-
October 27, 2017
Gears of War 4 is set to receive a rather hefty patch that'll include a range of improvements aimed towards Xbox One X users. These improvements are all changes to the graphical appearance and overall frame performance of the game.
The update is completely free, but it won't offer any benefits for those not using the Xbox One X.
To begin with, the new Xbox One X improvements for Gears of War 4 will allow players to play the game in true 4K (3840 x 2160). Players will have the option to choose between different visual modes, but even 1080P is said to have a significant graphics boost.
There will also be two different rendering modes players can choose from. Players can either go into Performance mode or Visuals mode. On Performance mode, the game will be capped at 1080P resolution, but frame rate will be higher and will reach 60 frames per second.
With the Visuals mode, players can choose to use 4K resolution and 30FPS. These changes will only be apparent in Campaign
-
October 06, 2017
If you're hoping to play Playerunknown's Battlegrounds on your PS4, we have some good and bad news for you today.
First things first, it's been confirmed that Battlegrounds developer Bluehole has set up an exclusivity deal with Microsoft. Bluehole is also interested in bringing Battlegrounds to the PS4 after this exclusivity period runs out.
Bluehole is apparently in talks with Sony to make this happen. So far, this is the good news that has come out of a recent report that shares some insider details on the Xbox exclusivity deal.
The bad news is that Bluehole and Microsoft have been in further talks to essentially lengthen the exclusivity deal for PUBG. This would mean that Battlegrounds would stay exclusive to the Xbox One and the PC for longer than previously planned.
According to a report by Bloomberg, anonymous individuals, who have chosen to keep their identity private, were present during talks between Microsoft and Bluehole. There was a discussion in
-
September 10, 2017
While content updates for Halo 5 stopped some time ago, new balancing changes will be making their way to Halo 5 soon.
The new balancing changes will bring a huge overhaul to the different weapons players can use in Halo 5. Many players are speculating that the balance changes are a method for 343 Industries to test the waters with changes that they may bring to Halo 6 when it finally launches.
After 2 years of data to go through, those at 343 Industries that are still working on Halo 5 have decided on a new plan of action for the weapon mechanics in Halo 5: Guardians.
The 343 team warned that not everybody will like the changes, but they think the balancing is for the best.
"With a game and community as varied and nuanced as Halo 5, it's just not going to be possible to make everyone totally happy all of the time. Some folks may not like certain changes, while others may think some of these changes are great."
A total of twelve weapons will be getting
-
September 05, 2017
If you haven't played Playerunknown's Battlegrounds yet, chances are you've at least heard of it. The game has quickly become the most played Steam title on PC. Recently, Battlegrounds managed to overtake Dota 2, the reigning Steam champ.
Battlegrounds hit a peak of 877,000 players earlier this month. With these stats, it narrowly outperformed Dota 2 for both peak player and concurrent player numbers.
Since the inception of Dota 2 on Steam, not a single game has managed to consistently stay as high in the charts as Battlegrounds has. Over the last few years, very few gameplay titles have managed to get past Dota 2, either. This is partially due to the fact that Dota 2 is a free-to-play MOBA title, just like League of Legends. It's also due to the fact that Steam's company, Valve, has developed the game.
The closest game to compete with Dota 2 is Valve's other game Counter Strike: Global Offensive. A game currently retailing for around $10.
The recent stats are
-
August 22, 2017
A brand new Xbox One S bundle has been showcased and it features a Minecraft themed skin for the console and the controller.
The Xbox One S console itself has been coated with a skin that mimics the pattern of a dirt block in Minecraft. Once standing up, the dirt section of the block can be seen at the bottom, with a small layer of green pixelated grass at the top.
The controller has been themed to look like a Creeper. The controller itself is almost entirely covered in the famous green pixel Creeper pattern. The front-facing buttons feature a green color scheme, while the bumpers, triggers, and sides are black.
A Creeper face can be seen in the center of the controller, with the Xbox Guide button directly above it.
Recently, Mojang has worked closely with Microsoft to bring all versions of Minecraft together within the single 'better together' update. With this, all Minecraft players can play with each other, regardless of what platform they are using.
-
August 02, 2017
A brand new update has landed for Gears of War 4 and it adds two new maps and a number of other changes. Learn about the new features in Gears of War 4 below.
First things first, let's talk about the new maps that have made their way to Gears of War 4 in the new August update. The first map is Canals. This is the return of a classic. The map features three bridges that cross over a small canal. The map itself is quite small, and players will best remember it for the Longshot spawn that is available at the very center of the map.
In fact, Canals is all about sniping. The three bridges create three lanes for snipers to aim down - getting hold of a sniper on this map will be very useful. It's the sniper's dream.
The next map is Forge Blitz - this is an even tighter and more fast paced version of the original Forge map. A few changes have been made to the original version of Forge to make Forge Blitz flow much better. You'll be in the action within seconds after spawning,
-
July 19, 2017
Two more games have been listed as 4K supported titles for those that pick up the Xbox One X.
The new games include The Evil Within 2, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. If you visit the Xbox Games Store link for either of these two games, you'll now notice a number of logos to showcase their 4K support.
These logos include "Xbox One X Enhanced," "HDR," and "4K Ultra HD" and are often used on games that have had texture reworks for the Xbox One X.
With The Evil Within 2 and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus joining the Xbox One X launch party, the list of games with Xbox One X and 4K support is starting to grow.
Other games recently announced for Xbox One X include the unreleased Crackdown 3, Assassin's Creed: Origins, Forza Horizon 7, and Sea of Thieves.
A number of developers and publishers have teamed up with Microsoft to launch 4K support for their existing games, as well.
Some of these upgrades to existing games include Gears of War 4, Forza
-
May 09, 2017
Forza has always been at the brink of racing realism, but the upcoming Hot Wheels expansion takes a very quick turn away from what most Forza players may be used to. Quite frankly, we think it looks pretty exciting.
In the upcoming Forza Horizon 3 Hot Wheels expansion, players will be able to unlock and play a number of Hot Wheels style cars and race on a number of race tracks inspired by some of the most iconic Hot Wheels sets of yesteryear.
Yes, that does mean you'll be able to race through bright orange loop-the-loops and all sorts of other physics defying twists and turns. Here's a description from the developers of the upcoming expansion:
"Forza Horizon 3 Hot Wheels takes players to six new themed islands located off the coast of Australia; all connected by a network of Hot Wheels tracks -- positioned hundreds of feet in the air -- featuring classic Hot Wheels configurations like loops, corkscrews, and more. This is stunt driving at its most extreme, where
-
April 12, 2017
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is now available on the Xbox One via backwards compatibility. The news hit via an announcement post on the Xbox news website.
The new Black Ops 2 backwards compatible version is free to everybody that already owns the physical or digital version of Black Ops 2 on Xbox 360. If players do not own Black Ops 2, they can now purchase a digital copy for their Xbox One from the Xbox Games Store.
Currently, the digital copy of Black Ops 2 on the Xbox One is on sale with a 60% discount for those with Xbox Live Gold and a 50% discount for those who do not have an active Gold subscription. The sale will continue until April 17.
Unsurprisingly, the newly available backwards compatible Black Ops 2 has brought thousands of Xbox One players back to the title. With recent numbers, it looks as if the new Black Ops 2 player base may even surpass the current Infinite Warfare player base. It's great to see the Xbox One backwards compatibility program grow to support
-
April 05, 2017
A brand new Xbox One Insider update showcases some of the new upcoming features we can expect for the Xbox One, including a brand new Copilot controller mode.
The new Copilot controller mode will allow players to assign two controllers to a single control input. This opens up the opportunity for better accessibility for those with disabilities or better support for parent-child gameplay.
Here's an example of the Copilot controller mode in action: A parent can switch on copilot mode while watching their child play the new Yooka Laylee game. The parent can spectate, but when the child comes across a part they're finding too difficult, the parent can jump in to help with their own controller. Both the parent's controller and the child's controller will be able to control the characters in Yooka Laylee.
Alternatively, if a user has a disability that makes it difficult for them to access all of the buttons on a single controller at once, they now have the option to split