Before Project Scarlett was officially confirmed at E3 2019, we had a pile of rumors that indicated Microsoft's plans for the next generation included more than one console. Consoles codenamed Anaconda and Lockhart were the two machines said to comprise Project Scarlett, but shortly after reveal, Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed that Project Scarlett was only one console.
It may seem that VR is once again dead but it still continues to flow steadily in contrast to the flood of hype and news a year or so ago. Adoption of the technology, however, has mostly converged around PCs or, in some cases, standalone headsets. Virtual reality on consoles seems to have largely missed the window of opportunity and it doesn't seem like it's going to pick up the pace any time soon. In fact, Xbox's Phil Spencer practically shot down the idea that the next Xbox console, codenamed Project Scarlett, will even have a VR aspect to it.
With Valve officially revealing Half-Life: Alyx last week, virtual reality is back in the spotlight in a big way. There are a number big players in the VR space already, including Valve, Oculus, and HTC on PC and Sony on console, which created a VR headset for the PlayStation 4. Even though Microsoft has entered the space on the PC side with HoloLens and Windows Mixed Reality, we haven't heard anything about console-based VR for Xbox.
Black Friday is still a little more than a week away, but Microsoft has kicked off its Xbox game deals early for certain folks. If you're subscribed to Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you can now peruse the digital game deals Microsoft is offering for Black Friday. The sale will run until December 2nd, giving you about a week and a half to pick up any games you may want.
At its X019 event, Microsoft practically tried to steal Google's thunder just as the latter is about to launch its Stadia game streaming service. Not only did Microsoft confirm 50 games for Project xCloud, a stark contrast to Stadia's starting 12, it also revealed that xCloud will also dip its toes into the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. That opens the doors to dozens more game, including the newly announced arrival of most of the Final Fantasy series, with a big one still promised to come.
We're days away from Thanksgiving and that means, for many consumers, that it's time to start shopping for the holidays. Here to usher that in is consumer holiday Black Friday when a number of companies will discount their items and launch various deals (and pseudo-deals) to lure in customers. For gaming enthusiasts, Microsoft has unveiled its upcoming Xbox Black Friday deals.
You just opened Disney Plus (or Disney+ if you prefer) for the first time and you're feeling overwhelmed. Or you've been using Disney Plus for a while now, and you wonder if there's anything you've missed. If you're looking for a "what to watch on Disney Plus" sort of article, you can find that on SlashGear too - but THIS article is all about getting started out right.
Given how easy it is to purchase games these days, provided you have the funds, of course, it's not unusual for a single gamer to accumulate dozens or even hundreds of titles in their collection. Many of them have probably gathered digital dust even before they have been played once. Some may have even been lost to memory, at least not until the Xbox's upcoming feature surprises them with a suggestion to play a game owners might have forgotten they even have.
How many ways can you improve a gamepad? Apparently, quite a lot. Microsoft has just made available the shiny new Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and while there are quite a few upgrades that are noteworthy, not one stands out in isolation of the others. Instead, the new controller is being defined by a host of small improvements that together try to level up the console gaming experience by delivering comfort and personalization to a part of gaming that's almost too easy to take for granted.
Electronic Arts and Valve announced a partnership to bring EA Games-distributed games to Steam, at long last. They also announced that they'd be bringing the EA Games-specific gaming subscription service to Steam. Per Valve's Game Newell, this partnership with EA will "bring their great games and subscription service to Steam" as well as "open up our communities to each other in an unprecedented way."
This morning the folks at EA and Respawn released their final trailer for the game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. This trailer shows the main character Cal Kestis, Jedi Padawan, in trouble. He's living in a time immediately following Order 66, and you know what that means - fun for everyone!
Last year, Microsoft began offering a financing program called Xbox All Access. With it, those who sign up can finance the purchase of an Xbox, along with subscriptions to Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass, through monthly payments. Microsoft is bringing back Xbox All Access here at the tail-end of 2019, though this time it has some additions.