Microsoft

Zombie Games Can be About Farming, Too

The first trailer for Microsoft and Undead Labs’ upcoming zombie shooter, State of Decay, focused almost entirely on action, even though we’d been told other aspects of survival were just as important. Here’s some of that other stuff, like building farms, growing crops and hanging out in secured zones with other folks who like to…

Now You Can Play With Left 4 Dead And Gears of Wars Characters In Minecraft for Xbox

Skin Pack #2 is out for the Xbox 360 version of Minecraft today. It’ll run you 160 Microsoft Points and come with the following skins, via Microsoft: 1. Enderman Man – Minecraft 2. Pig Man – Minecraft 3. Sheep Man – Minecraft 4. Naked Sheep Man – Minecraft 5. Spider Man – Minecraft 6. General…

Microsoft Changes Its Logo For The First Time Since The 1980s, And I Like It

The last time Microsoft changed its company branding was in 1987. With the company on the cusp of a less dorky era, courtesy of tech like Windows 8, Windows Phones, Surface and the Xbox 360, it’s about time for a redesign! And a redesign is what we have. There’s not only a new font, but…

A Whopping 40% Of Registered Voters On Xbox Live Can’t Decide Who To Vote For

Four out of every ten Xbox Live users who are registered to vote don’t know whether they plan to pick Barack Obama or Mitt Romney in the next presidential election, a Microsoft survey says. That’s quite the percentage. According to recent Gallup polls, only 8% of the country’s voters are undecided. If you’re counting at…

I Can Predict The Entire Halo 4 Plot, Using Only The Halo 4 Soundtrack

Microsoft and 343 have been typically tight-lipped when it comes to plot details surrounding Halo 4. But today, that all changed: The track-listing for the game’s soundtrack was released. Oh yeah. You read that right. Using the track names from the soundtrack, I have pieced together some highly precise (ish) predictions about the story of…

Windows 8 Is Not Good For Gamers

For the past several days, I’ve been playing with a very nice laptop that has Windows 8 Professional installed on it. Many others, like our sibling site Gizmodo, have looked at Windows 8’s usability for professional environments, or for everyday home computing. I’ve been exploring its potential specifically for gaming, trying out play-related features both…

3D Video Games Sound as Good as Dead. Good.

3D was everywhere a year or two ago. Now it’s…nowhere. Not even the 3DS, a handheld designed with the tech as its key selling point, uses it that often anymore. So is the tech dead in the water? It is according to EA, with EA Sports boss Peter Moore telling Eurogamer “3D is certainly not…

Microsoft Releasing Another Zombie Game (Though This One’s About Teamwork)

In early 2011, Microsoft quietly announced an ambitious zombie game called Class3. Then said nothing about it for 18 months. It’s back today, though, with a new name – State of Decay – and it’s not looking too shabby. Yes, zombies are played out, and yes, Microsoft themselves released a bleak zombie game only last…

Did OnLive Gut Its Employees’ Stock Options to Make Itself Cheaper to Buy Out?

In the aftermath of OnLive’s not-really-bankruptcy, not-really-restructuring comes this rumor from TechCrunch, which may explain why the cloud-gaming service would want to, effectively, terminate itself as a company, but not its services, nor offer up any of its assets for liquidation to settle its mounting debts. OnLive, suggests TechCrunch, opted for its technical “form of…

Watch The Fable: The Journey Team Tell A Story About Telling the Story, Then Play the Demo in September

The dev team at Lionhead Studios have shared a behind-the-scenes look at the story of their upcoming Kinect title Fable: The Journey. While early demonstrations of the game didn’t go very well, by this year’s E3 Kotaku‘s own Stephen Totilo found the demo to be a good experience If you want to try a demo…

In Japan, Microsoft’s Take on Windows 7 Has Been…Different

It’s the return of Nanami Madobe! She’s the OS character (née OS-tan) for Windows 7. OS-tan is an anime personification of computer operating systems; they’re usually created online by fans. Nanami Madobe, however, was the first official OS-tan. Windows 7 was Windows 7 in Japan—it wasn’t any different other than being in Japanese. However, back…

“XBOX Durango Development Kit” Sells For $20,000

The nondescript black PC tower that its seller claims is a Durango (ie, the next Xbox console) development kit has now been sold. The winning bid? Oh, a trifling $20,100. For that price, the buyer has either got themselves an unexpectedly early look at the future of the Xbox brand or the world’s most expensive…

Someone’s Trying to Sell an “XBOX Durango Development Kit” on eBay [Update]

An eBay seller is attempting to offload what they’re calling a “Microsoft XBOX Durango Development Kit”. At time of posting, a bid of $425 will get you out front with a chance to buy it. Interestingly, the seller’s name is “superdae”, which matches the handle of the person who, last week, was claiming to have…

Rumor: First “Leaked” Kinect 2 Image Shows Fingers and Head Patting

An image that allegedly shows off Kinect 2 has hit the internet. It not only shows improved depth perception, but a higher level of detail—such as being able to read people’s fingers and discern clothing. There’s head patting, too. As Kotaku first revealed, the next Xbox is codenamed “Durango”. Previously, insiders told Kotaku that the…

Forgot those launch day woes! Hybrid is up and running, waiting to defy gravity on your Xbox 360.

Those real money prices on Xbox Live were “an error”. Microsoft is sticking with Microsoft Points. Unfortunately.

Everything You Wanted (or Needed) to Know About Halo 4’s Guns

The history. The purpose. The sound effects. The enormous write-up over on Halo Waypoint (linked below) has everything a series fan – or firearm fetishist – could ever want with regards to humanity’s weapons of choice. And if you don’t feel like reading? Here’s every UNSC gun in the game, shooting things in the face.…

According to this job listing, Microsoft expects to release a “new version” of the Xbox within the next 18 months.

Windows Is Its Own Biggest Threat to the Future of PC Gaming

Hey, do you remember Blackberry? Remember how for years, every white-collar professional who worked in every office had to have one? And how they made consumer smartphones, that some people actually bought, and wanted to be all cool? When I started work at the headquarters for a major media company in 2008, every executive had…

Microsoft Says When They Said ‘New Xbox,’ They Didn’t Really Mean New Xbox

Last week on a podcast, Microsoft’s Brian Hall mentioned “the new Xbox” while discussing products that his company will be releasing in the near future. But Microsoft now says he wasn’t actually talking about the new Xbox. Up until now, Microsoft has refused to confirm what we all know: there’s an Xbox 360 successor en…