs for rapid flanking attacks. ○ I: +30% movement speed ○ II: +40% movement speed ○ III: +50% movement speed

Ideal artifacts

Depending on your survivability and playstyle, some of these can probably be swapped out and intermixed, but these are all oriented around surviving going toe-to-toe with large amounts of mobs, or taking hits from some of the heavier, more dangerous mini-bosses like the Redstone Monstrosity.

• Iron Hide Amulet: If you want to stand in melee range and take hits to the face while slicing everything to pieces, this is a good option. It also helps on bosses where your ability to stun is negated entirely.
• Shock Powder: This produces a very large, very long area-effect stun which is an incredibly useful tool for taking advantage of your life steal aura, and making up for lost ground with the enemy.
• Light Feather: This is an invaluable option for any melee striker, letting you get in and out of combat rapidly with a bonus stun for good measure. It also has a very short, very generous cool down.
• Fishing Rod: Want to maximize your Spider Ninja fantasy? Stringing mobs towards you with a bonus stun can be surprisingly useful, especially on tankier mobs, or annoying ranged mobs like, indeed, spiders.
• Death Cap Mushroom: Damage-boosters best friend, the Death Cap Mushroom massively increases your attack speed, leading to truly insane damage-per-second. Few enemies will be able to withstand an onslaught with this for any length of time.

What do you think?

What sort of build are you using in Minecraft Dungeons? What kind of build guide would you like to see us put together next? Let us know in the comments, and we'll get to it!

Smash and loot

Minecraft Dungeons

See at AmazonGet with Xbox Game Pass

Minecraft meets Diablo

Minecraft Dungeons is an action RPG set in the blocky worlds of Minecraft! Team up with three friends and get your dungeon crawl on.

Swimming in an ocean of emeralds, loot, and apples.

We already know that emeralds and XP are important in Minecraft Dungeons for buying new gear and levelling up respectfully, but preparing for the endgame and future DLC makes them even more vital. Harvesting these crucial resources can be time-consuming, especially if you're focusing on finding the apex version of your favorite gear. If you want to make the grind as easy as possible for emeralds and XP, here's everything you need to set up the perfect farm.

• What do I need to farm emeralds and XP?
  • The short version
  • The gear
  • The artifacts
  • The enchantments
• The detailed method

What do I need to farm emeralds and XP in Minecraft Dungeons?

Farming emeralds and XP in Minecraft Dungeons is easy. You don't even have to touch the controller or actively play the game once you're set up. This means taking advantage of three things in the game: enchantments that can use artifacts passively, companions, and areas in which enemies will infinitely respawn until you fulfill certain requirements to move forward. Using these three ingredients, you can literally stand in one spot and watch as emeralds, gear drops, and consumables pile up around you and fill up your screen.

Let's start with how you'll want your loadout to be set up.

The short version

Don't need all the mechanical details and just want to know precisely which gear to equip? We've got you covered. Go here for the farming method!

Recommended gear:

• Plate Armor or Reinforced Mail.
• Totem of Regeneration or Soul Healer.
• Tasty Bone or Golem Kit.
• Wonderful Wheat.
• Final Shout enchantment.
• Thorns and Health Synergy enchantments.

The gear

Because this farm doesn't require any active input from you whatsoever, it doesn't make much difference what weapons you choose. Just keep using whatever you like, since they're only going to be used as far as you have to go to set up your farm. What's important for your loadout is your armor, and your artifacts. There's a specific combination that you'll need to be as effective as possible.

For your armor, you'll want to go for whatever is as "tanky" as possible. This means the most amount of health, with the best passive perks that supplement defense. Right now, the two best sets of armor for this are the Plate Armor, and the Reinforced Mail. These armors are specifically catered to a sturdy playstyle that is doubly beneficial for our infinite emeralds and XP farm. Both will provide:

• Massively increased health, proportionate to the gear's level.
• 35% damage reduction.
• 30% chance to negate hits.
• 100% longer roll cooldown.

Normally using this armor would mean accepting a compromise: you won't be able to roll or dash as often. Since you won't be moving in this situation, you won't have to worry about that. Also, while the Unique variants of these armor types (being the Full Metal Armor and the Stalwart Armor) are nicer for general play, due to their extra ability, they don't add anything for our farm, so they're not necessary. The mundane, boring version is just perfect, and is far easier to find with the enchantments we'll need for it.

The artifacts

Next stop, our artifacts! As you probably know by now, artifacts provide extra, unique abilities, attacks, and spells to use in battle and augment your gear. They massively change how effective you are in battle, and can mean the difference between life and death. When you're completely stationary and trying to farm for emeralds and XP, this is literally the case. You'll need a pretty specific selection of artifacts to make this work, but you do have a little bit of choice.

One of your artifacts will need to be one of the two healing-focused artifacts currently in the game, with your choice of the two. The Totem of Regeneration is my go-to choice, as it's easier to get set-up and more reliable when combined with the enchantment that ties this whole ensemble together. This artifact places down a circle of passive regeneration, in which your health will slowly regenerate up to a certain amount over 30 seconds or so. Because you won't be moving, this artifact works perfectly, and doesn't rely on any other requirements. Its only downside is that it is regenerative, and not an instantaneous injection of health.

If you'd rather do something more instant, you can consider the Soul Healer, which instantly heals the most injured ally in your party by a set amount, at the cost of souls. There are two issues with the Soul Healer, however, that make the Totem of Regeneration a little bit of a better choice. You'll have to harvest souls, which requires killing enemies while you have soul gathering. If you use this artifact, you'll probably want to equip weapons that add to soul gathering, so that even if you're not using them, you still get more souls from kills.

The other issue is that the Soul Healer artifact does not strictly heal you for a set amount of health, but preferably the most wounded member in your party. If you're playing solo, that's fine, but this also includes companions, which are necessary for this build. That means you can accidentally heal a critically wounded companion right at a time when you also need that health injection. Not the biggest deal, with how this farm works, but something worth noting nonetheless.

The other two artifact slots should be filled with companions. These friends will kill enemies for you while you're otherwise occupied, so consider them your "harvesters" of emeralds and XP. They're very important because they help keep you alive and keep the wheel turning. You'll want one of your artifacts to be a melee-focused companion, like either the wolf or the iron golem. These companions are summoned by the Tasty Bone and Golem Kit artifacts, respectfully.

I personally prefer the iron golem, as they're more sturdy and still deal awesome damage. The wolf does more damage per level, but it's far squishier, and harder to keep alive. If you're constantly healing the wolf, this isn't a problem, but that won't be the case here. Unless you have a Tasty Bone that's higher level than your Golem Kit, or you haven't found a Golem Kit yet (they're only available at higher difficulties), I'd go for the iron golem instead.

Your third and final artifact slot, and your second companion, will be the llama, summoned using the Wonderful Wheat artifact. You'll want a llama by your side because they're a ranged companion, and can engage foes at a distance. Because the area you'll set up your farm in is larger than the range at which enemies can see you when you're not moving, the llama helps move things along a little faster by being able to spot and kill these enemies faster. And that rounds out the three artifacts you'll be using for this emeralds and XP farm.

The enchantments

Finally, the last piece of this puzzle is the enchantments you'll place on your armor. Yes, your armor. Nothing is stopping you from enchanting your weapons as well, but they won't help with our emeralds and XP farm, so that's for another guide. Instead, you'll need at least one enchantment on your armor, but I've found three enchantments that work perfectly with this set up, if you want to seek out the perfect loadout for farming emeralds and XP.

The first enchantment is the only one here that's 100% necessary, and that's Final Shout. This enchantment makes it so that if your health falls below the dreaded 25% number, all of your equipped enchantments will be used immediately, regardless of their current cooldown level. This means the artifacts you chose above will all be used again, regenerating your health and summoning fresh companions to fight by your side, or calling your existing ones to come aid you. This is the enchantment that keeps you alive and isn't optional.

The other two enchantments are optional, but nicely complement what we've set up here and allow you to take this emeralds and XP farm to higher difficulties than you would otherwise be able to. The Thorns enchantment returns up to 200% damage back to your enemies when they'll attack you, accelerating how fast you're able to kill enemies than with just companions, and reducing how much damage you'll take in the long run. This pairs up very nicely with this build, since it's the only enchantment that doesn't require attacking or moving to deal damage to enemies.

The final enchantment is the Health Synergy enchantment, which heals up to 5% of your total health for each artifact you use. What does this mean for you? Well, artifacts used by the Final Shout enchantment actually count towards the Health Synergy enchantment, so they work hand-in-hand to instantly restore up to 15% of your health the moment you're brought down to that point. This isn't as dramatic as the Thorns enchantment but helps to keep you alive even longer if you're in a pinch.

How do I farm emeralds and XP in Minecraft Dungeons?

Now that you're all prepared for our infinite farm, here's how this works: in a few parts of Minecraft Dungeons, the game will spawn endless waves of enemies while you're supposed to be fulfilling an objective. Normally, this makes the game tense, and encourages you to move forward to avoid being overwhelmed. However, if you don't complete whatever objective the game wants you to, you instead get a never-ending supply of emeralds and XP, erm, I mean hostile mobs.

The easiest place to go to take advantage of this can be found earlier in the game, in Pumpkin Pastures. About halfway through the map, there is an Arch-Illager ambush followed immediately by a drawbridge that has to be lowered by activating two levers. Getting to this point begins your perpetual cycle of barely surviving the onslaught of hostile mobs, as long as you don't activate the levers in question.

Here's how to farm emeralds and XP in Minecraft Dungeons:

1. Make sure your loadout is prepared properly by referring to the section above. All three parts (armor, artifacts, and enchantments) need to be in play for this work as intended.

2. Go to your inventory and check your power level. It'll be located just to the left of your inventory, next to your player. You'll need this info.

3. Head to the map while you're in camp to see the level selection screen.

4. Look in the lower right-hand corner and check what difficulty you're on. It'll either say Default, Adventure, or Apocalypse.

5. Click the corresponding button to change your difficulty. You'll want to go down a difficulty. If you're on Apocalypse, move down to Adventure. Adventure difficulty goes down to Default. Players still on Default difficulty will probably want to wait before attempting this.

6. Once you've moved down a difficulty, find Pumpkin Pastures and select it. It'll be on the lower part of the map, on top of a grounded ship.
7. From here, you'll want to adjust the level difficulty. I've found that about half of your current combat power means very little chance of dying. If your power is 40, go down to about 20. If you're power is 100, go down to about 50. Your power level will also be listed here.

8. If you have all three of the enchantments recommended above, and everything is the best it can be, you can probably push the difficulty up to about 75% of your current power level. This will increase the number of enemies, and therefore emeralds and XP.

9. Go through the map until you get to the section with the drawbridge and two levers. You'll need to beat an Arch-Illager ambush first. You can just run through the map, or play through it, but at a lower level none of the chests or gear will really be usable, so it's best to just skip it.
10. Once you're there, do not activate the levers. Simply use your companion artifacts and stand still. That's all there is to it!

From dust to riches

If you've followed this guide to the letter, you'll slowly amass a vast fortune of emeralds, loot that you can salvage for even more emeralds, and completely useless consumables that you don't need. This infinite XP farm is slow, but I can attest that it does work. After a couple of hours of doing nothing but writing this guide, I had gained four levels and a few thousand emeralds. I didn't even have the Thorns enchantment, either, which would've made it go even faster than it did. If you've got time to kill and want to build up your emerald stores, just set the game and walk away. You'll be rich in no (some) time.

Enter the Dungeon

Minecraft Dungeons

$20 at Microsoft (PC)$20 at Amazon (Xbox One)

Minecraft grows up and reaches out.

Minecraft Dungeons combines the familiar world we all grew up on with an injection of Diablo, a whole lot of fun. Available on every platform you're on, for a ridiculously attractive price, what's not to love?

Microsoft made it easier to get rid of Cortana, and here are the steps to complete the task on the Windows 10 May 2020 Update.

On Windows 10, Cortana has been undergoing a lot of changes in the past several years. Starting with the May 2020 Update (version 2004), you're now getting a new version that leaves behind many of its functionalities and shifts focus to help you be more productive. The new chat-based interface will interact primarily using the keyboard, but you can continue to use voice.

In addition to removing many non-productive features (such as Skills and Notebook), one of the most significant changes with Cortana is that it's no longer part of Windows 10. Instead, it's a regular app that you can move around and update through the Microsoft Store. More importantly, it opens the option to uninstall it.

Although Windows 10 allows you to remove system apps (such as Mail, Weather, and Voice Recorder) through the Settings app, Microsoft isn't making it a straight forward process to uninstall Cortana. However, if the digital assistant isn't for you, it's possible to remove the app using PowerShell commands.

In this Windows 10 guide, you'll learn the steps to uninstall the Cortana app on the Windows 10 May 2020 Update and higher. In addition, we even show you steps to install the app again if you change your mind.

• How to uninstall Cortana on Windows 10
• How to install Cortana on Windows 10

How to uninstall Cortana on Windows 10

To remove Cortana from Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

3. Type the following command to uninstall Cortana from Windows 10 and press Enter:

   Get-AppxPackage -allusers Microsoft.549981C3F5F10 | Remove-AppxPackage

Once you complete the steps, Cortana will be removed from Windows 10. The button on the taskbar will remain, but you can right-click the taskbar and clear the Show Cortana button option.

How to install Cortana on Windows 10

Want to reinstall Cortana? Follow these steps:

1. Open the Cortana app page.

2. Click the Get button.

3. Click the Open button.

4. Click the Install button.

After you complete the steps, the Microsoft digital assistant will install on Windows 10.

Will you be removing Cortana on Windows 10? Let us know in the comments.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

A full-screen prompt is appearing on people's PCs that suggests signing up for Microsoft services.

What you need to know

• Windows 10 PCs are showing prompts to sign up for Microsoft services.
• The prompts are the same as the ones you see after upgrading Windows 10.
• The prompts can be easily turned off in Settings.

Windows 10 PCs occasionally show a prompt that suggests ways to improve Windows 10, including signing up for Microsoft services. The prompt is the same one that appears after you upgrade Windows 10 but can periodically show up when you turn on your PC, even when you haven't installed an update. It's unclear when these prompts started showing up separate from updates to Windows 10, but Windows Latest highlighted it over the weekend. Luckily, you can easily turn the prompts off through Settings.

The full-screen notification suggests actions such as setting up Windows Hello and Your Phone, but it also suggests getting Office 365 and using OneDrive. These features and services are useful and popular, but some people prefer not to use them and won't want to see prompts to sign up for paid services. Additionally, some people already have or know how to set these things up and don't want to see a full-screen prompt for them.

Here's how to stop the prompts from showing up:

1. Open Settings on Windows 10.
2. Select System.

3. Select Notifications & actions.

4. Uncheck the box for "Suggest ways I can finish setting up my device to get the most out of Windows."
5. Optional: Uncheck the box for "Show me the Windows welcome experience after updates and occasionally when I sign in to highlight what's new and suggested."
6. Optional: Uncheck the box for "Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows."

After these steps, you shouldn't see the full-screen prompts anymore.

Best answer: Microsoft Precision touchpads use a standardized set of drivers that offer a consistent, smooth, and accurate pointing experience. Although Precision drivers first appeared in the Surface Pro 2 and have since been used in every Surface device, many laptop manufacturers beyond Microsoft also take advantage of the drivers to deliver the best possible pointing.

• Notebook Surface: Surface Laptop 3 (From $900 at Microsoft)
• Premium Ultrabook: Dell XPS 13 9300 (From $980 at Dell)

Why are Microsoft's Precision drivers preferred?

Back in the Windows 8.1 and Surface Pro 2 days, Apple was kicking everyone else's butts with its touchpad experience. There really wasn't much competition between iMac and Windows laptops (at least in the touchpad game), so Microsoft decided it was time to create a set of drivers that would deliver a standardized experience across its Surface devices.

Precision touchpads include drivers and gestures that are upgraded with Windows 10 feature updates, and altogether offer consistent and smooth pointing that is accurate and responsive. If you've ever used a touchpad with Synaptics or Elan drivers (two common competitors) and quickly switched over to a laptop with a Precision touchpad, the difference is noticeable.

Microsoft doesn't seem to differentiate between the physical hardware of the touchpad, which is why we see plenty of laptops in the Precision touchpad category despite considerable differences in size and materials. You might find a budget laptop with a small plastic touchpad alongside a premium Ultrabook with an enormous glass touchpad, and both are using Precision drivers. This ultimately gives third-party manufacturers like Dell, Lenovo, HP, Samsung, Acer, and Razer a lot of flexibility when designing machines.

With a Precision touchpad, you get the full gamut of Windows 10 gestures, including multi-finger taps and swipes for shortcuts to everything from prompting Cortana to quickly switching between windows. You can also go quite deep when it comes to customizing Precision touchpad settings if the stock settings aren't acceptable.

Can you install Precision drivers on a non-Precision touchpad?

If you have a laptop that uses Synaptics or Elan drivers — which used to be commonly found in HP laptops and some budget devices — and want to switch over to Precision, there is a way to do it, though it's understandably not a foolproof process.

We've created a guide that will walk you through the entire process, but know that Windows 10 updates have caused the process to not work as well as it once did. If it doesn't work, the solution is to buy a laptop that comes with Precision drivers straight from the factory.

If you're curious whether or not your laptop is using Precision drivers, there's a simple way to check just by following these steps.

1. Right-click the Start button.

2. Click Settings.

3. Click Devices.

4. Click Touchpad.

At the top of the window, you should see a note that says "Your PC has a precision touchpad" if indeed it's using Microsoft's drivers.

What laptops come standard with Precision drivers?

Until Microsoft makes a decision concerning mandatory Precision drivers in all Windows 10 laptops, the market can be confusing. HP's business lineup of EliteBooks, for example, has been using Precision drivers for quite awhile, while the consumer side, including the impressive HP Spectre x360 13t, only switched over to Precision drivers late 2019.

You can be assured that all Surface devices use Precision drivers, but if you're shopping elsewhere, be sure to double-check the touchpad before making a final decision. Our ever-growing collection of laptop reviews is a great place to start. And to get caught up on all the best hardware available now, be sure to check out our collection of the best Windows 10 laptops.

Premium Notebook

Surface Laptop 3

From $900 at Microsoft

Small changes add up fast

With the addition of USB Type-C, Wi-Fi 6, and Intel 10th Gen processors, the Surface Laptop 3 13.5 delivers a solid follow up to the Surface Laptop 2.

Perfect Ultrabook

Dell XPS 13 9300

From $980 at Dell

Portable and powerful

The latest XPS 13 features a taller 16:10 display, 10th-Gen Intel processor with all-day battery life and a design unmatched by any other PC on the market.

Can you use an Xbox One controller (or a PlayStation 4 controller) on a Nintendo Switch? The answer is yes! But you'll need to use an adapter. In this guide, we'll go through how to use the Mayflash Magic NS Bluetooth USB adapter for Nintendo Switch, allowing you to use Xbox One S Bluetooth controllers and PS4 controllers.

Products used in this guide

• Get your adapter: Mayflash Magic NS (From $25 at Amazon)
• Quality controller: Xbox One S Bluetooth controller ($60 at Microsoft)
• Console: Nintendo Switch (From $200 at Amazon)

Prepare the Mayflash Magic NS on Nintendo Switch

1. First, plug in the Mayflash Magic NS into one of the Switch's USB ports.

   • Note: You can also connect it to the bottom of the Nintendo Switch in portable mode using the included dongle.

2. On your Switch, navigate to the settings menu at the bottom of the home screen.

3. Go down to Controllers and sensors and enable Pro Controller Wired Communication.

4. Go back and now select Change Grip/Order.

5. Make sure that your Nintendo Switch joycons are mapped into one controller by pressing down on both triggers, as seen here.

These steps seem to help the Mayflash Magic NS circumvent some issues with pairing.

How to use a Bluetooth Xbox One controller on Nintendo Switch

1. Press and hold the button on top of the Mayflash Magic NS for 5-ish seconds to swap it between modes. The Xbox controller seems to work best when the light is purple in the Nintendo Switch Pro controller mode.

2. Tap the button to put it into pairing mode. It will flash rapidly.

3. Press and hold the pairing button on your Xbox controller until the Xbox logo light flashes rapidly in pairing mode.

4. When the lights are solid, you should be ready to play! Use the notes in the Mayflash Magic NS box for an overview of the button mapping.

Our top equipment picks

This is the gear you need to get set up with an Xbox controller on Nintendo Switch.

Xbox control on Switch

Mayflash Magic NS

$25 at Amazon

Like magic.

The Mayflash Magic NS allows you to quickly and easily set up third-party controllers on a Nintendo Switch, circumventing the need to purchase an expensive Nintendo Switch Pro controller.

Best on the market

Xbox One controller

$60 at Microsoft$46.36 at Walmart

Industry standard.

Cheaper than the Nintendo Pro controller, the Xbox One controller is widely regarded as the best in the world, supporting Xbox One consoles and PC, as well as mobile devices via Bluetooth.

Portable gaming

Nintendo Switch

From $200 at Amazon$299 at Walmart

Nintendo fun in a small package.

The Nintendo Switch is the world's fastest-growing gaming platform, with maximum portability and a vast range of high-quality titles in a fun-sized package.

Catch the latest on the Xbox Series X release date, preorder plans — and the likelihood of a launch delay.

Best answer: Microsoft states Xbox Series X is slated for a "Holiday 2020" release date, and with past Xbox consoles launching in November, it's a likely candidate once again. Xbox head, Phil Spencer, suggests Xbox Series X remains on track for later this year, despite current world events. In the meantime, the existing Xbox One X is the best you can get for 4K gaming.

• 4K gaming today: Xbox One X 1TB Console ($380 at Amazon)

When is the Xbox Series X release date?

Microsoft continues to establish the foundations for Xbox Series X, its upcoming next-generation console succeeding Xbox One X. The future-facing box looks to deliver a groundbreaking leap in visual fidelity, leveraging custom high-performance hardware engineered by Microsoft and AMD. That includes the latest Zen 2 CPU and Navi GPU architectures, providing 12 teraflops (TF) of graphical performance, aiming for a firm 4K baseline — and extending as high as 8K and 120 frames per second (FPS).

Xbox Series X is positioned as its next flagship, marking a shift akin to Xbox One from Xbox 360 in 2013. However, amid Microsoft's continued push for continuity and compatibility, its next console will also share more with the existing Xbox One family than past generations. All Xbox One titles will translate to updated hardware while maintaining compatibility with controllers, headsets, and other system features.

With the full Xbox Series X hardware specifications now unveiled, efforts shift toward delivering its console around the promised holiday 2020 release window. While firm dates surrounding availability remain unclear, expect further details over the summer, preluding the big launch. However, with the original Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One launched in November, the month is a likely candidate, once again.

Will Xbox Series X be delayed?

The impact of current world events introduces additional variables for Microsoft to navigate, but Xbox Series X is yet to be pushed beyond 2020. Executive vice-president of Gaming at Microsoft, Phil Spencer, assures Xbox Series X production is on track and still targets a release later this year.

Spencer acknowledges variables in production lines, and working from home has "some impact to schedules," but remains committed to delivering the next generation on time. "[The] teams are doing a really good job on keeping our hardware on track," Spencer told CNBC in May. Despite concerns from some analysts back in March,, Microsoft has kept a positive outlook as the situation develops.

With new hurdles emerging in real-time, Microsoft will need to stay agile to deliver Xbox Series X. The situation means that plans can and do change, so keep an eye out for further updates over the months ahead.

When do Xbox Series X preorders go live?

While Microsoft has provided several drops of Xbox Series X details, preorders for the device are still to go live. Redmond is yet to discuss pricing and release dates for the console, which are traditionally required for consumers to lay down their investment.

"We think, in the end, what people want from us is ... to put a controller [in their] hand," Ronald told GameSpot back in December 2019."People tell me, 'Hey, I want to pre-order right now,' and we definitely love that--like it's great to have those fans--but I also know that these investments aren't trivial for families. I want to be transparent about what our design goals are."

The statement suggests that Microsoft looks to fully unveil its vision for Xbox Series X, ahead of preorders. Scheduled for a more substantial presence throughout 2020, expect to lock down your console throughout upcoming Xbox events this summer.

For everyday 4K gaming, the Xbox One X console is still a top-tier device, slated to maintain compatibility with future games for coming years. Unless clamoring for the best you can get, don't overlook the Xbox One X, despite Xbox Series X looming on the horizon.

Our pick

Xbox One X 1TB Console

$380 at Amazon

Get upgraded to 4K Xbox gaming

Microsoft's flagship Xbox One X console packs the best of Xbox, hitting 4K resolution and HDR colors across hundreds of titles. It's the most powerful console on the market, guaranteed to impress. This bundle is the cheapest right now on Amazon.

Best answer: Sadly, no. Right now, there are no plans to include VR on the Xbox Series X.

• PlayStation alternative: PlayStation VR (From $230 at Amazon)
• PC alternative: Samsung HMD Odyssey+ ($500 at Amazon)

So, uh, why not?

Considering Microsoft has its very own VR platform in the form of Windows Mixed Reality, you'd think VR would be a no-brainer on the Xbox platform, including the next-gen Xbox Series X. Sadly, it simply isn't the case for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost, Microsoft isn't convinced there's a profitable market for VR as of yet, with attach-rates on the PlayStation VR headset, perhaps the cheapest entry point for the medium remains invariably low. Here's what NPD analyst Mat Piscatella had to say on the topic recently.

The data suggest that Phil Spencer is spot on with his assessment of VR gaming. Perhaps someday this market can develop, but it's been years and the overwhelming majority of games consumers just don't care. Rounding error of rounding error for games spending, tiny niche.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) November 26, 2019

Xbox head Phil Spencer elaborated further on the 1000th episode of GamerTag Radio (which is awesome by the way), offering some more details on the reasons why Microsoft isn't jumping head-first into VR for Xbox Series X.

"We're not going to do that. I understand certain people would want that. We have to focus our efforts on the things we're doing right now. And the most precious resource that we have is the team and their ability. And I just have to focus on the things we're doing right now. [...] VR is not as simple as plugging your headset. You have to redo the dash[board]. There's a bunch of work that goes into it. And the teams at Valve, the teams at Sony, the teams at Oculus that are doing that work. They know the completeness and what it means to support the platform."

Spencer remains optimistic about VR, however, going on to suggest that one day, perhaps it could be a "no-brainer" to bring it to Xbox.

"Obviously VR is big on Windows today. We are the Windows company, and we're never going to close our eyes to where things are going. [...] I hope it gets bigger. I hope it's something that's just so important that there would be a no-brainer for us to support it."

As of May 2020, VR got a big boost thanks to Half-Life: Alyx, but month-over-month growth seems relatively low, with Steam only adding 0.1% more Steam users with VR headsets in the latest Steam survey. The appetite for VR may simply not be there, or we may need to wait for prices to drop, comfort to increase, and other ergonomic improvements before it hits the mainstream. At the very least, it looks like we're not getting VR on Xbox Series X or any other Xbox for that matter, at least in the near-term.

Our pick

PlayStation VR

From $230 at Amazon

Cheapest point of entry

If you don't already own a VR-capable PC, the PS4 is the cheapest point of entry to VR gaming.

Mixed reality alternative

Samsung Odyssey+

$229 at Samsung

WMR, SteamVR, great VR

This is the most accessible headset on PC without descending into discomfort and questionable quality, and has access to all Steam VR games.

The gradual rollout of the Windows 10 May 2020 Update has begun, and in this guide, we help you get started with the new version.

Windows 10 May 2020 Update (version 2004) is now available for compatible devices known to have a smooth upgrade experience, and it's another major refresh with a slew of tweaks, improvements, and a small set of new features.

This is the ninth feature update that Microsoft is rolling out for Windows 10 since the original release, and even though it's a small incremental update, you're still getting some welcome enhancements. For example, you can now download a fresh image from the cloud to reset Windows 10. You can control more mouse and cursor options from the Settings app. There's a new version of Cortana that splits from the OS and becomes a regular app. The Settings app gets a bunch of tweaks, and a lot more.

More on the update

Windows 10 May 2020 Update

From $139

The May 2020 Update (version 2004) brings a number of improvements to Windows 10, including a new Cortana experience, tweaks to Settings, recovery enhancements, and much more.

• Windows 10 May 2020 update full review
• May 2020 Update hands-on video

See at Microsoft

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll highlight everything you need to know to upgrade and start using the new improvements available with the May 2020 Update.

Windows 10 May 2020 Update resources

Here's everything you need to know to start using the new features and enhancements in the latest version of Windows 10.

• How do I install the Windows 10 May 2020 update?
• Why isn't the Windows 10 May 2020 Update available for my device?
• Can I block the Windows 10 May 2020 Update on my device?
• Can I reclaim storage after upgrading to the Windows 10 May 2020 Update?
• Are there any problems with the Windows 10 May 2020 Update?
• What's new with the Settings app starting with the May 2020 Update?
• What's new with system recovery with the May 2020 Update?
• What happened with the Data Usage settings on the May 2020 Update?
• What's new with Cortana with the May 2020 update

How do I install the Windows 10 May 2020 update?

The May 2020 Update for Windows 10 is now ready for anyone to download and install through Windows Update on any device known to be fully compatible.

If you're planning to perform an in-place upgrade or a clean installation of the latest version, you can download the Media Creation Tool to complete the task.

If the device is already using an earlier release of Windows 10, you can also use the Update Assistant to perform an in-place upgrade when the current installation is having problems with Windows Update and you know the hardware configuration is compatible with the May 2020 Update.

Why isn't the Windows 10 May 2020 Update available for my device?

Although the new version of Windows 10 became available on May 27, 2020, Microsoft is first rolling out the new update only to compatible devices running version 1909 and 1903, and it's placing a temporary block on systems known to have issues with the May 2020 Update. For example, the Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Pro 7 are among the devices currently not getting the update.

If you have a computer that's not receiving the first semi-annual update of 2020, it's likely that the hardware or software configuration is not yet compatible, and there's a temporary compatibility hold. If this is the case, you should not force the May 2020 Update using alternative methods as there's a good chance that you'll run into problems.

Can I block the Windows 10 May 2020 Update on my device?

The Windows 10 May 2020 Update is available as an optional update, which means that once you receive the notification, you'll have to initiate the installation manually from Windows Update.

However, the option to install new feature updates manually is only available for devices running newer versions of Windows 10. If your installation is nearing the end of service, Windows Update will eventually try to install the May 2020 Update automatically to keep the device supported.

If you want to make sure the new version doesn't download automatically, you can delay version 2004 up to 18 months on your device using various options available in the Settings app.

Can I reclaim storage after upgrading to the Windows 10 May 2020 Update?

When you start an in-place upgrade using one of the supported tools or Windows Update, the process creates a copy of the previous installation in case there's an issue and the system needs to revert the changes.

The only caveat is that even if the upgrade completed without problems, Windows 10 will keep the previous installation inside the "Windows.old" folder for some time in case that for any reason you need to downgrade.

Although, after 10 days, the system will delete the previous installation files automatically. If you have a device with limited storage, after the upgrade, you can delete the files manually using these steps.

Are there any problems with the Windows 10 May 2020 Update?

Yes, even though the update was finalized several months ago and Microsoft has been proactively working to resolve bugs and many other problems before the official launch, the May 2020 Update qas released with a number of issues. For example, there have been reports of users unable to complete the installation due to conflicts with the memory integrity feature, which resulted in the "Your PC settings need to be adjusted before upgrading to the latest version of Windows 10. Turn off memory integrity protection to continue" error message.

Some NVIDIA graphics drivers are also causing a Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) during or after the installation.

There's a new version of Cortana with version 2004, and a small number of users have reported issues closing the application. Some other people have been complaining about the service not being available in their region when it was supported before.

After upgrading to the May 2020 Update, a small number of users have noticed compatibility issues with Intel Octane memory modules.

In addition to these problems, Microsoft is investigating several known issues available in the initial rollout, including problems with integrated graphics cards, DISM command tool, audio drivers, Thunderbolt docks, and more.

If you're having any issues with Windows 10 version 2004, check our comprehensive guide, where you'll find instructions to resolve almost anything that can cause problems with the new version.

What's new with the Settings app starting with the May 2020 Update?

Starting with version 2004, Windows 10 is introducing a slew of tweaks and new options to the Settings app.

In this new release, the app to customize the experience is adding new mouse settings, including options to enable a new text indicator to find the cursor anywhere on the screen. Also, you can now control the mouse-pointer speed from the Settings app instead of using Control Panel.

The "Notifications & actions" settings have been updated with a new option to disable the "Get even more out of Windows" prompt to finish setting up new features on Windows 10.

The "Reset This PC," in the "Recovery" settings, is getting a new "Cloud Download" feature that allows you to grab a fresh installation image from the cloud to reinstall Windows 10.

In the "Networking & Internet" settings, the "Status" page has been tweaked to show your current active connection as well as data usage information, and the "Data usage" page is no longer available from the left pane.

Also, the "Backup" page now ships with an option to set up a file backup using OneDrive. You can now enable an option to ditch your password in favor of a Windows Hello authentication method, and much more.

You can learn more about the new enhancements with the Settings app on Windows 10 version 2004 in this guide.

What's new with system recovery with the May 2020 Update?

Windows 10 includes a recovery feature known as "Reset This PC," which in the event of problems, you can use it to rollback your device to the factory default settings. However, if the locally available image becomes corrupted, the reset option won't complete successfully One solution to this problem is the addition of a new cloud download option.

In version 2004, "Cloud Download" is a new option designed to download the installation files from the Microsoft servers to reinstall Windows 10, instead of using the image locally available on your device.

However, the new option isn't meant to upgrade the device to the latest release of Windows 10. When you use the cloud download option, the recovery feature will download the same edition and version already installed on your computer.

What happened with the Data Usage settings on the May 2020 Update?

On Windows 10, the "Data usage" page is where you can monitor data consumption and configure limits to receive warnings if you get closer to your data limit and prevent overcharges.

Although you'll no longer find the "Data Usage" page within the "Network & Internet" settings, the feature hasn't been removed. Instead, it's now part of the "Status" page, and it's where you'll now see the current option along with an option to view more granular information and the option to set data limits.

What's new with Cortana with the May 2020 update?

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises with this feature update is the new version of Cortana. Starting with the May 2020 Update, the digital assistant no longer shares a deep integration with Windows 10. Instead, it's an app that updates through the Microsoft Store and focuses exclusively on productivity features.

As a result, you now get a chat-based interface primarily for typing questions, opening apps and managing calendar events, but you can always use voice commands (currently not available).

Also, you can now drag it around and resize like a regular app, and because of the new changes, all the settings are available through the app rather than from the Settings app.

Furthermore, since Cortana is now an app, you can repair and reset the experience through the Settings app. You can even use PowerShell commands to remove the experience from your Windows 10 installation.

For even more information, you can check our dedicated Windows 10 May 2020 Update page.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

Best answer: No, the Xbox Series X won't have Bluetooth. The controllers do, however, with compatibility for PCs and mobile devices.

• Grab a Bluetooth controller: Xbox Wireless Controller Black ($50 at Best Buy)

No Bluetooth for Xbox Series X

The Xbox Series X won't have Bluetooth, similarly to the Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Xbox One X. The reason is simple; the Bluetooth signal isn't strong enough to meet Microsoft's specifications for latency. Microsoft uses its proprietary signal, dubbed Xbox Wireless, for connecting controllers and other accessories, like the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 and the SteelSeries 9X wireless headsets.

Microsoft's signal is far stronger than Bluetooth, and since many people typically game while sitting far away from their consoles in the living room or so on, Bluetooth's susceptibility to interference increases exponentially at longer ranges.

If you were hoping you could use a USB Bluetooth adapter, it likely wouldn't work either, as the Xbox Series X and other Xbox One consoles don't have the drivers necessary to power them.

Bluetooth for controller connections to PC and phones

That said, Microsoft does include an additional wireless Bluetooth wireless signal in its controllers, though, including the refreshed ones coming with the Xbox Series X.

The new controllers have a share button baked in and include textured grips and a new directional pad. They're also a slightly different size and retain all of the features the most recent-gen Xbox controllers have. They have 3.5mm for audio, the proprietary port for certain accessories like the QWERTY keyboards, and a AA battery door for power.

The Bluetooth signal on the controllers is an option for times when Xbox Wireless isn't present, i.e., on compatible PCs and mobile devices. You can use the Bluetooth on an Xbox controller with your phone for Project xCloud, for example, or on your PC for various games. If your PC doesn't have Bluetooth, you can grab an Xbox Wireless USB adapter adds Xbox Wireless reasonably cheaply.

Heavy Metal

Xbox Cyberpunk 2077 Limited Edition Controller

$75 at Amazon$75 at Microsoft$75 at Best Buy

A glimpse of Cyberpunk 2077 in your hands.

The Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox One controller brings a metallic two-tone spin on Microsoft's signature gamepad. Inspired by Keanu Reeves' in-game persona, Johnny Silverhand, the design adds a rustic, futuristic flair to your gaming setup.

Best answer: Xbox Series X will not have a display port, as confirmed by Microsoft.

• Xbox Series X via subscription: Xbox All Access ($31/month at BestBuy)
• DisplayPort to HDMI adapter: DisplayPort to HDMI ($25 at Amazon)

The Xbox Series X has no DisplayPort, but adapters should work

We recently got the full rundown of the Xbox Series X ports, with official information from Microsoft. Unfortunately for those that wanted it, the Xbox Series X will not have DisplayPort natively. The only port for visuals the Xbox Series X has is HDMI-out. A 2.1 spec, the HDMI port on the Xbox Series X supports up to 8K visuals with variable refresh rates, making for a smooth gameplay experience for anyone with a compatible TV or monitor.

If you're using a monitor that only has DisplayPort as an option, an HDMI-to-DisplayPort adapter should work, you just have to double-check what specifications the adapter has. We could only find adapters that support up to 4K signals at 60 Hz with HDR, which would be fine in most instances, but if you want some more advanced HDMI 2.1 features, you may have to wait for new adapters to hit the market.

Instant upgrade

Xbox All Access

$31/mo at BestBuy

An instant Xbox Series X upgrade

If you want to secure your Xbox Series X right now, you can only do so via an Xbox All Access contract, which spreads the cost of an Xbox One X and Xbox Series X across several months, with 0 percent APR.

Adapt em up

DisplayPort to HDMI

$25 at Amazon

If your monitor doesn't have HDMI

You can use this to connect an Xbox One console to a monitor that lacks HDMI but supports DisplayPort.

Excellent and affordable Xbox accessories

Up your Xbox experience with one (or all) of these budget accessories, all of which are approved by the gamers of Windows Central.

The Xbox Series X is getting a refined controller for its holiday 2020 planned launch window. Here's everything we know about it so far.

Microsoft's Xbox Series X continues to dominate the airwaves, with the firm recently revealing its beastly 12TF spec sheet to complement our earlier leaks. One thing we did not know about, though, was the revised controller.

Microsoft is building a brand new iteration on its current-gen Xbox controllers, evolving its existing ergonomics and features while also adding in some new ones.

While the controller itself has yet to be fully, officially detailed, here's everything we know about it so far.

Refined hardware features

First and foremost, Microsoft has revised some aspects of its design, making it slightly smaller to accommodate a broader range of players, while also changing up its d-pad.

The new d-pad takes some cues from Microsoft's popular Xbox Elite Controller range, with a cross-segmented style format, which should be a boost for directional movement, as well as menu selections and so on. Microsoft is also putting textured grips on the triggers for the new controller, likely giving those trigger pulls a more tactile feel.

Perhaps the most significant update pertains to the share button. Microsoft is joining Sony and Nintendo by adding a share button directly on the controller, in between the view and menu buttons in the center. Xbox lead Phil Spencer commented on the inclusion in a recent interview.

"We're not the first ones to do a share button, so we're not going to say that we invented that, but we've heard feedback that sharing is such a part of a gaming experience now for many of our players. I wanted a dedicated button to share, so you'll see that."

This new button will allow you to more easily share clips and screenshots across social networks without having to jump through Xbox guide menu functions. The functionality is already included on the Xbox Elite Controller Series 2, but you have to configure it to one of the paddles via the accessories app.

Dynamic Latency Input

Confirmed on the Xbox Series X website, Microsoft is building Dynamic Latency Input into the next-gen pipeline, giving developers an extra tool for making games more responsive.

Dynamic Latency Input (DLI): We're optimizing latency in the player-to-console pipeline, starting with our Xbox Wireless Controller, which leverages our high bandwidth, proprietary wireless communication protocol when connected to the console. With Dynamic Latency Input (DLI), a new feature which synchronizes input immediately with what is displayed, controls are even more precise and responsive.

This allows developers to more accurately synchronize what happens in your hands with what's happening on-screen, using Microsoft's existing 2.4GHz wireless signal that currently connects your controllers to your console and compatible PCs and dongles.

Reverse compatibility

Speaking of previous consoles and Windows PCs, the Xbox Series X controller will also be compatible with past-gen hardware, thanks to updates heading to Microsoft platforms. This means you will be able to take advantage of the new features and updated ergonomics on previous hardware if you're a PC gamer or an Xbox gamer not ready to upgrade your console. Additionally, all existing Xbox One controllers will work on the Xbox Series X as well.

How the share button will work on PCs remains a bit of a mystery, but it's likely that it will tie into the new Windows 10 Xbox Game Bar, which has many of the same features.

AA batteries return

Microsoft recently revealed that the Xbox Series X controller will retain the AA batteries found in the regular controllers. In an interview, Microsoft said this was because Xbox gamers are fairly evenly split about whether they want the option for rechargeables or not. Indeed, AA Eneloop batteries are generally the best rechargeable battery solution for controllers we've found so far, outside of the crazy-expensive Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller, with its similarly crazy 40-hour battery life.

The Xbox Wireless Controller uses AA batteries in order to offer choice to players. As with all our work at Xbox, we place the player at the centre of the gaming experience, and so we decided to maintain AA batteries for choice. This way, gamers can choose whether they use disposable AA batteries, rechargeable AA batteries or a rechargeable battery pack.

The controller will also use a USB-C to USB-A cable for charging its optional charge kit battery pack, likely to be sold separately. The Xbox Series X itself still only uses USB-A ports.

Unanswered questions: Price, availability, custom versions

There are a few unanswered questions, of course, about the new Xbox Series X controller, which we'll answer as soon as we get more information.

• How much will it cost to purchase separately?
• When will it go on sale?
• Will it have custom versions at launch?

We'll hit those up as soon as we can. Until then, hang tight!

While you wait

Xbox Elite Controller Series 2

Possibly the best controller, ever.

If you can weather the price point, it's unlikely you'll be disappointed with this controller, and it works on the Xbox Series X too!

See at AmazonSee at Microsoft

Ready to install Windows 10 on a PC using UEFI? Use these steps to create a compatible USB bootable media to perform this task.

When it comes the time to install a clean copy of Windows 10, you typically use a USB bootable media to start the computer and proceed with the "Windows Setup" wizard. However, if you have a device that has a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), instead of the legacy Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), it's important to use the correct media that includes support for the motherboard firmware type.

You can use several methods to create a media to install Windows 10 from USB if you have a newer firmware type. For instance, you can use the Media Creation Tool to download the installation files onto a removable drive with support for both UEFI and legacy BIOS. Or, you can use third-party tools like Rufus that makes it easy to create an installation media with support for UEFI.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to create a USB flash drive that includes UEFI support using the Microsoft Media Creation Tool and Rufus.

• How to create a Windows 10 UEFI boot media using Media Creation Tool
• How to create a Windows 10 UEFI boot media using Rufus tool

How to create a Windows 10 UEFI boot media using Media Creation Tool

If you have a machine using UEFI, you can use the Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB media to perform a clean installation or in-place upgrade of the Microsoft OS.

To create a bootable media, connect a USB flash drive of at least 8GB of space, and use these steps:

1. Open Windows 10 download page.

2. Under the "Create Windows 10 installation media" section, click the Download tool now button to save the file.

3. Double-click the MediaCreationToolxxxx.exe file to open the tool.
4. Click the Accept button to agree to the Microsoft terms.

5. Select the Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC option.

6. Click the Next button.
7. (Optional) Clear the Use the recommended options for this PC option.

8. Select the correct language, architecture, and edition of Windows 10.

   Quick tip: If you'll be installing Windows 10 on multiple computers running 32-bit and 64-bit architectures, then use the "Architecture" drop-down menu and select the Both option.

9. Click the Next button.

10. Select the USB flash drive option.

11. Click the Next button

12. Select the removable drive from the list. (If you don't see the drive, click the Refresh drive list option.)

13. Click the Next button.
14. Click the Finish button.

Once you complete the steps, the tool will download the required files and create a bootable USB flash drive with the Windows 10 installation files with support for UEFI and BIOS.

How to create a Windows 10 UEFI boot media using Rufus tool

Alternatively, you can also use Rufus to create an installation media with UEFI support using an existing ISO file. Or you can also use the tool to download the Windows 10 files from the Microsoft servers and then create the bootable flash media.

Creating boot media with Windows 10 ISO

To create a bootable media using an existing Windows 10 ISO file, connect a USB flash drive of at least 8GB of space, and use these steps:

1. Open Rufus download page.

2. Under the "Download" section, click the latest release and save the file on your device.

3. Double-click the Rufus-x.x.exe file to launch the tool.
4. Under the "Device" section, select the USB flash drive with at least 8GB of space.
5. Under the "Boot selection" section, click the Select button on the right side.
6. Select the Windows 10 ISO file from its folder location.
7. Click the Open button.
8. Use the "Image option" drop-down menu to select the Standard Windows installation option.
9. Use the "Partition scheme" drop-down menu to select the GPT option.

10. Use the "Target system" drop-down menu to select the UEFI (non CSM) option.

11. Under the "Show Advanced drive properties" section, leave the default settings.

12. Under the "Volume label" field, enter a descriptive name for the drive — for example, "win10_2004_usb."

13. Under the "File system" and "Cluster size" section, leave the default settings.
14. Click the Show advanced format options button.
15. Select the "Quick format" and "Create extended label and icon files" options.
16. Click the Start button.
17. Click the OK button to confirm.
18. Click the Close button.

After you complete the steps, the tool will create a bootable USB flash drive to install Windows 10 on a UEFI device with the image that you provided.

Creating boot media downloading Windows 10 ISO

If a Windows 10 ISO file isn't available, you can use Rufus to download the ISO from the Microsoft servers and create the bootable USB flash media.

To create an installation media, connect a USB flash drive of at least 8GB of space, and use these steps:

1. Open Rufus download page.

2. Under the "Download" section, click the latest release of the tool to save the file on the computer.

3. Double-click the Rufus-x.x.exe file to launch the tool.
4. Under the "Device" section, select the USB flash drive with at least 8GB of space.

5. Under the "Boot selection" section, click the arrow button next to the "Select" option, and choose the Download option.

6. Click the now available Download button.
7. Use the "Version" drop-down menu and select Windows 10.
8. Click the Continue button.
9. Select the 20H1 (Build 19041.264 - 2020.05) option to download the Windows 10 May 2020 Update.
10. Click the Continue button.
11. Use the "Edition" drop-down menu and select the Windows 10 Home/Pro option.
12. Click the Continue button.

13. Use the "Language" drop-down menu and select your installation language.

    Quick note: If you're in the United States, you should select "English" instead of "English International."

14. Click the Continue button.

15. Use the "Architecture" drop-down menu and select the 32-bit or 64-bit (recommended).

    Quick tip: You can find out the architecture of your device on Settings> System> About, under Device specifications.

16. Click the Download button.

17. Select a folder location to temporarily download the ISO file from the Microsoft servers.
18. Click the Save button.
19. Use the "Image option" drop-down menu to select the Standard Windows installation option.
20. Use the "Partition scheme" drop-down menu to select the GPT option.

21. Use the "Target system" drop-down menu to select the UEFI (non CSM) option.

22. Under the "Show Advanced drive properties" section, leave the default settings.
23. Under the "Volume label" field, enter a descriptive name for the drive — for example, "win10_2004_usb."
24. Under the "File system" and "Cluster size" section, leave the default settings.
25. Click the Show advanced format options button.
26. Select the "Quick format" and "Create extended label and icon files" options.
27. Click the Start button.
28. Click the OK button to confirm.
29. Click the Close button.

Once you complete the steps, Rufus will run the script to download the Windows 10 ISO file from the Microsoft servers. Then, it'll use that ISO to create a bootable media, which you can then use to install Windows 10 on computers using UEFI.

When you have the USB bootable media with support for UEFI systems, you can use to start your device to perform an in-place upgrade or clean installation of Windows 10.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

It only takes around 15 minutes!

The Razer Blade 14 is a fantastic laptop that came out a couple of years ago. It costs a lot to send the device back to Razer for a battery replacement, but you can always buy a third-party battery and replace it at home. Below, you'll find a step-by-step guide on how to do exactly that. When you're looking for a third-party battery, you'll want to find one that provides screwdrivers because Razer uses some unique screw holes.

Before you begin, remember to shut down your laptop completely and remove the charger.

Step 1

Remove the 10 screws with the appropriate screwdriver provided in the kit. You may have to try a couple because the size of the grooves may be different depending on your region. This will allow you to lift the cover to expose the battery and other circuitry.

Step 2

Remove the 7 screws with the appropriate screwdriver provided in the kit. This will be different than the one you used to remove the cover. One of the screws is hidden behind a wire so you'll have to push the wire aside.

Step 3

Remove the battery connector by pulling up on the orange and black connector. You may have to nudge it a little bit to get it loose.

Step 4

Remove the white and blue connector blocking you from lifting up the battery.

To do this, you have to lift up the tiny black clip first and then pull out the blue tab only on one side. Use tweezers if you have them because this is a delicate process.

Step 5

Lift up the old battery and place the new one in. Make sure you align the screw holes accordingly and that it doesn't wiggle around.

Step 6

Insert the new battery connector into the same slot you removed the old battery connector from. You'll have to apply light pressure to make sure it's firmly in place.

Step 7

Reconnect the white and blue connector.

To do this, you'll have to insert the blue tab in first and then flip the black holder down.

Step 8

Replace all the screws you removed when taking out the battery.

Step 9

Put back the bottom cover and replace all the screws you removed when removing the cover. Your laptop is ready to use now so you can plug it into the charger and turn it on. The manufacturer recommends that you charge your battery for 12 hours the first time.

Hopefully, this guide helped you. This was my first time replacing the Razer Blade 14's battery and I found it to be quite easy.

HEADING

Swealeer Razer Blade 14 Replacement Battery

Comes with screwdrivers

This replacement battery costs a fraction of what it would take for Razer to replace it on your Razer Blade from 2016. You'll need to get a kit that includes the special screwdrivers if you don't have them already.

$85 at Amazon

Ascend the pinnacle and take back control of this world.

In Mojang Studios' franchise-expanding ARPG Minecraft Dungeons, there are a total of eight bosses. Four of these bosses are weaker "mini-bosses" that may appear in a multitude of places throughout, and the other four are stronger "main bosses" that only show up at pre-determined locations. In this Minecraft Dungeons guide series, we'll go over each and every boss, their strategies and attack patterns, how to fight them, and ultimately the best ways to come out on top in every battle, even on Apocalypse Difficulty.

The vile Arch-Illager is the conqueror of Minecraft Dungeons' colorful world, and all of your efforts culminate in a final clash of wills with him. Be warned, though, the Arch-Illager has an even darker side that no one has ever seen. Here's everything you need to know.

There will be spoilers past this point in the guide.

Enter the Dungeon

Minecraft Dungeons

$20 at Microsoft (PC)$20 at Amazon (Xbox One)

Minecraft grows up and reaches out.

Minecraft Dungeons combines the familiar world we all grew up on with an injection of Diablo, a whole lot of fun. Available on every platform you're on, for a ridiculously attractive price, what's not to love?

• What is the Arch-Illager?
• How can I beat the Arch-Illager?
• What is the Heart of Ender?
• How can I beat the Heart of Ender?
• What are some tips for every boss fight?

What is the Arch-Illager in Minecraft Dungeons?

If you've made it all the way to the final battle in Minecraft Dungeons, you already know the tragic story of the Arch-Illager. Born a villager, but shunned and disowned from home after home to his stunted stature and off-putting appearance. It's a story told in many different ways across time, and it filled the Arch-Illager with despair and a deep-seated desire for vengeance. He recieved everything he asked for, and all the things he feared to have, when he stumbled upon an ancient artifact known as the Orb of Dominance. It drew him to it, and then he was a part of it.

Using its power, he commanded legions of powerful illager forces and drove the villagers to their knees, conquering the world as he built up his terrible kingdom. It's up to you (the general "you," as in the protagonist) to systematically sabotage the Arch-Illager's war efforts on your way to confront him yourself, and put an end to this tyranny. Little do you know, the Arch-Illager power is not his own, which you quickly discover in the final battle at Obsidian Pinnacle.

That's because the final battle as you likely believed it would go is stupendously easy. The Arch-Illager has a total of three tricks up his sleeves, and none of them can save him from his supreme lack of health or defense. If you've made it this far, and your loadout matches the recommended power level for the final level, you should have no problem facing the Arch-Illager...at first.

His first "attack" is simple: he summons a wave of illagers (mostly pillagers) to aid him. This is a great time for souls-focused players to stock up on souls, and you will need them, so don't waste them on the Arch-Illager. His other attack is quick tri-shots of purple fireballs, which deal decent damage but are relatively easy to avoid because of their wide spread. Finally, the Arch-Illager is able to teleport around the place, making him frustrating to track down.

If that's all you want to know, then proceed with caution, because the Arch-Illager is just the tip of the iceberg in this battle. Otherwise, continue on to find out what makes this battle so intense, especially for solo players.

How can I beat the Arch-Illager in Minecraft Dungeons?

You may be asking why the Arch-Illager doesn't get separate sections for different player types with various strategies to employ against him, and that's because the initial battle with the Arch-Illager is supposed to highlight two things: the true fraility of a misunderstood person, and how devastating the power trapped inside of him is, once it comes out. The Arch-Illager is also meant to lull you into a falso sense of security, seeing as the second stage of the final battle is actually pretty brutal in several ways.

So how do you defeat the Arch-Illager? This boss is more frustrating than anything. He teleports around the area, making it hard to stay on top of him, and getting close and sometimes mean being peppered with his tri-shot fireball attack. They don't do a ton of damage, but can still wear you down if you're not careful and watch your health. Fortunately, they're also easy to avoid with any kind of distance. Melee attacks that can buff defense or heal on the fly shouldn't have any issues standing toe-to-toe with the Arch-Illager, even if it means chasing him down a little bit.

Ranged attacks will fare even better, chipping away at his marginal health rapidly with little threat to the attacker. Unless you have limited arrows that you want to save for the final stage, this might be the best way to go. The worst part about the Arch-Illager are the pillagers that he summons, because their slower cadence of fire leads to higher damage, especially when they attack in unison. Keep the pillager numbers down, watch out for fireball attacks, and watch his health drain as you attack.

What is the Heart of Ender in Minecraft Dungeons?

Defeat the Arch-Illager, and learn the terrible secret of the Orb of Dominance. A pillar of shadow and violet light will envelop the Arch-Illager and the malevolent staff that gave him his power, and he will become the Heart of Ender — a vicious, brutral creature with unimaginable powers...and it's your job to defeat it. The Heart of Ender is a proper final boss battle, if a little on the short side, with its wide variety of attacks and moves, and its ability to decimate anything that stands in its way.

The Heart of Ender has four main attacks to watch out for, with two of them being simpler attacks and the others "my entire party was downed in seconds"-type attacks. We'll start with the former, since they're easier to deal with. For one, the Heart of Ender will occassionally stop and stand completely upright, then unleash a barrage of purple fireballs that rain from the sky. This attack is easy to dodge, since it has only strikes a wide area at a "medium" range. Ranged players can easily stand outside of the attack's radius and return fire, while melee players can move in close and get a couple of quick hits in.

The other is more annoying, restricting the movement of players on the battlefield. The Heart of Ender will leave a trail of twisted black fire as it moves, which deals rapid, persistent damage to anyone standing in it. It will also occassionally deposit pools of purple fire on the battlefield as well, with the same effect. Unless you're willing to take the hit, you won't be able to move in that direction for a few crucial seconds. By itself, this isn't that big of a deal, but combined with the Heart of Ender's major attacks, it can end the battle for you.

These are the attacks that frustrate players endlessly, because both absolutely decimate even the beefiest of tank players if you're not careful. Think of the Heart of Ender as having a few dozen Corrupted Beacon artifacts on its side, but with infinite souls at its disposal. They have endless range, deal incredible amounts of damage, and can be very difficult to avoid for slower players. It's definitely rough, especially if you don't have any back up.

The first attack is the Heart of Ender's favorite. The final boss will sort of...separate itself and fire a brutal cross of purple energy, then begin rotating and sweeping the entire battlefield with its terrifying lasers. If you see this attack, do not bother with attacking or closing the distance. The Heart of Ender always turns clockwise, so gain some distance and follow its turn, staying as close as you can to the laser in front of you without touching it.

Artifacts that grant speed like Boots of Swiftness and Deathcap Mushroom can be used in a pinch. I suggest not using the dash button if you can avoid it, since it actually slows you down for a few moments afterwards. In this case, the Light Feather is a fantastic option, giving you a quick boost that doesn't affect your movement speed after the fact, which can result in the Heart of Ender running you through with a laser thicker than your entire body.

The last of the Heart of Ender's attacks is a little stranger, because the best way to avoid it is to usually not move. Your opponent will summon smaller version of itself that rise up from the ground, open their ghastly mouthes, and erupt in the same powerful purple beam. Using these cloned heads, the Heart of Ender will create an interlocking grid of impassable lasers, all of which deal absurd levels of damage. The creature itself will continue wandering around.

In this situation, it's best to avoid moving at all. It looks like the game usually avoids spawning a laser directly on top of the player, and attempting to move while the grid is being created can end up with a laser through your body. This is a good time to use your bow to get a few shots on the Heart of Ender while its wandering around, and you're waiting for the lasers to stop and things to return to normal. Well, not normal, but closer to normal than a maze of death beams.

If knowing all the various tactics the Heart of Ender employs is enough to get you hyped up to fight it, then you're free to move on. For everyone else who wants that little bit of extra help, read further to find out the best ways to fight back against the Heart of Ender.

How can I beat the Heart of Ender in Minecraft Dungeons?

The biggest factor that adds to the length of time it takes to beat the Heart of Ender is simply avoiding death. Fighting the Heart of Ender is about knowing when to close the gap, when to increase the distance, when to move, and when to halt. Finding times to attack occurs in all the spaces between these decisions. As long as you recognise the Heart of Ender's different attacks and respond accordingly for your playstyle, victory is a lot easier to obtain. As long as you're not vaporised, that is.

Melee-focused players

If getting close and personal is your calling in Minecraft Dungeons, the Heart of Ender presents an interesting challenge. Its nearly constant movements are accompanied by trails of perilous flame, and its brief stops are often signalling massive attacks that are best left alone. You'll need to take opportunities when they present themselves, and avoid the Heart of Ender's lasers at all costs. For this, I recommend equipping some artifacts that give you extra mobility and attack speed to capitalize.

The Light Feather is awesome for getting out of a pinch, because it doesn't hit you with a slow down effect like a dash does, and has a rapid cooldown. The Deathcap Mushroom is a must-have for any melee-focused player, and lets you close the gap faster and dish out some damage with serious fervor. The third artifact depends on your playstyle, but the Boots of Swiftness can give you a little more oopmh if you're in the run from the Heart of Ender's laser attacks. Just remember when not to move, when the Heart of Ender summons clones of itself to create a grid of lasers on the battlefield. Sit tight, and give your artifacts a chance to cooldown.

The best time to attack the Heart of Ender is during its fireball barrage attack, and immediately after major attacks. The Heart of Ender isn't actually that sturdy, so as long as you're cautious and wait for the perfect chances to strike, focusing on avoid its own attacks, you can defeat the final boss in Minecraft Dungeons for sure. Tank players may struggle a little more on their own, but these same strategies can still be employed for you.

Range-focused players

Range-focused players will arguably have the easiest time conquering the Heart of Ender, if only because you'll have more opportunities to attack. For ranged players, it's crucial to maintain distance, and be constantly on the lookout for the Heart of Ender's ultimate attack. Just like melee-focused players, artifacts that provide a speed bonus in a pinch are extremely valuable. I suggest the Light Feather or Boots of Swiftness, to help you get out of sticky situations.

For ranged players, your bow is your most vital tool. You need to make sure your bow is suitably high level, and has enchantments that play to your overall strengths, like increasing your damage or speed. Then it's all about finding those various moments to attack, which can be a little chaotic against the Heart of Ender.

Almost every attack has a tiny opening that you can take advantage of, besides the cross laser attack. In that case, simply focus on evading until the Heart of Ender runs out of steam. That gives you yet another chance to pepper the final boss with arrows. Worst case scenario, if you're down to your last life, you may be able to weaken the Heart of Ender from the platform before you get to the final boss, giving you another avenue of attack.

Souls-focused players

Unfortunately, souls-focused players will struggle mightily against the Heart of Ender, because this boss simply doesn't spawn any minions that can be used to harvest souls. There's not a lot a souls player can do here, unless they're using the Eternal Knife Unique weapon, which has a chance of providing souls on a hit instead of a kill, but even then it's far too uncommon to be relied upon. If you stocked up on souls while fighting the Arch-Illager, you'll have a better time going into the battle, but will still suffer when trying to finish it.

If you can double up a weapon with the Soul Siphon enchantment, which is the standalone version of the Eternal Knife's ability (even better, getting an Eternal Knife that can also be enchanted with Soul Siphon), this evens the odds, but souls-focused melee weapons are typically slow, relying more on souls artifacts than anything else. If you don't have this gear, you'll need to switch tactics a bit to come out on top.

Souls-focused players that have gone more for a "battle mage" approach can begin using melee-focused tactics, using speed and aggression to come out on top. Players that use a bow or ranged tactics can act like a range-focused player, using caution and evasive manuevers to wittle down the Heart of Ender's health. If you did save some souls from the Arch-Illager's fight, then be sure to take full advantage of them while you can. Any extra bit of damage you can do could be the difference between victory and defeat.

Companion-focused players

I probably don't have to tell you again that companion-focused players will struggle more with this fight than anyone else. None of the companions can withstand the powerful attacks of the Heart of Ender, and it's difficult to control them beyond rudimentary directions like "attack this thing" and "come here," meaning your companions constantly get themselves killed. The best way to think about companions in this context is as a "shield" of sorts, distracting the Heart of Ender and letting you attack mostly in peace.

What does this mean for you? Just mirror the tactics outlined in the melee-focused and range-focused sections, depending on your proficiency, and use your companions as diversions that also happen to inflict a bit more damage before they inevitably perish in the face of some massive death laser. Using this, you can still claim to be a master of companions but not die instantly when fighting the Heart of Ender. It's a compromise, but one you'll have to make until Minecraft Dungeons makes some changes to the companions.

Another idea is using the Final Shout enchantment to give you a last line of defense. This enchantment makes it so all of your artifacts are instantly used when your health drops below 25%, disregarding all cooldown costs entirely. If you're in a pinch and get clipped by the Heart of Ender, you can rebolster your army with fresh companions, and possibly buy yourself a few more seconds. It's not the most effective strategy, but is a solid option for companions-focused players.

What are some tips for every boss fight in Minecraft Dungeons?

Every boss is different, and every player approaches these bosses in a unique way. However, there are always tips and tricks that work in any fight in Minecraft Dungeons, regardless of how you play. Here's a list of all the essential tips for every boss fight, which should aid you in winning even on Apocalypse Difficulty.

• Choose your playstyle, and build your loadout around that. Minecraft Dungeons gives you a constant revolving door of new loot to try out, meaning you should be able to narrow down the direction you want to go in. Different gear compliments each other (like dual-wielding weapons with fast armor, or a bow with armor that increases arrow drops), so you can customize a perfect set for how you want to play. To get ahead of the curve, read up on our lists of weapons and armor.
• Artifacts are essential for any player. No matter how you decide to play, artifacts are the special sauce that exponentially increase your capability in Minecraft Dungeons. There's a good variety to experiment with, from artifacts that are clearly aimed at certain players, to more niche ones that players will find creative uses for. It's always a good idea to keep at least one of each artifact so you can test new combinations as you go, but you can also read our comprehensive list of artifacts.
• Unique gear takes things to the next level. Where things truly get interesting in the later game is using unique weapons and armor to augment your loadout. These unique weapons possess attributes and characteristics that set them apart from the standard gear they're related to, giving you an extra ability on top of what you can add with artifacts and enchantments. Uniques can truly narrow down what you're going with, whether it's the ultimate battle mage, or a super-nippy rogue that heals as they shred their opponents. Here's a list of all the unique gear to get you started.
• Not all weapons are created equal, and enchantments are the difference. Finally, enchantments on your gear are the final push that takes you from "capable" to "everything is exploding and I heal five times a second." You get enchantment points as you level up, so you should always be spending these points to make your gear even better. These enchantments are pseudo-random, as well, so even two identical pieces of gear can have completely different enchantments. Make sure to check these constantly, as a weapon with different enchantments or an extra slot can overhaul your entire loadout in one fell swoop. Here's a list of all the enchantments to get you started.
• Keep moving, and use the "Dash / Dodge" button wisely. It's important to keep moving in Minecraft Dungeons, to prevent enemies from surrounding or pinning you down. It also helps to avoid some of the more devastating attacks, especially from big bosses. Dungeons also gives you a dash that lets you roll out of trouble once every few seconds, which can be crucial in a fight. Use this button wisely, as you can't spam it and you'll have a temporary period of slow down immediately afterwards.
• Don't hesitate to retreat, if necessary. Minecraft Dungeons is not particularly liberal with their health potions, forcing you to wait a not-insignificant amount of time between health top-ups. If you're in a tough fight, there's nothing wrong with backing up to wait for your next health potion to come in, or to allow your artifacts to cooldown for another use. To this end, the dash button can help you evade immediate danger and give you a chance to retreat.

Save the world, do it again

The Heart of Ender is an intense, short-lived battle that is decided in just a few minutes (unless you have to be extra careful the entire time), but is an incredibly solid final boss to cap off Minecraft Dungeons. Or, at the very least, underline the entrance into the next phase of the game, whether it be a higher difficulty, or the endgame that all Diablo-like titles live and breathe. The trickiest part of the Heart of Ender is that rotating laser cross for sure, so once you've mastered running away in terror from that, you'll have this battle in the bag.

Fight your way out, endless of heart.

Enter the Dungeon

Minecraft Dungeons

$20 at Microsoft (PC)$20 at Amazon (Xbox One)

Minecraft grows up and reaches out.

Minecraft Dungeons combines the familiar world we all grew up on with an injection of Diablo, a whole lot of fun. Available on every platform you're on, for a ridiculously attractive price, what's not to love?

Best answer: The best place to purchase the Dell XPS 17 (9700) is Dell's website. Dell provides free shipping and gets you a good deal on the laptop's price. Additionally, the site has a configuration tool that makes it easy to get the exact laptop you want.

• Buy directly from Dell: Dell XPS 17 (9700) (From $1,400 at Dell)

Why buy directly from Dell?

In addition to being the first place you can purchase the XPS 17 (9700), Dell's website is also the best place to purchase the laptop. Dell will likely have the best price for the laptop and also offers free shipping on the device.

Dell's website also has a configuration tool that allows you to customize elements of the laptop, such as the processor, display, hard drive, and RAM. You can also add protection plans, additional software, and premium support if you'd like. If you want to get an XPS 17 now but want to spread out its cost over time, you can also set up a payment plan through Dell's website.

Why is the Dell XPS 17 (9700) worth buying?

The XPS 17 (9700) is the largest XPS laptop Dell has released in a long time. Despite having a 17-inch display, the laptop has a relatively small body when compared to other 17-inch laptops. Dell states that it's the "smallest 17-inch laptop on the planet" and that it's "smaller than 48 percent of 15-inch laptops." The 17-inch display is available in up to 4K UHD+ and has excellent color accuracy. The 4K UHD+ version of the display is anti-reflective, supports HDR400, hits 500 nits of brightness, and has 94 percent DCI-P3 color accuracy. The display features a taller 16:10 aspect ratio and thin bezels. Unlike some older XPS devices, the XPS 17 (9700) doesn't have a visible chin below the display.

On the inside, the XPS 17 (9700) pairs up to a 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10885H processor with up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q graphics. It has up to 64GB of DDR4 memory and up to 2TB of PCIe storage. The internal specs should be enough for creative professionals in many fields. To go along with those internals, the XPS 17 (9700) has quite a few ports, including four Thunderbolt 3 ports (which support power delivery), a full-size SD card reader, and a headphone/microphone jack.

Large and in charge

Dell XPS 17 (9700)

$1,400 at Dell

A big entry to the XPS lineup

The XPS 17 (9700) features a massive 17-inch display, but thanks to its thin bezels, its body is the size of many 15-inch laptops. It pairs that large display with powerful internal options for creators.

Power Throttling is a feature to improve battery life on Windows 10, but when it doesn't work as expected, you can use this guide to manage its settings.

On Windows 10, when you work with multiple apps, even though you may not be actively using them at the same time, their processes will continue to run in the background, wasting a significant amount of power.

To optimize the power usage on devices running on battery, Windows 10 includes "Power Throttling." It's a feature that has been designed to leverage the power-saving capabilities found in many modern processors to limit resources for background processes efficiently while permitting them to continue to run using only a minimal amount of power.

Using the Power Throttling feature, the system can detect apps that you're actively using and reduce the power consumption for any other process that is non-essential, resulting in up to 11 percent increase in battery savings.

The only caveat is that it doesn't always work as expected. If you're noticing performance issues, you can always monitor the apps that are being throttled and configure them manually to prevent them from entering into a low-power state.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to monitor, control, and disable the power throttling feature on your mobile device.

• How to monitor processes being throttled on Windows 10
• How to disable Power Throttling using power settings
• How to disable Power Throttling using Group Policy
• How to disable Power Throttling using Registry
• How to disable Power Throttling for processes individually

How to monitor processes being throttled on Windows 10

You can use Task Manager to check which processes Windows 10 is throttling to conserve battery life on your device.

To see which processes are being throttled, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Task Manager and click the top result to open the app.

   Quick tip: Alternatively, you can right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager, or use the Ctrl + Shift + ESC keyboard shortcut to open the tool.

3. Click the More details button if you're in compact mode.
4. Click the Details tab.

5. Right-click the header of one of the column, and click Select columns.

6. Scroll down and check the Power Throttling option.

7. Click the OK button.

8. Confirm the apps that are being throttled.

   Quick tip: On laptops, tablets, or other form factors running on battery, expect to find some processes with throttling set to "Enabled" and some others set to "Disabled."

Once you complete the steps, a new "Power Throttling" column will show the processes in the throttling state.

You can always confirm that the feature is working by opening and minimizing an app. When you're actively using an app, you'll notice that its processes in Task Manager will appear as "Disabled," but as soon as you minimize the app, the processes will switch to "Enabled."

If you see every process with the "Disabled" state, then your device is probably connected to a power source, using the "Best performance" power mode, or using a processor that doesn't support the technology.

Power Throttling is only available on processors with Intel's Speed Shift, which is a technology present on the 6th Generation of Intel chips and later.

How to disable Power Throttling using power settings

Power Throttling activates automatically when your laptop isn't connected to a power source, which means that the quickest way to disable the feature is to plug it into an outlet.

Alternatively, you can set the power mode to "Best performance" to disable Power Throttling with these steps:

1. Click the battery icon in the notification area of the taskbar.

2. Use the slider to select the Best performance option.

Here's a description for each power mode on Windows 10:

• Battery saver — Enables Power Throttling.
• Better battery — Enables Power Throttling.
• Better performance — Enables Power Throttling, but it's a more relaxed option.
• Best performance — Disables Power Throttling.

How to disable Power Throttling using Group Policy

If you use Windows 10 Pro, it's also possible to disable Power Throttling using the Group Policy Editor.

1. Open Start.
2. Search for gpedit.msc and select the top result to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

3. Browse the following path:

   Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Power Management > Power Throttling Settings

4. Double-click the Turn off Power Throttling policy.

5. Select the Enabled option.

6. Click the Apply button.
7. Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, Windows 10 will stop limiting power on all apps, regardless of which power mode configured on your device.

If you want to revert the changes, you can use the same instructions, but on step No.5, make sure to select the Not Configured option.

How to disable Power Throttling using Registry

On Windows 10 Home, you won't have access to the Local Group Policy Editor, but you can still disable Power Throttling for the entire system modifying the Registry.

Warning: This is a friendly reminder that editing the Registry is risky and can cause irreversible damage to your installation if you don't do it correctly. It's recommended to make a full backup of your PC before proceeding.

1. Open Start.
2. Search for regedit, and select the top result to open the Registry.

3. Browse the following path:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power

4. Right-click the Power (folder) key, select New, and click on Key.

5. Name the key PowerThrottling and press Enter.

6. Right-click the newly created key, select New, and click on DWORD (32-bit) Value.

7. Name the key PowerThrottlingOff and press Enter.

8. Double-click the newly created DWORD and set the value from 0 to 1.

9. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, Power Throttling will be disabled on the Windows 10 mobile device.

If the want to take advantage of the feature again, you can revert the changes using the same instructions, but on step No. 4, double-click the PowerThrottling key and set the value from 1 to 0.

How to disable Power Throttling for processes individually

Windows 10 can proactively determine which processes need to be throttled to conserve battery life. However, in some particular cases, the app may get throttled by mistake, which can end up causing unwanted performance issues. In these situations, it's possible to disable Power Throttling per application without completely disabling the feature.

To prevent Windows 10 from throttling a specific app, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click on Battery.

4. Under the "Overview" section, and click the See which apps are affecting your battery life option.

   Quick tip: If you're using the Windows 10 May 2020 Update, you'll likely see the list of apps on the main page for the battery settings, under the "Battery usage per app."

5. Clear the "Let Windows decide when this app can run in the background" option.

6. Clear the Reduce the work they can do when it's in the background option.
7. (Optional) Clear the Allow the app to run background tasks option.

Once you complete the steps, Power Throttling for that particular application will be disabled.

On Windows 10, Power Throttling is a feature designed to optimize battery life on mobile devices with virtually no drawbacks. As a result, adjusting these settings is not recommended unless you're troubleshooting performance issues with an application.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

What's coming to Xbox Series X and Xbox One in the future? Here are the biggest and brightest games we're looking forward to.

Microsoft just revealed the Xbox Series X, showcasing the future of its flagship gaming platform. The Xbox Series X sounds like a beast, with impressive specs that will outstrip any other video game console on the market today, but it's no good if it doesn't have the games to showcase that power. Microsoft is investing more than ever to uplevel its own gaming output from Xbox Game Studios, while continuing to work with third-party publishers on pushing the next-generation of gaming excellence.

Thankfully, there are already tons of incredible Xbox One titles available right now, but what's coming next? Here's a list of some of the most promising, and most anticipated Xbox One games for 2020, and beyond.

If you're a game developer and would like to see your game listed here, get in touch with me on Twitter! @JezCorden

Menu

• Wasteland 3
• Cyberpunk 2077
• Iron Harvest
• Project Cars 3
• Tell Me Why
• Gears Tactics
• Empire of Sin
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
• Halo Infinite
• The Medium
• The Ascent
• Elite Dangerous: Odyssey
• Hitman 3
• Pragmata
• Resident Evil 8: Village
• Rainbow Six Siege: Quarantine
• Scorn
• The Last Night
• Grounded
• Dying Light 2
• Ooblets
• Everwild
• Carrion
• Disco Elysium
• Tales of Arise
• Microsoft Flight Simulator
• Weird West
• Overwatch 2
• Psychonauts 2
• Diablo 4
• Watch Dogs: Legion
• Tunic
• Battletoads
• Hellblade II

Mid to late 2020

Wasteland 3 (August 28, 2020)

Although it was confirmed previously, now that inXile has joined Microsoft, Wasteland 3 will no doubt be getting some elevated Xbox love when it hits the platform in the future.

Wasteland 3 is the next entry in Brian Fargo's classic tactical RPG which inspired the Fallout franchise. In this classic CRPG ruled by choice and consequence, you'll battle across the desolate radioactive wastes for survival. Wasteland 3 takes the franchise to more wintry climbs, and it's shaping up rather nicely.

$60 at Microsoft Store

Tell Me Why (Summer, 2020)

Although we don't have a hard release date besides "Summer 2020," Tell Me Why should be on track for a launch anywhere between now and August 2020.

By the developers of Life is Strange, Tell me Why is another supernatural adventure thriller from DONTNOD Entertainment. Not a great deal is known about the game besides that, but if you enjoyed Life is Strange, you should stick this on your radar.

Iron Harvest (September 1, 2020)

Iron Harvest is an upcoming RTS set in an alternative 1920 period of war.

Built in collaboration with professional strategy game players, Iron Harvest is all about steampunk mechs battling it out across Europe in a post-industrial revolution era war for supremacy.

The game is slated for a September 2020 launch on PC, but it's unknown whether it's hitting consoles on the same date. Although it is confirmed to be on the way to Xbox alongside PC and PS4.

Cyberpunk 2077 (September 17, 2020)

Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most hotly anticipated titles on this list, and also one of the furthest out. Cyberpunk 2077 is an enigmatic project from CD Projekt RED, famed for The Witcher series. Cyberpunk 2077, as its name implies, will be a sci-fi adventure RPG, but very little is known about the game beyond that. Cyberpunk 2077 will be played from a first-person perspective, in a rich and futuristic world.

It could be a while before Cyberpunk 2077 hits store shelves, but if it's anything like The Witcher 3 in terms of scale and depth, it will likely be a monumental achievement.

$60 at Microsoft Store

Project Cars 3 (Summer, 2020)

Project Cars is an excellent simulation racing game from Slightly Mad Studios. The latest instalment arrives this summer, with boosted visuals and customization.

Gears Tactics (Q3, 2020)

Gears Tactics is hitting PC on April 2020, and is confirmed to get an Xbox launch sometime beyond that.

Gears Tactics is an XCOM-like spin on the Gears of War universe, taking place in the early days of the war with the subterranean locust horde. Players will have to manage a team of soldiers in turn-based tactical combat, across a forty-hour long campaign.

We have no idea when it will hit Xbox, but hopefully it won't be too long after the PC version.

$60 at Microsoft Store (PC)

Empire of Sin (Q4, 2020)

Empire of Sin is an upcoming tactical simulation game from Romero Games, in which you build up your very own crime syndicate.

Playing as a range of notorious gangsters from the noir prohobition era, you'll start from the ground floor in 1920s Chicago, working your way up through the various warring criminal factions to take command of the city's underworld. Manage your henchmen, do battle in XCOM-style tactical segments, and manage your business's economy, coming to Xbox and PC in Q2 2020.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (Q4, 2020)

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla is the next instalment of the legendary assassination franchise, this time following a Viking-oriented tale across Northern Europe. The game has various new features, and maintains an RPG-style established by Assassin's Creed: Origins.

Halo Infinite (Holiday, 2020)

We know next to nothing about Halo Infinite, besides the fact it's the next big entry in Microsoft's flagship shooter saga. Taking place after the events of Halo 5 and Halo Wars 2, Halo Infinite will continue the story that left the galaxy in peril, at the hands of the all-powerful Guardians.

The Medium (Holiday, 2020)

The Medium is an upcoming game from Bloober Team, the minds behind popular horror titles like Observer, Layers of Fear, and Blair Witch. Enlisting the legendary musical efforts of Silent Hill composer Akira Yamoaka, The Medium tells a twisted tale of a psychic, haunted by visions of a grisly murder.

The Medium seems to be exclusive to the next-gen Xbox Series X, and will also hit PC.

The Ascent (2020)

Although there's no firm launch date, The Ascent should be dropping "some time" in 2020, probably towards the Holiday season. The Ascent is an Xbox Series X and PC title, with a gorgeous cyberpunk aesthetic and solo and co-op action RPG gameplay.

2021

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey (Early 2021)

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey is the next expansion for Elite Dangerous, and while it isn't a standalone title, the expansion is massive and represents Frontier's most ambitious project to date. Odyssey will finally give you the ability to exit your starship, and take on FPS missions across a variety of environments.

Frontier will release more details in the coming months, but if you're a fan of Elite Dangerous, keep your eye on this one.

Hitman 3 (January, 2021)

Hitman 3 is the next instalment in the legendary stealth 'em up assassination franchise, although not a great deal is known about what's actually new for the game, besides this incredibly slick teaser trailer.

Pragmata (2021)

Pragmata is an upcoming title from Capcom, set in a truly strange futuristic setting. Almost nothing is known about the game, besides the fact it's coming to next-gen systems, and looks incredibly sleek.

Resident Evil Village (2021)

Resident Evil Village is effectively Resident Evil 8, and follows Ethan from Resident Evil 7 into a depraved new nightmare. Retaining the first-person perspective, Resident Evil Village features the return of Chris Redfield, as well as all sorts of new biohazards to give you nightmares. RE:V looks like a next-gen exclusive too, hitting Xbox Series X, PC, and PS5 only.

Rainbow Six Quarantine (2021)

Rainbow Six Quarantine is an upcoming sci-fi horror take on Rainbow Six Siege, pitting players in a tactical scenario against infected, mutated humans. Besides fragments of leaked info, not a great deal is known about the game, although its planned release date may have slipped to 2021 as per recent earnings call info from Ubisoft.

Release date TBC

Scorn

Scorn is an upcoming horror title that leans heavily into H.R. Giger artstyles to create its grotesque world. Not a huge amount is known about the game besides the fact that it is firmly survival horror, set in a first person, and is exclusive to Xbox Series X and PC.

The Last Night

The Last Night is an upcoming "2D open-world" title from Odd Tales Games. The neon-blasted cyberpunk title features action-infiltration oriented gameplay, complete with a branching narrative and stunning art that combines retro-2D sprites and modern lighting, with 3D elements.

There's no launch date listed at the time of writing, but as of writing, The Last Night is seeking investment due to some developmental issues.

Grounded

Grounded is an upcoming survival title from Obsidian, which draws upon inspiration from Honey I Shrunk the Kids.

In Grounded, you're shrunk to the size of an ant, and tasked to survive in someone's back yard, battling gigantic insects, building bases, gathering resources, and so on. There aren't too many details available about the game, but it looks rather intriguing.

Dying Light 2

Dying Light 2 was revealed at E3 2018, and looks set to build upon everything that made the original so awesome.

Set long after the zombie-apocalyptic events of the first game, Dying Light 2 is set in a Mad Max-like world where humanity is trying to rebuild. Undead mutants still lurk in the dark underbelly of the city, but the biggest threat is now violent human factions, which you can work with, or against, in a new dynamic narrative system.

There's no set launch date as of yet, but we're excited to see where the next Dying Light will take us.

Ooblets

Ooblets is an upcoming Xbox title that has been described as Pokemon meets Harvest Moon.

This cutesy life sim game will let you farm crops, bond with locals, and gather a menagerie of pint-sized pals, and it's coming to Xbox One and PC in the future.

Everwild

The next title from Rare was revealed in late 2019, showing us another gorgeous and colorful world from the British studio. Very little is known about Everwild, but the trailer seems to indicate that it's some form of multiplayer experience, complete with stealth mechanics and uniquely gorgeous creatures.

Carrion

Carrion is an upcoming reverse-horror game from Devolver Digital and Phobia Games. You play as a horrific amorphous blob, complete with shredding tentacles and an evolving toolset of deadly abilities.

With haunting pixel art and violent, virulent side-scrolling gameplay, Carrion looks like a hell of a time. It's coming sometime in 2020.

Disco Elysium

Disco Elysium is an award-winning isometric RPG where you play as a detective.

Disco Elysium hinges primarily on player choice, with gameplay that revolves largely around dialogue choices, skill checks, and exploration. Your decisions ultimately decide what kind of cop you'll turn out to be, and all the consequences that come along with it.

The game is already available on PC, and will hit Xbox some time in 2020.

Tales of Arise

This upcoming action game was announced at E3 2019, and looks like one to watch for fans of JRPGs.

Part of the famed Tales series, Arise is being built by a team of series veterans and newcomers, with an aim to revitalize the franchise and attempt to appeal to new audiences with a darker aesthetic. It is targetting a 2020 launch.

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Although it will make its maiden flight first on PC sometime in 2020, Flight Simulator is confirmed to be hitting Xbox as well in the future.

Microsoft Flight Simulator does exactly what it says on the tin, albeit with some cloud-powered features that quite literally elevate it above similar games. Utilizing real-time map data and AI-generated graphics, Microsoft Flight Simulator is looking to push the genre to all-new heights. I'm riding high on these flight puns.

Weird West

Not a great deal is known about what you actually do in Weird West, but the developer pedigree and slick trailer alone makes it quite interesting.

Built by the co-developers of Prey and Dishonored, Weird West is self-described as an action RPG fantasy western, where werewolves, cultists, and other occult beings lurk in the shadows of the frontiers. It has no known launch window as of yet, but it seems well worth keeping an eye on.

Overwatch 2

Announced at Blizzcon 2019, Overwatch 2 finally adds a story mode to the colorful hero shooter, filling in some of the gaps in the game's lore.

While Overwatch 2 will be a separate game with its own content, Blizzard won't be splitting up the playerbase between the first and second games, instead uniting both in the same multiplayer pool with the same heroes. There's no known launch window at this point, but we'll be sure to update you when there is.

Psychonauts 2

Psychonauts 2 is an upcoming 3D puzzle platformer from Double Fine, set in Tim Burton-esque nightmarish mindscapes.

Players control Raz, a psychonaut who's job is to navigate the minds of various derranged (and not so derranged?) characters. Raz has a variety of psychic powers that he can use to manipulate the environment, to help players progress. The game is slated to launch sometime in 2020.

Diablo 4

Diablo 4 was revealed at Blizzcon 2019, and what a reveal it was.

Ditching the cartoony, colorful aesthetic of the previous game, Diablo 4 goes all-in on haunting, gothic realism and brutal violence. Blizzard notes that Diablo II has been the template for the franchise's fourth instalment, both in tone and in the game's more methodical pacing.

There's no known launch window as of yet. We'll probably be waiting a long time for this one.

Watch Dogs: Legion

Watch Dogs: Legion is the third instalment in Ubisoft's hack 'em up open world action game, set this time in a dystopic future Britain.

Unlike previous games, this time you play as literally any NPC you can recruit to your cause, hence the "Legion" part of the game's title.

Unfortunately, Watch Dogs: Legion was delayed as part of Ubisoft's pervasive internal efforts to bring greater differentiation to its franchises, following weak performance of games like The Division 2 and Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. We'll update you as soon as we discover what the game's new launch window is.

Tunic

Tunic is an upcoming old school dungeon crawler in the vein of the OG Zelda games.

Taking control of a cutesy fox warrior, it's on you to brave ancient ruins, battle swarms of spooky dudes, and get piles of loot. There's no known launch date for Tunic as of yet, but it looks rather intriguing.

Battletoads

Battletoads is an upcoming reimagining of the classic 90s beat 'em up from Dlala Studios overseen by Rare. Gameplay wise, Battletoads seems fairly similar superficially to the classic gameplay of the original as a co-op oriented side-scrolling combat game, albeit with "modernized" art, departing from the pixel-stylings of the old school games.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II

Another huge surprise announcement recently was that of Hellblade II, built from the ground up for the next-gen Xbox Series X. The in-engine trailer showcases the insane visuals Ninja Theory will achieve when the game hits the Xbox Series X, presumably in or around its Holiday 2020 launch window.

Little is known about the game, but Senua is a pict warrior who navigates the horrors of Helheim to rescue the soul of a loved one. The game pushed extremely incredible visuals for its time, with stunning atmospherics, but was a bit limited in scope due to the independent nature of the studio. Now as part of Microsoft, Hellblade II may push further into more action-oriented territory.

What are you hyped for?

We've already seen reams of great games recently hit Xbox One, and the backlog looks as though it'll just keep growing. The future of Xbox definitely looks stunning, particularly when you factor in what developers will be able to achieve with next-gen systems like the Xbox Series X. But what games are you looking forward to the most? Let us know in the comments, and maybe we'll add them in here in a future update.

Updated June 12, 2020: We've updated this list with updated launch dates and games from various recent announcements, removing games already released.

The Razer Kishi basically turns your phone into a Nintendo Switch with its easily attachable controller ends. With proper buttons, joysticks, and triggers, you can leave the touchscreen behind and take advantage of AAA game releases through streaming services like Project xCloud. Getting the Kishi to work with Project xCloud is straightforward, but if you're not already signed up for the service, you'll have to follow the steps below to take advantage of it.

Superlative streamed gaming

• Best xCloud controller: Razer Kishi for Android ($80 at Amazon)
• Best streaming library: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate ($23 at Amazon)

Signing up for Project xCloud

As an invite-only preview beta, Project xCloud requires you to jump through some hoops to get access. So before starting that process, make sure you have what you need to take full advantage first:

• A compatible smartphone running Android version 6.0 or greater, with Bluetooth version 4.0+ enabled. Most Kishi-compatible phones will certainly have these, but it doesn't hurt to check your phone settings.
• A high-speed internet connection or mobile data plan. Microsoft suggests either 5GHz Wi-Fi or 10Mbps data speeds and up.

With those in hand, proceed with the following steps:

1. Register for Project xCloud.
   • You will need to create a Microsoft account if you don't already have one.
2. Wait for Microsoft to send you an email invitation.
   • The waiting period varies from person to person, and can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of months.
3. Install the Xbox Game Streaming (Preview) app
4. Go to the Project xCloud section of the app.
   • You can also use the Razer Kishi to play games you already own via your Xbox One, should you so desire.
5. Sign into the account associated with your xCloud invitation.

Using Razer Kishi with Project xCloud

Once you're signed up with Project xCloud, you'll find that pairing Kishi with the streaming platform should be more or less instantaneous. Razer designed its controller to be compatible with both Xbox Game Streaming and Project xCloud.

1. Slide your smartphone's USB-C port onto the USB-C connector on the Razer Kishi.
2. Pull out the left half of the Kishi so your phone can slot inside of it. A blue light indicator should turn on if you've successfully inserted your phone.
3. Open the Xbox Game Streaming (Preview) app. The app should automatically detect the connected Kishi.
4. Choose a game to stream to your phone, and start playing!

Kishi kills the competition

You can use a variety of Bluetooth-enabled controllers for Project xCloud, but the fact is that Bluetooth connectivity inevitably generates latency, which a wired USB-C connection eliminates for more responsive controls. Plus, as the Kishi runs on your phone's battery, you'll never need to charge your controller separately or burn through dozens of AA batteries. Add in its universal design for most Android phones, turning all of them into a mobile console, and it's easy to see why Razer Kishi is an excellent choice for Project xCloud and other streaming-based services.

Best xCloud controller

Razer Kishi for Android

$80 at Amazon

Near-universal compatibility

Kishi enables a wider group of Android gamers than ever before to access Microsoft's excellent games streaming service. Its ergonomic design, easy attachment process, and no-latency connection makes it a great choice for hardcore gaming on the go.

Best streaming library

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Expand your games list

$23 at Amazon$23 at Best Buy$25 at Walmart

Project xCloud has 50 excellent titles for free, but it doesn't match the sheer quantity of Game Pass Ultimate's 200+ titles. If you're still waiting for your xCloud invitation, or just want a wider option of games to stream and play with Kishi, Ultimate is an obvious purchase.

Take some time to check out two packed shows.

While there's no E3 2020, countless different events are bringing a nonstop flow of news, previews, and game announcements. Two such events are the PC Gaming Show and Future Games Show. The PC Gaming Show will feature 50 games, while the Future Games Show will have over 40 games. To do the math for you, these presentations are bringing over 90 games for everyone to check out.

This double billing is being presented by PC Gamer and GamesRadar, respectively. Both shows are scheduled to begin on Saturday, June 13. Here's how you can watch each of them.

How to watch the PC Gaming Show

The PC Gaming Show pre-show begins at 10:30 a.m. PT, with the full show kicking off at 11:00 a.m. PT. It's being hosted by Sean "Day9" Plott and Frankie Ward alongside a mystery host. Some of the developers to show up include Amazon Games, Coffee Stain Studios, Dontnod, New Blood Interactive, and Rebellion. You can watch the PC Gaming Show on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook or Twitter.

The PC Gaming Show is supposed to last around two hours, wrapping up at 1:00 p.m. PT. That gives enough time for a quick break before the Future Games Show a short while later.

How to watch the Future Games Show

The Future Games Show starts at 2:00 p.m. PT, with companies like Square Enix, Deep Silver, and Private Division taking part. It's being hosted by Nolan North and Emily Rose of Uncharted fame. You can watch the Future Games Show on Twitch, YouTube or Facebook.

The Future Games Show is set to end around 3:30 p.m. PT.

A double-billed special

With this many different games to check out, there's sure to be something for everyone to enjoy. For any updates or last-minute changes to the schedules, you should follow @gamesradar and @PCGamer on Twitter.