In the recently concluded conference, Microsoft introduced its new console for gaming, Xbox One. According to many experts, this console is hell of a wasteful device. Starting with the name, it is itself very confusing and complicated in many expert’s opinion. Xbox One has accounted …
It has been revealed just recently that the Xbox One will not be able to play games from the Xbox 360. Such is the lament of gamers who would always insist on the issue of the games’ backwards compatibility. Don Mattrick of Microsoft has responded by stressing that the company prefers to look forward and not the other way around. If we could read between the lines, we would surely understand him when he said that being backwards compatible only means that you are indeed backwards.
While the revelation has caused some people to raise their eyebrows, it must be noted that there’s a good explanation to all of these. For one thing, the architecture in Xbox One features a CPU of the new x86. With the new CPU, it’s impossible to run games which are initially designed for the Xbox 360’s Xenon processor which is already 8 years old. Moreover, Mattrick declared that those gamers who patronize backwards compatibility make up just a small and oblivious percentage of the total number of users. These explanations may generate a lot of criticisms but the company is just being realistic.
Aside from Microsoft, other game consoles are also having issues on backwards compatibility. The Wii games on the Wii U from Nintendo and the PSN games on the PS4 from Sony are all saying that backwards compatibility should just be a part of history.
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Seasoned gamers are not at all strangers to the much- awaited hack and slash video game Ryse. It was first revealed in the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in 2010 using the codename Kingdoms, with the developers hinting of a Kinect release. E3 2011 afterwards stated an Xbox 360 plus a Kinect functionality launch for Ryse. However, in June 2012, Microsoft Studios had awakened speculations of changing the plans for the game. German game developer Crytek had later on confirmed that Ryse is going to be released as an exclusive game for Xbox One, the newest Microsoft gaming console in town.
The game is focused mainly on a Roman warrior set during the ancient Roman era with a little bit of Gears of War/ Halo elements on it. As a first person game, it is expected that Ryse will rise among previously launched kick-ass role- playing games. With the enhanced gameplay using gestures to simulate attacks, it will be a great gaming experience for any player who wishes to have some feel of the action during every game.
Release date is yet to be announced but the hype will surely surge up as soon as the countdown on the official Crytek website is done in which more information about Ryse will be revealed.
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Microsoft’s Xbox: A New Generation Revealed event might be quite a mouthful, but it’s an event that a lot of gamers have waited for and so far, they weren’t disappointed. After months of speculations, Microsoft finally announced what games players can expect to come to the Xbox One. While some of these games, like the FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, NBA Live and UFC, were confirmed earlier, it was the acknowledgment that Forza 5 will be coming to the console that captured everyone’s attention.
Forza 5 is actually the 6th title in the Forza racing franchise. The first title, Forza Motorsport, was one of the games carried by the original Xbox. This was subsequently followed by Forza 2, 3 and 4, plus the Forza Horizon, which are all on the Xbox 360. The franchise, which is developed by Turn 10 Studios, has received accolades for its premier physics engine and the realistic movement and feel of this driving game. And it seems the studio has no intention of resting on its laurels, boasting that the visuals in its latest installment are nothing that has been seen before.
It’s a sentiment that Microsoft appears to be echoing in its decision to invest more in game development. The company stated that it means to release around 15 first party titles that will be exclusive to the company.
Microsoft hasn’t given a concrete release date for its new game console, but it’s a given that Forza 5 will hit the market on the same day as the Xbox One.
It feels like it’s been forever since news that a new Xbox first surfaced. But now, after years of rumors and name guessing, Microsoft finally gave people what it wanted and unveiled the Xbox for the next generation. Now officially called Xbox One, Microsoft showed off its new console and outlined its specifications. However, Microsoft left out important information like when the Xbox One will hit the market and at what price.
It’s a testament to the power of the Xbox that despite the lack of concrete information on the release date and price tag, pre-orders for the Xbox One are already being accepted by European stores like Blockbuster, Game and Zavvi while US retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop and the Microsoft Store have opened “pre-order notifications.” Customers who want to secure their unit of the Xbox One with Game will have to deposit a £20 holding price while those pre-ordering on Zavvi will have to plunk down £400.
Customers who don’t want to put down any money yet can instead sign up with other retailers so they can be notified of when pre-orders start. For instance, one can go to Amazon or the Microsoft Store to enter their email on the pre-order notification list.
So far, the only information that Microsoft can give is that the Xbox One will be out before the year ends.
