Microsoft

Xbox’s New ‘FPS Boost’ Feature Is The Real Deal

Yesterday Microsoft released FPS Boost, a new backward-compatibility feature for the Xbox Series X and S. FPS Boost will…well boost the framerate dramatically in specific, older games when you play them on a next-gen Xbox. After playing around with FPS Boost a bit I’m excited and impressed. This could be a big change in the…

New Xbox Backward-Compatibility Feature Improves Framerates On Select Games

Microsoft announced today that it is further improving Xbox Series X/S enhancements to backward-compatible games with a new feature known as Xbox FPS Boost, which does exactly what it says on the tin. “With certain titles, we can make the experience even better, all with no work required by the developer, and no update needed…

New Microsoft Program Could Help Devs Make Games More Accessible

Microsoft is starting a new program that will allow developers to send in Xbox and PC games to be evaluated by a team of accessibility experts, the company announced today. “Where issues are found, they are noted with reproduction steps, screenshots, and other information to help the developer understand what aspect of a given experience…

Microsoft Announces The All-New Xbox Wireless Headset

Behold the new official Xbox Wireless Headset, a sleek and stylish-looking set of ear cups packed with fancy features like voice isolation and supporting spatial audio technology like Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos, and DTS Headphone: X. It’s even got auto-mute, which can be toggled on or off but should probably just be left on. On…

Metro Exodus‘s Free Upgrade Adds 4K Textures And Lots Of Ray Tracing

Last year 4A Games promised us that 2019’s Metro Exodus would be receiving a free next-gen upgrade, for both Microsoft and PlayStation’s new boxes, as well as the series’ home, PC. Today they’ve revealed just how next-gen it’s going to be. Look, I could just pretend for you that I know what a “Fully Ray…

Forza Horizon 4 Is Coming To Steam In March

Microsoft’s gorgeous British countryside racer Forza Horizon 4 is coming to Steam on March 9, the company announced today. It marks the latest in a long line of first-party Microsoft games coming to rival platforms, and the first time a Forza game has ever appeared on Valve’s storefront. The Steam version of Forza Horizon 4…

Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age Is Finally Headed To Xbox Game Pass

Remember all those Final Fantasy games Microsoft promised back in 2019 were coming to Xbox Game Pass? Another one is finally about to show up. Microsoft announced this morning that Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age is headed to the Netflix-style subscription service on console and PC, on February 11. Long story short, Microsoft announced…

Google Stadia Shuts Down Internal Studios, Changing Business Focus

Google Stadia, the late 2019 streaming platform that promised to revolutionize gaming by letting users stream games without needing to own a powerful PC or console, is altering course, getting out of the game-making business and will now offer its platform directly to game publishers alongside offering Stadia Pro to the public. The company is…

Xbox Game Pass now has 18 million subscribers, up 20% from the fall, Microsoft announced during a call with investors today. It also said it sold more Xbox Series X/S’s than during the first month of any other console launch. The company still won’t release specific numbers though.

I Hate This

VFX artist Hoolopee, who previously created wonderful demake videos for Halo Infinite and Death Stranding, today unleashed on the world this horrific 3D animation of Morshu from Philips CD-i abomination Link: The Faces of Evil It’s a scary good recreation of this, in case you were wondering: I don’t think anything else needs to be…

Game Pass Is Still Missing Most Of The Final Fantasy Games Microsoft Promised

At the end of 2019, Microsoft announced 10 Final Fantasy games would come to Game Pass in the following year. At the start of 2021 most of them are still missing, though Microsoft says they’ll get there eventually. During the X019 livestream event in London near the tail end of 2019, Microsoft announced a bunch…

Duracell Official Suggests Xbox Controllers Use Of AA Batteries In Influenced By Deal With Battery Company

While every other console controller on the market uses internal rechargeable batteries, Xbox’s still let you use AA batteries to power them, and new remarks by a Duracell spokesperson possibly shed some light on why this is. “There’s always been this partnership with Duracell and Xbox…it’s a constant agreement that Duracell and Microsoft have in…

Former Xbox Executives Say Nintendo ‘Laughed Their Asses Off’ When Microsoft Offered To Buy It

Microsoft once proposed buying Nintendo in order to lock in its first-party games for the Xbox. The Japanese video game company didn’t just decline to entertain the offer; it laughed the tech giant’s executives out of the room, according to a new report by Bloomberg. “Steve [Ballmer, Microsoft’s former CEO] made us go meet with…

Minecraft Earth Ends This Summer

Augmented reality mobile game Minecraft Earth is shutting down in June, developer Mojang Studios announced this morning “Minecraft Earth was designed around free movement and collaborative play–two things that have become near impossible in the current global situation,” the official announcement reads. “As a result, we have made the difficult decision to re-allocate our resources…

Xbox Emulation Is Coming Along Nicely

While platforms as recent as the PS3 and even the Switch are now running very nicely in emulators, the original Xbox has remained something of a thorn in the side of the scene. So it’s cool to see the xemu emulator making such solid progress. xemu’s v0.5 has recently been released, and this video shows…

The Biggest Video Game Surprises Of 2020

Every year, we run down the best annual surprises from the world of video games. Needless to say, 2020 was not like previous years. That’s why, this year, we’re reorienting our annual tradition to focus on the biggest—not necessarily the best—ones. 2020 was full of shockers. This was the year Sony held a virtual event…

The State Of Xbox In 2020

This time last year, Microsoft’s current flagship console was little more than a swanky video spot aired during a swanky awards show. Now, it’s the capstone to one of the biggest years for Xbox in recent memory. Time sure works in funny ways. Yes, it’s been almost one year to the day since Microsoft officially…

Cyberpunk 2077 Refund Options Expand, With Updates From Xbox, Best Buy, And CD Projekt Itself [Update]

Update (3:03 p.m. ET, 12/18/2020): Cyberpunk 2077 refund options continue to grow for disappointed players. In addition to both Sony and Microsoft loosening their refund policies, Best Buy and even CD Projekt itself have promised to make things right for customers. According to a Best Buy social media specialist, the retailer will refund physical copies…

Four Generations Of Xbox Consoles Can Play The Same Game Together

When we think of backwards compatibility we tend to only think of a game from an older system running on its replacement. But as this video shows, in the right circumstances, a console released in 2001 can play the same game at the same time as one released in 2020, as well as the two…

Microsoft, Sony, And Nintendo Team Up To Promote Safer Gaming

In a post shared across all three companies’ websites this morning, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have released a joint set of principles to foster a safe gaming environment across all of their platforms. Posted under the title “Our Shared Commitment to Safer Gaming,” the triumvirate present a three-pronged approach to ensuring their platforms are a…