Tag: Microsoft
News Head Of Xbox Phil Spencer Would Love To See MechAssault Revived
Mech my day
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has witnessed many of Microsoft's video game releases over the years and was recently asked on the IGN podcast what Xbox IP he'd most like to see revived. While there's plenty to choose from, for Phil it's gotta be MechAssault: “Mech. That’s easy. Mech, from a rights standpoint, is a little bit messy since...
News Microsoft "Extraordinarily Well-Positioned" For The Future Of Gaming, Suggests Analyst
Talks cloud streaming
Another analyst has weighed in on the future of Xbox, this time via a fantastic in-depth Xbox Series X feature over at Polygon. As part of the feature, Wedbrush Securities gaming analyst Michael Pachter suggested that Microsoft and Sony's days as "gaming juggernauts are numbered," but also indicated that Microsoft is...
News Microsoft Comments On Its Decision To Support AA Batteries For The Xbox Series X Controller
A controversial call?
Microsoft's decision to ship the Xbox Series X controller with AA batteries has sparked plenty of debate. We've heard from many Pure Xbox commenters and voters on both sides of the argument, and now, in a conversation with Eurogamer's Digital Foundry, the company has addressed the decision directly. The comments come from...
News Xbox Is Restricting What You Can Upload During The COVID-19 Pandemic
Including gamerpics
We've already heard how Xbox is "actively monitoring performance and usage trends" in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and apparently, this includes restrictions on upload content. According to the Xbox Support beta site, users can no longer upload content such as custom gamerpics for the time being. The site, which also...
News The Xbox Series X Has Four Tiny Rubber Feet For Horizontal Orientation
Get sideways
Just because the Xbox Series X has been compared to fancy-looking fridges and stacked GameCube, doesn't necessarily mean it has to remain upright. As Head of Xbox Phil Spencer explained no
Video Listen To How Project Acoustics Improves Audio On Xbox
Featuring Gears 5
The Xbox Series X is set to feature enhanced audio in the next console generation, and Microsoft's Project Acoustics will be a part of that. The video below dates back to a year ago, but gives us a great insight into how the wave-based acoustic system can boost immersion in Xbox games. It includes a Gears 5 example, in which you...
News Xbox Reportedly Asks For Game Updates To Be Released During Off-Peak Hours
Targeting a four-hour window
Microsoft is asking game developers to only release game updates during a four-hour overnight window in North America, according to an internal email reviewed by The New York Times. The move is a response to the growing and critical demand for internet use during the coronavirus pandemic. The information, which was also...
News Xbox First-Party Studios "Facing Unique Challenges And Constraints"
Delays on the way?
Head of Microsoft Studios Matt Booty has released a statement on the impact of coronavirus on its first-party Xbox studios, commenting that "each studio is facing unique challenges and constraints", and that the company is supporting its studios "to make the right decisions for their teams and their individual games." The...
News Exclusive Xbox One Controller Unveiled At Xbox Community Summit
"Inspired by gaming culture and the history of Xbox"
There's another new Xbox One controller in the wild (looks like we'll have to update that complete guide soon!), courtesy of the 2020 Xbox Community Summit. Xbox MVP Program Manager Malik Prince showed off a couple of images of the controller on Twitter, and we think it's a beauty. The Xbox...
Random Xbox Debug Kit Featuring Two Unreleased Games Appears On eBay
Sells for over $1k
Back in October 2019, an original Xbox debug kit appeared on eBay, eventually selling for the grand price of $1250. Why so expensive? The system wasn't only a 1st Gen debug kit, but came packaged with two unreleased games in the form of International Volleyball 2004 and platformer Geox. Let's break this down. Basically, it...
News Microsoft Says Its Hardware Supply Chain Is Slowly Recovering
That's good news for Xbox Series X production
As the coronavirus pandemic has spread across the globe, there have been ongoing concerns about hardware supply chains. On the Xbox front, the situation is no different – with analysts suggesting the new Xbox Series X could be shipped in "smaller volumes" due to production issues, or perhaps even miss...
News Xbox Comments On Coronavirus Pandemic, Says Teams Are 'Working Diligently'
"We are seeing an unprecedented demand for gaming from our customers"
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has commented officially via Xbox.com on the COVID-19 pandemic, explaining what the company is doing to help. He discussed the "new growth and demand" presented by the pandemic, indicating that the team is seeing "an unprecedented demand for gaming". In...
News Analyst Suggests Xbox Series X Price 'Lurking In $400 – $500 Region'
Also thinks system will come out this year
Another analyst has given their thoughts on both the potential price and release date for Xbox Series X. Speaking to True Achievements, Steven Bailey, senior analyst at market research company Omdia, suggested the system probably won't go above $500 due to it being a "major psychological hurdle." Bailey...
News Microsoft Reveals How Long The Xbox Series X Has Been In Development
Since before Xbox One X
Something we mostly glossed over last week during the massive Xbox Series X reveal was exactly how long the Xbox Series X has been in the works. As revealed by both Digital Foundry and Austin Evans, we now know the console first began development all the way back in 2016. For those keeping track, this means Microsoft was...
Video Microsoft Demos Xbox Concept Controller For Mobile Devices
Very versatile
Microsoft Research uploaded an old video to its YouTube channel a few days ago showcasing a "versatile controller concept for mobile gaming." The video was made back in 2018, but represents work carried out between 2012 and 2014, so it goes back a bit! It's still a really interesting showcase, however, highlighting how the controller...
News [email protected] Shows Off Retro-Inspired 2020 Skate Deck
It's very old-school
The Independent Developers program at Xbox ([email protected]) has been giving out custom-made skate decks to participating developers and lucky Xbox fans for some years now, and has just unveiled its latest design for 2020. As you can see, it's a gorgeous design reminiscent of the 80s and early 90s gaming era. We're not sure exactly...
News All This Self-Isolation Seems To Be Overloading Xbox Live, As Users Experience Ongoing Issues
Update: Things seem to be OK again for now
Update: (Sat 21st Mar, 2020 15:23 GMT): According to the Xbox Live Status page over at Xbox.com, everything has returned to normal again for now. Hurrah! Original Article: (Sat 21st Mar, 2020 07:15 GMT): As more people around the globe begin to self-isolate in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19,...
Guide All Xbox Play Anywhere Games
Buy once, play on Xbox One and PC
It's not one of Microsoft's more heavily promoted Xbox promotions these days, but Xbox Play Anywhere remains a fantastic deal for anyone buying first-party games. The service allows you to buy a game for Xbox One and get another copy for PC, or vice-versa. Better yet, both versions share cloud saves, meaning you can...
News 343 Industries Working Remotely, But Intends To Push On With Halo Infinite Development
"We're removing all the obstacles in our path and tracking well"
The coronavirus outbreak is causing a lot of disruptions around the world right now. Even within the video game industry, major events have been cancelled and certain releases have been delayed. Fortunately, it's still business as usual for 343 Industries, despite the fact the entire...
Random Xbox Fans Think Now Is The Perfect Time To Bring Back 1 VS. 100
We wholeheartedly agree
If you owned an Xbox 360 back in 2009 or 2010, it's very likely you were able to experience the MMO game show 1 vs. 100 on Xbox Live. It ceased production pretty quickly -- it didn't last beyond July 2010 -- but people are still talking about it today, and some fans think now is the perfect time to bring it back. In case...
News This Is What The Xbox Series X Devkit Looks Like
Not very fridge-y
We all know what the Xbox Series X looks like by now, but what does its devkit look like? Well, thanks to a recent hands-on video by Austin Evans, we have the answer. And interestingly, it looks nothing like the Xbox Series X itself, and a lot like the Project Scorpio devkit (which eventually became the Xbox One X). You can see...
News Microsoft Ditches Optical Audio Port On Xbox Series X Retail Model
A prototype exclusive
A prototype model of the Xbox Series X Microsoft's been incredibly upfront about the hardware housed inside of the Xbox Series X as well as the technical specs, but as we noted the other day, the system has also removed a few (mostly minor) features that were previously included on the Xbox One. An eagle-eyed observer...
News Microsoft Apparently Has 16 First-Party Xbox Studios, But That Doesn't Add Up
Is it teasing a new acquisition?
Microsoft is looking to even the playing field next generation by releasing more first-party exclusives than ever before. In order to achieve this, it needs studios and lots of them. While we already know Xbox has plenty of talented developers on board, there might be one – or even two – that haven't yet been...
News Here's What's Missing From Xbox Series X
Absent features
We spent pretty much the entirety of yesterday talking about what features the Xbox Series X will packing at launch, and it's safe to say we're incredibly excited. But compared to current-gen, what won't it be able to do? We've got some speculation and confirmations to share. The first report comes from Windows Central, who mention...
News Major Nelson Explains What Can Be Run Where On Xbox Series X
He's here to make everything clear
There's seemingly some confusion about the location of where games will run from on the Xbox Series X. It's got to the point where Larry Hryb – best known by his gamertag "Major Nelson" – has chimed in on social media to clarify how exactly Microsoft's new system will play games. This was his response to an...
Guide All Project xCloud Games
Stream Xbox games on the go
It wasn't so long ago that you could only dream of playing Xbox games on a portable device, but Project xCloud makes it possible. The cloud streaming service allows you to play your favourite Xbox games wherever you are in the world (currently for Android devices only) without requiring any additional hardware power. For...
News Here's How Big The Xbox Series X Really Is
It's not the size of a fridge
If you're like us, you've probably been carefully planning where your Xbox Series X is going to sit next to your TV for months, moving everything around in preparation for Microsoft's upcoming console. Until now, however, we didn't know how big it really was. Now we do. According to Eurogamer and Digital Foundry, the...
News You'll Still Be Able To Use USB Storage With Xbox Series X
Just not with Series X games
If you've been using external USB storage with your Xbox One over the years (we certainly have), you'll be pleased to hear it's still compatible with Xbox Series X. The downside? Xbox Series X games won't be able to run off it, and we're not exactly sure how it'll work alongside them just yet. Again, this comes courtesy...
News "Quick Resume" Looks Like A Game-Changer On Xbox Series X
Supports a minimum of three games
We already knew about Quick Resume -- the feature that allows you to resume multiple games on Xbox Series X without losing progress -- but today, we've been treated to more details on the feature courtesy of Eurogamer's Digital Foundry. At its core, it'll support a minimum of three games at once, with potential for...
News New 23 Minute Video Shows The Xbox Series X In Action
Also a look at the components
There's a whole load of Xbox Series X news breaking right now courtesy of Eurogamer's Digital Foundry, and they've also put out some intriguing footage. You can see the video by clicking the play button above, which is a whopping 22 minutes and 53 seconds of Xbox Series X impressions and comparisons. The video features...
News Xbox Series X Full Tech Specs Are Revealed, And They're Seriously Impressive
How does it compare to the Xbox One?
It's time for the big reveal. Microsoft have provided our friends over at Eurogamer's Digital Foundry with a huge set of new details about Xbox Series X, including pretty much everything you need to know tech-wise ahead of release. We're going to be drip-feeding content surrounding the upcoming system...
News Halo 2 For PC Expected To Go Into Public Testing Later This Month
If all goes to plan
Don't get us wrong, we appreciate the fact The Master Chief Collection is now accessible to more fans than ever before, but 343's roll out of the PC version seems like it could take some time. Head over to Steam or any forum celebrating the series and you'll likely see at least a few posts about how long it's taken to release...
News Project xCloud Adds Yakuza 0, Touch Controls Also On The Way
Check out the March preview update
The team at Project xCloud have released a March preview update showcasing some of the new features coming to the cloud streaming service in the near (and distant) future. And if you're fan of Yakuza 0, you'll be pleased to know you can start playing it with xCloud right now. You can see the video above, in which...
News Bill Gates Has Stepped Down From The Board At Microsoft
End of an era
It's been twelve years since Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates stepped away from his full-time post at Microsoft, and six years since he resigned as Microsoft's board chair. Now, he's announced he's stepping down from the board entirely. Speaking via a post on LinkedIn, Mr. Gates explained the reasons behind his decision. I have made...
News Dev Says New Xbox Hardware Allows It To Do Things It "Couldn't Even Dream Of Before"
A powerful claim
If all goes to plan, Microsoft's next-generation system is scheduled to arrive this holiday season. While we already know it'll come packed with 12 teraflops of GPU power and various other fancy features like Variable Rate Shading and Hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing, there's nothing quite like some free developer...
Talking Point What Is The Xbox Series X's Most Important Feature?
What has your attention so far?
We're still some way out from the release of Microsoft's Xbox Series X in Holiday 2020 (if indeed it survives that projected window due to coronavirus concerns), but we already know quite a lot about the upcoming system. The company seems willing to dish out information more freely than it did back in the pre-release...
News Free Play Days: Overwatch, Nascar Heat 4 And Verdun Free This Weekend
Available through March 15th
It's that time again -- another Free Play Days weekend. This time around, the free games available to Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members are Overwatch, Nascar Heat 4 and Verdun, with discounts also available for Nascar Heat 4 and Verdun for those want to purchase them permanently. We probably don't
News Xbox Live Went Down Last Night And The Internet Freaked Out
Well, Twitter did
It's not unheard of for Xbox Live to hit the deck, but last night was a particularly tough time. With reports breaking all day about coronavirus concerns and event cancellations, Xbox fans wanted to kick back and play some of their favourite games online. And when they couldn't, some of them weren't happy. Xbox Live was down for...
News It's True, E3 2020 Has Been Officially Cancelled
Update: The ESA provides a statement
Update (Wed 11th Mar, 2020 15:49 GMT): It's true! E3 2020 has been officially cancelled. A statement released by the ESA (thanks GameSpot) confirmed this: "After careful consultation with our member companies regarding the health and safety of everyone in our industry--our fans, our employees, our exhibitors...
News A Remastered Version Of Saints Row: The Third Has Just Leaked
There's a release date as well
It's been a long time since Saints Row: The Third released for Xbox 360 all the way back in 2011. It's historically been considered one of the best games in the series, and it now looks set to be receiving a full remastered edition on Xbox One in the near future. We're hearing this courtesy of GameFly (thanks...
News The Original Xbox Was Revealed 20 Years Ago Today
Has it been that long?
Feel old yet? The original Xbox was revealed 20 years ago today at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, kicking off a historic legacy that would eventually spawn multiple consoles, tens of thousands of games and of course, our very own community here at Pure Xbox (thanks Microsoft!). The GDC show featured a...
News 2K To Make NFL Games Again, But There's A Catch
EA also weighs in
Remember how great NFL 2K was back in the day? The American Football series proved highly popular before being canned following the release of ESPN NFL 2K5, but sixteen years later, it finally looks set to make a triumphant return. Well... kind of. The new deal with the NFL will see 2K release multiple games beginning in 2021, but...
News Xbox Series X To Feature A Dedicated Audio Chip
Revealed in a new interview
We've got some more information to share about the Xbox Series X, but this time not from Microsoft themselves. Instead, these new details come courtesy of both Ninja Theory and Video Game Chronicle, with Ninja Theory's audio team revealing that the Xbox Series X will include a dedicated audio chip. Speaking to VGC, Ninja...
Talking Point Coronavirus Worries Mean The Xbox Series X Faces An Uncertain Year Ahead
Will it be delayed until 2021?
It's impossible to escape the discussion surrounding the Coronavirus at the moment, and like everything else, the games industry is already being affected heavily by it. This year's Games Developer Conference was postponed last month "after close consultation" with various partners in the game development industry,...
News Three More Games Coming To Xbox Game Pass Today
Update: A fourth has just shown up
Update: (Fri 6th Mar, 2020 08:54 GMT): It was previously announced that The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game would be added to Xbox Game Pass for PC in the month of March, but we didn't know it would be today! It's now available to download via the Xbox app. Microsoft have announced a selection of new games...
Random Xbox Series X Fans Are Creating Some Stunning Fan Art
Getting creative
Listen, we like the look of the upcoming Xbox Series X already, but its box-like design offers up loads of potential for some impressive special editions. As you'd expect, various fans have already taken to the net to create mockups based around their favourite games, brands and personalities, and the results are looking really...
News PlatinumGames Explains Why The Wonderful 101: Remastered Isn't Coming To Xbox One
"It’s just a very costly thing to do"
It's fair to say there's plenty of excitement around Nintendo Life and Push Square at the moment in regards to the upcoming release of The Wonderful 101: Remastered. But here? Not quite so much. That's because while the game is coming to PC (along with PS4 and Switch) later this year, it won't be coming to...
News These Six Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass This Month
Includes titles for both console and PC
We've been treated to some fantastic new additions on Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service in recent weeks, including the likes of Kingdom Hearts III, Yakuza 0 and Two Point Hospital. But as always, a selection of titles are also set to be removed for both console and PC over the next few weeks. As seen on the...
Review Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
A little goes a long way
Ori and the Blind Forest released back in March of last year, and by now, you're likely well aware of the indisputable fact that it's a phenomenal game. We awarded it a 9 out of 10 in our review and called it "one of the best games available for the Xbox One," a statement we stand by 100%. With the Definitive Edition...
News Microsoft Is Holding Another Huge Xbox Live Game Sale Later This Month
Will have over 200 deals
It just wouldn't be Christmas without massive discounts across the Xbox One and Xbox 360 digital stores. Microsoft has begun promoting such a thing on its official Xbox website that will kick off on December 22nd and run through until January 7th, 2016. It's called the "Countdown" sale and — according to Microsoft —...
