Tag Archives: microsoft

As part of Microsoft’s recent shift toward a more multiplatform approach with its first-party games, the console manufacturer has released Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush to the PlayStation 5. Next up is Sea of Thieves, with the team at Rare confirming cross-play, cross-progression, 120fps and more. Publishing an FAQ of sorts …

We've been hearing rumours about The Coalition's development plans for quite some time now. While a small, new IP was in development at one point, this was scrapped to focus all efforts on the next Gears of War game. Now, the time to reveal Gears 6 might be just around …

Ninja Theory co-founder, writer and director, Anteem Antoniades, has left the studio, ahead of the highly anticipated launch of Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2.  This move does not immediately spell cause for concern at Ninja Theory, as the studio is filled with many creative people, many of whom are currently leading …

Despite being by far the best selling videogame of all time, Minecraft has for the past 3 years been running on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S with last-gen equivalent settings. Following a stealth update to the Xbox’s beta release, Minecraft looks set to finally get official current-gen ports. …

We've been hearing about a new all-digital version of the Xbox Series X for a while now. While previous leaks pointed to a more comprehensive refresh, with an all-new design and 6nm chip at the centre, more recent photos point to a simpler design tweak, showing the Xbox Series X …

Toys For Bob have had an interesting few weeks. Following the completion of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, the studio announced their intentions to go independent. Microsoft obliged, though are still working with Toys For Bob on their next game. According to one insider, this game is Spyro 4. Releasing a …

Earlier this week, new rumours surfaced suggesting that Xbox is working on a new gaming handheld to rival systems like the Steam Deck and Windows-based alternatives. Having been down this road before, I didn't put much stock in those rumours. However, a newly published interview with Phil Spencer is making the Xbox handheld seem inevitable. 

Ray tracing has become a critical component in the gaming industry. However, this technology often comes at a severe performance cost, especially when GPUs have limited VRAM capacity. As a result, developers have been exploring ways to optimise ray tracing for GPUs with limited memory. Microsoft's new patent (via Tom's …

The handheld console market has been on the rise since the launch of the Nintendo Switch back in 2017. Things have improved further in the last couple of years thanks to the emergence of handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck. Now, after literal decades of handheld Xbox rumours, it …

Following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, one of the publisher’s dozen+ studios – Toys for Bob – expressed their desire to be independent. Microsoft obliged late last month, freeing the Crash/Spyro devs from their new owners. The positive outcome with Microsoft has now led to a 2nd-party relationship, …

Sea of Thieves will be one of the first titles from Xbox Games Studios to come to PlayStation – following in the footsteps of Pentiment and most-recently Hi-Fi RUSH. Ahead of this, the team at Rare have shared some of their plans for the game’s next 3 Seasons worth of …

Overwatch 2 has not had the best trajectory since its launch, with the free-to-play title losing many of its promised features over time. Following the announcement last year that one of the game’s primary selling points – its PvE campaign – was cancelled, its replacement is now reportedly also on …

Currently, developers have to implement DLSS, FSR and XeSS separately, a situation that can sometimes lead to one of the three major GPU upscalers being left out of a game. Soon, Microsoft will simplify the process with DirectSR, allowing developers to easily enable multiple upscaling technologies from multiple vendors for broader support.

Toys for Bob were one of Activision's hidden-gem studios, having done fantastic work on the Spyro and Crash Bandicoot remakes, before launching new games like Crash Bandicoot 4 and Crash Team Rumble. Now, following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision, as well as a round of layoffs, Toys for Bob is going …

Microsoft is gearing up for the Graphics Developer Conference (GDC), where it plans to make some exciting announcements. One of the primary focuses of the conference will be DirectSR, a new super-resolution technology that Microsoft is reportedly unveiling. DirectSR aims to establish a standardised solution for graphics cards operating at …

Sea of Thieves has proven to be one of Xbox’s most successful console exclusives. Launching all the way back in 2018, the game has gone from strength to strength, selling millions of copies on Steam alone and promising a decade’s worth of support from the team at Rare. Following reports …

Prior to Microsoft’s Xbox Business podcast (in which they revealed that 4 of the console’s titles would be going to other platforms), leaks and datamines suggested that Hi-Fi RUSH would be one of the games – and that it would come to PS5 and Nintendo Switch. The game has now …

Earlier this month, Microsoft confirmed plans to bring a few of its exclusive games to other platforms. We're getting four games in all, thought to be Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment and Grounded. To kick things off, Microsoft will be shipping both Pentiment and Grounded for Nintendo Switch.  As …

With the Switch soon to be on its way out, there remain a small number of Nintendo Directs left before focus shifts towards the company’s next generation device. With that, the Switch maker has now announced a 25-minute Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase – where we might see the official announcement …

We already know through court document leaks that Microsoft is already well into planning its next generation Xbox console. Surprisingly, Microsoft is now talking about its next-gen plans openly.  We should be at least four years away from the next console, according to documents leaked through the court system during …

Yesterday during the Official Xbox Podcast, Phil Spencer announced plans to bring four Xbox games to rival consoles. While this is happening, Xbox, PC and mobile will continue to be the only places with Xbox Game Pass access, and soon, Microsoft will finally start bringing Activision Blizzard titles over.  During …

Just as promised, today Microsoft uploaded the official Xbox podcast, with Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond and Matt Booty all sitting down to discuss 'updates on the Xbox business'. Ignoring how odd it is to see something like this from a console maker like Xbox, we do get some much needed clarifications on recent rumours. Kicking off with the games exclusivity discussion, Spencer confirms that four first-party Xbox games will be going to PlayStation and Nintendo. 

Microsoft releases new software updates for its Xbox consoles at a regular cadence, adding both small and large changes alike. February’s update is available now and brings with it some much needed new functionality – including a way to circumvent stick drift. Making the announcement on the Xbox blog, Jonathan …

We're still awaiting Xbox's ‘business update', during which Microsoft will make its plans for future multiplatform games clear, after a string of leaks and rumours sent Xbox fans into a furore last week. In the meantime, we're hearing more about discussions going on internally at Xbox, including assurances from higher-ups …

In recent years, upscaling features have become a staple for PC gamers, with many utilising DLSS, FSR or XeSS to save on performance. Now, Microsoft appears to be working on its own AI-assisted upscaling feature, which will come baked right into Windows.

Despite Microsoft already completing its acquisition of Activision Blizzard and has made many concessions to get the deal approved by regulators across the world, the FTC is still hoping to reverse the transaction. In its latest appeals letter, the FTC takes issue with the recent lay-offs announced at Activision Blizzard. …

Is Microsoft moving away from exclusive games and embracing multiplatform development? Phil Spencer responds to the latest rumours...

There has been a lot of drama around Xbox in recent days, as news broke that Microsoft is considering ditching game exclusives and moving towards multiplatform development. Microsoft hasn't addressed those rumours yet, but while we await an official response, the next batch of Game Pass titles have been announced. …

Microsoft going multiplatform could finally end the 'console war' for good and PC gamers stand the most to gain...

In recent weeks we have heard a great deal about Microsoft and their alleged plans to adopt a more multi-platform approach with their games. This was followed up by an update to Xbox exclusive Hi-Fi RUSH which seemed to suggest that the game would be coming to PlayStation. Now, thanks …