Microsoft

The Next Xbox One Dashboard Update Lets Players Customize Their Home Screen

The latest update to the Xbox One’s dashboard is rolling out to preview program alpha members today, adding cool new features like a modernized community page, a revised guide menu and the ability for players to build their own home page using custom “content blocks.” That’s right, the Xbox One dashboard is changing again. Gone…

Here’s the story behind Windows XP’s iconic default wallpaper, whose photographer says he was paid “the second-largest sum received by a living photographer for a single photograph” when he signed its rights away to Microsoft.

I Made A Controller Using Xbox Design Lab’s New Colors And Parts

During E3 earlier this month, Microsoft announced a host of new options for its Xbox Design Lab custom controllers, including new colors, metallic finishes and rubberized grips. I used those to make this. It turned out pretty nice, no? I went through theXbox Design Lab processfollowing its unveiling at E3 2016, and came up with…

The Six Biggest Announcements Of E3 2017

E3 is drawing to a close, and the rain of game announcements has abated. EA, Microsoft, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Sony, and Nintendo all did their thing. It’s up to us to sort through the rubble. Among the dozens of hype reels, hardware breakdowns, marketing buzzwords and game announcements, a few things stood out. If you don’t…

Crackdown 3 Impressions: So Much Chaos, So Many Orbs

Crackdown 3 tosses players into a world of delightful chaos, superhero strength, and guns that shoot black holes. I got some hands on time with a ten minute demo of the game and it’s pretty fun. If you’re looking for cool explosions, Crackdown 3 has you covered. In the Crackdown games, you play as a…

Sea Of Thieves Is Really Fun, But A Little Clunky

There are many important roles one can occupy aboard a pirate ship. You can steer, or keep the cannons loaded, or manage sails, or navigate. Me? I was the guy who rang the bell. In peace and at war, I held my post. Until I launched myself out of a cannon and into a shark,…

Four Generations of Xbox Can Be System-Linked Later This Year

Hey, do you still have your original Xbox? And an Xbox 360? And an Xbox One? And are you planning on buying an Xbox One X? Also, do you have four Ethernet cables and seven friends? Well, guess the hell what While we found out during Microsoft’s press briefing that games for the original 2001…

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition Remasters The Classic

At the PC Gaming Show today, Microsoft Studios presented a trailer for a fully remastered version of the original Age of Empires, dubbed the Definitive Edition, coming later this year. The new version boasts updated graphics scaling up to 4K resolution, additional zoom levels and gameplay improvements, as well as a remastered soundtrack. You’ll also…

E3 Day One Podcast: Microsoft, EA, Xbox One X

Jason and I kick off our Kotaku Splitscreen E3 coverage with reactions to EA and Microsoft’s press conferences. Is Xbox One X a good name? Was Janina Gavankar enough to carry EA’s disappointing show? Are we more stoked about BioWare’s Anthem than Destiny 2? (The answers: No, no, hard to say.) Listen here: As always,…

Here Are The Xbox One X’s Specs

Xbox One X Specs has a nice ring to it. Maybe that should have been the name? Whatever, here are the new console’s specs, handily compared to those of the Xbox One S and original Xbox One. You’ll see that most of the improvements come in terms of raw performance; aside from some new video…

The Xbox One X Sure Will Be Hard To Market

Today, Microsoft revealed its latest console upgrade: the Xbox One X. Sure, it’s powerful. Yes, that design looks sleek. Still, I think the new hardware is going to make things confusing for a lot of people. The most superficial complaint we can make is that “Xbox One X” is not a good name when compared…

Take A Look At The Xbox One X

There’sa new Xbox in town. There wasn’t that much of the actual hardware on show in the company’s E3 presser though, so here’s a better look at the Xbox One X’s design. As you can tell by the size of the controller there, this thing is pretty small! For an all-around look (including the back,…

Xbox One X And Everything Else Microsoft Showed At E3 2017

Microsoft kicked off their E3 2017 press conference by officially revealing their beefy new console, the $499 Xbox One X. WITNESS. The new console may have been Microsoft’s big hardware announcement, but they actually didn’t spend too much time talking about the device itself. With the announcement out of the way, their focus quickly shifted…

Microsoft Announces Ori And The Will Of The Wisps

As part of its E3 2017 press conference, Microsoft announced a sequel to painterly platformer Ori And The Blind Forest. It’s called Ori And The Will Of The Wisps. It looks extremely pretty! I feel bad for the blind forest, which presumably cannot see itself. The game doesn’t have a release date yet, unfortunately.

Cuphead Is Finally Coming Out In September 

Cuphead, the long awaited indie game beautifully animated in the vein of classic cartoons, will finally get released September 29 on Xbox One and PC. Originally revealed at E3 2014, Studio MDHR’s boss-centric platformer focuses on tough combat rendered in the style of old animation studios like Disney, Van Beuren, and Fleischer. The game was…

Crackdown 3 Features Terry Crews, Is Out November

Microsoft’s open-world adventure gameCrackdown 3 will be released on November 7th for Xbox One and Windows. And it features beloved actor-slash-athlete Terry Crews as the character Commander Jaxon. Crackdown is an Xbox-exclusive sandbox franchise in which the player is a superhero “Agent of Justice” who, uh, cracks down on crime. Crackdown 3 takes place in…

Minecraft Gets An Official High-End Graphic Makeover

Minecraft is getting a major graphics overhaul according to an announcement made by Mojang at Microsoft’s E3 press briefing today. These improvements, including 4K treatment, will be part of the “Super Duper Graphics Pack,” available this fall. The new texture pack will also come alongside a “Better Together” update which will introduce cross-play among the…

Microsoft Announces Xbox One X, Will Be $499

Microsoft’s next console, codenamed Project Scorpio, will be called Xbox One X, the company said today. It will be out on November 7 worldwide and cost four-hundred-ninety-nine U.S. dollars (aka $500). The big buzzwords are “True 4K,” and Microsoft is touting Xbox One X’s higher resolution. It’ll support all previous Xbox One games and accessories,…

We’re Liveblogging Microsoft’s E3 Press Conference [Update: We’re Done]

E3 is underway, which means tons of games and a lot of people in suits talking. Microsoft’s press conference starts a 2PM Pacific time today. Hopefully they’ll bring the games to go along with the Scorpio. Gita Jackson and I will bring you all the details live, starting in a few minutes. You can watch…

Watch The Xbox E3 2017 Press Conference Live, Right Here [UPDATE: Over]

From teraflops to teraflips, Microsoft’s holding its E3 2017 press conference at 5pm Eastern today, and you can watch it right here. Expect first-party games like Sea of Thieves and Crackdown 3 as well as big third-party games like Anthem and maybe Assassin’s Creed: Origins. And of course, expect Microsoft to reveal details on Xbox…