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Microsoft

Microsoft hints at “more affordable” version of Xbox Cloud Gaming

by admin August 20, 2025

Microsoft has hinted at a “more affordable” version of its Xbox Cloud Gaming service.

Speaking on an episode of the Official Xbox Podcast (via The Verge), Xbox vice president of gaming devices and ecosystem Jason Ronald said the firm wants to make the service “more accessible to players”.

“One of the things we see is there’s a lot of players who use Game Pass Ultimate to access the cloud, whether that’s the primary way they play, or an additional way to play on the go,” said Ronald.

“I think for us, this really opens up the opportunity to make it much more affordable, and make it more accessible to players. Whether that’s going into new regions, or new ways to actually access the [Xbox] cloud.”

Ronald also highlighted Xbox’s multi-year strategic partnership with AMD, which was announced last month. He spoke about how the collaboration will focus on next-gen consoles, handhelds, PC, and cloud infrastructure.

“We’re deeply focused on hardware and silicon innovation and how we can push the boundaries beyond the current generation of devices,” Ronald noted (via PureXbox).

“Together with AMD, we’re designing dedicated silicon and hardware to enable the next generation of gaming experiences, and so that means we’re investing deeply in the next generation of rendering technologies.”

He added: “We’re also investing in dedicated silicon to enable the next generation of AI capabilities that will be transformative in how you actually experience your gameplay. It also provides a new surface that developers can take advantage of and deliver new kinds of experiences that they’ve never been able to deliver before.”

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August 20, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Indiana Jones Is The First Big Microsoft Game Announced For Switch 2

by admin August 19, 2025

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is Microsoft’s first release confirmed for Switch 2. The stealth action adventure will hit Nintendo’s handheld hybrid in 2026, but the new DLC will arrive next month on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

MachineGames’ latest port to a Nintendo platform didn’t get a specific release date, so we have no idea if it’s coming in the first half of 2026 or the holiday season. We also don’t know what it will look like since there was no accompanying gameplay teaser. I guess all those Switch 2 dev kits really did go out late, even to places like Microsoft.

But we did get another trailer at Gamescom for the upcoming Order of the Giants DLC expansion coming to Indiana Jones. Also a release date: September 6. Here’s the new footage:

It looks neat, although Troy Baker seems to be reverting back to his usual voice a bit. Story expansions are hit-or-miss with single-player games, but Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is close enough to feeling like a movie that I could see a bite-sized adventure being a nice treat.

Microsoft hasn’t yet announced any other ports for Switch 2, including ones that feel obvious like Sea of Thieves or Diablo 4. Hopefully, Indiana Jones means the dam is about to break on all of those, though it seems like we’ll have to wait until next year, and possibly beyond for most of them.

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August 19, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Report says Microsoft is planning a “major” round of Xbox layoffs next week

by admin June 24, 2025

Microsoft is reportedly planning a “major” round of layoffs at Xbox next week.

That comes from Bloomberg, which says managers within Xbox are anticipating substantial cuts. Microsoft did not comment. The move will be part of a company-wide reorganisation, according to the report.

This would follow a recent round of Microsoft layoffs in May 2025, where 3% of the company’s headcount was targeted. A smaller round of layoffs came before that in January 2025.

Back in January 2024, the gaming division specifically axed 1,900 roles. In September 2024, it then cut another 650 staff from games.

In May 2024, it was revealed that four studios under subsidiary Bethesda were to be closed, with some staff “realigned” to other teams. One of those studios – Tango Gameworks – was acquired by Krafton and ultimately spared closure.

During its recent Q3 2025 results, Microsoft shared that its gaming segment increased revenue 5% year-on-year.

GamesIndustry.biz has also reached out to Xbox for comment on the claims in the report, and we’ll update this story if any clarification is shared by the company.

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June 24, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

Billionaire Draper Likens Bitcoin to Microsoft

by admin June 24, 2025

Billionaire Tim Draper took to social media on Tuesday to draw parallels between Bitcoin and Microsoft “in the operating system days.”

Draper argues that programmers are currently “gravitating” toward the dominant blockchain.

The legendary venture capitalist recalled that Lotus 1-2-3 was an extremely popular spreadsheet program in the early 80s. However, Microsoft did not let Lotus dominate by developing its own spreadsheet program, which is widely known as Excel. The program was widely integrated with Windows, which was an integral element of Excel’s success.

In a similar fashion, Microsoft’s word processing software also managed to replace WordPerfect.

On top of that, Microsoft also acquired popular presentation software, PowerPoint.

“All of these applications became standard with Microsoft, while the early startups were marginalized,” Draper said.

Draper is comparing Bitcoin to Microsoft’s Windows OS to show that various innovations introduced by some alternative crypto projects are now being adapted and recreated on the dominant blockchain.

Draper’s uber-bullish price predictions

As reported by U.Today, Draper previously predicted that the price of the leading cryptocurrency would reach $250,000 as early as this year.

Draper has also repeatedly stressed that Bitcoin could potentially surge to infinity against the U.S. dollar.

“It may be infinite against the dollar as the dollar continues to inflate into nothingness,” he added in the most recent post.

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June 24, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Microsoft planning ‘major’ Xbox layoffs next week

by admin June 24, 2025

Microsoft is planning to cut jobs in the company’s Xbox gaming business, as early as next week. I first reported in Notepad earlier this month that Microsoft was planning Xbox layoffs “potentially by the end of the month,” and now Bloomberg says a round of “major layoffs” is due next week.

I understand managers at Microsoft have been briefed about Xbox cuts and wider layoffs in other parts of Microsoft’s businesses. The upcoming cuts are also expected to hit Microsoft’s sales organization, just at the start of a new financial year.

Microsoft is planning to restructure parts of its Xbox business as it looks ahead to its next generation of consoles. One source tells me Microsoft is restructuring Xbox distribution across central Europe, resulting in some Xbox operations ceasing in some regions.

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June 24, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Microsoft dips its toes into VR with limited edition Xbox-themed Meta Quest headset

by admin June 24, 2025

Xbox has collaborated with Meta to launch the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition, a limited edition VR headset.

The device continues an ongoing partnership between the two companies, following the addition of Xbox cloud gaming to Meta headsets in 2022. This was followed by the release of Xbox Game Pass to Meta Quest 3 back in 2023, as Xbox expanded its cloud gaming offering.

The headset features an Xbox design of black and green, along with matching Touch Plus controllers and a limited-edition Xbox Wireless Controller. The package also includes three months of Meta Horizon+ and three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. It’s out now, and costs £379.99. It is available directly from Meta or exclusively at Argos and EE in the UK.

Unveiling the Exclusive Meta Quest 3S Xbox EditionWatch on YouTube

US purchasers will find the headset at Best Buy for $399.99. Further details can be found on Xbox Wire.

Through the cloud, users will have access to Xbox Game Pass through the headset – though this won’t be fully VR versions of games. Instead, there are four display options, including one cinema-sized screen. Cross-play and cross-progression mean players can continue playing across the VR headset or their Xbox console or PC.

Back in 2019, CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer stated VR wasn’t a focus for the company’s then forthcoming Xbox Series X/S consoles.

“I have some issues with VR,” he said. “It’s isolating and I think of games as a communal, kind of together experience. We’re responding to what our customers are asking for and… nobody’s asking for VR.”

He added “nobody’s selling millions and millions” of VR units, before stating: “I think we might get there [eventually]. But yeah, that’s not where our focus is.”

Now, Microsoft is dipping its toes into VR with this collaboration, without developing its own VR system.

It mirrors the company’s recently announced handheld console, the Xbox branded ROG Ally from ASUS. As announced at the recent Xbox Games Showcase, the handheld will be released later this year.

It’s also in contrast to Sony’s PSVR2, which has not been well-supported since its release in 2023. Recently, Beat Studios ended support for Beat Saber on both PS4 and PS5.

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June 24, 2025 0 comments