Xbox Game Pass Adds One Of The World's Most Popular Games, Minecraft
The Xbox Game Pass catalog grows today with one of the biggest games on planet Earth. As announced during the Inside Xbox briefing in March, Microsoft's sandbox game Minecraft comes to Game Pass today. It's the full Bedrock version of the game, not some limited slice.
What's more, people who get Minecraft through Xbox Game Pass have access to all future updates, including the upcoming Village & Pillage update that arrives later this month.
Minecraft supports cross-play between Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC (via Windows 10), Gear VR, iOS, and Android. Minecraft is one of the most popular games in history. By Microsoft's latest count, it has 91 million monthly players, which is many millions more than Fortnite has.
Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft's all-you-can-eat subscription service on Xbox One that provides members access to a growing catalog of games that users can download and play for as long as their membership remains active. Minecraft is just the latest big-name game to come to Xbox Game Pass; some of the other marquee titles include Halo 5 and Halo: The Master Chief Collection, as well as Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Just Cause 4, all the Gears of War games, Doom, and more.
The service costs $10 USD/month, but new subscribers can sign up for $1 USD/month. It's only available on Xbox One, but Microsoft has talked about bringing it to every device.
Xbox Game Pass is separate from Project xCloud, which is Microsoft's upcoming game-streaming service that will enter public trials later this year.
Microsoft’s new Windows 10 Game Bar update takes cues from Nvidia, Discord
Today Microsoft announced it’s beta-testing a bunch of new features for its Game Bar overlay on Windows 10, including video capture/sharing, cross-platform chat with Xbox players, and new volume and performance controls.
With these new features Windows 10 itself now seems capable of efficiently handling more of the play-adjacent activities (like voice chatting with friends or clipping exciting moments) that many PC game players offload to third-party tools like Discord or Nvidia’s ShadowPlay.
The bit about cross-platform communication is especially notable, since it ties PC game players more deeply into the Xbox Live community.
That community is now set to stretch across not just across Windows and Xbox consoles but also iOS and Android, and it all seems to be roughly in line with the promise Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella made in 2015 that games are key to Microsoft’s “broader vision for Windows.”
“We will pursue our gaming ambition as part of this broader vision for Windows and increase its appeal to consumers,” Nadella wrote at the time. “We will bring Xbox Live and our first-party gaming efforts across PC, console, mobile and new categories like HoloLens into one integrated play.”
Newsbrief: Jam City has acquired the Berlin-based studio 231 Play, now rebranded as Jam City Germany.
As detailed in a press release, studio founders Matthias and Thomas Hoechsmann will remain on staff to oversee development and operations.
231 Play is best known for titles like Game Doctors, which was acquired by Zynga in 2011, and Zombie Smash.
While terms of the acquisition weren’t publicly disclosed, this purchase marks the first of Jam City’s European operations. The company has global studios based in the US, Argentina, Colombia, and Canada.
March 28th : New Preview Delta Ring 1904 Update (1904.190325-1920)
Starting at 2:00 p.m. PST today, members of the Xbox One Preview Delta Ring will begin receiving the latest 1904 Xbox One system update (19H1_RELEASE_XBOX_DEV_1904\18362.2006.190325-1920). Read on for more about the new features, fixes and known issues in the latest 1904 system update.
DETAILS:
OS version released: 19H1_RELEASE_XBOX_DEV_1904\18362.2006.190325-1920
New Power center Layout: Based on end user feedback we are flighting a variation today on the layout of the Power center.
Fixes:
Audio
We have fixed the issues of No Audio heard from Non-Spatial Audio games when using Dolby Atmos for Home Theater with the LG SJ9 soundbar.
My Games and Apps
We are have fixed the issue with the Assassins Creed Enzio Collection loading to a black screen.
System
Narrator Fixes for Collections App: Shortcut for Menu + Titles in Queue/Membership Section.
Localization fixes.
Known Issues:
Game Pass Mobile App
Issue/Impact – After pushing a remote installation of a game from the Game Pass mobile app, customers will not see progress of the installation on in the mobile app and may not receive install notifications. The game will still successfully install if there is sufficient available space on the console.
Affected audience – must be in 1904 preview, must be a GP subscriber, must be using the GP mobile app, must be pushing game installations from the app.
Workarounds – None. A fix is coming in the next version of the mobile app in March. Customers interested in getting early access to the fix can download the Game Pass Beta app.
Home
We are aware that the clock/time is missing from home and the dashboard.
My Games and Apps
Updates section is blank which is not correct as you may have a update pending. Fix is incoming. Workaround – Simply launch the title and take the update on launch.
Profile
Users are unable to change the profile status (from online to offline) in the Main Profile page as you cannot get focus on the change icon. Workaround : You *are* able to change your status using the Guide.
Profile Color
Sometimes users may encounter the incorrect Profile color when powering on the console.
Virtual Keyboard
On Screen Keyboard in Hebrew – We are aware that the onscreen keyboard in Hebrew the period or semi-colon no longer works. Workaround: A physical usb keyboard works.
Some real, official Joy-Con for your viewing pleasure
With the Nintendo Switch seemingly growing in popularity by the day, it will hardly come as a surprise to most of you that there are unofficial controllers knocking about, hoping to cash in by offering a cheaper – and very similar-looking – alternative to the real deal.
Some ‘fakes’ can be spotted instantly, and some third-party controllers are officially licensed and perfectly safe to use with your console, but others might cause more of an issue. While regular readers of the site – who no doubt know what every millimetre of a Switch looks like – will be able to see the differences, those looking to buy accessories for their friends or family may not.
As such, we feel it worth sending out a friendly reminder that controllers such as these below will not have been approved by Nintendo and could cause damage to your system. These ‘fake’ or unofficial Joy-Con use the same colour scheme as the real deal and even offer the same features – including rumble, sensor functions, and the ability to connect to the main tablet.
There are plenty of similar controllers waiting for unsuspecting customers on sites such as eBay. We found all of the following products on the first page of search results for ‘Joy-Con’.
If you’re looking to pick up some controllers for your Switch, or maybe for a friend, we’ve got a full guide to the best (and safely official) controllers you can get your hands on.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 04-07-2019, 12:01 PM - Forum: Windows
- No Replies
Podcast: ‘Behind the Tech’ with Kevin Scott
Jaron Lanier: father of Virtual Reality
Scientist and renaissance man, Jaron Lanier is best known for his work in Virtual Reality. His startup VPL Research created the first commercial VR products. Lanier shares why he is worried the present Internet may be destroying societies, democracies, and economies.
It's perfect timing to play Borderlands: The Handsome Collection--the two games included, Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, just received free Ultra HD texture packs that greatly enhance the graphics on Xbox One X, PS4 Pro, and PC. Plus, Borderlands 3 finally has a confirmed release date and is now available to pre-order.
Then there's WWE 2K19, which marks the 20th game in the WWE game series. WWE 2K19 introduces minor quality-of-life improvements for in-ring action and, outside the ring, a plethora of new content and game modes, including a story-driven MyCareer mode.
Finally, you can try out the special edition for Dead By Daylight, a multiplayer horror game that pits four players (the "Survivors") against one other player (the "Killer") in an eerie environment. The survivors are tasked with repairing five generators in order to escape before the killer can find and take them out.
All three games are free to play until Monday, April 8 at 12 AM PT / 3 AM ET. To download the games on your console, navigate to the Gold member area on your Xbox One dashboard. If you enjoy the games, you can buy them at a discount this weekend and continue playing with all of your progress.
Random: Prince Harry Thinks Fortnite Should Be Banned
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and member of the British royal family, thinks that gaming phenomenon Fortnite shouldn’t be allowed.
The Daily Express reports that, during a visit to a YMCA in West London, Prince Harry urged parents to protect their children from “irresponsible” games, using Fortnite as an example. He described the game as an “addiction”, stating that parents don’t know what to do about it and its effects on their children.
“The game shouldn’t be allowed. Where is the benefit of having it in your household? It’s created to addict, an addiction to keep you in front of a computer for as long as possible. It’s so irresponsible.
“Parents have got their hands up – they don’t know what to do about it. It’s like waiting for the damage to be done.”
In January of last year, it was reported that the World Health Organisation would list game addiction as a mental health condition for the first time. It was a controversial decision amongst fans of the hobby, and one that went against the findings of a University of Oxford study looking into the matter; the Entertainment Software Association actually went on to criticise the decision.
Despite this, the wellbeing of people who game for long periods of time, especially those who are young, remains a topic of debate.
Where do you stand? Do you think games like Fortnite can be dangerously addictive? Do you think the accusations are unfounded? Let us know in the comments below.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 04-07-2019, 04:47 AM - Forum: Windows
- No Replies
MyAnalytics, the fitness tracker for work, is now more broadly available
MyAnalytics—the fitness tracker for work—will be available to everyone using Office 365 and Microsoft 365 Enterprise and Business suites that include Exchange Online. Previously, MyAnalytics was only available with an Enterprise E5 plan or as an add-on to E1 and E3 plans.
Via a personal dashboard, an Outlook add-in, and weekly emails, MyAnalytics summarizes how you spend your time at work, then suggests ways to work smarter—from cutting unproductive meeting time to reducing time spent working after hours. It even uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help you stay on top of your to-dos by flagging commitments you’ve made in email.
The MyAnalytics dashboard.
New insights give a more complete picture of how you spend time at work
As we continue to evolve the product, today we’re also making MyAnalytics insights more well-rounded. MyAnalytics currently provides insights based on time spent in Outlook emails and meetings, and Skype for Business calls and chats. This month, we’re adding new insights based on your Microsoft Teams calls and chats, as well as signals from documents you’re working on that are saved in OneDrive and SharePoint. With 329,000 organizations and 87 of the Fortune 100 using Teams, this takes us one step closer to providing you with a more complete picture of how you’re spending time at work.
MyAnalytics Outlook add-in and weekly email.
A recent Gallup study found that two-thirds of full-time employees say they experience burnout at work. Multiple factors are contributing to burnout—such as the increased pace of work, a rise in collaborative work like chats, emails, and meetings, and the continuing trend of technology blurring the lines between work and life. Our customers tell us they’re looking for ways to address these challenges by helping employees find time to focus, improve work-life balance, build better meeting habits, and create deeper connections with their colleagues. By making MyAnalytics features more broadly available to our millions of customers, it is our goal to make work days around the world a little more balanced and fulfilling.
Availability: MyAnalytics insights from Microsoft Teams and documents saved in OneDrive or SharePoint will begin rolling out to existing customers with MyAnalytics in January 2019. With today’s updates, MyAnalytics features will be available for Microsoft 365 E3, Business, and Office 365 E3, E1, Business Premium, and Business Essentials plans. MyAnalytics functionality will roll out in phases, beginning with the Outlook add-in. Beginning mid-March, 2019, MyAnalytics licenses will be assigned and activated; however, users will not be able to see any MyAnalytics functionality. In mid-April, admins will begin to see a toggle in the Exchange Admin Center that supports tenant-level management of MyAnalytics functionality. The add-in functionality will begin rolling out on May 15, 2019.
April Free Unreal Engine Marketplace Content Released
Epic Games have released the April 2019 round of free content for Unreal Engine. Every month Epic releases new content free for Unreal developers from the Unreal Engine marketplace, that is completely free so long as it is “purchased” during the month of the promotion. Additionally some new marketplace content is released free forever with no time limitations.
