Tag Archives: microsoft

The DirectX 12 API has been around for most of the current gaming generation but as we look towards the future, an update is due. Today, Microsoft announced DirectX 12 Ultimate, labelling it as the “best graphics technology” it has put out to date, which also reaches an “unprecedented alignment” …

Last year, Microsoft introduced Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a new tier for the Game Pass subscription granting access to the Game Pass library across console and PC, as well as an Xbox Live Gold membership. Now as subscription services from other publishers continue to rise, Game Pass Ultimate is getting …

This week has been chock-full of next-generation console news. Not only have we seen detailed hardware spec reveals for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, but today Microsoft has also seemingly announced the launch date for its new console.  So far, Microsoft has maintained that Project Scarlett, now known …

It has taken almost five years but Microsoft has officially reached its goal of bringing Windows 10 to 1 billion devices. Initially, Microsoft planned to hit this milestone by 2018, but the lack of success for Windows Mobile slowed that progress down significantly.  With mobile out of the equation, Microsoft's …

Microsoft has unleashed a ton of information on Xbox Series X hardware specifications and performance capabilities today but that's not all. Two demo videos have also been released, showing off the traditional performance boost enabled by the custom 1TB NVMe SSD, including much faster load times and near-instant suspension and …

Back when the Xbox One X was making its way on to the market, the folks at Digital Foundry were given an early look at the specs and capabilities of Microsoft's mid-gen refresh system. Now as we head towards the launch of Xbox Series X, history is repeating itself, with …

Though E3 2020 has been cancelled, console manufacturers and publishers will still be hosting events around June. In the wake of the cancellation, Microsoft and Ubisoft have both announced their plans for Summer’s announcements, stating that their traditional press conferences will instead be replaced by digital events – though no …

We heard the rumours yesterday, but it's now official as E3 2020 has been cancelled...

With GDC 2020 being cancelled, March was in danger of being a relatively quiet month for next-gen gaming news. Fortunately, Microsoft is opting to host all of the panels, talks and announcements it had lined up as part of its own livestream.  Today, Microsoft announced ‘Game Stack Live', which is …

Microsoft has been steadily adding titles to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service. The console manufacturer has now announced which games will be joining the service in the first half of March for both PC and Xbox. The titles include first-party additions such as ‘Ori and the Will of the …

With the release of the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X, the concept of the ‘pro patch’ was introduced. These patches were released by developers and were introduced in order to allow older games to take advantage of the higher-end console hardware. Thanks to Phil Spencer, we now know …

A few days ago, Microsoft announced a number of details and Specs for the Xbox Series X. It seems they weren’t done announcing new features however, as it was revealed that the Series X will allow you to continue playing where you left off even after the console has been …

Just a few days ago, it was announced that GDC was still planned to go ahead in early March despite increasing concerns around the coronavirus. At this point, Sony, Oculus, Capcom, Square Enix, Capcom, EA and more have all pulled out and this week, Microsoft, CD Projekt Red and Unity …

Project xCloud is Microsoft’s cloud streaming service which allows players to stream Xbox titles directly to their phones or tablets. The service is currently in Preview with access available only through invites, but despite this new titles are being added on a regular basis. The the latest set of games …

Ever thought the Windows 10 desktop was looking a little tired or drab? Well, Microsoft obviously thinks so since the company announced this week that it is updating the appearance of the Windows 10 desktop with new icons. Since Windows 10 launched it has featured icons that were a bit …

As we approach late February, Microsoft is giving us updates on the Xbox Game Pass library for both PC and console. Not only do we have a decent list of games arriving on the service, we unfortunately have news on some titles leaving, including a few big games from the …

While we have been expecting next-gen consoles to arrive in 2020 for a long time, we did not expect such early announcements from both Sony and Microsoft. The next-gen Xbox and PlayStation consoles were confirmed in late 2019 and it would seem these early reveals are having a pretty major …

Microsoft has been testing its Project xCloud streaming service on Android devices for quite some time already. We know that Windows 10 PCs are going to get access to the beta at some point in early 2020 and now, iOS testing has also officially begun.  Unfortunately, due to Apple's limitations …

Last night during Samsung Unpacked, not only did the Galaxy S20 series get unveiled, but Samsung also took another step towards establishing itself in the gaming market. Samsung is partnering up with Microsoft, which will see new games and services like Project xCloud launch on Samsung devices. Few details were …

With 2020 well under way, it’s not too long before we start to look ahead at E3 and what it has in store for the gaming industry. Though we already know that Sony won’t be present at the expo, and Microsoft has reaffirmed its commitment to the show, E3’s 2020 …

While Xbox Game Pass is a great deal for consumers, there are still questions around how subscription services impact new games. Publishers that have been through the process themselves aren't entirely certain themselves, including Take-Two, with its CEO not quite knowing what to make of The Outer Worlds' launch on …

Microsoft had one particularly exciting announcement towards the end of last year- the Surface Duo, a long rumoured Surface-branded smartphone. Microsoft's return to the smartphone market is a dual-screen, foldable phone that doubles as a small tablet. Better yet, Microsoft is embracing Android rather than a mobile version of Windows. …

A few months ago, head of Xbox Phil Spencer stated in an interview that VR wasn’t a focus for the console manufacturer, and that Xbox is “responding to what our customers are asking for and… nobody’s asking for VR”. Since then, Spencer has returned to clarify the situation, claiming that …

We already know that Microsoft plans to continue competing in the console hardware space with the Xbox Series X, but services and more specifically, cloud gaming, are becoming increasingly bigger areas of focus. With that in mind, Phil Spencer is eyeing up competition from the likes of Google and Amazon, …

Microsoft continues to add new titles to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service, increasing the value of the service as time goes on. The company has now announced which games will be coming to the service during the first part of February – with more to be added later in …

Platinum Games has managed to remain independent for years now while delivering solid action games like Bayonetta and Nier Automata. Last year, the studio went on a fundraising spree to gain support for new projects. While it didn't come to fruition, the studio was apparently in talks to join Microsoft's …

One of the bigger disappointments back at the start of this console generation was the lack of support for 60 frames per second gameplay. The situation improved once the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X came out, but weak CPUs continued to hold frame rates back. While developers won't be …

Over the last few weeks, we've been learning a lot more about the upcoming next-gen consoles from Sony and Microsoft. The Xbox Series X is particularly interesting, as it is expected to be the high-end version of two new Xbox consoles. Now, some new details have come out about the …

On the 14th of January 2020, Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 7, meaning no future updates or patches were supposed to come out unless you paid the hefty fee for Extended Security Updates. Microsoft had to quickly go back on this though, as the final Windows 7 update introduced …

Instead of rushing to be the first on the market, Microsoft has been taking its time with Project xCloud, slowly inviting more and more users to test the service with access to a library of playable games. Project xCloud got a big games library boost in late 2019 and now, …