Tag: Microsoft
News Microsoft Is Giving Away Free Xbox Gift Cards For The Weekend
Have you received one?
Want a free Xbox gift card?! Microsoft is giving away another round of free gift cards to various Xbox users for the weekend, and it seems that multiple regions are getting them, including the UK, US, Canada and many others. In fact, even we received one for once here at Pure Xbox! Ours was in the form of a £4 gift card -...
News Microsoft Confirms Existence Of 'Keystone' - A New Xbox Streaming Device
"Our vision for Xbox Cloud Gaming is unwavering"
Back in March, a Microsoft file datamine revealed a mysterious project codenamed 'Keystone', which eventually led to a report about Xbox's plans to release a streaming device within the next year. Now, in a statement to Windows Central, Microsoft has officially confirmed 'Keystone' is the...
News Xbox Dev Confirms DLC Is Fully Supported For Cloud Gaming Titles
Convenient!
Xbox Cloud Gaming is becoming quite a big focus for Microsoft. Often, new Game Pass arrivals include cloud support, with touch controls also being added to new cloud gaming titles on mobile devices. However, did you know of this little bonus regarding cloud gaming DLC? Xbox's Eden Marie has once again taken to Twitter with a little FYI...
News Former Xbox Exec Questions Microsoft's Ability To Sell Xbox In Japan
"Microsoft just doesn't sell very many Xboxes in Japan"
While it's true that Xbox often falls behind in Japan to native gaming brands like Nintendo and PlayStation, it hasn't stopped the American company from trying in the region. However, former Xbox exec Ed Fries wonders why Microsoft really bothers with its Japanese push at all. In a recent...
News Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Confirms Attendance At FanFest 2022 In LA
The event takes place next month
Phil Spencer is probably hard at work gearing up for what Xbox will show at next month's showcase, but that's not stopping him planning exactly where he'll be when the show is broadcast. In a Twitter reply, the Xbox boss has confirmed that he'll be tuning in to the showcase live at Xbox FanFest. Phil will be in...
News Xbox Turned Down The Chance To Make Exclusive Marvel Games In 2014
What could have been
Back in 2014, Marvel's video game department was shopping around for potential developers to properly capitalize on its IP, following a disappointing period with Activision. Xbox was one of those options, but the company turned down the chance, according to excerpts from a newly published book. 'The Ultimate History of Video...
News Xbox Is Hiring Production Manager To 'Work With Partners In Japan'
More regional expansion?
Xbox Series X|S is gathering some much welcome momentum in Japan. Console units seem to be finally shifting in the region after the slow-moving Xbox One era, and now, the company is expanding on the software front too. A new job post is being advertised by Microsoft in Japan, looking for a 'Production Partner Manager' in...
News Xbox Series S Just Outsold Both PS5 Models In Japan
It's been a successful week for Xbox in Japan
2022 has been a good year for Xbox hardware sales. Back in February, Series X|S outsold PS5 in both the US and Europe, having never done so before in the latter region. Now, Xbox Series S has outsold PS5 in Japan for the very first time, and it didn't even need the help of its big brother. This data...
News Xbox Activision Blizzard Deal Is 'Moving Fast' Says Microsoft President
But it's not there yet
Microsoft shattered the gaming landscape earlier this year by announcing its intentions to acquire Activision Blizzard. We're a good few months on from the announcement now, and Microsoft thinks things are going well, at this stage. Microsoft president Brad Smith recently discussed the deal with Belgian outlet L'
News Check Out This New Minecraft 'Deep Dark' Themed Xbox Series S
If you want it, you'll have to win one
We've already seen lots of impressive-looking themed Xbox hardware this generation, but Microsoft just keeps on releasing more. The latest one is inspired by Minecraft's 'Deep Dark' update and appears to be based on The Warden enemy. It comes with a matching controller, too. Of course, like a lot of themed /...
News It's 2022 And Microsoft Just Deployed An Xbox 360 Patch
Going back in time
Xbox Series X|S consoles are being updated constantly, you know, as expected for a pair of systems that launched in 2020. However, did you know that Xbox 360 is still getting updates? That's right, Microsoft just issued a 'service fix' to Xbox 360 consoles as players reported issues with 'Pins'. Well, when we say 'players',...
News Take-Two CEO Talks Acquisition Rumours In New Interview
"we like being an independent organization."
Every week it feels like a gaming company is being acquired by another, larger gaming company. Take-Two has taken part in this cycle themselves recently, with the acquisition of mobile developer Zynga still being finalised. However, for now, it seems that Take-Two itself is keen to remain independent. In...
News Early Look At PS Plus Premium Shows How It Compares To Xbox Game Pass
Let the battle commence
Right, Sony has finally revealed more information on its huge overhaul of PlayStation Plus, and it's starting to compare quite heavily to Xbox Game Pass. While Sony has confirmed that its first party games won't launch on any tier of PS Plus, its newly revealed game list shows a huge reliance on classic PlayStation first...
News Xbox Appears To Be Working On A 'Dynamic Backgrounds Editor'
Do-it-yourself
If you've ever wanted to make your own custom backgrounds, you might want to read on. It looks like Microsoft could be working on an 'Xbox Dynamic Backgrounds Editor' for the Xbox Series X|S. Here's a tweet by known Microsoft Store scanner and Twitter user 'Aggiornamenti Lumia' demonstrating an early build, as also highlighted by The...
News Xbox Hardware Sales In The US Are Up Huge Amounts Over 2021
92% higher than last year's Q1 figures
It's looking like Xbox has had a great first quarter of 2022, especially regarding hardware. Dollar sales of Xbox hardware from January to March 2022 are up 92% on the same period last year. Basically, sales of Xbox hardware have almost doubled year-on-year. These figures are strictly for the US market, as...
News Microsoft Creates Patent That Enables Xbox Discs To Be Converted To Digital
Is the future upon us?
Update : It appears that this particular patent filing is the one in question, published on May 5th. Direct access to the patent filing gives us a little more info on Microsoft's potential moves with a 'disc-to-digital' feature. To address such challenges with playing previous generation physical video game media on next...
News Xbox Working On New Update To Fully Fix Network Outage Issues
Will be released in the "coming days"
It wasn't the best weekend for Microsoft or the team at Xbox. There were outages to Xbox Live, players couldn't access the cloud, and launching, purchasing, and signing into games was also a problem. While it seems most of these issues have now been "resolved" there are still a few other problems to resolve...
News Unsurprisingly, Xbox Is Expected To Be At Gamescom This Year
As the event returns in-person
As Xbox gears up for its own big summer showcase, we can't forget about Gamescom, the huge European convention that typically closes out the summer gaming season. This year, the event returns to in-person proceedings, and it's looking like Microsoft will return as well. Jez Corden spoke about Xbox's presence at the...
News Xbox 'Still Working On Resolving' Network Issues
Update: "Players should no longer be seeing issues"
Update [Sun 8th May, 2022 11:55 BST]: According to Xbox's official support account on social media, players should no longer be encountering these issues: Original story [Sun 8th May, 2022 02:30 BST]: As you might have heard, the Xbox Network has been experiencing all sorts of issues this...
News Microsoft Could Be Set To Release An Xbox Streaming Device Within The Next Year
Dedicated streaming app for Samsung Smart TVs also incoming
It seems as though Microsoft is preparing to release a physical device that will allow users to stream a catalogue of Xbox games to their televisions, as well as giving them access to a library of movies and TV shows, without the need for a console. According to a report by VentureBeat the...
News Xbox Execs Tease 'Cool', 'Amazing' Demos They've Been Testing This Week
It's showtime
It's safe to say we're pretty pumped for Xbox's big showcase next month. Whether E3 itself is around or not, summertime is always an exciting one in gaming and we're ready to see what Team Xbox has been cooking up. Having said that, some Xbox execs seem even more giddy than us! That's probably because they've had the chance to go...
Random 343 Has Actually Added Microsoft's Clippy To Halo Infinite
The MS Office assistant is ready for battle
Halo Infinite Season 2 multiplayer has dropped and there's a whole lot of information to unpack. There are also plenty of surprises and one that's caught the attention of social media is the inclusion of Clippy (also known as 'Clippit') the Microsoft Office personal assistant. Yep, after a very relaxed...
News Jeff Grubb Suggests Another Square Enix Acquisition 'More Likely' Following Western Studio Sale
Could the Japanese side of the business be sold?
It seems to be acquisition season right now in the gaming industry. Embracer Group, the huge Swedish firm who owns the likes of THQ Nordic, recently picked up Square Enix's Western studios, and now there's talk of WB Games being up for sale too. However, business regarding Square Enix might not be...
News Xbox Announces New 'Deep Pink' Official Wireless Controller
And it's available to buy in the US!
Recently on Pure Xbox we've covered a bunch of custom Xbox designs that are only available via giveaways. However, today we bring news of a new official wireless controller that thankfully, anyone can buy! Xbox has announced the latest official Xbox Series controller, and we have to say, it's rather pretty in...
News Xbox Resolves Pesky Dashboard Game Boot Issue With QoL Update
See it in action
Xbox is always looking to improve the Series X|S dashboard, and the latest update for Alpha and Alpha Skip-Ahead Insiders resolves quite an irritating issue. If there's a game that requires an update, when you boot it up, you'll no longer be presented with the game closing or the game attempting to load in. Instead, you'll now...
Rumour Warner Bros' Game Studios & IP 'Supposedly' Up For Sale
Acquisition season
Right, let's take a breath. Yesterday, May 2nd, Embracer Group announced that it's to acquire Square Enix's western studios, but that's not all the acquisition talk done just yet. WB Games' development studios appear to be the next bunch up for sale, and quite a few publishers are said to be interested. This rumour comes from...
News Phil Spencer: Microsoft's Latest Earnings 'A Nice Moment For Xbox'
Well done, team
It's been a pretty good week for Microsoft - with the company once again knocking it out of the park in its latest earnings report from an Xbox perspective. Team Green also announced it would be hosting an Xbox and Bethesda showcase this June. Of course, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has been watching it all unfold, and he's rather...
News Xbox Is Giving Away This Stunning Doctor Strange Xbox Series S Bundle
The Multiverse of Madness
Since the Xbox Series X|S launched, Microsoft has worked on a surprising number of custom console designs. While the Halo Xbox Series X is the only one that went to market — if you could get your hands on one — we've seen some incredible one-off custom consoles. This Doctor Strange bundle is one of the best we've seen...
News Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Is Already Hyping Up June's Games Showcase
"I can't wait for 6/12"
As if we needed any more hype for our first proper Xbox Games Showcase of the year, Phil Spencer is already at it. The Xbox Boss has provided his own personal thoughts on yesterday's Showcase announcement, and it's safe to say, he seems just as excited as us. Phil says that as he and the team are preparing for the show, he...
News Activision Blizzard Stockholders Approve Microsoft Acquisition
An "overwhelmingly supportive" vote
It's been confirmed today that Activision Blizzard's stockholders have voted to approve the acquisition of the company by Microsoft, with a press release suggesting that more than 98% of the shares voted in favour of the deal. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick described it as an "overwhelmingly supportive...
News Xbox Engineer Explains Why Smart Delivery Forces Series X|S Version
"Smart Delivery is a promise to the developer[...]"
One question we've often asked ourselves since the Xbox Series X|S launched is this: why can't we install the last-gen version of a game to save on SSD space? It seems we're not alone either, as plenty of you have also wondered the same thing. Well, we've finally got a response, and the reason...
News British Gas Slammed For Exaggerating Game Console Power Usage
Vampires, all of you!
We've all left our consoles on standby before, probably for years at this point. The little red light doesn't annoy us anymore, it downloads stuff while we're away, all good. However, UK energy company British Gas has come out of the woodwork to tell us all about the energy we're apparently wasting. The firm estimates that, on...
News Microsoft CEO Praises 'Market Leading' Sales Of Xbox Consoles In 2022
Things are going great for Xbox right now
Following yesterday's Microsoft earnings report for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, Microsoft Executive Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella had a few things to say about the report from an Xbox perspective, and it's all good news! In his follow-up, Nadella mentioned that Xbox Series X and S "have taken share...
News Xbox Cloud Gaming Has Been Streamed By More Than 10 Million People
Some serious numbers
In news related to Microsoft's third-quarter earnings for FY22, company CEO Satya Nadella has announced that Xbox Cloud Gaming has now been streamed by more than 10 million people around the world. Microsoft's Frank Shaw also confirmed this in a brief message via social media: "With Xbox Cloud Gaming… more than 10 million...
News Xbox Gaming Revenue Up 6% YoY In Latest Earnings Report
Driven by demand for Game Pass, Xbox hardware and first-party titles
Microsoft's latest earnings results have been published for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 (FY22 Q3) - revealing Xbox's gaming revenue has increased by 6% year-over-year. Xbox's "content and services revenue" grew by 4% and was once again driven by growth in first-party titles...
Reaction Should Game Pass Ultimate Add Free Trials For All Xbox Games?
Sony is reportedly doing something similar for PS Plus
Xbox Game Pass has become a cornerstone of the Xbox ecosystem, a real feather in the platform's cap. However, we can admit that it's not perfect, so, should Microsoft take a leaf out of Sony's book with a reported new feature coming to PlayStation? That feature is a service-wide game trials...
Random Oh No! Fan's 'Repaired' Halo Series X Gets Replaced With Standard Console
This is giving us anxiety
The chances of actually being able to purchase a new console this generation have been slim at times, let alone a shiny special edition one. Microsoft delivered the gen's first such system last year, with the gorgeous Halo Infinite console. This fan managed to snag one, but after sending it in for repair, it's all gone
News Xbox Isn't Done With New Acquisitions, Job Listing Suggests
Here comes the money
Xbox made huge waves earlier this year when it announced its intentions to acquire Activision Blizzard for a frankly ridiculous $70 billion. However, that doesn't seem to have stopped the company from looking at other potential takeover targets. A new job listing went live a few days ago (spotted by VGC) that spells out just...
News Xbox Series X Devkit Teardown Reveals A Whopping 40GB Of RAM
Lightning fast
The Xbox Series X is a bit of a beast as it is, becoming Microsoft's most powerful console by a good margin at launch, back in 2020. Having said that, what if we said there's a Series X out there with over twice as much RAM? No, it's true! YouTube channel Gamers Nexus recently tore down an Xbox Series X developer kit they'd got their...
News Grab These Free Xbox DLC Packs To Celebrate Earth Day 2022
Microsoft has also detailed new sustainability efforts
It's April 22nd, which means it's Earth Day 2022! This annual celebration, which started all the way back in 1970, is a reminder that we all need to get involved in protecting the environment, helping to restore damaged ecosystems and living more sustainable lives in general. In honour of this...
News Xbox's PC Game Pass Has Just Launched In Five More Countries
Jump in, Southeast Asia
Xbox has been working hard to make Game Pass as widely available as possible across multiple platforms. Now, in this ongoing mission to "bring the joy" to gamers around the world, it's announced PC Game Pass for Southeast Asia. This subscription service is now live in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam -...
News Halo's OG Composers 'Amicably Resolve Differences' With Microsoft
Sounds like a happy ending
It was revealed back in February of this year that original Halo composers Marty O'Donnell and Mike Salvatori were suing Microsoft over 20 years' worth of unpaid royalties, but it seems the two parties have reached an agreement. Taking to Twitter this week, Marty O'Donnell stated that "Microsoft and O’Donnell/Salvatori,...
News Xbox Reportedly Building 'Advertising Program' For Free-To-Play Games
"To let brands advertise in Xbox games"
Microsoft is working on an in-game "advertising program" for free-to-play games on the Xbox platform, at least according to a new report from Business Insider which cites "two people who are involved in the talks." The website says that "Microsoft wants to let advertisers place ads inside free-to-play Xbox...
News Sony And Nintendo Follow Xbox's Lead In Changing Subscription Renewals
A win for the consumer
Earlier this year, Xbox began to make some changes regarding digital purchases. Basically, a UK authority said it had "identified concerns" regarding auto-renewals on Xbox platforms, and the board reached out to Microsoft in an effort to see change. In return, the company advised it would "provide more transparent, upfront...
News Microsoft Reportedly Working On Smaller, More Power Efficient Series X Chip
Revision number one?
The Xbox Series X is a pretty beefy machine, not only in power but also in size. It'd make sense then, that a year and a half after launch, revisions may well be underway for a more efficient version of the console. According to a new report, that much is already happening. Journalist Brad Sams discussed the topic on a recent...
News Four US Senators 'Deeply Concerned' Over Microsoft's Acquisition Of Activision Blizzard
"It threatens worker-led demands for accountability..."
We've got another story to share in the ongoing saga that is the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard today, as four US senators including Bernie Sanders have shared 'deep concerns' about certain aspects of the deal. In a letter penned to FTC chairwoman Lina Khan (thanks Video Games...
News Surprise! Xbox Games With Gold For April Hasn't Gone Down Well
"This feels ancient now"
Microsoft has just revealed the latest Xbox Games with Gold selection and, it's safe to say it's not gone over well. While we sometimes think there's a bit of an overreaction to these reveals, the outcry might actually be justified this time around. After the announcement, Xbox fans took to social media to vent their...
News Xbox Is Launching PC Game Pass In Five New Regions This Year
Across Asian markets
Xbox has been putting more and more emphasis on its PC offerings as of late, and that includes Game Pass. The service recently rebranded to 'PC Game Pass' and now, it's extending to another five countries in Asia. Residents in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam will be able to take part in a preview of the...
News Xbox Announces New Cloud Gaming Initiative
"Come and develop your game with us!"
During its many developer-focused talks at GDC 2022, Microsoft has announced a new publishing arm. The division, known as a new "Cloud Gaming Organization", is basically a publisher within a publisher, a way for developers to create completely cloud-based Xbox games for Microsoft. The publisher is led by Kim...
News [email protected] Has Now Generated More Than $2.5B In Revenue For Indie Devs
Program partners "doubled" over the past 3 years
More positive news coming out of Xbox today - with the games division of Microsoft announcing its [email protected] program has now generated more than $2.5 billion in revenue for indie developers since launching in 2013. Xbox in that time frame has attracted all sorts of developers to the program - from...
