Microsoft

Microsoft Thinking About Giving You Achievements For Watching TV

Achievements are changing on the new Xbox One. They might be changing even more than we realise, though, if a Microsoft patent application for TV achievements ever actually comes to fruition. Yes, according to a report on GI.biz, last November Microsoft applied for a patent aimed at giving you achievements for watching TV. “Television viewing…

Report: Retailers Can Charge Whatever For Used Xbox One Games

According to “retail sources”, trade publication MCV is reporting that stores will be able to sell Xbox One games for whatever price they want. The catch? Both Microsoft and the game’s publisher will get a percentage of that sale. The way used games will be controlled and sold on the console has been one huge…

Microsoft Doesn’t Own XboxOne.com, Files Dispute Against Guy Who Does

Though it may seem ridiculous that Microsoft would name its new console without already owning the domain name for it, there are a couple of mitigating factors here. One is that the guy who owns XboxOne.com registered the name almost two years ago. That’s some good guessing! Fusible reports that Microsoft has filed a complaint…

The 360 Figures to Hang Around a Lot Longer than the Original Xbox Did

The Xbox 360 launched Nov. 22, 2005. Within two years, Microsoft unceremoniously discontinued its predecessor. The company expects the 360 to be with us a little longer this time. Yusuf Mehdi, a senior Microsoft executive, told Official Xbox Magazine that the company has a goal for the Xbox 360 of reaching a 100 million-unit installation…

Normal Human Beings Likely Won’t Play The Xbox One Like This

Phil Spencer, Microsoft Game Studio’s vice president, has a relationship with games that seems kind of terrifying. VideoGamerTV recreates it here, and it may give us an early glimpse at what using the full extent of the Xbox One’s capabilities may be like. Seriously though: do any of you actually play games like that? I…

Don’t Expect Those Xbox One Exclusives To Come To PC

Not that you should have, given Microsoft’s puzzling disdain towards the market, but just in case you were thinking those promised Xbox One exclusives were coming to PC, you can stop. Shacknews asked Microsoft if any of those 15 titles would come to the PC, and the response they got from Matt Booty, general manager…

Microsoft Promises More Japanese Support For Xbox One At E3

You might have noticed that this week’s Xbox One event was very… Western. Microsoft’s snazzy entertainment functions are all designed for American televisions. The games—FIFA, Call of Duty, Quantum Break—were all made by Western developers. Other than a two-second appearance by Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima, there wasn’t much for fans of Japanese games…

Here Are The Rules For What You Can (And Can’t) Call The Xbox One

The “brand guidelines” for the new Xbox One have been published by Microsoft, and while they’re intended for use by people like advertisers and partners, there’s still some good stuff in there for people like you and me. For starters, there’s information on logos and fonts, in case your ideas for photoshop jokes must be…

The Internet Reacts Hilariously To The Xbox One Event

The big Xbox reveal event yesterday swept through every major forum and community, resulting in the inevitable production of hilarious jabs at the console itself, console wars, and especially the dog companion from Call of Duty: Ghosts in just a couple of hours. Among a lot of messy stuff that’s already old news, quite a…

Xbox One: All Of This Week’s News

The next Xbox is called Xbox One. It’ll be out later this year. It won’t be always-online, but it will restrict used games. Oh, and the next Call of Duty has a dog. That’s just a smidgeon of the news we got at Microsoft’s big event in Redmond on Tuesday, which touted the new Xbox…

Only Fox News Can Save Us From the Tyranny of Xbox One

Microsoft says the Xbox One won’t need an always-online Internet connection. But if you want to play it, the thing might need to check in with the home office once a day. Playing used or borrowed games also sounds like a real bitch. Only one thing that can save gamers from this: our old enemy,…

What’s In A Name? ‘Xbox One’ Could Confuse Average Gamers

Yesterday, when Microsoft finally announced the successor to their Xbox 360, Don Mattrick took the stage with a giddy grin. “Today, we’re thrilled to unveil the ultimate all-in-one home entertainment system,” the Microsoft executive said. “The one with the power to create experiences that look and feel like nothing else. The one that makes your…

The Big Xbox One Announcement, in Helpful, Hilarious Abridged Form

If you didn’t see any of the Xbox One announcement yesterday, you may be of the impression this morning that Microsoft must have gone on stage and urinated on a picture of Mister Rogers while—wait a minute, was Phil Spencer really wearing two watches? VideoGamer, which also abbreviated Sony’s PS4 announcement back in February, provides…

Microsoft Plotting a New, Friendlier Xbox Live for Xbox One

Microsoft is taking steps to elevate the reputation of its popular but notorious online service, Xbox Live, for its third console, this fall’s Xbox One. If they pull this off, the more positive gamers of the world might enjoy their online gaming sessions a little more. A chief change involves a new, improved reputation system…

Here’s What People in Japan Think of Xbox One

The original Xbox had a rough time in Japan. Ditto for the Xbox 360. How are things faring for the just announced Xbox One? Um… Xbox Japan put a translated version of the presentation online for Japanese gamers to watch (yes, as Famitsu points out, the console is getting a Japanese release). And on 2ch,…

It’s a Clock! A Radio! An Alarm! The New Xbox Is All in One.

Kotaku reader erocker414 writes, “I took a couple liberties to make it look more like my beloved radio/alarm clock. Now I don’t dislike it as much.” Wood panelling isn’t new to clock radios—or video game consoles, for that matter. And it does make everything better. Everything. More on erocker414’s Kinja site.

Mainstream Media Reacts to the Xbox One

It’s bizarre. On my Twitter feed, in the Kotaku comments and from what I’ve heard from people involved in the games industry, the reaction the Xbox One reveal has been overwhelmingly negative. But the mainstream media? They seem to have missed the memo. While we’ve been spending the last five hours complaining about the lack…

The Xbox One’s 500GB HDD is non-removable. But that’s OK. The console’s USB 3.0 ports will take external storage, reports Engadget, and you can put anything on there you would on the internal drive, including games.

The Entire Xbox One Reveal In 1.5 Hilarious, Terrifying Minutes

The Xbox One reveal was actually pretty focused, when it comes down to it. TV. Sports. Call of Duty. And… that’s pretty much it. This (outstanding) video posted by Darkbeatdk captures the whole thing, really. (Via Chris Kohler)

The Tiny, Cool Details of the New Xbox One Controller

The Xbox One controller looks a lot like the Xbox 360 controller, but the new pad actually sports some subtle but relevant differences. Let’s take a video tour, shall we? The video above shows you the goods and also includes an attempt at a joke by me. Very regrettable, sorry. But…details! For those of you…