-
-
-
CultureE3
Microsoft Buys Four Independent Studios
Microsoft announced it’s acquired four new game studios at its press conference today in an effort to increase the the number of exclusive first-party games it can deliver to Xbox One owners. The studios in question are Undead Labs, makers of State of Decay 2, Playground Games, who already makes Microsoft’s Forza Horizon series, Compulsion,…
By Ethan Gach -
-
CultureE3Microsoft Announces Halo Infinite With Tiny Teaser
Microsoft kicked off its E3 2018 press conference with a small teaser for the next Halo, called Halo Infinite. If you thought Halo 5 could have used more Master Chief, Microsoft says you’ll get more play time with the series’ protagonist this time around. “We will join Master Chief on his greatest adventure yet to…
By Chris Kohler -
-
The Xbox Has Quietly Gotten Some Cool Features
This week, Microsoft revealed the Xbox Adaptive Controller, a new peripheral to help make gaming more accessible. It includes two large, programmable buttons and works in conjunction with a mix of joysticks and other devices like the Quadstick, a controller designed specifically for people living with different forms of paralysis. It’s just the latest in…
By Ethan Gach -
-
Microsoft One-Ups Sony And Nintendo By Allowing Game-Gifting On Xbox One
While it’s been possible to gift video games to people on digital PC storefronts like Steam for years, Xbox One is now the first modern console to offer it. Microsoft has offered the option to Xbox One Insiders since last fall, and later expanded it to more people for select games. Today, Microsoft is enabling…
By Ethan Gach -
Nintendo And Sony’s Console Warranties Now Suck A Little Less [UPDATE]
Last month the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent letters to the three big console manufactures, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, telling them they had 30 days to update their warranties or face possible legal action. So far, both Sony and Nintendo have made changes in an effort to comply. Today, Sony announced that it had updated…
By Ethan Gach -
Kinect is alive again, sort of. Microsoft announced last fall it would no longer be manufacturing the Xbox peripheral, but now it’s back as…Project Kinect for Azure? The dev kit uses Kinect sensors and cloud computing to help people do new things with AI, like one day make Cortana for real
By Ethan Gach -
FTC Warns Nintendo, Microsoft, And Sony To Review Warranty Terms
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) gave Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony a 30-day window in to change their console warranty language to let consumers know they can make repairs or use third-party replacement products without voiding them. The FTC said in a press release on April 10 that various companies, including some in the video game…
By Ethan Gach -
Halo Online Fan Project Goes On Hold After Microsoft Intervenes
A team of modders working to make the unreleased Halo Online playable have halted work after Microsoft contacted them in an effort to protect its intellectual property. Developed for the Russian market and based in the Halo 3 engine, Halo Online would have been only the third game in the series to be playable online…
By Ethan Gach