Category: Xbox

Xbox Deals With Gold: 21st – 27th April 2015

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This week, Xbox Deals With Gold is all about Call of Duty. First up is Ghosts, which offers a 60% discount on both the Xbox One and 360. Then you can also get Call of Duty 3 and Black Ops II (or Cod Blops Deux, as I like to call it) at a nice discount. There's a couple other non-CoDfish games on sale this week as well. Head past the break to see the complete list of deals.
Xbox One

Call of Duty: Ghosts - 60% Discount
Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) - 40% Discount
We Are Doomed - 10% Discount
Xbox 360

Call of Duty: Ghosts - 60% Discount
Call of Duty: Black Ops II - 66% Discount
Call of Duty 3 - 50% Discount
[Image: Activision]

Andrew J Amideo
[Source: Major Nelson]

Phil Harrison’s New Venture Licenses Unannounced MS Tech

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We previously reported on Phil Harrison's departure from Microsoft. Since then, he has founded Alloy Platform Industries, a startup focused on top-secret bleeding edge consumer tech. Harrison mentions that "Alloy has licensed some [...] unannounced technology that nobody outside of Microsoft knows about." Very exciting stuff!
While the ex-Xbox boss doesn't state exactly what his company will be doing, he does mention that the most money to be found from marketing these technologies is in the phone and games industry. Staying in stealth mode for the foreseeable future, Harrison must believe that what Alloy is working on is highly innovative, but we'll have to wait for Harrison to pull the curtain back to learn more.

"We'll stay in stealth mode for a while. It's very exciting, and something I've been planning for a little over a year, in full consultation and collaboration with Microsoft, specifically with Phil Spencer."

If the project is at all related to highly secretive Microsoft tech, then perhaps a partnership is in the works. Is it something for Windows Phone? The Xbox One? The desktop or tablet space? What do you think?

Microsoft Aims for Sony’s Sore Spot With E3 Focus on First Party

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With Uncharted being pushed to 2016 and the Xbox One lock on Tomb Raider, Microsoft is further exploiting a perceived weakness in its arch rival by focusing on first party exclusives at this year's E3. The head of Microsoft's Xbox Division, Phil Spencer, is saying "this may be the best year for first-party content on Microsoft consoles than ever before."
At least one exclusive new first party IP will be unveiled at this year's E3 in addition to other franchises that will see new entries unique to the Xbox One's library. Perhaps we'll see more of Crackdown, a title which was previously used to demonstrate the potential of leveraging Microsoft's cloud computing. What would you like to see?
Source: Neowin

Which Unique Console Feature Surprised You?

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The PlayStation 4 has a feature I find hard to go without on other consoles. I'm not talking about the controller speaker, although it is cool when someone calls you on your cell in GTA V and the audio gets patched through there. It's a little gimmicky and although available to developers on the Wii for that entire generation, was still rarely well used.

I'm talking about the standard headphone/mic jack on the PlayStation 4 controller. I find myself wishing it was there when I play other consoles.

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I'm not made of money, I can't afford to buy a fancy wireless headset that works on one or two consoles that I own. I can barely afford to buy a new pair of earbuds when mine break every year, no matter how careful I am with them. Besides, I'd much rather spend the price of a wireless headset on a new game.

I live in a house with other people and don't want to bother them. Sometimes my son is asleep, I've got neighbors that don't want too much noise, and sometimes I just don't want to hear anything else. My earbuds are noise canceling, they're always handy for my portable music player, tablet, or laptop, and they sound good enough. Sometimes "good enough" is all you need.

The headphone jack on the PS4 controller is right there, I can just plug them in and be immersed in the game's soundtrack without bothering anyone else. I've played games all my life through the TV speakers and it was fine, I enjoyed myself a lot, but I've noticed a lot of advantages to using my plain old $10 earbuds.

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There's a magic that comes through when you don't hear anything else, naught but the game's soundtrack. The quiet moments sound appropriately quiet, you can make out the subtleties such as the rain hitting the pavement, as well as the footsteps of people walking by while they carry on in conversations. You can even make out what they're saying instead of having it drowned out by the air conditioner in your room.

The loud crescendos have much more impact when they overcome these quiet moments, like when you enter a boss's lair in Bloodborne and the orchestra swells as the fierce beast makes its appearance. Positional audio comes through brilliantly even through your average headset, allowing you to track enemies around you or find a secret beacon which transmits intermittent audio blips.

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Are there any console or even handheld features that have made a notable impact on your gaming experience? Is there something that changed things enough that you have a hard time living without it? Voice commands? Chatpad? 3D effect? Portable LCD screen? What's your number one surprise feature?

Phil Harrison Leaves Microsoft

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Leaving Sony to serve in the Interactive Entertainment Team at Microsoft, and rising to Vice President of the European branch, Phil Harrison has finally left the house of Xbox after rumors of his departure months ago.
Now an industry vetaran, Harrison gained a foothold a game developer and graphic designer in the 1980s, finding a home at Mindscape International as head of development. Clearly a talented individual, he was able to join Sony and rise to President of Sony Computer Worldwide Studios.

He then worked at Infogrames/Atari, Gaikai, and moved on to his most recent employer Microsoft. It's unknown where he will find a position next, but it's safe to say his passion lies in the games industry. His peers at Microsoft are wishing him the best in his future endeavors after his amicable departure.

Witcher 3 available for pre-order on XBox One

CD Projekt Red announced today that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is officially available for pre-order on XBox One. Hit the break to find the link and my thoughts on the announcement. 

While that's not my console of choice it's still a very exciting step as it means we are one step closer to Witching the heck out of some open world questing! I really enjoyed The Witcher, and it's sequel blew that game away in every respect. The Witcher 3 looks to continue that trend and it is almost upon us. Excited about the news? Running to pre-order now? Let us know in the comments below.
Author: Billy C
Game: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Website: http://thewitcher.com/witcher3/
Link to Pre-Order!

Xbox Deals With Gold: 14th – 20th April 2015

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It's a rather empty week on the deal front. There is the entire Metro series available on both Xbox One and Xbox 360. As usual, if you have a few spare pennies (or dollars/pounds/euros), some of the deals are worth it. The Evil Within is supposed to be a good one.

Head after the jump for the full list.

Xbox One

Defense  Grid 2 - $6.25 | £5.00
Metro 2033 Redux - $14.99 | £9.59
Metro: Last Light Redux - $14.99 | £9.59
Metro Redux Bundle - $24.75 | £15.00
NHL 15 - $29.99 | £27.50
The Evil Within - $29.99 | £25.00

Xbox 360

Metro: Last Light - $9.99 | £7.49
Metro 2033 - $9.99 | £5.99
NHL 15 - $29.99 | £24.99
The Evil Within - $29.99 | £19.99

Microsoft Talks Xbox One Power Consumption

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A recent post from the National Resources Defense Council has drawn attention to the Xbox One's idle power consumption. In a blog post on Xbox.com, Microsoft details the effort they put into the console's efficiency, mentioning the console's energy saving mode as an alternative to the instant-on setting.
Microsoft claims that the " lower power state consumes less energy and can save customers an average of $6 to $15 in energy costs* per year in the U.S."
Source: Xbox.com

Xbox One now £299.99

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The Xbox One has received a £30 cost cut, and can now be had for £299.99 in the UK. Sony and Microsoft's consoles are both available bundled with various games, so there's a lot of choice out there, but this latest price drop could help the Xbox compare more favorably to the £349.99 PlayStation 4.