Microsoft News Articles
Tuesday13th Apr 2021
Random Halo Instagram Shows Off Amazing Mario X Master Chief Fan Art
Hmm, interesting timing...
Phil Spencer's shelf has become a bit of a talking point over the past week. First, we heard how Hideo Kojima might be doing something exclusively with Microsoft, and now, the latest focus is the Switch on the top run. We've already noted how Jeff Grubb said "pretty much everything" is a reference to something or other,...
Thursday1st Apr 2021
News Xbox Says It's "More Important Than Ever" To Preserve Gaming Icons And Classics
You hear that, Nintendo?
The digital era of gaming should have made video game preservation easier than ever, but as we've slowly been learning over the past decade, it appears to come with a number of setbacks. Some companies aren't interested in reviving older libraries of games, others put odd restrictions and limitations in place, and then...
Wednesday31st Mar 2021
News Rare Gives Us A Side-By-Side Comparison Of Banjo-Kazooie's amiibo And Totaku
Who wore it better?
Last week saw the arrival of three brand new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate amiibo. For many, the highlight of the lot was the release of Banjo-Kazooie - you know, the Microsoft-owned character. While we think the overall design of this particular amiibo is already fantastic, Banjo's creator, Rare, has now gone one step further,...
Friday12th Mar 2021
News Bethesda's Future Games Will Be "Where Game Pass Exists"
So that's Xbox, PC and devices that support the service
It's been a big week in the video game industry, with Microsoft officially finalising its $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media. Microsoft is expected to limit Bethesda's third-party support at a certain point in the future and in a special roundtable discussion,...
Wednesday10th Mar 2021
News Bethesda Will Make "Some" New Titles Exclusive To Xbox And PC
Exact games not yet revealed
Last year, Microsoft announced it would be acquiring Bethesda's parent company ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion. It's now a done deal - with the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, confirming everything has been finalised. So, what does this mean for Bethesda games on other platforms such as the Nintendo Switch? In the same Xbox...
Wednesday3rd Mar 2021
News Niantic Showcases Pokémon GO Proof-Of-Concept HoloLens Demo At Microsoft Ignite 2021
"We’ve only scratched the surface"
At Microsoft Ignite 2021, Niantic announced it would be collaborating with Microsoft and showed off a proof-of-concept Pokémon GO demo on a HoloLens 2 headset. Niantic founder and CEO, John Hanke, appeared in a video illustrating how AR can enrich daily routines. Keep in mind, this demo is not intended for...
Saturday13th Feb 2021
News Microsoft's Edge Extensions Store Has Reportedly Been Hosting Illegal Copies Of Nintendo Games
Sonic, Pac-Man and Minecraft also spotted
Microsoft's Edge extensions store is believed to have been hosting "illegal copies" of classic games like Mario Kart 64, Super Mario Bros. and various other titles like Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man and Tetris. Even the Microsoft-owned IP Minecraft
Friday5th Feb 2021
News Ori Director Apologises For Previous Criticism Of Fable, No Man's Sky And Cyberpunk Developers
"I realize I wasn't thoughtful in the way I presented my thoughts"
Thomas Mahler's been making the news this week. The Game Director for Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps offered some strong criticisms of "snake oil salesmen" on Wednesday via
Wednesday3rd Feb 2021
News No, Nintendo Is Not Solely To Blame For The Cancellation Of Goldeneye's XBLA Remake
A long-standing rights issue prevented this happening, it seems
You might've seen that GoldenEye 007 has been back in the news lately. We've known for a long time that Rare planned an Xbox Live Arcade remake of the acclaimed shooter and, courtesy of Youtuber G
Sunday31st Jan 2021
News Microsoft Was Simply Exploring "Every Angle" When It Approached Nintendo About A Buyout
"it wasn't like we had to make a long trip to go see them"
Earlier this month, Bloomberg ran a story about how Microsoft attempted to buy out Nintendo many years ago. EA, at the time, apparently told Microsoft it had "no clue" how to make a console, while Nintendo supposedly thought Microsoft's proposal was hilarious, according to Xbox's former...
Thursday21st Jan 2021
News This Free Software Lets You Play Minecraft With Your Eyes
Making the game accessible for those who can't use their hands
The past few years have seen some incredible leaps and bounds in technology, and many of those improvements have been focused around accessibility. You may remember the story about inclusivity advocate, developer, artist, and gamer Becky, AKA EyeGazeGirl, who hooked up the Xbox adaptive...
Thursday7th Jan 2021
News Nintendo Switch Sold More Than Every Other Console Combined Last Year In The UK
We really WERE all playing Animal Crossing
Perhaps it's not a huge surprise, given that apparently Switch owners are the most likely to own another console, but in 2020, the Nintendo Switch outsold Xbox and PlayStation in the UK by a lot. Like... a lot a lot. It's tempting to see this as a huge success for Nintendo, and it is, but it's also a...
Wednesday6th Jan 2021
News Nintendo "Laughed Their Asses Off" At Microsoft's Buyout Offer
You say Halo, I say goodbye
We love a good oral history, and Bloomberg's latest is all about the Xbox. Wait, come back! It's still Nintendo Life, don't worry, we haven't changed teams. It turns out that Microsoft had big plans back when the Xbox was in development, and those plans involved trying to buy out a bunch of gaming companies. Long story...
Wednesday30th Dec 2020
Random Dust Off Your Wii U, It's Time For Some Banjo-Kazooie And Blast Corps
Update: Maybe not...
Update [Wed 30th Dec, 2020 10:00 GMT]: Nintendo has updated the release schedule on its Japanese website and sure enough it was a mistake. Sorry folks! "Banjo-Kazooie's Adventure" and "Blast Dozer" have been posted as Wii U software delivered on December 30, 2020, but they will not be delivered. We apologize for the...
Tuesday17th Nov 2020
News Microsoft Won't Be Taking Bethesda's Games Away From Nintendo Platforms
But wants to offer "best" experience on its own platforms
There have been some concerns about the future of Bethesda games on certain other platforms since the third-party video game giant responsible for the likes of Doom and The Elder Scrolls series was acquired by Microsoft in September. Fortunately, there's no need to worry (at
Tuesday27th Oct 2020
News Phil Spencer "Not Sure" About Game Pass On Switch, But Says Xbox Could Be Open To Discussions
Here we go again
Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, recently said it wasn't sustainable to continue releasing games on a case-by-case basis on devices such as the Nintendo Switch. So what about Xbox Game Pass then - could this subscription service on the hybrid system be a possible solution - perhaps even via Microsoft's streaming service, xCloud? In a...
Saturday17th Oct 2020
Xbox games should have access to full ecosystem, says Phil
Microsoft and Nintendo have collaborated a lot lately, but there are no guarantees moving forward, according to Head of Xbox Phil Spencer. When asked by Kotaku this week about the possibility of more Microsoft published games coming to other consoles - like the Nintendo Switch, Phil replied...
Thursday24th Sep 2020
Random Microsoft Shuts Down Rumours That It's Buying Sega Next
Sonic X?
Microsoft shook the gaming world to its very core recently by announcing that it was gobbling up ZeniMax, the parent company of video game giant Bethesda – a purchase which gives it control of million-selling brands such as The Elder Scrolls, DOOM and Fallout. When you drop a cool $7.5 billion on a company, it's almost inevitable that...
Saturday8th Aug 2020
Random Head Of Xbox Appearing On Animal Crossing Talk Show Next Week
The one and only Phil Spencer
Holiday 2020 sees the arrival of the next-gen of video game consoles. One of these is the world's "most powerful" system, the Xbox Series X. In the lead up to its launch, the head of Xbox Phil Spencer is doing everything he can to spread the word. With this in mind, next week on 12th August he'll be appearing on Gary...
Tuesday21st Jul 2020
News Phil Spencer Shuts Down Idea Of Xbox Game Pass Coming To Other Platforms
They "aren't really that interested in having a full Xbox experience"
Last year, you might recall how the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, spoke about bringing Microsoft's Game Pass service to more platforms. While the company has now achieved this within its own ecosystem, these comments have still got many people questioning if the subscription service...
Tuesday19th May 2020
News Minecraft Sales Top 200 Million As Developer Mojang Gets A New Logo And Name (Well, Sort Of)
Impressive monthly player figures, too
In a post on Xbox.com Microsoft has announced that over 200 million copies of Minecraft have been sold to date. Not only that, but 126 million people are playing the game on a monthly basis. That's... a lot of people still playing Minecraft! This news, written by head of Mojang Studios Helen Chiang, follows...
Sunday5th Apr 2020
News Xbox Adaptive Controller Allows Inspiring Gamer To Play Animal Crossing On Switch
Island life is for everyone
We've heard previously how the Xbox Adaptive Controller is compatible with the Nintendo Switch, and it seems players far and wide have been making good use of this nifty tool ever since. Yesterday, Pure Xbox shared a story about a disabled gamer – by the name of EyeGazeGirl on Twitter – who has been using this...
Wednesday1st Apr 2020
News Minecraft Dungeons Launches On The Nintendo Switch Next Month
May is the new April
After a delay in 2019, Mojang locked in a new release date for the upcoming "action-adventure" Minecraft Dungeons. It was meant to launch this month, but instead, will now be appearing on the Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms on 26th May. Here's the official confirmation: This Minec
Saturday29th Feb 2020
News The Project AM2R Creator Now Designs Levels For The Ori Developer Moon Studios
Life after Nintendo's takedown notices
You might remember a really impressive fan-made overhaul of Metroid II: Return of Samus – better known as Project AM2R (Another Metroid 2 Remake) – that was released in 2016. Ever wondered what the creator has been up to since it was shut down by Nintendo? Well, it was actually a dream outcome for him in...
Tuesday25th Feb 2020
News Mass Effect Arrives On The Nintendo Switch As A Minecraft Mash-Up Pack
Download it now
In 2012, EA and Bioware released Mass Effect 3 on the Wii U. Now, the series is finally making its return to a Nintendo system. Instead of a game release, though, a Mass Effect-themed Mash-Up Pack for Mojang's hit title Minecraft has been released (again), this time on the
Thursday12th Dec 2019
News Mojang's Buzzy Bees Update Is Now Live In Minecraft
Absolutely buzzing
A number of years ago, Minecraft started out with a couple of basic animals like sheep and pigs. As development progressed, marine life was added to the game, bamboo-chomping pandas showed up and even red foxes appeared. Now, in the latest update (following on from the update for the PS4 version earlier this week), Mojang has...
Thursday5th Dec 2019
News Minecraft Was The Most-Viewed Game On YouTube In 2019
Fortnite takes out second spot
The open-world sandbox game Minecraft has had another strong year of support from its developer and playerbase, and to top it off, it's been recognised as the most-watched game on YouTube in 2019, with 100.2 billion views. Since its official launch in 2011, the game has been released on just about every platform at...
Thursday21st Nov 2019
Congratulations Microsoft
Microsoft has had a tough time in Japan on the video game front. The latest iteration of its Xbox system shifts a handful of units per week within the region and the company's first-party offerings often struggle to appeal to Japanese players. While it's not going so well for the Xbox or its library of games, one...
Friday15th Nov 2019
News Minecraft Dungeons Launches On Nintendo Switch In April Next Year
Explore, battle, and loot
After being delayed earlier this year, Mojang has now confirmed its new title Minecraft Dungeons will arrive on the Switch and multiple other platforms in April next year. Coming to PC, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One and Xbox Game Pass in April 2020. The game itself is described as an "all-new...
Thursday26th Sep 2019
News Ori And The Blind Forest "Animates A Bit Smoother" On Nintendo Switch
"60fps due to all the optimizations"
"Whatever it takes" seems to be the motto when porting certain titles across to the Switch. If you've played a game on Nintendo's hybrid platform that has been released elsewhere, you'll probably be used to seeing some cuts here and there when it comes to performance and visuals. If you expected this to also...
