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CultureDeveloper Delivers Expletive-Filled But Correct Rant About Xbox Series X’s Dumb Name
Game director Josef Fares is known for his penchant for saying whatever’s on his mind unfiltered. Also cursing a lot. “Fuck the Oscars,” he notably said back during the 2017 Game Awards. Now he’s back, this time roasting the Xbox Series X/S’s mind-numbing naming conventions. In an interview over at IGN, Fares was asked about…
By Ethan Gach Published January 15, 2021 -
CultureOtterbox Is Making Mobile Gaming Gear Now
Otterbox, one of the biggest names in phone and tablet cases, has teamed up with Microsoft to create a new line of clips, cases, and grips aimed at making the most of mobile gaming services like Xbox Game Streaming and Apple Arcade. Otterbox has been making rugged cases for mobile devices since there have been…
By Mike Fahey Published January 11, 2021 -
CultureGame Pass Is Still Missing Most Of The Final Fantasy Games Microsoft Promised
At the end of 2019, Microsoft announced 10 Final Fantasy games would come to Game Pass in the following year. At the start of 2021 most of them are still missing, though Microsoft says they’ll get there eventually. During the X019 livestream event in London near the tail end of 2019, Microsoft announced a bunch…
By Ethan Gach Published January 7, 2021 -
CultureDuracell Official Suggests Xbox Controllers Use Of AA Batteries In Influenced By Deal With Battery Company
While every other console controller on the market uses internal rechargeable batteries, Xbox’s still let you use AA batteries to power them, and new remarks by a Duracell spokesperson possibly shed some light on why this is. “There’s always been this partnership with Duracell and Xbox…it’s a constant agreement that Duracell and Microsoft have in…
By Ethan Gach Published January 7, 2021 -
CultureFormer Xbox Executives Say Nintendo ‘Laughed Their Asses Off’ When Microsoft Offered To Buy It
Microsoft once proposed buying Nintendo in order to lock in its first-party games for the Xbox. The Japanese video game company didn’t just decline to entertain the offer; it laughed the tech giant’s executives out of the room, according to a new report by Bloomberg. “Steve [Ballmer, Microsoft’s former CEO] made us go meet with…
By Ethan Gach Published January 6, 2021 -
CultureXbox Emulation Is Coming Along Nicely
While platforms as recent as the PS3 and even the Switch are now running very nicely in emulators, the original Xbox has remained something of a thorn in the side of the scene. So it’s cool to see the xemu emulator making such solid progress. xemu’s v0.5 has recently been released, and this video shows…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 4, 2021 -
CultureHere’s January 2021’s Xbox Live Games With Gold
Writing “2021” in a headline is giving me more feelings than I expected, so thanks for that, Xbox. January’s Games with Gold lineup is a mix of horror and fighting games; as always, these games are only “free” if you have an active Xbox Live Gold Subscription. January’s Games with Gold are: Little Nightmares (Jan…
By Riley MacLeod Published December 22, 2020 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe State Of Xbox In 2020
This time last year, Microsoft’s current flagship console was little more than a swanky video spot aired during a swanky awards show. Now, it’s the capstone to one of the biggest years for Xbox in recent memory. Time sure works in funny ways. Yes, it’s been almost one year to the day since Microsoft officially…
By Ari Notis Published December 21, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsHivebusters Is A Great Gears DLC And A Fantastic Xbox Series X Showcase
Hivebusters is a new single-player DLC campaign released for Gears 5. It’s also one of the best-looking games on Xbox Series X and feels like a full Gears game compressed into a bite-size experience that has me excited for the future of Gears of War. This new $20 DLC campaign, which was released on December…
By Zack Zwiezen Published December 18, 2020 -
CultureCyberpunk 2077 Refund Options Expand, With Updates From Xbox, Best Buy, And CD Projekt Itself [Update]
Update (3:03 p.m. ET, 12/18/2020): Cyberpunk 2077 refund options continue to grow for disappointed players. In addition to both Sony and Microsoft loosening their refund policies, Best Buy and even CD Projekt itself have promised to make things right for customers. According to a Best Buy social media specialist, the retailer will refund physical copies…
By Ian Walker Published December 18, 2020 -
Yakuza 6, originally a PS4 exclusive, is heading to PC and Xbox Game Pass in March 2021 internationally. So is the Yakuza Remastered Collection, which includes former PlayStation exclusives, Yakuza 3, 4, and 5. Sega says it currently has no plans to make similar announcements for Japan. Update – 1/7/20 4:27AM: A spokesperson for the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 15, 2020 -
CultureOdds and EndsFour Generations Of Xbox Consoles Can Play The Same Game Together
When we think of backwards compatibility we tend to only think of a game from an older system running on its replacement. But as this video shows, in the right circumstances, a console released in 2001 can play the same game at the same time as one released in 2020, as well as the two…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 14, 2020 -
CultureMicrosoft, Sony, And Nintendo Team Up To Promote Safer Gaming
In a post shared across all three companies’ websites this morning, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have released a joint set of principles to foster a safe gaming environment across all of their platforms. Posted under the title “Our Shared Commitment to Safer Gaming,” the triumvirate present a three-pronged approach to ensuring their platforms are a…
By Mike Fahey Published December 14, 2020 -
CultureSurgeon General Compares Developing Covid Vaccine To Playing Xbox
The first Covid-19 vaccines began being distributed in the US today, and amidst the rollout Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams took to Fox News to talk about the race to develop a cure for the pandemic. And to do that he started talking about Xbox. “I want to put it in Christmas-think for people out…
By Ethan Gach Published December 14, 2020 -
CultureSome People Are Playing Cyberpunk 2077 A Day Early On Xbox By Switching Time Zones
Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t officially release until 12:01 a.m. on December 10, but Xbox owners are already playing the game by manipulating their console’s time and location data. As Video Game Chronicle’s Andy Robinson pointed out on Twitter overnight, players can simply change the location on an Xbox One or Series X/S to New Zealand, where…
By Ethan Gach Published December 9, 2020 -
Culture‘Free’ Gears 5 Expansion Highlights Growing Divide For Game Pass Subscribers
Gears 5 is getting a new campaign expansion next week. It’ll be available at no extra cost for members of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a $15-monthly subscription. Everyone else will have to pay up. It’s just one more perk suggesting a growing gulf between the entry-level and premium tiers of Microsoft’s games-on-demand service. The new…
By Ari Notis Published December 8, 2020 -
CultureQuick Resume Is Working For More Xbox Series X Games
Microsoft is slowly starting to roll out more Quick Resume support on Xbox Series X|S again, after it took the supposedly signature next-gen feature offline for some games right before the console’s launch last month. This is according to Xbox director of program management Jason Ronald. “As launch games were coming in, we identified some…
By Ian Walker Published December 7, 2020