-
February 14, 2020
When it launches later this year, the Xbox Series X Console’s next-gen first-party games will work with the company’s Xbox One iterations, at least for the console’s first year.
The announcement was made by Microsoft’s Matt Booty, who said that the goal is to make players who invested in the Xbox One platform recently to feel like they’ve gotten a good value. This is a particularly customer-friendly move by Microsoft, who seems to be learning from the mistakes they made with the XB1 to start the generation.
Speaking about the decision Booty said, “As our content comes out over the next year, two years, all of our games, sort of like PC, will play up and down that family of devices. We want to make sure that if someone invests in Xbox between now and [Series X] that they feel that they made a good investment and that we’re committed to them with content.”
We don’t have a full list of Microsoft’s titles being developed for the
-
February 14, 2020
While the likes of Twitch and Mixer are the big-boys of the spectator based streaming platforms, YouTube TV has lagged behind a bit. The company is looking to rectify this with the signing of three big-name streamers to exclusive content deals.
Lannan “LazarBeam” Eacott, Elliott “Muselk” Watkins and Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter were each signed to the deals, which will see them creating content through the YouTube Gaming and YouTube brands. The three gamers have more than 21 million subscribers between them, while also holding large audiences on other platforms.
-
October 25, 2019
Various game journalists and internet media influencers have gotten their hands on the Xbox Elite Series 2 controller, and thus far it seems like they’re quite impressed with the tech.
We wouldn’t call the Elite Series 2 the best Xbox Controller (we’re a bit biased as we love our products that improve upon the console manufacturer's official offerings), but it does appear to be a quality product. Microsoft has improved on the first Elite, bringing more options for players to customize their experience. The build quality is top-notch for a major game company, and the device ships with a case, multiple pads, a charging dock, and is USB-C compatible.
Reviewers seem to feel that the build quality of the controller is high, with the device feeling nice in the player’s hands. The customizable options on the controller also have been well-received as the different stick sizes and tension can be adjusted. We’re going to be offering day-one mods on the Elite Series 2, giving you even
-
October 25, 2019
Microsoft has the upcoming release of their new Elite Series 2 Controller, and we can’t wait to get to work to begin improving on the gaming giant’s design.
The Series 2 controller launches on November 4th, and will be shipping with the new adjustable thumb stick tension, hair triggers, and has re-engineered components that aim to improve upon the already great Elite controller. The controller will come with multiple thumb sticks, including standard, classic, tall, and wide dome as well as 2 sets of D-pads. A USB-C cable will also be included, which will provide fast charging through the included dock. Of course, a carrying case is also available.
We’re going to be offering a send-in service for this new Elite controller, so if you get your hands on one early, feel free to send it in. We’re going to be able to make a series of different mods to make things even better, including fine-tuning things to give you the advantage when you’re playing online or in an eSports competition.
-
October 24, 2019
The Xbox brand has put out a very cool YouTube video where they showcase every single Xbox One Controller ever made, and it made us think about how great these controllers have been over the past six years.
The video can be found here:
The video prominently features Xbox designers Monique Chatterjee and Carl Ledbetter, as they go through the series of different controller styles that led up to the eventual final Xbox One controller, and then show us the different color schemes that have been offered over the years.
The different categories of a controller shown off in the video include:
• Family Controllers
• Bundle Series
• Color Series
• Design Lab
• Forces Series
• Shadow Series
• Tech Series
• Sport Series
• Phantom Series
• Game Inspired Series
• Elite -
September 28, 2019
On the same day that Sony held their “State of Play” event for the PlayStation brand, Microsoft held their “Inside Xbox” presentation, which showed off new games and features coming to the platform.
The event showed off new games that are coming to the Game Pass service, including Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Jump Force, Lego Worlds, Saints Row 4, Bad North, Dirt Rally, and Cities: Skylines. The Game Pass app is also getting a new interface, and there will also be a slew of new indie games that’ll be offered on the platform.
On the streaming front, Microsoft announced that they’re accepting applications from gamers to beta test their Project xCloud service, which will let players in the US, UK, or South Korea, the chance to stream Halo 5, Gears 5, Sea of Thieves, and Killer Instinct from the cloud. Users will have to have an Android device to stream to as well as a Bluetooth compatible Xbox One controller in order to participate.
New hardware bundles were also
-
August 03, 2019
Renowned streamer Ninja has announced that he’s decided to stop streaming on Twitch and will be moving to Microsoft owned Mixer on an exclusive basis.
Ninja posted a video where he had a faux press conference, announcing that he’s moving to Mixer, which has lagged behind competition like Twitch and YouTube since it launched four years ago with the name Beam. Microsoft bought into Mixer in 2017 and has been putting in the work to make it a formidable competitor to the above services.
Ninja had the title of largest streamer on Twitch, having 14 million followers and peaking at 130,000 peak visitors. He’s since been usurped by other players, but still was among the top names on the platform.
The first stream from Ninja did on Mixer was on August 2nd and took place live from Lollapalooza and had more than 80,000 viewers concurrently. He also has generated more than 300,000 followers as of press time. While these numbers don’t hold a candle to his Twitch numbers, they’re
-
July 19, 2019
If previous entries are any indication, a Gears 5 controller could be coming with the game’s launch on September 10th, 2019.
We’re eagerly anticipating a new controller, as we’ve been developing Gears of War controllers since the release of Gears of War 3, and we’ve been jacked about the different designs that the team at Microsoft has come up with over the years. Even though nothing has been officially announced yet, you can just about guarantee that there’ll be new hardware launching alongside the newest game.
If you’ve been sleeping through the last release, we’ve been hard at work making the perfect Gears of Wars controllers over the past few years. Our current Xbox One Master Mod has several mods that are ideal as Gears of War mods include: Rapid Fire, Active Reload, Custom Active Reload, Auto Chainsaw, and Auto Mark. While not approved for eSports events, they give you the edge you need at the time you need it when you play online. Needless to say, we’re going to be
-
June 08, 2019
Microsoft is expected to showcase their next-generation Xbox console during their E3 briefing this Sunday.
The company is widely expected to reveal new hardware this Sunday, with a design, specs, and price point all likely to be shared. Players are anticipating the next generation of console hardware, as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 both launched back in 2014, and customers want the top of the line hardware.
Microsoft has begun diversifying to offer their brand as a service, as their upcoming xCloud project will allow for game streaming. They’re expected to have multiple consoles for the next generation: one that’s powerful and capable of providing 4K gaming, and one that’s not as powerful but will leverage the xCloud to play games. Needless to say, the latter will require a good internet to have a stable experience.
Sony has dominated the current generation, with the PS4 selling more than 97 million units. This comes in comparison
-
May 22, 2019
This past week gaming giants Microsoft and Sony announced that they’re coming together to work on “new innovations to enhance customer experiences.” The agreement is leading to speculation that the two groups will be developing some form of cross-play solution for the next generation of game consoles.
The two groups released a joint press release where they announced that the two standoffish companies will indeed be coming together, at least in a limited capacity. The press release reads: “Under the memorandum of understanding signed by the parties, the two companies will explore joint development of future cloud solutions in Microsoft Azure to support their respective game and content-streaming services.
“In addition, the two companies will explore the use of current Microsoft Azure datacenter-based solutions for Sony’s game and content-streaming services. By working together, the companies aim to deliver more enhanced entertainment experiences for their worldwide customers.