Items tagged with Xbox
It is once again time for a new console generation and Microsoft has two shiny new products ready for the holiday 2020 shopping season. Continuing its tradition of sometimes fuzzy model branding, we have the new Xbox Series X and Series S, which succeed the previous-gen Xbox One X, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and the console formerly known as Xbox. This time around, Microsoft is focused solely on the gaming and entertainment experiences – there is no Kinect accessory or multimedia hub with HDMI input. The Xbox One X is all about improving the core gaming experience and all that comes with it. The two-tier console launch approach is unique this generation, with the Series X being the full-blown next-generation...
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Microsoft is really going all-in with game streaming for its Xbox platform. While gamers can go out and buy previous- or current-generation hardware like the Xbox One X or the Xbox Series X, Microsoft also gives you the option to stream games on mobile devices using Project xCloud (which is now part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate). Xbox Chief Phil Spencer recently gave an interview with The Verge and covered a wide number of topics regarding Xbox in general and the new Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X consoles. However, it's no surprise that Microsoft wants to get Xbox games into the hands of more people, across a variety of platforms. To further that goal, it looks as though the company...
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Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s Xbox division leader, recently sat down for an interview in which he gave his wide-ranging thoughts on the gaming industry. While the whole interview was an interesting read, we got some insights into Xbox's present and future plans as a whole. Spencer specifically talked about present competition and the issues of supply versus demand and how that affects sales overall. When it comes to console preorders (and, frankly, any other preorder) this year, there have been issues of supply meeting the immense demand. Preorders sold out nearly instantaneously, and it was a concern for many. Spencer addressed these concerns complaints during the Shacknews interview. When...
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Back in 2005, Microsoft teamed up with ATi, now part of AMD, for the graphics processor in the Xbox 360. In the 15 years since, the two companies have cozied up to form a console alliance for the ages. That's a relationship, Microsoft says, that affords it a closer alignment with AMD's RDNA 2 architecture than its rivals at Sony. As a result, the Xbox maker claims that its Xbox Series X and Series S make use of AMD's graphics tech in a way that the PlayStation rivals at Sony just can't match. Considering both consoles use the same combination of Zen 2 CPU cores and RDNA 2 graphics tech, this is a pretty bold claim to make. What does seem to be proprietary to Microsoft is the way it leverages...
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The Xbox team has got their mind on their money and their money on their mind with this latest publicity stunt. The team sent both Snoop Dogg and iJustine Xbox Series X-themed refrigerators after jokes were originally made about the Xbox Series X looking like the household appliance. Snoop Dogg’s fridge came stocked with meats, an Xbox cake, an Xbox Series X, and copious amounts of gin and juice so the OG could get laid back. iJustine’s fridge was empty, but we got a closer look at the refrigerator with the video she posted. On Friday, Snoop Dogg posted a video of his birthday gift from Microsoft and Xbox, and it was very quickly pulled down. But this was not before people around...
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At this point, Microsoft is looking to deliver the Xbox gaming experiences on as many platforms as possible. In addition to cross-platform games that work across Xbox One and upcoming Xbox Series S/X consoles, you can play many Xbox games on the PC. And with xCloud now becoming part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you can even play fully-fledged Xbox games on your Android smartphone. Now, Xbox Chief Phil Spencer is dropping hints that Microsoft may release a streaming dongle that could plug directly into your TV to support xCloud game streaming. With this approach, Microsoft could provide a lower cost of entry to Xbox gaming, while still tapping into the gravy train of monthly subscription revenue...
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Microsoft's Xbox platform could take the crown of most ways to play games this year. In September, Microsoft updated the Xbox Mobile app for Android to deliver the whole Xbox experience in your hand. Previously, this would have been done with a controller, but Xbox is now including touch controls for a list of games beginning today. Catherine Gluckstein, GM & Head of Product with Project xCloud, explains, “Quite simply, Xbox’s vision for cloud gaming is to provide you with choice in how and when you play games.” Touch controls give gamers a new and easier way to play games on the go. When playing games from the cloud, you may not always have access to a controller,...
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Will Tuttle, Xbox Wire Editor In Chief, explains that “The launch of a new generation of games is the culmination of epic creative and technical endeavors from developers around the globe, all focused on a single goal: delivering immersive new experiences and rich new worlds to explore.” This immersion and exploration must be optimized so the player can enjoy the games that have been created. To achieve this, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S will have 30 full optimized games on launch day for players to enjoy. According to Tuttle, with these 30 initial optimized games, it will be the “largest launch lineup in Xbox history.” Players will have access to “Assassin’s...
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New Xbox Series S/X and PlayStation 5 preorders have been incredibly scarce since the initial preorder window opened. Consumers have been buying them up like hotcakes, so it is a big deal when more preorders are available. If you are looking to get your hands on a new console, antonline, an online technology reseller, will have “extremely limited” amounts of Xbox and PlayStation preorders starting today at 2 PM EST. 2020, among other things, has become the year of preorder hell. Between the NVIDIA, Xbox, and PlayStation preorders, few people are thrilled about how things shook out. Even if some people have managed to get preorders, their orders could be pushed back to 2021. It remains...
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The name Team Xecuter might bring back nostalgic waves for console pirates from the early 2000s, but for Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, the name likely brought shivers down executives' spines. In the early 2000s, the notorious pirate hackers created several iterations of modification chips for Microsoft's Xbox console. Those chips could override the system's built-in, locked-down BIOS to run pirated games. More recently, the group is known for the SX lineup dongles that could perform similar actions on various Nintendo Switch models. Now, their hacking days may be over. The U.S. Department of Justice has arrested accused Canadian ringleader Gary Bowser and two of his alleged co-conspirators,...
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The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S launch is only six weeks away, and so too is the launch of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with EA Play. Xbox Game Pass, with EA Play and Bethesda, is poised to offer many games in their library to stream and download to the new consoles come November 10th. This subscription from Microsoft could prove to be a better financial decision to play new games on the upcoming Xbox consoles. At the beginning of the month, it was announced that EA Play was coming to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Before the merge, “with [EA Play’s] subscription, you could play titles in series’ such as Battlefield, The Sims, Mass Effect, and more.” Now, as EA Play and Game...
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At Xbox, the goal is to have “a unified Xbox experience across devices that puts gamers at the center.” With the advancements of the Xbox Series X|S and the new GamePass experience, the Xbox team has rebuilt the Xbox app to align with their vision. The new Xbox App (Beta) is available on Android devices today. The new Xbox app has been rewritten entirely to tie together the vision of a “unified experience," according to Kristen Mann, Principal Program Manager for Xbox Experiences. The goal for the app is to make it “easier for all gamers to stay connected to your friends, games and fun at home or on the go, no matter what device they prefer to play on.”...
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In early August, Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two Interactive CEO, attempted to justify why a price hike for games was needed. Now that next-gen console announcements are floating about, Zelnick is elaborating on his stance in a new interview. As technology improves, the game development industry has had to adapt over time to provide a good experience for gamers. As such, the cost of development has likely increased. Similar to his previous statements, “The bottom line is that we haven't seen a front-line price increase for nearly 15 years,” Zelnick said to Protocol. “Production costs have gone up 200 to 300%. But more to the point since no one really cares what your production costs...
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Microsoft seems to have their head in the clouds, or rather, their games are in the cloud now. Today, Kareem Choudhry, corporate VP of cloud gaming at Microsoft, announced that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate users across 22 countries will be able to play more than 150 games via the cloud starting tomorrow. Earlier in August, we reported on Project xCloud being rolled into Xbox Game Pass, and it is finally here. Gamers around the world will be able to transfer gameplay across their Xbox consoles and to other devices, such as mobile phones and tablets. Not only will this allow for gameplay anywhere, it will also open Xbox gaming to those who do not have an Xbox. As long as you have a decent internet connection...
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At E3 2019, Xbox introduced Xbox Game Pass to bring games to the masses with their subscription model. Now, Xbox is pairing up with EA to provide EA Play at no extra cost, thus expanding the offerings of Game Pass Ultimate. EA Play, formerly Origin Access and EA Access, has a wide variety of EA games in its library. With their subscription, you could play titles in series’ such as Battlefield, The Sims, Mass Effect, and more. Being able to access these games through EA Play also comes with exclusive features and rewards. Prior to the Xbox Game Pass pairing, EA Play would have cost users $4.99 a month. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, on the other hand, is the $14.99 a month service Xbox offers...
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There have been a handful of rumors floating about over the last few weeks regarding Microsoft and their Xbox Live memberships. It appears that these rumors are false, as Microsoft recently confirmed that they have no plans to rename Xbox Live or get rid of Xbox Live Gold. Several events occurred over the past few weeks that fed these rumors. First, Microsoft changed their terms of service, using the phrase “Xbox online service” instead of “Xbox Live”. This caused many Xbox Live users to speculate that Microsoft would be renaming or eliminating Xbox Live. However, a Microsoft representative stated that this was not their intent when they used the phrase “Xbox...
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Microsoft is putting some restrictions on game developers regarding their ability to charge gamers to upgrade current generation titles to versions that will run on the Xbox Series X. Word of Microsoft's stance comes from publishing sources that are familiar with the plans. Companies that have been working on games that will be available on current generation hardware and the next generation console when it launches are being pushed to offer upgrades at no additional cost. Reportedly, the developers do have the option to use Xbox's Smart Delivery or their own methods to deliver both versions of the game. EA is accomplishing this using what it calls Dual Entitlement. Several games have been announced...
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Xbox gamers know that Microsoft is working on its Project xCloud game streaming service that's expected to launch later this year as part of the Xbox Game Pass. The coolest part about that service is that it will allow gamers to stream titles they would typically play on the console to their smartphone. As Microsoft is gearing up for that launch, accessory makers are also getting ready with controllers meant for use with portable devices. One such controller is this 8Bitdo Sn30 Pro designed for the xCloud game streaming service on Android devices. The 8Bitdo Sn30 Pro can be preordered on Amazon right now for $44.99 and is available with free Prime shipping on September 21. The controller is arranged...
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Gamers have been anticipating the next-generation consoles for years, and both the Sony PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X will launch this holiday season. A user on reddit named "GREBO7" has created a graphic that shows every game console going back to the original PlayStation and Xbox to give us a size comparison. We can see in the graphic that the Sony PlayStation 5 is a massive console that is much larger than anything that's ever been released on the market before. The PS5 isn't as fat as the Xbox Series X, but it is taller. We know the PlayStation 5 will be offered in a version with an optical drive and a version without the optical drive. The version used in the graphic is the console...
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To start the summer off right, Microsoft is offering up what it says are the greatest Xbox deals of the year. Xbox Deals Unlocked is underway right now and will run through June 15. That means over the next five days, any Xbox fans looking for a new console or big savings on games need to hop over and check out the deals and save money. Some of the biggest deals include: $100 off Xbox One X $100 of Xbox One S All-Digital Edition Save up to 70% on over 600 digital games First time discounts up to 25% on newly released titles such as Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Doom Eternal and Resident Evil 3. $10 off Xbox Design Lab controllers Microsoft says that those offerings are just a sample of the savings...
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Any gamers who purchased a new console in recent years knows that they often come with bundled games that require you to type in lengthy codes to redeem. Not only do those codes take a long time to type in using an on-screen keyboard, but it's also frustratingly easy to mistype them and have to start all over. Microsoft is moving to make entering long redemption codes a thing of the past with a new program called Digital Direct. Digital Direct embeds any games, DLC, and trial subscriptions directly on the console itself. This change was made quietly, and anyone who's purchased a console recently may have games or other content they've missed. Microsoft says that during the setup process for the...
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Gamers are expecting a significant upgrade in many aspects when Microsoft's Xbox Series X console launches later this year. One of the updates will be a brand-new Xbox store that is code-named "Mercury." A look at that future Mercury update for the Xbox Store app on PC has leaked, showing a beautiful storefront with a design loosely based on Microsoft's fluent language. Mercury also has refreshed icons that are similar to those found on Microsoft's PC Store app. Anyone who has seen the beta Xbox app or the new Xbox Game Bar for PC users will recognize the Mercury look and feel. The interface has the acrylic blur effects Microsoft currently favors and certainly looks very nice. We particularly...
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