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CultureSea Of Thieves Is Getting A Battle Pass
Sea of Thieves will ditch its monthly update schedule and move to a Fortnite-style seasonal model starting next year, Rare creative director Mike Chapman announced in a new update to players. “After a year of updating the game [monthly], we’re moving to a new way,” Chapman said. “So from January, seasons are coming to Sea…
By Ethan Gach Published December 3, 2020 -
CultureIt’s Official: Control Is Coming To Xbox Game Pass
Well, the rumors were true. Control is coming to Xbox Game Pass. Starting December 3, you’ll be able to play the darkest third-person shooter in human history on Xbox consoles via Microsoft’s games-on-demand services. It’ll also join the list of playable Game Pass games available on Android. On Sunday, a post on the Xbox Game…
By Ari Notis Published December 1, 2020 -
CultureThe Week In Games: Empire Of Fenyx
It’s often a letdown when a holiday ends, but at least this week has some games to be excited about. Ubisoft’s Zelda-like Immortals Fenyx Rising comes out, along with Romero Games’ Empire of Sin and Dontnod’s Twin Mirror December 1 Chronos: Before The Ashes | Xbox, PC, PlayStation Empire of Sin | Xbox, PlayStation, PC,…
By Riley MacLeod Published November 30, 2020 -
CultureHere’s December 2020’s Xbox Live Games With Gold
The Xbox Series S and X might be new, but Games with Gold marches on. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription. December’s Games with Gold are: Xbox X/S and Xbox One The Raven Remastered (December 1-31) Bleed 2 (December 16-January 15) Xbox 360 (compatible with newer…
By Riley MacLeod Published November 24, 2020 -
CultureOdds and EndsDear Microsoft, Here’s Our Xbox Series X (And S) Wishlist
Microsoft didn’t break new ground with its two new consoles, the Xbox Series X and S. The individual boxes look new, sure, but both share a near-identical operating system with their predecessor, the Xbox One. In other words, these two new machines don’t bring much new to the table. Rather, it’s the same dish, except…
By Ari Notis Published November 19, 2020 -
CultureMaybe The PS4 Pro And Xbox One X Were A Bad Idea
I know they’ve sold a lot of units—big techy launch things always have and always will—but there was no avoiding the fact that this month’s next-gen console launches felt a little…muted. Sure, you could blame some (or even more than some!) of that on a global pandemic and associated economic downturn, a little on an…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 18, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanHere Are Japanese Launch Sales Figures For PlayStation 5 And Xbox Series X/S
Curious to know how the PlayStation 5’s launch went in Japan? What about the Xbox Series X and S? Well, good news, because Famitsu is reporting the first Japanese sales numbers for both new consoles. According to Famitsu, between November 12 and November 15, the PlayStation 5 sold 118,085 consoles in Japan. (Note these numbers…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 18, 2020 -
Tips & GuidesHow To Zoom In On Small Text In Any Xbox Series X / S Game
As the saying goes, nothing in life is certain except death, taxes, and painfully tiny video game text. If you were lucky enough to beat the queues and snag a new Xbox Series X or S, know that you can zoom in on any game’s text at more or less any time. All you have…
By Ari Notis Published November 17, 2020 -
CultureThe Xbox Elite Controller Was Premium, And I Respect That
For a multi-billion dollar industry that is supposedly at the vanguard of 21st-century technology advancement, video games sure like to keep things basic. Think about it: there’s very little that’s premium about console video gaming. You can’t buy a fancier version of the Switch with an OLED screen and stronger buttons. You can’t buy a…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 17, 2020 -
CultureGoodbye To The Xbox One, The Most Pointless Console I Have Ever Owned
I moved house last year, and while packing everything away my wife and I made a simple rule: if anything was still in its box 12 months later, we would get rid of it, because that meant we never used it and didn’t need it. Last month, I sold my Xbox One. I remember lining…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 16, 2020 -
CultureThe Week In Games: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is the big release this week, coming to the Switch on November 20. That new Hyrule Warriors game looks cool, I might play it. But can I ask a question? What’s up with all the casino and gambling themed games releasing this week? Did all the publishers and developers get…
By Zack Zwiezen Published November 16, 2020 -
Tips & Guides
13 Tips To Make The Most Of Your New Xbox Series X Or S
And just like that, the next generation is here. The Xbox Series X and its smaller, more affordable sibling, the Xbox Series S, are available (well, to those who were quick enough on the draw to nab preorders). If you’re coming over from the Xbox One, you probably know your way around already. The interface…
By Ari Notis Published November 10, 2020 -
CultureSome Amazon Customers Might Not Get Their Xbox Series X Until Christmas
While some people are already opening up their brand new Xbox Series X consoles, for others—specifically those who ordered through Amazon—there might be a bit of a wait. As many on Twitter are now sharing, Amazon has today sent out emails to some customers telling them: Hello, We’re contacting you with an update regarding your…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 9, 2020 -
CultureThere’s A Tiny Master Chief Inside Every Xbox Series S
When the Xbox One X and One S launched in 2017, it didn’t take folks long to notice that inside the consoles, stamped on the hardware itself, were tiny little homages to the Halo series. In 2020, with the launch of the Xbox Series S, that’s now a tradition. Having got their hands on a…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 9, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsTwo Weeks With My Xbox Series S
I’ve had an Xbox Series S since late October, and I am surprised at how I feel about it. I wouldn’t say I’m excited to have this new system. The word I’d use—a word that is actually a very high compliment—is “pleased.” I should clarify, before you judge me too jaded, too snooty, or too…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 9, 2020 -
Tips & GuidesHow To Make The Most Of Your Xbox Series X’s Internal Storage
For such a big console, the Xbox Series X is pretty small. On paper, it has a 1TB SSD for internal storage, but 198GB of that is set aside for the operating system and other essential files. Couple that with the fact that games are bigger now than ever—the new Call of Duty will top…
By Ari Notis Published November 9, 2020 -
CultureHere’s How Fast Games Load On The Xbox Series X And S
Much ado has been made about the guts of the Xbox Series X and S, two new next-gen consoles Microsoft will release next week. It’s all “velocity architecture” this and “teraflops” that—technical stuff Microsoft says will cut loading times dramatically. But lingo and lofty promises are secondary to the one thing that matters most: how…
By Ari Notis Published November 5, 2020 -
CultureOdds and EndsXbox Series X Has Too Many Horrifying Holes
As reviews for the Xbox Series X arrive, I’m here to talk about one aspect of the console that could impact your desire to buy one, as it has mine. I am a trypophobe, and I cannot own an Xbox Series X because of all its damn holes. [Since this post discusses a phobia, we…
By Ash Parrish Published November 5, 2020 -
CultureThe Xbox Series X’s Backward Compatibility Effort Is Pretty Interesting
Here’s something I like very much: interviews with console executives about upcoming next-gen machines that get very into hard numbers, internal procedures and an explanation of just how much work went into making sure the Xbox Series X/s backward compatibility was up to scratch. Like this one that Inverse didwith Xbox Director of Program Management Jason…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 4, 2020 -
CultureThe Head Of Xbox Says The Gaming Industry Needs More Black Leaders
Time passes strangely these days, so it is easy to forget things that happened or were said or were pledged just five months ago. But it was indeed in June 2020 that institutions around the world, including video game companies, vowed to do better by their Black customers and Black workers for the cause of…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 3, 2020