The Microsoft Xbox One, which released towards the latter stages of last year, already boasts a sizeable catalog titles. But while those rocking the old Xbox 360 cannot enjoy the cutting-edge graphics offered by the latest machine, the range of games is much broader, and naturally, many gaming fans have appealed for Microsoft to introduce backwards compatibility with those old 360 games. Apparently, partner development lead Frank Savage suggested at last week's BUILD that the idea of an Xbox 360 emulator is not out of the question, although it remains unclear as to if, when or how such a feature would be achieved.
Microsoft's decision to not offer any kind of backwards compatibility with the Xbox One undoubtedly ruffled a few feathers. The decision is entirely understandable from a business perspective, but it has definitely left a bitter taste in the mouths of many users who will go to great lengths to try and "enable" compatibility with older Xbox 360 games, even if it means putting their console at risk. Larry Hryb - better known as Major Nelson to most - has taken to his official Twitter timeline to warn Xbox One users of the dangers involved in enabling the built-in developer mode on the console in the hope of playing those old games.
It seems that no hugely hyped up video game comes without an attached set of problems these days. The sheer size and complexity of newly released games like SimCity and Grand Theft Auto V means that there is always going to be some unwanted little bugs hiding away somewhere. When you introduce variants of the game that are played purely online then you can be asking for real trouble if you don't get it just right. Rockstar initially had teething troubles with GTA Online but it also seems like a bug in invite-only online games is allowing players to financially benefit to the tune of billions.
Everybody loves to get something for free, especially if it's one of the most iconic video games the Xbox world has ever seen. The 2007 released Halo 3 is now being offered as a free-of-charge download for those Xbox users with a valid LIVE Gold membership package. With a standard sale price of $15 it represents a fairly impressive saving for those Gold subscribers who want to get their hands on their very own digital copy of Bungie's popular first-person shooter.
A move which we have been expecting for quite some time: Microsoft has finally made the decision to rid Xbox 360 customers of Microsoft Points in favor of real-world local currency. A Xbox update that is starting to filter its way around the world puts an end to the Points system and converts any Microsoft Points on an account into the local currency of the user.
As per a blog post by Xbox LIVE's Larry Hryb, otherwise known as Major Nelson, Xbox 360 users are now invited to try out the "2013 Xbox Live Update for Xbox 360 Public Beta," which adds many performance enhancing updates. Notably, users will be able to make purchases using real-life currency, with the current Microsoft Points system being discontinued later on this year with the Xbox One on the way.
Now that Xbox One has been announced, and naturally, immediate comparisons are already being drawn between it and the PlayStation 4 of Sony. Since we’re still a long way from seeing either of these two titans hit the market, it’s impossible to begin to compare the two up against each other in terms of performance, but taking into consideration the hardware specs of each, we can at least gauge a rough idea of how these two significant machines stand up to one another. Here, we’re going to use what information we already know to compare the hardware and features of each, and although this won’t be indicative of anything beyond mere reference, it does set the ball rolling.
The next big game in the Call of Duty franchise - Call of Duty: Ghosts - has leaked, over six months before it is due to go on sale.
