Tech News Roundup — July 9, 2026 (AM)

The lead of this edition is the Xbox reset: Microsoft’s 4,800-person layoff wave hit id Software and Bethesda Austin harder than initially reported, with Obsidian losing roughly a quarter of its workforce and being pivoted from Avowed onto a new Fallout game built with Bethesda. Open-source had its own shock — OpenMandriva disclosed a deliberate sabotage attempt against its GitHub repositories. On the consumer side, Samsung is taking Galaxy Z Fold reservations a week ahead of Unpacked, Google is leaking Pixel 11 price increases, and Apple’s macOS 27 finally makes iPad touch input work with Sidecar. Plus Phoronix’s overdue single-vs-dual-channel DDR5 benchmark on Arrow Lake.

Microsoft / Xbox

• The Xbox reset hit id Software and Bethesda Austin harder than initially reported. Microsoft’s 4,800-person layoff wave cut deep into the ZeniMax family, with id Software’s Austin office — DOOM and Quake’s home — and Bethesda’s Austin team both hit. The scope is described as “even worse than we thought” by insiders. Pre-layoff, id had been prototyping new game ideas, including a John Wick-style “Gun Fu” action title and a new Perfect Dark. [Windows Central] [The Verge]
• Obsidian is being pivoted from Avowed onto a new Fallout game. With Obsidian losing roughly a quarter of its staff in the cuts, the studio’s next major project is now a Fallout title developed in partnership with Bethesda, pulling focus away from the fantasy RPG Avowed. [The Verge] [Windows Central] [Windows Central]
• A former Halo 4 developer calls out the Xbox exec culture of the Mattrick era. Recounting a meeting with then-Xbox boss Don Mattrick, the developer described studio executives as “stupid, detached, money-grubbing idiots” — an old quote resurfacing in light of this week’s reset. [Windows Central]
• “If Microsoft sold off Xbox, who would even buy it?” Windows Central framed the question; the answer is far from obvious given how deeply Xbox is now entangled with the Game Pass and cloud-gaming strategy. [The Verge] Also: EA’s Need for Speed franchise looks like it has no future after recent commercial decline. [The Verge] [The Verge]
• Lenovo’s Yoga AIO i Aura 32 takes direct aim at the Surface Studio. The 32-inch 4K all-in-one pairs a tilting hinge that mimics the Studio’s pull-down gesture with bold industrial design; Windows Central’s reviewer says it “finally dethrones” Microsoft in the AiO form factor. [Windows Central]

Microsoft / Windows

• Microsoft has paused two Teams preview features it had been testing. “Expanded view” (up to four participant videos in a minimized meeting window) and “Compact view” (quick reactions) were on the roadmap; development is now shelved. A reminder not to get too excited about preview features. [Windows Central]

Open Source & Linux

• OpenMandriva foils a deliberate sabotage attempt against its GitHub repos. Part of the OpenMandriva GitHub repository was deleted and an empty package push was made to the Cooker repository in an attempt to obsolete all GNOME and COSMIC packages. The team has restored content and is hardening its CI/CD pipeline. [Phoronix]
• LibreOffice 26.8 Beta 1 is out, stable due in August. The Document Foundation pushed the first beta; the focus is now on bug-fixing, with new features mostly landing in 27.0. [Phoronix]
• Redox OS had a busy June: GTK3 backend, fractional scaling, USB gamepads. The Rust-based from-scratch OS picked up a GTK3 backend for the Orbital desktop, added fractional display scaling, and gained USB gamepad support. More software continues to be ported. [Phoronix]
• Intel sunsets quantum intrinsics and other open-source projects. Intel formally archived several now-unmaintained open-source projects this week, continuing the pattern of trimming non-core open-source commitments. [Phoronix]
• Single vs dual-channel DDR5 on Arrow Lake — the overdue benchmark. Phoronix ran the test a lot of builders have been waiting for: single stick of DDR5 versus dual channel on the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, motivated by a Premium supporter’s question about whether to hold off on a second stick until memory prices come down. Quantitative numbers in the article. [Phoronix]

Apple

• macOS 27 / iPadOS 27 finally make iPad touch input work with Sidecar. Apple’s macOS 27 “Golden Gate” and iPadOS 27 bring a major Sidecar update: you can now use your fingers directly on the iPad’s screen to control the Mac’s windows. Moves Sidecar from a basic screen-extender into a more interactive secondary-display role. [Pplware]

Google

• Pixel 11 line tipped for price increases, breaking Google’s “hold the price flat” pattern. Dealabs published a full price list for the Pixel 11 family and Pixel Watch 5, with the Watch 5 seeing the most notable increases. [The Verge]

Samsung

• Galaxy Z Fold pre-order credit — Unpacked is next week. Samsung is offering a $30 credit for anyone who reserves the upcoming Z Fold / Z Flip refresh ahead of next week’s Unpacked; the credit applies to whatever you end up pre-ordering. [The Verge] Pplware has details on the foldables’ new processor — and flags one factor that may disappoint. [Pplware]

AI / ML

• ChatGPT’s upgraded voice mode is “better at shutting up.” OpenAI rolled out GPT-Live-1, an upgraded voice model for ChatGPT, designed to interrupt you less and wait for you to finish talking. Pitched as “more like talking to another person” — the explicit feature is staying quiet until you signal you’re done. [The Verge]

Meta & Wearables

• Meta is reportedly prototyping “super sensing” always-on smart glasses. The new device is pitched as a successor to the Ray-Ban Meta line, leaning into always-on AI rather than always-on camera — continuously recording audio and snapping photos “every few seconds.” Privacy and battery life are the obvious engineering hurdles. [The Verge] [Pplware]

Hardware & Gadgets

• Mondo Robotics Beni: the $800 jumping camera dog. Sean Hollister spent time with Mondo Robotics’ Beni, a two-legged robot dog with wheels instead of feet, capable of jumping. The short preview is enthusiastic — “filled me with joy” — though battery life and “what is this for?” remain open questions. [The Verge]
• Fiat Topolino: the cheapest new EV in America. Smaller than a ping-pong table, top speed of 19mph, classified as a quadricycle / micro-mobility vehicle — putting it in a regulatory category well below normal cars. Tradeoffs in pursuit of the price tag are obvious. [The Verge]
• SwitchBot Bot Rechargeable and AirFly Pro deals. The cockroach-roaming tiny SwitchBot Bot is on sale, and Twelve South’s AirFly Pro Bluetooth audio dongle is down to $40 for Prime Day. [The Verge] [The Verge]
• The “Special Value” Raspberry Pi 4: extremely short-lived. Jeff Geerling writes about the rare “Special Value” Pi 4 — apparently the rarest Pi he owns, rarer even than his blue special-edition unit. The SKU was pulled almost as soon as it appeared. [Jeff Geerling]

Gaming

• A 14-game Lego collection on Steam for $9. Steam Deck verified, covers Lego Star Wars, Lego Harry Potter, Lego Marvel, Lego Batman, and Lego Indiana Jones. [Windows Central]
• Gaming laptop roundup — one strong value pick amid an expensive category. The Verge highlights a laptop that “bucks the trend” in a generally inflated segment. [The Verge]
• Dell Pro 16 down 15%. The 16-inch productivity laptop is $1,529 → roughly $1,300 on Dell’s site, with 800+ reviews averaging 4.5+ stars. [Windows Central]

In Brief

• Pplware: what is “footprinting” in cybersecurity? A primer on the reconnaissance technique that precedes most successful cyberattacks — and what you can do to limit your exposure. [Pplware]
• DNS4EU: one year in. The EU’s sovereign-DNS project has been live for a year; Pplware reviews what it has (and hasn’t) delivered. [Pplware]
• Optimus founder’s next act: a European humanoid robot. The former Tesla scientist behind Optimus is reportedly working on a European humanoid competitor. [Pplware]
• An electric drone breaks 700 km/h. A new world record for an electric drone, set this week. [Pplware]
• The USA has a new satellite-killing weapon that doesn’t fire a shot. A non-kinetic ASAT system in development. [Pplware]
• Portuguese gas prices may rise again next week. The government has demanded an explanation from fuel companies. [Pplware]
• Pplware opinion: losing at a video game is personal growth. A piece on resilience through gaming losses. [Pplware]

Roundup compiled from the TTRSS Tech feed. 37 articles from 5 sources (The Verge, Windows Central, Pplware, Phoronix, Jeff Geerling) summarised into 20 stories. 3 images fetched (1 cover, 2 inline); The Verge stories are summarized without links per site convention.