Fresh reports suggest that the next-generation PlayStation console, widely expected to be the successor to the PlayStation 5, may not be as expensive as previously feared. Despite ongoing concerns around rising memory and component costs, early estimates indicate that the PlayStation 6 could launch at a price closer to current PS5 levels rather than crossing the $1,000 mark.
According to recent analysis based on supply chain estimates and leaks from a known insider Moore’s Law Is Dead, the PS6 could carry a launch price of around $749.
The report suggests that manufacturing costs for the console may reach roughly $743 per unit, with memory alone accounting for a significant portion of that expense. In fact, around $300 of the cost could come from RAM, while storage components like SSDs also remain expensive.
Even with these pressures, the projected retail price is still relatively close to the PS5’s positioning, especially compared to earlier fears that the next-gen console could exceed $1,000.
The biggest uncertainty around PS6 pricing remains the global memory and chip market. Over the past year, demand for AI infrastructure has driven up the cost of RAM and storage components significantly.
Reports indicate that DRAM and SSD prices have surged due to increased demand from data centers and AI companies, limiting supply for consumer electronics.
In some cases, RAM prices have risen dramatically, with certain components seeing multiple-fold increases.
This trend has already impacted current-generation consoles. Sony recently increased PS5 prices globally, citing rising component costs, signaling how deeply supply chain volatility is affecting the gaming industry.
Despite these challenges, analysts believe the PS6 may avoid extreme pricing due to a combination of factors.
First, companies like Sony are likely to optimize component choices and production efficiency over time. There is also an expectation that some component prices, particularly memory, could stabilize before the PS6 launches, which is currently rumored for 2027 or later.
Additionally, tariffs and geopolitical factors play a major role. Estimates show that import duties alone could push the console price closer to $900 or more, depending on market conditions at launch.
However, if these external pressures ease, the final retail price could remain within a more consumer-friendly range.
For gamers, the takeaway is cautiously optimistic. While next-generation hardware is expected to become more expensive due to advanced components and AI-driven features, the PS6 may still remain within a familiar pricing bracket.
That said, the volatility of the supply chain means nothing is guaranteed. Pricing could shift significantly depending on memory costs, tariffs, and global demand closer to launch.
Sony has yet to officially reveal any details about the PlayStation 6, and a launch is still several years away. Reports suggest the company may delay announcements until market conditions stabilize, particularly around memory supply and pricing.
In the meantime, the industry continues to grapple with rising costs and supply chain uncertainty. As AI demand grows and chip shortages persist, the next few years will likely play a crucial role in determining not just the PS6’s price, but the future affordability of gaming hardware as a whole.
Steam on Linux use in March “had skyrocketed to 5.33%…” reports Phoronix, “easily the highest level we’ve seen Steam on Linux at since its inception more than a decade ago.”
So what happened in April?
[April’s results] point to Linux having a 4.52% marketshare on Steam, a drop of 0.81% compared to March. Year-over-year it’s roughly double with Steam on Linux in April 2025 being at 2.27%. Or two years ago for April 2024, Steam on Linux was at 1.9%.
“They don’t make them like they used to” is a phrase that can apply to just about anything. For gear-heads feeling nostalgic about older cars, it’s a phrase that never seems to go away. This is especially true when comparing today’s cookie-cutter engines versus the selection that drivers had in ridiculously overpowered vintage cars. Part of the reason engines have changed and choices have been reduced is due to U.S. EPA standards.
Those standards are set by the Clean Air Act, which gives the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency authority to regulate vehicle emissions. This is done through strict federal requirements that directly influence vehicle design and engine development. As a result, car manufacturers are pushed to produce a more limited range of engine types. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards are also in play. CAFE requires automakers to meet fleet-wide efficiency targets, which leads to shared engine designs being used across an entire lineup of vehicles.
As automakers worked to satisfy these standards, modern advances like turbocharging and fuel system improvements allowed for engine downsizing. This means smaller engines can produce performance similar to that of larger engines. In fact, there are even small engines with more power than muscle car V8s. So thanks to today’s technology, car manufacturers do not necessarily need to design multiple engine types when fewer can cover the same performance requirements.
Multiple large-displacement engine types were once the norm in the automobile industry. In fact, these engines were in demand for a variety of different vehicles, like old school muscle cars. This includes the big block V8 engine, which was once a major focus for automakers. It was a standard approach taken by many manufacturers, who were unrestricted by emissions and fuel economy regulations.
There is a common belief that smaller engines get better fuel efficiency than larger engines. After all, those older V8s could get very thirsty, which means you’d be filling up quite often. But fuel economy involves a lot more than just engine size. It’s influenced by several factors, like vehicle weight, transmission, technology differences, and even driving habits. So even if you have a car with a larger engine, it doesn’t mean you’re not getting good fuel efficiency.
There are still some U.S. automakers that give you options, depending on the vehicle. But those options are often restricted to the same model, and not widespread across the board. For example, Ford offers multiple engine choices within the F-150 lineup for 2026, ranging from a 2.7L EcoBoost V6 with 325 horsepower, up to a 3.5L High Output EcoBoost V6 with 450 horsepower. So if you’re interested in finding a car or truck with a bigger engine, it’s a good idea to check the manufacturer’s website first and then go from there.
A new attack type, dubbed ConsentFix v3, has been circulating on hacker forums as an improved technique that automates attacks against Microsoft Azure.
The first version of ConsentFix was presented by Push Security last December as a variation of ClickFix for OAuth phishing attacks, which tricks victims into completing a legitimate Microsoft login flow via the Azure CLI.
Using social engineering, the attacker fooled victims into pasting a localhost URL containing an OAuth authorization code that can be used to obtain tokens and hijack the account without passwords, despite multi-factor authentication (MFA).
ConsentFix v2 was developed by researcher John Hammond as a refined version of Push’s original, replacing manual copy/paste with drag-and-drop of the localhost URL, making the phishing flow smoother and more convincing.
ConsentFix v3 preserves the core idea of abusing the OAuth2 authorization code flow and targeting first-party Microsoft apps that are pre-trusted and pre-consented.
However, it brings an improvement by incorporating automation and scalability.
According to information retrieved from hacker forums where the new technique is promoted, the attack begins by verifying the presence of Azure in the target environment by checking for valid tenant IDs.
This is followed by gathering employee details such as names, roles, and email addresses to support impersonation.
Next, the attackers create multiple accounts across services such as Outlook, Tutanota, Cloudflare, DocSend, Hunter.io, and Pipedream to support phishing, hosting, data gathering, and exfiltration operations.
Push Security researchers explain that Pipedream, a free-to-use serverless integration platform, plays a central part in automating the attack, serving three critical roles:
In the next phase, the attacker deploys a phishing page hosted on Cloudflare Pages that mimics a legitimate Microsoft/Azure interface and initiates a real OAuth flow through Microsoft’s login endpoint.
When the victim interacts with the page, they are redirected to a localhost URL containing an OAuth authorization code, which they are tricked into pasting or dragging back into the phishing page.
This enables the data exfiltration pipeline, in which the page sends the captured URL to a Pipedream webhook, and the backend automation immediately exchanges the authorization code for tokens.
The phishing emails can be highly personalized, generated from harvested data, and feature malicious links embedded inside a PDF hosted on DocSend to improve credibility and bypass spam filtering.
In the post-exploitation stage, the obtained tokens are imported into Specter Portal, allowing the attacker to interact with compromised Microsoft environments and access resources permitted by the token, such as email, files, and other services tied to the account.
Push Security noted that its testing of ConsentFix v3 relied on its personal Microsoft accounts; as a result, it is difficult to fully appreciate the impact, which depends on permissions, services, and tenant settings, among other factors.
In terms of mitigating ConsentFix risks, Push notes that the endeavor is complicated because trust in first-party apps is architectural, and that Family of Client IDs (FOCI), Microsoft applications that share permissions and refresh tokens, is useful otherwise.
However, there are still steps administrators can take, such as applying token binding to trusted devices, setting up behavioral detection rules, and applying app authentication restrictions.
While ConsentFix attacks are used in actual campaigns, it is unclear if the v3 variant has gained any traction among cybercriminals yet.
AI chained four zero-days into one exploit that bypassed both renderer and OS sandboxes. A wave of new exploits is coming.
At the Autonomous Validation Summit (May 12 & 14), see how autonomous, context-rich validation finds what’s exploitable, proves controls hold, and closes the remediation loop.
A garlic-herb salmon with risotto was probably the best among the family meals I tried. The chopped asparagus was less than visually appealing when drizzled in garlic butter, but still tasty and a bit crisp. The salmon was tender and flaky. And the sweet pea risotto had no choice but to be delicious. There was so much cheese, butter, and lemon it was pretty much a concert of fats and acid.
That chicken parm was likewise a mountain of cheese and salt. It reminded me, pleasantly, of countless family meals I had as a child in the 1980s: cheese-topped chicken, garlic bread, shells stuffed with ricotta and topped with even more cheese. The big difference is that there is simply no way my mother would have cooked this meal without a vegetable.
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Toval app via Matthew Korfhage
And nutrition is where Toval runs aground a little. The nutritional notes on that chicken parm meal betray 2,300 milligrams of sodium per serving, pretty much the entire daily allowance for an adult human. This is also on par with comparable servings of Stouffer’s meat lasagna. The Tovala meal also carried about 10 times the cholesterol as Stouffer’s.
Many other meals followed a similar pattern, loading up on fats and salt in order to make meals tasty. The net effect is that it’s a lot more like rich restaurant food than what most people prepare at home. Whether this is a good or a bad quality is up to you.
Only one meal of the seven I tried failed utterly: I flagged a teriyaki chicken dinner to my editor as a possible cultural crime against Japan. The meal was sweet soy drenching pale and steaming chicken, with an implausible side of thick egg rolls and some loose, unseasoned broccoli. It felt like the “Japanese” food you’d get at a mall food court in the ’90s. But again, this was a rare major misstep.
A more pernicious issue, in meals designed for the whole family, is the near-universal high-fat, cholesterol, and sodium content. Many with the income and inclination to eat hearty, low-effort meals like the ones from Tovala are either parents with children, or people in the retirement bracket. Each has their own reason to desire a little more nutrition, and less fat and salt.
By the end of a couple of weeks of testing recipes, I’ll admit I felt a little relieved. I was grateful to feel my arteries slowly reopen. Tovala’s culinary model makes a lot of sense to me, as a smart way of splitting the difference between prepared meals and fresh food. And the company has proven it can cook well. It might be nice if they’d also cook a diet that felt more sustainable.
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Writing an email is already one of the more lifeless parts of modern work, so of course the tech industry decided to automate it. AI was meant to ease workloads by managing “grunt” work—dealing repetitive junk, trimming down inbox overload, and giving people their time back. It really sounded like the right idea. But in reality, we are nowhere close to removing the misery of email.
AI lowers the effort required to produce corporate-sounding language. That means every “just following up,” every “circling back,” every “gentle reminder,” and every “happy to connect” becomes even easier to generate and even harder to escape.
A person who might have skipped sending a pointless email before can now ask AI to draft one in seconds. And the person replying might once have wrapped things up in two short sentences. Now there is always a cleaner, longer, more “professional” version waiting from a chatbot. The Guardian recently reported on worker frustration around AI-generated workplace output, including what some employees now call “workslop.”
Email was never only about communication. It also became a way to signal responsiveness, usefulness, and motion. A fast reply, a full calendar, and a long thread make things look more productive, even when nobody actually needed any of it. AI slides neatly into this culture. It can answer faster, summarize faster, schedule faster, and keep the illusion of progress running all day.
Office email already rewards performance as much as usefulness. Now every half-formed thought can become a polished paragraph. Sentences can be improved, and low-value updates can be padded into something more formal, diplomatic, corporate, and even lifeless. Using AI does not make your communication any better. What you’re getting instead is just more of it. Your inbox has more messages, fillers, and new language designed to sound productive without necessarily being useful.
Things get worse when everyone starts doing it, compounding the issue. One person sends a slick AI-polished email. The reply comes back with its own AI-assisted phrasing. Someone added to the thread later uses AI to summarize the whole exchange before sending another response. And now you have a conversation that technically keeps moving, but feels less and less human with every pass.
At that point, bots emailing bots does not sound like a joke anymore. Dedicated tools like AI email assistants and scheduling bots may be useful in isolation, but they are still part of the same problem. Tools like Read AI’s Ada can handle meeting logistics and participate in email threads, which makes the whole “AI talking to AI” scenario feel a lot less ridiculous now.
It started with people leaning on AI for one harmless email, which quickly steamrolled into the whole culture of email becoming even more bloated and more performative. We were supposed to get relief from one of the most draining parts of digital work. And now it feels like new technology is just keeping that machine running rather than getting rid of it.
After landing agreements with Google, SpaceX, and OpenAI, the U.S. Defense Department said on Friday that it has signed deals with Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and Reflection AI that allow it to deploy their AI tech and models on its classified networks for “lawful operational use.”
“These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force and will strengthen our warfighters’ ability to maintain decision superiority across all domains of warfare,” the statement reads.
The deals come as the U.S. Department of Defense has accelerated its diversification of AI vendors in the wake of its controversial dispute with Anthropic over usage terms of its AI models. The Pentagon wanted unrestricted use of Anthropic’s AI tools, but the AI lab insisted on guardrails to prevent Anthropic’s tech from being used for domestic mass surveillance and autonomous weapons.
The two are fighting it out in court at the moment, though Anthropic in March won an injunction against the Pentagon’s move to brand the company a “supply-chain risk.”
“The Department will continue to build an architecture that prevents AI vendor lock-in and ensures long-term flexibility for the Joint Force,” the statement reads. “Access to a diverse suite of AI capabilities from across the resilient American technology stack will give warfighters the tools they need to act with confidence and safeguard the nation against any threat.”
The DOD said the companies’ AI hardware and models will be deployed on Impact Level 6 (IL6) and Impact Level 7 (IL7) environments to “streamline data synthesis, elevate situational understanding, and augment warfighter decision-making.” IL6 and IL7 are high-level security classifications for data and information systems that are deemed critical to national security and require that these systems be protected physically, through strict access controls and audits.
The Pentagon said more than 1.3 million DOD personnel have so far used its secure enterprise platform for generative AI, GenAI.mil, which provides access to large language models (LLMs) and other AI tools within government-approved cloud environments. It is designed to help primarily with non-classified tasks like research, document drafting, and data analysis.
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Europe should be known for BottleCap AI, not bottle cap memes. With its tongue-in-cheek name, this Prague-based AI startup is one of the teams that VCs think you should know.
It is not that European startups never cut through the noise — Lovable and Mistral AI are proof of it. But there are many more that don’t have nine digits in annual recurring revenue yet and that insiders are still tracking very closely.
That’s where this list comes in. Over the last few weeks, we asked investors at some of Europe’s best known venture funds to recommend two startups each: one from their portfolio (because they liked the startup well enough to invest) and one outside of it (because they are the startup experts but can’t invest in them all). We also threw in a few picks of our own.
From pre-launch to unicorn, these startups are at different stages in their journey, and from different sectors. Due to our methodology, they may not reflect where the region’s hottest hubs are, but they do reflect how deep tech talent could help Europe play its own cards in the AI race.
Recommended by Julien Codorniou, general partner, 20VC.
What it does: Alta Ares develops AI-powered counter-drone systems.
Why it’s worth watching: Defense tech has gone from pariah to trending, particularly in Europe, where the war in Ukraine was a wake-up call for armies to modernize. Alta Ares’ interceptors answer a need for cheaper solutions to detect and fight drone incursions.
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Recommended by Jan Hammer, partner, Index Ventures (investor).
What it does: Apron provides invoice management for small business owners.
Why it’s worth watching: SMBs can be a lucrative segment for fintech companies; business owners are willing to spend at least some money to save time, and there are millions of them.
Recommended by Claire Houry, general partner, Ventech (investor).
What it does: Botify helps brands increase their visibility in AI searches.
Why it’s worth watching: Companies are still scrambling to replace SEO with generative engine optimization (GEO) — but this Disrupt NY 2016 alum has already embraced the shift. Botify has competitors in its new field, such as Otterly.AI and Profound, but also big customers, from Macy’s to The New York Times.
Recommended by Julien Codorniou, general partner, 20VC (investor).
What it does: BottleCap AI develops efficiency-focused foundational LLMs and apps.
Why it’s worth watching: With a founding trio that includes an entrepreneur who sold his previous company to Meta and two AI researchers, BottleCap adopted a dual approach. The startup is building its own models and releasing apps built on top of them, including Pulse, an AI-powered news app.
Recommended by Flavia Levi, investment manager, Join Capital.
What it does: Cailabs develops photonics for aerospace, defense, and industrial applications.
Why it’s worth watching: Cailabs is based on advanced research on the science of light, which it now applies to faster and more robust data transmission. Backed by public and private investors, it plans to deploy 50 optical ground stations to support growing demand for laser communications with satellites.
Recommended by TechCrunch’s Anna Heim.
What it does: Knowledge graph for AI agents.
Why it’s worth watching: Cala plans to build the knowledge layer that AI agents are missing. Its founder is Elisenda Bou-Balust, a high-profile Spanish entrepreneur and AI expert who sold her previous company Vilynx to Apple in 2020.
Recommended by Pär-Jörgen Pärson, partner, Northzone (investor).
What it does: Renewable energy management.
Why it’s worth watching: Wind and solar energy are inherently variable. Flower leverages AI and battery energy storage systems to make their use more predictable. This Swedish company also recently raised over $60 million in bonds to keep on scaling.
Recommended by Jonathan Userovici, general partner, Headline (investor).
What it does: Foundation AI for big data analysis.
Why it’s worth watching: Fundamental’s foundation model, Nexus, focuses on helping enterprises draw insights from their data. The company just emerged from stealth in February, but it is already valued at $1.4 billion following a $255 million Series A.
Recommended by Jonathan Userovici, general partner, Headline.
What it does: AI voice models.
Why it’s worth watching: Gradium’s AI models can be used for real-time text-to-speech that gives AI agents a voice in multiple languages. A spinout of French AI lab Kyutai, this ElevenLabs challenger raised a $70 million seed round of its own.
Recommended by Pablo Ventura, general partner, Kfund.
What it does: AI agents for complex use cases.
Why it’s worth watching: HappyRobot, a startup backed by a16z and Y Combinator, is one of many building AI agents, but its focus is on making sure that these can be deployed and deliver ROI. It is headquartered in the U.S., but its three co-founders and part of its team are Spanish.
Recommended by Claire Houry, general partner, Ventech.
What it does: Physical AI for factories.
Why it’s worth watching: Mixing AI and robotics, Inbolt improves and expands automation in manufacturing, from the automotive industry and electronics to home goods production lines. The startup says it is already active in more than 70 factories.
Recommended by Pär-Jörgen Pärson, partner, Northzone.
What it does: AI platform for lawyers.
Why it’s worth watching: With increased competition from mainstream LLMs, legal tech will also be about marketing. Grab the popcorn for Harvey v. Legora after Legora one-upped its rival by enlisting Jude Law to be the face of its brand. That’s one point for the Swedish-born startup, which is now headquartered in New York but is still one of Stockholm’s rising AI stars.
Recommended by Floriane de Maupeou, principal, Serena Data Ventures.
What it does: AI training data infrastructure.
Why it’s worth watching: “Every strong model starts with great data,” Macrodata Labs claims on its “coming soon” landing page. But the startup won’t build that data; its upcoming platform will provide other companies with tooling to create solid training datasets.
Recommended by TechCrunch’s Julie Bort.
What it does: Offers compressed versions of open weight models like OpenAI, Meta, DeepSeek, and Mistral AI.
Why it’s worth watching: Multiverse Computing‘s tech takes a proven model and makes it smaller and less expensive to operate, especially on a company’s own hardware. Co-founded by CTO Román Orús, a professor at the Donostia International Physics Center, the Spanish startup has raised $250 million.
Recommended by Flavia Levi, investment manager, Join Capital (investor).
What it does: Fiber-optic sensing systems.
Why it’s worth watching: Optics11’s technology makes it possible to monitor equipment underwater and in similarly harsh conditions. Its potential in preventing disruptions to subsea infrastructure and energy grids helped the startup secure venture debt from the European Investment Bank.
Recommended by Jan Hammer, partner, Index Ventures.
What it does: Finance management platform for SMBs.
Why it’s worth watching: Pennylane started out with accounting, but it has bigger plans. Like many other growth-stage fintechs, this French unicorn has expanded its scope, with the ambition to build a unified financial operating system for SMBs in Europe.
Recommended by TechCrunch’s Anna Heim.
What it does: Launches rockets.
Why it’s worth watching: PLD Space is part of Europe’s push for space autonomy. After successfully launching a suborbital rocket in 2023, it is currently developing a reusable orbital launcher for small satellites. Last month, the Spanish company secured a $209 million Series C round led by Mitsubishi Electric that brought its funding to more than $350 million.
Recommended by Daria Saharova, general partner, World Fund.
What it does: Nuclear fusion.
Why it’s worth watching: The race for an alternative to nuclear fission is on, and Proxima Fusion is one of Europe’s strongest contenders. The VC-backed company recently secured $460 million from the state of Bavaria to support its plans to build a fusion power plant in Europe, starting with a demonstration stellarator near Munich.
Recommended by Floriane de Maupeou, principal, Serena Data Ventures (investor).
What it does: Software for AI model deployment on advanced chips.
Why it’s worth watching: University spinout Roofline bridges the gap between AI and an increasingly fragmented hardware layer with software that lets users deploy models efficiently on different types of chips.
Recommended by Daria Saharova, general partner, World Fund (investor).
What it does: Space Forge manufactures semiconductor components in space.
Why it’s worth watching: In-space manufacturing is on the rise — for pharmaceutical applications and for chips, which are Space Forge’s focus. With extra tailwinds from geopolitics, the startup is already forging ahead: It recently generated plasma in low Earth orbit.
Recommended by Pablo Ventura, general partner, Kfund (investor).
What it does: Robots as a service.
Why it’s worth watching: Theker is one of several startups backed by Zara owner Inditex through a dedicated fund managed by Mundi Ventures. Theker’s AI-enabled robots could help the retail giant improve its logistics, but the startup is also pursuing use cases in waste management and food and beverage production.
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Instructure, the company behind the widely used Canvas learning platform, has disclosed that it recently suffered a cybersecurity incident and is now investigating its impact.
The U.S.-based education technology company is best known for developing Canvas, a widely used learning management system that helps schools, universities, and organizations manage coursework, assignments, and online learning.
“Instructure recently experienced a cybersecurity incident perpetrated by a criminal threat actor. We are actively investigating this incident with the help of outside forensics experts,” reads a statement from Steve Proud, Chief Security Officer.
“We are working quickly to understand the extent of the incident and actively taking steps to minimize its impact. Maintaining your trust is our highest priority, and we are committed to transparency throughout this process.”
Instructure says that it will provide new information regarding its investigation as it becomes available.
Since May 1, some services, including Canvas Data 2 and Canvas Beta, have been under maintenance, with customers warned they may experience issues with tools that rely on API keys.
The company has not stated whether this maintenance is related to the security incident.
BleepingComputer contacted Instructure earlier today with questions about the incident, but has not received a response.
BleepingComputer previously published and retracted an earlier report about this incident after determining it was based on incorrect information from a prior disclosure.
Threat actors have increasingly targeted education technology firms due to the large amounts of personal information they hold on students and teachers.
In January 2025, educational software provider PowerSchool disclosed a breach in which a threat actor claimed to have stolen data belonging to 62 million students.
In September 2025, Instructure disclosed a separate breach resulting from a social engineering attack that allowed attackers to access data in its Salesforce instance. At the time, a threat actor known as ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the incident and listed the company on a data leak site.
Threat actors have also targeted Infinite Campus in similar campaigns, with claims of data theft from the company’s Salesforce environment.
AI chained four zero-days into one exploit that bypassed both renderer and OS sandboxes. A wave of new exploits is coming.
At the Autonomous Validation Summit (May 12 & 14), see how autonomous, context-rich validation finds what’s exploitable, proves controls hold, and closes the remediation loop.
GameStop is reportedly preparing a potential offer for eBay, an unusually ambitious move given that eBay’s roughly $46 billion market value is nearly four times GameStop’s. Reuters reports: GameStop is preparing an offer for eBay as CEO Ryan Cohen pursues plans to boost the struggling videogame retailer’s market value more than tenfold, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. Shares of eBay, which has a market capitalization of about $46 billion, soared about 14% in extended trading. GameStop gained 4%. The company has a market value of nearly $12 billion.
GameStop has been quietly building a stake in eBay’s shares ahead of a potential offer, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. If eBay is not receptive, Cohen could decide to take the offer directly to the e-commerce company’s shareholders, the Journal said.
Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 11 is getting a new modern Run dialog with dark mode support and faster performance in a new preview build 26300.8346.
The Run dialog has been around since the Windows 95 era, and it is one of those small Windows features that many power users still rely on every day.
You just need to press Win + R, type a command, open a file path, launch a tool, or quickly jump to a location without opening File Explorer first.
With the new version, Microsoft is trying to modernize Run without changing what makes it useful.
Unlike the legacy Run, modern Run matches Fluent Design, supports dark mode out of the box, and is actually faster than the legacy Run.
That is interesting because modern counterparts usually have a reputation for slower performance.
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Microsoft noted that designing a modern Run dialog for Windows 11 was challenging, as the company had to maintain the same performance and retain the minimal user interface, similar to the original Run that shipped with Windows 95.
“When we set out on creating the new experience, we knew the existing dialog was fast. We also knew we needed to be sure we deeply understood how you all used it. Modernize, be opinionated, and evolve it,” Microsoft explained in a blog post.
“To help evolve, we added a measure briefly to the dialog to see what was being used and to measure time-to-show. This confirmed a few key things that helped the design process.”
Microsoft says performance was one of the most important factors when designing the modern Run dialog. That’s because quite a lot of people use the existing Run dialog to paste text from the clipboard, then copy it again to remove text formatting.
This experience mostly works because of how fast the existing Run is. The legacy Run dialog takes approximately 103ms to appear after you press the Win + R keyboard shortcut.
Interestingly, the modern Run is actually faster. It has a median time-to-show of just 94ms.
“This was a huge team effort – we’ve collaborated tightly with partners across the platform to get these UI surfaces loading snappy. Improvements we’ve made to the platform don’t just make Run fast, but they help make the whole OS more efficient,” the company said.
Microsoft says it expects these numbers to improve as well as there is still room for improvement,
Microsoft looked at how people use the existing Run dialog before deciding what should stay and what could be removed. One example is the Browse button, which lets you browse a specific directory to open a program.
According to Microsoft, the Browse button usage is less than 0.0038%. This number is based on a sample of 35 million users who open Windows Run.
As a result, Microsoft has dropped the Browse button from the modern Run. The company argues that it researched how Run was being used and how fast it was, which helped form a baseline to build the modern Run.
Modern Run also supports ~\, which allows you to quickly access your home directory. It also shows icons in the list, which should make entries easier to identify without making the dialog feel too heavy.
While modern Run looks great and works well in our test, some of you may not like the idea, which is why the feature is entirely optional and tied to Advanced Settings in Windows.
According to Microsoft, modern Run does not get turned on automatically. Instead, you need to open Settings > Advanced Settings and manually enable modern Run, which replaces the legacy Run.
There are also plans to add more features to modern Run, and Microsoft says it is collecting feedback before rolling it out more broadly.
In addition to the Run dialog upgrade, Microsoft is improving Windows Share UI for AAD users.
Until now, if you wanted to add an app to the share dialog, you had to open the MS Store, install the app first, and then find it in the Share list. Now, you can install apps directly from the Share UI.
Last but not least, Magnifier now gives you more control over how you zoom, including preset zoom levels of 5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 100%, 150%, 200%, and 400%.
These changes will roll out to everyone in the coming months, but for now, you’ll need to download Windows 11 Build 26300.8346 from the new Experimental Channel.
AI chained four zero-days into one exploit that bypassed both renderer and OS sandboxes. A wave of new exploits is coming.
At the Autonomous Validation Summit (May 12 & 14), see how autonomous, context-rich validation finds what’s exploitable, proves controls hold, and closes the remediation loop.
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