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'Halo: Reach' runs poorly on the Xbox One
The Xbox One's backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 games has largely worked as promised, but there's now one glaring exception. Microsoft has confirmed reports that Halo: Reach (aka one of the 360's biggest titles) runs much slower than you'd expect. While talk of it being "unplayable" is extreme, Bungie's shooter fell from a largely steady 30 frames per second on the original hardware to the mid-teens -- enough to throw you off during intense action scenes. Others report audio glitches, too.
'Rise of the Tomb Raider' hits PC in January, Steam says
The PC version of Rise of the Tomb Raider is due in January, according to the game's Steam listing. Square Enix has yet to confirm a date for the desktop launch of its latest Tomb Raider installment, though in July it announced the PC and Windows 10 editions would drop in "early 2016." The PS4 version should release in late 2016. We've reached out to Square Enix for clarification on the Steam listing.
Last-gen systems aren't getting new 'Call of Duty' maps
If you're still feeling salty over Activision nixing Call of Duty: Black Ops III's campaign mode on last-gen systems the next bit of news won't do much to make the situation any better. In an announcement about the latest set of downloadable content, the "Awakening" pack which includes a quartet of adversarial multiplayer maps and the first episode of a new "zombies" tale, the company writes that the DLC will launch next February 2nd on PlayStation 4 first with "other next-gen platforms to follow."
The After Math: Baby, it's cold outside
It's 50 degrees and raining here in San Francisco which, by West Coast standards, constitutes the second coming of Snowpacalypse. With this sort of weather the only rational choice is to stay inside and patiently wait for spring. But just because we're tied to the couch for the next few months doesn't mean we can't take a tour of the West Wing, knit ourselves some binge socks or play 16 new (old) XBox games. Because counting the days to spring is way easier if you do it by the numbers.
Plex streaming app now free on Xbox and PlayStation
Plex, the app that helps a large number of folks organize and stream their media collections, is now available for free on Xbox and Playstation consoles. Up until now, it was in the preview stages and required a $5 per month or $40 per year Plex Pass. Users without the pass will now get the basic version of the app on the Xbox One, Xbox 360, Playstation 4 and PS3. With a pass, you'll get extra features like premium music libraries, mobile sync and preview releases like the aforementioned console apps.
Xbox One adds 'Halo: Reach' and 15 more playable 360 titles
Microsoft's Xbox One has had a stellar release slate over the last few months, packed with exclusive games like Rise of the Tomb Raider and multiplatform hits such as Fallout 4 and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Still not satisfied? Well, there's now an additional 16 games from the Xbox 360 era that you can play on your Xbox One via backwards compatibility. Some of the highlights include the head-scratching puzzle-platformer Braid, indie darling Spelunky, Portal and Fable 3.
'Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5' quietly comes to PS3 and Xbox 360
The previous-gen versions of Activision's poorly received Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 are quietly launching this week. Both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games were due out November 13th, but have only hit the US today. Physical and digital versions are available in the US, while the UK launch appears to be digital only.
Make your 'Halo 5' Spartan into a 3D-printed trophy
Halo 5's campaign is hot garbage if you're playing through it solo, but the multiplayer suite is pretty much the opposite if you're into competitive shooters. It's a likely reason why Microsoft is shifting its latest ad and PR focus around the mode -- pre-release hype centered on the game's flaccid story. The latest step in that? Bringing your customized Spartan soldier into the real world via 3D printing. Redmond has aligned with custom 3D printing house Sandboxr and printer manufacturer 3D Systems to put your unique Slayer combatant (sorry, Kerry King) in the palm of your hand. Using the web interface, Xbox Wire says you can choose from 175 armor and helmet options, over 30 color variants and five different poses with a quintet of weapons. The classic "teabag" pose isn't one of the available selections, however, but you can make an 18-character moniker for the statue.
Xbox One update brings back Xbox 360's universal controller settings
You don't need to drop $150 on the Xbox One Elite controller to get access to one of its most prominent features: remapping the gamepad's buttons. Tucked away inside the Xbox One's new Windows 10-flavored menus is the app for changing what buttons do what on your standard Xbox One controller as well. Perhaps most notably, you can permanently invert the Y-axis (controlled with the right analog stick by default) to make aiming and moving the camera in third-person and first-person games, respectively, more to your liking. That feature is something that the Xbox 360 had at launch with its "game defaults" options that appeared during initial setup for the system. In terms of how the app works from the Elite to the vanilla controller, it's pretty similar aside from not being able to adjust thumbstick and trigger sensitivity. You'll find the new addition under Settings > Ease of Access > Button Mapping.
Xbox One Windows 10 update begins rolling out
After months of teasing, beta testing and announcements, the Xbox One's big update for Windows 10, an all-new UI and backwards compatibility with some Xbox 360 games will arrive tomorrow. According to Major Nelson, the new software will start rolling out at 3AM ET, although we wouldn't advise waiting up for it for a couple of reasons. First, it's a staged rollout, so you may not get it right away. Second, the ability to play Xbox 360 games (here's the list) won't switch on until 3PM ET, so you've got some time to get ready. Finally, assuming your Xbox is setup for "Instant-on" it should automatically grab the update and install it without you needing to do anything at all. The new Xbox One dashboard has a completely refreshed layout, but there's a lot of info available to help you get used to it.
Here are the first Xbox 360 games that will work on Xbox One
Microsoft's Xbox One is getting its big "New Experience" update on November 12, which also includes the long-awaited backwards compatibility feature for playing Xbox 360 games. Now, we've finally got the full list of 104 Xbox 360 titles that'll work on the system. That includes some games we've previously known about, like Borderlands, along with fan favorites like Just Cause 3 and Mirror's Edge. There are also plenty of Xbox Live Arcade titles included, though many popular titles still aren't supported, including Rockstar titles like Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption. Microsoft says it'll start announcing new titles in December, including Halo Reach and Bioshock Infinite, and you can vote for future titles to be included on the Xbox Feedback site. Check out the full list of backwards compatible Xbox 360 titles below.
Playdate's Xbox 360 Halloween Horror: 'Dead Space' and 'Condemned'
Today on Playdate, we're facing our fears. Not of things that go bump in the night, but of industrial mining spaceships and rabid hobos. It's all in the name of good fun though! We're taking a trip back to check out some of the Xbox 360's best horror games this Halloween week with Dead Space and Condemned: Criminal Origins. Join myself and Sean Buckley for the scream-fest starting at 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific for two hours of survival horror here on this post, the Engadget Gaming homepage or Twitch.tv/joystiq if you'd like to make fun of Tim's shrill shouts of terror.
I played through 'Halo 5: Guardians' solo and hated it
This article contains spoilers. Proceed at your own risk. Halo 5: Guardians is not the Halo you remember. It's a different kind of game altogether, something that more closely resembles a modern first-person shooter that focuses on multiplayer rather than a strong solo experience. This isn't the first time that's happened, but it is the first time in 11 years that a new Halo campaign feels like a massive step backward compared to its predecessor. Microsoft-owned studio 343 Industries is capable of better than this and proved as much with its killer freshman effort, Halo 4. But instead of addressing what it got wrong with that installment (e.g., an unexplained main villain) and doubling down on what it did right (e.g., an emotional storyline and constantly varying gameplay), the team fundamentally altered how a Halo campaign works to horrendous results.
Xbox One's big backwards compatibility update arrives November 12th
During tonight's Halo 5: Guardians launch festivities, Xbox boss Phil Spencer just announced that the Xbox One will receive its Windows 10-based update on November 12th. That's the one that will put a new UI on the console, as well as give everyone the ability to play certain Xbox 360 games. Some Xbox One owners in the preview program has been beta testing the new OS for a few months, and the experience has occasionally been a bit rough. Hopefully all that testing means the bugs are appropriately squished once this software rolls out wide in a couple of weeks. You can see the announcement in the video embedded after the break, or jump to the live broadcast as the Microsoft folks count down to midnight.
One of Xbox Live's creators has left Microsoft
The man who helped transform Xbox Live from a network of desktop PCs running under its developers' desks to a service connecting some 39 million game-playing folk has left Microsoft. Eric Neustadter has worked at the company for 18-and-a-half years, 14-and-a-half of those dedicated to Xbox where he's most recently served as the platform's director of architecture. He recently returned from a sabbatical, and the co-host of the Major Nelson podcast hasn't yet made any indication of what's he's going to do next. If you'd like some more info on who the man who holds the first-created gamertag ("e") is, you should definitely read this two-part history on building Xbox Live which chronicles the birth of the service and its relaunch with the Xbox 360's 2005 release. They're worth your time -- I promise. [Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]
'Destiny' is getting microtransactions, but don't panic yet
Destiny is getting microtransactions. Unlike item cool-downs or the obnoxious stuff that's intrinsic to all those Facebook distractions that clog up your news feed, however, these purchases aren't game-impacting. No, come October 13th they'll take the form of emotes and other cosmetic items. Developer Bungie stresses repeatedly that these will not impact your performance in any way should you not buy them. "You won't lose a Crucible (adversarial multiplayer) encounter or fail to clear a raid because you didn't have the right" emote equipped, the blog post says.
'Call of Duty: Black Ops 3' nixes campaign on last-gen consoles
If you're still rockin' a PS3 or Xbox 360 and are looking forward to the next Call of Duty release, Activision dropped a bit of bad news. The studio announced that Black Ops 3 won't feature a campaign mode on those last-gen consoles. Why? "The ambitious scope of the 1-4 player co-op Campaign design of the PS4, Xbox One and PC versions could not be faithfully recreated on old generation hardware," the company explains. Due to the fact that the game will only offer multiplayer and Zombie modes, Activision is setting the price at $50. As you might expect, other features that take advantage of the power of the Xbox One, PS4 and PC -- like eSports tools and the Weapons Paint Shop -- won't be available either. The game arrives on November 6th, and if you were really looking forward to that co-op campaign, there's the 1TB PS4 bundle.
Xbox 360 cloud saves prep you for Xbox One backwards compatibility
Microsoft has done right by Xbox 360 users lately, making their games backwards-compatible on Xbox One consoles and introducing Windows 10 game streaming. A new update gives users of the last-gen console cloud storage, albeit a tiny amount -- 2GB. Still, the idea is to give you enough to port your Xbox 360 game saves over to an Xbox One for any compatible titles you decide to port over. The new feature is a good sign that backwards compatibility is coming out of preview soon, so you may want to get the update and upload your game saves forthwith.
Microsoft is closing its Xbox Live Indie Games program
After nine years, Microsoft has decided to call time on its Xbox Live Indie Games service. In an email to developers, the company says it has begun "the sunsetting process" for the program, which encourages anyone without a studio or dedicated business to create games for the Xbox 360, by locking down new signups ahead of a late-2017 shutdown. What does that mean for you? Well, developers have been told they have exactly a year to get their games ready for publishing. You'll then get an extra year after that to enjoy their projects (as well as the ones already published), before the indie store is closed forever. You will still be able to download and play the games you've bought in the past, though.
'FIFA 16' demo lets you control a women's team for the first time
FIFA 16 is a little special this year. For the first time ever, EA will let you play its football game as one of 12 women's national teams. It's a landmark moment in the series, and today you can see how it all works with the long-anticipated demo on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. You can step out onto the turf as one of two women's teams -- the USA or Germany -- or get to grips with one of 10 professional clubs: Barcelona, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Inter Milan, Manchester City, PSG, Real Madrid, Club Atlético River Plate and the Seattle Sounders. With whipped crosses, mid-air tackles and some new finishing animations, there's a lot here to sink your Suarez teeth into.
