Microsoft’s new Surface Book laptop, Lumia smartphones, and Band 2 may have stolen the show at its event this morning, but the company also had some Xbox One news to share.
On the gaming front, Redmond announced plans to launch a new Windows 10-powered Xbox One update in November. The free update will bring a “complete redesign built on the cornerstone of Windows 10,” Microsoft said, offering “the fastest and most social Xbox experience ever.”
Meanwhile, Microsoft also offered up some more details of its upcoming Xbox One Backward Compatibility update, which will let gamers play their old Xbox 360 titles on the Xbox One for free. The feature, which is currently available to members of the Xbox One Preview program, will officially launch in November with 100 games,including Borderlands, and Microsoft said it plans to add support for “hundreds more” titles in the future.
Gamers will also be able to play backwards-compatible Xbox 360 games on Windows 10 via game streaming from Xbox One. You’ll be able to stream games to one Windows 10 device at a time, and streaming with multiplayer requires a home network connection and Xbox Live Gold membership.
On the down side, Xbox 360 accessories and Kinect, as well as games requiring these accessories, will not be compatible with Xbox One consoles. PCMag’s sister site IGN has put together a handy list of confirmed and rumored Xbox One backwards compatible games for your perusal.
Holiday Bundles
In other Xbox One news, Microsoft on Friday wrapped up its week of bundles with perhaps the most exciting offering yet: the Xbox One Fallout 4 bundle. It features a 1TB Xbox One console and wireless controller with 3.5mm headset jack along with Fallout 4 and three full game downloads and a 14-day Xbox Live Gold trial. It will be available on Nov. 10 — the same day Fallout 4 itself is expected to arrive — for $399.
“This is the one many of you have been waiting for,” Xbox Live’s “Major Nelson,” Larry Hryb wrote in a blog post.
Also on the Fallout front, fans can now pre-order the game’s DLC for Xbox One for $30 on the Xbox Marketplace. There’s also a $90 Fallout 4Digital Deluxe bundle, which features a copy of the game and the DLC Season Pass.
Though gamers are still waiting for Fallout 4, developer Bethesda has already outlined its post-launch plans. The company last month said players can expect free updates, which, like Bethesda’s Skyrim, will come with fixes and new features. As for the DLC, Bethesda didn’t give away any details of what to expect.
“Since we’re still hard at work on the game, we don’t know what the actual DLC will be yet,” the company said in September.
Microsoft also last week announced several other Xbox One bundles coming this holiday season featuring games like Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and The Lego Movie Videogame.
Source : PCMAG.COM