WW 952: You Can See the Edges of the Bubble - Windows 11, version 25H2 Is Weirdly Identical

Windows Weekly (Audio)

Leo Laporte

Twit, Leo Laporte, Technology, Xbox, Richard Campbell, News, Tech News, Microsoft, Paul Thurrott, Windows

4.3 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 1 October 2025

⏱️ 165 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Windows 11 version 25H2 is here, but blink and you might miss the difference from last year! Also, Microsoft just hiked Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to $30/month and is leaving gamers everywhere weighing their subscriptions—and their loyalty.

25H2 is here?!

Microsoft announced that 25H2 is GA! But where is it?
And what is it? Microsoft has a list of "new" features

More Windows 11

Microsoft delivers the 24H2 Week D update in Week E
No, it's not the preview version of 25H2 for some reason
But it is a massive update. And it is essentially 25H2
Pavan Davuluri was promoted to president and his first change was to bring Windows engineering back in-house and out of Azure
Dev and Beta: Minor changes to File Explorer, Quick settings, Get Started
Photos app is getting AI-based categories
Windows 10 Extended Security Updates to be free-free in the EU

Snapdragon X2

It's real and it's really better than almost anything out there. The bad news: Not until next year
Hardware prototypes point the way for device makers
Arm is the epiphany we need for everything to just work
Also, apparently Qualcomm still makes phone chips
Qualcomm declares "total litigation victory" against Arm Holdings. More like Harm Holdings, ammmi right?

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella steps aside to focus on engineering
Microsoft enters a new era for Copilot/AI
"More Copilot" is the new "more cowbell"
Microsoft 365 Premium is the AI-powered subscription you were looking for, Copilot Pro is out
This maps neatly to the three app structure model and to Paul's "I will not pay for AI" thing
Tied to this, Microsoft also announced inside app vibe working updates across Office apps
Is this also tied to low uptick on paid AI? Report claims just 8 million seats for Microsoft 365 Copilot
Stevie Bathiche came to Hawaii to talk about the importance of NPUs and on-device AI
"Directive AI, 80 TOPS NPUs enable concurrent AI, AI agents are the "outside app" structure, Orchestration is evolving
Copilot users can talk to a cartoon now

Xbox and gaming

Major revamp to Xbox Game Pass with some good and some bad
Xbox Cloud Gaming is out of beta after what feels like 17 years, now on all Game Pass tiers
Game Pass Ultimate gets big price hike but also some improvements
Game Pass Premium replaces Standard
Game Pass Essential replaces Core
Amazon Luna got a big update too
You can preorder a ROG Xbox Ally Gaming handheld now
And Microsoft announces how it will handle compatibility
Costco drops Xbox consoles
Flight Simulator 2024 is coming to P5 in 2025
EA goes private for $55 billion

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Videogames are getting expensive
App pick of the week: Proton Mail
RunAs Radio this week: HaveIBeenPwned with Troy Hunt
Brown liquor pick of the week: Compass Box Vellichor

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	It's time for Windows Weekly. Paul Therod is here, and believe it or not, so is Windows 25H2.
0:08.1	What's the difference between 24H2? Not much, but we have a list of, quote, new features still to come.
0:15.5	A big Xbox segment, Paul will give you a report from theragon Summit. He's just back from that and a whole
0:21.2	lot more. Coming up next on Windows Weekly.
0:26.9	Podcasts you love from people you trust. This is Twitter.
0:47.1	This is Windows Weekly with Paul Therad and Richard Campbell, episode 952, recorded Wednesday, October 1st, 2025.
0:50.0	You can see the edges of the bubble.
0:58.3	It's time for Windows Weekly, the poor name, frankly, for a show that is about Microsoft, although frequently about Windows.
1:03.9	Let's welcome our fabulous hosts, Mr. Paul Therot of Therot.com.
1:05.2	He's in Mexico City today.
1:10.4	And Mr. Richard Campbell in Canada, it's the North American version of Windows. Yeah. The very rare one.
1:13.3	Yeah. Yeah. How small can I make this thing? It's stormy day out there, Leo. Oh, it's pretty.
1:23.3	What a beautiful day. And there's a bit of white caps. It's, the weather's a little mean. You can see fall is upon us. I see your, the foreground sunflower has fallen, but there are two in the background, which are still holding out. Yes. And I should roll you the clip from this from two o'clock this morning when the bear came through and thoroughly inspected yeah fun is that yeah found a little
1:45.0	found a little container of fertilizer and stripped it open and went as it's just fertilizer moved on
1:50.3	paul is enjoying a fine kamote sweet potato condensed it's kind of a corn liquor what am i enjoying
1:58.5	it's a cow. Looks good.
2:01.4	Chicken soup.
2:04.6	He went out onto the street and purchased food before the show.
2:06.5	Can I get extra chicken skin in that?
2:07.6	And they're like, obviously.
2:13.1	Oh, ladies and gentlemen.
2:14.4	Ladies and gentlemen.
	...

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