Microsoft is also partnering with Valve for VR on Windows 10
It seems like Microsoft’s approach to virtual reality will mimic its approach to the PC world: Support just about every piece of hardware. The company just revealed that it’s partnering with Valve VR to “make Windows 10 the best platform for VR.” Valve is also partnering with HTC for the Vive headset, which impressed us earlier this year. This news comes on top of last week’s surprising announcement that Microsoft is teaming up with Oculus, a deal that will see Oculus bundle in the Xbox One controller with its headset. Oculus VR users will also be able to stream Xbox One games to their headsets (though not in VR mode), which is something we expect Microsoft to offer to Valve VR hardware as well. Unfortunately, we still haven’t heard anything about the Xbox One supporting VR headsets directly, but we’re still hoping for some sort of surprise announcement.
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‘Gears of War: Ultimate Edition’ lands August 25th, beta starts today
Yes, the leaks were accurate. Microsoft and The Coalition have taken the wraps off Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, a remastered version of the original Gears of War for the Xbox One. The cover-based shooter is getting the obligatory visual upgrade, including 60-frames-per-second graphics — important when you’re ambushing an unsuspecting multiplayer rival. Ultimate Edition launches on August 25th, but a free public beta is starting today.
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Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
‘Gears of War 4’ starts a new saga in late 2016
What, you didn’t think The Coalition would stop its Gears of War revival with a remastered version of the original game, did you? Sure enough, the developer has announced Gears of War 4 (or as it was shown on screen, Gears 4) for the Xbox One. There isn’t much to say about it yet, but it’s definitely not a straight-up continuation of Marcus Fenix’s story — he’s nowhere to be found in the preview clip shown at E3, and the enemies aren’t the usual Locust you’ve come to know and hate. You’ll know the full story when this fourth Gears game ships in late 2016.
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Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Xbox One will play Xbox 360 games, preview members can try it today
Fans of backwards compatibility are getting their wish: Microsoft just announced that the Xbox One will be able to play Xbox 360 games. Demonstrated on stage with Mass Effect by Mike Ybarra, it sounds a lot like the OG Xbox -> Xbox 360 setup — you just plug in the disc or download the game, and the system plays it, but now with Xbox One features like taking screenshots, Game DVR, and game streaming included. All developers need to do is approve a game for backwards compatibility for it to work, so the list of compatible titles could grow rapidly. Microsoft took a chance to ding Sony for its PlayStation Now streaming setup too, promising “gamers won’t have to pay to play games they already own.” If you’re in the Xbox preview program you will be able to try this out later today with a limited set of titles. A teaser image for the feature showed off other games like Perfect Dark Zero, Gears of War, Super Meat Boy, Halo Reach, Halo 3, Shadowrun and Borderlands. We’ll try it out once it launches but wow, funny to see this here just two years after Don Mattrick called it “backwards.”
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Get ready to play your #Xbox360 games on #XboxOne. #XboxE3 pic.twitter.com/emuzzpbOMa
– Xbox (@Xbox) June 15, 2015
Re Xbox One Back Compat: Game developers just need to approve titles showing up. Preview members will get it later today !
– Larry Hryb #XboxE3 (@majornelson) June 15, 2015
. @XboxP3 announces Xbox One Backward Compatibly. Play Xbox 360 games on Xbox One starting today for Preview members pic.twitter.com/P8ex2G0OO6
– Larry Hryb #XboxE3 (@majornelson) June 15, 2015
‘Halo 5’ brings the epic scale of its solo campaign to multiplayer
Halo 5: Guardians won’t force you to you choose between the grand scale of its single-player story and the camaraderie of multiplayer… in theory, you’ll get both at the same time. The crew at 343 Industries has revealed that its sci-fi shooter will include Warzone, a 24-player mode that has you facing off against both other humans and AI opponents. Its maps are about four times the size of those from earlier games in the series, too. The addition reflects just how important the team dynamic (also shown off in single-player mode at E3) will be when Halo 5 arrives in October — it’s anything but an afterthought.
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Microsoft’s new Xbox Elite wireless controller has swappable parts
When you’ve got a good thing going, the prevailing wisdom says you shouldn’t mess with it. But today, at Microsoft’s E3 press event, the company unveiled a redesigned Xbox controller: the wireless Elite. The new and improved controller adds four bumper pads under the grips, a textured rolling pad that replaces the standard D-pad and hair trigger locks for more precise control when slaying the bad guys in your shooter of choice. But what’s likely the most exciting aspect of the new Elite controller is the ability to hot swap the aforementioned parts according to your personal configuration. Microsoft didn’t commit to a firm launch date for the Elite controller, but you can expect it to arrive sometime this Fall.
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Microsoft
Source: @majornelson (Twitter)
Your ‘Fallout 4’ PC mods will work fine on the Xbox One, too
Take a quick tour of YouTube and it’ll become clear that PC gamers get to have more utterly ridiculous fun since their games are so easier to mod. Wanna fire cars out of a gun? Simple. How about turning Skyrim’s dragons into monstrous, angry former wrestlers? You get we’re going with this (and that video is definitely worth a watch). Anyway, Bethesda is working on bridging that cross-platform insanity gap with the upcoming release of Fallout 4 – director Todd Howard just confirmed that mods made for the PC version of the game can be “transferred, played and shared for free” on the Xbox One.
In fairness, the game doesn’t hit shelves – either physical ones or those pesky, metaphorical digital ones – until November 10, but it’s a welcome change that Howard apparently spent ages lobbying for. It’s really no wonder why. Mods have this wonderful tendency to build on existing experiences and turn games that would’ve otherwise been forgotten when the next AAA game rolled out into thoughtful, ludicrous worlds that can keep people coming back months and years after purchase. (Hell, your humble author still mucks around in Just Cause 2 because the lure of flying around a faux-South Pacific island and nuking despotic statues can only be resisted for so long). The quick tour we got of the new Fallout world seems plenty meaty enough to savor even without mods, so let’s hope those creators cook up some seriously peculiar stuff to bake into our favorite post-apocalyptic wastelands.
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Xbox Game Preview will give you early access to indie titles
Microsoft just announced a new early access program for indie titles, dubbed Xbox Game Preview.
Developing…
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Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Microsoft reveals a slew of Xbox One indie games at E3
Microsoft’s massive E3 press conference wasn’t just about big-budget shooters — the company also took some time to highlight the many smaller titles coming from indie developers. The highlights include Tacoma, the next game from Gone Home studio Fullbright, which is about a woman who finds herself stranded on a space station; Ashen, a stylized puzzle adventure game that seems to have the scale of Shadow of the Colossus; and Beyond Eyes, a painterly-looking game about a young girl exploring the outdoors. We also got a quick look at several other titles in a promo video, which you can check out below.
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‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’ hits Xbox One this November
Sorry, Sony, but the next installment in Lara Croft’s tomb raiding adventures is slated to hit Xbox One as an exclusive on November 10th. As Microsoft’s Xbox head Phil Spencer announced at Gamescom last summer, the upcoming Rise of the Tomb Raider will be a platform exclusive, meaning gamers that don’t own an Xbox One will be locked out of the party.
Developing…
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