Items tagged with Xbox
Turn 10 Studios' Forza Motorsport is a series of simulation racing games that focuses on track racing events, around a variety of real and fictional tracks. The popular game franchise showcases realistic performance and handling characteristics of many real-life production, modified, and racing cars, and is published by Xbox Game Studios. That's not to be confused with Playground Games' Forza (pronounced "fort-za") Horizon, which is a series of simulation racing games that focuses on street and off-road racing events in a variety of fictional locales, also showcasing realistic performance and handling characteristics of many real-life production, modified, and racing cars, and published...
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If you're a PC gamer and you haven't tried out Halo Infinite yet, well, why not? The multiplayer game is free, after all. Sure, the monetization is wack—play for hundreds of hours to unlock cosmetics, or pay more than a grand to get everything—but most folks agree that if you ignore the customization aspect, it's the best "Halo" experience since Halo 3. Of course, Halo Infinite is more than a multiplayer game, and 343 Industries would like you to remember that while it gears up to release the single-player campaign on December 8th. The developer just dropped a launch trailer for the upcoming release and it looks a heck of a lot better than the first campaign footage we watched. Check...
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If you have a spare $10K laying around, and you have a love for both Gucci and Xbox, this may be the moment you have been waiting for all your life. Or, if you are one of those unscrupulous eBay scalpers, this humorous and absurd money-grab may be right up your alley. Gucci is celebrating its founding father Guccio Gucci, and its 100 year anniversary. So, it made absolute sense to call up Xbox since it is celebrating its 20th anniversary and ask, "Hey, do you want to create a tacky and outrageously-expensive collaboration and celebrate together?" And of course the Microsoft Xbox team apparently said yes (I mean it is Gucci after all). The two worked out the details and came up with the Xbox by...
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We've all become jaded with spam and unwanted marketing emails, and so it's become instinctive to just delete anything that even remotely appears to fall into either category. You might want to check your spam and deleted emails folders, though. Microsoft is randomly sending out gift cards to users, and yes, they're real (read: not a scam). The biggest rewards at the moment appear to be $100 gift cards. If you've been chosen, the email's subject line will read, "Here's $100 to start your holiday shopping." Then when you open an email, there's a large gift card graphic (as partially shown above) with a link to redeem your free reward at the Microsoft Store. How's that for some holiday cheer? Deal...
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Because of real-life responsibilities and the fatigue they can pile up, some folks just wanna spend their leisure time vegging out instead of mashing buttons, and that's completely understandable. In fact, we'd reckon that there are a whole lot of game consoles out there that spend more time 'playing' streaming services like Netflix and YouTube than they do running games. If you have an Xbox system from the current or previous generation—that's the Xbox Series S and Series X, or the Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Xbox One X—that plays videos more than it plays games, then you should check out 8Bitdo's new Xbox Media Remotes. They come in "Long" and "Short" varieties, and won't cost you...
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Consumers' right to repair their own devices is one of the lesser-discussed political battlegrounds in the United States, but it's probably one that most-directly affects gamers and hardware enthusiasts. It's a contentious issue: detractors claim that making their devices repairable will make them less reliable, less secure and more expensive, while supporters deny those claims and say that making devices repairable and sustainable will improve basically everything for everyone—even the companies making the devices. Right-to-repair has historically been opposed vehemently by American tech corporations, such as Apple and Microsoft, but yesterday, one of those titans seemingly switched...
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In April, Microsoft rolled out a limited beta of its Xbox Cloud Gaming (Project xCloud) streaming service for Windows 10 PCs and Apple devices. However, this early beta required users to game through an internet browser rather than providing Xbox Insiders with a native app to experience the service. That all changes today with the latest revision of Xbox Cloud Gaming, which is now available through the official Xbox app in Windows 10. Given that the service is internet-based, your aging PC should still be able to provide an excellent gaming experience (as long as you have a decent broadband connection). Like the previous beta, you will need a compatible controller that connects to your PC via...
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Microsoft is planning to livestream its Gamescom 2021 event rather than have it be an in-person affair in Cologne, Germany this year. During the "100 percent virtual experience," Microsoft will provide new looks at several upcoming games. Microsoft is also planning to host a digital special edition Xbox FanFest during the event. "You’ll get in-depth updates from some of our previously announced Xbox Game Studios titles alongside some of our third-party partners, including some of the incredible titles coming to Xbox this holiday, upcoming releases to our monthly subscription service, Xbox Game Pass, and much more," Microsoft said. When And Where To Watch The Xbox At Gamescom 2021 Livestream...
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One of the most annoying things about using any electronic device at night or in a dark room is the retina-searing, light mode that most apps have by default. Microsoft, however, has finally addressed this problem on Xbox consoles, and is working on a new night mode which is now available to beta testers. Using the new Alpha Skip-Ahead ring, Xbox owners will be able to dim and filter their screens to help protect against sleep-affecting blue light emissions. Moreover, they will also be able to dim their console and controller LED brightness, so the normally bright white light is not so harsh. Coupling these new features with the dark mode system theme should then provide a much better...
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Halo Infinite is the first brand new Halo installation since 2015, when Halo 5: Guardians came to the Xbox One. To say there's a lot of hype around the much-delayed return of Master Chief after apparently going rogue in the previous installment, ultimately being recovered by Spartan Locke. Apologies for the spoilers on a six-year-old game, but the Halo Infinite reveal announced that information itself. Besides, we're sure that Microsoft has bigger things on its mind, like the fact that the company leaked information about the sixth mainline Halo game's plot. According to Halo writer and cinematic director Joseph Staten, Microsoft inadvertently included some files that contain information...
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What would you do if, at 16-years old, you made $1.7 million in revenue and $110,000 in profits? What if this income came from selling (or scalping) things such as the newest PlayStation and Xbox consoles at up to double the sticker price? That is exactly what one teenager from New Jersey did during the pandemic, cornering the resale market on a wide variety of products. From consoles to Pokémon cards and pools, the pandemic has led to shortages of all kinds of products due to production issues and heightened demand. As capitalism goes, this gives rise to an opportunity to make money from these products in the resale subindustry, and 16-year-old Max Hayden saw this. For forty hours a week...
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It can be tough to play games with friends if they are spread across various competing platforms, but this is a problem of the past, thanks to cross-play functionality. Now, Overwatch is adding the feature so you can game on with friends across PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo networks. Earlier today, the Overwatch Twitter account announced that cross-play has finally arrived around the globe. All players must create a Battle.net account and link their console accounts to start cross-playing to gain access to this. In celebrating this feature, anyone who logs into Overwatch before the end of 2021 will receive a promotional Golden Loot Box to pick up at least a legendary skin. Cross-Play has...
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E3 is upon us and so too are several game debuts and preorders becoming available right now. Today we will look at some of the more popular games being shown off so you too can know what is coming and be excited as we are… Battlefield 2042 For months we only had leaks, but now Battlefield 2042 has been unveiled, showing a dystopian world mired in suffering. This game marks a new generation of Battlefield, with 128-player maps, special operators called “Specialists,” new modes and maps, and even natural disasters. Battlefield 2042 looks like it will be quite exciting, so we cannot wait for its launch on October 22nd. If you want to grab BF2042, it starts at the regular price...
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Gaming is one of the fastest-growing forms of media we have today, thanks in part due to the pandemic that has kept people at home. However, people would typically need a console or PC to game on, but that becomes less of a problem with the advent of cloud gaming. Now, Microsoft is trying to “bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet” by bringing Xbox and Xbox Game Pass with cloud-based gaming to more screens. Interactive entertainment and video games are central to Microsoft, as “Games build bridges and forge bonds, generating mutual empathy among people all over the world,” explained Xbox Head Phil Spencer in a blog post released today. “When...
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For both gamers and developers, the Unreal Engine team's work, such as the MetaHuman creator, is simply amazing. Now, Unreal Engine 5 is just over the horizon, and it appears to mark a massive milestone in game fidelity and performance. There is a new demo out today, with some new features, such as something awesome called "Temporal Super Resolution." Temporal Super Resolution (TSR) is quite a mouthful of a name, but it quite impressive, according to the latest Unreal Engine docs. The team at Epic Games claims that with TSR enabled, you can get 4K quality with the framerates one would typically see at 1080p. In the example shown, the team rendered 4K frames at native 4K, which netted 18.6FPS,...
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Gaming while on-the-go has gotten better over the years as handheld consoles are becoming more powerful and widespread. Now, Microsoft is taking things up a notch by turning its dual-screen Surface Duo into a versatile game-streaming device by updating the Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) app for Android. This means gamers will have a virtual gamepad on one screen and the game on the other, which is rather awesome. The update, which goes live today, brings the touch controls for any Xbox game down to the second screen on the Surface Duo, rather than being overlaid on the game. It makes console gaming on the go much easier and less claustrophobic-feeling than on a regular mobile device. This change...
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Released in 2001, the original Xbox has become a classic gaming console that millions of people have played even to this day. Just over 20 years later, it seems there are also still easter eggs to be found on the device. With a little bit of work, Xbox console owners can see a list of members on the Xbox Dashboard Team hidden within the System Info menu. Yesterday, a developer for the original Xbox who wished to remain anonymous spoke with Kotaku about a previously hidden easter egg within the Xbox Dashboard. This person came forward because they “didn’t really expect it to be found, not unless the source code leaked or somebody reverse-engineered the Dashboard.” Interestingly,...
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In February, Microsoft unveiled FPS Boost, a new way to revive older games with lower frame rates. Initially, the Xbox team gave a select few games the performance enhancing treatment, and then some Bethesda games followed later after the Microsoft acquisition was complete. Now, the company is bringing the FPS boost love to another 70 titles in the “largest drop of games featuring FPS Boost to date.” FPS Boost is a user-adjustable setting to make older games “visually smoother, resulting in more immersive gameplay.” For the most part, it can nearly double frame rates on select titles when the game engine adapted to render things more quickly. To accomplish this impressive...
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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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Though Halo Infinite may have been delayed, information about the game is slowly trickling out, and it seems the wait may be worth the reward. Back in February, we got to see some gorgeous screenshots from the game, which were rather impressive. Now, Microsoft is giving us another exciting breadcrumb of information with a recent blog post outlining cross-play, progress syncing, and free multiplayer in Halo Infinite. Today, Microsoft and Xbox Game Studios looked at the company’s “Gaming Journey in 2021 and Beyond.” This included some information for developers, such as game revenue changes, and some interesting information for gamers. Matt Booty, Head of Xbox Game Studios, announced...
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For long-time fans of the Halo franchise, we have some excellent news for those that own Halo: The Master Chief Collection (MCC). For those not in the know, The MCC includes Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo 4. The April 2021 update for The MCC (version 1.2241.0.0) just dropped, and it brings a wealth of changes for gamers on both Windows and Xbox platforms. However, one of the most significant changes comes for Xbox consoles, which now get full mouse and keyboard support. 343 Industries now allows you to bind controls across multiple inputs. There is also support for field-of-view (FOV) and crosshair positioning for Xbox One and Xbox Series...
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It seems there are simulator games for just about anything you can think of, such as Granny Simulator, Thief Simulator, and even a PC building simulator. Now, teams from Dovetail Games, Curve Digital, and Skyhook Games are bringing what could be the hottest simulator game this summer: Lawn Mowing Simulator. Later this year, players will be able to “enjoy the challenge and serenity of mowing the Great British countryside in a variety of modes, while ensuring cash flow of your empire remains as green as the blades you’re cutting,” according to developer Skyhook Games. New lawn care professionals will be able to visit the British countryside, large equestrian fields, castle grounds...
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