2014 will undoubtedly be a huge year for online gaming. Individuals interested in online first-person multiplayer action have been waiting patiently for Titanfall to become available, especially after its first magnificent outing at Gamescom last year. Thankfully, that wait is almost over with the latest teasing trailer for the much-anticipated title confirming that the initial beta program will kick off on St. Valentine’s Day, February 14th.
Microsoft has just unveiled a new stereo headset for the Xbox One, the features of which will make for a premium in-game and general entertainment experience. But if you already have a headset that you wish to use with your Xbox One rather than buying a whole new one, then the good news is that you can hook it up to your new console by means of a legitimate Xbox One Headset Adapter, which the Redmond is selling separately. Further information can be seen after the break!
It's no secret that Microsoft is rather struggling in the mobile industry, with the uptake and general market share of Windows Phone devices having not improved a great deal since its inception as Windows Phone 7. But Microsoft is trying its utmost to get folks on board, and right now, is offering a free Nokia Lumia 520 as leverage to anybody willing to purchase an Xbox Music pass. Although the device is mid-range in every sense of the phrase, it's still a free handset, and since it nicely ties in with the Xbox / Windows family, surely any prospective Xbox Music subscriber would find some use for it.
To win any war, sometimes you have to fight dirty, and while this might be a bit of a loaded term to describe Microsoft's latest marketing ploy, it's fair to say that the proverbial gloves are well and truly off. The Redmond company is trying hard to sell you its new and improved Xbox One, and if you happen to be in ownership of the PlayStation 3, then it is especially interested in your custom. So much so, in fact, that those trading in their PlayStation 3 at any US-based Microsoft Retail Store can save $100 off the purchase of the One, which arrives with the second-gen Kinect as standard.
Microsoft's Xbox One console is going head-to-head with Sony's PlayStation 4 and while in excess of a million more PS4s were sold in 2013 than Xbox Ones, market research firm NPD is reporting that it's Microsoft's offering that had the upper hand during December.
The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One may both have sold well in their first couple of months (although some fared notably better than others), but while many gamers like to flock to stores and get their shiny new consoles in early, some wait for special edition models of both console and peripheral. These can take various forms, although tend to be offered as part of a promotion of a big new title , and with Titanfall on the horizon, the game's makers have collaborated with Microsoft to deliver a very nifty looking limited edition controller for the Xbox One.
2013 saw many great announcements and releases in the tech world, yet not even the latest Apple smartphone could upstage the inevitability of the next-gen console wars. Both Sony and Microsoft came through with their respective PlayStation 4 and Xbox One machines after months of teasers and revelations, and although it's too early to determine which of these two titans will reign supreme, both have enjoyed impressive starts in the video game market. Yusuf Mehdi, VP of Marketing, Strategy and Business for the Xbox, has written a reflective piece on the early progress of the latest and greatest, revealing that over three million units have been sold across 13 different countries already.
Keeping up with the latest game technology sure isn't a cheap proposition. You go out, possibly lining up to get your hands on the latest and greatest gaming machine that money can buy - we'll let you argue over which one that is! - and then you're faced with the question of what software to get for that machine. The problem is that you've spent so much on that shiny new box of tricks that you want to be sure, really sure that you're choosing the right games. Especially when they're as expensive as the current generation of games seem to be.
With Microsoft desperately trying to market the Xbox One as less than a game console and more of an entertainment hub, getting content providers to jump on board will be equally as important as getting top gaming titles onto the machine and now one of the biggest players in the game is all set to stream TV content.
Waking up on Christmas morning and unwrapping an Xbox One will usually be enough for most of us, but if being the same as everyone else just doesn't cut it for you, then maybe you could ask Kris Kringle for the 24-karat gold plated Xbox One that is currently available at Harrods in London.
