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Bethesda E3 2016 Was Everything We Hoped For

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The main presentation banner of the Bethesda E3 2016 showcase, with a Dragonborn and Fallout mascot.

It wasn’t the Bethesda E3 2016 showcase we deserved, but it was the one we needed.

One of the most anticipated showcases of the weekend was Sunday’s Bethesda E3 2016 showcase. Gamers had repeatedly been teased with news regarding, Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and last but not least, Dishonored. After an entire year since its first official trailer release, a majority of voices cried out for more Dishonored. No pressure, Bethesda.

“Yes, Quake is back.”

Those were the first words said at the Bethesda E3 2016 showcase. Simple, elegant, effective. And then the trailer for Quake Champions was played.

Quake Champions was presented as competitive arena-style PC shooter. And Bethesda did not oversell the word “competitive”. Quake Champions boasts with running with unlocked framerates, a feature which should be a staple in all first or third person games. As it is coming exclusively for the PC, concerns in regards to porting to or from consoles do not exist.

Bethesda also announced that they plan on expanding their Quake e-sport support at a global level. Hopefully, Quakecon will still be around and will also be the event where the Quake Champions World Finals will be held. Competitive indeed.

The Elder Scrolls: Legends

Interested parties had previous opportunities to have a look at what The Elder Scrolls: Legends is all about. Bethesda E3 2016 played a brilliant trailer for the new strategy card game, half of which made several watchers reminisce of 300.

Bethesda still plans for The Elder Scrolls: Legend to be a free-to-play game. They’ve also teased about both single-player and multiplayer modes. If the single player is going to be anything like HearthStone’s Adventures but with The Elder Scrolls lore, then it can’t come quick enough. When Legends does arrive, it is scheduled to do so on PC, Android, and iOS.

Fallout 4

Announcements for Fallout 4 (and Fallout Shelter) followed. Bethesda will be giving the survivors of the apocalypse Contraptions, a lot of different fun devices such as Sorting Machines.

Nuka-Wolrd postcard showcased at Bethesda E3 2016

The Nuka-World mascot is creepier than the entire plot of Prey.

Players will also be getting their own Vault, because ever since it was released people just wanted to play Shelter in first person. Finally, everybody is going to Nuka-World, Fallout’s very own fun park!

Skyrim Special Edition

The Skyrim remaster boasts new graphics and effects. Skyrim Special Edition will be coming out exclusively on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Prey

Arkane Studios will be working on the new Prey title, Bethesda announced, along with the new trailer.

Gorgeous visuals and sound aside, the trailer does pique a lot of interest. The plot seems to be similar to “Groundhog Day”, but in space, and horrifying. What’s not to love?

Doom

Bethesda E3 2016 announced that for the week following E3, the first level of their new Doom game will be free to play. The gesture is nice and hints at a nostalgic time when demos, shareware, and 3½ “ floppy disk drives were a daily occurrence.

The Elder Scrolls Online

The Dark Brotherhood is coming! It’s going to be the next big expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online. So much backstabbing!

However, before that happens, the “One Tamriel” update is scheduled. The update will enable all players to explore any part of the world. Character level and power will scale accordingly to match the zone or group they’re part of. The developers also stated that no other MMO is doing anything similar, so that’s always a good motivator to check things out.

Bethesda VR

Attendees of the Bethesda E3 2016 showcase got to preview both Fallout 4 and Doom in VR. Personally, I can’t imagine what’s scarier in virtual reality, giant radioactive cockroaches or hellish ghouls. Bethesda also announced that in 2017, Fallout 4 will be available for the HTC Vive.

Dishonored 2

One year and one whole showcase after the first trailer, Bethesda showed us the gameplay trailer for Dishonored 2.

Emily, Corvo, and the Outsider all look amazing in this dystopian dieselpunk-esque sequel. The flow of the graphics is still in the visual style of Arkane Studios, but the contrast has been increased to something mildly reminiscent of Bioshock Infinite.

With the Bethesda E3 2016 showcase coming to its finality, the crowd hype was overwhelming, and we were all left wanting for more. Prey and Dishonored 2 look amazing. Quake and Doom brought back the nostalgia in a right way. Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, the Bethesda classics at this point, also stood their ground.

What’s your favorite, or least favorite, game of the Bethesda E3 2016 showcase? What were you hoping they would announce but didn’t? What took you by surprise? Let us know.

Images and Videos Courtesy of Bethesda SoftWorks’ YouTube Channel.

Spring Sale Hits Microsoft Xbox One Shelves

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purchase a Microsoft Xbox One

It would appear that if you have yet to purchase a Microsoft Xbox One along with many popular titles so far, this would be the appropriate time to do so. Having started yesterday and lasting up until March 28th next week, you will be able to purchase the Xbox One for a price as low as $299 for the 500 GB version. That is $50 less than its regular retail price while the higher storage version – Tom Clancy’s The Division 1 TB Xbox One Bundle – will be $349.

With the regular bundle, you may pick one of the four titles that come included in the package, and amongst them, you will find a special edition of the Quantum Break bundle.

But visit the Xbox Live website, and you’ll soon come to see that the sale extends to a lot more than just the latest console they have to offer. A great variety of games will be available for prices that are 40 to 60 percent off: up to 150 items on the Xbox Store, including Xbox One titles, Xbox 360 titles (part of which are now backwards compatible with the Xbox One system), a great variety of Windows games that you can even get for free, and a multitude of TV movies that can be as cheap as $8.99.

According to Microsoft, offers may change throughout the week, so you may want to remain subscribed and logged on into xbox.com/spring-sale where you can stay up to date with all the new titles going on sale or upcoming deals. Titles currently on sale include older titles, as well as hits from the past half a year, including Fallout 4, Halo 5, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Far Cry Primal or Rainbow Six: Siege.

Xbox Live Gold subscribers get an extra benefit on top of the multiplayer functionality. Gold members can get an extra 10 percent off in addition to the current sale benefits, as well as the permanent chance to get various free games every year.

Meanwhile, however, Microsoft seems to have an increased interest in how users feel about selling back their older copies of games. According to various sources, Microsoft has been pushing polls to subscribers and Xbox users to see if they would be interested in a sell-back program that gives you roughly 10% back of what you paid for the game in in-store credit. But given the fact that other stores do it more and do it better – such as Gamestop – Microsoft may just have to pump up some better rewards in order to catch the attention of customers.

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Microsoft Releases Xbox One Shadow Controller

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Xbox One Shadow Controller

Rolling the drums in the distance is a new model of the Xbox One controllers, dubbed Xbox One Shadow Controller. Back when the first Xbox One controller came out, we were pretty impressed with the design and the new ergonomics. Now, Microsoft looks to add some extra shine and good taste to the battlefield, directly competing with the DualShock 4 controller, which also has brought four new models onto the market in Q4 of 2015.

The new ‘Shadow’ Xbox one controllers don’t look any different from their regular counterparts regarding size or shape. However, it’s the finish that represents the piece of resistance: they come in two models – ‘Copper Shadow’ and ‘Dusk Shadow’, featuring a metallic looking finish and colors that drift into black towards the bottom. This is the first time that an Xbox controller dubs the dual-tone idea in this manner, turning it into a real delight to behold the saturated blue and the copper make the transition towards the deep black of the handles.

The buttons on the front maintain a somber black color, with the X, Y, A, B symbols featuring the hue on the face of the controller. For anyone who hasn’t yet memorized the colors of each button or their placement onto the controller, still being able to use one of those in their sleep, there are tiny color coded dots in the center, depicting the green A, red B, blue X and yellow Y.

But while the new Xbox One controllers are, without a doubt, the controller pageant winners of 2016, users are fairly interested to know if they come with any technical enhancements as well. According to the designing company, Microsoft, the Shadow Xbox One controllers feature an enhanced D-pad – no news regarding the exact way in which they are better than regular Xbox One. On top of that, they maintain their wireless capability and also bring the Impulse Triggers, supposedly even more sensitive and proficient than the ones baked into the classic Xbox One controller. To top it off, you’ll find a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack there too.

So what is there to expect from the pricing of the fashionable Xbox One Shadow controllers?

There is no ‘Limited Edition’ tag on them, meaning that Microsoft has yet to announce that they only have a set number of these babies in stock for sale. They do, however, come for an extra whopping $10, with both models of the new Shadow controllers having become available for pre-order yesterday, for a total of $69.99.

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Rocket League Soon In Stores Thanks to Fans

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The little indie game that nobody believed was going to be a total hit Rocket League

Enter the little indie game that nobody believed was going to be a total hit: Rocket League. The game that allows you to play some form of minimalist soccer with monster trucks. Well, they don’t feel particularly monster-y, but still. The game that was modestly released as a digital purchase only last year in July on Steam and PlayStation 4 seems to be cooking up something else. After its release on the remaining platforms – the Xbox One release was just 2 weeks ago, while the OS X and Linux release is still to be announced – Rocket League wants to make it out in physical form.

As a result, Rocket League will be released again, but this time around via physical copies. Naturally, it will have a Collector’s Edition that will hit the shelves in Q3 of this year in stores all over the world. The DLCs that have been released so far will also be included on the hard copy version, along with a retail-only surprise for those who choose to purchase it that way. The hard copies will be covering all the platforms that the game has been released for so far – so unless you’re currently either a Mac or a Linux user, you will find a version for you.

Naturally, because the public can’t handle the idea of secrets, inquiries have been made regarding the nature of the retail-only content. The developing company however, didn’t crack, and only hinted that the fans of the game will be very delighted by the new features. There’s no telling if these retail-only content features will be eventually made available on the online version as well, though chance are they will, at one point.

Now, if you’re already a Rocket League player, you will probably not find much of a reason to purchase it once more, just for the extra content. Not to mention that some PlayStation users also got the game for free when they subscribed to a PlayStation Plus account. While some of the users will surely find this to be the best opportunity to show and pay their respects to the game and its developers, others may not and may instead prefer to wait for the retail-only content to make it to their already owned version of the game.

On the other hand, it’s inevitable that the game will gather an even larger playerbase once it gets released in stores.

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Halo 5 Boosted The Xbox A Lot

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Halo 5 boosted the Xbox a lot and it looks like fans were strong enough to make a change this month.

Halo 5 Boosted The Xbox A Lot

Right, so we have been used to the fact that the PlayStation 4 has been dominating the console market for the last few months, so it is quite obvious that this month’s winner in terms of console sales is… the Xbox One? Wait, something is definitely fishy around here, so just let us recheck that and we will get right back to you in a few seconds.

Well, yes, it looks like the Xbox has made it to the number one spot this month, but it did not do it on its own. Halo 5 boosted the Xbox a lot and it looks like fans were strong enough to make a change this month. With such a highly anticipated shooter it seems almost normal that this change occurred. Even we are still in shock, but it looks like Xbox was finally able to make the leap that it needed, back into the competition.

But that’s not all. It looks like the Xbox One’s performance has been so good in October 2015 that it managed to pull up yearly sales by 81% percent. It’s fascinating what you can do if you have the right title backing you up, isn’t it? But this is not the only piece of interesting news. What established a groundbreaking record is that Microsoft saw this major increase in the month in which Sony announced a $50 price drop on the PlayStation 4.

The Xbox found itself in a tight position ever since the PlayStation 4 was launched. Sony’s product grew so string over the years that even Microsoft recognized at one point that it is difficult to even think about a fair competition anymore. The PlayStation was ahead in both distance and numbers and it seemed like there was no going back.

But there is, apparently. And judging by Sony’s response, they were not expecting this performance either. Sony stated that they are “truly humbled by the success of the PlayStation 4 and look forward to celebrating with our fans at PlayStation Experience in December”. The PlayStation 4is not the almighty anymore now, is it?

Things might still be able to heavily shift in the PS4’s favor, however, since Star Wars Battlefront is a few days away from launching and judging by that player base. That could pave a totally different way for the console world. Halo 5 boosted the Xbox a lot this month, but does it also have the power to withstand the Star Wars invasion? We will be looking into that next month.

Photo Credits attackofthefanboy.com

Microsoft Accepts Bitcoin For Digital Purchases

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microsoft accepts bitcoin as a payment method
Microsoft announced recently that it will start accepting the cryptocurrency known as Bitcoin for some of its digital purchases. The customers can use the Bitcoins to buy products from the Microsoft online stores. The news that Microsoft accepts Bitcoin as a digital currency comes after Bill Gates talked about this issue saying that Bitcoin should be used by Microsoft because it is a key technology.

According to the payment information page on the Microsoft website, the US customers can purchase games and other digital content for Windows Phone, Windows and Xbox devices if they go online and pay with Bitcoin. The virtual currency has made a partnership with PayPal and allows some of its traders to accept cryptocurrency in exchange for digital goods from online stores.

Microsoft said that the customers can use Bitcoin in order to add money on their personal Microsoft accounts. Once they added the money to the account the Bitcoin can be used as one of the payment methods to buy products like games, apps and other digital content for Xbox Video stores, Xbox Music, Xbox Games, Windows Phone and Windows.
According to a report made by CoinDesk, the cryptocurrency Bitcoin has only been partially added to the Microsoft online stores since it does not accept the digital currency as the main payment method.

Microsoft made an official statement saying that the customers can use Bitcoin and add money to the Microsoft account only to purchase digital goods from the online stores. The customers cannot use the Bitcoin to purchase other Microsoft services and products yet.

Microsoft accepts Bitcoin as a payment method for their online stores and provided instruction on how to add Bitcoin to the user accounts. Microsoft instructs the users how to include the cryptocurrency on the desktops and smart mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

Microsoft said that most of the Bitcoin transactions will be accepted on the app stores. If customers experience any difficulties, they should wait a couple of hours for the transaction to complete before asking Microsoft for technical support. Microsoft also said that if a user ads money to their account using Bitcoin, the money cannot be refunded.

Microsoft Launches Xbox One in China, Finally

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Last week we learnt that Microsoft cut the price of Xbox One in UK just in time for the holidays. We don’t know if the company is going to do the same for North America, but as soon as it announces a price change, you’ll hear it from us first. In other news, Microsoft has finally launched Xbox One in China, after a long ban of 14 on all video gaming consoles.

China finally has access to Microsoft’s Xbox One video game console

The original Xbox was released in November 2001 and China didn’t want anything to do with the console. It placed a ban on any video game console in 2000 and the ban has been valid up to this point, making the Xbox One the first video gaming console to be available in the communist country.

xbox one in china

The ban was supposed to be lifted last week, but Microsoft delayed the sales until today. Microsoft launches Xbox One in China today, after debuting in the U.S. in the fall of 2013. No less than 37 cities in China and 4,000 retailers are going to have the Xbox One on sale. At first glance, this is a good spread, but you need to keep in mind that 160 cities in China have more than 1 million inhabitants.

Most likely, the Xbox One will sellout in China in a couple of weeks, if not days. Microsoft announced that people who used the preordering method are going to get an added bonus, one which Microsoft is keeping mum about.

What are your thoughts on the fact that Microsoft finally launched the Xbox One in China? Are you impacted by this decision in any way? Will you be buying the Xbox One in China? Drop us a line in the comment section below and share your thoughts with us.

Microsoft Cuts the Price of Xbox One in UK

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Remember how at the beginning of this month we reported that PlayStation 4 was selling like hotcakes in the UK? It seems that Microsoft isn’t liking that very much and that it decided to do something about it. It cut the price of the Xbox One in UK in hopes that it will revive sales.

Microsoft has officially confirmed that it has cut the price of the Xbox One in the United Kingdom by £20, which means that the game console is now priced at £329. They also added that the drop in price will only be applied to the UK and that it is an effort to close the gap between the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4.

Microsoft Cuts the Price of Xbox One

Should North America customers also expect a drop, even if Microsoft particularly said they would only cut the price in UK? Some say that they should. Analysts believe that Microsoft’s move is done in anticipation of the winter holidays and that during the holidays Microsoft will indeed drop the prices in North America. Here’s what one analyst had to say about this:

If the slight price cut helps in the UK, I can see Microsoft trying the same thing here for the holidays, but it could come in the form of a rebate or perhaps they will opt to just run the free game promotion again. They know Sony has sold a lot of PlayStation 4 consoles and Microsoft will be eager to try and have a successful holiday season and if doing something is going to help them sell more consoles this holiday than Sony, I would think they will do it.

What are your thoughts on this matter? Are you happy that Microsoft is finally doing something to narrow the gap across the pond? Are you living in the UK and will you be purchasing the Xbox one? Share your thoughts and comments with us in the section below.

Xbox One Sales Doubled in June According to Microsoft

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Kinect is considered by Microsoft a core feature of the Xbox console. The next generation console was launched on the 23rd of November 2013, but in May Microsoft announced a version without Kinect. The price dropped by $100 to $400 since June 9 and Xbox One sales increased. Microsoft plays it cool and says that even if Xbox One will be sold without the sensor, Kinect’s sales will rise while being sold as a separate accessory, according to Gamespot.com. In the beginning of June, Microsoft’s team announced a number of impressive new features for Xbox One, among which are 45 entertainment apps and Twitter compatibility.

Sony’s Playstation 4 is the leader of gaming consoles worldwide market. Until April 6, Sony sold 7 million units. The last sales number regarding Microsoft Xbox One is from the 31st of December 2013. Until then, 3 million units have been sold and other 5 million units have been shipped to retailers.

Xbox One sales doubled in June, but Microsoft does not offer numbers

Xbox Wire released a declaration containing hints at impressive sales, but without offering real numbers. “Over the past month, we’ve seen a strong spike in interest in our Xbox One console options, including the new $399 offering, and the amazing lineup of games announced during E3. Since the new Xbox One offering launched on June 9th, we’ve seen sales of Xbox One more than double* in the US, compared to sales in May, and solid growth in Xbox 360 sales.” The asterisk mentions that it refers to ‘Internal data based on retail calendar and sold through numbers’.

Xbox One sales increased after Microsoft dropped Kinect from the package

Without any numerical base for comparison with May sales, there is little to be impressed by. Even if this is true, maybe Microsoft had an unexpectedly low sale figure and did not want to point the weakness. Microsoft might be walking on a fine line with this marketing tactic, as it surely is a risky one.

Offering a Kinect-less version of the Xbox One might have indeed proved to be beneficial to Microsoft if Xbox One sales increased dramatically. For game developers, on the other hand, it will be a challenge, because they will have to bear in mind that some gamers might not own Kinect. On the long run, Kinect’s development will probably suffer, but, in the end, if gamers are not keen on using the accessory, what will be the point to insist?

XBOX One News: The Console Gets More Than 45 Entertainment Apps

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xbox one newsThe latest XBOX One news are incredibly awesome for all fans out there: the month of June is finally here, and this means the much anticipated updates are going to be among us soon.

If you don’t remember the entire list of updates promised by the developers, let us remind you that the most important and compelling ones are the ability to use external storage, an improved SmartGlass integration and the ability to use your real name on XBOX Live. But this is not all and trust us, this is getting better.

In a blog post on XBOX Wire, the team announced that starting soon, you would be able to access more than 45 entertainment apps. The list is indeed impressive and this XBOX One news can’t but make us very happy. Let’s see what this is all about, in short:

Today, just five days from the Xbox: Game On briefing at E3, we are excited to announce that more than 45 new entertainment app experiences are coming to Xbox One and Xbox 360 globally. Some of the most popular experiences such as an optimized-for-TV Twitter integration, Vine, HBO GO, ShowTime Anytime, Comedy Central, Major League Gaming (MLG), and more are scheduled to launch by the end of this holiday season. With these new additions, our catalog will increase by 25%, bringing it to more than 225 apps around the world.

You don’t have to be an avid game player, a XBOX One fan for life or a tech expert to realize this is yet another attempt from Microsoft to bolster sales and attract more and more customers in the detriment of its archenemy, the PS 4. However, no matter what is the game played by the tech giant, the end result is the greater good of the XBOX One users.

The Twitter integration is perhaps one of the most notable upgrades sported by the XBOX One these days. Imagine being able to comment with your friends and the rest of the Internet the actions of your favorite characters in a TV series you’re watching. Say goodbye to the “no spoilers” policy! All in real time. All at the tips of your fingers. There is a common belief that Microsoft wants to deliver a product to rule them all, and this might be the XBOX One, as you don’t seem to need any additional device besides this one.

But the upcoming E3 event is near and we are sure Microsoft will run the show with even more guns blazing and fireworks cracking. They have a lot in store for both XBOX One and Xbox 360 so these XBOX One news are just the tip of the iceberg. You can consult the extended list of goodies featured on the XBOX Wire and wait for the next big thing.