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CultureMicrosoft’s AI Experiments Are Creating Unbeatable Raid Bosses
Raid bosses are the toughest fights in any massively multiplayer online game, but eventually players always find ways to crack them. Now developers are looking at ways to use cloud computing to give raid bosses a way of fighting back. During one of Microsoft’s Game Stack developer livestreams yesterday, software engineer James Trott said that…
By Ethan Gach -
CulturePlayStation 5 Versus Xbox Series X: The Tech Specs
This week we learned the technical specs for the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5. How do the two consoles stack up so far? Despite only knowing what one of the two looks like, they are not so different, X and 5. Before we get into it, keep in mind these are just numbers…
By Mike Fahey -
CultureMicrosoft Adds More Stuff You Probably Won’t Use To Game Pass Ultimate
Today, Microsoft announced it’s expanding the Game Pass Ultimate subscription to include “perks,” extra goodies like in-game currency and cosmetic packs for certain games available through the service. While it’s a small gesture, it’s part of the company’s ongoing attempt to make subscribers feel like they’re getting their money’s worth. The first set of games…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureThe Xbox Series X Controller Is Subtly Different
There are obvious differences between the controller for the Xbox Series X and the current Xbox One controller. The directional pad has changed, and there is a share button now. Then there are features like new textures and rounded bumpers, small changes that could make a big difference in controller comfort for many people. In…
By Mike Fahey -
CultureHere’s What’s Inside The Xbox Series X
Last month Microsoft posted a lengthy article talking about what the upcoming Xbox Series X console can do. Today the company details the hardware inside the box that’s getting it done, including a custom eight-core AMD Zen 2 CPU running at 3.8 GHz and its powerful RDNA 2 GPU. The technical jargon runs thick in…
By Mike Fahey -
ReviewsMultiplatformOri And The Will Of The Wisps: The Kotaku Review
During my time with an early reviewable version of Ori and the Will of the Wisps,, I experienced multiple lockups, intense framerate stutter, and a bug that warped me to the other side of the map after a death. I had a boss battle I’d attempted a half-dozen times reset completely as I landed the…
By Mike Fahey -
CultureMicrosoft, Nintendo, Ubisoft Respond To The News Of E3’s Cancellation
Earlier today, the Entertainment Software Association said it will cancel the video game trade show E3 this year amid growing concerns over the spread of COVID-19, aka coronavirus. Since the announcement, major game publishers have said they still plan to share news about upcoming games, but in a different format. Despite Sony pulling out of…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureMicrosoft, Bungie Enact Work-From-Home Policies In Response To Coronavirus [Update: Nintendo, Too]
The ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic has hit the video game industry in a major way, most notably resulting in the postponement of the Game Developers Conference last week. As a response to the virus spreading to Washington’s King County, Microsoft and Bungie, both of which have offices in the area, have decided to enact work-from-home…
By Ian Walker -
CultureI Like One Of Xbox’s Two New Controller Colors
Look at this beautiful piece of gaming equipment. Microsoft calls it Phantom Magenta, but we’re calling it “purple.” Not the Atomic Purple of Nintendo fame, but a richer, more mature hue. I want to uncork it and drink deeply from it’s hand oil-caked reservoirs. It’s up for preorder today, along with a white camouflage number…
By Mike Fahey -
CultureMicrosoft Drops Out Of GDC, Too [Update: And Epic]
Following in the footsteps of several other major tech firms including Sony and Facebook, Microsoft and Epic both said today that they will no longer be attending this year’s Game Developers Conference due to the growing health risks posed by COVID-19, better known as the coronavirus. “After a close review of guidance by global health…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureMass Effect Returns To Minecraft Seven Years Later
Minecraft players can now once again explore Mars as their favorite Mass Effect players on modern platforms. The Mass Effect Mash-Up Pack adds 36 unique skins for characters like Commander Shepard and Garrus, as well as a bunch of custom textures, menus, and some of the best music from Mass Effect 3 because what better…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureThe New Xbox One Home Screen Is A Lot Cleaner
Microsoft released a new update for the Xbox One home screen yesterday that makes recently played games easier to find and removes a lot of the extra junk that had previously been taking up real estate. The three rows that used to make up the home screen have been condensed and moved. Now, in the…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureMicrosoft Unveils Xbox Series X Specs And Shares Some Cool Details
Did you know the Xbox Series X runs on a custom next-generation processor with four times the power of the Xbox One? How about the fact that it can save and quick resume from multiple games at once? Well now we know those things, along with the rest of the specs and details Microsoft shared…
By Mike Fahey -
I Finally Got My First Xbox
I’ve never wanted to own an Xbox console, if I’m being completely honest. For the past 19 years Microsoft has put out exclusive after exclusive that don’t appeal to me in the slightest. The consistency is actually kind of impressive. Not that Xbox consoles or exclusives are poorly made—they’re just usually not for me. Even…
By Ben Bertoli -
CultureMicrosoft’s Bug Bounty Program Will Pay Players To Find Security Flaws In Xbox Live
Xbox Live has never suffered a major hack, and Microsoft would like to keep it that way, in part by rewarding people who report vulnerabilities in the gaming network with cash. “The Xbox Bounty Program invites gamers, security researchers, and others around the world to help identify security vulnerabilities in the Xbox Live network and…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureFirst-Party Xbox Series X Games Won’t Be Exclusive For A While, Microsoft Says
First-party Xbox Series X games won’t be exclusive for at least the first year or two, if a new interview with the head of Xbox Game Studios is to be believed. Speaking to the website MCVUK, Xbox’s Matt Booty confirmed what many have been assuming—that Microsoft’s games will be both forwards and backwards compatible. “As…
By Ethan Gach -
OpinionImpressionsI Feel Ready For The Future Of Video Game Streaming On Xbox One With This $15 Piece Of Plastic
Power A’s new mobile gaming clip looks like the sort of accessory I might have bought for my Game Boy Color back in the 90s. It’s a mess of black plastic that makes weird clicking noises and, to the untrained eye, looks like garbage. But it’s made my Xbox One controller into an excellent portable…
By Ethan Gach
