I can’t imagine I’m saying this, however I might purchase DLC for Home windows 11

A bit earlier than Thanksgiving, my colleague Mark Hachman despatched me a Threads hyperlink. It confirmed a cute little animated cat operating in your taskbar. The add-on from GitHub claims to indicate your CPU load, with the feline operating quicker the tougher your processor works.

The feedback on the thread run the gamut of cautious to enthusiastic. (My favourite, from a consumer named gerb: “It could be malware, however a minimum of it’s cute.”) However most individuals appreciated the concept. Possibly not particularly a cat—canine obtained nominated as an thought—however they have been onboard with an cute addition to the taskbar.

Why hasn’t Microsoft began promoting this sort of factor? 

(Maintain your pitchforks.)

Within the previous days, I may have added one thing like this with much less concern of infecting my laptop. (It wasn’t utterly secure, however a common sense of fine citizenship nonetheless prevailed when fewer individuals have been on-line.) Heck, even a 12 months in the past, I might have advised individuals to a minimum of examine the supply and see if anybody else had examined the code. 

However dangerous actors have quickly integrated AI into their assaults, making them simpler to deploy quicker and extra refined, too. For instance, Google has already noticed malware that may dynamically change in real-time and is tougher to detect. The strategies have turn out to be sneakier as properly. A number of occasions this 12 months, professional video games on Steam ended up spreading malware.

In the meantime, Microsoft owns a number of recreation studios, a few of which have made beaucoup bucks doing exactly what I’m suggesting—promoting skins and equipment. Additionally, it runs a little bit storefront for its Xbox console ecosystem, so it’s not a stranger to this enterprise. The Microsoft Retailer is doing okay for itself, too.

And but. I can’t purchase little bits of code that might let my model of Home windows have:

• Nyan cat, flying by means of area on my taskbar
• Microsoft’s Ninjacat as an animated screensaver
• Animated Ori and the Blind Forest wallpaper 
• A complete Ori theme the place there are animated bits, icon packs, a number of wallpaper selections, a screensaver, and a correctly shade coordinated background and accent shade chosen as a result of I suck at that
• Animated turtle that walks round within the left nook of the taskbar when it’s heat and hides when it’s chilly

(This isn’t an exhaustive record of what I could possibly be enticed into buying. Not remotely.)

Earlier than anybody hurts me for suggesting Home windows microtransactions, let me be very clear. I by no means need Microsoft to slap a price ticket on particular person options associated to Home windows operations. Not even minor ones. That might suck, and I need to stress that I’m deeply grateful that PowerToys exist. (Thanks once more to the devs who work on these.)

All I’m saying is, I’ve a rising assortment of ugly sweaters. I purchased the Microsoft XP Crocs (and really thought-about for a second if I might ever purchase the Xbox Crocs). What a squandered alternative to deliver again the true vibes of the 90s, once we all spent literal hours accumulating (and rotating by means of) completely different Winamp skins.

Folks love aesthetic customizations. You know the way individuals don’t need to pay $30 to increase Home windows 10 licenses? I wager a pack of one thing from any one in every of Microsoft’s huge recreation franchises may make some critical cash. In all probability greater than the $30 for an Prolonged License.

I don’t even purchase Moira skins and I’m a whole lot of hours into Overwatch as a Moira OTP. However I might purchase enjoyable Home windows customizations from a good supply. No different developer can be extra reliable than Microsoft itself. (Or so one hopes.)

On this episode of The Full Nerd

On this episode of The Full Nerd, Brad Chacos, Adam Patrick Murray, Alaina Yee, and Will Smith should eat their phrases. Yep, our annual custom returns, wherein all of us undergo the results of not making correct predictions for 2025.

For these new to our present, our predictions episodes work like this: Within the first half, we evaluation final 12 months’s forecasts. For each incorrect one, the standard punishment is to actually eat your phrases—you write the wrong guess down on a bit of paper and down the hatch it goes—however a few of us have since spun off from Gordon’s methodology. Then, within the second a part of the present, we make new predictions for the approaching 12 months. The cycle continues.

With the various twists and turns of 2025, I used to be stunned we obtained any predictions proper. Nonetheless, we missed sufficient that Brad, usually the man who escapes loads of struggling, ended up deeply regretting his option to down Da Bomb Past Madness scorching sauce for each incorrect choose.

I don’t imply simply discomfort whereas on the present. About three hours later, we acquired a message in our work group chat that stated:

“ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff i forgot to scrub my palms earlier than utilizing the toilet 😭😭”

On Wednesday, he stated he nonetheless hadn’t absolutely recovered. Additionally, to recollect washing your palms after cleansing up scorching sauce. Heard, boss.

Willis Lai / Foundry

Missed our dwell present? Subscribe now to The Full Nerd Community YouTube channel, and activate notifications. We additionally reply viewer questions in real-time!

Don’t miss out on our NEW reveals too—you may catch episodes of Twin Boot Diaries and The Full Nerd: Further Version now!

And should you want extra {hardware} speak throughout the remainder of the week, come be a part of our Discord group—it’s filled with cool, laid-back nerds.

This week’s unsettling nerd information

I had hoped for a quiet stretch between Christmas and New 12 months’s, however uh, apparently the Ghost of PC Constructing Future had completely different concepts. Maingear introduced on Tuesday that it might start providing customized techniques with out RAM, should you favor to avoid wasting money and BYOR as an alternative. (Convey your personal RAM.)

…The place does one discover that independently sourced inexpensive DDR5 RAM, precisely?

XPG

• BYOR hurts as an idea: We really mentioned this prediction the exact same day that Maingear made its announcement about Convey Your Personal Ram configurations. Strap in, 2026’s going to be fairly a trip.

• Nerfed SSD efficiency in Home windows 11 might lastly finish: Bear in mind the transfer to software-based encryption in BitLocker, and it tanking SSD speeds? Nicely, Microsoft is now promising that coming hardware-based encryption will undo most of that subject. Right here’s to hoping.

• Maybe nostalgia is sweet for us: I’m going to interpret this research displaying that happiness from reliving good childhood reminiscences (through console video games like Tremendous Mario Bros.) means I’m completely justified in shopping for retro consoles and never really making progress on my video games backlog.

• Lengthy dwell OLED: I’ve been holding out for an inexpensive OLED TV, however I’ve to confess I’ve been a bit hesitant as a consequence of burn-in issues. Seems like I could have little to fret about. Hmm…

• Shoutout to the OG: Valve is discontinuing the LCD model of the Steam Deck, leaving the OLED model as its default champion of handheld gaming. Relaxation in peace, trailblazer.

Merry Christmas to all who rejoice—and I’ll catch everybody once more simply after New 12 months’s, with some ideas about 2026 (and probably some associated resolutions). For now, I’m off to take pleasure in household time, video video games, and a ton of fantastic meals!

~Alaina

This text is devoted to the reminiscence of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and govt editor of {hardware} at PCWorld.