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Xbox One mouse and keyboard support arrives November 14th
You won't necessarily have be an early adopter to try the Xbox One's vaunted mouse and keyboard support. As of November 14th, Microsoft is rolling out the input options to gamers though an update. This won't mean that everyone will get to ditch the gamepad right away -- the first titles will still be limited to insiders. This will let developers add mouse and keyboard control to their games, though, and it won't just be limited to Warframe in the early days.
'Crackdown 3' launches February 15th, 2019 on Xbox One and PC
Yes, Microsoft really has been hinting at some big Crackdown 3 news by giving away the original game. The company has confirmed that the repeatedly delayed open-world game will be available on Xbox One (including Game Pass) and Windows 10 PCs on February 15th, 2019. It also premiered its talked-about competitive multiplayer mode, Wrecking Zone, that has two five-player teams fighting each other in "fully destructible" venues.
Inside Xbox event will showcase updates to ‘Minecraft,’ ‘Sea of Thieves’
Xbox fans have a lot of news and announcements to look forward to this weekend -- and a free copy of Crackdown to play right now -- as Microsoft's X018 event gets underway in Mexico City. Tomorrow at 4:00 PM EST, X018 will host a special two-hour live edition of its monthly Inside Xbox show.
'Crackdown' is available for free -- and playable on Xbox One
The original Crackdown was an early hit for Xbox 360 -- packed-in access to the Halo 3 beta didn't hurt -- and now Xbox players can revisit 2007 for the low, low cost of nothing. With no explanation or fanfare the game has had its digital price zeroed out, although it's possible this could be tied to the XO18 event in Mexico this weekend where Xbox chief Phil Spencer will appear. It will include a two-hour Inside Xbox stream on Saturday at 4 PM ET with news about Crackdown 3, Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2 and Forza Horizon 4, a dozen Game Pass announcements and "a surprise or two." It's been a while since we've heard from Crackdown 3 and giving folks a taste of the original could help drum up hype for a new entry in the series that's now due to arrive in 2019. After delays and some lackluster showings, it certainly can't hurt. Anyway, agents, Crackdown has been available in backwards compatibility for Xbox One -- and upgraded once again on the more powerful Xbox One X -- since February, so just hit the link and give it a download.
The best weapon in 'Just Cause 4' is Mother Nature
Just Cause 4 arrives at the end of a busy season of open world games. Fortunately, the series has always done things differently from the likes of Assassin's Creed, Read Dead Redemption, Far Cry and the rest. It's the game that coaxes you into causing destruction and explosions, offering a shamelessly hard-boiled physics playground for you cut loose inside. During a lengthy playtime session last week with what appears to be very close to the final game, Just Cause 4 begs to be live-streamed, clipped and shared on Twitch, Twitter, Reddit, Discord and everywhere else.
Ubisoft sanitizes 'Rainbow Six: Siege' to expand its audience
Ubisoft wants to bring Rainbow Six: Siege to new Asian markets, and it's sterilizing some parts of the game in the process -- regardless of where you live. It's prepping a Year 3 Season 4 update to the global version of the game that removes numerous references to gambling, sex and certain violent elements. Slot machines, neon stripper signs, blood patches and even skull imagery has been replaced with 'safer' references, even in in the activity feed for kills. There will be a separate build, Ubisoft added on Reddit, but it'll be region-locked even if you try to use a VPN.
'Fortnite' ends Halloween event with an in-game bang
When Epic said it was going to end its Fortnitemares Halloween event in spectacular fashion with a one-time occurrence, it wasn't kidding around. If you happened to be in Fortnite at 1PM Eastern on November 4th, you saw the mysterious cube on the map not only explode, but trigger an in-game cutscene that left players floating in a mysterious void reminiscent of Rez, right down to the butterflies. It's rare that you see a cutscene like this in the middle of a competitive multiplayer game, especially one with upwards of 100 people.
Activision debuts 'Call of Duty' companion app for your phone
Call of Duty players can now take advantage of a companion app for Black Ops 4 and WWII on iOS and Android. It provides stats on your gameplay in Black Ops 4's multiplayer, Zombies and Blackout (i.e. battle royale) modes, and does the same for WWII's multiplayer, including War Mode.
ESPN's standalone streaming service is available on PS4 and Xbox One
Today, ESPN announced that its standalone streaming service, ESPN+, is now available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Sports fans can access the subscription offering through the updated ESPN app on both platforms.
ID@Xbox won't disappear with the next console generation
When Microsoft revealed the ID@Xbox program in 2013, Xbox CVP Phil Harrison said he hoped it would usher tens of thousands of games onto the Xbox ecosystem. Five years on, Microsoft is 10 percent of the way there -- the company has officially published 1,000 games via the ID@Xbox program. (All things remaining equal, this means we'll hit Harrison's goal by 2068. Maybe hold off on printing those "Congrats on 10,000 games" banners for another few decades). "We're really kinda happy with where we are right now," ID@Xbox head Chris Charla told Engadget. "That doesn't mean there isn't tons of work to do for developers going forward, or that we're gonna slow down."
'No Man's Sky' update overhauls underwater exploration
Hello Games teased a major, "eerie" update to No Man's Sky last week, noting that it would arrive just in time for Halloween, and now we have details on what The Abyss has in store. As the name implies, the update is all about improving and enriching subaquatic life.
'Yooka-Laylee' in-game filter revives the Nintendo 64 era
There are many, many games that recreate the look of 8-bit and 16-bit games, but there isn't a lot for people who grew up with the first generation of 3D-oriented consoles. Where's their nostalgia hit? Playtonic Games is taking care of it. The studio is releasing a "64-bit Tonic" for Yooka-Laylee that gives the game a very appropriate Nintendo 64 flair. Yes, you too can revisit the heady days of the mid-'90s with tube TV fuzziness, muddy textures, crude lighting effects and even choppy frame rates.
Xbox One mouse support is available in preview
An important part of the Xbox One's mouse and keyboard support is now in place for some players -- namely, the mouse part. Members of the Alpha Skip Ahead and Beta programs can try mouse support through a Quest in the Xbox Insider Hub. You'll be limited to Warframe, but this gives you a chance to see how the full mouse-plus-keyboard combo works in practice ahead of the finished release.
'Battlefield V' won't have battle royale until spring 2019
You'll have to wait a while if you want to see Battlefield V's much-touted battle royale mode. EA DICE has detailed the post-launch roadmap for its WWII shooter, and the vaunted "Firestorm" battle royale experience will arrive as part of a "Trial by Fire" chapter starting in March 2019 (it's not clear if the mode will be available right away). While the last-one-standing experience isn't the only tentpole feature of BFV, it's safe to say this will be disappointing if you expected to play it over the holidays.
'Rocket League' cross-platform profiles delayed until 2019
Rocket League's cross-platform profile system, RocketID, has been pushed back until early next year. Psyonix said that it's working "incredibly hard to ensure that it's as intuitive, stable and polished as possible, before releasing it to the world." When it arrives, RocketID will enable cross-platform parties and friend connections.
'Red Dead Redemption 2' starts its 100GB pre-release downloads tonight
After some long (or, not so long?) days by everyone on the Rockstar Games team, Red Dead Redemption 2 is nearly upon us. Ahead of its release October 26th on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Rockstar has revealed one more trailer and confirmed that starting at midnight tonight gamers will be able to start preloading digital copies on either console. They'll probably want to get started ASAP because a support page has confirmed what we'd heard about the game's install size, which is massive at 99GB for PS4 and 107GB for Xbox One. Additionally, anyone downloading the game on PS4 will need an extra 50GB free to complete the installation process.
'Destiny 2: Forsaken' purchases now include earlier add-ons
Destiny 2: Forsaken is a significant improvement to a game that had a rough start, but it also had a rude surprise for newcomers: it didn't include the two expansions from the original game, making you pay twice just to catch up with people who had been there since the beginning. That won't be an issue for long. As of October 16th, Bungie is including the two paid DLCs from the first year (Curse of Osiris and Warmind) with purchases of Forsaken. The developer wants to "make it less complicated" for players to jump in, according to community lead Cozmo.
Amazon adds a free Echo Dot to Xbox One purchases
Amazon's previously-announced combo offer to anyone in the market for an Xbox One is now available. Buy a brand new system, either the entry level S or 4K-capable X model, and get both NBA 2K19 and an Echo Dot for free. Both the game and the Dot retail for $60 and $50 respectively, giving you a $110 savings. As with many promotions this deal will only be available while supplies last. This deal comes after Microsoft announced new Xbox integrations with Alexa and Cortana. The features allow users to use Alexa to turn the console on and off, adjust volume, launch games and apps, start and stop Mixer broadcasts and capture screenshots all through voice. This isn't the only Xbox deal right now, however: GameStop is offering a generous trade-in deal for an Xbox One X State of Decay 2 bundle. Trading in the original Xbox One will net you $200 in trade-in credit, while the Xbox One S, PS4, and Switch will net you $250. The highest value comes from trading in a PS4 Pro, giving $300 in credit.
Microsoft plans 2019 beta for its game streaming service
We've known that Microsoft is working on a cloud streaming service that will allow users to play high-quality video games on phones and tablets. Today, the company introduced Project xCloud, which is game-streaming tech that "will offer you the freedom to play on the device you want without being locked to a particular device," according to a blog post.
Red Dead Redemption 2’s latest trailer teases first-person mode
The second Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer is here, and it gives us an even closer look at the gameplay for the highly anticipated video game. It shows off the different types of missions and activities available, from bank heists to train robberies to open world exploration. The number of activities you can engage in seems to be limitless, and it's all against the backdrop of a stunning environment.
