Phantom Dust is a weird game for us at GKUK, as we hear about it often online but have no idea the game was even a thing when we had the original Xbox. So as you can imagine the hype of the announcement of a remake completely slipped us by as did the sense of loss when it was put on hold.
Turns out it was never released in PAL regions and as such we no longer feel like we stupidly missed out on something. Anyway, today Microsoft has announced the remaster of the original Xbox title will not only come out tomorrow, will be a play anywhere title (X1/Win10), and best of all will be utterly free.
Yes, FREE!
This remaster will use the original assets but will now be fully Xbox Live enabled, IGN reports they managed to confirm from their sources that the game will feature not only feature upgraded visuals (contradicting the official 'original assets') but also updates to the games single player designed to prevent players getting stuck.
I was going to post some videos of gameplay and what not. However, I decided if you're interested in the game you can just download it tomorrow for FREE!
Abe's Take
Well I was curious to see what the hype was about back when the remake, then remaster was announced but now its free, so why the hell not?
Well this is just getting mean Rockstar, yesterday you teases us with a basic red splash with a black logo and now this!
Yep that looks pretty Red Dead Redemption-like to me. Hopefully Rockstar releasing these teases so quickly means an announcement it soon... Tomorrow would be a good day for a teaser. HINT HINT!
Not really sure what to add here other than please let there be an co-op mode as well! Something along the lines of FarCry 4 where the side missions and world activities was available for two players whilst the story was kept strictly single player. I wounder if this game comes with Red Dead Online (like GTA Online) the first game's multiplayer mode was an stepping stone for GTA V's offering.
Abe's Take Finally an new Red Dead! (Don't make me a liar Rockstar)
So Microsoft recently released the rather lovely Xbox One S but obviously has some spare time before Project Scorpio launches next year, so what have they given their design team to do? Introducing the Xbox One...S...ie.
Yes this is actually a thing, well according to Xbox Australia Xbox Onesie's are a real thing.
So what dose the marvelous fashion statements do, aside from making you look like an Assassin Guinea Pig held by Abstergo? Well MS has nicely give out a spec-sheet for them
Enlarged pockets to fit your Xbox Controller and Media Remotes.
Arm pouch to offer quick and easy access to your mobile phone.
Roll-able legs and arms to cater for all temperatures and seasons.
Forearm grips to prevent slipping on those ‘edge of your seat’ moments.
Extra-large hood to accommodate headsets for the ultimate gaming sessions.
Customised Gamertag embroidery
Availiable in white and black
Whether we'll actually get to be able to buy these is up for debate. Xbox AUS claims its serious about these gaming PJs however there is no link to buy, pre-order, or register interest. IF these are truly coming out in the land down under then I would imagine they would also launch elsewhere too. (if not I'm sure the craft folk will quickly create their own)
If you home life doesn't look like this join my in some light crying.
If it does look like this well done and get out! we dont need your mockery.
Abe's Take
I hate this. I mean look at them big pockets and big hoods, yay innovation worthy of the gods. I also hate myself because I think I might need the white one in my life. Lets face it you walk into a room wearing one of these and the others know your not going to do anything today. No point in asking you to move stuff or do the cleaning you are clearly on a gaming mission and are far to busy to be involed in that day to day "adulting" nonsense
Sorry for the delay, internet trouble delayed our articles. Microsoft had a solid e3 this year and there was a certain confidence in the presentation. lets break down the news.
Integration Everywhere
There was a defiantly different tone to this years E3, Microsoft trailing behind their rival seems to of made them look in and change things up. The first thing that hit us was there new initiative "play anywhere" which isn't game streaming, instead it's cross buy, cross play, and cross save initiative between Xbox One and Windows 10. It appears that all of Microsoft's upcoming exclusives will be part of the initiative. If you buy the digital version of any of these titles from either the Windows Store or Xbox Store you get it for the other store for free. Your saves and achievements freely flow between the two platforms. Even the new controller with the Xbox One S (more on that in a moment) features wireless and Bluetooth tech, which allows it to be used across devices.
Even Minecraft is enjoying an greater integration with all the mobile versions (Win 10, Android, iOS and Gear VR) are now enabled with cross play via Xbox Live, achievements and compatibility with Minecraft Realms (dedicated servers so your friends can access your world even if your offline).
This integration focus was an important set up to this next bit.
Hardware for All
First up was the Xbox One S, A slimmed down version of the Xbox One The 40% smaller size isn't the only change. First the S will feature 4k video support for those who have lovely 4k TVs, HDR game support which is basically bringing contrast and colours closer to the human eye. (More Details on HDR HERE), The new pad can be customised on their website (which isn't active yet) and as mentioned before isn't limited to the Xbox.
Some additional information that hit later, The S features an IR blaster (so your Xbox acts as a remote) because the S dose not have the Kinect port but the there will be a USB adapter for upgrading users.
The Xbox One S have a staggered launch of its three flavours 500GB - £249, 1TB £299 and 2TB £349 (for comparison fat Xbox One is £229 for the 500GB and £256 for 1TB on Amazon) with the 2TB launching in August. The others should filter in by Christmas.
The Xbox Scropio was their final announcement that we'll talk about early. As you can see third party devs are excited for the prospect of console this powerful featuring a 6 Teraflop GPU (I'll post a graph shortly for easy comparisons) and an 8 core CPU. In realistic terms you're looking at 5 to 6 time the power of an Xbox One.
As you can you see the Xbox Scorpio is an entire PS4's worth more powerful than the leaked specs, of cause there is nothing stopping Sony from pushing more power before either system launches next year.
In terms of features Microsoft wants the Scorpio to handle games at 4k without up-scaling and run VR without stripping down the graphics or functionality matching the PC VR experience. MS didn't reveal if they will be launching their own headset or will be stepping up their partnership with Oculus. There is an interesting counter point regarding VR, during the video Tod Howard mentions bringing Fallout VR to it but its currently being said that its Vive exclusive.
Bringing the first part of the article back again. Microsoft has confirmed the Xbox One, Xbox One S, And Xbox Scorpio will share the same game library and accessories. After the event confirmed that non-Scorpio optimised games will run on the new machine games should also benefit from the extra grunt especially games that use unlocked frame rates and/or dynamic resolution such as Witcher 3 and Halo 5, these games on Scorpio will run at their maximum FPS and/or resolution. [NOTE: Currently Sony is saying that games without a "Neo"mode will not run on their machine BUT this could easily change]
There are some concerns though. Obviously price comes screaming to mind the specs alone will push it in the £500- £700 bracket (£500 being an extremely generous estimation assume AMD Polaris tech) and that's assuming there isn't an VR (headset/motion control) component included in the box. I also worry about competitive play with original X1's and the S. 4k players would effectively have longer/clearer line of sight than their... lesser siblings. Lastly Microsoft's language suggests that there will be more "families" beyond the Xbox One suggesting they are shifting to a similar launch pattern as iPhone and Galaxy phones, hopefully they create clear cut off points for the systems.
Anyway on to the games
Gears 4
Gears showed of some campaign co-op on stage, the level in question show cased some pretty extreme weather that makes us question why people ever settled on that world. Microsoft confirmed that PC and Xbox players will be be able to play co-op modes together including the all new Horde 3.0, sadly we did not see horde in action. Microsoft also announced Gears 4 will support HDR on Xbox One S and showed off a bloody Gears edition of the Elite pad. It's since been confirmed pre-ordering Gears 4 nets you the 4 360 games
Sea of Thieves
Easily my highlight of the show, Rares first "real" game since Nutz 'n' Boltz impressed us no end. The games highly stylized graphics defy the tutorial free multiplayer. Its shaping up to be an fantstic multiplayer experience. Honestly its hard to discus it with out showing you, so check out the gameplay footage below.
Scalebound
Scalebound also impressed with a co-op (yes the game features 4 player dragon rider co-op) boss fight featuring Platinum games largest ever boss fight, which will certain make Bayonetta 2 fans pay attention. It's till unclear how much of the game is actually co-op, it appears to be limited to boss fights but that seems awkward to set up if everyone is doing something else in game.
Interestingly Scalebound was previously confirmed as Xbox exclusive is coming to the Play Anywhere imitative. Now it's possible that the game could come to Steam but I suspect it will be exclusive to the Windows Store.
Forza Horizon 3
Forza made its traditional appearance, however it wasn't the usual show and tell. Microsoft used Forza Horizon 3 to show case the Play Anywhere imitative. You had four players each playing FH3 on a different set up; Xbox One, Xbox One S, a mid-range PC (using an X1S pad) and a top of the range 4k PC with a steering wheel. Each player was doing their own stuff in their own worlds before the X1 player sent out an invite for the game's co-op enabled campaign. The invite was answered by the other three stage players. It was pretty cool to see them all play together.
FH3 is set in Australia and looks absolutely glorious even on the old rickety Xbox One (I jest), they seem to be using the setting to its fullest with players racing through cities, deserts and jungles. Which combined with co-op gave us all at GK-UK Top Gear flashes.
Dead Rising 4
Dead Rising 4 is a true sequel and not a remake as previously rumoured, though both Dead Rising 1's star (the surprisingly young looking 54 year old) Frank West and and setting Willamette do return. This new entry sees Frank "I've covered wars you know" West return to Willamette mall in a fresh outbreak around Black Friday (hey that's familiar) so there is plenty of Christmas zombie joy to be had. The new game world isn't just the old one jazzed up, DR4's world is described as 60% mall and 40% city. DR4 will feature even more crazy weapons (including an exosuit) but to counter this there are more zombie types, well 3. The Horde: The classic Dead Rising shambling corpses. The fresh: these are only recently turned zombies and as such they are faster and can follow Frank up and over obstacles. Finally the EVO: which appear to be human/zombie hybrids which are being likened to Jurassic Park's Raptors, with them being able to work together and with the horde, letting the masses wear you down and strike when your weakened. Another addition is Frank's ability to take selfies which according to the press at E3 is an hilarious edition. Dead Rising 4 will launch this year... at Christmas ins't that lucky!
State of Decay
State of Decay was one of my favourite games on X1, you may remember us mentioning it.... several times. Microsoft treated us with a trailer for the sequel with the tagline: Nobody survives alone. Which got our hopes up for co-op the only clearing omission from the original game.
Undead Labs quickly confirmed SoD 2 will feature 4 player co-op, with "guests" playing as survivors from their own game saves and get to take a share of the rewards back. I can't explain how much I am want to play this game, to share the inky viscus dread with three others will be the best bounding/torment.
Halo Wars 2
Creative Assembly (Total War) and 343i's follow up is shaping up pretty well, MS is saying that fan demand is the main reason for the spin off's resurrection. There is a public beta live right now and the game will launch properly February 21st (FYI Feb '17 is going be crazy busy)
Its being reported that those who pre-order will get Halo Wars: Definitive Edition for Xbox One and PC suggesting that this isn't a bundled 360 game but an remaster.
Xbox Live Update
MS announced a trio of new features coming to Xbox Live: Clubs: kinda like Facebook groups, used as an area for you to find like minded Gamer., Looking for Group: seems to exist as an dig at Destiny's lack of Raid matchmaking. You'll be able to post "adverts" saying exactly what your looking for in a group and people can "sign up" if they feel they meet your requirements. Finally there is Arena which is fairly self explanatory Tournament system but importantly these wont be limited to just publishers as Gamers themselves can set up and run their own tournaments
Assorted other stuff
Here we are at the end of our round up and heres a splattering of stuff not covered above
Tekken 7 IS coming to X1 in 2017, Tekken Tag 2 is currently free for Gold members.
Playdead's new game Inside will launch June 29th, Their first game Limbo is free on Xbox One
Witcher's Gwent is getting it's own game!
Final Fantasy XV has a gameplay footage to show off the games new combat... it went badly.
Recore will launch this September and looks... good but slightly indie.
Whilst Phantom Dust reboot is dead Microsoft is remastering the orginal for Xbox One
And thats about it really, here lets end on the new controller's multiple looks
At some point I should really get an article going about all the things that are better than they have any right to be. On top of that list or near the top would be Injustice: Gods Among Us. On paper it shouldn't of been good it was based on the Mortal Kombat engine, the previous attempt Mortal Kombat vs DC universe was uneven, set in a Superman gone rouge universe, and balancing should of been a nightmare.
Luckily it was pretty great, even like me you was not... overly fond of the basic Mortal Kombat gameplay, or the overly armoured designs. It did win me over with it's clever use of character abilities, interesting story (which's backstory was excellently written in a 5 "year" comic) and... well Batman!
Today Warner Brothers and Netherealms have announced as sequel, which like the upcoming Justice League movie apparently doesn't sport an subtitle - Injustice 2.
Well wasn't that... armoured,
Sorry and I'm back. According to the release materials this game doesn't feature transformations as the trailer implies. What it dose feature however is an RPG style loot system, this system will not only change how your character looks but will apparently also alter their abilities and your strategies (i'm assuming by altering move start up times/directions) as well as forcing your opponent to switch up their game.
The all important loot will be rewarded after each fight, with some loot being generic and others being character specific. Guess we'll see how all that works out in 2017.
Abe's Take
First up i'm excited to see where the story is going and as a fan of DC's TV shows it was fun seeing veteran Flash and newcomer Supergirl (I'm assuming that's her, could also be Powergirl) but the I do worry about balancing the loot for online, I'm getting DBZ Xenoverse flashbacks. That games loot pretty much destroyed the online.
It's been a difficult relationship with XCOM for the modern gamer. The franchise burst back on to our screens, almost every screen with XCOM: Enemy Unknown and it's expansion XCOM: Enemy Within PC, 360, PS3, Android and iOS. Those excellent titles was then followed up by The Bureau: XCOM Declassified which was... a third person shooter and is best left at that.
Such glory (yes I'm ignoring Bureau) continued on to the announcement of an direct sequel to XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Which was met by cheers (and I like to think street parties) however those cheers got a little less loud as 2K and Fraxis announced it was PC exclusive. Which after the excessive wooing of the console and tablet crowd seemed rather perplexing. To Fraxis' credit they was pretty open on why it was staying on PC namely keeping the team focused on one version, and mods; which kept the last release on everyone's PC for a long time.
Now the dark times are over for console players as 2K has recruited "The Workshop" (developer beinf X1/Ps4 ports of Evil Within and Liberator.) to bring the former PC exclusive to Xbox One and PS4, XCOM 2 will begin punishing console player starting September 6th.
Whilst there is no news on whether mods will be coming to consoles we do know that 2K will be releasing all of the existing DLC the same day as the game launches.
Abe's Take I always suspected XCOM 2 would hit consoles sooner or later, doubly so once Bethesda announced Fallout 4 mods for console. I am however slightly annoyed that the DLC will be hitting day one and wont be included in the price. Not that I'm saying I think the DLC isn't worth it but having it sit there on the store on day one feels... off.
Dead Rising is a one of GK-UK's much loved franchises, even when its punishes us for no real reason. Those prisoners in their jeep still haunt our dreams. The first game was a weird wonderful Japanese take on Dawn of The Dead (we're aloud to make that link now right?) even with the sequels switching to a US studio and adding co-op the games kept that quirky tone and was still fun.
Multiple sources have outed an poster (probably for E3) for Dead Rising 4which sees franchise front man Frank West return, it also appears to show the original mall at Christmas.
More details have seems to appeared along with an screen shot. Its being reported that Dead Rising 4 will in fact be an remake of the original title. However it wont be a simple remaster as it also see them touching up the old game, DR4 apparently now features 4 player co-op (with other players taking on the roles of Chuck, Nick and Annie and may have more/the rest) of the town in which the original game was set.
The sources are saying that Dead Rising 4 is Xbox Store exclusive, which doesn't mean download only but that its coming to Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive. They's also a talk that MS will also unveil State of Decay II, which would be... well epic really.
Abe's Take
Really excited by the idea of a new Dead Rising and State of Decay combo at E3. That being said this seems really weird that DR4 is a remake of DR1. I cant help that feel its might not be a remake but more the character revisiting the physical area. Access to the extended town, the stars of Dead Rising 2 (5 years after DR1) and 3 (10 years after DR2) being playable, and Christmas theme all make me feel this isn't a remake. Actually it gives me a "end of the series" vibe.
There are lot of talented indie developers out there but to us 3DS Game Knights there is one team that stands above the others. VD-Dev a 3 man team who crafted the remarkable IronFall, an impressive Gears of War clone for the 3DS. The game had its flaws but it played and looked brilliant, even managing to hit a solid 60FPS on both 3DS and New 3DS. Here take a look at the trailer.
Right so that's our gushing out the way and now its time for the reason why we've gather you here today. The three man superstar team has announced an brand new title 'RISE: Race the Future' a racing title inspired by Sega Rally, RISE is set in the near future where cars are equipped with "air lifting" technology which allows cars to keep racing even over deep water.
RISE will feature the classic arcade mode, a 'history' mode that allows you to unlock more cars and explore the games plot that will "reveal the true purpose of air lift tech". The guys at VD-Dev are teaming up with automotive designer Anthony Jannerlly, who unsurprisingly will be designing the titles futuristic cars.
Just look at that, how lovely is that! Money well spent recruiting Jannerlly. RISE will be hitting basically every single platform Xbox One, PS4, PC, Mobile, Wii U, and 3DS later this year. But interestingly it'll be hitting the Nintendo NX next year too. Which if we're not mistaken is the first (not Zelda) title announced for the system. lets have a look at the teaser.
Abe's Take
I am looking foward to this, every ingredient here is has me excited, and frankly I cant wait.
on a different note. I love how even this reveal gives us no clues on the Nintendo NX as the 2016 launch covers a wide range of forms and specs.
One of the big announcements from E3 was that Fallout 4 would be receiving mod support. Which was huge news, as console gaming as been (non hardware) mod free. However Bethesda was clear there was stuff they wanted to do first before tackling console mods.
Now we are past the first 3 DLCs and the free survival update Bethesda is prepared to show us what console mods look like. First Major Nelson of Xbox Live have released this teaser video.
We got to see a few things in this video. A mod for improving base building by allowing you to snap objects together. A mod for a fully customizable alien rifle. Some rather nifty Same Fisher style googles that add night-vision, thermal, or target tagging. The final mod shown allows player to build settlements wherever you want!
We'll see more tonight at 8PM BST as Bethesda/Xbox will live-stream mods running on Xbox One.
Obviously there will be limits to mods on consoles as they'll obtained in game via the Bethesda store and such no "naughty" mods or ones that use licensed materials. There's also the console's own limitations to consider, you wont be doing any of the really high end stuff like those amazing graphics overalls.
Abe's Take
I cant wait to try out mods on Xbox One but I know the console will limit the mods. So my plan is to not go crazy with it like i would on pc, instead choosing to augment the console version. Such as the campsite mod which will work nicely with the overhauled survival mode.
First, seriously what is the plural of Xbox? I mean box becomes boxes but isn't Xbox a noun? turns out with names ending x you add es, so in short its Xboxes. Anyway your probably wondering why the impromptu lesson on plural nouns? Well it seems Microsoft has two Xboxes in the pipeline.
Update: Completely forgot to mention that the source of the rumour suspects Scorpio is meant to be integrated with Oculus Rift thus enabling VR on Xbox and not in the current "play Xbox One in your own cinema" set up.
Original: The two devices are part of separate strategies and have different schedules. Lets run down what we know. The first device is an Xbox One slim, how slim 40% less bulk than the launch system, be cheaper and have a built in 2TB drive. Its also reported the slim will feature an new controller design and 4K support (this probably being for video and not gaming) There's no report of whats missing from the new device, Its entirely possible that the slim could be missing the HDMI pass through and Kinect ports. Whether this is true shouldn't take long for us to find out as the slim is set to be announced at E3.
The 2nd device is a little more eyebrow rising "Project Scorpio". This console is apparently meant to end the narrative of the PS4 being more powerful, to that end the Scorpio will be targeting "6 teraflops" which is above the PlayStation Neo's rumoured "4.14 terraflops" and in more practical terms to us gamers? that is 4x the power of current Xbox One model. This monster is set for release before "late 2017"
Abe's TakeI don't mind there being an Xbox One Slim as they tend to stimulate sales nicely. The news of Sony and MS getting into an arms race in between generations. Console gaming's sole advantage is simplicity, you see a game trailer/advert, buy the game, put it in and play the game you saw. Now admittedly in recent years trailer s have been misleading and games have to install but the concept has remained. Now with these non generational upgrades all the footage we'll see wont be close to what the launch system plays and whilst both parties will tell us there wont be exclusive games for these updates, there will be games where they are barely functioning or recognizable compared to Neo or Scorpio.
Yep its time of the year when the hype train pulls into the station and offers advance booking to random locations where it probably wont go. Yep today we have some lovely E3 related lies rumours. Yesterday I saw an "report" that the entire thing was one sentence taken of NeoGaf "Nvidia is involved with Nintendo " that's it the whole story.
Anyway according to multiple sources (who have been okay at this in the past) Bethesda has some big plans for this years E3. What could they show at this year's show, surely its too early for the next Elder Scrolls game? So its likely to be Doom, Fallout and maybe Elder Scrolls Online content, Maybe a new Wolfenstein, and maybe a deeper look at Dishonoured 2.
You know where this going? Yep they are saying that Elder Scrolls: Skyrim is getting an release on Xbox One complete with mod support, with no mention of the PS4. Some of you will recall Tod Howard revealed they ported Skyrim to Xbox One as a training exercise for the new systems.
Its interesting they aren't mentioning PS4 or that it will be an remaster. Its possible this could be some new kind of backwards compatibility with Bethesda handling the work in house and actively adding features without reworking the rest of the game.
Abe's Take I'd be worried about all these remasters as we approach year 3 for the new machines but damn it the idea that I could soon be wandering through Skyrim with survival mode dose make my drool ever so slightly.
In what could be the mostly poor timed move in the history of video game buyouts. A fresh multi sourced rumour has emerged.
UPDATE: Majong is now an member of the Microsoft family. Notch and his fellow co-founders will leave as soon as everything is sorted, they'll each be leaving with a cut of the £2.5 billion, notch owning more walks away with something like 1.7 billion.
Do Minecraft fans have to worry? Not at all though Notch created Minecraft he handed ddevelopmentover to "Jens" in 2011 and has made Minecraft what it is today. PC users will still be able to mod, record and generally carry on doing what has made the game legend. Minecon will also continue for the foreseeable future.
Do PlayStation, Android and iOS fans have to worry? nope Microsoft and Mojang, will continue to support these devices "and more". whilst this might cause joy in Nintendo fans it's likely they are referring to windows phone and Surface tablets.
The only concerning thing is that their other non Minecraft projects are now uncertain. When asked why and about his future Notch had this to say "it's not about the money, It's about my sanity" He never set out to create this phenomenon or run a multinational company "I'm just a computer geek, who likes to post his opinions on twitter" the designer said "if any of my future projects start gaining traction, I'll probably just end it".
Notch has been increasingly uncomfortable about the pressure of being the "Minecraft guy" and today's news confirms he has been looking for an out and felt Microsoft was the best choice to keep Minecraft going as is. It's expected Microsoft will make it's money back by June 2015 thanks to sales of the game, merchandise, contracts with Sony and the Minecraft empire in general. Orginal Story:Until confirmed this is firmly a rumour. right we got that straight? good.
According to multiple sources Microsoft is preparing to buy Minecraft developer Mojang for a rather cool $2 BILLION, this would include Minecraft and all other games in development. The rumour says Markus "Notch" Petterson would stay on to handle the transfer to MS and then leave for new pastures. Notch leaving has been on the cards for sometime, whilst he hasn't said it himself but ever since he passed Minecraft over to his 2nd he has been taking steps away from Mojang. Cancelling his games working only on tech demo's suddenly cancelling deals with other companies. Notch has always maintained that they haven't been "in it for the money and only do what make's sense for our games" and whilst a sale to Microsoft might seem against that he has been rather open with his friendship with now Xbox head Phil Spenser and how he has enjoyed working with Microsoft (outside his issue with the Tablet version of Windows 8) so it wouldn't be completely unfounded,
But what about the recent launch of Minecraft on PS4? what would happen to that? it's unknown if they'd loose support and for the first time in Minecraft history a version of the game would be "finished" or MS would have to honour current contracts. However an insider is claiming Microsoft sees Minecraft as an "product" and not a game, Likening it to MS Office that runs on competing systems, So exclusivity might not even happen.
Abe's Take
Fans shouldn't worry as I doubt if this happens the PC version would change in anyway. Notch leaving the company isn;t an issue as stated above hasn't had much to do with it for the last few years. Microsoft isn't really known now for ruining devs they've bought. They tend to lock them into a theme but not much more. PS Minecraft fans on the other hand have something to worry about. As we saw when Amazon bought Double Helix developer of Stryder and Killer Instinct (reboot) the game's publishers (Capcom and Microsoft) had to replace the teams.
Another month passes and another update is heading to Xbox One.
Microsoft's new systems has continually evolved since launch, something that on 360 had to be done in massive updates like NXE and Kinect Dash, this is evidently down to the "three OS" they have been championing since launch.
We now have details about what to expect in the next one, here are the details ripped straight from Major Nelson's mouth (or his blog if you prefer)
Activity feed updates - We're adding new ways for you to interact with friends in the activity feed. The interface will change to a single column scrolling list that is longer and includes more content. We'll add the ability to post text to your feed, and to "like" and comment on feed items. You can share game clips and anything else in the feed with friends either publically (to your activity feed) or privately (as an attachment to a message). You'll also be notified when anyone likes, comments on or shares your items. Each user will get a personal feed on their profile, so you can see what specific friends have been up to. And, with SmartGlass, you can see what your friends have shared to their activity feed and "like" specific posts (additional activity feed support coming in future SmartGlass updates). Expanded Friends area on Home - Right from Home, see what's going on with your friends. Stay up-to-date with their current activity, the top trending games your friends are playing, and a leaderboard to see who has been working the hardest on their Gamerscore. We're doing an extended preview on this, rolling it into the early access preview this month to a subset of our preview audience so we can refine it until it's ready for the entire Xbox One market. Mobile purchase - One of the most requested features on Xbox Feedback. Using Xbox SmartGlass or on Xbox.com, you can remotely purchase games and Add-on content. No more waiting to begin downloading when you get home - if your console is set to automatically take updates, your console will begin downloading your purchase. Low battery notification - You asked for it, now a notification will pop up when your controller battery is getting low. Disable notifications during video - Adding the ability to turn off notifications based feedback we heard from you. Enabling 3D Blu-ray - An update to the Blu-ray player app will enable 3D Blu-ray functionality on Xbox One. OneGuide in Brazil, Mexico, Austria and Ireland - Live TV listings can be configured for four new countries as part of this month's Preview program. And now there is an OneGuide Issue Reporter available under the TV & OneGuide settings, Troubleshooting section. Last seen time in Friends list - Direct from Xbox Feedback, the friends list will now show how long it's been since a friend has been online. For example, "Last seen 20m ago: Forza Motorsport 5." Abe's Take
That's a fair amount of changes to the Xbox One whilst bring features up to speed and added fan requested ones. I know the 3D blu-ray has held back some people from acquiring the device.
The first one however seems to be a response to Miiverse Nintendo's surprisingly great "Gaming Social Network"
E3 is coming guys and it seems like it might be a doosey with publishers announcing titles (Farcry 4, Halo 5) before E3 just to free up space in their E3 presentations.
E3 is always big but this year it's a fight. Microsoft and Sony have to make good on all those promises about their next-gen hardware. Nintendo has to show their Wii U still has some punches left in it.
Capcom.
Abe - I want to see Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate come to Wii U. Considering the Wii U versions of 3U was deemed a "smash hit" by Capcom I'd like to see some Wii U Monster hunter action. If not MH$U then maybe Monster Hunter Frontier GG ?
Chris - DRAGONS DOGMA! Either a "Portable" game on 3DS or a Next-Gen sequel but Co-op needs to come to DD [Play as a Pawn in Co-op? a million times yes -Abe]
Ben - Dead Rising Online/ 4
Wild Card - A Capcom developed Zelda for 3DS, A new lost planet... a proper one!
Ubisoft
Abe - Man Ubisoft has been on fire over the last few years, I am interested in what Assassin's Creed game is coming to Old-Gen systems since Unity is New-Gen only. Speaking of AC, I hope we see something new from Unity. The Alpha footage looked very very very pretty but also looked VERY Assassins Creed 2. I am hoping to hear about Ubi's Wii U plans as they haven't mentioned any since delaying Watch_Dogs Wii U for the second time and announcing that only (the Excellent) Child Of Light and not Valiant Hearts was coming to Wii U.
Ben - Farcry 4!!! More Assassin's Creed in boats!
Chris - Co-Op!
Aaron - Farcry 4, Assassin's Creed "comet" and "unity"
Konami
METAL GEAR SOLID V!
2K Games
Saints Row Fun In GTA Online
Abe - GTA Online - Heists, map expansion (Liberty City and with a little work Red Dead Redemption game world would seem easy enough) and Next Gen port
Aaron - Borderlands: Pre-sequel! maybe a teaser for Borderlands 3?
Ben - Borderlands for Next-Gen Activision
Everyone - Will COD's core gameplay actually different in multiplayer?
Abe - Will Destiny end up looking like an MMO with hundreds of people standing around?
EA
Abe - With 6 unannounced titles on their way to E3, I hope they Battlefield alone to breath and give something else a spin. I wonder if the Rumours of New-Gen mass Effect Trilogy is true.
Ben - Battlefront 3 and any other Star Wars would be great.
Abe - Sunset Overdrive , State of Decay's future, Titanfall content expansion
Wild Card - Backwards compatibility, preferably one where you don't have to pay to replay games you own would be a big win VS Sony.
Sony
Abe - How much is Playstation Now gonna cost?, How much is Project Morpheus? and just how badly is The Order being miss represented?
Nintendo
Abe - Looking forward to their New IP and Gamepad games. Also very interested in their NFC Figure games. Also the mysterious Project X
Joe - Smash Bros, New 3DS games and more Fire Emblem
Chris - Hyrule Warriors! Zelda U! Majora's Mask?
Wild Card - Platinum games making Star Fox, New Metroid, Retro making an New IP and what 3rd parties are going to licence Nintendo characters... Pokemon X Monster Hunter Anyone?
Others
Ben - Fallout or Elder Scrolls please!
Abe - Tomb Raider 2 (provided it keeps focused), Batman Arkham Knight and and FPS with a tight Focused story with out the bombastic globe trotting.
Good news Everybody! Have you been enjoying your Bi-Monthly (that's twice a month not random sexy time) free games for the last year but sadly there isn't 2 free games next month... THERE'S FIVE!
Yes 5 games are coming in June. 2 are the regular 15 day affair, 1 is a bonus birthday game and 2 are Xbox One games. Yes it has finally happened monthly free games for the New-Gen Xbox though there is a catch. The X1 games are only yours whilst you have Gold. So No Gold, No Play. We're unsure how this affects family members on the same Xbox as the One only needs 1 gold account to enable all to play online. Will family members need a gold account to play these games as they wasn't "bought like the 360 version? Dont Worry 360 owners this hasn't changed on the old-gen machine.
June's Games are 1st Dark Souls (360) & Max & The Curse Of Brotherhood (One). Then from the 16th it's Charlie Murder (360) & Halo Spartan Assault (One) and available all month long Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition (360), Which happens to be a good deal as the upcoming Ultra Street Fighter 4 can be bought cheaper and earlier as DLC for SSFIV:AE
Abe's Take
Whilst its good to finally see Games With Gold finally arrive on Xbox One I am a little disheartened about the PSN+ subscription lock out whilst maintaining the limited "buying" window. I suspect this was done in an attempt to preserve the featured games sale value. Something that has caused issues on Steam and PSN+
I can't help but be annoyed that Dark Souls is a free game, not because of the game itself but I recently bought it during the "Spring Sale" - I'd like in future that Games With Gold either locks out a game for several months after a sale or put GWG games on sale AFTER so people who missed the title has a chance.
Well it took a year. One year, 52 weeks, 365 days and that's as far as I'm prepared to go on that. WARNING: This Article is basicly a giant "Abe's Take" UPDATE: Xbox One Owners wanting a little more than a "promise" are banding together on the official forums in attempt to get microsoft to address the situation. Some hoping for a compensation others hoping they reverse the choice
As of June you will be able to buy an Xbox One at a minor discount without the Kinect which will make some people happy and may even stimulate sales.
Not me though...
E3 2013 - E3 2014 that's how long it took for every major detail about the Xbox One to do a U-turn and the console no longer resembles it's self. Many a "fan" has been calling for this from day one and Microsoft out right denied it would ever happen, phrases like "the Kinect IS the Xbox One as much as the controller is" and "Kinect is next gen" Surrounded the system at it's announcement event, E3 and even it's launch party but apparently Microsoft just had to to that last U turn. Apparently made in the name of "choice" but giving the gamer the choice whether to buy a Kinect or not maybe the devices downfall.
The previous Kinect wasn't quite what was promised when it first appeared as project natal but if you speak to developers their concerns wasn't things like lag, play space or image quality, It was install base. They just didn't know if their game would reach a kinect user or not. The decision bundle it's new version with every unit stuck accord with developers and every lunch title fore the X1 used it in some way. Battlefield 4 let you lean around corners (as would Thief months later), Dead Rising 3 had you commanding allies and luring zombies with out having to navigate though a tiered menu and shaking zombies off using the controller instead of a rapid press QTE. Even the UI and functions of the X1 are tailored to the Kinect there is no RECORD THAT button and it's far easier and quicker to navigate the menu's and invite friends using the Kinect. They'll have to add buttons for the Kinect functions cluttering up the UI further.
A Kinect less X1 should of appeared further down the line in the form of the oft rumoured "lite" version that would been with out a blu-ray drive and delivered at a low cost.
