Xbox

Next-Gen Consoles Reignite An Old Argument Over Controller Batteries

Without electrical juice controllers are just paperweights, and Sony and Microsoft continue to take dramatically different approaches to solving that problem. Yesterday Sony revealed its PlayStation 5 controller: the DualSense. It’s chunkier than the current-gen DualShock 4 and comes loaded with a number of new features, including haptic feedback and a built-in microphone. People wasted…

Everything Shown During Today’s Inside Xbox

Here’s a roundup of everything Microsoft shared during today’s Inside Xbox stream. An early version of Grounded, the upcoming survival adventure game from Obsidian Entertainment, will arrive on Xbox Game Preview on July 28. We learned that while Xbox Series X games can be stored on any external hard drives, they’ll need to be moved to…

Here’s April 2020’s Xbox Live Games With Gold

April’s Xbox Live Games with Gold is a good deal for fans of racing games and RPGs. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription. April’s Games With Gold are: Xbox One Project CARS 2 (April 1-30) Knights of Pen and Paper Bundle (April 16-May 15) Xbox…

The Xbox Series X Is Shaped Like A Fridge So It Can Vent More Heat

In a departure from past video game consoles, the Xbox Series X stands upright instead of laying horizontally. Microsoft says that design choice was part of an effort to make the hardware’s fan as big and efficient as possible. The company laid out its thinking in a recent interview with Digital Foundry over on Eurogamer.…

Microsoft’s AI Experiments Are Creating Unbeatable Raid Bosses

Raid bosses are the toughest fights in any massively multiplayer online game, but eventually players always find ways to crack them. Now developers are looking at ways to use cloud computing to give raid bosses a way of fighting back. During one of Microsoft’s Game Stack developer livestreams yesterday, software engineer James Trott said that…

Microsoft Adds More Stuff You Probably Won’t Use To Game Pass Ultimate

Today, Microsoft announced it’s expanding the Game Pass Ultimate subscription to include “perks,” extra goodies like in-game currency and cosmetic packs for certain games available through the service. While it’s a small gesture, it’s part of the company’s ongoing attempt to make subscribers feel like they’re getting their money’s worth. The first set of games…

The Xbox Series X Controller Is Subtly Different

There are obvious differences between the controller for the Xbox Series X and the current Xbox One controller. The directional pad has changed, and there is a share button now. Then there are features like new textures and rounded bumpers, small changes that could make a big difference in controller comfort for many people. In…

Here’s What’s Inside The Xbox Series X

Last month Microsoft posted a lengthy article talking about what the upcoming Xbox Series X console can do. Today the company details the hardware inside the box that’s getting it done, including a custom eight-core AMD Zen 2 CPU running at 3.8 GHz and its powerful RDNA 2 GPU. The technical jargon runs thick in…

I Like One Of Xbox’s Two New Controller Colors

Look at this beautiful piece of gaming equipment. Microsoft calls it Phantom Magenta, but we’re calling it “purple.” Not the Atomic Purple of Nintendo fame, but a richer, more mature hue. I want to uncork it and drink deeply from it’s hand oil-caked reservoirs. It’s up for preorder today, along with a white camouflage number…

The newest installment of the Major Nelson podcast breaks down some of the newly-announced Xbox Series X features. Among the intriguing details: the Series X doesn’t just let you suspend multiple games, but those suspensions can survive a system update. Pretty cool.

Here’s March 2020’s Xbox Live Games With Gold

March’s Xbox Live Games with Gold are a nice mix. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription. March’s Games with Gold are: Xbox One Batman: The Enemy Within—The Complete Season (March 1-31) Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (March 16-April 15) Xbox 360 (compatible with Xbox One) Castlevania: Lords…

It Seems A Playable Xbox Build Of StarCraft Ghost Has Leaked (Update)

Here’s something I didn’t expect to see today: New gameplay footage of StarCraft Ghost. The third-person shooter had a rocky and well-known development history before being officially canceled by Blizzard, something confirmed back in 2014.Now an early Xbox build seems to have leaked out and popped up online. Andrew Borman posted some screenshots on Twitter…

I Finally Got My First Xbox

I’ve never wanted to own an Xbox console, if I’m being completely honest. For the past 19 years Microsoft has put out exclusive after exclusive that don’t appeal to me in the slightest. The consistency is actually kind of impressive. Not that Xbox consoles or exclusives are poorly made—they’re just usually not for me. Even…

Microsoft’s Bug Bounty Program Will Pay Players To Find Security Flaws In Xbox Live

Xbox Live has never suffered a major hack, and Microsoft would like to keep it that way, in part by rewarding people who report vulnerabilities in the gaming network with cash. “The Xbox Bounty Program invites gamers, security researchers, and others around the world to help identify security vulnerabilities in the Xbox Live network and…

Here’s February 2020’s Xbox Live Games With Gold

February’s Xbox Live Games with Gold is a mix of racing, horror, and multiplayer. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription. February’s Games with Goldare: Xbox One TT Isle of Man (February 1-29) Call of Cthulhu (February 16-March 15) Xbox 360 (compatible with Xbox One) Fable…

Kentucky Route Zero: The Kotaku Review

After seven years, the haunting episodic adventure game Kentucky Route Zero is finally complete. The game’s first chapter came out on PC in 2013. Tomorrow’s Act V marks the end of the story. A new “TV Edition” for consoles collects all five acts—the main story pieces of the game—and four interludes—side content that ties back…

Dad Builds Custom Xbox Adaptive Controller So Daughter Can Play Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Xbox’s Adaptive Controller has done some amazing things as far as accessibility in video games goes, but the setup isn’t hard-wired to only work on a Microsoft console. It can, with a little work, also run on the Nintendo Switch, and in doing so bring an enormous smile to a little girl’s face. Rory Steel…

Playing Outer Wilds In Times Square Was The Best Way To Ring In The New Year

Some people go to Times Square on New Year’s Eve to brave the cold, watch the ball drop, maybe get seen on TV or even pop the question. Not me. I went there to play Outer Wilds. I’m pretty sure I had the best time of anyone there. I got to Times Square at 9:29…

Here’s January 2020’s Xbox Live Games With Gold

We’ve got Xbox’s upcoming Games with Gold a bit early this month, which might help you plan your holiday shopping. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription. January’s Xbox Games with Gold are: Xbox One Styx: Shards of Darkness (January 1-31) Batman: The Telltale Series (January…

The Xbox Series X Has Nicknames Like “Sex” And “Butt X”

That didn’t take long! The next-generation Xbox was announced last night, and people online already have nicknames for it. In the English-speaking world, it’s either being called “Xbox Sex” or simply “Sex,” a shortening of “Series X.” In Japan, it’s also being called “Xbox Sex” as well as another nickname, Shiri X (尻X) or “Butt…