Xbox news and reviews

The latest news and reviews of Xbox hardware, software and accessories.

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'State of Decay 2' is getting a major free update
State of Decay 2 is getting a major update -- and it's no standard content patch either. The total overhaul -- appropriately titled "the Juggernaut Edition" -- will see the game's graphics and audio get a far-reaching remaster, as well as several other significant changes.
Blizzard's cancelled 'StarCraft: Ghost' leaks in playable form
Blizzard's cancelled StarCraft: Ghost has been the stuff of gaming legend. It was supposed to mark Blizzard's big leap into 3D action games, but it never came to pass -- delays, changing developers and evolving game platforms led the studio to put the game on "indefinite hold." Now, however, gamers appear to be getting a first-hand look at what they've missed. YouTube users Leers Meneses, Delso Bezerra and others say they've obtained a playable build of Ghost for the original Xbox through a leaked developer kit. It's unsurprisingly broken (the first two missions don't work properly, Meneses said), but appears to have been well into development -- you can fend off Zerg and engage in Metal Gear Solid-style chats.
We're all kinda fine with DRM now
Digital Rights Management. The phrase alone, or just its abbreviation, DRM, once had the power to spark scathing editorials and spawn furious debates in online forums worldwide. In the 2000s, major PC video game publishers began adding software to their discs that limited the number of times these games could be installed, tracking and verifying players in new, conspicuous ways. Variations of this system persisted throughout the early 2010s, when Microsoft attempted to release the Xbox One with built-in DRM checks. The response from fans was so vicious that Microsoft abandoned its strategy and rebuilt the Xbox One without DRM just months before its launch date. Fast forward to February 2020. NVIDIA launched GeForce Now, the first and only cloud gaming platform to operate on a "DRM-free" basis. When you buy a game via GeForce Now, you get to keep it, regardless of whether the service itself remains live -- a promise that its competitors, Google Stadia and Microsoft's xCloud, can't make. Yet, no one seems to care.
Microsoft's Project xCloud preview extends to iOS devices
After first launching in preview on Android phones, Microsoft's Project xCloud is making its way over to iOS devices. Starting today, iPhone and iPad owners can check out the game streaming service through Apple's TestFlight platform.
'The Wonderful 101' remaster smashes Kickstarter goal in hours
If anything demonstrates that gamers love a bit of cult nostalgia, it's the eye-watering success of Kickstarter campaigns pledging to bring former hits back to life. And that's absolutely the case with former Wii U title The Wonderful 101, the remastering of which obliterated its Kickstarter goal in less than an hour.
Microsoft made a Nike Air Max 90 Xbox but you can't buy it
The Super Bowl is right around the corner, so here come all the brand collabs. To celebrate Sunday's showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, Xbox, EA Sports and Nike have joined forces to create a limited-edition custom Xbox One console. Inspired by the special edition Nike x Madden NFL 20 Air Max 90 sneakers unveiled yesterday, the all-white console features red and blue details representing the EA Sports logo and NFL Shield, as well as the iconic Nike swoosh.
Microsoft will pay up to $20,000 for Xbox Live bugs
Microsoft has launched a bug bounty program especially for Xbox Live network and services, and it's paying bug hunters up to $20,000. Like any other bug bounty program, the payout depends on the security vulnerability's severity and starts at $500.
Xbox is the only weak point for Microsoft's strong quarter
If you've been paying close attention to Microsoft's quarterly earnings, you've probably noticed they've started to sound like a broken record. The company's cloud business typically grows steadily (it's up 27 percent this quarter), and for the past few years it's driven continual revenue growth. According to the company's latest earnings report, it's been a particularly great few months for the company, with continued revenue growth for Office (up 19 percent for consumers, 16 percent for businesses), LinkedIn (up 24 percent) and Windows (up 18 percent). The only blip in an otherwise positive quarter? Xbox, which saw an 11 percent revenue drop from last year. The company's overall gaming revenue fell by $905 million or 21 percent from a year ago.
Project xCloud is coming to Canada
Microsoft is making good on its promise to expand the Project xCloud preview in 2020 to include more than just three countries. The company has announced that its game streaming test will be available in Canada starting on January 29th, with registrations open as we write this. As in the US and UK, you'll have access to over 50 first- and third-party games (like Gears 5 and Tekken 7) through an Android phone or tablet. About the only difference is that you'll get to play in both English and French, so québécois and other francophones won't be left out.
‘Project: Mara’ is Ninja Theory's new psychological horror game
Microsoft's Ninja Theory is developing an experimental new game called Project: Mara that it says will explore "new ways of storytelling" through "a grounded representation of mental terror." We don't know when you'll be able to play Project: Mara, but the title will share at least two similarities with the studio's 2017 breakout, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. First, Ninja Theory says a small team is developing Project: Mara. Second, the game will feature mental illness as a significant aspect of its design, with the studio planning to incorporate "real lived experience accounts and in-depth research" throughout the development process.
Is this the back of the Xbox Series X?
Behold the derrière of the Xbox Series X. Images of an alleged prototype have surfaced on Twitter and the gaming forum Neogaf, hinting at the various ports that will be available on Microsoft's next console. Thurrott's Brad Sams believes they are authentic and not the work of a 3D-printing whizz kid. We can't confirm their legitimacy, but they're an improvement over the fake render AMD used during its CES presentation (oh, what a fun day that was...) A large panel reads "prototype - not for sale," so it's also possible the design and exact arrangement will change before release. The alleged images show an optical audio port, two USB-A ports, ethernet, power and a single HDMI port. (The Xbox One family, for comparison, had a second HDMI port for pass-through shenanigans.) There's also a long, rectangular slot which Sams explains is for diagnostic reporting and likely won't feature on the final console. We're months away from the Xbox Series X release, so the retail version could look completely different. The general shape, though, is identical to what Microsoft showed during The Game Awards last year. Provided these images are legitimate, we would be surprised if the company made anything more than slight alterations. @IdleSloth1984 @blueisviolet @XcloudTimdog pic.twitter.com/qmVlhTTaqi — Doug - XBOX SERIES X (@Doug_DragoX) January 22, 2020
Readers share their fondest memories of the original Xbox
Think back to 2001: Lifehouse's "Hanging by a Moment" was (inexplicably) the No. 1 song. NASA launched the Genesis space probe. Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was released in theaters. The first click-wheel iPod went on sale. And Microsoft released the first video game console made by an American company since the Atari Jaguar. Despite competing against the PlayStation 2, Sega's Dreamcast and the Nintendo GameCube, the first Xbox would go on to sell over 24 million units. We asked readers to review the console that kicked off the critically acclaimed FPS classic Halo; here are their memories, thoughts and opinions on the hardware and its best software features.
Microsoft's Xbox Console Streaming preview goes global
Microsoft has been experimenting with streaming Xbox games to Android phones and tablets for a while as it looks for an answer to the PS4's Remote Play. Now, after opening a limited beta late last year, all Xbox Insiders in countries that support Xbox One can have a go.
Xbox One Elite Series 2 controller gets $20 cheaper with Amazon Prime
Late last year Microsoft unveiled a second generation of its upgraded Elite Series gaming pad. It features a sealed-in rechargeable battery, USB-C port, Bluetooth connectivity, programmable profiles, new interchangeable thumbstick and paddle shapes and probably a few other things we forgot about (the new paddles are smaller, it can charge inside its carrying case, and the Profiles button on its face can switch you back to default settings with a long press). Just like other Xbox accessories, it's also going to be compatible with Xbox Series X when that's released, as long as you can live without a dedicated screenshot/share button. The only problem is that all of those tweaks and upgrades bring the price to $180. However, Amazon is currently selling the gamepad for $160 if you're a Prime member, so anyone looking for one last upgrade after the holiday season may have just found it. Of course, PlayStation gamers can add buttons to the back of their existing controller for a bit less. Otherwise,a standard DualShock 4 controller is cheaper at $47, a similarly-upgraded SCUF Vantage 2 for PS4 costs about $200, or you can grab a standard Xbox controller for $46. Buy Elite Series 2 Controller on Amazon - $159
Microsoft's first Xbox Series X games will be cross-gen releases
It's been known for a while that Halo: Infinite will be available on Xbox One as well as Xbox Series X and PC. In a wide-ranging interview with MCVUK, Xbox Game Studios chief Matt Booty said other first-party Series X titles will also be playable on Xbox One. In fact, Microsoft's own Series X games won't be exclusive to that console for a while.
AMD used a fake render of the new Xbox in its CES presentation (updated)
If you were hoping Microsoft would detail the Xbox Series X's connectivity... well, you'll have to keep waiting. As part of a sizzle reel for its CES presentation, the chip designer produced a 360-degree view of the Series X that appeared to put its rear ports on full display. It was very familiar if you're an Xbox One X owner. Like the existing console, the Series X's backside appeared to have two HDMI ports, two USB ports (USB-C this time), optical audio and Ethernet. There was also USB-A on the front, not to mention a standard power connector that hinted at a power supply.
The 10-year challenge: Video game edition
The 10-year challenge swept social media in January, with people posting images of themselves from 2009 and 2019, usually accompanied by a cute remark about things being the same yet totally different. It's a fun, heartwarming way to train machine learning algorithms in facial recognition.
Battle royale brawler 'Darwin Project' gets full release in January
Scavenger Studio's Darwin Project made waves at Microsoft's E3 conference all the way back in 2017. It's been sat in Xbox Game Preview ever since, and despite going free to play in 2018, there's not been a whole bunch of activity around the battle royale brawler. Until now, as Scavenger has announced it's getting a full release in January 2020, which will also see it -- to the delight of the 3.6 million players the game has already attracted -- make its way to PlayStation 4.
The best Xbox One games
A series of missteps put Microsoft in second place before the Xbox One even came out. While it's likely to remain there until the next generation begins, there are a lot of people out there who have never experienced what the console has to offer. With the Xbox One X having a clear advantage over Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro when it comes to gaming on a 4K TV, there's never been a better time to jump in.
'Ori and the Will of the Wisps' is delayed by a month to March 11th
There was some disappointing news out of The Game Awards if you've been looking forward to Ori and the Will of the Wisps: it'll now arrive on Xbox One and PC March 11th, instead of February 11th as previously announcd. However, developer Moon Studios might have softened the blow a bit with a new gameplay trailer for the Ori and the Blind Forest sequel.

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