Category: Xbox News

It was the end of October 2014. After a great Starpoint Gemini 2 launch, we at LGM were contemplating what we would do next. There was really promising potential in the Starpoint Gemini franchise, so we in the office regarding the possibility of making another game. We let our thoughts settle down a bit for a few days before more serious talks. So we did just that. The whole gang went AWOL for several days, and got back in the office reinvigorated, with fresh ideas and new outlooks on the company future.

The cornerstone and the main reason for LGM’s success is the community, fantastic feedback, and great support. So, as November 2014 was nearing we had finally decided to put all ideas on the table. Actually, the main ideas for the next game were from the community wish list. We put everything to that one big piece of paper and started the process of elimination.

And yeah, we were still located in that legendary kitchen office. But as the team grew and more members came on, we decided to move to a real office, where we could arrange the crew into separate teams. So, for the first time, we actually had a programming department, an art department, a 3D department, and so on. The work on Starpoint Gemini Warlords could finally begin.

How Warlords Became a Strategy Game

When Starpoint Gemini Warlords was in the first phases of production, it actually wasn’t planned to be a strategy game at all. We were seriously thinking about an official sequel to Starpoint Gemini 2. But, when our team looked at the sheer scope of the possibilities and new ideas, we realized that this type of content is an ideal way to introduce a spin-off title. An experiment, if you will.

So, the first step of the production was to beef-up the Whale Engine. Basically, Starpoint Gemini 2’s engine and Starpoint Gemini Warlords’ engine are almost completely different entities. In order to make Warlords work, we had to apply a myriad of modifications to the engine:

• Render system was completely reworked
• New script system
• Sound system uses FMOD
• Major database optimizations
• Streaming engine optimizations
• New GUI system
• Major graphics code modifications
• The engine now uses PBR (physics-based rendering) shader
• And a lot more

Once those modifications and improvements were applied, we finally had more room to apply loads of new features that the community and the team wanted. So in the game, there are over 60 different factions, the ability to build and upgrade your own personal headquarters, the ability to build structures, the Warmaster gameplay system (which basically brings the whole strategy part of the game to life), and loads of other new features.

All of that led to the fact that Starpoint Gemini Warlords became a “lite” 4X strategy game which, in the end, is around nine times larger in contrast to Starpoint Gemini 2.

Easily Expandable

One of the major advancements in the Whale Engine happened in the database management system which rendered Starpoint Gemini Warlords easily expandable in terms of new content. In that sense, we were able to precisely plan post-launch content with downloadable expansions and free content updates.

The upgraded database system also granted the ability to implement core mechanics from the expansions into the main game. That basically meant that the mechanics found in the DLC could be easily implemented into the vanilla game. So if one doesn’t wish to purchase the expansion at a certain time, the game offers the ability to “test drive” the DLC gameplay mechanics, completely for free.

Built with an Xbox One Controller in Mind

Even though Starpoint Gemini Warlords is a complex title that combines space exploration, RPG, action, and strategy, the game has been built with a game controller in mind from day one. Thanks to previous experiences with the development for the Xbox One platform, we have decided to take it up a notch and make the controls feel even more natural while using an Xbox One game controller.

In order to make that possible, we have taken the best from Starpoint Gemini 2 (manual targeting) and combined it with a completely new HUD system built specifically for an Xbox One controller.

Visit us at Starpoint Gemini Warlords Game Hub, Social Network Channels and Discord Channel

Stay in the loop with the latest news by visiting the Starpoint Gemini Warlords Game Hub on Xbox One and Windows 10. Additionally, we are ever-present on Facebook, Twitter and Discord! See you there!

We know you’re busy and might miss out on all the exciting things we’re talking about on Xbox Wire every week. If you’ve got a few minutes, we can help remedy that. We’ve pared down the past week’s news into one easy-to-digest article for all things Xbox! Or, if you’d rather watch than read, you can feast your eyes on our weekly video show above. Be sure to come back every Friday to find out what’s happening This Week on Xbox!

Explore Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 for Free This Weekend with Xbox Live Gold
Welcome back Time Patrollers to Conton City! Feel free to explore, train, and converse with the locals this weekend in the world of Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 for free thanks to Xbox Live Gold. But be warned that we do get the occasional invasion from time to time. From Wednesday, February 7 at 11:01 p.m. PT to Sunday, February 11 at 11:59 p.m. PT, Xbox Live Gold members can play Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 for free… Read more

How We Made Little Triangle Unique and Fun Among Other 2D Action Games
Earlier this year we introduced the development story of Little Triangle and how we made the first Xbox Play Anywhere game from China. In this article, we’d like to talk more about how we made sure Little Triangle is unique and fun. We looked to meet modern players needs with proper difficulty management. With so many good games available nowadays, and busier lifestyles, many players have less time to spend on difficult hardcore games… Read more

Join the Worldwide Phenomenon with the Xbox One S PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Bundle
Since its release as a console launch exclusive on Xbox One in the Xbox Game Preview program, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) has reached incredible milestones, most recently surpassing 4 million players across the Xbox One family of devices. We’ve been blown away by the response to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds on Xbox One and today, we’re excited to announce the Xbox One S PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Bundle… Read more

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Tips and Tricks
Hey, Xbox gamers! The Mixer Tips & Tricks team is back with five tips for The Vanishing of Ethan Carter! What would you do if you were walking through the woods and suddenly stumbled upon, oh, let’s say, an astronaut? It’d be weird, right? Not for detective Paul Prospero. In The Vanishing of Ethan Carter you play as Prospero and it’s your job to figure out what happened to a missing boy named Ethan Carter… Read more

The Sea of Thieves Controller Has Some New Pirate Accessory Companions
In December, we announced the Xbox Wireless Controller – Sea of Thieves Limited Edition, featuring a deep purple translucent design adorned with laser-etched barnacles, one treasured golden trigger and haunted by a mesmerizing glowing skull. Today, we are excited to announce the line-up of Designed for Xbox Sea of Thieves companion gaming accessories from our partners at Seagate and Controller Gear… Read more

Announcing the HypeZone Fortnite Battle Royale Channel on Mixer
In December we introduced HypeZone on Mixer: An all-new, one-of-a-kind viewing experience dedicated to the most intense moments from Mixer streamers of all sizes. The response has been incredible. Not only did HypeZone see more than one million views in less than two months, but we heard loud and clear that you want to see more of this type of action on Mixer. We’ve been hard at work, and today… Read more

Chaotic Party Game Marooners Available Now on Xbox One
Me and my brother Matt have always shared a love of competitive multiplayer games… even though only one of us can win them. Our first games were multiplayer, and we just kept going. Marooners started life as a Global Game Jam entry, which won the National Jury and Audience Award in the Netherlands. Marooners has a classic formula: chase treasure and beat up your friends in a dangerous environment… Read more

Innovative Platformer Dandara Available Now on Xbox One
Hello Xbox gaming friends! We’re Long Hat House, the developers of the upcoming metroidvania and hopefully smash-hit success game Dandara. Our publisher Raw Fury and friends at Xbox offered us the chance to connect with you and write this post in celebration of the upcoming launch on Xbox One X and Xbox One, so we figured we’d do this interview-style and give you a little background on who we are… Read more

World of Tanks 4-Year Anniversary on Xbox One
This is a very exciting time of year for Wargaming, as we are celebrating the 4-year Xbox Anniversary for World of Tanks! On February 12, 2014, World of Tanks launched exclusively to Xbox 360 bringing massive 15v15 tank battles to console for the first time. Over the years, the game has evolved to bring tank warfare to gamers across the Xbox One family of devices with hundreds of content and graphic enhancements over the years… Read more

Play Rainbow Six Siege Free Next Weekend on Xbox One
If you haven’t yet joined the growing throngs of Rainbow Six Siege players, you’ll be able to jump in for free on Xbox One next weekend. Starting 12:01 a.m. PST on Thursday, February 15, the free weekend is a chance to join high-stakes tactical team battles until Sunday, February 18 at 10:59 p.m. PST. During that time, you’ll get access to the full range of content and progression available in the Standard Edition… Read more

Inside Xbox One X Enhanced: Dragon Ball FighterZ
Many of gaming’s most compelling stories come from those who’ve helped to create our favorite Xbox One games. In our Inside Xbox One X Enhanced series, these creators will share the behind-the-scenes accounts of the work involved in enhancing these epic games for Xbox One X, how they’ve helped chart the course of the world’s most powerful console, and what that means for the future of gaming… Read more

Puzzle Game Samsara Available Now on Xbox One
We’re in a unique position here in New Zealand because there are very few big players in the games business over here. As a result, the indie scene has grown dramatically over the last few years with the industry hitting $100M dollars in revenue in 2017. What makes New Zealand’s game development interesting is the focus on creativity, so a lot of the games are original IPs. Most studios self-publish, as we have with Samsara… Read more

I Spent Six Years Making Pinstripe All Alone, Now I’m Sharing it With You
Hi there! My name is Thomas Brush, and I’m the developer, artist, game designer, and musician for Pinstripe. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to launch my game about a minister in Hell on Xbox One… to say it’s been a long road getting here is kind of an understatement, but what a journey it’s been. On the tin, Pinstripe is a game about Ted, an ex-minister whose daughter, Bo, is kidnapped by a shadowy figure… Read more

Bleed 2 Available Now on Xbox One
Hey there! My name’s Ian, and I’m here to announce my game Bleed 2, launching today thanks to indie publishing label Digerati and Nephilim Game Studios! Bleed 2 is the arcade action game I always wanted to play… so I made it! It’s all killer, no filler — just boss fight after boss fight and setpiece after setpiece, with almost zero repeated content or downtime. Thanks to a dazzling soundtrack and outrageous sound design… Read more

Descenders Rides Into Xbox Game Preview This Summer
Hey everyone! This is Mike Rose from publishing label No More Robots, and I’m rather excited to announce today that Descenders, the downhill mountain biking game from Action Henk studio RageSquid, is coming exclusively to console on Xbox One in Xbox Game Preview! We’ve spent the last two years building Descenders… Read more

Welcome back Time Patrollers to Conton City! Feel free to explore, train, and converse with the locals this weekend in the world of Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 for free thanks to Xbox Live Gold. But be warned that we do get the occasional invasion from time to time.

From Wednesday, February 7 at 11:01 p.m. PT to Sunday, February 11 at 11:59 p.m. PT, Xbox Live Gold members can play Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 for free. As part of this event, the standard edition of the game will be 75% off, and the deluxe edition will be 50% off on the Microsoft Store during this limited time. Make sure you pick up the game at this discounted price to continue your adventures. Or if you decide to buy it later, your achievements and progress will be saved and waiting for you when you return to Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2.

Start your Xenoverse 2 odyssey by developing your own warrior. Customize your Time Patroller with tons of different accessories that you can unlock throughout your adventure, train new skills with a variety of masters taken straight from the “Dragon Ball” saga and encounter all new foes on your way to restore the original story of the “Dragon Ball” series. Best of all, don’t forget to hit up your Xbox Live friends when those raid events go down — in the world of Dragon Ball, fighting with an ally is always better than battling solo.

Once you’ve finished the epic story mode and you need some more action, consider checking out the Xenoverse 2 Season Pass which will also be 50% off. The Season Pass extends the game with new playable characters, new quests, more masters to train with and new accessories, costumes and skills for your avatar.

You can download Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 by clicking on the Gold Member area on the home dashboard or downloading directly from the Microsoft Store.

Hi there! My name is Thomas Brush, and I’m the developer, artist, game designer, and musician for Pinstripe. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to launch my game about a minister in Hell on Xbox One… to say it’s been a long road getting here is kind of an understatement, but what a journey it’s been.

On the tin, Pinstripe is a game about Ted, an ex-minister whose daughter, Bo, is kidnapped by a shadowy figure, and the lengths Ted goes to both get her back and confront… well, you’ll see. It’s a little bit action, a little bit puzzle, and a lot bit adventure-filled passion project that I threw half a decade of my life into making. It’s inspired by a lot of things, from growing up in the South to the works of the creators who have inspired me, and every inch of it was a learning process I relished, allowing me to explore the topics that interested me the most.

Every level of Hell in Ted’s strange adventure was meticulously designed over the course of five years. Ted’s Tim Burton-esque character design all started in Clemson University’s library and lecture halls. I’d often spend more time brainstorming the hellish world of Pinstripe instead of paying attention during lectures. It’s funny to think the final pieces of artwork in Pinstripe were dreamed up in the middle of my economics class, and even funnier to see just how much the final designs changed from the initial scrawl in the margin of my class notes.

During the illustration process, I had a blast writing a soundtrack that reflected the visuals. Instead of doing the obvious – writing fantasy music like that of Tim Burton’s films – I found inspiration in the works of Debussy and Chopin. The result was an eclectic, piano-centric soundtrack with a silly, bouncy vibe while also remaining haunting and cold. To ensure the music always reflected the chilling atmosphere of Pinstripe’s Hell, I made sure to always write my music with Pinstripe’s snowy scenery playing on my laptop across from my piano.

A couple years ago, being an indie game auteur came with bragging rights, but now, it’s becoming more and more of a necessity for indie devs across the world. With technologies like Unity, Logic Pro, Audacity, and Photoshop now a daily tool for most game developers, learning every aspect of game development is, in my opinion, absolutely crucial to making great games. For me, it ensures Ted’s strange adventure through Hell is unique, beautiful, and cohesive. Cohesiveness was always the goal with Pinstripe, and one of the reasons I decided to build the game from scratch, completely alone.

To me, the concept of fatherhood has always been a frightening one. My three older brothers used to hog the Xbox when we were growing up, but suddenly I was watching in awe as they became fathers while I was still in college. It was a topic I wanted to explore… that fear and responsibility, and how far you can be driven to go. Now, Ted’s deeply personal story of fatherhood is something I can fully appreciate, with the birth of my daughter just one month before Pinstripe’s Xbox One launch. It feels strange to relate to my game five years later more than I did while I was making it.

I’ve spent so many years working on handcrafting every aspect of Pinstripe by myself that letting it out into the wild, and sharing it with so many people, is both scary and wonderful. From the peaks of The Hangly Pass, to the depths of the fiery red lake of Red Wash, I like to think that Pinstripe has more to offer than enemies to shoot and puzzles to solve. I’ve been making games very nearly for all my life, and Pinstripe might be surreal, and maybe a little creepy, but it’s also something very heartfelt. It’s a story about death, family, and forgiveness that I hope resonates with you, even if just a little.

Me and my brother Matt have always shared a love of competitive multiplayer games… even though only one of us can win them. Our first games were multiplayer, and we just kept going. Marooners started life as a Global Game Jam entry, which won the National Jury and Audience Award in the Netherlands.

Marooners has a classic formula: chase treasure and beat up your friends in a dangerous environment. But we spiced it up by switching to a different mini-game unpredictably so that you need to stay on your toes (or stand on your opponent’s).

We’ve packed Marooners with 25 different mini-games and arenas, set in locations from frozen snowfields to lily-pad covered lakes and burning pools of lava. Some of the most fun we had in development was creating these settings and seeing them come to life! We obviously took a lot of inspiration from various famous adventure movies (why yes, we do have a game mode where you must flee ahead of a huge boulder), but much of it is original and simply inspired by our own observations of the natural world. Our light-hearted cartoon style made it easy for us to try all kinds of different decorations and mini-games.

This love of variety also led to us creating several characters to choose from, along with an incredible 70+ weapons to discover. As well as all the typical stuff like swords, clubs, and axes we also let our imaginations run wild to come up with anything that might be amusing to harass your friends with. And so, we’ve got toilet brushes, flags, balloons, toothbrushes, and even broccoli! To make sure you can really create a unique character we also added the option to pick colors for your clothing and weapons.

We even found a solution to that old problem of gathering enough friends on your couch for a full game! You can mix local and online players, so that you can play with three friends on your couch and find more online: the best of both worlds! Or you can just add in some bots to make up the numbers – they enjoy any game mode and are 99% guaranteed not to rage-quit.

We’re looking forward to seeing you online!

Hello again, Xbox Insiders!  Whenever we announce a System Update Preview with new features, one of the more common questions we see is “When will [this feature] be available for Preview?” We know you’re excited to try out everything an update has to offer, but in some situations we announce an upcoming feature for Preview that won’t necessarily be in the very first build we release. This is especially true for our Alpha members, who get the updates earlier than other members of the Xbox Insider Program. Another thing to keep in mind when reviewing early System Update Preview Announcements is that there are also instances when a feature is only released to a specific Preview group for testing, and sometimes doesn’t leave a particular ring when the update is released to the public.

So, how can you be sure a feature is actually available for testing when we release an update? The best way to know what features are immediately available in a particular build is by checking the Xbox Insider Hub app. We put all of the latest Preview update information directly in the app so you can see what’s new in each build, along with information about fixes we’ve made and even known issues with a specific Preview update.  You can also find that information here on the Xbox Insider Blog, as well as the Preview Announcements section of the Xbox Forums.

So what should you do if you don’t see a particular feature that you believe should be available to your current Preview ring? Let us know by reporting it through the “Report a Problem” tool on your console. When you do submit feedback, make sure to include what specific feature you are expecting to see in your description. These brief details really help us narrow down what might be going on.

We continue to look forward to your input on upcoming features and updates and want to thank you again for all your valuable feedback!

-Jon

Following an exciting Year 2, more people are playing Rainbow Six Siege than ever before! If you’ve decided to pull the trigger on picking it up for Xbox One, here are a few tips and tricks to help you succeed in your first few missions as a Rainbow Operator.

Jumping into a game with a high skill ceiling and an experienced playerbase can be intimidating, but if you take the following six Siege Rules to heart, you will thrive in the heart-pounding action and suspense that only a tactical FPS like Siege can bring. Rainbow Six Siege is a unique spin on the first-person shooter (FPS) genre, and you will need to approach it differently than you would any other game. To put you in the right mindset, we advise you to think of it more as chess with guns.

Prepare for Close-Quarters Combat

Combat in Rainbow Six Siege is in your face. With an average kill distance of roughly nine meters — you’re going to see the whites of your enemy’s eyes before you pull the trigger. There could be an enemy around any corner, and there usually is. Our maps have a mix of small rooms, long hallways, and always-changing sightlines. Keep in mind that some Operators, like Mira, can open up chunks of reinforced walls to create a protected line of sight, and use it to keep an entire room clear. Knowing where and who your enemy is will help you figure out how to close with and eliminate them.

Know Your Strengths

Will you focus on gathering intel? Are you more interested in denying your enemies the use of their gadgets? Perhaps carrying a mountain of a shield is more up your alley. Every role matters in Rainbow Six Siege. Communicate with your team to ensure that your Operators can work together effectively, and use your loadout accordingly. Rainbow Six Siege is a team game in every sense of the word, and our Operators’ unique skill sets play to that. If your teammate picked Ying, maybe you should look at selecting Glaz and working together. Thermite and Thatcher are a great pair as well. On Defense, you can run with a killer intel-denying combo like Bandit and Mute, or an extra-durable Doc-and-Rook pair. Don’t forget about countering the enemy’s gadgets! Twitch is Mira’s arch nemesis, and a couple of Jager’s Magpies can really ruin Fuze’s day.

Use Destruction as a Tool

We built the maps, but it is up to you to destroy them. For example, destroying a section of wall that separates the two bomb sites you’re defending allows you to rotate quickly when your enemy decides to rush point B. Try breaking a hatch or two to step up your vertical game and create a quick escape route if you’re getting pushed by a couple of Attackers. Utilize breachers to make holes in the other team’s defenses. Nothing in Rainbow Six is permanent, except for death.

Utilize Your Team

Communication with your teammates is another essential resource in Rainbow Six Siege. Working with them to overcome the enemy’s strategies can turn the tide of battle. The Defenders may have set up a series of Magpie anti-grenade defenses and electronics jammers. You can coordinate with your team to throw in flash/smoke grenades to get rid of the Magpie charges, and if you have Thatcher on your team, he can follow up with his EMP grenade to get rid of these electronic devices.

Don’t Expect a Respawn

You only get one life; use it wisely. When you die, though, that doesn’t mean it’s time to get up and grab a drink. You can still help your team out! When you’re dead, you have access to your team’s cameras and/or drones, as well as the ability to spectate among your teammates. Even in death, being able to call out an enemy’s position to help your teammate land a headshot through a wall is integral to the success of the mission.

Always Communicate

Speaking of calling out enemy positions, make sure you play Rainbow Six Siege with a headset. Hearing your enemy’s footsteps through the hole you made in the wall could win the day, but so will communicating with your teammates! Utilizing teamwork to force the enemy right where you want them is integral to taking home more wins than losses, and for that, you need to use your microphone. Figuring out exactly where your teammate needs a Hibana X-KAIROS charge placed so they can lock down an entire side of the map while playing as Blackbeard is an advantage you can’t ignore.

To learn more about Siege Rules, click here. If you are looking to catch a few tips from the best players to touch the game, tune into the Six Invitational on February 16 to February 18. We will be streaming this world championship on our Twitch channel, here, and our Mixer channel, here.

Welcome to Next Week on Xbox, where we cover all the new games coming soon to Xbox One. Every week, the team at Xbox aims to deliver quality gaming content for you to enjoy on your favorite gaming console. This coming week a wide variety of titles are on the way like the gravity-bending metroidvania Dandara, the return of Wryn in the fast-paced Bleed 2, and tactical 4X strategy in space with Starpoint Gemini Warlords are just a few of the select games coming to Xbox One next week. Read about these games and more below.

Games

February 06, 2018

Join friends on the couch or online in this unique party game that switches between game types as you compete for the best score. Pick from a roster of peculiar characters and use more than 70 weapons to take out your enemies… er, we mean your friends. With more than 25 games and maps, there’s tons of party game excitement to be had in Marooners.

Games

February 06, 2018

In this gravity-bending metroidvania, you’ll be thrown into a universe where the oppressed are on the brink of destruction. With beautiful pixel art and a wide variety of enemies and puzzles, you’ll have to jump from surface to surface to survive in the hostile world of Dandara.

Games

February 06, 2018

As a member of highly-skilled, guns-for-hire group known as the Mercenary Kings, you’ll do battle against the forces of CLAW who have taken control of a top secret base. It’s up to you and your team to do whatever it takes to stop them in this wild 2D action game. Join up with friends and save the world from CLAW!

Games

February 07, 2018

Xbox Play Anywhere title – With a wide variety of cute triangle skins to choose from, a ton of bosses to battle, and unique level design, Little Triangle endeavors to be a fantastic blend of party game, platformer, and battle royale with addictive pick-up-and-play gameplay. Featuring local co-op and online play.

Games

February 07, 2018

Venture through six levels of Hell as Teddy, an estranged former minister, searching through the afterlife for his daughter and her kidnapper. Discover your character’s dark past and confront Teddy’s nemesis: Mr. Pinstripe.

Games

February 07, 2018

In this challenging platformer that requires the utmost of precision and skill to survive, it will be up to you to restore color to the world and defeat the evil Necrolights. Wall jump and float your way through four unique worlds full of challenges that range from beginner to advanced.

Games

February 09, 2018

Wryn returns in a new fast-paced action game in Bleed 2. She will fight to defend Earth from an invading force of enemies, requiring you to master the art of air-dodging and bullet-deflection to survive. With more than 20 bosses across seven levels, you’ll have to prove yourself once again that Wryn is the greatest hero of all time. Featuring two player local co-op.

Games

February 09, 2018

Combining a mix of 4x strategy, RPG elements, and starship combat, Starpoint Gemini Warlords puts you command of assembling a fleet of warships to send into battle — or you can lead them into combat yourself. Utilize a unique blend of battleship tactics to conquer the Gemini system!

Games

February 09, 2018

Take out huge bosses and dodge thousands of bullets in Overdriven Reloaded: Special Edition. With fast, fun vertical shooting elements, a ton of game modes, and supporting up to four players in local co-op, it’s time for you to grab a controller and save the universe!

Games

February 09, 2018

A unique blend of pinball with arcade gameplay featuring realistic ball physics, eight unique mini-modes, and six tables. This might be one of the best games for retro-pinball arcade enthusiasts to play on Xbox One.

Preview Beta, Delta and Omega Insiders can expect another new update today, complete with brand new fixes. This update (1802.180131-1450) will begin rolling out at 6.00 p.m. PST and will become mandatory shortly after that.  Read on to learn more about the fixes and known issues related to this build.  Given this is the first build the Omega Ring users are receiving we have listed the New Features in this build.

New Features:

 Next Achievements

• With this update, you’ll be able to use the “Next Achievements” feature in the Guide, which enables you to view and sort a cross-games list of upcoming Achievements. Easily see which Achievements you are closest to, and quickly launch the game to obtain them. Sort filters allow you to prioritize next Achievements by closest, most common, rarest, most common rare, and highest Gamerscore.  You can also hide/unhide a specific achievement or entire game from the Next Achievements section!

Mini Game Hubs

• Mini Game Hubs are available in the Guide. With this feature, you’ll be able to access great content for the games you’ve played recently from a Game Hub without ever having to leave the action. Mini Game Hubs provide an easy way to see friends who are currently playing, upcoming Achievements, Looking for Group posts, and more.  To find the Mini Game Hub, launch the Guide and look for a new icon to the right of all Game tiles in the Home section.

Do Not Disturb

• Sometimes all you want to do is avoid all distractions and focus entirely on your game. This build has the new feature of “Do not disturb” online status, which will suppress notifications and let your friends know that you’re not available for another game or activity right now.

1. Open the Guide and select your profile icon to the far left.
2. Select My profile.
3. From the Appear online dropdown to the right, select Do not disturb.

Community Feed

• We’re tweaking the community feed to make it easier to view comments. You’ll soon be able to see a peek of the most recent comment on community posts while viewing the activity in full screen. Comments are also being rearranged to place those that are most recent at the top. You’ll also be able to see who has liked your comments.

Power Settings

• To address user feedback, we have added additional inactivity shutdown options to the Power mode & startup menu. In addition to shutting down the console after one or six hours of inactivity, you will be able to select options for two, three, four and five hours.

1. Navigate to Settings > Power & startup > Power mode & startup.
2. Under Options, select the “Turn off after” dropdown menu.

Fixes:

Mixer

• Fixed an issue which caused the Mixer app to crash when connecting a headset while the app is in use.

General 

• Resolved an issue which sometimes caused degraded console performance in games, apps, and on the dashboard.

Party Chat

• Miscellaneous performance improvements for party chat.

Known Issues:

Dynamic Themes

• We are disabling the Dynamic/Scheduled themes feature in this build. We will continue to work on this functionality for a future release. Thank you all for testing this feature and providing feedback.

Games Installation

• Games that are installed fail to launch. Workaround: If the games are installed to an external drive please copy the game to the internal drive or attempt to delete the title and redownload to fix the launch error.

Display 

• We are investigating the inaccurate RGB colors that have been reported when displaying in 4K HDR mode when playing a UHD disc.

Tournaments

• The left and right navigation for selecting date and time during Tournament creation is currently reversed when the console language is set to Arabic or Hebrew.
• Left and right navigation in Tournament twists is reversed when the console language is set to Arabic or Hebrew.
• Left and right navigation in the bracket view of Tournaments is reversed when the console language is set to Arabic or Hebrew.

Avatars on Home

• Users wishing to represent themselves as an avatar can do so by changing their settings under My profile > Customize profile > Show my avatar.

Preview Alpha Insiders can expect another new update today, complete with brand new fixes. This update (1802.180131-1450) will begin rolling out at 6.00 p.m. PST and will become mandatory shortly after that.  Read on to learn more about the fixes and known issues related to this build.

Fixes:

Mixer

• Fixed an issue which caused the Mixer app to crash when connecting a headset while the app is in use.

General 

• Resolved an issue which sometimes caused degraded console performance in games, apps, and on the dashboard.

Party Chat

• Miscellaneous performance improvements for party chat.

Dynamic Theming

• Additional fixes to address an issue which caused switching between Light and Dark themes to occur at incorrect times.

Known Issues:

Games Installation

• Games that are installed fail to launch. Workaround: If the games are installed to an external drive please copy the game to the internal drive or attempt to delete the title and redownload to fix the launch error.

Display 

• We are investigating the inaccurate RGB colors that have been reported when displaying in 4K HDR mode when playing a UHD disc.

Tournaments

• The left and right navigation for selecting date and time during Tournament creation is currently reversed when the console language is set to Arabic or Hebrew.
• Left and right navigation in Tournament twists is reversed when the console language is set to Arabic or Hebrew.
• Left and right navigation in the bracket view of Tournaments is reversed when the console language is set to Arabic or Hebrew.

Avatars on Home

• Users wishing to represent themselves as an avatar can do so by changing their settings under My profile > Customize profile > Show my avatar.