XDA

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma doesn't deny The Elder Scrolls 6 as a console exclusive, which is a little worrying

Simon Batt — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 04:34:34 GMT

The Xbox gaming scene is a little strange right now. This time last year, Xbox was moving to scrap as many of its exclusivity deals as possible, allowing its titles to migrate over to rival consoles and PCs. It seemed to be working (to the point where Xbox games dominated the PlayStation's top-selling charts), but recently, the new Xbox CEO has pulled back, instead citing exclusives as required for the brand.

You, too, can make this cool ESP32 3D-printable lamp that looks great in any room

Simon Batt — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 04:14:12 GMT

One of the cooler aspects of getting into tinkering and 3D printing is that, if you need a specific piece of furniture or a gadget for your home, there's a good chance you can just make it. For example, if you're feeling the need for a plant-shaped lamp for your room that glows pretty colors, someone has already filled that niche for you. Best of all, you can grab all the files, build instructions, and the Bill of Materials right now.

Someone got Linux running on their iPhone 6S, and so can you

Simon Batt — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 03:48:47 GMT

Not many people know that you can install Linux on your phone, and I don't mean Android, either. It's not exactly ideal, as you may find some apps and services won't work, but it is entirely possible to install a Linux distro on your phone like you would on a PC. For instance, someone dug up an iPhone 6S and slapped Linux on it, and while it was a pain to get working, it's a cool example of how you can give old tech a new lease on life.

Someone built a Linux version of CrystalDiskInfo, and you can download it right now

Simon Batt — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 03:22:50 GMT

Sometimes, when you make the jump from Windows to Linux, you have to let some of your beloved apps go. However, some people take it upon themselves to make their own version of the app for everyone to use. Such is the case with this Reddit user, who coded up their own version of CrystalDiskInfo because they missed it so much.

8BitDo finally makes installing controller drivers on Linux a breeze with its new website

Simon Batt — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 01:47:28 GMT

As much as I want to say that Linux is perfect in every single way, the truth is, it isn't. Some companies handle their driver updates via a bespoke app, and getting that same app onto Linux may not be ideal. Fortunately, perhaps inspired by the number of people moving to Linux to game, 8BitDo has fixed the issue with its own controller drivers with a website that lets you download your drivers.

I finally found out what Windows does during "Getting things ready" — and I'm no longer annoyed

Samarveer Singh — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:15 GMT

Windows Patch Tuesdays, of late, haven't been the most reliable, but once every new update is installed and the PC finally restarts, there's one screen that greets everyone — the one that says "Getting things ready." I've spent enough time staring at that screen to know what it means: absolutely nothing useful. There's no percentage bar, no estimate for completion, or any indication of whether my PC is actually working while Windows apparently "gets things ready."

I stopped paying for Adobe Acrobat after finding a browser tab that does the same job for free

Nolen Jonker — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 23:00:15 GMT

It seems like Adobe Acrobat has been the default PDF viewer and editor for so long that most people don't give it second thought. I still keep the mobile app on my phone because it's informally required for some of my documents, but I've stopped paying for any of Adobe's products - I just don't think it's worth it when there are free options that give you the same stuff.

Mac gamers finally have a real solution, and it's running far better than I expected

João Carrasqueira — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 22:00:15 GMT

I do most of my work on a Mac Mini, and in many ways, I like macOS more than Windows 11. However, while you can argue back and forth on various topics, there's one area where Windows still comes out so far ahead that it's not even a fair comparison: gaming.

I replaced VLC with a leaner open-source player, and I'm not going back

Samarveer Singh — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 21:30:15 GMT

I've spent years treating VLC as the default answer to one of the simplest things a PC can: play a video. I've installed it on every machine I've ever owned, and it has earned that right by opening almost anything I've ever thrown at it, without giving me much reason to look elsewhere. However, when it comes to power users, we always want more from both our hardware and software, and I realized that by using VLC alone, I was leaving far more on the table than I thought.

I gave my home lab and NAS separate hardware, and now I actually trust my backups

João Carrasqueira — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 21:00:15 GMT

For over a year, my home lab and NAS were a single mini PC, and I loved it. It was how I learned the basics of both NAS systems and self-hosting servers, and it unlocked a world of possibilities for my home.