Items tagged with Microsoft Store
Halo Infinite was supposed to be Microsoft's big Xbox Series X/S launch title in late 2020. However, developer 343 Industries delayed the game to spruce up its graphics and continue development to ensure Halo fans would receive the game with open arms. When announcing the delay, 343 Industries simply said that it would launch in 2021. Now, it appears that the Microsoft Store has leaked the official launch date of Halo Infinite, and it's arriving more than a year after it was initially supposed to debut. Italian site Aggiornamenti Lumia found the Microsoft Store listing, which mentions a December 8th launch date. The Verge's Tom Warren later confirmed that date. Scoop: Halo Infinite (Campaign)...
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Do you feel that breeze? It is a shift in the winds of gaming, spurred by Microsoft's decision to join Epic Games in allowing game developers to keep a bigger share of revenue. Following last week's announcement that Microsoft is going to slash its cut of PC game sales to just 12 percent (down from 30 percent), court documents in the Epic Games lawsuit against Apple reveal the same reduced royalty rate is also headed to the Microsoft Store on Xbox. This is a big deal, and assuming there are no strings attached, just as none exist on the PC side, the 88/12 split of revenue will apply no matter how many sales a particular game achieves. This is in contrast to Apple's reduced 15 percent royalty...
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Microsoft is taking a big step towards putting more money into the pockets of game developers by reducing the amount of money it withholds whenever a game sells via the Microsoft Store. Microsoft currently takes an industry-standard cut of 30 percent for games sold, but it will reduce that cut to just 12 percent in the coming months. "A clear, no-strings-attached revenue share means developers can bring more games to more players and find greater commercial success from doing so," said Matt Booty, Head of Xbox Game Studios. "You can read more about this new revenue share and our work with developers from Head of Game Creator Experience and Ecosystem Sarah Bond." According to Booty, this switchover...
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Now that Microsoft has announced a mid-cycle hardware refresh for its premium convertible with the launch of the Surface Pro 7+, it's a great time to score a deal on the standard version. The Surface Pro 7 starts at $749, but the discount that Microsoft is offering today extends to the flagship SKU that comes with all the bells and whistles. Today, you can get the Surface Pro 7 with a Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a capacious 512GB SSD for $1,649. This represents a $250 savings off the regular price of $1,899. However, Microsoft's bundle offer allows you to add a Surface Pro Signature Type Cover for just $50 to that discounted price ($110 off). So, in total, you'll be paying $1,699,...
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Microsoft has just announced that a new Microsoft Store experience will soon be available for the current family of Xbox One consoles. Rather than a minor update to the existing storefront, Microsoft says that this is a “completely rebuilt” interface that is focused on speed and ease of use. On the speed front, Microsoft says that the new Xbox Store will load twice as fast as previous iterations, meaning that it will launch in less than two seconds. The speed benefits are not only attributed to performance improvements, but also in how quickly you can find the content that you’re looking for; be it a new game, a trailer for a TV or movie release (which are viewable inline with...
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Microsoft has made available a pair of out-of-band security patches for Windows 10, one of which is labeled as "critical" and the other as "important." Under normal circumstances, security patches get doled out on the second Tuesday of every month, otherwise known as Patch Tuesday. But in this case, Microsoft decided to make these particular ones available now, with Patch Tuesday still being two weeks away. Both flaws—CVE-2020-1425 and CVE-2020-1457—exist within the Windows Codecs Library and the way it handles objects in memory. According to Microsoft, if left unpatched, an attacker who leverages CVE-2020-1425 "could obtain information to further compromise the user's system." This...
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The coronavirus (COVID-19) has hit the business sector particularly hard over the past few months, and some big-name companies have either been forced to drastically change their operations, or have closed their doors altogether. Even a tech giant like Microsoft is not immune to the aftereffects of COVID-19, as the company has announced a “strategic change” in its retail operations going forward. The change means that most of the company’s Microsoft Store physical locations will be closing down shortly. Microsoft’s endeavor towards physical stores was modeled in part on the very successful Apple Stores. Customers were able to walk into a Microsoft Store...
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During the coronavirus outbreak with everyone home doing school or working, it can be hard to get peace and quiet in a full house. One way to block out all the static, and concentrate on school or work, is with a nice set of noise-cancelling headphones such as the Bose QuietComfort 35 II. These headphones are currently on sale at both Amazon.com and the Microsoft Store. Bose QuietComfort 35 II are on sale Amazon.com for $299, which is a $50 discount. As with most things at Amazon, the headphones also come with free shipping for Amazon Prime members. Amazon has been a bit slower delivering items during the coronavirus outbreak, and has made it clear that the company is focusing on delivering essentials...
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Christmas has come and gone, but Microsoft still has some excellent deals that gamers can take advantage of via the Microsoft Store. There are big savings on Xbox and PC digital games, movies, and more. Microsoft says this is the biggest Xbox sale of the holiday season, with up to 67% off digital games for the Xbox One. Discounts are offered on some of the most popular games out there and are good through January 2. A few of the deals can be seen below, and gamers can go here to see them all. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - $59.99 regualr price, on sale for $49.79 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - $59.99 regular price, on sale for $49.79 NFS Heat - $59.99 regualr price, on sale for $38.99 Mortal...
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If you're looking for a gaming phone, but don't want to break the bank, you can get the original ASUS ROG Gaming Phone for just $350 with a hot eBay deal. And in case you were wondering, you'll be purchasing from a highly reputable seller, as this is Microsoft's eBay Outlet Store. The original ROG Gaming Phone – read our review here -- debuted last year priced at a staggering $899, so this represents a hefty discount off the original price. While the ROG Phone might not come packing the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855/855+ SoC, it's no slouch with its older Snapdragon 845. Likewise, the ROG Phone uses a 90Hz display, while its successor -- the ROG Phone II -- rocks a...
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Microsoft's brand-new Surface Pro X convertible began shipping to customers earlier this week, and we've already seen that the device is surprisingly accessible when it comes to repairability. And we also can't argue with the good looks of the device, which has rounded edges, a slimmer chassis, and smaller display bezels than the Surface Pro 7. However, one aspect of the Surface Pro X that has come under fire from reviewers (and those that plunked down at least $999) is app compatibility -- or rather, the lack thereof in many cases. This problem was confounded by the act that it wasn’t made clear in the Microsoft Store that the Surface Pro X is incompatible with a number of apps...
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When Microsoft launched the Windows 10 May 2019 Update last month to the public, one of the big changes came with how the Cortana virtual assistant is presented to the user. Previously, Cortana and Search were fused together in the taskbar. However, the May 2019 Update separated the two so that they could be further developed independent of one another. Now, the latest move from Microsoft means even bigger changes for Cortana. A new Cortana app -- in beta form -- has been discovered in the Microsoft Store. With this further decoupling of Cortana, the general consensus is that Windows 10 might not even have Cortana installed by default. If users want access to the Cortana,...
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Back in October, Microsoft launched its snazzy looking Surface Headphones, which are Bluetooth enabled and feature integrated support for the Cortana digital assistant. However, the headphones also came with a $349.99 price tag, which was a tough pill to swallow for a newcomer to the headphone market. For those that liked the style and functionality of the Surface Headphones, but were put off by its price, we've got some good news for you. The Microsoft Store is currently discounting the headphones by $100, which means they now ring up at just $249.99. That's still a bit on the high side, but puts it more in line with comparable cans from Beats (among other entries in the over-the-ear headphone...
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Microsoft is extending its partnership with Amazon in a big way, as the Microsoft Store is now selling both the second-generation Echo and the third-generation Echo Dot Alexa-powered smart speakers. The Microsoft Store offers both the Echo and the Echo Dot at their regular MSRPs of $99 and $49 respectively. This is a striking turn of events given that Microsoft is currently marketing the Cortana-powered Harman Kardon Invoke AI smart speaker. The Invoke hit the market priced at $199, but is now selling for $99 from the Microsoft Store -- only the Pearl Silver model is available, as the Graphite version is currently out of stock. Amazon Echo Dot (third-generation)...
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Microsoft if finally enabling an oft-requested feature to Windows 10, which may come in handy for people with multiple PCs in their household. The web version of the Microsoft Store is enabling a new button on app pages called "Install on my devices" that allows you to remotely install apps. As the name of the option implies, it will allow you to install a given app to any of the Windows 10 devices that are currently associated with your account. So even if you aren't physically in front of the desktop PC in your bonus room, you can actually install an app like Netflix or Amazon Music by logging into the Microsoft Store from a web browser. It doesn't appear that this feature has rolled...
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It just got a little bit easier to find a gift for that special gamer in your life, in case you want to get a head start on the holiday shopping season. That's because Microsoft has expanded the option of buying games from the Microsoft Store as a gift to include PC games and PC downloadable content (map packs, skins, and the such). In addition, all Xbox One games available in the Microsoft Store are now eligible for gift giving as well. The ability to gift games is something Microsoft rolled out last fall, though at the time it only included select Xbox One digital titles and DLC, along with Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. Microsoft says this proved popular with gamers, saying...
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Last week, Microsoft announced that it would be lopping $200 off the price of its Surface Pro to celebrate the 2-in-1 convertible’s 5th anniversary. Well, that promotion has been ongoing since the start of the weekend, and unfortunately has to come to an end today. Microsoft's current $200-off offer, unlike other ongoing Surface promotions, extends to most of the Surface Pro family (the Surface Pro with LTE is the sole exception). This means that no matter if you are looking for a base Core m3 machine or a top-end model with a Core i7 processor, you can take advantage of the discounts. As we mentioned in our previous article, the promotion is currently running at brick and mortar...
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It looks as though we’ve come to the end of the road for Microsoft’s Lumia smartphone family. Microsoft has stopped selling the Windows 10 Mobile smartphones via the Microsoft Store, and there’s little chance that they will be restocked. Earlier this year, during the launch of the Lumia 650, Microsoft made it clear that it would be the last Lumia device introduced. And over the course the past few months, we’ve see reports that Lumia production was in fact winding down. According to a new report, the following Windows 10 Mobile devices are now out of stock from the Microsoft Store: Acer Liquid Jade Primo Bundle - Unlocked AT&T - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL AT&T - Microsoft Lumia 950 Microsoft...
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Today is Day 7 of Microsoft's 12 Days of Deals promotion, an annual holiday event in which it marks down items for sale at the Microsoft Store. Each day is also accompanied by a doorbuster item, a sale item that is only available in-store at one of Microsoft's retail location, and today's doorbuster an original Xbox One console for $179. That's a $120 savings over the Xbox One's normal selling price. It's even less expensive than a previous generation 500GB Xbox 360 console, which sells for $200 at the Microsoft Store. This will likely be the lowest price around for a new (not refurbished) Xbox One console this season. The only caveats are that it's not available online and the deal is good while...
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Happy Pi Day, nerds and geeks! Don't worry, we mean that affectionately, otherwise we'd be throwing stones in glass houses. In case you weren't aware, today is March 14, or 3.14, the shortened version of Pi, which is the mathematical constant representing the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter regardless of the size of the circle. Pi is also an irrational number, meaning it goes on forever in decimal form and never repeats itself. It's truly a wondrous, mind-blowing thing, and in celebration of Pi Day, Dell is offering 31.4 percent off select notebooks in the Microsoft Store.Don't fault Dell for putting the decimal in the wrong position—a 31.4 percent discount is much more enticing...
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If you've been ever-so-patiently waiting for the exact right time to buy an Xbox One game console, now might be it, provided you go through Microsoft's online store. Those who do will receive a free game selection plus a $75 gift code to go along with their console of choice, and yes, those freebies apply to bundles, too. On the fence between a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One? It's understandable—both are excellent systems with their own pros and cons. For those of you leaning towards an Xbox One and needing a gentle nudge to make a regret-free purchase, Microsoft's latest console has a lot going for it. First, it recently received an overhauled UI based on Windows 10 (dubbed "New Xbox One Experience"...
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What would be your first thought if we told you a mob of Microsoft employees gathered outside an Apple Store? Some sort of shenanigans, right? Well, it happened, right on 5th Avenue in New York City in front of Apple's flagship location, the one that's shaped like a cube. But instead of shenanigans (or at least obvious ones), Microsoft was spreading holiday cheer through song. Microsoft captured the moment on video and made a commercial around it, one that doesn't take any snarky jabs at Apple's products. Heck, the ad doesn't even prominently show off Microsoft's own products -- just a chorus of voices, including those from a local NYC children's youth choir, singing their hearts out in front...
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