Microsoft - Page 147 of 238

Microsoft Already Has a Computer Called “Surface”, and it Makes Board Games Look Awesome

The unveiling earlier today of Microsoft’s new “Surface” tablets was a strange one for me. Not because of the nature of the product, but for its name. It’s one Microsoft has been using for years, only, for an entirely different device. One that, for a while there, we thought could change the way we played…

By Luke Plunkett Published June 18, 2012

Microsoft Announces New ‘Surface’ Tablet PC

At a press event today, Microsoft announced a new Tablet PC called ‘Surface.’ As you can see from the images in this post, it’s got a nifty keyboard built into its screen-cover. Also, pretty colors! Microsoft’s Steven Sinofsky introduced it thusly: “It’s a tablet that works and plays the way you want to. A tablet…

By Kirk Hamilton Published June 18, 2012

Leak or Hoax, a 56-Page Manifesto Does Get Some Things Right About the Next Xbox [Update]

An apparently two-year-old document, purporting to be an internal overview of Microsoft’s plans for the Xbox 360’s successor, surfaced overnight, and while many rightly cast doubt on its authenticity, the claims it makes are not too farfetched. Some have even been reported before. The document, evidently a PowerPoint slide presentation, is at best an official…

By Owen Good Published June 16, 2012

Microsoft Not Attending Tokyo Game Show or Gamescom

Today, Microsoft announced that it will not be appearing at either Gamescom or the Tokyo Game Show. Instead, it will rely on its partners and, in Japan’s case, its own events. In an interview with Famitsu, Microsoft stated that it was not abandoning Japan and is planning end of the year promotions. Microsoft did say…

By Brian Ashcraft Published June 14, 2012

You Can Now Control (Some of) Your Xbox 360 From a Phone

Microsoft released an update to its Xbox Live iPhone app yesterday that adds some basic remote functionality, letting you launch games and navigate menus from your iPhone. For some reason that good stuff is iPhone-only; the iPad version didn’t get it, and the new Android edition doesn’t have it either. [Microsoft]

By Luke Plunkett Published June 14, 2012

Nintendo’s Not Worried About SmartGlass, Because You Only Have Two Hands

While E3 was occupying everyone’s attention last week, Nintendo held an analyst event for their investors. During the Q&A, one meeting participant honed in on something many of us have been wondering since Microsoft unveiled their SmartGlass, and posed the question: “Are you worried about SmartGlass? How does Nintendo intend to differentiate its hardware system?”…

By Kate Cox Published June 13, 2012

Kotaku East

How To Cover Your Co-Worker’s Computer in Porn

You’ve probably seen the clip of the young lady who played porn in a quiet library. And maybe you thought, hey, I’m an evil trickster, and I’d like to do something similar as a prank. Well evil trickster, here’s how*. Go Yoshiwara, vice-president of a Tokyo web design firm, rigged one of his employee’s computers…

By Brian Ashcraft Published June 11, 2012

Chinese Domain Squatter Won’t Own ‘XboxSmartGlass.com’ for Much Longer

Before E3, Microsoft registered every possible permutation of “XboxSmartGlass” and “MicrosoftSmartGlass,” tipping off Monday’s reveal of the technology that will connect the Xbox 360 to Android and iOS devices. Well, they got every possible combination except one: “XboxSmartGlass.com.” That’s owned by one Tang Haiyue of Guanghzhou, China, who bagged the domain on June 1, right…

By Owen Good Published June 9, 2012

It Doesn’t Sound THAT Hard to Fix a Broken Xbox 360

Those with older Xbox 360 consoles know it’s just a matter of when, not if, their machines give up the ghost and display three red rings. What’s worse is that, if you’ve got an old console, chances are it’s out of warranty as well. Fixing one isn’t as hard as you might think, though, as…

By Luke Plunkett Published June 8, 2012

Forza Horizon Offers an Open Road to Action, Music and the Fast Life

Total simulation racers are not something I’ve played much at all. I’ve got nothing against them, but I tend to drive like a maniac and a lot of the detailing and physics are like pearls before swine with a guy like me. Reflecting on my preferences makes the existence of a spinoff title like Forza…

By Owen Good Published June 7, 2012

Who Is Our Mystery Microsoft Interviewee? [UPDATE]

Among the batch of interviews we have lined up for E3 with top game developers and captains of industry, we have a mystery interview today with someone important in the world of Xbox. Who could this mystery man or woman be? Microsoft won’t tell us, so we will leave it to you readers to speculate:…

By Kirk Hamilton Published June 6, 2012

Watch Dogs Uses Microsoft’s New SmartGlass Tech

In rather vague, unspecified ways, Ubisoft’s crowd-stopping Watch Dogs will make use of Microsoft’s new SmartGlass tech. Interesting. [CVG]

By Luke Plunkett Published June 5, 2012

Internet Explorer Coming to Xbox 360

It wasn’t headline news, but buried in the middle of Microsoft’s Xbox SmartGlass reveal was the long-awaited news that, finally, an internet browser would be appearing on the Xbox 360. The Wii and PS3 have had the feature for years, but for the longest time Microsoft seemed unwilling to cross that line. Well, they have…

By Luke Plunkett Published June 4, 2012

Here’s Usher Nailing (And Whiffing) Some High Notes at Microsoft’s E3 Press Conference

Press conference musical performances are always a bit mortifying for all involved. The stage sucks, the audience isn’t there for music, and no one’s been drinking. (Well, almost no one. These are journalists, after all.) Usher’s performance for Dance Central 3 at the Microsoft E3 press conference was no different. As Mike Fahey pointed out,…

By Kirk Hamilton Published June 4, 2012

Five Minutes of Impressive Halo 4 Gameplay Footage

Forget shaky-cam beta stuff, here’s five minutes of direct-feed, singleplayer gameplay footage of Halo 4, direct from Microsoft’s E3 press conference earlier today. I don’t know whether it’s the improved visuals or the new developer (or both!), but for the first time in a long time this looks almost as though it’s a truly new…

By Luke Plunkett Published June 4, 2012

‘Xbox Music’ Brings a Music Store and Subscription Music Streaming to Your Xbox 360

Today at their E3 press conference, Microsoft announced a new music app for the Xbox 360 called “Xbox Music,” which will allow users to buy and stream music on their Xbox 360, which can be accessed from any screen. Users can download music from a new music store, or subscribe to streaming channels or artist-based…

By Kirk Hamilton Published June 4, 2012

Forza Horizon’s E3 Trailer Cruises Past Some Eyeballs

Forza is one of the few first-party franchises Microsoft bothers maintaining these days, at least for more serious gamers, so you can bet they were showing off a Forza Horizon trailer during the company’s E3 presentation. Here it is. Congratulations if you got past twenty seconds, because as soon as I hear someone say “throw…

By Luke Plunkett Published June 4, 2012

Dance Central 3 Unveiled, Here’s the First Footage

Everybody’s favourite – or secretly favourite – Kinect game, Dance Central, just got its second sequel. The third game in the series sees players taken back in time, dancing to tracks from 70s right through to the present day. It also introduces a new game mode called “Crew Throwdown”, which “pits two teams of up…

By Luke Plunkett Published June 4, 2012

Xbox Smart Glass Lets You Control Your Xbox With Your iPhone

Microsoft demonstrated their Xbox Smart Glass tech today at E3, linking consumers’ smartphones and tablets to their Xbox games and media. Not only does Smart Glass manage video playback across devices and add extra content to video, but it also makes your currently existing touch device into, essentially, a remote control for your console and…

By Kate Cox Published June 4, 2012

Xbox Smart Glass Makes Your Phone an Interactive Map of Westeros While You Watch Game of Thrones

Microsoft demonstrated their new Smart Glass tech today at E3. And sure, it’s cool that you can watch a video on your iPhone, iPad, Android phone, or computer, tell it to pause, and resume seamlessly on your Xbox later. But what’s really cool? Having an interactive map of Westeros pop up on your phone, tablet,…

By Kate Cox Published June 4, 2012