Another week gone by means another week of news to catch up on! Across the worlds of Windows, Xbox, and gaming we saw dozens of stories hit our news desk this week, and I've highlighted the biggest ones right here. From the YouTube app on Windows Phone being set to receive an update to someone cramming an AirTag inside a Steam Deck, here are all the most interesting Microsoft and Xbox stories from this week.
YouTube for Windows Phone
Here's a story I didn't expect to see in 2024, the YouTube app on Windows Phone is apparently set to receive an update. Microsoft killed Windows Phone years ago, so it's certainly strange to see an app get updated, but that's supposedly exactly what will happen.
Google infamously did not release a YouTube app for Windows Phone and even revoked Microsoft's YouTube API keys to prevent a Microsoft-made YouTube app from working. But Windows Phone fans are a resourceful bunch, and there's a chance that the YouTube app for Windows Phone will receive an update in 2024.
A Reddit post explains that several people are working to bring back the old version of YouTube that was once available on Windows Phone. The post explains that since the Windows Phone YouTube app uses the same APIs as Android YouTube apps, it could be restored.
The project is about 20% completed and the goal is to have it done by March 15, 2024.
Oddly, this isn't the first we've heard of late regarding Windows Phone and YouTube. Last year, it was discovered that switching the user agent strings of a browser to Windows Phone would bypass pop-ups telling you to turn off ad-blockers.
Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League? More like Warner Bros. kills the Suicide Squad. The game had poor early impressions from several media outlets and things only got worse when the title entered paid early access. One bug was so bad that the entire game was taken offline. Searches on Google related to getting a refund for the game spiked almost 800%, according to Google Trends data.
That particular bug would give new players a 100% completion of the entire game without having to do anything. As a result, much of the game was spoiled online.
To get early access to the game, you need to have the Suicide Squad: To Kill the Justice League Deluxe Edition, which costs $100. The poor reception of the game by news outlets as well as the rocky paid early access period drove many to look into getting a refund. Searches for "Suicide Squad refund" went up 791% after the game went down for maintenance.
If you're looking to get a refund, you can do so through Steam's refund page here. If you purchased the title through the Microsoft Store, you can look at refund options on the Microsoft account page. Your results may vary, since there's no guarantee that companies will give refunds if you've played the game for a certain amount of time.
AirTag inside Steam Deck
The Steam Deck is a lovely gaming handheld that lets you play many of your favorite titles on the go. So, it may seem reasonable to want to add a way to track the device in case it's stolen or misplaced. That's what one Steam Deck owner did when they put an AirTag inside their Steam Deck. Specifically, they placed an AirTag inside a Steam Deck OLED to prove that it's possible.
Before you get any ideas, you should not put an AirTag inside your Steam Deck. Doing so will make you lose access to a button, require you to open up your gaming handheld at least once a year, and could potentially cause other damage. The setup that went viral cannot use the L4 button, which is quite the sacrifice to place an AirTag inside the console.
While I don't recommend emulating this setup, I understand the temptation. The Steam Deck doesn't have a find my device feature like many phones, or even some laptops, have.
Windows gets old feature
Did you hear? Windows 11 is getting a new default installation UI! Well, kind of. When Microsoft announced Windows 11 Insider Build 26040, the company highlighted a new installation UI in the operating system. But the "new' experience isn't all that new after all. It's actually a UI that's been available since 2021. Insiders have been able to enable it since 2014! The new UI just hadn't been enabled by default until now.
As you would expect from a component that has been around in some form since 2014, the new installation UI doesn't fit in on Windows 11. Microsoft will have to come up with an actually brand new UI to align with its latest operating system.
Windows Central Podcast
In this week's episode of the Windows Central Podcast, hosts Dan and Zac discuss if Windows 12 will ship in 2024, Google adding Arm64 support to Chrome on Windows, and the Apple Vision Pro.
Xbox News Recap
Each week we recap the biggest Xbox and gaming news as well. Make sure to check out the latest info on Enshrouded, Dragon's Dogma 2, and Hi-Fi Rush.
Reviews
Each week our experts go hands-on with the latest gadgets and games. Our team checked out AMD's new Ryzen 8000 Series CPUs, played around with the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro gaming keyboard, and took a look at plenty of other tech.
- RIG 600 Pro HX Xbox headset review: An awesome value with multiplatform connectivity and Dolby Atmos
- Alienware AW2725DF: An impressive 360Hz QD-OLED gaming monitor fit for eSports
- AMD Ryzen 5 8600G review: The ultimate CPU for a budget-friendly custom gaming desktop is here
- AMD Ryzen 7 8700G review: Skip that graphics card for now, this CPU is the new meta for budget PC gaming
- Razer Huntsman V3 Pro review: The world's most advanced gaming keyboard, but you probably don't need it
- Persona 3 Reload review: An amazing remake that honors the legacy of the original
- AVerMedia Live Streamer MIC 350 (AM350) review: A dependable premium microphone that challenges the best
- This Bree AI Chatbot app has a 4.7-star rating, showing that sometimes all people want is somebody to talk to
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Super Founders Edition review: Finally, a great value RTX 40-Series card
- AYANEO Slide review: A full keyboard for portable interaction with text-heavy games, chats, and browsers
- GameSir G8 Galileo controller review: Taking the lead for Xbox cloud gaming on mobile
Deals
This week Lenovo's Doorbuster Deals slashed thousands of dollars off some of the best Windows laptops. The ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 8) and ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 11) are our favorite deals, but there are plenty of other discounts through Lenovo. We also covered a deal on the Xbox Series S Carbon (1TB) that brings the already affordable console back to its lowest price ever. Some of these discounts have shrunk a bit, but they're still good deals.
