Articles about Xbox

Microsoft continues the push to make its latest platforms more appealing to a rather skeptical audience, this time teaming with Crackle, the streaming video service launched by Sony. Exclusive shows are fast becoming a hallmark of these video services, with Amazon and Netflix already in on the act, and now Crackle is taking its first shot.

Cleaners, the service's new exclusive show, will premiere on October 3rd, but customers with Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and Xbox 360 can all get a sneak peek. "Starting today and running through to October 2nd in advance of the world premiere on October 3rd – you can watch all 6 episodes of Crackle’s new series 'Cleaners' on Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and Xbox 360", says Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc.

Continue reading →

The long Labor Day weekend is now behind us and though it is sad to see summer go, every cloud has a silver lining, and for many of us that lining glows on Sunday afternoon from September to February. In May of this year Microsoft partnered up with the National Football League and today the company details a bit more of what has come from this marriage of technology and gridiron.

"Surface is landing on the NFL sidelines with select club personnel to support teams with player health initiatives. Surface will help keep important player medical information at the fingertips of team trainers and medical staff in the locker room and on the field. This includes the X2 concussion assessment app to quickly diagnose potential player concussions after a hard play. Surface tablets and the X2 app will be an additional tool to help medical staff and trainers to determine whether a player should return to the game", said Surface director James Bernstrom.

Continue reading →

At a press conference at Gamescon, Sony revealed the information that hundreds of thousands of gamers have been waiting to hear -- the official launch date of the PlayStation 4.

And there’s not all that long to wait. In just over three months, on November 15 to be precise, the eagerly anticipated console will be made available in the US and Canada.

Continue reading →

Xbox One may be unveiled and on tap for release later this year, but that does not mean its aging predecessor is dead. Microsoft today announces the beta rollout of the upcoming Xbox 360 update, something that usually reaches RTM (Release To Manufacturing) status in the fall of each year.

"We're inviting Xbox Live members worldwide to participate in the 2013 Xbox Live Update for Xbox 360 Public Beta", says Xbox Live chief Larry Hryb (also known as Major Nelson). "It will include updates to improve overall performance and the ability to conduct transactions with local currency, as Microsoft Points will be retired later this year".

Continue reading →

From the ashes of Zune arose a phoenix named Xbox Music, Microsoft's answer to iTunes and other major competitors. The market remained a bit niche upon launch but now, after an extended wait, Microsoft finally opens things up by bringing the music service to the web.

Without fanfare, today, the company quietly rolls out the web equivalent of its service. Xbox Music allows for a 30-day free trial in an effort to snag new users. It contains the basic interface with options for search, collection, now playing and playlist down on the left side and the main window that displays current music.

Continue reading →

We have reached that time of the decade, where major players in the market of game consoles begin rolling out their latest wares, all in an effort to jump ahead in the market. Nintendo was first to launch with its Wii U box, though few customers seemed to take much notice, while the real battle remains between Microsoft and Sony, however a couple of new players emerge onto the scene in this latest battle.

The consoles vary, and this may be a question that largely comes down to personal tastes and loyalty -- each of the big names has its diehard fans. The battle for your consumer dollars begins now, with some already on the market, while others are up for pre-order. Here are the combatants in this battle royal.

Continue reading →

Microsoft is looking for a handout it seems. They would like customers to build and share their own games for both Xbox One and Windows 8. With that, the company invites users to sign-up and test Project Spark, an invitation extended today and which you will need to sign up for and await an actual chance to use the service.

For now Microsoft offers a video demonstration of what to expect. The video shows off the "ease" with which games can be created and altered and promises you will be able to share them when the process is complete and you are satisfied with your finished product.

Continue reading →

If nothing else, Microsoft's forthcoming gaming console has received more than its fair share of attention, and plenty of it on the wrong side of what the company would hope for. There was controversy before the official announcement even came, there was double-talk at the announcement, and of course some major backtracking later.

Although we know a lot about the console now, the one thing Microsoft has so far failed to announce is an official release date. Despite a vague promise of "later this year", most of us likely expected the holiday shopping season. It turns out, if Amazon is correct, the device will only just make it in time for that.

Continue reading →

In the first week of June, Microsoft demoed the Windows 8.1 interface, which included the return of the iconic start button. The lack of that button was a pain-point for some users and Microsoft responded by bringing it back. However, this did not signal defeat for the company's Modern UI -- it signaled that the company was listening to users.

Today, Microsoft continued this trend by announcing it was once again listening to users -- this time by killing the much maligned Xbox One DRM and used game restrictions.

Continue reading →

Today, over at all AllThingsD, Kara Swisher reports that a major Microsoft makeover is imminent. Reorganization is bloody well overdue, and timing makes sense. The company's fiscal year closes June 30, and the final quarter is when employees, product groups and future plans are evaluated and rewarded and when internal changes occur.

I strongly expect the new structure to mesh with CEO Steve Ballmer's mandate Microsoft is now a "devices and services" company. His larger challenge is surmountable: Enabling a stronger siloed Microsoft that disables a power structure that resembles "A Game of Thrones" -- too many fiefdoms fighting cross-purposes to the kingdom Bill Gates created. Under the current structure, Ballmer deals with only five kingdoms, rather than book and HBO series' seven.

Continue reading →

Although Microsoft has yet to officially reveal the price of its next generation games console, Amazon has decided to set the figure at £599.99 on its pre-order page.

This is considerably higher than most people would have expected -- closer to £400 would have been a reasonable guess -- and dwarfs the launch price of the Xbox 360 which cost gamers £209.99 for the core system back in December 2005.

Continue reading →

This past Tuesday Microsoft did its long-awaited Xbox reveal, though the company did not unveil every bit of information that customers were waiting for. For instance, we still do not know pricing or release date. However, the biggest urban legend in circulation -- that of used games -- is under attack from the console maker.

On the day of the big reveal, Larry Hryb took to his blog to assure users "While there have been many potential scenarios discussed, today we have only confirmed that we designed Xbox One to enable our customers to trade in and resell games at retail".

Continue reading →

On May 21, Microsoft unveiled its next-generation game console, the Xbox One. This hour-long sneak preview into what’s coming soon for the entertainment platform gives us a pretty good picture into how serious Microsoft takes the living room. While the devices-and-services company struggles in mobile and other computing devices, it has a pretty good head start in the living room, and the message to competitors: We’re ready for a fight.

Microsoft positions the new console as a serious player in the living room. Xbox One shucks tradition to the wind as evidenced by the fact that the very first demo showed off its multimedia prowess: Fast app switching, made capable by three operating systems; deep Skype integration and a drastically improved natural interface layer powered by Kinect.

Continue reading →

Microsoft has announced the long-awaited successor to the Xbox 360, naming it the Xbox One, but news does not stop there. Major game announcements at E3 were alluded to during the presentation, and today subsidiary Skype officially throws its hat in the ring, announcing it will bring additional functionality to the next-generation console.

This may not be a surprise, but Skype explains its plans for the new Xbox and those ideas are ambitious. "Skype for Xbox One lets you enjoy your Xbox games, apps and live TV with friends and family as if they were right there with you in the living room, all through features such as group video calling and Snap", says Microsoft's Tony Bates.

Continue reading →

Microsoft yesterday took the wraps off its next generation games, TV and entertainment console at a special event held at the Microsoft Xbox campus and we streamed it live right here.

Don Mattrick, President of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, kicked off the event unveiling the Xbox One, a name that dispelled many myths about Infinity, 720 and 8.

Continue reading →