Report: A major developer is working on a VR game for Xbox One
Ars Technica reports that a “well-known European studio” is currently working on a VR game for “set in the universe of an established, long-running franchise” the Xbox One console. The unnamed game is slated for a 2017 release. Ars received the news as part of its E3 pre-briefings and was able to confirm it with the developer’s PR rep. A PC and PS4 version are both also supposedly in the works. This news lends significant credence to rumors that the upgraded Xbox One models that are expected to debut at the expo will be VR capable and compatible with the Oculus Rift headset.
Source: ArsTechnica
Windows 10 beta testers can make Cortana a DJ or an egg timer
Beta testers who elect to receive the the freshest test builds of Windows 10 have some new features on the way, as we move even closer to the big Anniversary Update this summer. With Build 14352, Cortana’s music abilities go from simply being able to play any song from your library by voice command, to pulling any song from the Groove Music catalog (assuming you have a Groove music subscription, of course), and now also can easily set a timer, similar to other automated assistants like Amazon Alexa. Windows Ink is also getting a new Cortana wrinkle, since you can create reminders for it directly from notes, as well as write down a phone number, URL or email address and launch the appropriate app directly from a note.
Other changes for Ink include a compass on its ruler and a slew of smaller tweaks, like defaulting to touch Inking on for non-pen enabled touchscreen devices. Now the Windows Game Bar works with a few more games (League of Legends, World of Warcraft, DOTA 2, Battlefield 4, Counterstrike: Global Offensive, and Diablo II) in full screen, and in an extremely exciting change, the File Explorer icon has a slightly different look. Also, beta testers can see if Microsoft responded to their feedback within the Feedback Hub itself. The blog has all of the changes listed, and if you’re in the fast rin, checking for an update is all it should take to get the new version.
Source: Windows Experience Blog
Facebook and Microsoft are building a huge trans-Atlantic data cable
Microsoft and Facebook today have announced a partnership to build a massive underwater data cable connecting the US to Europe, an effort that’ll help the two internet giants better move data back and forth around the world. The cable, dubbed “MAREA,” should be ready by October 2017 and will have an insane estimated data capacity of 160Tbps, making it the highest-capacity subsea cable to ever cross the Atlantic.
It’s not hard to understand why having a better infrastructure for transmitting data is important to both Facebook and Microsoft. Facebook has a whopping 1.6 billion users, and that’s not counting traffic from other hugely popular services like Instagram and Whatsapp. For Microsoft’s part, its Azure cloud services use a ton of bandwidth, and that’s without mentioning its other cloud-based products like Bing, Office, Skype and Xbox Live.
The MAREA system isn’t just for Microsoft and Facebook, however. The cable will be managed by Telxius, a division of the Telefónica telecommunications company. The company will then sell off capacity from MAREA to companies in addition to Facebook and Microsoft.
The cable itself will stretch from Virginia Beach in the US to Bilbao, Spain, a rather unique path. Most trans-Atlantic cables originate in the New York City / New Jersey area, despite the fact that many huge data centers are located in Virginia. Additionally, this route further south from most large cabling systems will supposedly allow for more “resilient and reliable” data connections — something of the utmost importance when dealing with internet services like those Microsoft and Facebook deal in.
Source: Facebook (PR Newswire), Microsoft
‘Minecraft’ players can battle each other next month
Minecraft is about to get a whole lot more competitive. Mojang, 4J Studios and Microsoft have teamed up to introduce a special new PvP mini game for Minecraft: Console Edition, and it’s called simply Battle.
Battle is the first of several planned mini games and it’s rolling out in June, a simple way for players to create competitions with custom rules and settings without having to worry about frustratingly tedious preparations and time-wasting setup. It’ll rely on randomly-generated resources in chests placed on special PvP maps and death matches between players to crown victors, all the while spectators can view the carnage.
Matches will support up to four players via split-screen mode and 8 players online with Xbox Live. There’s also an in-game matchmaking component to find players for your own personal battle royales.
The free update will be released later in June for anyone who owns Minecraft on Xbox One and Xbox 360 and other consoles as part of an update with three additional maps.
Source: Microsoft
Sony has sold over 40 million PlayStation 4 consoles
Sony has announced a new milestone in PlayStation 4 sales: 40 million. And it says it plans to sell another 20 million by April next year.
Anyone with a basic knowledge of math could’ve worked out the milestone from the company’s annual earning report last month, where it announced it had sold 17.7 million PlayStation 4s over the past year. Add that to 2014’s 14.8 million and 2013’s 7.5 million and that’s — you guessed it — 40 million.
The 40 million figure covers sales up to and including March 31st, and Sony obviously didn’t stop selling PS4s then. That’s why today’s announcement now states “more than” 40 million. In reality, given the pace of sales, we’re probably a couple million over that by now. Either way, the news has the added bonus of being some positive PR as we head towards the annual E3 conference.
Although Microsoft stopped reporting Xbox One sales, third-party statistics have the console at just under 21 million sales. If that’s accurate — Microsoft hasn’t confirmed or denied the figure — then the PlayStation 4 has outsold the Xbox One by around two to one.
Sony is rumored to be announcing a new version of the PlayStation 4, codenamed Neo, at E3 in June, prior to its release later this year. The new console would exist alongside the PS4 as a more powerful alternative capable of displaying 4K content. The Neo would certainly help Sony meet its aggressive target of selling 20 million consoles this financial year.
Source: Sony (2016 Forecast), (2015 Earnings), (2014 / 2013 sales)
Rumors are flying about new Xbox consoles and streaming devices
E3 kicks off on June 12th and Microsoft will be there in full-force, showing off the latest and greatest Xbox games and hardware. The company hasn’t yet revealed what it’ll announce at the big show, but The Verge and Kotaku claim Xbox is working on two new devices — however, that’s where the reports’ similarities stop.
The Verge says Xbox will reveal two streaming devices at E3, one that behaves like Chromecast and one that’s closer to a streaming microconsole. The second device would supposedly be able to access universal apps and games from the Windows Store, and stream games from the main Xbox One console to any TV in a house, The Verge says. Part of the focus here would be on TV, allowing users to access Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and other streaming services. This report stems mainly from Petri executive editor Brad Sams, who correctly predicted the Elite controller’s existence at E3 last year.
Kotaku claims that Microsoft is set to unveil two new Xbox consoles. One is a cheaper and smaller Xbox with a 2TB hard drive that should launch later in 2016. The site says Xbox will reveal this model at E3. The second console, which may not make an appearance at E3, is codenamed Scorpio and is due to hit shelves in 2017. It apparently sports a more powerful GPU and it will support the Oculus Rift VR headset. That wouldn’t be shocking, considering the Oculus already comes packaged with the Xbox One controller and the companies already enjoy a symbiotic relationship.
The new consoles are part of a larger initiative known as “Project Helix” that’s designed to converge Xbox and Windows, Kotaku says.
Regarding these reports, an Xbox spokesperson tells Engadget, “We do not comment on rumors or speculation.” We’ve reached out to Oculus for clarification on the reported 2017 console.
Lots of creative chatter today. Excited to share our gaming story at E3 on June 13th https://t.co/QjGUkH1Ofx….
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) May 25, 2016
Overall, the details of these reports differ but their hearts are the same: Xbox is on a path to merge its PC and console gaming brands. The streaming devices would tap into Windows 10 and universal Windows apps, while the rumored consoles aim to make PC-to-console gaming more accessible. Xbox hasn’t been shy about this strategy, either. Xbox boss Phil Spencer said in March that he wants Xbox to operate more like PC gaming, where libraries follow players even when they get new hardware.
“We can effectively feel a little more like what we see on PC, where I can still go back and run my old Doom and Quake games that I ran so many years ago and still see the best new 4K games come out — and my whole library is always with me,” Spencer said.
Plus, Spencer wants to see more console iterations, more often. Instead of nearly a decade between console generations, he’s looking at the two-year timeline of smartphones for inspiration.
“You look at improvements in graphics capability, you look at improvements in display, you look at things like 4K and HDR, and these other technologies that have come along, and for the most part consoles sit outside of that [upgrade cycle],” Spencer said.
E3 runs through the week of June 12th and Engadget will be on the ground, delivering the latest news and interviews from Xbox, Sony, EA, Ubisoft, Bethesda, Nintendo and other companies. Stay tuned.
Source: Kotaku, The Verge
Microsoft Lays Off Nokia Employees, Exits Consumer Phone Business
Microsoft has laid off hundreds of employees tied to its smartphone business, as the company finally exits the consumer phone market and attempts to streamline its worldwide mobile division (via The Verge).
The move will impact up to 1,850 jobs worldwide, said Microsoft’s head of Windows and devices Terry Myerson, while up to 1,350 of the positions will be in Finland. The cuts are expected to be completed by the year’s end.
The move signals the final nail in the coffin for Microsoft’s Nokia business, which the company acquired under former CEO Steve Ballmer’s management for $7.2 billion in 2014. Today’s announcement will see $950 million written off, adding to the $7.6 billion the company wrote off last year when it cut 7,800 jobs to refocus its Windows Phone plans.
Microsoft is now shorn of almost all of its 25,000 former Nokia employees, and will only retain a small number in R&D roles. Last week, the company announced it was selling off its feature phone business to FIH Mobile, a subsidiary of Foxconn, for $350 million.
All indications point to an end of Microsoft’s Lumia phones and a focus on a single Surface phone, with Myerson promising “great new devices” in an internal memo to employees, although he withheld any specific timeframe. The immediate focus for Microsoft and its new CEO, Satya Nadella, is more likely to remain on bringing the company’s software and services to iOS and Android devices, rather than risk another consumer phone failure anytime soon.
Microsoft has been scaling back its consumer phone ambitions ever since its ill-fated Nokia mobile acquisition two years ago. Nokia meanwhile has shown far loftier ambitions, last month announcing its acquisition of French health tracking company Withings for an estimated $192 million, as it seeks to expand into the consumer electronics market while maintaining its networking and commercial VR business.
Tags: Microsoft, Windows Phone, Nokia
Discuss this article in our forums
Microsoft kills what’s left of the old Nokia
Last week, Microsoft sold off what remained of Nokia’s feature phone business while Windows Phone’s market share slid below a single percent. Now, the company has taken what’s clearly the last step in correcting Steve Ballmer’s decision to purchase the mobile world’s former number one. The Verge has secured an internal memo from Microsoft’s Terry Myerson saying that the company will cull 1,850 jobs, 1,350 of which are in Finland. The company has also recorded a $950 million impairment and restructuring charge on its balance sheet, of which $200 million will be severance payouts to those employees.
The job cuts are, essentially, rinsing the company of almost all of its obligations towards the smoldering remains of Nokia. Microsoft went to pains to state that the firm’s Finnish sales vision are protected, with the cuts entirely focused on Microsoft Mobile Oy. As CEO Satya Nadella says, the company is focusing its phone efforts where it has “differentiation — with enterprises that value security, manageability and our Continuum capability.”
When Microsoft sold off its feature phone business, it put out a weirdly-worded statement that only affirmed a commitment to “support” Windows Phone devices. The implication being that it was done actually building handsets itself, and will instead let third parties like Acer, HP and VAIO take over. Alternatively, it’s rumored that Lumia as a brand is done, and the company will instead build a mobile device from its more successful Surface division.
“This in fact describes what we are doing (we’re scaling back, but we’re not out!), but at the same time I don’t love it because it lacks the emotional impact of this decision.”
Recode has published a copy of the internal memo, in which Terry Myerson explains that the company is scaling back, but is refusing to abandon mobile altogether. He also mentions that Microsoft will continue to “develop great new devices,” although that’s no indication that it’ll manufacture them off its own back. A bigger part of the firm’s focus, however, will be to “embrace other mobile platforms with our productivity services,” or getting its apps and services available on Android and iOS devices.
Via: The Verge
Source: Microsoft, Recode
Microsoft’s news bot finds stories based on your interests
Bots are all the rage these days, and to help you keep pace with news stories that interest you, Microsoft has one named Rowe. Inside the News Pro app from Microsoft Garage, Rowe goes to work gathering those articles that you’ll want to read when you ask it to make a recommendation. What’s more, the bot will also serve up news for you or for people who look like you when you send it a selfie. And yes, you can also upload other images and Rowe will search for stories based on the content of the photo.
News Pro has some pretty standard reader features as well. By logging in with Facebook or LinkedIn, the app is able to “personalize” the links it pulls in. There’s a Highlights feed that breaks down articles based on your interests or those related to your job. You can also add friends and group them so that you’re sharing with with like-minded folks and colleagues in your office. If you’re looking another way to keep up with daily happenings, the News Pro app is available for iOS devices via the iTunes App Store.
Source: Microsoft Garage, YouTube
‘Ori and the Blind Forest’ finally makes its way to retail
What began on Xbox One as a digital title, then a definitive edition on the same console, followed by one on PC is finally making its way to bricks and mortar stores. On June 14th, you’ll be able to walk into your favorite fine purveyor of video games and grab a hard copy of Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition for $20. More than just the base game with added bits to explore and story to (probably) cry over, a post on Xbox Wire says the domestic physical release includes Ori’s soundtrack on CD. It isn’t glow-in-the-dark vinyl, but hey, at least you won’t have to get up to flip the record every 20 minutes or so next month.
Source: Xbox Wire
AIVAnet 