Tag Archives: Xbox One

Train2Game News: Xbox One Launch Apps

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Xbox OneMicrosoft have announced the apps that will be available for Gold subcribers from Xbox One’s launch.

This first wave of third-party apps will be joined by Microsoft’s Xbox Fitness, Xbox Video, Xbox Music, Internet Explorer, Skype, SkyDrive and Upload services on the Xbox One release date of November 22, 2013.

The list of apps for the United Kingdom are as follows:

4oD
Amazon\LOVEFiLM
blinkbox
Crackle
Demand 5
Eurosport
Machinima
MUZU TV
Netflix
NOW TV
TED
Twitch
Wuaki.tv

There are a few differences in the launch apps for different countries.

This will of course be along side the many Windows 8 apps that are becoming more and more available.

Train2Game News: Have you won a free Xbox One?

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Xbox OneYou may have won a free Xbox One from Microsoft if you have been a loyal Xbox Live customer. Start checking your emails!

Some users have also been gifted the fully unlocked version of launch title, Killer Instinct. The email states that the recipient will get a version of the game with all characters unlocked from the off. Further instructions will follow on the 22nd, the day of Xbox One’s launch.

This offer has been confirmed as legitimate by Microsoft through their official Xbox twitter account.

Gamers with and without the email have been comparing Xbox Live stats to try and determine Microsoft’s methods for choosing recipients. Some have the Xbox One Pre-order Achievement – but others don’t. Some have been beta testers – others have not. Some have nearly a decade of Xbox Live under their belt – others don’t and some have over 75,000 gamer score – others have around 15,000.

“We don’t have any specifics on that other than that some users have received a gift,” a representative wrote. “We considered a variety of things like Gamerscore, Live tenure and other factors in markets where Xbox One is available.”

Train2Game News: Unity free for Xbox One Developers

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Xbox OneMicrosoft has partnered with the maker of the popular Unity kit to secure free access for all ID@Xbox members to the Xbox One add-on, which is planned for launch next year.

Announced at Gamescom earlier this year, ID@Xbox will allow independent developers to self-publish on Xbox One without fees. Registered users will not be required to pay certification or title update fees, though currently developers “with a proven track record” are being prioritised for registration. Microsoft also said in July that every Xbox One console can be used as a development kit, though the functionality will not be available from launch.

“When released in 2014, the Xbox One add-on for Unity will be available at no cost to all developers in the ID@Xbox program, as will special Xbox One-only Unity Pro seat licenses for Xbox One developers in the ID@Xbox program,” confirmed Microsoft’s ID@Xbox director Chris Charla.

“We want to make sure the dev who’s working away in Omaha, or Coventry, or Chiba will have the same shot to realize their vision on Xbox One as one of my developer friends we hang out with in Seattle or at a trade show like GDC or Gamescom.

“The Unity add-on for Xbox One supports every element of Xbox One, from Kinect to SmartGlass to the impulse triggers of the new controller,” Charla added. “Using Unity, developers will be able to take advantage of all aspects of Xbox One, which is rad. More importantly, Unity is available for Windows and Windows Phone too (and yes, the add-on is available at no cost to developers for Windows Phone and Windows 8 store games). So from one base game, developers can ship their games across all Microsoft platforms.”

Unity Technologies CEO David Helgason has said that while the dev kit will support high-end features that will make use of Xbox One’s additional power, its established toolset will simplify deployment for familiar developers.

Train2Game News: UK Top 20 Games -05.11.13

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Assassin's Creed 4: Black FlagAssassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and Battlefield 4 go head to head in a fiercely contested chart that sees Ubisoft’s title take the number one spot.  Both titles appear to be affected by the imminent appearance of both Xbox One and PS4 with neither title matching the sales of its predecessor.  Both Assassin’s Creed III and Battlefield 3 were the highest week one sellers in their respective series and achieved number one in their first week of release.  Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag benefits from its Event Title status having been available from Tuesday this week. Sega land at number six as Football Manager 2014 arrives for PC.  The title sees strong sales although it’s down 7% on Football Manager 2013 which debuted at number four.  Also new this week WWE 2K14 is at number seven and is the first in the popular series to fall under Take 2’s 2K Sports label following its acquisition from previous publisher THQ.

All formats
Week ending 2 November 2013

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG UBISOFT –
2 BATTLEFIELD 4 EA GAMES –
3 – FIFA 14 EA SPORTS 3
4 GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 2
5 BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 1
6 FOOTBALL MANAGER 2014 SEGA –
7 WWE 2K14 2K SPORTS –
8 MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION MICROSOFT 7
9 SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE SKYLANDERS 4
10 POKEMON Y NINTENDO 6
11 POKEMON X NINTENDO 5
12 JUST DANCE 2014 UBISOFT 10
13 DISNEY INFINITY DISNEY INFINITY 11
14 – LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 14
15 F1 2013 CODEMASTERS 12
16 LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 8
17 TOMB RAIDER SQUARE ENIX –
18 TOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL: BLACKLIST UBISOFT 17
19 SAINTS ROW IV DEEP SILVER –
20 MOSHI MONSTERS: KATSUMA UNLEASHED MIND CANDY 9
< previous week
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2013 UKIE Ltd

These charts cannot be reproduced either in print or online without obtaining permission from Ukie. If you wish to reproduce the charts in print or online, please contact david.smith@ukie.org.uk for the appropriate license.

Train2Game News: Microsoft Executive comments on Cross-platform gaming

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MicrosoftPhil Spencer, executive of Microsoft, has recently commented that cross-platform between Xbox One and PC makes a lot of sense.

Spencer was asked in an interview with AusGamer, whether Windows 8 and Xbox One could host cross-platform play between their respective platforms.

“I’m not allowed to leak things,” Spencer replied, “but I think what you’re talking about makes a lot of sense.”

Mr Spencer then went on to mention past attempts at cross-platform and how it was received.

“If you go back to Shadow Run on Xbox 360, something I worked on, we had PC players playing against Xbox 360 customers. We didn’t have tremendous success with that, but we learnt a lot from it.

“Then earlier this year we released Skulls of the Shogun, which was a game we launched on all three platforms on the same day, and you could start on one platform and then save the game to the Cloud and play across any of the screens and progress. And then Halo: Spartan Assault has some links between Halo 4 and Spartan Assault, even though they’re very different games.”

The executive went on to comment on how important Xbox Live will be in developing for cross-platform.

“This connected ecosystem across all the different devices is definitely where I think the future of gaming is going; you don’t have to do it as a developer, but you have the capability and I think a system like Xbox Live across all those screens where you know who someone is and who their friends are, what their Achievements are and their progression is really critical to that.”

The Xbox One releases next month so it won’t be long before we can start seeing how this next generation console will evolve over the coming years.

Train2Game News: Destiny Beta

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DestinyYou can be among the first to blaze a trail through the wild frontiers of Destiny, the next evolution of entertainment from the creators of Halo.

Activision Publishing and Bungie today announced that fans who pre-order the game at participating retailers worldwide will get early access to the Destiny Beta, which will include a diverse sampling of major activities featured in the full game. The Beta will begin in early 2014 on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360.

To celebrate the announcement, Activision and Bungie have released a new trailer entitled “The Moon,” featuring a highlighted destination in the game and the Hive, one of the four enemy races featured in Destiny.

“We have no doubt Destiny is not only a great action game but also the next great entertainment property,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “That means we’re putting all our creative support and all our expertise in creating blockbuster franchises into a colossal Destiny Beta that we believe will set a new bar for the next generation of games. Fans have a lot to look forward to in 2014.”

“Destiny is the most ambitious game we have ever made and it’s our chance to transform the way you experience a new Bungie universe,” said Harold Ryan, Bungie president. “From day one Destiny has been an incredibly bold vision that Activision shares with Bungie. Destiny is a massive universe that is populated by the players and for that reason we need fans to get their hands on the game, fans all around the world. We can’t wait!”

Destiny Beta Redemption Codes are only available while supplies last. Upon pre-ordering the game at a participating retailer, fans can visit http://bungie.net/beta and follow the instructions on the page to secure their spot in the Beta.

You can view the new trailer below:

For more information visit www.DestinyTheGame.com

Train2Game News: Xbox One Tour

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Xbox OneMicrosoft has announced plans for a worldwide Xbox One promotional tour. If you didn’t get a chance to play it at Eurogamer you still have hope!

Beginning on October 1 and running until the end of the year, the tour will take in 75 cities with the initial phase covering Europe, the US and Canada. While attendance is free of charge, it’s limited to those over 18 years of age and space will be limited.

The tour will give consumers the chance to go hands-on with games including Forza 5, Ryse, Killer Instinct, Dead Rising 3, Kinect Sports Rivals, Crimson Dragon, Max: Curse of the Brotherhood, Zoo Tycoon and Minecraft.

Additionally, custom Xbox One ‘Test Drive’ vehicles will offer hands-on time at festivals, university campuses, retail centers and other locations across the UK, Germany, France, US and Canada in the coming months.

Here’s a select list of tour dates:

  • Philadelphia: 3.10 – 6.10
  • Paris: 10.10 – 13.10
  • Toronto: 10.10 – 13.10
  • Chicago: 17.10 – 20.10
  • Vienna: 17.10 – 20.10
  • Atlanta: 24.10 – 27.10
  • Dallas : 31.10 – 3.11
  • Berlin: 31.10 – 3.11
  • Phoenix: 7.11 – 10.11
  • San Francisco: 14.11 – 17.11
  • Dublin: 14.11 – 17.11
  • Los Angeles: 21.11
  • London: 21.11 – 24.11

Keep an eye on the following link for more information of tour dates as they are announced. http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/onetour

Microsoft has confirmed an Xbox One release date of November 22, 2013 in 13 markets. The Xbox One price has been set at £430 / €500 / $500.

Train2Game News: Eurogamer Expo 2013

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Eurogamer 2013The past weekend was one I look forward to every year. It was the annual Eurogamer Expo and this year was completely sold out.

I attended the event with a couple of friends of mine, one of whom had never attended a gaming event before so it was nice to see his eyes light up at the sight of the event. There is nothing quite like your first time!

The first game we ended up playing was the new Lego Marvel Super Heroes game from Warner Brothers Interactive. The game was similar to the other Lego games just involving all of your favourite Marvel heroes! The only other Lego game I had played was the Lego Batman game so I was quite shocked when the Lego characters started talking to me. Certainly a fun game to try if you can.

Second one of my friends and I discovered an XBLA game there that we were both interested in which was a game called Foul Play by Medatonic. The game was an entertaining side scrolling hack and slash which has no health bar. The game instead rewards big combos in a similar way to Guitar Hero. I would describe this as Guitar Hero meets Castle Crashers. Foul Play is out now and I will be buying it soon.

Next I decided to start tackling the main objectives I had set myself for the weekend and started with Batman: Arkham Origins. I am a big Batman fan and absolutely loved the other two Arkham games and was a bit worried when I found out that Rocksteady wasn’t going to be doing this game as I imagine most batfans were. My worries were put to rest on playing the game though. It plays exactly like Arkham City, if it ain’t broke – don’t fix it! My other worry was the voice actors for Batman and Joker. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are the characters I hear when reading them so when they weren’t in this game I worried. I have to say though they both have excellent voices and I could find no fault with the small window of the game that I tried. I will definitely be pre-ordering my copy soon.

I then got two birds with one stone as I tried Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag on a PlayStation 4. The game was absolutely gorgeous and they have really polished up the ship sections from AC3. I enjoyed the quite open sea feel that I got from the game but couldn’t test much more than that in the time I was given.

The PS4 graphics were of course jaw droppingly stunning but what surprised me was how comfortable the joysticks were on the controller. They have just the right amount of indentation on the joysticks so your thumb slots in and is firmly in place for those more frantic moments.

The final game I tried out for the day was Killer Instinct on the Xbox One. I never played one of the  Killer Instinct games before so it was all new to me. I was paired up with a guy I didn’t know to play the game and it turned out we were incredibly evenly matched! We had two and a half games, the first he one with very little health left, the second I one with very little health left and the third one got cut short saw him well in the lead. The game was easy to get on with and just pick up and get to fighting!

Again the graphics of the Xbox One were beautiful with every little detail on display and much like the PS4 the XB1 has an incredibly comfortable joystick for your thumb to fit in to.

It was a great event as it always is but I wish I had more time to get to grips with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. I do certainly advise you to go next year though as in the three years I have been, I have never been disappointed.

You can view all the developer sessions from the weekend at http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/eurogamer-expo-2012-live-developer-sessions

Train2Game News: Eurogamer Developer Sessions

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EurogamerGamer Network announced what is being referred to as the best ever developer sessions line-up for Eurogamer Expo 2013.

This year features presentations by the studios making Watch_Dogs, Killzone: Shadow Fall, The Witcher 3 and many more blockbuster titles.

Each developer session brings visitors face to face with top game makers, who will showcase new details of their projects in development, and for the first time ever, every single session will be streamed live at http://youtube.com/eurogamer.

Microsoft’s Phil Harrison kicks off the schedule on Thursday 26th September at 12pm with an exclusive Xbox One presentation, followed by Turn 10’s Dan Greenawalt showing Forza Motorsport 5 and Guerrilla Games demoing Killzone: Shadow Fall later in the day.

Highlights on Friday include David Cage presenting Beyond: Two Souls, Techland introducing next-gen open-world zombie title Dying Light and an exclusive look at the next-generation version of FIFA 14.

Things only get better at the weekend as CD Projekt RED shows The Witcher 3, Ubisoft Montreal presents the hugely anticipated Watch_Dogs, WB Montreal talks Batman: Arkham Origins, and Eidos Montreal showcases Thief.

This year’s schedule also features more indie games than ever, including a trio of PlayStation 4 titles: Resogun from Housemarque, Wasteland Kings from Vlambeer and Velocity 2X from FuturLab. Peter Molyneux also returns to the Eurogamer Expo stage to talk about Project Godus.

The full session schedule can be found at http://www.eurogamerexpo.com/whats-on/schedule

Each session will last around 35 minutes and in addition to hundreds of seats in the main auditorium, this year organisers have introduced an overflow area where attendees can watch the sessions in comfort, recharge phones and meet friends.

Eurogamer Expo 2013 (#EGX) takes place at Earls Court, London, from Thursday 26th to Sunday 29th September. Tickets have now completely sold out, with over 70,000 gamers expected to attend.

Train2Game News: Xbox One Launch Date

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Xbox OneThe Microsoft Xbox One will launch in 13 markets, including the US and UK, on November 22 of this year.

The date puts Microsoft behind its rival, the PlayStation 4, in the US, but a week ahead of it in the UK. Sony has set a US launch date of November 15 and a UK launch date of November 29.

“We’re now in a position to share that Xbox One will be available on November 22, 2013 in all 13 of our initial launch markets – Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, UK, and USA. Many more markets will follow in 2014,” confirmed Yusuf Mehdi, vice president of marketing, strategy and business.

“We are humbled and gratified by the tremendous interest in Xbox One from game fans everywhere. We sold out of our pre-order supply faster than at any other time in our history and we are on path to have the biggest launch of an Xbox ever. We look forward to celebrating with millions and millions of gamers this holiday.

“November 22 is a special day in Xbox history – on this day, we first launched Xbox 360 in 2005. Our next chapter begins in 79 days, when Xbox One becomes available. We built Xbox One to bring you the best games, unrivalled multiplayer and more entertainment than ever before. It’s nearly time to say ‘Xbox On’ and open a new world of games and entertainment.”

Microsoft has not confirmed its pre-order numbers but Mehdi added that limited number of additional Xbox One Day One consoles would be made available today. If you want an Xbox One on release day, act fast!