Jay Peters
uBreakiFix now offers walk-in Surface repairs.
The news follows the January announcement that uBreakiFix will be able to do in-person Xbox Series X / S repairs.
Xbox
Microsoft’s Xbox has been around since 2001, and over that time the gaming brand has given us huge hits like Halo, Gears of War, Forza, and more. Today, the Xbox brand covers consoles like the Xbox One, PC gaming, and has even expanded to other platforms. You can play Minecraft on everything from a computer to an iPhone to a Nintendo Switch. Along the way, Microsoft has pioneered modern services like Xbox Live and Game Pass, introducing new ways to play games. And with Project Scarlett on the horizon, the Xbox looks to have a bright future.
Ash Parrish
Today’s the day to Split some Fiction with a friend.
Split Fiction, the new game from It Takes Two developer Hazelight Studios, launches today on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. Because the game requires co-op play, Hazelight is bringing back the popular Friend Pass program.
With Friend Pass, if you own Split Fiction, you can invite a friend to play with you without needing to purchase a second copy of the game. Friend Pass is also cross-play enabled, making it easier than ever to find your Player 2.
Tom Warren
Latest Xbox alpha update is resetting consoles.
Xbox testers that have installed the latest Alpha or Alpha Skip-Ahead builds are waking up to consoles that have been reset to default factory settings. Luckily, any games installed locally haven’t been wiped. While serious bugs like this do occasionally happen with pre-release software, the early Alpha builds of Xbox dashboard are often very stable and reliable so issues like this are incredibly rare.
Andrew Webster
Hazelight Studios’ keeps nailing it with its co-op games by doing simple things really well.
Ash Parrish
Ash Parrish
Forza’s on PS5’s horizon.
Xbox’s been hard at work bringing its exclusives to the PS5. There was Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and Sea of Thieves to start, but now it’s targeting bigger releases like Indiana Jones and The Great Circle and Forza Horizon 5. Microsoft announced that it was targeting Spring of 2025 for the beautiful racing game’s release and now we have a confirmed date: April 29th. You can even pre-order the game to get early access starting April 25th.
Tom Warren
Quentyn Kennemer
Quentyn Kennemer
Tom Warren
Wes Davis
It’ll take more Microsoft Rewards to pay for Game Pass soon.
Microsoft will bump how many points it takes starting April 20th, 2025, writes Pure Xbox. Afterward, those who use the Rewards auto-redeem feature to cover their subscription after accruing enough points will need to set it up again.
Now, it costs level two Rewards members 17,000 (previously 12,000) points for a month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, while PC Game Pass takes 10,500 (previously 7,500) points, the outlet notes.
Jay Peters
LG’s monitors will be Xboxes, too.
LG is expanding its Gaming Portal from smart TVs to “additional markets, platforms and devices — including LG Smart Monitors and StanbyME lifestyle screens,” according to a press release. The service will come to those new platforms “by the second quarter of this year.”
The Gaming Portal lets you access services like Nvidia’s GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, and, soon, Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Jay Peters
See you at the Warehouse.
A new sign in Black Ops 6 is very heavily hinting toward a March announcement of the rumored Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 remaster. Microsoft-owned Activision owns both the Call of Duty and THPS franchises, so the cross-promotion makes some sense. The THPS and Xbox X accounts are being coy, too.
The biggest clue? The date on the sign is 03.04.25.
Microsoft’s move to win the console war by not playing has had mixed results.
David Pierce
Andrew Webster
If you’re looking for a big ol’ fantasy RPG to get lost in...
Avowed launches widely today, including on Game Pass. While it’s not especially innovative, the game is a very well-crafted take on the genre, and one that I personally really enjoyed for its worldbuilding, storytelling, and quirky side-missions.
Andrew Webster
Andrew Webster
Ash Parrish
Red, white, and see-through.
Xbox has revealed a new controller that seems designed to revive the impossibly cool gadget trend from the late 90s and early aughts where everything was see-through. Called the Pulse Cipher Special Edition, the controller features a deep-red transparent casing that lets you see all its innards including the rumble motors. It’s $74.99 and goes on sale February 4th.
1/2Image: Microsoft
Tom Warren and Sean Hollister
Andrew Webster
Diablo is coming to Game Pass.
As in, the original PC game, which will be available to subscribers starting on January 14th. It’s the highlight of a rather scant batch of new titles coming to Game Pass.
Image: Blizzard Entertainment