January2021
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...
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...
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...
December2020
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...
November2020
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
October2020
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...
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...
September2020
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...
August2020
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...
Talking Point So, Where Does Switch Fit Into Sony And Microsoft's Next Gen Landscape?
The generation game
Following some lower key jargon-heavy info dumps earlier in the year, both of 2020's next-gen consoles and several of their key titles have been unveiled now, and we've got a much clearer picture of what the gaming landscape will look like at the end of the year, at least in hardware terms. Despite worries that Switch would look...
July2020
"I still can’t believe we had the opportunity to do that!"
When it comes to all-conquering multiplatform games these days, there are a few titles which tend to dwarf the rest through mainstream cultural saturation. If you're not in their target demographic, it might be possible to miss these games, but you can't escape their influence. Minecraft...
Talking Point Have You Missed E3 This Year?
How have you enjoyed the online alternatives?
2020 has been an unusual year, that's for sure. If we think back to our expectations at the end of 2019, there was plenty to look forward to for gamers across the spectrum. Both Microsoft and Sony had new hardware coming, and despite Nintendo's slate looking relatively blank (aside from Animal...
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...
May2020
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...
April2020
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...
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
February2020
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...
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
December2019
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...
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...
November2019
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...
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...
September2019
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...
News Demo Ori And The Blind Forest Before It Launches On The Switch Next Week
Download it from the European eShop
Update (Fri 20th Sep, 2019 23:29 BST): The demo for Ori And The Blind Forest is now available on the North American eShop. Original Article (Fri 20th Sep, 2019 00:45 BST): After an exclusive run on Microsoft systems, next week the definitive edition of Ori And The Blind Forest launches on Nintendo Switch. In...
News Microsoft Focused On Launching Ori Sequel Exclusively On Xbox One And PC
Could we still see a Switch release in the future?
Following the recent announcement of Ori And The Blind Forest for the Nintendo Switch, there have been requests for the sequel to also make the transition across to the hybrid system in the future. So, what are the chances of this actually happening? Microsoft previously stated it had no plans to...
