Microsoft

Today, Microsoft Did The Right Thing And Everybody Won

I have to admit, it was exciting. It was a kick watching “evil” Microsoft get their ass handed to them by gamer-loving “good guys” Sony. Sure, that was a gross oversimplification: It was really just two profit-minded corporations duking it out. But last week’s E3 provided the sort of dramatic, good-vs-evil narrative that we rarely…

Microsoft Is Removing Xbox One DRM

This could be the biggest backtrack in gaming history: Microsoft will reverse course on their DRM policies for Xbox One, dropping their 24-hour Internet check-in requirement and all restrictions on used games. Here’s Microsoft president of interactive entertainment Don Mattrick with the news: Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry…

Microsoft’s Muddled Messaging, Displayed On National Television

The battle over our rights to play used games took center stage last night on national television during Jimmy Fallon’s Video Game Week, a post-E3 celebration of all things ludic. Fallon had brought up Mark Cerny, lead designer of the PlayStation 4, to talk about Sony’s next gaming console. And inevitably, the conversation turned to…

Xbox One’s Awful DRM Drowned Out Some Really Cool Games

If you were in Los Angeles last week, and you happened to stumble into a bar or a restaurant, and you saw a group of people in business-casual attire and/or flannel, you probably overheard something like “Wow, Sony sure won E3.” This, of course, is preposterous. Nobody wins E3. You just survive it. But it…

Xbox One Checked Into Late Night TV Once In The Last 24 Hours

Microsoft’s Phil Spencer comes across as more of an infomercial guy than a talk show guest here in this stint on Jimmy Fallon earlier tonight, but hey, he’s not the focus here. The Xbox One and some games are. Namely Killer Instinct and Forza 5. Not sure they were the two best games to bring…

Gaming industry analytics firm DFC, in their recent forecast of the Xbox One’s market performance, have noted that Microsoft’s “overall strategy for entertainment devices is deeply flawed,” adding that due to their strategy, “the entire future of Microsoft’s consumer entertainment business is in question.” [via MCV]

Are These Real Answers, or Fake Questions, in This Xbox One Document?

This past week a 100-question internal FAQ on the Xbox One, purportedly official communications guidance from Microsoft, landed on Pastebin. It’s not the usual laundry list of wishful thinking you get in most video game fakes. That said, there’s no way to know if this is true or total B.S. Oh, we’ve asked Microsoft. Their…

Microsoft Can’t Tell Us If The Xbox One Is Region-Free Or Not

Microsoft has this week released some confusing statements and policies regarding how the Xbox One will work around the world. We’ve tried to get to the bottom of them, with no avail. Earlier in the week, a guide on pre-ordering the Xbox One was published by Microsoft. Saying that the console is only launching in…

Xbox One’s Reputation System Sounds Crazy But It Just Might Work

Placing the responsibility for policing a community into the hands of the members of said community is a lovely idea that rarely works as expected. The new Xbox Live reputation system launching with the Xbox One gives players the power to promote the polite over the pestiferous, with (hopefully) enough safeguards in place to prevent…

A Slightly More Convincing Reason For The Xbox One’s Forced Online

There’s a very good argument that Microsoft’s biggest failure this week was not its Xbox One policies, but its messaging. The way gamers were lumped with obligation, instead of opportunity Take the console’s mandatory online check-in. For nearly every single one of you, that will never be a problem, at least on your end (should…

Yakuza Series Developer Offers His Opinion On the New Consoles

As seen from thephotograph, the well-tanned Yakuza series developer, Toshihiro Nagoshi was walking among the crowds at E3 this year. Hopefully basking in the saturated spectacle of upcoming consoles and games. Nagoshi wrote on his blog about the Sony conference and the announcements from Microsoft and Sony (Unfortunately, due to flight delays, he was unable…

How Your Microsoft Points Will Become Dollars/Pounds/Euros/Whatever

Later this year, Microsoft’s awful points system will be retired. Yes. In its place, you’ll be buying content using the same stuff you do for everything else: your local currency. But how, exactly, is the transition going to work? I mean, it’s not as simple as it sounds. Currency values fluctuate, the price of Microsoft…

Xbox Achievements Are Changing. Here’s How.

When the Xbox One launches in November, Microsoft’s achievements system will undergo its biggest overhaul since its implementation. There’ll be two kinds of achievements. Stuff you can earn that aren’t achievements. Achievements for watching TV. And more. CHALLENGES First things first: you can now earn more than just regular achievements. Those are staying as they…

See Microsoft, Sony And Nintendo’s E3 Booths In Under 20 Seconds

Kotaku head honcho Stephen Totilo is absolutely in love with Vine, and he shares his love with you in the form of a trio of bite-sized booth tours of the big three at E3. Microsoft Sony Nintendo

Microsoft Found Folks Who Are Actually Looking Forward To The Xbox One

Microsoft’s booth at E3 has a screen showcasing what people are saying about the Xbone on Twitter. It’s all positive. UPDATE: This post was edited so that the content could speak for itself.

The Xbox One Isn’t Hitting Asia Until 2014 (But What About Japan?)

Americans look at the Xbox 360 and see a dominant home console, one which has topped the sales charts for literally years, but it’s not the same story worldwide. The PlayStation brand remains stronger in Europe, while in much of Asia – especially Japan – it’s the dominant console. Which probably explains why the list…

How Much Space Do You Need To Use The New Kinect?

The old Kinect was notorious for needing a fairly large space in which to play, so the camera could accurately capture your movements. I mean, I live in a house, and my living room setup wasn’t big enough. The new Kinect, packing a wide-angle lens, is supposed to alleviate that problem, but it’s not like…

Can’t Get An Xbox One Online? Buy An Xbox 360.

Is there any way around Microsoft’s mandatory 24-hour “check in” on the Xbox One? Nope. Well, there is one. It just doesn’t involve buying an Xbox One. Speaking with Destructoid, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer was asked what someone with no internet access would do if they wanted to buy an Xbox One. “I mean the analogy,…

Microsoft Is Working On Kinect Game Gestures You Might Actually Use

I just got out of a tech demo—called Reflex—where a Microsoft representative leaned side-to-side, pointed at the screen, and raised an Xbox One controller to help him maneuver, attack and defend in a first-person shooter type of game. It wasn’t as elegant as they’d have us believe, but it certainly looked more useful than most…

The Microsoft E3 Booth In Nine Photos, With Special Guest

Can you spot the prolific Japanes egame designer in this photo? Our own Tina Amini captured the soul of Yakuza developer Toshihiro Nagoshi in her nine-photo tour of Microsoft’s E3 2013 booth. Why only nine photos? Why not a video? Because this way you can piece the booth together with your mind. It’s fun! For…