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Microsoft may start releasing optional hardware upgrades for Xbox One rather than rolling out all-new consoles, according to Xbox boss Phil Spencer. Polygon reports that the executive’s presentation at the Xbox Spring Showcase event teased out a surprising new direction for the system.
“We see on other platforms whether it be mobile or PC that you get a continuous innovation that you rarely see on console,” Spencer said. “Consoles lock the hardware and the software platforms together at the beginning of the generation. Then you ride the generation out for seven or so years, while other ecosystems are getting better, faster, stronger.”
Spencer said Microsoft could break out of this cycle by selling optional hardware upgrades, allowing players to keep up with new tech that they previously would need to wait years – or buy a pricey gaming PC – to enjoy. The system would continue to be “backward and forward compatible” with past and future games, thanks in part to Xbox One using the Universal windows Platform for all of its applications.
“We can effectively feel a little bit more like we see on PC, where I can still go back and run my old Doom and Quake games that I used to play years ago but I can still see the best 4K games come out and my library is always with me. Hardware innovation continues while the software innovation is able to take advantage and I don’t have to jump a generation and lose everything that I played on before.”
Spencer didn’t specify how these optional hardware upgrades would work – whether it would be something you drop into your old system, like a good ol’ N64 expansion pack, or an all-new Xbox One that you’d buy off the shelf – but he hopes people see this as a signal of Microsoft’s continued commitment to the system.
Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is an invitation for Windows 10 PC gamers to join millions of Forza players worldwide and experience thrilling racing, addictive gameplay and stunning graphics.
Arriving on the Windows Store this spring and available for free, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is a powerful demonstration of what the ForzaTech™ engine can do when unleashed by DirectX 12 at resolutions up to 4K. Developed by Turn 10 Studios, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is the first step in Microsoft’s commitment to creating amazing Forza experiences for Windows 10 PC gamers.
New Showcase Tour, Objective System and Spotlight Series
Designed for players who are new to the Forza franchise, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex delivers a curated experience, featuring authentic wheel-to-wheel action, unique automotive content and constant rewards. The career mode is anchored by a new 12-event “Showcase Tour,” which introduces players to fascinating cars and unique automotive match-ups through a series of beautifully crafted and entertaining videos, narrated by automotive celebrities such as James May and Richard Hammond.
Forza Motorsport 6: Apex features a new objective and scoring system, which challenges the player to grow their skill and compare scores with their friends, and each event is a completely unique experience with unending replay value.
In addition, a new “Spotlight Series” will feature new Showcase-style events that will be updated on a regular basis. Whether you’re barreling around rainy Brands Hatch in your all-wheel-drive street weapon of choice or chasing down The Stig from “Top Gear” in cockpit view, there are always new and fun challenges to explore.
Signature Forza Features Drivatar™ and Forzavista™ Arrive on Windows 10 PCs
Forza Motorsport 6: Apex features trademark Forza innovations such as Drivatar™ opponents and a hand-picked selection of 63 fully functioning Forzavista™-enabled cars, each with working cockpits and full damage.
With bleeding edge race cars like the 2014 Audi #2 Audi Team Joest R18 e-tron quattro, modern masterpieces like the 2017 Ford GT, and classic American Muscle like the 1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SD-455, the cars in Forza Motorsport 6: Apex represent the far-reaching diversity that is part of Forza’s DNA.
Players can race those cars on 20 exciting track configurations across six locations – Brands Hatch, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Rio de Janeiro, Sebring International Raceway, Top Gear and Yas Marina – including night and wet-weather variants.
Available for free in the Windows Store this spring, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex paves the way for future Forza experiences on Windows 10.
AMD have been surprisingly quiet in recent weeks, seemingly pinning much of its business plan this year on its upcoming Zen line of processors; but it seems the time is being spent very deliberately and cleverly, with a heavy focus on Research and Development to improve its CPU Technology further. And if the most recent leak, which comes courtesy a CERN engineer who gave a talk at the IT Technical Forum on market trends concerning data centres, is to be believed, it may be about to pay off in a spectacular fashion.
Basing his claims on what evidently seems to be information supplied to CERN by AMD themselves, the engineer stated that Zen CPUs will benefit from Symmetrical Multi-Threading, which would seem to be AMD’s own version of Intel’s Hyper-Threading. More shocking, however, is that CPUs in the Zen line will apparently feature up to 32 physical cores in a single package, though this is spread over two 16-core modules within the same die – effectively two chips in one.
If that wasn’t enough, Zen will also apparently support 8-channel DDR4, meaning a computer with one of these monsters installed could feature 8 separate RAM cards. Assuming an 8GB card in each slot, this means a potential maximum of 64 Gigabytes of DDR4 RAM.. excuse me while I pick my jaw off the floor.
The CERN engineer also reiterated previously leaked information about the Zen CPUs, which mainly focused on the point that these new CPUs are said to be able to handle 40% more instructions per clock than the current Excavator cores. Sadly, this was really all the information there was to glean from this leak – there is no news of a release date for any processor within the Zen line; and it is reasonable to assume that this monster processor is likely to wait to later in the launch cycle. For the first processor out of the gate, it is suggested that the line will start with the FX desktop CPUs – which are only expected to come in the now-standard 4, 6 and 8-core variants.
AMD appear to be seriously upping the game for CPU manufacturers and going far beyond anything done before if the claims are to be believe (and if you can’t trust an engineer at one of the major centres for scientific and technological research, who CAN you trust?). Could this spark some rivalry with the other major player in the scene, Intel? One thing’s for sure – this should only be good news for the processor market and its customers.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for several months, you might be aware that 2016 has been declared the “Year of Pokémon” by Nintendo in honour of the franchise’s 20th Anniversary. Nintendo are definitely the kind to celebrate in style, with plenty of Pokémon-themed treats announced for the year, such as a Tekken-Pokémon Cross co-developed by Namco Bandai themselves (Pokkén Tournament); and new 2DS and “New 3DS XL” Designs with the original Pokémon Red and Blue built in – but what could be sweeter than to get some free Pokémon for your games?
Following the Announcement that download codes for Mew are being made available and can be picked up from any GAME store in the UK until the end of February, Nintendo have now announced that for the rest of 2016, there will be another Legendary Pokémon given away every month for the first four weeks of the month. Some of the Pokémon will be made available in-game for download via Mystery Gift; others will be in-store promotions with Nintendo’s retail partners.
Which retailers? Our sources reliably inform us that American distribution of the Pokémon we’ve marked as “Retailer” below will take place at most GameStop stores. And for the UK? Well, Nintendo typically partner with GAME for promotions such as these; and with Mew already available there until the end of the month, it’s a pretty safe bet we’ll see the others hit there too.
So here it is – the full list of Pokémon being given away, when and where:
Celebi: March 1 – 24 (Nintendo Network)
Jirachi: April 1 – 24 (Nintendo Network)
Darkrai: May 1 – 24 (Retailer)
Manaphy: June 1 – 24 (Nintendo Network)
Shaymin: July 1 – 24 (Nintendo Network)
Arceus: August 1 – 24 (Retailer)
Victini: September 1 – 24 (Nintendo Network)
Keldeo: October 1 – 24 (Nintendo Network)
Genesect: November 1 – 24 (Retailer)
Meloetta: December 1 – 24 (Nintendo Network)
With every generation having a legendary represented, never has there been a better time to catch them all!
Reported today is news on the availability of Fallout 4 mods coming to game consoles. Fallout 4 is a post-apocalyptic role playing game, set across a sprawling world and influenced by the post-war 1950s. The game gives players a huge amount of content to explore and many hours to invest. However, the PC community has been taking things a step further since its availability on that platform.
The PC gaming community is known for making mods to games. Mods are basically community developed game add-ins that can enhance gameplay or add in additional content for almost any purpose. For console gamers, the ability to use Mods has never been available for any game. Things may be looking up for those wishing to have this feature on their Xbox One, however.
In a recent tweet, the official Fallout Twitter account, responded to a fan’s inquiry about Mods on consoles, with:
@Godly_shit1 we’ll be sharing more details soon. stay tuned.
While not official confirmation about this feature coming to consoles or when a date has been set, we can have at least a tiny bit of hope that it’ll be sooner, rather than later. With the Xbox One now running Windows 10, we do know that the Xbox One would receive this feature due to running the same OS as its PC counterpart. The goal for Bethesda would be to add these Mods seamlessly into the gameplay with upcoming DLC packs.
With this new information, what mods from the PC version of Fallout 4 would you like to see on the Xbox One or Playstation 4? Let us know in the comments.
