Enthusiasm about the Microsoft Andromeda folding Surface tablet may have been premature, with new whispers suggesting a 2018 release simply isn't going to happen. Chatter around Microsoft's bold new hardware had gained pace over the past few months, with the Windows 10 based device said to be positioned as a disruptor to both the smartphone and laptop segments.
July is literally less than a day away now, which means Xbox Live Gold subscribers are about to have several new games to add to their collection for free. Microsoft has just announced the lineup of titles included in the Games with Gold program for July 2018, consisting of two Xbox One games and two Xbox 360 games, as usual, with the latter two titles also playable on the Xbox One hardware thanks to backwards compatibility.
If the Microsoft Surface "pocketable" device Andromeda really was meant to be pocket-friendly, could it take on Galaxy Note 9? Imagine Microsoft came seemingly out of nowhere with a device as elegant and simple as the design you see above - that's the "Andromeda" device that leaked (again) earlier today. What would Samsung do? They'd have to go back and check up on their Galaxy X, for starters.
The much-rumored Microsoft Andromeda dual-screen folding tablet will launch as a "pocketable Surface," according to the latest leak. Andromeda first broke cover amid the rumor mill last year, as a new Windows 10 device that would build on cutting-edge hardware and software development within the company.
Ever since Halo first arrived on the scene back in 2001, there have been repeated talks of movies and TV shows that haven't really gone anywhere. 17 years later, that's all changing, as Showtime has ordered 10 episodes of a new drama based on Microsoft's massive gaming franchise. It seems that, at long last, Halo will be making the jump to the world of entertainment with this series.
It’s almost embarrassing, at least for Microsoft, that Apple would be at the forefront of pushing new standards like USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 while its premier flagship computers obstinately remain in the recent past. Admittedly, there are business reasons for doing clinging to USB-A and DisplayPorts but Microsoft seems to have intentionally missed the USB-C boat even in its latest Surface Pro and Surface Laptop. It promised to dangle a dongle in front of USB-C lovers and that promise is nearly fulfilled. USB-C lovers, however, would probably feel insulted rather than assured.
It might not be much longer before we see actual keyboard and mouse support for the Xbox One. Gamers, of course, have been asking for mouse and keyboard support on the console for quite some time, and a new leak suggests that Microsoft has at least been entertaining the idea. It's teamed up with Razer to explore the possibilities too, something that suggests mouse and keyboard compatibility could actually happen.
Microsoft and Nintendo are throwing a jab at Sony with a newly launched video that promotes cross-play between the Xbox One and Switch consoles. The issue of cross-play made its way back into public discourse with the launch of a Fortnite on Switch port, specifically the fact that PS4 players can't use their Fortnite accounts on other platforms.
Microsoft has updated its Bing mobile apps for iOS and Android with new visual search capabilities. This tool is powered by artificial intelligence, which enables the user to snap an image of an object, then get information about that object through a Bing search. At no point does the user have to input text, helping for those times when you don't have quite the right words to search.
The Sony PlayStation might be getting a lot of flak lately over its Fortnite cross-play snub, but PS fans can now gloat over the Xbox rivals over one aspect. The PlayStation has its own VR system and, if things continue as they are now, the Xbox won’t. Microsoft is now practically going back on its own marketing that plays up the Xbox One X as being capable of “high-fidelity VR”. And beneath its reason is the simple fact that it doesn’t foresee making money out of console VR.
It's been quite some time since Microsoft first revealed its diverse options for Xbox Live avatars, and now, we finally have an indication that we're closing in on launch. Microsoft has rolled out its new avatar editor to some Xbox Insiders, which means that a full release to all Xbox One owners can't be too far off. Unfortunately, the editor isn't available to all Xbox Insiders, at least not yet.
Microsoft made a ton of announcements during its E3 2018 press conference, but between all the game reveals and trailers, it talked about a few new features on the way to Xbox One. One of the most interesting things Microsoft announced is a new feature called FastStart, which essentially allows players to jump into games while they're still downloading. The feature is set to go live later this month, but before it does, Microsoft has launched a preview for some Xbox Insiders.