Intel has been investigating games crashing on its Core i9 13th and 14th Gen processors. Now, Asus has started issuing BIOS updates for its latest Z790 motherboards that include a new “Intel Baseline Profile” option that should improve stability in certain games. We’re still waiting on Intel to comment, but it looks like some motherboards have been pushing Intel’s chips to their limits.
Microsoft has been testing an Xbox Mastercard for more than six months and it’s now opening it up to everyone in the US today. The Xbox Mastercard is a no annual fee credit card issued by Barclays, and purchases made using the card will generate points that can be redeemed on Xbox games and add-ons.
The many Michaels and Mikes at Microsoft woke up to a larger than normal amount of emails this week. “Someone accidentally(?) added every Mike/Michael at Microsoft to a discussion alias,” reveals Bing VP Michael Schechter. Copilot summarized the email thread and it says some of the Michaels are concerned “they might be hunted for sport” 😅.
Microsoft veteran Ralf Groene has retired after 17 years at the company. Groene was responsible for the design of Microsoft’s Surface tablets, and has been a key part of the company’s tablet and PC hardware efforts over the past decade. Groene has retired less than a year after former Surface chief Panos Panay departed for Amazon, and just weeks after Microsoft named a new Windows and Surface chief.
