Smart Match and Game DVR will give console owners a new way of interacting with fellow gamers through social networking sites and Xbox Live using Xbox One, Microsoft announced today.
Using the Smart Match feature, Xbox One offers a new matchmaking system to multiplayer gaming that includes an advanced algorithm to pairs players on the basis of skill, language and reputation. Additionally, Xbox One offers a new alternative to matchmaking lobbies — Instead, console owners can play a game, watch TV or listen to music while they wait for a match to be found. Users can also favorite those matches to quickly find particular players to join up with.
On top of Xbox One's new matchmaking features, the player can make use of its Game DVR feature to save impressive moments throughout their...
The newly announced Xbox One console will instantly boot up from its rest state, Microsoft confirms.
According to the console maker, the new platform will instantly wake up "so it's always ready when you are." Users can also use the voice command "Xbox On," which will boot up the console and, according to Microsoft, can even turn on the user's TV.
Similarly, console owners can pause and resume games instantly, and both downloads and updates will be out of sight so the user won't need to wait to access other content.
Senior vice president for Microsoft's interactive entertainment business Yusuf Mehdi demonstrated the console's voice command features and during today's reveal. Switching between games, music and television on the platform was shown to take mere seconds using these...
Battlefield 4 will be released Oct. 29 on Windows PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and will also be available on Xbox One, publisher Electronic Arts announced today.
EA previously said that the game is also in development on PlayStation 4. The company gave no release window for the PS4 or Xbox One versions today.
All players who pre-order Battlefield 4 will receive the China Rising expansion pack, which includes four multiplayer maps set in mainland China. Those who pre-order the game's Origin-exclusive Digital Deluxe Edition — which will cost $69.99, $10 more than the standalone game — will also get bonus in-game items and access to the Battlefield 4 multiplayer beta. The beta will be available this fall; EA has already promised access to anybody who pre-ordered last year's Medal...
Activision shared a behind the scenes video for Call of Duty: Ghosts during Microsoft's Xbox One unveiling event, detailing the development ideology behind the company's next-gen Call of Duty title.
The video above shares more details on the development of the game's plot and characters, as well as information on features new to the franchise such as dynamic maps and the ability to have a dog as a squad mate.
A teaser trailer for the game leaked earlier this morning prior to the Xbox One announcement, but has since been taken down. The full trailer from Microsoft's presentation is available here.
Call of Duty: Ghosts will launch on Nov. 5 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U and Windows PC. The game will hit Xbox One at an unspecified date and will receive all downloadable content...
The first unveil video for Xbox One gives a closer look at the console, new Kinect sensor, Xbox One controller and additional features including a personalized homescreen, live TV and Skype.
The latest console is being described as an all-in-one entertainment system that combines gaming, music, films and television which can be switched between through voice recognition and gestures.
This morning, in a tent built atop a soccer field in Redmond, Wash., Microsoft unveiled its newest game console. Unlike rumors suggested, it's called Xbox One. It's Microsoft's latest step in turning its consoles into entertainment hubs, coming at an unspecified price and date later this year.
Like Sony with PlayStation 4 and Nintendo with Wii U, Microsoft is preparing to enter a market much different than the one it did last generation — and for Microsoft, that was eight years ago. This time around, there's new competition from companies like Apple, Valve, Facebook, Samsung, Ouya and many others. It's no longer a question of whether Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo will come out on top, but if traditional game consoles themselves will in the face of a more spread-out market.
M...
All games for Microsoft's Xbox One must first be installed onto the console's HDD before they can be played, according to a report from Wired.
Wired reports that game discs must first be installed onto the Xbox One and, if owners want to use the disc with a second account, that owner would be given the option to pay a fee and install the game from the disc. This suggests that, once installed, games may no longer require their discs.
It is unclear whether this means Xbox One will support used games and what this means for users who rent games or lend them to friends.
Current-gen consoles like the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 support used games, which make up a significant portion of retail game sales.
While competitor Sony is yet to confirm whether the PlayStation 4 will support used...
The newly announced Xbox One will not require a constant Internet connection for single-player gaming as was previously rumored, Microsoft announced today
While an "Always On" function isn't a requirement, a connection is still necessary for streaming and accessing multiplayer through the new console.
"Gamers can calm down," said Microsoft's Don Mattrick during today's event, "we got you covered."
However, Xbox One will offer game developers the ability to use its Azure cloud computing service throughout development, according to Wired. This way developers can rely on the cloud — as opposed to the Xbox One hardware — when necessary. Doing so would indeed result in the need for an online connection.
Prior to Microsoft's official announcement of the next-generation Xbox, reports...
Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Ghosts will make the game world a character, according to executive producer Mark Rubin.
Speaking to Polygon, Rubin said that when the studio set out to make the game — long before it decided what the game was going to be or what it would be called — it asked itself what would happen if the game world was a character rather than just an environment where battles take place.
"What if the world actually affects the player, and the state of the world directly affects the player from a story standpoint?" Rubin said. "A character means someone who has a material effect on your emotional state within the game, and I think a lot of what we've done — especially in Modern Warfare 3 — started to hit on that. You saw your hometown getting destroyed, so...
Halo 4 developer 343 Industries is collaborating with director Steven Spielberg to create a Halo live-action television series, studio boss Bonnie Ross announced today at the Xbox One reveal.
Taking the stage with Nancy Tellem, the entertainment and digital media president of Microsoft, Ross said that 343 Industries looks forward to merging "the storytelling magic of television with the interactive innovation of Xbox One."
In a video broadcast during the Xbox One reveal, Steven SpPielberg said: "For me the Halo universe is an amazing opportunity to be at that intersection where technology and myth-making meet to create something really groundbreaking."
Microsoft's Xbox One will use Skype for group video calls and can be controlled used voice commands, the company announced at the console's unveiling event today.
Skype will be available in widescreen HD, and users will be able to do group video calls on their TV. Users can use the new "Snap" mode in Skype as well and use the Kinect's voice commands to operate it. Users will also be able to multitask when using Skype, and can call make calls through the service while playing a game. Skype can pop up in any application at any time, and will make use of the Kinect's 1080p video for video calls.
"Only on Xbox One will you be able to do group video calls on your TV," said Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi.
Microsoft's Don Mattrik told Polygon that Skype's role with Xbox One is "gonna be friggen...
A teaser trailer for Call of Duty: Ghosts leaked online this morning, giving viewers a glimpse at the next installment in the franchise.
The trailer leaked ahead of Microsoft's event unveiling the company's next generation Xbox, and is punctuated with explosions and brief glimpses of what may be the title's protagonists.
"Soldiers stand against their enemies," narrates a deep voice. "The ghosts help them."
The trailer ends with an Xbox logo and the words "Xbox," suggesting the game's release on the next-gen console.
Update: The leaked teaser trailer has been taken down. The full trailer from Microsoft's presentation can be watched here.
The Music Room, a music-focused channel exclusive to Xbox, is headed to Europe May 29, according to the first episode posted above.
The Music Room will feature interviews with musicians, live performances and interactive polls, reminiscent of Microsoft's Election 2012 hub on Xbox Live. By voting with their controllers, viewers will be able to shape the content of the show. As an example, the video above shows how viewers could decide decide what host Laura Jackson will do next - play Dance Central 3, sneak into soundcheck or nose around backstage.
The first live episode will air at 8:30 U.K. time on May 29 and include interviews and performances from Carl Barat, Everything Everything, Don Broco and Swim Deep.
What if BioShock Infinite ended differently — and its characters ended up on a reality show?
Proceed with caution: this video contains some pretty heavy spoilers.
In yet another parallel universe, Booker and Elizabeth are living a not-so-peaceful life in the suburbs, attempting to heal from their ordeal in Columbia. Booker struggles to have normal interactions with his neighbors, deal with rebellious Elizabeth — whose relationship with Songbird has become somewhat different — and struggle to cope with himself. Literally.
Timtimfed's Michael Shanks' reimagining of BioShock Infinite's conclusion takes some of the most dangerous elements of Irrational Games' tale and warps them into something hilarious. Shanks' YouTube channel also features several other video game-themed videos,...
After months of speculation and rumors, Microsoft will finally pull the tarp off its next-generation Xbox. If you're wondering where to be on that day, wonder no more. Polygon and The Verge will be teaming up with live video shows before and after the Microsoft press conference. Hosted by Polygon's Justin McElroy and The Verge's Joshua Topolsky, the shows will bring you all the latest news as it happens, with live reports from our reporters on the ground at Microsoft's campus in Redmond, Wash.
Once the press conference starts, we'll be streaming it here, but we'll also have a live blog hitting all the major news.
Here's the schedule of events, so you know just when to be glued to your computer:
12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. PT - Polygon + The Verge Xbox Reveal Pre-Show
1 p.m. ET / 10...
An itinerary sheet made available to Polygon for today's Xbox reveal boasts an afternoon architectural panel as well as a four hour-long lab tour and "interactive experience."
Starting at 10 a.m. PT, Microsoft promises an hour-long presentation titled Xbox: A New Generation Revealed at the Xbox Campus. At noon, this is followed by a 45- minute-long "architectural panel," before lab tours and "interactive experiences" begin at 1 p.m. PT.
Check out the images below for the full lineup of events taking place today at its Redmond, Wash., headquarters.
Polygon and The Verge will be teaming up with live video shows before and after the Microsoft press conference, beginning tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. ET. Hosted by Polygon's Justin McElroy and The Verge's Joshua Topolsky, the shows will bring...
Indie developer LabZeroGames' 2D fighting title Skullgirls will be released in Japanese arcades according to an image posted online listing the title for arcade launch.
Skullgirls, which was released on the Japanese PlayStation Network in February, will be brought to arcades by network system NesicaxLive, a platform used to run video games on arcade machines. LabZeroGames' CEO Peter Bartholow took to NeoGAF to confirm the game would be hitting Japanese arcades and to express his excitement.
"We are stupidly excited for this, just because I can't think of a single other non-Japanese dev that can say they have a game out in Japanese arcades," he wrote.
Bartholow also confirmed the arcade port is behing handled by a Japanese developer and should include the five new characters funded...
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 developer Treyarch is asking players to vote on two new personalization packs to become available in the Xbox 360 edition of the game.
Starting May 23, users can vote on two of the four pack options — each of which includes a new weapon camo, three reticles and a calling card. The packs that receive the most votes by May 28 will be made available on the in-game store on May 29.
The four options include a retro-comic influenced weapons camo, a neon-striped "Cyborg" camo, a personalized "dragon" weapon featuring reptilian scales and a gruff and armored "Paladin" camo. Images of each are available on the official One of Swords website.
Users can begin voting this week directly from within the Black Ops 2 Message of the Day on Xbox 360.
We got personal with Batman: Arkham Origins and creative director Eric Holmes to chat about what the game borrows from previous Batman Arkham games and what it does new. We learned how Media Molecule's Tearaway will make use of the PlayStation Vita's rear touchpads — and Pinterest. Sony shared a teaser video for the PlayStation 4 hardware. EA Sports announced it will show "the next generation of FIFA" at Microsoft's event tomorrow, and Microsoft trademarked something called "Forzavista."
Batman: Arkham Origins — the lessons learned from City and Asylum
Tearaway makes smart use of PlayStation Vita's rear touch pad, Pinterest
Sony tantalizes with PS4 design tease, reveal coming at E3
Next-gen FIFA title will be shown tomorrow alongside the new Xbox
Microsoft trademarks...
The high-definition release of Resident Evil: Revelations will be expanded with three batches of downloadable content coming in June, one of which includes two characters, Rachel Ooze and Lady Hunk, playable in the game's Raid Mode.
The first batch of content will hit June 4 in the form of two DLC packs: Resistance Set and Enhancement Set. Each pack will be priced at 160 Microsoft Points/$1.99/€1.99 and contain six weapon upgrades.
The following week, Rachel Ooze and Lady Hunk — a female, shorts-wearing version of Umbrella Security Service Unit member Hunk, first playable in Resident Evil 2 — will be available for 240 Microsoft Points/$2.99/€2.99. Both will be playable in Revelations' Raid Mode. The still-human version of Rachel and original Hunk will be also be available in...
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