News

• Battlefield 6 will be a "gritty and real" experience like earlier entries in the series
• Battlefield Studios UX director Alan Pimm said the game will have a different atmosphere to Battlefield 2042
• The developer also said it's "not a military sim" but "it's got enough of that grit that you feel it's believable"

According to EA, Battlefield 6 will be a modern military shooter inspired by earlier entries in the series and designed to be a "gritty and real" experience for players.

Speaking in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at the Battlefield 6 multiplayer reveal event, Battlefield Studios user experience director Alan Pimm said that the game's return to a modern setting after the futuristic Battlefield 2042 was something that the studio knew players wanted.

"Battlefield 3 and 4 were our strongest muses," Pimm said. "They were the ones that were in that same kind of modern frame, which is what people want. They don't want ultra-modern or futuristic. They want the weapons of today, that was the strong thing that came out of the research."

The developer said the upcoming shooter will look very different from 2042, particularly in terms of color palette and overall atmosphere, and will return "back to the grit" the series is best known for.

"It's remembering that dirt should be dirty. We're not a pristine, sterile environment anymore. You've got the dust, the particles, the mud... You're not running around in a hero cape," Pimm explained.

"You're not running around in a hero cape. You know you are the soldier on the battlefield with your friends in amongst the muck and the dust and the explosions. The fiber of everything we've done in this is going 'let's make it gritty. Let's make it gritty and real.'

"It's not military sim, that's not where we go, it's fun still, but it's got enough of that grit that you feel it's believable."

Battlefield 6 will launch on October 10, 2025, for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

An early access period will begin on August 7-8, followed by open beta weekends on August 9-10 and on August 14-17.

• Battlefield 6 won't run on the Steam Deck and there are no current plans for a Nintendo Switch 2 version, says EA exec
• The Battlefield 6 battle royale map has seemingly leaked, and Warzone's days could be numbered
• The Nintendo Switch 2 is the company’s least ambitious console to date, but its improvements are astronomical

• Clues in Windows 11 previews hint that AI is coming to the taskbar
• This could be in the form of an 'agentic AI' companion
• Exactly what its purpose would be is far from clear at this point

Microsoft could be planning to add an AI element to the taskbar in Windows 11, based on clues in preview builds and theorizing from the rumor mill.

27914 LXP changes. As always, some of these mentions already exist in beta/dev"Taskbar Companion" is mentioned in settingsConfirmation for various disk/partition tasks are now mentioned in settingsNumber and Currency formats mentioned under region1/2July 31, 2025

Windows Latest flagged that well-known leaker Xeno posted on X that they've found a 'Taskbar Companion' feature, which is mentioned in settings (as well as some other bits and pieces, including gaming-related capabilities).

There's no explicit mention of AI here, but Windows Latest notes that it has previously heard Microsoft was thinking about adding AI actions to the taskbar, and that this could be the mentioned companion(s).

The site says that another regular leaker of Windows-related happenings on X, PhantomOfEarth, has pointed out that references to companions were in a Windows Server preview build last month - and that Windows 11 previews have witnessed a mention of 'agentic companions' for the taskbar.

Windows Latest also brings our attention to a string in a recent Windows 11 preview build that's related to controlling 'visibility of agentic companions on the taskbar'.

Consider all this together, and the obvious theory – remembering that it is just speculation which needs to be heavily seasoned at this point – is that the taskbar companion functionality is tied in with agentic AI in some way.

That term refers to an AI agent, or helper, that would be fired up via the taskbar.

If you want to get an idea of what might be in store for the taskbar, look no further than the Settings app in Windows 11, which has just got an AI agent (for Copilot+ PCs only). This facilitates an intelligent search to find the options you need to tinker with in Settings, so you can throw out a query such as 'How do I change the speed that my mouse pointer moves at?' and the AI will find that option for you - and maybe even offer a recommended setting in some scenarios.

That's useful, no doubt, but the question is: how might AI functionality such as this work in the taskbar? At this point, your guess is as good as mine, but if you want the latter, it could be tied into managing notifications or the calendar (off the system tray).

Alternatively, as Windows Latest hints, it might power some form of recommendations, like apps you might want to install, or websites you may want to visit, which could be piped to you via the taskbar (Microsoft already has this kind of functionality in the Start menu, of course). I sincerely hope that isn't the case, but this is a concept Microsoft has toyed with a bit for the taskbar in the past.

The worrying thing for me is that I'm struggling to think of something that could be genuinely useful in this theorized AI-infused taskbar scenario (whereas the agent in Settings has some clear value in terms of pepping up search functionality). The concern, then, is that this would be a case of more AI just for the sake of it.

At any rate, we are still in the very early stages of progress here, with only the vaguest clues in the background of Windows 11 that something might be happening with AI agents in the taskbar. So, it's far from clear that Microsoft has any such plans - but then again, the addition of more AI in Windows 11 would hardly be a surprise (perhaps for Copilot+ PCs only, as is the case with the Settings agent).

• Microsoft promises to crack one of the biggest problems with Windows 11: slow performance
• Microsoft finally plays its trump AI card, Recall, in Windows 11 – but for me, it’s completely overshadowed by another new ability for Copilot+ PCs
• Windows 11 is getting more AI shortcuts, but is Microsoft in danger of cluttering up the OS with AI creep?

• AMD has announced the Radeon RX 9060 GPU for pre-built gaming PCs
• It will use 8GB of VRAM similar to its 9060 XT counterpart
• It seems as though Team Red isn't giving up on 8GB GPUs

The GPU market has seen a handful of additions recently, mostly from Nvidia and AMD with the RTX 5000 series and Radeon RX 9000 series lineups, respectively – and it looks like Team Red isn't done just yet, perhaps in an unwanted way.

As reported by our friends at Tom's Hardware, AMD announced the Radeon RX 9060 GPU spotted in a new Radeon driver update's patch notes, a new 8GB option for gamers that will only be available via pre-built systems – in other words, the GPU won't be available to purchase separately via retailers.

This appears to be a watered-down version of the 8GB Radeon RX 9060 XT model, which was less favored in comparison to its 16GB model. 8GB GPUs haven't been selling well at retailers, as previously indicated by a German retailer's sales figures.

Recent rumors also suggest that Nvidia and its board partners may be dropping GPU prices due to a lack of sales and oversupply, which likely includes 8GB configurations – and the indication is that PC gamers don't want to pay inflated high prices for mid to high-end GPUs, and a significant portion clearly aren't settling with low-end 8GB cards.

However, it's essential to note that this new GPU appears to be specifically designed for pre-built systems, which should help introduce more affordable gaming PCs, especially for those new to the ecosystem.

I think it's been stated more than enough at this point that 8GB GPUs just won't cut it for PC gaming today. These GPUs aren't completely useless, as they can still run games at 1080p, but with more poorly-optimized PC games of recent years and games requiring more VRAM, I don't think 8GB of VRAM is the solution for desktop GPUs.

Consumers are clear to voice their satisfaction with 16GB GPUs, so at the very least, I'd like to see Nvidia and AMD follow in Intel's footsteps; it's seemingly abandoned 8GB GPUs entirely, with its latest lineup consisting of 10GB and 12GB GPUs.

There's no doubt that those on a budget may find use in these GPUs, but in terms of longevity, it's the last option that I would recommend for a new GPU.

I was hoping Team Green and Team Red would set the new standard to 12GB, but now I'm left hoping that both take this into consideration for the next generation of graphics cards.

• You might not have to wait long for the ROG Xbox Ally – a new leak suggests a launch may be sooner than you expect
• Need a new GPU? Nvidia's RTX 5000 Super models may be coming sooner than you expect
• AMD isn't giving up on high-end GPUs – a new leak hints at a new Radeon GPU challenging Nvidia's next-gen flagship graphics card

• Mozilla is warning its dev community of an ongoing attack
• The attackers want access to the devs' accounts
• Tainting browser addons with malware could be the play here

Mozilla is warning its developer community they are at risk of being targeted by devious new phishing attacks urging them to “exercise extreme caution and scrutiny” when receiving emails claiming to have come from either Mozilla, or AMO (addons.mozilla.org).

“Phishing emails typically state some variation of the message “Your Mozilla Add-ons account requires an update to continue accessing developer features,”” the company said in its description of what the targets could expect.

The company did not say who the threat actors are, what they’re looking to achieve, or how successful they are - however, given browser add-on developers are being targeted, it’s safe to assume the miscreants are looking for a way to compromise the products with malware.

Browser add-ons are tiny programs that add extra features or functions to a web browser, and users usually install them to customize or enhance their browsing experience.

Some of the most popular addons include ad blockers, spelling and grammar checkers, password managers, screenshot tools, and VPNs or privacy tools.

By tainting the solutions with malware, cybercriminals can engage in supply chain attacks, gaining access to people’s bank accounts, social media accounts, cryptocurrency tokens and NFTs, passwords, session cookies, and more.

It’s a common attack vector, too. Less than a month ago, it was reported that many Chrome and Edge addons, including several prominent products, were found spying on users and communicating with a third-party server.

At the time, security researchers from Koi Security reported that a seemingly benign Chrome add-on called “Color Picker, Eyedropper — Geco colorpick”, which allows users to quickly identify and copy color codes from any point within their browser, was secretly a malware.

While working as advertised, and having thousands of downloads and positive reviews, the add-on also did something in the background - it hijacked browser activity, tracked the websites users were visiting, and communicated with remote C2 infrastructure.

This discovery led them down a path that uncovered an entire web of add-ons, all doing similar things.

Via The Register

• Hackers hit SAP security bug to send out nasty Linux malware
• Take a look at our guide to the best authenticator app
• We've rounded up the best password managers

• Nintendo recently opened a survey asking players their opinion on digital and physical games, but it's now closed
• One question asked about physical games featuring a digital download, and has fans wondering if Nintendo will make changes to its divisive Game-Key Cards
• There were also questions about physical games and whether players prefer owning physical or digital games

Nintendo briefly opened a survey asking players their opinion on digital and physical games, suggesting the company is looking for feedback after the launch of the Switch 2 and its divisive Game-Key Cards.

As reported by Eurogamer, on August 4, Nintendo ran a survey to find out what its player base thinks about physical and digital games, with questions aimed at how many Switch games they've purchased for themselves and others.

One question asked users, "In general, when it comes to games for a Nintendo Switch system, do you prefer purchasing games in physical format or in digital format?"

Another asked, "For which of the following reasons would you consider purchasing physical versions of Nintendo Switch games?" with an option to reply with answers like, "I like collecting physical games", "it's easier to gift physical games to others", and "Physical games provide a stronger sense of ownership."

For some reason, the survey has now been deactivated, but another question, asking about physical games featuring a digital download, has fans online wondering if Nintendo will consider making changes to its Game-Key Cards.

"Filled out the Nintendo online survey & was very adamant about letting them know I very much LOVE my physical media & don’t want them ever going away," one BlueSky user said. "I’m not a massive fan of the new keycard approach. Let’s hope Nintendo actually takes this feedback to heart and people show up for physical media."

Game-Key Cards are a new form of physical Switch 2 games that contain a download key but don't feature the full game data like other physical editions.

After the player downloads the game, they can play it by inserting the Game-Key Cards into their console and starting it up like a standard physical game.

Some games that offer these Game-Key Cards include Persona 3 Reload, Bravely Default, and more, while new titles like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza are standard physical game cards like the original Switch.

However, the new cards have become a divisive topic, with many fans worrying that the company might be moving towards a full digital output. Others suggest that since Game-Key Cards don't contain the full game data, players don't have full ownership of their game after purchasing.

In April, Nintendo of America senior vice president of product development and publishing Nate Bihldorff said that Game-Key Cards are "future-proof" and that they will allow for more games on the Switch 2, no matter the size.

• I’ve spent 150 hours with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the Switch 2 Edition is an incredible upgrade
• The Nintendo Switch 2 is the company’s least ambitious console to date, but its improvements are astronomical
• Microsoft says Xbox Game Pass reached 'nearly $5 billion' in annual revenue over the last year, setting a new record for the service