Microsoft

The Xbox One X Is Great So Far, But Waiting For Game Updates Is The Worst

After spending a week with the Xbox One X, Microsoft’s “world’s most powerful console,” I know three things for certain. It’s definitely an Xbox One, it makes enhanced games look lovely, and waiting for Xbox One X enhancement updates sucks. The $500 Xbox One X is a ridiculously powerful console, but in order to actively…

Four Years, Three Xbox Ones

Xbone, Xbones, Xbonex. Three iterations of the same console, each with slightly different specs, released within a four-year window. The Xbox One X has arrived in Kotaku’s Southeastern office, and while we can’t talk about how it performs yet, we can at least show you how it stacks up to the Xbox Ones that came…

Microsoft Hasn’t Been Supportive For Japanese Games, Says NIS America

According to Nippon Ichi Software America president Takuro Yamashita, Microsoft “hasn’t been very supportive of Japanese games.” Since this is NIS America, Yamashita is talking about bringing Japanese games to the Xbox One and not selling loads of Xbox Ones in Japan. In an interview with MCV, Yamashita said, “Honestly speaking, Microsoft’s approach to Japanese…

Forza 7 Turns The Series’ VIP Upgrade Into Something Not Worth Paying For [Update]

Forza Motorsport 6‘s $20 VIP upgrade gave players exclusive cars, special online events and, best of all, double credit earnings for races. Forza 7‘s $20 VIP upgrade swaps the always-on double credit bonus for five limited-use “mod cards.” Boo. Update: Big changes coming in response to player feedback. The double racing credit bonus has been…

Xbox Live’s Indie Games channel officially shuts down tomorrow. If you’re interested in cool games off the beaten path, dive in and check it out before it’s too late.

Minecraft’s “Better Together” update launches today It allows players on Xbox, mobile, VR, and Windows 10 to play together. It also adds a host of new features like new host options, game start rules, and parrots (!!!). The Nintendo Switch version, unfortunately, isn’t ready yet, but Mojang says it’ll be out this winter.

Xbox’s Upcoming Line-Up Is Disappointing But Has Some Bright Spots

Microsoft showed off its Xbox holiday line-up at a showcase in Manhattan last week. They spotlit several games and the new, more powerful Xbox One X version of the console. While the games were fun, a lack of flagship titles left me wondering how strong the new console’s launch will be. There’s no denying the…

Anime-Style Illustrations Created In Microsoft Excel 

Game scenario director Hiroo Otsubo has an interesting work process: he creates anime-style art in Excel. According to Otsubo, he can do a drawingin about four to five hours. If that sounds incredibly difficult, just look at how they’re put together in Excel. (This clip from another artist should shed light on how drawing in…

Xbox One S Sold As Ultra HD Blu-ray Player In Japan 

Yes, things are terrible for the Xbox One in Japan. Everybody knows that. But did you know that one major retailer is selling the console as an Ultra HD Blu-ray player? It’s true. The Bic Camera in Yurakucho, one of the biggest electronics stores in Tokyo, is selling the Xbox One S as first and…

EA Says It Will Try To Help Its Dreamer Employees

On Tuesday, President Trump and his administration announced that they would end the DACA program which allows undocumented youth brought to the United States as children to work and receive protection from deportation. Some major tech and gaming corporations have spoken out about DACA, including Madden and Sims studio Electronic Arts. A spokesperson for EA…

Xbox Live Was Down For Over Five Hours [Update]

Xbox Live is experiencing some serious downtime at the moment, with many owners unable to play games or even sign in. [Update: it’s back] This is Xbox Live’s status page at time of posting. As you can see, both “core services” and purchasing are affected. Microsoft is aware and looking into the problem: This means…

Age Of Empires IV Announced, Made By Dawn of War Developers

Microsoft has announced that a new Age of Empires game will be coming to PC. Age of Empires IV will be developed by Relic Entertainment, makers of the Dawn of War series. The trailer depicts battles throughout many different periods and regions, from the height of the Roman Empire to early naval warfare, conquistadors, revolutionaries,…

Microsoft Again Stretches Definition Of ‘Exclusive’

One of the most annoying trends in video games is the word “exclusive,” which perhaps once meant “limited” or “restricted” but now, thanks to Microsoft and Sony, means absolutely nothing. Today’s big exclusive is PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Which probably isn’t an exclusive. At the Xbox showcase during E3 in June, Microsoft announced that the popular battle…

Look At This Official Minecraft-Themed Xbox One

Over the next two months Microsoft will be releasing some very Minecraft-themed pieces of hardware: an Xbox One S and two controllers. They have gone all in on the branding, to surprisingly excellent effect. The console itself (out on October 3) looks like some Minecraft terrain from the top, and is easily the best of…

Microsoft Announces ‘Project Scorpio’ Edition Xbox One X 

Xbox One X will have a limted “Project Scorpio” edition available when it launches this fall Microsoft announced today at its pre-Gamescom briefing. What’s so special about the $500 Scorpio edition, which leaked last Friday, you might ask? Well there’s the box which was made to resemble the original Xbox and also has the name…

Ahead of this week’s Gamescom, Microsoft is holding a news event at 3:00PM EDT today where the company will reveal new information about the Xbox One X (like pre-orders finally going live) as well as show off some new game trailers. You can watch the press briefing live right here

Action-adventure adventure game Crackdown 3 will be delayed from November to Spring 2018, Polygon reports.

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…