Last month, rumours surrounding Microsoft’s acquisition of Obsidian Entertainment came to a head, with many sources stating that it was almost complete. These rumours have since been officially confirmed at Microsoft’s X018, along with the surprise purchase of inXile Entertainment. With Knights of the Old Republic II, Fallout New Vegas …
Read More »Insomniac’s Sunset Overdrive PC launch tipped off via Achievements leak
Update: At this point, Sunset Overdrive for PC is all but announced. We've had numerous leaks from ratings boards, the Steam Database and now, Microsoft's own Xbox Live API has seemingly revealed the game ahead of an official announcement. The website ‘TrueAchievements‘ was recently updated with a listing for Sunset …
Read More »Windows 10 Pro users are being downgraded, Microsoft promises a fix
Microsoft has encountered a few issues with Windows 10 lately, with many of them stemming from a buggy 1809 feature update. This week, a new issue cropped up for users, with some Windows 10 Pro users finding their licenses deactivated or downgraded to Windows 10 Home. These license downgrades came …
Read More »Insomniac’s Sunset Overdrive appears to be coming to PC after all
Prior to Microsoft's push to bring more exclusive games to PC, there was talk of Insomniac's Sunset Overdrive coming to Windows. Around the game's release in late 2014, there were marketing assets showing the game as being available on Xbox and PC. Unfortunately, a PC version never did end up …
Read More »Windows 10 October update strikes again as UWP apps can access all user files
Microsoft has had a troublesome time with its Windows 10 October update, attempting to quell numerous bugs that deleted user files, wrongly decompressed folders and even distorted text. Sadly, it seems as though these issues are far from over, as a security hole in the Universal Windows Platform has been …
Read More »Alan Wake returns to Steam after renegotiating music licenses
Back in May 2017, Alan Wake was removed from Steam and Xbox Live due to expiring licenses for music used in the game. We didn't know if the game would ever return to sale but Remedy has been working to fix its music licensing issue. Today it was announced that …
Read More »Nvidia RTX still held back as Microsoft continues to battle with Windows 10 bugs
The Windows 10 October Update Insider Preview has identified yet more bugs, delaying Nvidia RTX’s ray-tracing capabilities.
Read More »Microsoft still planning to bring Xbox Game Pass to PC
It has been around 18 months since Microsoft first launched Game Pass and around 10 months since the company committed to bringing all future exclusive games to the service on day one. PC players can already access ‘Play Anywhere' titles on Windows 10 with a Game Pass subscription, but the …
Read More »EU commission approves Microsoft’s GitHub buyout
Back in June, Microsoft announced plans to acquire GitHub for $7.5 billion. Since then, the code repository has found a new CEO and discussed plans for the future under the Microsoft banner, although the deal had to get through the EU's antitrust commission before closing. Fortunately for Microsoft, a ruling …
Read More »Microsoft sheds its aggressive patent control to support Linux, making 60,000 open-source
Over the years, Microsoft has been notoriously protective over its patents, engaging in numerous lawsuits against Linux-based technology for infringement. In an unprecedented move, it looks like the firm is now ready to bury the hatchet as it joins the Open Invention Network and makes a whopping 60,000 Microsoft-owned patents …
Read More »Infinity Ward job listing hints at earlier launch for next-gen PlayStation and Xbox
While Microsoft revealed that a new console was in the works back at E3, Sony only made news of its PS5 official at the start of the week. Estimates pegged the consoles for a 2020 release, however Infinity Ward’s job listings for an “unannounced next gen title” could see the …
Read More »Microsoft continues to rollout Windows 10 1809 update after fixing file deletion issues
Microsoft hit the pause button on its Windows 10 October Update earlier this week, after it was revealed that some users had suffered random deletion of personal files. Fortunately, it seems as though all issues have since been resolved, allowing the firm to restart the rollout to Windows Insider beta …
Read More »Microsoft is reportedly about to acquire Obsidian Entertainment
Several months ago, immediately following on from Microsoft’s big studio acquisition reveals at E3, rumours began swirling about other potential acquisitions in the works. Rumours on this front have been a bit all over the place, but the idea of Microsoft buying Obsidian Entertainment remained persistent. Now, it looks like …
Read More »Microsoft announces Project xCloud game streaming tech
Back at E3, Microsoft announced that not only was it preparing a next-gen console, but the company would also be hoping to tackle game streaming. We weren't expecting to hear more about Microsoft's cloud streaming plans so soon but late last night, Project xCloud was officially announced, aiming to offer …
Read More »Forza Horizon 4 becomes fastest-selling in the series despite ongoing connection issues
Connection issues have been plaguing Forza Horizon 4 since it launched last week, as players claim they are being kicked from Ranked Team Adventures and unfairly banned as a result. Fortunately, this hasn’t slowed down sales as Microsoft’s latest racing game has become the series’ fastest-selling title in the UK. …
Read More »Microsoft pauses Windows 10 1809 rollout, file deletion issues were reported months ago
Last week, Microsoft began rolling out the Windows 10 October Update only to hit a wall. Some unfortunate users installed the update only to find that some of their files had been wiped out during the upgrade. This obviously caused a stir, as Microsoft can’t seem to get its quality …
Read More »Windows 10 October Update is live, brings raytracing support, app mirroring and more
We finally have full support for real-time raytracing in games as Microsoft's Windows 10 October update has begun rolling out. This features the DirectX Raytracing API, alongside other OS improvements and features.
Read More »Mouse and keyboard support is finally heading to Xbox One next month
Way back in mid-2015, Microsoft announced plans to support the keyboard and mouse on Xbox One consoles. There have been few updates since then aside from infrequent reminders that it is still in the works. Now, it looks like we are finally at the end of the road, with Microsoft …
Read More »We’ll have to wait for Microsoft’s DXR rollout before trying raytracing in games
Nvidia's RTX 20 launch is taking place in just a few days time but early adopters will need to hold on for a bit longer to experience real-time ray-tracing first hand. This is Nvidia's key feature for this launch but unfortunately, the ball currently lies in Microsoft's court when it …
Read More »The EU will have an antitrust ruling on Microsoft’s GitHub acquisition next month
Back in June, Microsoft announced plans to acquire GitHub for $7.5 billion. Since then, the code repository has found a new CEO and discussed plans for the future under the Microsoft banner, although the deal isn't 100 percent in the bag just yet. First, Microsoft needs to get through the …
Read More »Microsoft says there are ‘no plans’ to bring Halo 5 to PC
Earlier this week, there was some excitement surrounding a potential PC release for Halo 5. This all stemmed from an intentional box art change, switching the game's status from ‘Xbox One exclusive' to ‘Console exclusive', which usually means a Microsoft game is also available on Windows 10. Unfortunately, 343i developers …
Read More »Microsoft adds another three years of security updates for Windows 7, for a price
As Windows 7 enters its final stretch of extended support, Microsoft is offering a three-year extension on security updates. Sadly, it's likely to cost a pretty penny.
Read More »Microsoft is in the process of redesigning Skype… again.
Microsoft has been pretty heavy handed with its efforts to bring its aging Skype application up to modern standards, forcing users to ditch the older interface in favour of a comprehensive redesign. Realising that Snapchat-like functionality is not what its user base wanted, Microsoft has announced that it will once …
Read More »Microsoft will be rolling out the next Windows 10 feature update in October
The last big Windows 10 feature update of 2018 is on the way. Formerly codenamed ‘Redstone 5', the Windows 10 October 2018 update will be with us in a few weeks time, with Windows Insiders already testing out the final build. Microsoft has begun simplifying its feature update names this …
Read More »Microsoft acknowledges Windows zero-day vulnerability
Despite Microsoft’s efforts helping to quell Spectre and Meltdown CPU issues, it looks as though the company will have to turn its attention to Windows as a zero-day vulnerability has come to light. Pending some specific conditions, this new attack could grant perpetrators system privileges. Twitter user SandboxEscaper made the …
Read More »Microsoft officially unveils ‘Xbox All Access’ subscription
Last week, Microsoft's plans for an ‘Xbox All Access' bundle leaked onto the web. Today, the company has officially announced it, bundling in two years of Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Game Pass and an Xbox One console for a monthly fee that covers the costs over time- very similarly to …
Read More »Microsoft reportedly scrapped Xbox One X VR plans to wait for better tech
Back when Microsoft announced the Xbox One X in 2016, Phil Spencer mentioned that the console would deliver 4K gaming in addition to ‘high-fidelity VR'. The Xbox team definitely had some virtual reality support plans in the works but earlier this year, we learned that it had been scrapped for …
Read More »Microsoft reportedly planning an ‘Xbox All Access’ subscription with a console Gold and Game Pass
Over the years, Xbox Live Gold has been a staple revenue stream for Microsoft's Xbox division. In fact, the company puts more value in its subscriber numbers than its actual console sales during shareholder meetings. Over the last year, Microsoft has expanded its subscription offerings with Game Pass and now, …
Read More »References to Google’s Campfire further suggest Windows 10 support will hit Pixelbooks
Speculation that Google would be introducing alternative operating systems for its Pixelbook has been around for quite some time, with references to Windows Hardware Certification Kit (WHCK) seemingly confirming the shift back in June. It looks like this might be getting closer to becoming a reality, as a new code …
Read More »Microsoft’s ‘The Initiative’ hires God of War producer, Red Dead Redemption writer and more
At E3 earlier this year, Microsoft invested heavily in its future by adding five studios to its first party line-up. While most of these were acquisitions, one studio, ‘The Initiative', is being built from the ground up with the goal of securing top-talent from across the industry. The first batch …
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