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Your Next-Gen Console is Likely Being Made by Foxconn

Way, way back in May, news broke that the next-gen Xbox One was undergoing production by Chinese electronics manufacturer Foxconn who are best known for making iPhones and iPads. Not only is the Xbox One manufactured by the controversial Chinese manufacturer but this week, we found out that Foxconn is also making the PlayStation 4.

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Tags: Foxconn, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Devs Say the PlayStation 4 Massively Outperforms the Xbox One

Sep 16

Posted by Steve Murray

An anonymous survey of developers by Edge Magazine shows that the performance difference expected based on their specs turns out to be a reality. Developers told Edge that the PlayStation 4 is up to 50 percent faster than the Xbox One and the recent GPU boost hasn’t done much to fix that.

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Tags: Console Wars, Microsoft, PlayStation 4, Sony, Xbox One

Xbox One Sets a November 22nd Launch Date

Sep 5

Posted by Steve Murray

A couple of weeks after Sony announced the PlayStation 4’s launch date at Gamescom, Microsoft took to YouTube to announce when the Xbox One would be hitting store shelves.

While Sony is having staggered North American and European launches, the Xbox One will be available in all of its worldwide launch countries on the same date. The Xbox One comes out on November 22, 2013.

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Tags: Microsoft, Xbox One

Gamescom 2013: Xbox Opens Up to Indies and Gears Up to Launch

Aug 21

Posted by Steve Murray

Europe’s big video game convention kicked off with a bang as Microsoft was the first big player to hold a keynote presentation. With the Xbox One steadily gaining ground in the PR game after doing enough policy 180s that you could call it the Xbox 720, Microsoft still had some things to say to get people hyped about their next-gen console.

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Tags: Gamescom, Gamescom 2013, Indie, Microsoft, Xbox One

Xbox One Doesn’t Need a Kinect Connected to Work

Aug 14

Posted by Steve Murray

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Microsoft is playing the PR long game with the Xbox One. After getting everyone mad at them when announcing the Xbox One, they’re going back on the “features” that gamers didn’t like and are turning the tide of the PR war by reverting to the status quo.

In a Q&A session, Microsoft’s Chief Xbox One Platform Architect, Marc Whitten, revealed that the Xbox One would still be able to function whether or not the Kinect was broken or plugged in.

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Tags: Kinect, Microsoft, NSA, Xbox One

Xbox One Game Recording Only for Xbox Live Gold

Aug 9

Posted by Steve Murray

As part of their corporate policies, Microsoft has mandated that they can’t go more than a few weeks without doing something to annoy their current and potential future consumer base.

So August’s early frontrunner for Xbone move of the month is Microsoft confirming that users will only be able to use the Xbox One’s ability to record gameplay if you are an Xbox Live Gold member.

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Tags: Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox Live, Xbox One

Microsoft to Allow Indie Self-Publishing on Xbox One

Jul 29

Posted by Steve Murray

Microsoft’s road to PR redemption is slowly but surely continuing. I guess when you bottomed out in public perception, it’s pretty hard to do anything but improve how you’re perceived.

After backtracking on the console’s always-connected DRM and hinting that they might find a way to bring back family sharing, Microsoft has made overtures to the developing community by changing policies to allow indie games to be self-published on Xbox One.

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Tags: Indie, Microsoft, Xbone, Xbox One

Will The Xbox One Be Your Overly Attached Girlfriend?

Microsoft might have gotten rid of the online check-in DRM requirements for the Xbox One but doesn’t mean that it isn’t still watching you. We’ve all read that it’s built around advertising with the Kinect integral to making that advertising work better for advertisers. The Kinect always watching and Microsoft’s compliance in giving data to the NSA doesn’t make me feel better about it.

So is the Xbox One going to be like a clingy girlfriend? The folks at Kensington make that case in a handy infographic.

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Posted on July 19, 2013 | Image

Don Mattrick Leaving Microsoft for Zynga

Jul 2

Posted by Steve Murray

After he took Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment division, AKA Xbox, from the top console brand in America and battered its reputation with a series of bad decisions over the last few months, it looks like Don Mattrick is going to leave brand destruction behind and try his hand at brand rehabilitation instead.

Mattrick is leaving his post as Microsoft’s President of Interactive Entertainment for the CEO job at Zynga Entertainment.

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Tags: Don Mattrick, Microsoft, Xbone, Xbox, Xbox One

Xbox One’s Cancelled Family Sharing Was a One Hour Demo

Jun 24

Posted by Steve Murray

While Microsoft eliminating the DRM on the Xbox One can only be seen as a good thing, it wasn’t all positives to come from that. The elimination of the online check-ins and mandatory installation of games resulted in the elimination of the family share program which was considered one of the bright spots of the upcoming console.

However, the might have been for the best. Reports indicate that the Family Share program wasn’t actually going to allow you to share full games with your 10 family members on Xbox Live. It was going to let you play the game in hour-long chunks rather than the whole game.

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