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May 27, 2014
Microsoft has just announced a whole list of changes to their Xbox Live service that will completely overhaul the overall experience for their average user. One of the biggest changes in this new move by Microsoft will allow gamers who make use of quarterly or yearly Xbox Live Gold subscriptions to receive refunds for any time they did not make use of on their Xbox.
If an Xbox Live Gold user cancels their yearly or monthly subscription, they will receive a refund for the remaining time available on that subscription, which should then go into their Xbox Live account balance.
On top of the changes to subscriptions, Microsoft is working hard to remove any paywalls on their current entertainment offering. Whilst Xbox Live Gold will still be needed for online multiplayer, services like Hulu Plus and Netflix will now be accessible without an active Gold subscription.
These brand new Xbox Live changes will go live in June, and it's another portion of their efforts to make
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May 25, 2014
One of the biggest reasons many gamers have gone for the PlayStation 4 over the Xbox One is the price point; no matter how many discounts Microsoft have managed to put on their console, the PS4 has still remained the cheaper console, and this may have helped Sony to push a larger number of units.
However, the extra cost of the Xbox One isn't for nothing - the console comes packed with the Kinect, the motion sensing, speech detecting equipment that tin foil hat wearers claim spies on you whilst you eat your TV dinners.
Whether or not you're a fan of the Kinect really comes down to personal opinion. As far as I'm concerned, it's always felt like a bit of a gimmick and being forced to purchase the Kinect alongside the Xbox One is a move that certainly makes me route for the PlayStation 4.
It
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August 21, 2013
Well, well well, it looks as if Microsoft has completely made a turning point on their new Xbox One. Now, not only can you use the Xbox without a constant internet connection, but we can now play the next gen Xbox console without the kinect entirely.
This change has come about after privacy concerns were made public due to the worry that Microsoft or a malicious third party could sneak in and watch your living room at any time.
Coupled with the always on internet, an always 'kinected' camera could only spell trouble in the eyes of those that take care of their own privacy, but luckily all of the DRM features have been removed, and now the Kinect always-connected rule has been removed.
Currently there still isn't an Xbox One with a Kinect not included and Microsoft still believe strongly in the success of the party peripheral, but perhaps we'll see a cheaper SKU without the Kinect 2.0 bundled in the future.
For those already interested in getting a PS4, if you
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August 04, 2013
Although the Launch Edition of the Xbox One comes bundled with the Kinect 2.0, there wasn't an official confirmation whether the Xbox One would be released without the Kinect 2.0 or not within the future.
Microsoft has recently replied to concerns about the topic to state that "We have no plans to introduce an Xbox One without Kinect. We believe in Kinect and the value it brings to both games and entertainment, and believe $499 is a great value for what consumers receive with their Xbox One."
Rumors started to spread that Microsoft were going to release a console without the Kinect 2.0 as a Microsoft representative stated that the Xbox One does not need the Kinect 2.0 to run. Since then it seems that Microsoft has called this out as a typo and Microsoft has since backtracked to the previous announcement that the Kinect 2.0 is needed to allow the Xbox One to work.
Because of the added costs of the Kinect 2.0, the Xbox One costs
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July 28, 2013
If you've watched the E3 trailer for Dead Rising 3, you'll know that there is a lot to be excited about. For me, it would be one of the only games i'd want an Xbox One at launch for. The first two Dead Rising games were fun but the areas you roamed became a little dull after spending 10 odd hours within them.
It's good to know that Dead Rising 3 will have an open world that is capable of accommodating both the spaces within Dead Rising 1 and Dead Rising 2 combined. This also didn't account for the extra 'room to spare' on top of the space capable of accommodating the first two games Josh Bridge has talked about at this year's San Diego Comic Con.
Executive Produced of the series, Bridge also went on to discuss a few other things about Dead Rising 3 such as "an unmatched level of weapon and character customization, and immersive Xbox SmartGlass and Kinect integration, Dead Rising 3 delivers a heart-pounding experience unlike any other as players fight
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July 08, 2013
If you don't want to spend extra money on a headset after buying the Xbox One, you'll be happy to know that the Kinect will also back up as an alternative to the microphone/headset.
There's no official word on the quality of the Kinect microphone, and you'll have to listen to players through your TV unless you have a pair of compatible headphones when using the Kinect for voice chat.
The Kinect does include a 'wide array' of microphones though, so it'd be surprising if the call quality received from the Kinect was poor.
The official Xbox One is always up for grabs for those that don't like the openness of the Kinect microphone and TV speaker combo, and there are also many alternatives for better audio quality including headset models from Turtle Beach specifically designed for the Xbox One.
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July 06, 2013
Unlike the Xbox 360, the Xbox One won't come with a headset, and you'll also have to separately buy other accessories if you want to get the most out of your Xbox One experience.
At launch, they'll be a few accessories available to you. Firstly, and probably the most needed accessory for those who want to be able to taunt the other team from the comfort of their sofa, is of course a headset.
The official Xbox One headset looks a lot like the current Xbox 360 headset- It has one thin headband that goes around the circumference of your head and then a simple microphone branching out from one side. The volume and mute buttons have been moved down to the port where the microphone will plug into the controller.
Alternatively, you could bag yourself a Turtle Beach headset- at launch Turtle Beach will have The EarForce XO Seven and the EarForce XO Four. Both headsets are of a much better quality than the Xbox One headset and they both include a decent
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August 20, 2012
Next-Gen Kinect Rumors
Hey there guys! There are new job listings popping up that indicate that Microsoft might be really amping the development for their next-gen Kinect. For example this is a section from a job listing for a software development engineer, "the team that shipped Kinect for Xbox 360" is seeking a candidate to work on "the future of Natural User Input."
The same job listing later states, "The Xbox Platform Team is gearing up towards the next generation of Natural User Interface (NUI) technologies." The job description also mentioned "rapid prototyping" and as a requirement "successful candidate must be able to come up to speed with new technologies".
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May 22, 2012
Gaming Controllers, Which Console Design is #1?
No doubt over the years we have seen companies like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo as the frontrunners in gaming, change their controllers or make new ones to help feed this era of technology driven individuals. After stumbling upon an article about which controller is the best, it came down to the Xbox 360 controller and the PS3 controller.
Over many years of trying to remodel their controllers, I do sincerely agree that the Xbox 360 and the PS3 controllers are the best that the market has to offer as of late. Which one is better, is
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February 29, 2012
Evil's Blog will be sharing customer emails with their names abbreviated for their privacy. These are real emails, real testimonials.
From: Jeff A@live.com
THANK YOU EVERY EVIL CONTROLLER STAFF I HAVE RECIVE MY CONTROLLER ON SATUADAY AND I LOVE ITTHANK YOU SO MUCH :))))