News

• Microsoft and partners have a new Windows resilience strategy for enterprises
• WRI shifts antivirus tools outside kernel for better reliability and recovery
• CrowdStrike and Bitdefender praise Microsoft’s new approach to security collaboration

Microsoft wants to avoid a repeat of the backlash that followed the 2024 CrowdStrike-related outage, and it’s launching a new framework to do so.

With its new Windows Resiliency Initiative (WRI), the tech giant is looking to harden the Windows platform against potential disruption.

Announced at Ignite, WRI is Microsoft’s strategy to build resilience into the core of how Windows operates - across updates, third-party integrations, and endpoint security.

At the heart of WRI are three focus areas: ecosystem collaboration, practical guidance, and product innovation.

Microsoft brought together security vendors and government officials at the Windows Endpoint Security Ecosystem Summit in 2024 to begin that work. Since then, the company has been working closely with its Microsoft Virus Initiative (MVI) partners to improve how Windows handles security software and operating system updates.

Microsoft said the goal is to reduce disruption while maintaining high security standards. "Resilience isn’t optional - it’s a strategic imperative," David Weston, head of Enterprise and OS Security at Microsoft, said in a new blog post.

Security vendors are not just watching from the sidelines. Florin Virlan, SVP of Product and Engineering at Bitdefender Customer Solutions Group, said, “Bitdefender is pleased to collaborate with Microsoft to redefine how security is delivered to Windows users. Through the Windows Resiliency Initiative and development of the Windows endpoint security platform, our teams have worked together to modernize the security architecture - creating a resilient, forward-looking foundation that enhances protection against evolving threats while maintaining a seamless user experience.”

Alex Ionescu, Chief Technology Innovation Officer at CrowdStrike, added, “We spoke at WESES last year to emphasize the importance of our industry coming together and, since then, have seen significant customer interest in the progress toward greater platform resiliency. Through this collaboration, we’ve driven substantial improvements to the planned capabilities for the Windows endpoint security platform, paving the way for a more integrated high-performing security solution.”

Part of the update is structural: Microsoft is shifting antivirus and endpoint protection tools out of the Windows kernel and into user mode. This change should make it easier to recover from issues and limit their scope.

Microsoft aims to release these capabilities to partners in a private preview soon.

Beyond security vendors, Microsoft is also updating Windows 11 to include new recovery tools and reliability features.

A simplified crash screen, faster reboot processes, and a new tool called Quick Machine Recovery will begin rolling out with Windows 11 24H2.

Bandwidth-saving tools like Connected Cache and secure, flexible printing through Universal Print are also being refined to keep businesses running with fewer interruptions.

Windows 365 Reserve, a new offering, will also allow users to shift quickly to a Cloud PC when their main device is out of commission.

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Given that Xbox players received South of Midnight earlier this year, we're now looking ahead to the rest of 2025 to see what's in store. First will be the release of Borderlands 4, followed by Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Beyond that, there's Gears of War: E-Day, and then a 2026 release window for Fable.

The Elder Scrolls 6's release date is still a mystery in 2025, given that we've not received a substantial update on the highly-anticipated fantasy RPG in over seven years. Given the pedigree of its predecessor, however, it's easy to see why The Elder Scrolls 6 is at the absolute top of many gamer's wishlists, even after all these years of relative silence.

What we can tell you for certain is that The Elder Scrolls 6 is indeed in development, and that it will be the next release for Bethesda Game Studios, now that Starfield is well and truly in the rearview mirror. Even so, it's clear that the game is quite a ways out, especially following comments from Xbox head Phil Spencer last year. A shame, given it's easily one of the most highly anticipated upcoming games out there.

Here's what we know about The Elder Scrolls 6 so far, including a look at platforms we can expect it to launch on. Hopefully, we will hear more about the game by the end of 2025. When details do emerge, this page will be updated.

• What is it? The long-awaited successor to Skyrim
• When does it come out? TBC
• What can I play it on? TBC - but evidence points to it being only on PC and Xbox Series X|S

Platforms for The Elder Scrolls 6 haven't been confirmed yet but, given Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda's parent company ZeniMax Media in 2021, releases on PC, and Xbox Series X|S are almost a certainty. A PS5 release was previously ruled out, according to documents revealed as part of the FTC vs Microsoft court case. Similarly, releases on Xbox One seems extremely unlikely, as Starfield shows Bethesda's moving on from last-gen hardware.

One thing to consider here is that since we last heard about The Elder Scrolls 6's Xbox exclusivity, Microsoft has started taking a very different approach to its releases. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, for example, launched on PS5 a few months after its launch on Xbox. Similarly, we've now seen Sea of Thieves arrive on PS5, so it's possible that The Elder Scrolls 6 will follow a similar pattern. We'll have to wait and see.

The Elder Scrolls 6 will be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one. This means that subscribers will be able to pick up the game at no extra cost the same day it releases for everyone else.

The only footage we have of The Elder Scrolls 6 is a very short clip of the game's logo. Other than that, you might be waiting a while to see more. Here's the announcement trailer:

We’re willing to bet that like all the other games in the series, The Elder Scrolls 6 will take place on the continent of Tamriel. Previous games have taken us to High Rock, Hammerfell, Morrowind, Cyrodil, and Skyrim. Valenwood, Elsweyr, and Black Marsh are the biggest places left to explore. However, even though these areas are prime spots for exploration, that's not to say that Bethesda won't return to areas from previous games.

There were rumors that The Elder Scrolls 6 could be set in Valenwood, the home of the Bosmer. It’s an area of Tamriel that Bethesda hasn’t explored much and that's based on a reported internal Bethesda memo from all the way back in 2014. In this memo, Bethesda employees were reportedly warned against using the terms Fallout: Nuka World, Elder Scrolls VI or Project Greenheart.

It's hard to tell from the short E3 clip we have of the game. However, since it was shown, general opinion has moved towards the idea that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be set in either Hammerfell or High Rock.

Adding credence to the Hammerfell rumor is a post from the official Elder Scrolls Twitter account at the end of 2020. That says "transcribe the past and map the future" and shows an image with an unmapped Hammerfell region. There is, however, a chance that this teaser doesn't relate to Elder Scrolls 6 at all.

Obviously, those of us who know the world of Tamriel thanks to Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim and yes, even Elder Scrolls Online, the entire world is a veritable expanse of different lands and settings where the game could be set. We do know one thing for certain; wherever it does end up being set, we can expect to be fulfilling a great many side quests.

Oblivion Remastered is now available on Xbox, PC and PS5
Well, it wasn't exactly the best kept secret, but The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered has now dropped for players to dig into. It was a secret release that happened April 22, 2025, and you can play the game on Game Pass. Read our Oblivion Remastered review for our full thoughts.

New release window rumors
According to a court document revealed from the FTC v. Microsoft case, The Elder Scrolls 6 is expected to be released sometime during or after 2026, and is seemingly planned to be released solely on PC and Xbox (via The Verge).

The Elder Scrolls 6 is still in early development
In an interview with Spanish publication Vandal (as translated by Gamespot), Pete Hines revealed that The Elder Scrolls 6 is still likely a long way off.

"It's in development, but it's in early development."

Fallout 5 is coming after The Elder Scrolls 6
In an interview with IGN, Todd Howard confirmed that Fallout 5 will be Bethesda's next project after The Elder Scrolls 6.

"Yes, Elder Scrolls 6 is in pre-production and, you know, we’re going to be doing Fallout 5 after that, so our slate’s pretty full going forward for a while" Howard told the publication. "We have some other projects that we look at from time to time as well."

Bethesda wants to take its time to get it right
The Elder Scrolls 6 is probably still a few years away yet but that’s not because Bethesda is deliberately dragging its heels. In an interview with IGN, when discussing the gap between Skyrim and its follow up, Howard said “Would you plan to have the kind of gap we're having between Skyrim and the follow-up? I can't say that's a good thing. Do I wish I could wave a wand and the game we wanted to make [...] just came out? Absolutely.”

According to Howard, however, the time felt right for Bethesda to try something new with Starfield and The Elder Scrolls Online meant that the Elder Scrolls franchise was in a relatively good place.

“That being said,” he added, “everything takes longer than we would like as well, but we want to make sure that we get it right. Hopefully Elder Scrolls 6, you don’t want to say hey, that it’s worth that kind of wait, but that it does stand up to the series as it has been in a really big, impactful way for when it comes out.”

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• Samsung Galaxy Buds Core are now live on Samsung's UAE site
• The Buds Core boast increased stamina over the Buds FE with ANC off
• A (reduced) list price of 159AED would make them just $43 / £32 / AU$66

It's been a turbulent but exciting few weeks for Samsung's incoming Galaxy Buds Core – aka the Galaxy Buds 2 FE (which is effectively what they'll be).

On June 12 we reported their sighting in an APK teardown alongside the still-unofficial Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 FE, then three days ago they were spotted by name in a tweet by Samsung India alongside a June 27 launch date (and even an Amazon listing).

And now, a day earlier than promised (for today is June 26), we've got actual published specs and images, this time from Samsung's UAE site.

The first thing to note is their listed regular 189AED price tag, which would make them around $51.50, £37.50 or AU$79, but they're currently showing a reduced price of just 159AED on Samsung's site.

Either way, that is a lot cheaper than the $99 / £99 / AU$149 asking fee of the inaugural Buds FE at launch, in September 2023 – and more than enough to see them fit for inclusion in our best budget earbuds roundup.

In our review of the Galaxy Buds FE, we noted their "respectable battery life… right in the middle of what's expected of ANC-based earbuds these days". That said, I found they only lasted around 4.5 hours with ANC deployed before needing a charge (and I'm not alone there, the good people over at SoundGuys listed a Buds FE battery test of just four hours and 39 minutes). Also, demands in 2025 are quite different.

We also noted a lack of wireless charging support in the Buds FE, and while that doesn't seem to have been added in the Buds Core, Samsung claims you do now get up to 35 hours of total battery time in the Buds Core without ANC deployed, up from 30 hours in the Buds FE. With ANC on, it's a 21-hour claim.

Elsewhere, they're available in black or white with Samsung's silicone wingtips to achieve a decent fit. You also get three mics per bud – so far, so same-as-the-FE. But this is where things change…

Now, thanks to support for Galaxy Interpreter (which is part of Galaxy AI), you should be able to hear translations on the spot – ie without needing to look at the screen of your Galaxy smartphone while wearing the Buds Core. You simply wear the earbuds and converse: Galaxy AI provides translations in real-time.

You also get Samsung's scalable codec, for better-quality audio within Samsung's ecosystem, plus multi-point seamless connectivity between your Samsung devices.

And for the quoted asking fee, that seems more than reasonable. It's also the 27th tomorrow, so we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for more official Buds Core pricing from Samsung. Watch this space!

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