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Hurry up and patch your Chrysler against this wireless hack
Last week Chrysler quietly released a software update for its optional Uconnect in-car entertainment system. And while the official purpose was "to improve vehicle electronic security", Wired reports that the patch is really aimed at fixing a terrifying flaw in the system's security. One that could allow hackers to remotely shut down your vehicle at slow speeds or hijack its steering, brakes, and transmission.
Microsoft leaked the Xbox One, HoloLens and more way back in 2012
Covering Microsoft can be comical. The enormous, multinational company is notoriously prone to leaks. Here's a short highlight list from our vast library of leak posts about Microsoft: Microsoft's fitness wearable, Band The Xbox One game console, in development kit form, on eBay of all places Cortana for Windows, the voice-based search engine Former CEO Steve Ballmer's entire CES 2010 keynote speech While that list of all stars is impressive unto itself, there's a far more interesting leak that happened way back in June 2012. A 56-page business presentation was uploaded to document-sharing service Scribd -- the document outlined four years of Xbox plans, the vast majority of which have now played out. From Kinect 2.0 shipping with Xbox One to HoloLens (then known as "Project Fortaleza"), essentially the entire recent history of Xbox was exposed nearly three years ago.
Beasts of Prey is a dinosaur-themed survival sandbox MMOFPS
If The Stomping Land and Durango aren't enough to sate your appetite for dinosaur-themed survival MMO gameplay, then here's a third game to add to that growing menu: Beasts of Prey. It's currently in early access alpha on Steam for $34.99, though developer Octagon Interactive hopes to launch beta in October. What does your money pay for right now, exactly? "Beasts of Prey has been funded privately and your purchase will help us to further develop the game and pay bills for designers/coders & infrastructure. Additionally and more importantly we need your feedback on what we have created so far so we can make the right adjustments to successfully change game-play & mechanics." The game boasts a single-server infrastructure, a detailed crafting and gathering system, a randomly generated world that adjusts its size based on the population, and dinosaurs that can wreck a camo-colored car much faster than a zombie ever could. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Meet Durango, Nexon's dino survival MMO
Pop quiz, hotshot! Which of these things do not go together: dinosaurs, wooly mammoths, hot air balloons, chainsaws, survival gameplay. It's actually a trick question, because in Durango, Nexon's newest MMO, they all do. Nexon recently revealed the survival-based dino-tastic MMO with a teaser site. From the looks of it, players will be put into a mish-mash prehistoric isometric setting and challenged to survive by making tools, constructing traps, fighting dinos, and building up a safe home. The title is being made by the folks who did Vindictus. In an interesting twist, Durango will be heading primarily (from the looks of it) to mobile platforms, including iOS, Android, and Nvidia Shield. You can check out the teaser trailer after the jump.
Report: Xbox One has remote play between consoles so a friend can help
Unnamed sources speaking with Polygon say the Xbox One has a remote play feature between consoles, both hardwired and online, allowing friends to take over gameplay remotely. The demonstration the sources claim to have witnessed featured one Xbox One connecting to another using "a local hardwired connection between consoles," with a Skype call bridging the two users. A similar feature is available on Sony's next-generation console, the PlayStation 4, both between consoles and via PlayStation Vita. The other piece of the report adds to a bit we already knew concerning the new Kinect. "At some point, we'll be able to have conversational understanding," Microsoft hardware lead Todd Holmdahl told us last week. That "some point" may be sooner than later, as Microsoft reps were apparently already demonstrating the functionality, and said it'll be available either at launch or "post-launch within the first few months."
Xbox One event roundup: Microsoft reveals its next-gen gaming console
Will Microsoft's Xbox One be the one gaming console to purchase over the Wii U and PS4? That's a question we'll have to wait until later this year to answer, so let's stick to the present. Redmond made a huge showing across both the software and hardware fronts today, ensuring gamers will have lots to look forward to. Whether you missed parts of the keynote or are looking for specific stories from the event, we've got you covered right here. Click past the break to find a full directory of today's news, from our exclusive look at how engineers built the Xbox One to details about fresh titles like Call of Duty: Ghosts and Forza Motorsport 5.
Hands-on with Xbox One's new gamepad, 'impulse triggers' included
You've already read our hands-on with Xbox One's new Kinect and wireless gamepad, but perhaps you noticed our inability to test the gamepad's new "impulse triggers?" Well, we're glad to tell you we've just mended that exception. First things first, though -- we got hands-on with the new gamepad in a more finished state (which is to say "with the impulse triggers and the new Start / Back buttons). The most noticeable difference is one that most gamers will likely overlook initially: the new texture on the edge of the analog sticks. Head below with us for more!%Gallery-189016%
Xbox One installs discs to the HDD, friends list capped at 1,000
The Xbox One's 50GB Blu-ray discs will automatically rip to your 500GB hard drive, Microsoft tells us, and it looks like you won't have to wait til they're done to get going. That's according to the Xbox One landing page on Xbox.com, spotted by our friends at Joystiq, which says, "With Xbox One, you can start playing immediately as games install. And updates install seamlessly in the background, so your games and entertainment won't be interrupted." And that's not all they've sussed out in details -- the Xbox One will also have a 1,000-person friend cap. How does that tie into the Skype integration? Good question! That's not clear just yet, but it stands to reason that they're independent of each other.
Relive the Xbox One unveiling with this video
Couldn't catch the live stream of Microsof't on-campus, in-tent Xbox One reveal event? And our liveblog simply wasn't enough to satisfy your hunger for more information, straight from Microsoft executives? We might call you crazy, but we'd rather just provide you a way to relive that experience easily and at your leisure. So here we are, doing just that -- take a look below the break for a teaser video of the new console, direct from Redmond to you.
Xbox One isn't backwards compatible with Xbox 360 discs or Xbox Live Arcade, Gamerscore transfers
It's true: the Xbox One will not play your Xbox 360 game discs, nor will your Xbox Live Arcade games transfer (not to mention any other content that's dependent on the 360's hardware architecture, anyhow). That Gamerscore you've been earning, though? That's gonna transfer. As will your Xbox Live Gamertag. Sadly, due to the x86 architecture of the Xbox One, the PowerPC-based 360 titles simply won't run on the hardware. Microsoft's not super worried about consumer reaction, though, telling Engadget, "We care very much about the investment people have made in Xbox 360 and will continue to support it with a pipeline of new games and new apps well into the future," a Microsoft rep told us. That said, Xbox One is designed, "to play an entirely new generation of games -- games that are architected to take full advantage of state-of-the-art processors and the infinite power of the cloud." We got a glimpse at some of those new games this afternoon, but we expect to see much more at E3 in a few weeks.
Building Xbox One: An inside look at Microsoft's play for the next generation of gaming
The engineers in Microsoft's windowless next-gen Xbox silicon lab are rattled. And understandably so. We're in their office, after all, and we have a mess of cameras in the one place you're not allowed to have cameras (or even cellphones). We're obviously outsiders on Microsoft's multi-building, security-heavy Mountain View campus, especially given our quartet of esteemed escorts: Todd Holmdahl, Ilan Spillinger, Nick Baker and Greg Williams. These four gentlemen are leading the charge on both Microsoft's next big thing and, perhaps more importantly, a major effort to internalize silicon architecture at the traditionally software-focused megacorp. The skittish engineers aren't worried we'll film the mess of 24-inch LCD screens running video-compression tests, or the rows of desks with water hose stations used for temperature stress tests, or even the sea of circuit boards in various states of disrepair -- that's all standard for any Silicon Valley computer lab. It's really just a single chip that's causing concern: a custom-built Microsoft SoC that sits at the heart of the Xbox One. It's this SoC that has us in Mountain View, Calif. -- in Silicon Valley, literally down the road from Google -- a mere five days before Microsoft will unveil its next game console to the world. Over six hours last Friday, we learned not just about that SoC, but also how the company plans to utilize it in the new console. We spoke with its four lead hardware architects. We toured the labs where they are testing the silicon, and where the next-generation Kinect was born. What follows is more than a look behind the silicon that drives the next Xbox -- it's a deep dive into the changing approach Microsoft's taking to creating devices.%Gallery-188921%
Xbox OneGuide brings HDMI in/out, overlays for live TV
Today Microsoft revealed the Xbox One, and confirmed rumors that its new game console is ready to take over as the heart of your home theater. The new box features HDMI in and out for passthrough with your cable or satellite box. It's even able to control connected devices with Kinect 2.0-detected voice and gesture commands thanks to IR blasters and HDMI-CEC. On stage, executives showed off the Xbox OneGuide, demonstrating a way to pull up information including trending programming or fantasy sports stats while watching live TV. There's also a live TV show for Halo in the works, and Microsoft brought NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on stage to talk about integration with the number one pro sports league. There's no word on exactly which cable, telco or satellite TV systems this will integrate with, but Microsoft's PR states it "is committed to bringing live TV through various solutions to all the markets where Xbox One will be available" and mentions HDMI is required for the feature to work. It's supposed to be available at launch in the US, with "global scale" anticipated over time. Check after the break for a few pics of the guide and the back of the Xbox One showing its IR output.
Max Payne creator Remedy Games crafting Quantum Break for Xbox One
The folks behind such games as the original Max Payne and Alan Wake are crafting a next-gen experience for the Xbox One in Quantum Break. The tease video we saw showed a young girl, in real life, with her parents -- she apparently sees through time, and is able to convey what she sees. She places a hand on her mother and shows her a massive war ship crashing through a bridge. We're then taken to an office building lobby being shot up. It's... not clear at all what all this has to do with anything, but there you have it. We'll have more details as soon as possible.%Gallery-188991%
Forza Motorsport 5 coming to Xbox One at launch (update: video)
Phil Spencer just hopped on stage at Microsoft's Xbox Reveal event and has just unveiled Forza Motorsport 5 for the Xbox One. While there's no firm launch date for the console just yet, the next-gen racing title will arrive on launch day when Redmond's next gaming box arrives later this year. Microsoft hasn't published the eye candy-filled trailer it just played up on stage, but you can be sure we'll update here when it does. Update: Our fine friends over at Joystiq have gotten ahold of the trailer, which we've slotted in past the break.
Xbox One SmartGlass brings more control, content to companion devices
Microsoft's Xbox One is promising even more second-screen support than we saw on the Xbox 360. An improvement of the SmartGlass integration we've seen pop up on the Xbox 360, Microsoft says it can make your mobile device feel like it was "built" to work with your console. The current SmartGlass app has seen over 10 million downloads, and it looks like Microsoft is aiming for more this time around. It will also be able to screen scrape video, encode it to h.264 and send it over to your second screen, although what will work on which devices is still unknown. What is mentioned in the press release is that it will support multiple devices at once, for multiplayer and shared entertainment. It's also promising exclusive experiences with its NFL partnership that attach to SmartGlass and Skype integration, so we'll expect to see more about that in the future.
EA shows first Xbox One games: FIFA, NBA Live, Madden and UFC (video)
EA teased hours ago that FIFA 14 would be one of the first Xbox One games, but it just used Microsoft's event to unveil a considerably wider slate. FIFA 14, NBA Live 14, Madden 25 and EA Sports UFC are all coming to the new console within the next 12 months. All of them are using a new engine, EA Sports Ignite, that has 10 times the animation detail, smarter artificial intelligence, 3D crowds, "living" sidelines and a daily dose of new content through Xbox Live. EA and Microsoft are getting cozier with the deal, too -- FIFA 14 Ultimate Team will be an Xbox exclusive. We'll have to wait for more detail about that game later this year, but it's safe to say that Microsoft won't be lacking for major sports titles during the Xbox One's vital first year.
Xbox One runs three operating systems, including cut-down Windows for apps
The latest update out of the currently unfolding announcement in Redmond: the next-generation Xbox will run three operating systems simultaneously. Complementing Windows 8 and RT on PCs and tablets, there'll be a third distinct version of Microsoft's operating system that has been pared down specifically for the new console. This will be the main system OS used to run apps such as Skype and other non-game titles downloaded from the Xbox storefront. At the same time, virtualization technology similar to Microsoft's Hyper-V will be used to allocate the bulk of system resources to a second, dedicated "Xbox OS" when the user loads up a game. This game OS will remain a fixed entity throughout the life of the console, so that game developers can be confident their games will run regardless of how much the Windows side of the machine gets updated. Finally, the third OS sounds like a small layer to assist with the virtualization, allowing the two main personalities of the console to talk to each other. Read on for more.
Xbox One hardware and specs: 8-core CPU, 8GB RAM, 500GB hard drive and more
Slot-loading Blu-ray drive? Check. HDMI out and in? Absolutely, considering the Xbox One is meant to play a central role in the living room. There's an octa-core processor based on AMD's Jaguar design and 8GB of RAM to go up against the Sony PlayStation 4, plus USB 3.0 ports, 500GB of hard drive storage, WiFi Direct for communicating with the new controller and other devices, and a humungous amount of silicon to drive it all: no fewer than five billion transistors, which compares to 1.4 billion in your average Intel or AMD chip (although Microsoft may have included other processors and DSPs in that count). And just in case you're wondering, the switch to an x86 PC-style architecture will indeed preclude backwards compatibility with 360 games. As for the box itself, well, it looks rather a like a little HTPC with a black and silver case and a big Xbox logo -- a visage that actually tallies with those PC-inspired internals. There's a full list of specs after the break, which we're expanding as more details pour out of Microsoft's Xbox One ongoing launch event.
Microsoft's new Kinect is official: larger field of view, HD camera, wake with voice
Microsoft's introducing a new Kinect motion-sensing camera to go alongside its new Xbox One game console. The camera peripheral is getting some major improvements in its second iteration, and it's expected to ship with every new console at launch. One of the most impressive features is the ability to wake the console with just a voice command. Simply say "Xbox on," and you're ready to get gaming. In fact, you can shout all sorts of things at your new Kinect, such as "watch TV" or (wait for it...) "snap Internet Explorer." That's right, there is true multitasking built into Xbox One and you can move windows around or switch between tasks, with just a voice command. Of course, you can also navigate the various panels and screens with the usual hand waves and air pinches, should you feel a bit silly talking to your console. On the inside is a 1080p camera -- a huge step up from the VGA sensor on the original Kinect. The new motion controller processes a stunning two gigabits of data per second to accurately read your environment. Everything about this second iteration of the Kinect is more accurate, in fact, from the number of reference points on your skeleton it monitors down to its ability to read your heartbeat. And it's powerful enough to bring that increased fidelity to not just one, but six skeletons simultaneously (should you have enough room in your pad for that many players). It even has the ability to talk to the standard Xbox controller for some Move-like functionality. Lift the remote and you'll lift your shield in the game, for example. For Microsoft, the Kinect is what ties the Xbox One experience together.
A new gamepad for a new game console: Microsoft's Xbox One wireless controller revealed
Despite the few protestations gamers have with the Xbox 360 wireless controller, Microsoft is apparently updating its much-loved input device for the next-generation, Xbox One. At first glance, the controller looks rather similar to its successor, though there are definitely some design tweaks in tow. For starters, the renowned "Xbox button" has been moved up a bit, making room for a couple of buttons in the central place where it used to be located. What's more, and in what's perhaps the biggest change, the triggers now have a built-in rumble system, which Microsoft's calling "Impulse Triggers." There's now also a redesigned d-pad that takes on a more traditional "cross" look, while the thumbsticks are slightly shorter and have a textured design around the edge, which, presumably, should help keep your thumbs gripped with more ease. The battery compartment, meanwhile, is much smaller than the previous version. We're likely to hear more about the One's gamepad soon, so we'll be sure to keep you in the loop as more info comes in. Ben Gilbert contributed to this report. %Gallery-188986%
