Yesterday’s Alpha and Beta system update (1711.171121-1645) is now available to Delta and Omega Insiders. If you’re a member of one of these two Xbox One Update Preview rings, then you may have noticed the update starting at 2 p.m. PST today. The update will become mandatory tomorrow at 1 a.m. PST and continues to deliver on fixes to 1711, specifically improving upon the stability and performance of the Guide, streaming apps and game installations. Read on to learn more about the fixes unique to this update and check in on the Known Issues in our previous post here.

FIXES:

Guide

• Fixed an issue that caused the Guide to crash unexpectedly

Installation

• Fixed an issue that could cause games to fail to install

Streaming Video Fixes

• Fixed issues which caused some streaming video apps to fail to show video and ads

Back in 2014 we reported on a Tokyo-based group of tourist event organisers that set up a Mario Kart-themed tour of the city – in actual karts! 

Well, fast forward three years and the the city is awash with colourful convoys, so much so that the Japanese tourist ministry is bringing in new laws to ensure blue shell-flinging drivers are safe before they hit the roads; seatbelts will be mandatory and the karts will need to meet safety standards.

A loophole in the current system enables operators to classify karts as both scooters and four-wheeled vehicles – since scooters don’t require seat belts and cars don’t require helmets, tourists have been cruising through traffic without a safety conscious care in the world.

However, the Mario Kart tour craze hasn’t been an entirely clean ride. Nintendo itself sued one company earlier this year for copyright infringement (which it lost a month later), while a spate of real-life accidents involving kart drivers ultimately led the Japanese government to enforce more stringent rules.

What do you think of Mario Kart tours? Would you go on one, or would buckling up spoil the fun? Comments at the ready.

DOOM VFR is Now Available on Steam!

DOOM® VFR brings the fast-paced, brutal gameplay fans of the series love to virtual reality. Play as a cybernetic survivor who is activated by the UAC to fight the demon invasion, maintain order, and prevent catastrophic failure at the Mars facility.

Unearth 135 new cards from Azeroth’s deepest dungeons in the latest expansion for Blizzard Entertainment’s internationally acclaimed digital card game

Brave adventurers can now embark on single-player Dungeon Runs for an endlessly replayable, escalating challenge that’s completely free to all players—no prebuilt decks required

IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Eager adventurers can now set out in search of Legendary Weapons, mysterious treasures, and 135 alluring new cards hidden deep underground in Kobolds & Catacombs^™—the latest expansion for Hearthstone^®, Blizzard Entertainment’s smash-hit digital card game.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171207006016/en/

Kobolds & Catacombs takes Hearthstone players into the bowels of Azeroth, where the dastardly kobolds have been boring tunnels for thousands of years and hiding away scores of ancient treasures. Hearthstone players will discover powerful new cards among these riches, including a Legendary Weapon for each class—one of which everyone who logs in to Hearthstone starting today will receive free. Rumors also speak of mighty Spellstones, magical jewels for each class whose effects grow in power throughout a match. Ever-wary of greedy adventurers’ plots to liberate their hoards, the kobolds have lured terrible monsters and laid deadly traps to help protect them. Luckily, adventurers don’t have to go it alone. By playing cards with the new Recruit keyword, players can summon random minions directly from their decks, opening the door for entirely new approaches to deckbuilding.

The deadliest hazards of all await players in Kobolds & Catacombs’ new and completely free single-player mode: Dungeon Runs. These high-stakes subterranean adventures are inspired by the iconic fantasy dungeon crawl, and they’re never the same experience twice. Those brave enough to embark on these challenges can earn three free Kobolds & Catacombs card packs by completing a series of introductory quests. Players who complete a full Dungeon Run with all nine classes will also earn the “Candle King” card back—indisputable proof that they’ve mastered one of Hearthstone’s most daunting challenges yet.

“Kobolds & Catacombs harkens back to the type of old-school fantasy-gaming experience that many of us at Blizzard and in the community grew up on,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We think players are going to love the new cards and testing their mettle in Dungeon Runs, and we can’t wait to see how deck strategies evolve with the new mechanics we’ve added with this set.”

Kobolds & Catacombs is available now for Windows® and Mac® PCs; Windows, iOS, and Android™ tablets; and iOS and Android phones. Card packs can be purchased individually or in discounted bundles from the in-game Shop for gold or real-world currency at the same price as all other Hearthstone card packs. Players now have the chance to win Kobolds & Catacombs card packs as quest rewards or prizes in the Arena, and can also craft cards from the expansion by using Arcane Dust collected from disenchanting unwanted cards.

For a limited time, players who log in to Hearthstone will receive three free Kobolds & Catacombs card packs to celebrate the launch of the expansion—in addition to the ones earned from the introductory Dungeon Run quests.

Visit www.koboldsandcatacombs.com to learn more about the expansion and prepare yourself for the hazards and horrors that await you in the depths below Azeroth.

Assets available at: https://blizzard.gamespress.com/Hearthstone

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft^®, Hearthstone^®, Overwatch^®, the Warcraft^®, StarCraft^®, and Diablo^® franchises, and the multi-franchise Heroes of the Storm^®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes twenty-one #1 games^* and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online gaming service, Blizzard Battle.net^®, is one of the largest online-gaming services in the world, with millions of active players.

*Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171207006016/en/

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Che’von Slaughter
Senior Manager, Public Relations
949.955.1380 x14338
cslaughter@blizzard.com
or
Lyndsi Achucarro
PR Manager, Global
949.955.1380 x12650
lachucarro@blizzard.com
or
Christine Yeo
PR Manager, North America
949.955.1380 x61002
cyeo@blizzard.com

Source: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

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