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CultureOdds and EndsSony Chose PlayStation’s First Office Location With Late-Night Drinks In Mind
When Sony Computer Entertainment first established its flagship PlayStation brand in 1993, its executives’ chief concern was making sure the company’s first offices were located in an area with late-night bars. At least that’s the story Ken Kutaragi, who’s widely known as father of the PlayStation, told Bandai Namco’s Katsuhiro Harada on the latter’s new…
By Ian Walker -
OpinionImpressionsStubbs The Zombie Remaster Retains That Classic Jank
Zombies have been a big part of video games for a long time now. Mostly we kill them in droves. But back in 2005, Stubbs The Zombie shook things up and let you take on the role of a zombie devouring people in a futuristic city. That game is back on modern consoles via a…
By Zack Zwiezen -
ReviewsHeadsetsThe New Xbox Wireless Headset Is A Good Option At A Great Price
I’m not a fan of wireless headsets, mainly because I’ve had some bad experiences with them. So I was hesitant about Microsoft’s fancy new $100 wireless Xbox headset. Luckily, this new headset, while not perfect, is a solid piece of gear with some nifty features and a great design. Microsoft provided this headset ahead of…
By Zack Zwiezen -
CultureShop Contest‘Shop Contest: Bethesda+Microsoft
It’s official. Microsoft has completed its purchase of Bethesda. They had a whole roundtable discussion about it and everything. (More importantly, it was officially approved by regulators.) Let’s have some fun with these two companies now stapled together like some hideous mega-beast. Your challenge this week: Mix Xbox and Bethesda together. Feel free to mix…
By Zack Zwiezen -
CultureMorning CheckpointNew TMNT Game Announced, Rust Servers Wiped Out By Fire, Microsoft Officially Buys Bethesda And More
This week on Morning Checkpoint we find out what secrets still lurk in Bloodborne, learn how much money Roblox is worth to Wall Street, check out a new trailer for Outriders, eat a bad burger (again) and hear horror stories from game devs who worked through the recent winter storm. Great Kotaku Content From The…
By Zack Zwiezen -
CultureXbox FPS Boost Coming Soon To Fallout 4 And Other Old Bethesda Games [Update: Now Available]
After launching the FPS Boost feature in February with a handful of games, Microsoft has announced that five more games, all from Bethesda, will soon be enjoying FPS Boost support. This news comes from the latest episode of The Official Xbox Podcast. In its opening section, Xbox Live’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb and Xbox senior…
By Zack Zwiezen -
Tips & GuidesSo, Which Bethesda Game Pass Game Should You Play First?
Starting today, you can play a bunch of Bethesda-published games on Game Pass, thanks to Microsoft and ZeniMax’s recent marriage. Some were previously available. Many are new. However you slice it, if you’re a member of Microsoft’s games-on-demand service, you now have 20 largely excellent games at your fingertips. You obviously cannot play all of…
By Ari Notis -
CultureRoblox Goes Public, Wall Street Decides It’s Worth Six Bethesdas
The Roblox Corporation, maker of the online game creation platform Roblox, went public yesterday, selling shares in the company on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time since it was founded back in 2004. It ended the day trading at just under $70, giving it a valuation of $45 billion, or approximately six…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureSTALKER 2 Might Get Mod Support On Xbox
STALKER developer GSC Game World is currently investigating the possibility of including mod support for the upcoming sequel on Xbox Series X/S. These details first came to light on Russian podcast “Не занесли,” the most recent episode of which included an interview with GSC Game World public relations manager Zakhar Bocharov. According to translations by…
By Ian Walker -
CultureDozens Of Rust Servers Wiped Out In Data Center Fire
A fire that broke out overnight in Strasbourg, France destroyed one of OVHcloud’s data centers and damaged a second, Reuters reports. The French government and Centre Pompidou, which houses a public information library and modern art museum, had their data affected by the fires, as did Facepunch Studios, maker of the online survival game Rust…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureMicrosoft Confirms Some Future Bethesda Games Will Be Exclusive To Xbox And PC [Update]
Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda Software parent company, Zenimax Media, is complete, the company announced today. While the full ramifications of the deal will play out in the months and years to come, Xbox boss Phil Spencer did confirm one thing: some of Bethesda’s future games will be exclusive to Microsoft’s platforms. “With the…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureRegulators Approve Microsoft’s $7.5 Billion Acquisition Of Bethesda Parent Company Zenimax Media
Microsoft’s $7.5 billion purchase of Zenimax Media, parent company of Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Doom maker Bethesda, has cleared another set of hurdles, winning approval to proceed from both the European Commission and US Securities and Exchange Commissions “The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, given the combined entity’s limited…
By Ethan Gach -
CulturePSA: The Witcher 3 Is Leaving Game Pass
The cycle of Game Pass continues unabated. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will depart Microsoft’s games-on-demand service on March 15. This is usually the point where I’d say something trite like, “If you haven’t played this tremendous open-world masterpiece, which many consider one of the best games of all time, be sure to check it…
By Ari Notis -
OpinionSorry PS5, Xbox Series X Has Unexpectedly Become My Preferred Console
I started this new generation of game consoles with the expectation that I would be playing most games on the PS5, like how I played most stuff on PS4 last gen. But nearly five months later, I’m spending most of my time on the Xbox Series X and now I feel bad, like I’m ignoring…
By Zack Zwiezen -
CultureReport: Elden Ring Has Pages
Fans of Elden Ring, the joint collaboration between Dark Souls maker FromSoftware and Game of Thrones writer George R. R. Martin, have been desperate for confirmation that the game is still real and will eventually come out. It now sounds like they have an answer: according to a new report by VGC, trailer footage of…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureXbox Live Has Been Down For Over 5 Hours (Update: It’s Back)
Update (9:47 p.m. ET, 02/25/2021): Shortly after Kotaku first reported on Xbox Live’s outage, the service appears to be back up and running. You’re welcome! Our original story follows below. Trying to get some gaming in this lovely Thursday night? Well, if you’re on Xbox, that’s too bad, because various functions of Xbox Live have…
By Ian Walker -
OpinionImpressionsXbox’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…
By Zack Zwiezen -
CultureNew 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…
By Ian Walker -
CultureNew 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…
By Ian Walker -
CultureMicrosoft 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…
By Mike Fahey