Xbox Live running in Windows 8 captured on video

By Adam Rosenberg Published September 18, 2011

Microsoft confirmed last week that the upcoming Metro-styled update for the Xbox 360 dashboard will appear in Windows 8 as the user interface you’ll use to access Xbox Live from your PC. The dashboard’s new look was revealed over the summer at E3 and it should be coming to consoles this fall. Windows 8 is set to arrive next year, which gives MS plenty of time to work out those early launch kinks.

There’s a new video online now (via Joystiq) that gives a look at the Metro-style XBL interface running in Windows 8. The footage is pulled from a presentation at Microsoft’s Build 2011 developer’s conference last week. What you see really speaks for itself; if you’ve got any familiarity with the Xbox 360 dashboard and Microsoft’s plans for updating it this year, this footage is that. It’s essentially what you’re going to see on your console later this year, running on a PC.

Adam Rosenberg

Former Gaming/Movies Editor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Topics

Computing

NVIDIA’s RTX Spark could be the best thing to happen to Qualcomm Snapdragon

A rising tide lifts all laptops. Even rivals.

NVIDIA RTX Spark sticker on Lenovo YOGA Laptop

When I attended Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit a couple of weeks ago, I kept coming back to one question: What does Windows on Arm need to become a mainstream alternative to traditional Windows laptops? Qualcomm has spent years making Arm-based Windows PCs faster, more capable, and increasingly difficult to dismiss. But, you see, good hardware can only do so much when software compatibility, gaming support, and developer interest still need work, right?

Then I spent time with NVIDIA’s RTX Spark, and my first reaction was that Qualcomm might have a problem.

Computing

3 Mac apps I discovered in 2026 that prove useful software doesn’t have to be boring

A clothesline for your screenshots, paper for your screen, and a bouncer for your cat.

Some Mac apps are great at what they do but aren’t much to look at. Others look beautiful and still get the job done. But once in a while, you find an app that not only performs its task well but is also fun to use, and those are my favorite kind of apps. In this guide, I am going to show you three Mac apps I discovered this year that are both useful and fun to use.

Tendedero: hang your screenshots out to dry

Computing

The next MacBook Air could arrive early next year, but OLED will have to wait

Apple’s next MacBook Air may look familiar on the outside, with M6 expected to be the main upgrade.

Apple may be about to give the MacBook Pro one of its biggest upgrades in years, but the MacBook Air apparently has to wait a little longer for its turn.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is planning to refresh the MacBook Air in early 2027. The upcoming model is expected to stick with a non-OLED display, even as Apple prepares to move its higher-end MacBook Pro lineup to OLED and touch support.