Tag: Gaming

Today we are proud to announce The Insight Project, an innovative R&D project at Ninja Theory that we have grand ambitions for. In 2017, Ninja Theory released Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice on PlayStation and PC platforms and later to Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and VR. It was headed by Tameem Antoniades, co-founder and Creative Director at Ninja Theory under the guidance of Paul Fletcher, Psychiatrist and Professor of Health Neuroscience at University of Cambridge.

The game received universal acclaim for its depiction of a warrior with severe mental health issues and was described by Wellcome as the best representation of psychosis in any media. It went on to win widespread acclaim, including 5 BAFTAs, 3 The Game Awards and a Royal College of Psychiatrists award.

Subsequent to its release, Tameem and Paul have continued discussions on how games can go beyond representing mental illness and distress and how they play a role in promoting mental well being. These discussions have resulted in The Insight Project, an ambitious combination of technology, game design and clinical neuroscience brought together with the aim of generating strategies to alleviate mental distress.

The Insight Project will take shape over several years but is being announced early to encourage an open and transparent approach to its development.  It is an exploratory but experimentally guided project that aims to deliver a mainstream solution to help treat mental suffering and encourage mental well being.

We plan a programme of gaming, technological and scientific development that will lead to self-contained, individualised and absorbing game experiences within which people can become an expert at recognising, responding to and, ultimately, controlling their own fear, anxiety and other negative subjective experience. The work will be underpinned by rigorous scientific principles to ensure its effectiveness and validity and it will adhere to strict standards of ethics and data management.

This approach will be widely and conveniently applicable, flexible to the needs of the individual and, critically, enjoyable and absorbing in ways that will ensure enthusiastic engagement leading to marked and sustainable change.

Our goal is to create and inspire a movement and help mental health treatment to go mainstream. We hope you’ll join us on this exciting journey!

The Outer Worlds, the latest game from renowned RPG developer (and recent addition to the Xbox family) Obsidian Entertainment, has been one of our most highly anticipated games of 2019, so we’re excited to share that it is now available for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC. You can download the game on its own in the Microsoft Store or via Xbox Game Pass for Console and PC. The Outer Worlds is a single-player RPG that combines a darkly funny narrative with deep RPG elements and exciting combat to bring a new and unique universe to life.

We’ve taken a look at The Outer Worlds a couple of times here on Xbox Wire. I encourage you to check out our E3 preview and in-depth hands-on feature for details, but here’s the gist: You play as a galactic colonist who is awoken from a decades-long cryosleep after your ship was lost in space. You’ll spend your time gallivanting around the universe, making a name (good, bad, or somewhere in between) for yourself on a variety of unique, vibrant planets on which you’ll meet a bevy of memorable characters.

The choices you make in The Outer Worlds truly affects the way the game plays out, and you’ll be forced to make some tough ones as you navigate your way through this strange new universe. Sometimes, you’ll be able to talk your way through tough situations. Other times, you can sneak in and out of them. Or, if you’re not the sneaking or speaking type, you’ll be able to use one of the game’s many unique weapons to get your way.

The Outer Worlds is an exciting new entry in one of our favorite genres and we think RPG fans are going to love it. It’s available now physically and digitally for Xbox One and available for download on Windows 10 PC in the Microsoft Store. If you’ve got Xbox Game Pass for Console and PC (or are ready to subscribe), The Outer Worlds is available for download now!

Razer has debuted what it calls “the world’s first optical keyboard designed for gaming laptops,” meaning that it has added next-generation optical switches to the Razer Blade 15 gaming laptop. This keyboard has been designed for gaming enthusiasts who demand near instant key actuation, satisfying tactile feedback and rapid-fire inputs.

Under every key, an infrared light beam detects when a key is pressed (actuation), allowing for much greater precision and speed versus conventional laptop keyboards. Players can thus input more commands in less time in the heat of battle.

The optical keyboard also features N-Key Rollover (NKRO) with anti-ghosting. Since the optical keyboard utilizes light to register inputs instead of a traditional physical contact, this ensures that only one stroke is registered instantly without any delay.

The new optical laptop keyboard is currently available only in the Razer Blade 15 Advanced for $2,649 with more models to follow in 2020. It’s available now from Razer.com and select retailers in the U.S., Canada and China. It will be coming soon to select countries in Asia-Pacific.

Razer also announced the addition of a Quartz Pink color option, exclusive to the Razer Blade 15 Base model with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics. The base model features the staple CNC milled aluminum chassis and unibody design but with an anodized pink finish. It is decorated with a subtle tone-on-tone Razer logo and comes with a full Quartz Pink keyboard with Razer Chroma RGB lighting and a custom Quartz Pink OS theme.

Internally, the Razer Blade 15 Quartz Pink Base model packs a six core Intel Core i7-9750H processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU. The laptop also features a full array of connectivity options including Gigabit Wi-Fi speeds, Bluetooth 5, Thunderbolt 3 and Ethernet. It comes loaded out with 16GB DDR4 RAM and a 512GB PCIe SSD, both of which can be easily upgraded.

It’s now available for $1,999 through Razer.com and select retailers in the U.S., Canada and China.

Finally the wait is over and we’re thrilled to announce that Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition is available today for Nintendo Switch in the Nintendo eShop! We couldn’t be happier with the reception so far, especially from our fans!

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition is a unique action platformer that combines deep Metroidvania style gameplay with emotional storytelling. The forest of Nibel is dying and Ori must find courage to confront Kuru, the dark owl, in order to save the forest. Ori’s journey is a story about love, sacrifice, and the hope that exists in us all.

To our Switch friends, we’re excited for you to enjoy the same Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition experience that Xbox and PC players know and love. We can’t wait for you to share your stories of your time exploring Nibel!

Stay tuned for the latest game news and updates at orithegame.com.

Today marks the launch of the ID@Xbox YouTube channel! Click here to give it a visit. With this channel, we are going to present the very best in Independent games coming to Xbox One and Windows PC, and maybe even some fun original programming along the way. ID@Xbox has been around since 2013 (ed – holy cow has it been that long?). The very first ID@Xbox game, Strike Suit Zero, shipped on April 4, 2014, and since then we’ve helped Independent developers, both big and small, launch nearly 1,500 games on Xbox.

We know there’s a community out there that’s passionate about Independent gaming – we interact with them every day on social media, at shows and events, on Mixer, and in games. And we’re extremely passionate about Independent games ourselves, if you hadn’t guessed! With this channel we simply want to share stuff that we think is awesome and see what you think. Please feel free to jump in the comments and let us know what you like and want to see more of, and what games you’re excited about.

We’ve created a video to celebrate the launch – check it out to meet some members of the ID@Xbox and hear what some of our favorite games are. The ID@Xbox YouTube channel is live now and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss any of the amazing content from Independent games going forward.

Last month, Xbox and ELEAGUE announced the “ELEAGUE Gears Summer Series: The Bonds and Betrayals of Brotherhood” – a six-part event series focused on the stories and players behind the world of Gears Esports. During our special E3 Edition of Inside Xbox on June 10, we teased the show with a two-minute trailer. If this left you wanting more, you’re in luck! The first episode will debut on TBS tomorrow, Friday, June 14, at 11 pm ET/8 apm PT.

 

With one-hour long episodes, the series will provide an unprecedented look into the uniquely passionate world of Gears Esports through the lens of six of the most well-known professional players, including Gilbert ‘Xplosive’ Rojo and Danny ‘Identivez’ Santillana. The six episodes will explore each player’s intense connection to the game and each other as they navigate to become the best players in the world on Gears 5 Escalation 2.0, the mode designed specifically for Gears Esports.

In addition to the TBS episodes, ELEAGUE will host Gears 5’s first-ever esports tournament, with new Versus gameplay, from July 13-14 (Saturday to Sunday), live on Twitch and the premium live sports streaming service B/R Live. The ELEAGUE Gears Summer Series tournament will feature eight of the world’s top teams – many of which will star in the TBS series – competing live within ELEAGUE Arena at Turner Studios in Atlanta. The final two episodes of the TBS programming will showcase the most exciting moments from the live tournament.

To stay updated, follow @EsportsGears on Twitter. Be sure to also check out ELEAGUE’s channels; @ELEAGUETV and www.ELEAGUE.com.

We believe the player should be at the center of their gaming experience and be able to harness the unique benefits of the devices they choose to play on.

Nowhere is that belief more important than on the PC. As the creators of Windows, we have a unique responsibility to ensure we’re investing in experiences that benefit players everywhere, while respecting the PC community’s preference for an open, highly customizable platform.

We’ve not always lived up to our aspiration of keeping gamers at the center of everything we do when it comes to the experience they’ve had on Windows.

Today I’d like to share three steps we are taking to contribute to the thriving PC gaming ecosystem:

Introducing Xbox Game Pass Designed for PC Players

Two years ago, we launched Xbox Game Pass on Xbox One, and since then we’ve seen how valuable a curated library of high-quality games can be for players and game developers alike. It offers a great way to discover and play your next favorite game. We researched whether a similar opportunity exists for PC players and PC game developers, and we believe that it does. We also considered the importance of bringing something new and additive to the PC gaming ecosystem, and we believe that we can. So, we designed a service specifically for the needs of PC gamers and PC game developers. It’s called Xbox Game Pass, just like the original, but it’s a new experience that we are building together with the PC community.

Xbox Game Pass for PC will give players unlimited access to a curated library of over 100 high-quality PC games on Windows 10, from well-known PC game developers and publishers such as Bethesda, Deep Silver, Devolver Digital, Paradox Interactive, SEGA, and more. And just as we committed on the console, it is our intent to include new games from Xbox Game Studios in Xbox Game Pass for PC the same day as their global release, including titles from newly acquired studios like Obsidian and inXile. We’re working with over 75 developers and publishers to bring PC content to the service and we’ll ensure the library remains curated and full of great PC titles across a variety of genres, with new games added every month.

Xbox Game Pass for PC members will also receive discounts in the Microsoft Store on Windows of up to 20% on games currently in the library and up to 10% off related game DLC and add-ons.

We look forward to sharing more at E3, including the great games coming to the library, as well as more details on when and how you’ll experience the new Xbox Game Pass service for PC gamers.

More Choice in Where to Buy Xbox Game Studios Titles

Enabling gamers to play together, through cross-platform play and cross-network play across Windows 10 PCs and console, is vitally important.  Building communities across all of those players, regardless of the store or platform they’ve chosen (console or PC), is also vitally important because it helps bring players together, allows games to find their largest audience and allows gaming to deliver its true potential of uniting people around the power of play.

With that in mind, our intent is to make our Xbox Game Studios PC games available in multiple stores, including our own Microsoft Store on Windows, at their launch.  We believe you should have choice in where you buy your PC games.

In March, we announced that Halo: The Master Chief Collection will come to PC later this year, launching on Steam in addition to the Microsoft Store on Windows.  We will continue to add to the more than 20 Xbox Game Studios titles on Steam, starting with Gears 5 and all Age of Empires I, II & III: Definitive Editions.  We know millions of PC gamers trust Steam as a great source to buy PC games and we’ve heard the feedback that PC gamers would like choice.  We also know that there are other stores on PC, and we are working to enable more choice in which store you can find our Xbox Game Studios titles in the future.

We want to bring players together to create a shared player community regardless of where they play, so it’s our intent that new Xbox Game Studios titles include features such as voice and text chat, LFG, friends lists and cross-play across PC and console.  On Windows 10 you’ll find this functionality in the Xbox Game Bar, which we’ll continue to evolve and expand.

Supporting Win32 Games on Windows 10

We want creators to be inspired to bring their best content to Windows 10, and we want Windows 10 to be the place where gamers come to discover their next favorite PC game. We recognize that Win32 is the app format that game developers love to use and gamers love to play, so we are excited to share that we will be enabling full support for native Win32 games to the Microsoft Store on Windows. This will unlock more options for developers and gamers alike, allowing for the customization and control they’ve come to expect from the open Windows gaming ecosystem.

When I think about the role we play as a company to support and evolve gaming on Windows, it’s critical that we make decisions that reinforce the open nature of the PC, focusing on how best to unite players on all devices around the games they love. That philosophy will guide us as we introduce new ways to discover and play games on WThese are just a few of our steps in a journey to contribute to gaming on Windows 10. We know that PC gamers want to see games, so I hope you’ll join us at our annual Xbox E3 2019 Briefing on Sunday, June 9 to hear more, including the amazing lineup of new games and offers coming to PC players.