• Microsoft's improved Windows 11 Xbox PC app will be available for Xbox Insiders
• Its Aggregated Game Library will allow users to access games on multiple storefronts in one app
• It's going up against SteamOS and its game library setup

Microsoft's ROG Xbox Ally handheld gaming PCs are set for release later this summer, alongside a significant Xbox app upgrade – and it appears that our first taste of the handheld-friendly app is closer than ever.

Announced on Xbox Wire, Microsoft's new Aggregated Game Library will be available for Xbox Insiders to preview, leading up to its full launch alongside the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds. It will let users launch games across Steam, Battle.net, and multiple platforms like Epic Games, all on the Xbox app, essentially emulating Valve's SteamOS.

It's set to act as a direct competitor to Valve's efforts at creating a handheld-friendly gaming experience; first with the Steam Deck, and now with the Legion Go S and other handhelds without an official SteamOS license. It's been a while since fans and I have pleaded with Microsoft for a portable Windows 11 mode, and I couldn't be happier to see it doing just that.

However, I'd say it's evident that Microsoft has a lot of work ahead, attempting to improve Windows 11 and going up against SteamOS. We already know that gaming performance on SteamOS is better than Windows 11's – and yes, while we still need to see the Xbox app first, it may have some catching up to do.

While Windows 11 has the advantage of running most multiplayer games using anti-cheat, there's a strong chance of this compatibility on Linux improving – and that's because SteamOS is making its way to other handhelds away from the Steam Deck. Not to mention, Splitgate 2 developers tweaked its anti-cheat to make the title playable on SteamOS, so others may follow suit.

Analysis: I may not turn my back on SteamOS, but Microsoft's move is a welcome one

(Image credit: Future)

Let's get one thing straight: I'm absolutely all-in for the new Xbox app, and I'll more than likely be using it on my dual-booted Asus ROG Ally. However, I'm keeping my expectations low, and I don't think the new upgrade will convince me to move away from SteamOS completely.

Now, you could say it's an unfair judgment as the upgrades aren't available yet – but fans have been asking Microsoft to consider a portable handheld mode for a long while now, so the onus isn't on the fans, but rather Microsoft itself.

Valve's SteamOS has multiple years of work under its belt, with optimizations pushing for a smoother and more customizable handheld experience. Tools like Decky Loader (which isn't affiliated with Valve) are a massive part of that – and I hope that Microsoft can replicate a smooth and customizable experience within the Xbox app.

The preview should arrive later this week, and you can be certain that I'll be testing it on my Asus ROG Ally...

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• Google Earth is celebrating is 20th birthday this month
• It's just added a new historical Street View feature for time-traveling
• Pro users will also get AI-powered upgrades to help with urban planning

Google Earth has just turned 20 years old and the digital globe has picked up a feature that could prove to be an addictive time-sink – historical Street View.

Yes, we've been able to time-travel around our cities and previous homes for years now on Google Maps, but Google Earth feels like a natural home for the feature, given its more immersive 3D views and satellite imagery. And from today, Google Earth now offers Street View with that historical menu bar.

That means you can visit famous buildings and landmarks (like the Vessel building in New York City above) and effectively watch their construction unfold. To do that, find a location in Google Earth, drag the pegman icon (bottom right) onto the street, click 'see more dates', and use the film strip menu to choose the year.

Around major cities and landmarks, Street View images are updated so regularly now that their snapshots are often only months apart, but in most areas they're renewed every one to two years. That opens up some major nostalgia potential, particularly if the shots happen to have frozen someone you know in time.

Bringing history to life

The Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral (above) is a particularly interesting subject for a Google Earth aerial timelapse (Image credit: Google)

To celebrate Earth's birthday, Google has also made timelapses of its favorite historical aerial views, which stitch together satellite photos over several decades. This feature became available in the web and mobile versions of Earth last year – to find it, go the the layers icon and turn on the 'historical imagery' toggle.

One fascinating example is the aerial view of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral (above), which Google made exclusively for us. It shows the gothic icon from 1943 through to its unfortunate fire in 2019, followed by its recent reconstruction.

But other examples that Google has picked out include a view of Berlin, from its post-war devastation to the Berlin Wall and its modern incarnation, plus the stunning growth of Las Vegas and San Francisco over the decades.

There's a high chance that Google Earth will, once again, send me down a hours-long rabbit hole with these Street View and historical imagery tricks. But it's also giving Pro users some new AI-driven features in "the coming weeks", with features like 'tree canopy coverage' and heatmaps showing land surface temperatures underlining Earth's potential for urban planning.

That perhaps hints at the Gemini-powered treats to come for us non-professional users in the future. But for now, I have more than enough Earth-related treasure hunts to keep me occupied.

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Videos and projections depicting an A.I.-generated actor, the digital memories of robots, a redwood forest and more: High-tech storytelling is having a moment.

https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2025/06/mattels-going-to-make-ai-powered-toys-kids-rights-advocates-are-worried?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=b2c_pro_oth_20250623_juneweeklynewsletter_paid_v4_1_175042146011&utm_content=AI_powered_toys


Toy company Mattel has announced a deal with OpenAI to create AI-powered toys, but digital rights advocates have urged caution.

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

Ford Motor said it would open a new plant in Michigan that could become ineligible for federal incentives under a policy bill championed by President Trump and passed by the House.

Nuro, a California-based autonomous driving company, has chosen Memphis as one of its testing grounds.

The liberal advocacy organization said in a lawsuit that the Federal Trade Commission’s inquiry into boycotts with other advertising groups was “retribution.”

The vehicles will have safety monitors and may not operate in bad weather, making them more restricted than the fully autonomous vehicles promised by Elon Musk.

• Adobe wants to help decide how your brand shows up inside ChatGPT and other AI bots
• LLM Optimizer promises SEO-like results in an internet where search engines no longer rule
• Your FAQ page could now influence what AI chatbots say about your brand to customers

Popular AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are increasingly replacing traditional search engines in how people discover content and make purchasing decisions.

Adobe is attempting to stay ahead of the curve by launching LLM Optimizer, which it claims can help businesses improve visibility across generative AI interfaces by monitoring how brand content is used and providing actionable recommendations.

The tool even claims to assign a monetary value to potential traffic gains, allowing users to prioritize optimizations.

Shift from search engines to AI interfaces

(Image credit: Adobe)

With a reported 3,500% increase in generative AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail sites and a 3,200% spike to travel sites between July 2024 and May 2025, Adobe argues that conversational interfaces are no longer a trend but a transformation in consumer behavior.

“Generative AI interfaces are becoming go-to tools for how customers discover, engage and make purchase decisions, across every stage of their journey,” said Loni Stark, vice president of strategy and product at Adobe Experience Cloud.

The core of Adobe LLM Optimizer lies in its monitoring and benchmarking capabilities, as it claims to give businesses a “real-time pulse on how their brand is showing up across browsers and chat services.”

The tool can help teams identify the most relevant queries for their sector and understand how their offerings are presented, as well as enabling comparison with competitors for high-value keywords and uses this data to refine content strategies.

A recommendation engine detects gaps in brand visibility across websites, FAQs, and even external platforms like Wikipedia.

It suggests both technical fixes and content improvements based on attributes that LLMs prioritize, such as accuracy, authority, and informativeness.

These changes can be implemented “with a single click,” including code or content updates, which suggests an effort to reduce dependency on lengthy development cycles.

It is clear the best SEO tool tactics may need to adapt, especially as AI chat interfaces do not operate with the same crawling and ranking logic as standard web browsers.

For users who already rely on the best browser for private browsing or privacy tools to avoid data profiling, the idea that businesses are now optimizing to appear inside chatbots could raise questions about how content is sourced and attributed.

Adobe insists that the tool supports “enterprise-ready frameworks” and has integration pathways for agencies and third-party systems, though the wider implications for transparency and digital content ethics remain to be seen.

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