Tag Archives: microsoft

Back in 2016, Microsoft gave a nod to Age of Mythology fans with a new expansion 13 years after the game's initial release. Things went quiet for a while after that as focus shifted to reviving the Age of Empires series, but Age of Mythology could be next in line …

Update (12/04/21): While we only just heard about Microsoft's negotiations to acquire Nuance in the last 48 hours, things have moved quickly. This afternoon, Microsoft officially announced that it is acquiring Nuance in a deal worth $19.7 billion – the second largest acquisition in the company's history. As expected, this …

Microsoft's Age of Empires Fan Preview event took place over the weekend and sure enough, we got plenty of new information about Age of Empires IV. The long-awaited sequel has been in the works for a few years and now, we finally have a release window – with the game …

Last month, we learned that Microsoft was nearing the launch of the Surface Laptop 4, featuring both Intel and AMD configuration options. We now have more details, as Microsoft went live early with support pages for these unannounced laptops. According to WinFuture, the Surface Laptop 4 will include Ryzen 4000 …

Throughout each month, Microsoft updates its Xbox Game Pass line-up with many new titles. Across the month of April, subscribers can get their hands on a number of major titles, including GTA V, MLB The Show 21, Zombie Army 4 and more. The full list of titles announced for Game …

MLB The Show 21, a PlayStation published game, is launching day-one on Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft announced the deal yesterday, marking another astonishing turn of events as Sony begins to open up to the idea of multi-platform releases.  Weirdly, this means Xbox gamers will get a better deal, being able …

Back in 2018, Microsoft found itself in the middle of a controversy after selling $480 million worth of HoloLens headsets to the US Army. Employees spoke out against the decision at the time, but Microsoft stood its ground. Now, Microsoft has signed a much bigger contract with the military, selling …

While Microsoft initially had lofty goals for its digital assistant ‘Cortana', the company has been slowly backing away over the last few years. During that time, we've seen support for Cortana dropped for a variety of products, including smart speakers. Now, the dedicated iOS and Android Cortana apps are also …

Backwards Compatibility has been a huge initiative for Xbox over the last six years. With the advent of cloud gaming, that won't be changing, as backwards compatible titles are starting to be supported via xCloud streaming.  The announcement was made yesterday over on Xbox Wire, confirming that Xbox Game Pass …

Each month, Microsoft offers a number of titles for free to all those with an Xbox Live Gold subscription. Though in some ways less enticing than Game Pass, Games with Gold titles remain in your library for as long as you are subscribed to the service. The console manufacturer has …

It seems like Discord will have new ownership soon. Several companies were engaged in negotiations but a new report suggests that Microsoft is indeed the frontrunner and should have the deal finalised sometime next month.  According to sources speaking with The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is now in “exclusive” negotiations …

Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media will see ripple effects for years to come. While Microsoft’s long-term plans for Bethesda remain somewhat unknown, Arkane has claimed that this move “will allow us to remain creative.” Speaking to PressStart, Deathloop’s Game Director, Dinga Bakaba, and Art Director, Sébastien Mitton claimed that the …

Following Microsoft's disastrous Xbox Live Gold price hike announcement, Microsoft realised there were plenty of areas where Xbox Live needed to improve before gamers would accept such a move. Some of those improvements include free multiplayer access to free to play games, as well as other console features. Now, Microsoft …

Xbox Live is as synonymous with the Xbox brand as the console itself. Since its launch in 2002, Xbox Live has allowed owners of Microsoft’s console to go online and play games with friends. After 18 years however, the console manufacturer has confirmed that the Xbox Live name will be …

Though the game released initially to very little fanfare, Fallout 76 has continued to be consistently updated, bringing the game much closer to a traditional Fallout experience. With Microsoft’s recent acquisition of Bethesda, it seems that not much has changed in that respect, with the team now outlining its entire …

Microsoft isn't only interested in acquiring game developer studios, it seems the company is also looking at gaming-adjacent services for acquisitions too. This week, reports claim that Microsoft is currently in talks to buy Discord – potentially for more money than it spent on acquiring Bethesda.  According to VentureBeat, Discord …

When Microsoft announced FPS Boost, the console manufacturer promised that fans would be able to play many of their favourite games which were previously capped to 30fps at 60fps and beyond on the Series X|S. While so far the number of titles supported is limited, the results have been impressive …

Back in 2019, Microsoft announced an operating system dedicated to dual-screen devices named Windows 10X. Initially scheduled for a release in 2020, Microsoft changed its focus onto devices with a single screen and changed the release date to H1 2021. Now, a new report suggests the release has been delayed …

With video games getting larger and larger in file size, and the industry moving towards an all-digital future, the need for a fast and stable internet connection is becoming more necessary by the day. In order to help this along somewhat, Microsoft has now added an option to increase download …

One of Microsoft's big features for backwards compatible games on Xbox Series X/S consoles has been Auto HDR, enabling High Dynamic Range across a number of SDR-only games. Now, PC gamers are also going to benefit, with Microsoft preparing to enable Auto HDR for over 1,000 PC games. Auto HDR …

While companies such as Valve, PlayStation and even Nintendo have tried their hands at virtual reality, Microsoft has stayed far away from the technology, especially with regards to Xbox. That being said, the console manufacturer may in fact be working on a headset, based on a reference made in the …

Undertale took the gaming community by storm when it first released in 2015. Since then, the game has continued to thrive through the support of a dedicated fanbase, and the promise that more is coming from the world of Undertale (through Deltarune). It was therefore surprising that the game never …

For a while now, there has been talk of Microsoft holding a gaming-oriented event in March. Now, we finally have some more details, with an Xbox-focused event reportedly happening on the 26th of March.  Initially, Microsoft expert, Paul Thurrott, tweeted that we should expect Xbox and Windows focused events from Microsoft …

Last night, Microsoft hosted a Bethesda-focused roundtable to give new insight into the company's acquisition of ZeniMax Media and what that means for the future of Xbox. During the discussion, Phil Spencer was openly asked about future game exclusivity and he finally gave us a clear answer – future Bethesda …

Throughout 2020, many industries saw major losses due to COVID-19 and the ensuing pandemic which required shops and venues to close. The gaming industry however not only persevered but thrived during this period, growing to its biggest size ever, with the console market surpassing $50 Billion worldwide. As reported by …

While some games get next-gen patches which offer older titles at higher frame rates, this process often requires the direct input of the developer. With the Series X|S, Microsoft announced that the next-gen Xbox consoles would receive a feature called FPS boost. Though currently only a small selection of games …

After several days of approvals and clearing red tape, Microsoft has officially acquired ZeniMax Media. Today, the $7.5 billion deal completed, immediately bringing Bethesda and other ZeniMax teams into Microsoft's first party line-up.

It looks like Microsoft will have a new Surface Laptop out soon. According to sources, the Surface Laptop 4 will be coming in April, complete with both Intel and AMD configuration options.  The Surface Laptop 4 will include Ryzen 4000 mobile series CPUs, not the more expensive Ryzen 5000 mobile …

As we navigate through 2021, fans have been looking forward into the year, wondering what new gaming experiences await them. While both Nintendo and PlayStation have now updated fans on what to expect, through a Nintendo Direct and PlayStation State of Play respectively, Microsoft has been relatively silent. However, it …

Each month, Microsoft brings a number of new games to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service. For the month of March, subscribers can get their hands on a number of exciting titles, including Star Wars: Squadrons and NBA 2K21. The full list of games announced to be coming to Game …