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.
If there’s one thing you can’t accuse Microsoft of it’s a lack of Xbox controllers. Microsoft is launching a new Nocturnal Vapor Special Edition Xbox Wireless Controller today, that’s a contrast of dark and light green with a swirl effect. It might not be as cool as the Starfield Xbox controller, but this $69.99 Nocturnal Vapor edition is available to preorder right now.
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The 19th and final season of Red vs. Blue, the sci-fi comedy show set in the world of Halo, will be released as a feature length film on all major PVOD platforms. Red vs. Blue: Restoration will be available for purchase on May 7th and as a digital rental on May 21st.
Earlier this month Warner Bros. Discovery shut down Rooster Teeth, the production company behind Red vs. Blue.
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has dropped some hints that PC stores like Epic Games Store and Itch.io could one day arrive on Xbox consoles. In an interview with Polygon, Spencer says the console market isn’t growing and that there are barriers that exist today. “How can we be part of opening up that model?” asks Spencer, hinting at a potentially radical rethinking of Microsoft’s Xbox console ecosystem.
At launch, there was no easy way to delete a save or start a new game once a save file existed — something PC modders quickly added. Today, Capcom shared that it will make starting a new game a native feature of Dragon’s Dogma 2.
Besides, that, the developer is targeting some quality-of-life and technical fixes.
Like KOTOR before it, Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection launched in a less-than-stellar state. For PC at least, Aspyr’s patch this week addresses a long list of issues with the game.
You’ll have to wait on the certification process to get the fix on the PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch though, according to Eurogamer.
Larry Hryb, aka “Major Nelson,” did a little reminiscing on Threads this week, posting videos from his time with Microsoft’s Xbox division, which he departed from back in December.
One video is him running down features of the original incarnation of Xbox Live, but I’m more interested in this parody of defunct electronics store Crazy Eddie’s commercials — something the company did regularly.
Mojang has just posted a warning that says you could lose all your worlds if you download the latest Minecraft update through the Xbox app.
To get around the issue, Microsoft says to run the Gaming Services Repair Tool for PC and then install the update. You can find more information about how to do this here.
Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe says the studio is in talks to bring the game to more platforms beyond PC and Xbox.
The obvious question is whether the game, which has been nicknamed “Pokémon with guns” and has faced accusations of plagiarizing characters from Nintendo’s hit franchise, will ever come to the Nintendo Switch.
Capcom has released the game’s incredibly customizable character creator on Steam, PS5, and Xbox series S/X ahead of the full Dragon’s Dogma 2 release on March 22nd.
You can create up to five companions and main characters respectively, which can then be transferred to the base game at launch — allowing you to jump right into the monster clobbering action.
The first batch of Xbox PC games are arriving on Boosteroid today, a cloud gaming service. Microsoft signed a deal with Boosteroid as part of its efforts to appease regulators for its Activision Blizzard acquisition. You’ll be able to play titles like Deathloop, Dishonored, Dishonored 2, Dishonored: Death of The Outsider, Gears 5, Gears Tactics, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and Pentiment. You can either purchase from the Microsoft Store or use a PC Game Pass subscription to stream these games through Boosteroid.
During its Partner Preview showcase, Xbox announced that Final Fantasy — No, not that one. Not that one either. Yeah, that one —will fully launch on the console March 21st.
Currently, the critically acclaimed MMORPG is in open beta and when the game goes live, it will require not only a paid subscription to the game itself, but also a subscription to Xbox Game Pass.
A new S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Trilogy is launching on Xbox One and Xbox Series X /X today, bringing the trio of classic PC games to Microsoft’s Xbox consoles. That includes Shadow of Chernobyl, Clear Sky, and Call of Pripyat. The bundle is available for $39.99 on the Microsoft Store.
The Xbox Partner Preview event kicks off at 10AM PT / 1PM ET / 6PM UK today. Microsoft is promising its 30-minute broadcast will include “more than a dozen new trailers,” including games from publishers like Capcom, Nexon, and EA. The event will be broadcast on Twitch and YouTube, and you can watch along below.
With the Fallout TV show coming soon, Wasteland fever (not to be confused with radiation sickness) is in full swing. For example, here’s a pretty sweet looking Xbox controller that’s just covered in Vault Boys. You can get one of your own through the Xbox Design Lab.
Microsoft is holding an Xbox Partner Preview event on Wednesday. The 30-minute broadcast will include “more than a dozen new trailers,” for new and upcoming games from publishers like Capcom, Nexon, EA, and others. Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, and The First Berserker: Khazan will all be part of the preview. The event will be broadcast on Twitch and YouTube on March 6th at 10AM PT / 1PM ET / 6PM UK.
Microsoft is selling a limited edition SpongeBob SquarePants Xbox Series X console later this week. The “limited supply” console will be available at Best Buy on March 7th, priced at $699. It comes with a digital download of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 and a custom Xbox controller featuring SpongeBob, Squidward, Gary, and Mr. Krabs. Microsoft usually creates custom consoles for giveaways, so this is a rare opportunity to actually buy a custom Xbox Series X for the inflated price of $699.
Reddit users spotted a new “Unknown App” on SteamDB. They largely supposed it’s the Creations update that brings stuff like mod tools.
That seems likelier than the mystery app being the Shattered Space DLC, given the developer’s December blog post saying Creations is coming “early next year,” while only giving Shattered a broader “next year” timeframe.
In countries like Argentina, where physical games are exorbitantly expensive, services like Game Pass present a more affordable — but flawed — alternative.
Celebrating 20 years of Xbox is a full and detailed history of the original Xbox. The Kickstarter project already had a first limited run and now it’s back for second print run. There are more than 360 pages detailing the timeline of every game released on the original Xbox, and contributions from “Founding Father of Xbox” Ed Fries, Xbox community members, and even a section on Xbox Live from yours truly. You can back the Kickstarter project right here.
Pentiment, previously an Xbox-exclusive game from Microsoft-owned Obsidian Entertainment, launched on PS5 last week running at 120fps. The Xbox version of the game is locked to 60fps, leading to a weird situation where a PS5 version of an Xbox game actually runs better than the Xbox version — even though it’s a 2D game. Thankfully it’s just a bug, so a 120fps mode is coming to Pentiment on Xbox “in the next patch.”
