Battlefield 4 for Xbox One supports Kinect head tracking for leaning

The Xbox One port of Battlefield 4 may have a resolution of 720p, but that version of EA's military shooter will have a couple of extra features that no other will have, thanks to the Xbox One's Kinect sensor. EA has confirmed that players will be able to use their head in the game with the additional Kinect support.

What does that mean? Well, according to Polygon, Battlefield 4 on the Xbox one will allow players to track their head movements when the Kinect sensor is used. This mean gamers will be able to lean and peek around corners in the game world just by moving their heads. The article says this will make a big difference in terms of gameplay as gamers will be able to expose just part of their virtual body when they are in corners.

In addition, Battlefield 4 for the Xbox One will be able to accept voice commands from players, again thanks to the Kinect hardware. Gamers will be able to request ammo, call a medic and more with their voice. Battlefield 4 is one of the 21 planned launch games for the Xbox One, which officially goes on sale on November 22nd.

Source: Polygon | Image via battlefield.com

THE HALO Journey

 
“Halo” isn’t simply a perennial game franchise, it’s a part of the Xbox platform itself. In terms of innovation and ideation, it’s sometimes important to people who might not even play “Halo.” And of course it’s a passion and an essential experience for two generations of gamers.  So we asked ourselves, how do we begin and where do we go with “Halo” on Xbox One?

In the past, “Halo” games have pushed the Xbox forward, showcasing the console and its ecosystem in entertaining and innovative ways. Making a “Halo” game that runs at 60 frames per second, on dedicated servers, with the scope, features and scale we’ve been dreaming of for more than a decade, is non-trivial.  It’s a task that we, at 343 Industries, are taking very seriously to ensure we deliver the “Halo” game that fans deserve, and a game that is built from the ground up for Xbox One.  

I’m happy to reveal that “Halo 5: Guardians,” the next installment in the legendary saga of the Master Chief, will launch on Xbox One in fall of 2015.  In the tradition of every “Halo” game since its debut in 2001, it is a massive and exciting project.

“Halo 5: Guardians” is a bigger effort than “Halo 4.”  That applies to the content and scope of the game, as well as the technology in what’s now a brand new and more powerful engine.  Certainly there are some core elements carried over from prior games, but we’ve invested a huge effort in retooling our tech to take full advantage of the Xbox One’s hardware and ecosystem to create worlds and experiences worthy of next-gen.

It’s a game that will hopefully demonstrate the talent, learning and abilities of the 343 Industries team. A game that will incorporate the things we learned from “Halo 4” about technology, aesthetics, performance and scale – and perhaps more importantly, understanding and embracing a community of gamers who love what lies at the heart of this game, and the limitless potential of the “Halo” universe.

And 2015 won’t simply be the year of “Halo 5: Guardians,” it will also be a year that offers us a unique opportunity. The opportunity to invite old friends and new audiences into that universe through the “Halo” television series, launched as a unique collaboration with Steven Spielberg and some of the finest creative minds in the business.  A series that will stand alone, as well as complement and enrich the game experience.  We’ll have more to share on the “Halo” television series as we near its projected fall 2015 release.

Your Journey Begins in 2014

Many fans noted that I was very deliberate with my phrasing on stage at E3 last year. I spoke about a “journey,” rather than a destination – and that journey definitely begins in 2014 with a giant leap, rather than one small step. We’ll give you much more information about our plans for this year at the Xbox E3 2014 Media Briefing on June 9, and we’re confident that “Halo” fans will be pretty excited about the special plans we have in store.

So until E3, I’d like to express my gratitude to our massive and varied Halo community, whose energy, enthusiasm, criticism and kindness are the driving force behind what we do and what we hope to achieve in “Halo 5: Guardians.”

Source: Microsoft | images via Microsoft

Microsoft will start selling Xbox One in China in September

A new report claims Microsoft will begin to sell its Xbox One game console in China sometime in September. If true, this would mark the official launch of a new game console in that country since the government's recent decision to lift the sales ban of such products.

Re/code was the first to report the news, which apparently was backed up by an official Xbox YouTube announcement which has since been put into private mode. The company's corporate vice-president of devices and studios Yusuf Mehdi was quoted in the video as saying:

In China, there are over half a billion gamers, so the opportunity to create globally and locally created content to delight millions and millions of of gaming families everywhere is something that we’re really passionate about.

China had previously banned the sales of all game consoles since 2000, but after a review of the topic in 2013 the government lifted that ban in January 2014. The new law allows consoles to be made in Shanghai and then sold in all of China. However, the government last week also announced it would enforce restrictions on the content of console games sold in China. That would include titles that the government feels would promote "obscenity, drug use, violence or gambling."

Source: Re/code | Image via Microsoft

Microsoft reveals TV, film projects under Xbox Originals banner

Microsoft's Xbox Entertainment Studios has offered brief teasers about what original TV and film titles it has planned for its Xbox One and Xbox 360 audience for months. Today, however, the company officially revealed its lineup of projects currently in development, which will all be released under the Xbox Originals banner.

Today's announcement on the Xbox Wire website says the shows will also be shown on "other Microsoft devices," which suggests that they will be made available in some way on Windows and Windows Phone-based products as well. All of the projects will also have some kind of interactive features.

The first titles will launch this summer. Microsoft has several titles that it says it is "committed" to making, including both a Halo TV series and a Halo digital film project. There's also the "Every Street United" reality series about urban soccer stars, and the sci-fi series "Humans," which will debut in 2015. Additionally, Microsoft will offer live concerts from the Bonnaroo music festival in July.
 
The other project is called "Signal to Noise," a six-film documentary series that will begin later this year with a project tentatively titled "Atari: Game Over." This weekend, Microsoft filmed the excavation of a New Mexico landfill for that documentary to see if Atari really did bury lots of copies of its "E.T." game for the 2600 console. As it turned out, that was indeed correct.
In addition to the "committed" projects, Xbox Entertainment Studios has several more in development that may or may not be launched. They include three drama TV series: 

"Deadlands," based on the classic "Weird West" pen-and paper RPG, "Gun Machine," a hardboiled detective thriller based on the novel by Warren Ellis, and "Winterworld," a post apocalypse story based on the comic book from writer Chuck Dixon and artist Jorge Zaffino.
Other projects in development include an untitled comedy variety series with Sarah Silverman and Michael Cera among the producers, the stop motion comedy series "Extraordinary Believers" with Robot Chicken's co-creator Seth Green as an executive producer, and "Fearless," a reality series that follows the travels of Paul de Gelder, an Australian Navy bomb clearance diver and shark attack survivor, as he helps other people who risk their lives in different situations.

Today's announcement did not reveal if Microsoft will charge extra for viewing Xbox Original programming on its game consoles or if it will be included in the price of an Xbox Live Gold subscription.

Source: Microsoft | Image via Microsoft

Microsoft shows Saturday's Atari 'E.T' game dig in new video

On Saturday, Microsoft, a documentary film crew, and some big excavation machines proved that Atari had indeed buried unsold  "E.T." 2600 game cartridges in a New Mexico landfill during 1983, along with other titles from that classic console. Now, Microsoft has posted up a brief video clip on YouTube that shows the highlights from the event in Alamogordo.

The video is hosted by Microsoft's Xbox Live director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb and shows the heavy machinery that was brought in to excavate the landfill. It also features brief chats with many people involved in the documentary of the Atari "E.T." game including director Zak Penn. The last part of the video shows the first copies of the game that were found in the landfill, which confirmed what was previously thought by many to be just an urban legend.

The final documentary on the "E.T." game saga will be titled Atari: Game Over and will be shown to Xbox One and Xbox 360 owners later this year as part of a six series called Signal to Noise; the series is part of Microsoft's Xbox Originals lineup of TV and films that will begin later this summer.

Source: Xbox on YouTube

Xbox One storage management update now rolling out

It was supposed to be out earlier this week but today the latest firmware update for Microsoft's Xbox One console is now being rolled out to its owners and should be installed on every unit by the end of the weekend. This is the second such update for the console since it launched in November (or the third if you count the "Day One" update).

As we have reported before, this patch for the console adds three major features; one is the long awaited storage management control that will finally allow Xbox One owners to see how much free space they have left on their 500GB hard drive. It also includes improvements for installing games and apps, with each now having a separate download queue (My Games and My Apps) and a way to control which content is downloaded first.

There's also a new battery power indicator for the Xbox One controller with this update, which you can see in the lower right-hand corner of the screenshot above. Finally, for those of you who want to, for example, type in addresses for the console's version of Internet Explorer, the update adds support for using USB keyboards.

Microsoft has another update planned for early March that will improve a number of the console's multiplayer and party features, among other things.

Source: Major Nelson | Image via Microsoft

Microsoft delays February Xbox One update

Microsoft was expected to push out an update for the Xbox One today but it looks like a last minute hiccup has caused a small delay in the release. Major Nelson posted on Twitter that the Xbox One system update will ship this week but it will not be going out today.

The update will make it easier for users to manage the storage on their device, manage the download queue and a battery indicator will be added too. 

Even though the update has been delayed, only by a few days at most, it’s better to see the update get held back than to be released and brick consoles. Seeing that it is only being pushed back a small amount of time, the last minute issue, whatever it may be, surely can’t be that serious otherwise the delay would have been likely postponed indefinitely.

When Microsoft firms up the timeline for the release later this week, we will let you know when you can expect the download to arrive on your console.

Source: Major Nelson | Thanks for the tip EvilAstroboy

Xbox One to get multiplayer and party updates in March

While Microsoft will release a software update for the Xbox One later this week, the company already has plans for a second update that will roll out in early March. Today, Microsoft revealed some more information about that automatic download. It will concentrate on improving the multiplayer and party experience for the console, which has received its share of criticism from hardcore online players.

This screenshot is from the current friends list on the Xbox One

In a post on Xbox Wire, Microsoft's Xbox Chief Product Officer Marc Whitten stated that when the March update is released, the Friends list on the Xbox One will be "front and center on the homepage of the Friends app." It will also allow owners to simply say "Xbox, go to Friends" to view the list, thanks to the Kinect hardware.

Fans will be happy to know that the Xbox One will also add an "Invite friends to game" option for all multiplayer games with the new update, along with a "Recent Players" list. Party chat will be turned on by default with next month's update and it will also be separated from the list of people who are playing the same game. Whitten said that more features for March's Xbox One update will be revealed in the coming weeks, along with videos that will show the new additions in action.

Source: Xbox Wire | Image via Microsoft

Twitch Xbox One game broadcasting app update released

Just a few hours before Titanfall went on sale in North America, Twitch released its previously announced app update for the Xbox One. The new version finally allows owners of Microsoft's console to broadcast their gameplay streams to the Twitch service for anyone else to check out, which is something that Sony's rival PlayStation 4 has been able to do since it launched in November.

Twitch made the official announcement about the Xbox One app update on their Twitter account Monday. The official Twitch website now has a specific Xbox One page where anyone with a web browser can view gameplay coming from owners of the console. As you might expect, there are a lot of Titanfall players already online and broadcasting their multiplayer matches to the world.

The Xbox One version of Twitch does offer higher resolution and bit rates for their video streams compared to the PS4 app. It can also archive broadcasts for viewing at a later time. Xbox One owners can view game streams from other Twitch platforms inside the app, including the PS4, and can jump in the actual game that's being streamed if the person who is in charge of the match allows it.

The ability to broadcast and stream games on the Xbox One via Twitch should be a highly popular feature for the console, especially for Titanfall's launch. Hopefully this is just the first wave of improvements for the app in the future.

Microsoft: Xbox One controller will work on PCs ... in 2014

 
Microsoft is making a big deal about the official controller for the Xbox One, including a new seven minute video that was released on Monday. However, many gamers who have enjoyed playing with the PC version of the Xbox 360 controller have wondered if the Xbox One gamepad will makes its way to Microsoft's other major gaming platform.

The short answer, thankfully, is, "Yes." The long answer is a bit more complicated. VentureBeat contacted Microsoft and found out that the Xbox One controller will be released for the PC, but it won't happen until sometime in 2014.

According to Microsoft, the reason for the long wait are due to the new hardware inside the controller, including its Impulse triggers and its ability to work in both wired and wireless mode. In a statement, Microsoft said that it will have to write new software and optimize it so that the controller can properly work on a PC.

The statement added:

There is also some work that we need to do to make sure that existing PC games that support the Xbox 360 controller will work with the Xbox One controller. While it seems trivial, it’s actually quite a bit of dedicated work for all that to be seamless for the user.

Add all of that extra programming work up, and it makes sense that the Xbox One controller will take some time before it's ready for the vast PC gaming audience.

Source: VentureBeat | Image via Microsoft

Version of Plex app coming to Xbox One via ID@Xbox program [Update]

The Windows 8 Plex app remains one of the most popular paid apps in the Windows Store.

The Plex app is going to appear on yet another Microsoft platform, the Xbox One. The news was posted this week by a member of the team who develops the popular media streaming software on the Plex message boards.

The forum post, written by team member Tyson Edwards, stated that Plex has been granted entry in the ID@Xbox program so they can port the app to the Xbox One. This is the first time that a non-game developer has announced that they are participating in this particular service. Microsoft first announced ID@Xbox in August as a way for game developers to self-publish their titles on the console. The first such games under the program are due to be released later this month.

Now it sounds like the ID@Xbox program is being expanded to include non-gaming apps. Microsoft informed the public on how Windows 8 and Windows Phone apps could be ported to the Xbox One earlier this week at the BUILD 2014 conference but stopped short of saying just how those apps would be published and released to Xbox One owners.

The Windows 8 version of the Plex app was first launched in December 2012 and has remained one of the most popular apps for the OS; it has consistently been in the top 10 list of paid apps in the store since it was released.

Update: Endgaget reports that the Xbox One port is technically not an official Plex project and is being handled by Edwards, an independent developer.

Source: Plex forums via The Next Web | Image via Plex

Microsoft talks about bringing universal Windows apps to Xbox One

Microsoft strongly hinted at BUILD 2013 that Windows 8 and Windows Phone apps could be adapted to run on the Xbox One, and today at BUILD 2014 the company expanded on that, confirming that those universal apps will be able to be compiled to run on Microsoft's new game console.

Microsoft showed off how the Windows Phone version of the Khan Academy education app could be adapted to work on the Xbox One. Another demo showed how the same app could be ported to the PC and work with the Kinect for Windows v2 hardware and software.

Unfortunately, Microsoft still isn't talking about just when app makers will be able to release their creations for the Xbox One, but at least they seem to be making progress on this front. There are still a lot of questions about how this will work, especially how app creators will upload their software to be sold in the Xbox One app store. Hopefully, Microsoft will reveal more information about how this will work at BUILD later this week and in the weeks and months to come.

Microsoft has already launched its ID@Xbox program, which allows for smaller game developers to publish their own titles on the Xbox One, without the need for a third party publisher.

Image via Microsoft

Microsoft hints at Windows 8-Xbox One cross platform apps

Microsoft has already revealed that the upcoming Xbox One game console has three operating systems running things inside: An Xbox OS to run games, a Windows 8-based OS to run apps and a third that talks between the other two operating systems. The logical next step would be to ask if developers of Windows 8 apps could have them published on the Xbox One.

During Thursday's BUILD 2013 keynote, as shown on the Channel 9 website, there were strong hints that Microsoft is in fact going to allow Windows 8 app developers to release their creations on the Xbox One. 

The demo presentation on stage showed the Khan Academy app running on what the presenters said was an Xbox One console back stage.

Steve Guggenheimer, the lead evangelist of Microsoft's Developer division, said that while Microsoft didn't have anything more to announce today on making apps for the Xbox One, he suggested to the audience at the BUILD keynote that they go ahead and start making Windows 8 apps to "get a head start" on preparing to make Xbox One apps.

If app makers can make Windows 8 apps that can also work on the Xbox One, the big question is how would they be published. So far, Microsoft has not said anything about developers self publishing games for the Xbox One and it's possible that they would also have similar restrictions for any apps that would be made for the console.

Source: Channel 9 | Image via Microsoft

Secret code can turn your Xbox One into a dev kit, should be avoided for now

A few months ago, Microsoft announced their ID@Xbox program, designed to offer small game developers a way to self-publish on the Xbox One. At the time, Microsoft said that plans were in the works that would allow anyone with a retail Xbox One unit to turn it into a development hardware kit but details were not announced.

Now a YouTube video on the GameTuts channel has revealed a way to go ahead and turn any Xbox One into a development kit right now; the YouTube link has the full procedure.

Having said that, a post on Reddit from an unnamed but confirmed developer of Xbox One games says that the method in the video really shouldn't be used, stating, "Please don't mess with anything here for the time being, especially the sandbox ID. You risk putting your box into a boot loop."

The same developer later posted that he had no idea when Microsoft would officially enable development kits from Xbox One units, stating, "There are many concerns such as privacy, security, stability etc.., that need to be sorted out before we can allow anyone and everyone to simply sideload an app onto their box."
So there you have it. If you really want to, you can turn your new Xbox One into a development kit just for fun, but you run the risk of bricking it. If you really want to make games and self-publish them on the console, your best bet is to sign up for Microsoft's official ID@Xbox program.

Source: GameTuts and Reddit via Eurogamer | Image via Microsoft

Microsoft confirms Xbox One game self publishing plans; details coming later

 

Earlier today, rumors hit the Internet that Microsoft was going to do a 180 on their previous restrictive game publishing plans for their Xbox One console. Now Microsoft has confirmed that it will indeed allow for game developers to publish their own titles for the console, without the need for a first or third party game agreement, but stopped short on offering the specific details.

In a statement sent to Kokatu, Microsoft Xbox exec Marc Whitten is quoted as saying:

Our vision is that every person can be a creator. That every Xbox One can be used for development. That every game and experience can take advantage of all of the features of Xbox One and Xbox LIVE. This means self-publishing. This means Kinect, the cloud, achievements. This means great discoverability on Xbox LIVE. We'll have more details on the program and the timeline at gamescom in August.

Whitten's statement would also seem to confirm the rumor that Microsoft will be able to turn any of the Xbox One retail units into hardware development kits for the console for the purposes of beta testing games.
Gamescom is the massive games convention and trade show, which last year had over 200,000 attendees, that will be held  this year from August 21-25 in Cologne, Germany. Microsoft has already announced it will be exhibiting at the show, which it skipped in 2012. it would seem likely that Microsoft will use Gamescom as their next major station for the Xbox One announcement train.

Source: Kotaku | Image via Microsoft

Xbox One likely won't support external storage at launch

Xbox One users likely won't be able to use the console's USB 3.0 ports for external storage at launch.

Microsoft's upcoming Xbox One game and entertainment console likely won't support external storage when it launches in November, though the company is working on an update that will add the functionality at a later date.

Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, Xbox Live's director of programming, confirmed the lack of initial external storage support at PAX Prime 2013 during a recording of his weekly podcast on Sunday.

"My understanding is that feature won't be there at launch because the team is working on some other things, but it's definitely on the list," Hryb said, responding to an audience member's question. "I don't know when it will come in, though."

The lack of external storage support could be an issue for some users, as all games – including disc-based titles purchased at retail – must be installed to the console's hard drive. 

Additionally, the Xbox One will automatically record the last five minutes of gameplay to the console's hard drive. Unlike the Xbox 360, the hard drive in the Xbox One won't be removable, so users won't be able to upgrade the console's internal storage capacity.

When the feature is added in an update, users will be able to use the console's two USB 3.0 ports to save content to external storage devices. Microsoft's Xbox 360 currently supports external storage, though only up to 32GB.

Source: Major Nelson via Polygon | Image via Microsoft

New Xbox One info from Comic-Con; scanning player's face into games via Kinect

If you thought that Microsoft had revealed everything about the Xbox One game console during E3 in June, you were wrong. At the company's panel for the upcoming console at the San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, Microsoft reps revealed quite a few features for the Xbox One that had not been made public before now.

San Diego Comic-Con attendees got to play Forza Motorsport 5 for the Xbox One this week

As reported by IGN, one of the coolest new features is the ability for any Xbox One game to include a way to put in a real player's face onto an in-game character model, thanks to the new abilities of the included Kinect sensor. It can even track a player's BMI so that the character model in the game looks something like the body of the real player. The Kinect sensor can also track the player's facial expressions and have them appear on the in-game model, which could add something new to multiplayer matches.

So far, there's no word on which Xbox One games will have this facial and body mapping feature, but Microsoft said it's available for any game developer that wants to put it in their projects.

Another new feature revealed at the Comic-Con panel on Saturday concerns game video recording and uploading. When you play any game on the Xbox One, it automatically starts recording the last five minutes to the hard drive. When you say, "Xbox record", the console will then save the last 30 seconds of the game you are playing. That 30 second video clip can then be uploaded and promoted on a variety of social networks without having to leave the game to go to the Xbox dashboard.

The Xbox One will also be able to automatically load controller profiles for each player when the console's controller is passed from player to player. This will save lots of time as normally each player would have to go to the game's setup menu to create his or her own controller profile.

Naturally, the panel attendees at Comic-Con wanted to know the specific launch date for the Xbox One. While Microsoft has already said that it will be out sometime in November, the panel indicated that a final launch date will be revealed sometime later this summer.

Source: IGN | Image via Microsoft

Microsoft updates Skype for Xbox One, but there's still no Snap video mode while gaming

Microsoft launched the Xbox One console in November that included a way to download its own version of Skype. Today, the company announced that the first major update for the Skype Xbox One app is now available, with a number of improvements but lacking one long promised feature.

The Skype blog goes over the new features for the Xbox One app.  Microsoft says, "Improved chat is now synchronized and comes with push notifications, alerting you when a new message arrives, and providing a longer chat history – up to 1,000 messages, rather than just the past 7 days."

There's also a new tutorial feature in the Xbox One version, which helps first time Skype users with making chat and video calls. It also adds filters so that users can only see their contacts that happen to be online. New chat emoticons based on the upcoming movie "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" can now be used on the Xbox One Skype app. Finally, a number of unnamed bugs have been fixed.

Sadly, it appears that the once promised feature for the Skype app that would have allowed it to enter Snap mode on the right hand side to take a video call while still playing an Xbox One game in the main window has yet to be implemented. There's no word when, or even if, it will be included in an upcoming update.

Source: Microsoft | Image via Microsoft

Skype for Xbox One to get update next week, improves auto zoom and more

Microsoft released the first major update for its Xbox One version of Skype in March, and today the company announced that the next version of the VoIP app will be released for the game console sometime early next week.

The official Skype blog states that the 1.3 version of the app will add some improvements to the camera auto zoom feature for video chats. The blog states, "We found ways to better identify people in the picture, especially when there are multiple people in the room. The camera can adjust and see the entire family, even the little ones."

In addition, the app will soon allow Skype users on the Xbox One to take a new profile picture via the included camera on the console's Kinect. The Skype app will also support using a person's Xbox Live gamer pic as their Skype profile picture after this update.

Unfortunately, we are still waiting for the Skype team to add the once promised feature that would have allowed the Xbox One version to enter Snap mode on the right hand side to take a video call while playing games in the main window. That feature was demoed live during the Xbox One's launch event in May.

Source: Skype blog | Image via Microsoft

Microsoft Store selling Xbox One bundles with 'Titanfall' or 'Forza 5' for $450

Walmart began offering the Xbox One with "Titanfall" for $450 last week, and now Microsoft's official online store is doing the same.

The Microsoft Store website features a tile boasting "limited-time savings" on an Xbox One, including the "Titanfall" bundle as well as a second bundle with "Forza Motorsports 5." Both bundles are priced at $449.99, down from the standard $499.99. Three more expensive bundles – the "complete," "ultimate" and play-and-charge bundles – have also seen their prices decrease by about $45 to $70.

Several other stores have begun offering the "Titanfall" bundle for about $450, including Best Buy, either through a similar limited-time offer or price match for Walmart's price.

Some have theorized the "limited-time savings" will actually be made permanent as the Xbox One trails Sony's PlayStation 4 in terms of cumulative sales, though Microsoft hasn't made any indication that will happen. The URL of Microsoft's Xbox One "limited-time savings" refers to the bundles as a "price move" instead of a "price drop," though the company referred to the price drop of its original Xbox from $200 to $150 as a "price move" in 2004.

Source: Microsoft Store | Image via Microsoft