Xbox

We've still got about five months before the new Xbox One and PlayStation 4 launch in North America, and already blood has been spilled.

From Microsoft gathering an arguably more impressive stable of exclusive games, to Sony revealing the lack of restrictions on PS4 games and a $100 lower price -- to Microsoft now doing a complete 180 on its DRM policies, this next console launch may be one of the most exciting and brutal yet.

And I can't wait to comfortably watch from the sidelines, praising Thor I'm not in either of their shoes.… Read more

Relief, disbelief, and some leftover bitterness surround Microsoft pulling a 180 on its Xbox One "always-on" policy.

Gamers have taken to forums, comment threads, and social media to express how they feel about the tech giant flip-flopping on the series of rules and restrictions that would have required Xbox One gamers to connect their consoles to the Internet once a day to prevent game piracy.

Microsoft announced Wednesday that it was backtracking on this much-derided policy, causing a flood of user reaction.

On Xbox's Facebook and Twitter accounts, tens of thousands of users have commented on the … Read more

Unless you've recently taken up residence under suitably large slab of earth, you're likely already aware of Microsoft's new Xbox One console. If not, buckle up, because there's an endless supply of details coming your way -- now.

The Xbox One will have a $499 starting price when it hits stores this November, and with a price that high, it's clear Microsoft is targeting the well-to-do consumer with the new device -- at least at launch. By comparison, the Sony PlayStation 4 will cost $399 -- although its optional PlayStation Eye camera and motion detector … Read more

Microsoft backtracked Wednesday on its much-derided policy that would have required Xbox One gamers to connect their consoles to the Internet once a day to prevent game piracy.

Microsoft faced a huge backlash when it announced the policy, just before the E3 video game conference earlier this month. Then, the company said it would allow gamers to play offline for up to 24 hours on a primary console, or 1 hour if they were logged onto a separate console accessing their library of titles. At that point, offline gaming would have been disabled until players re-establish a Web connection.

"… Read more

Microsoft's upcoming Xbox One received a not-so-subtle dig courtesy of a spot on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."

Continuing video-game week on his show, Fallon invited Mark Cerny, chief system architect of the Sony PS4, to appear Tuesday to discuss and demo Sony's upcoming game console. Before diving into playing an actual game, the two chit-chatted about the PS4's various features.

At one point, Fallon chimed in: "The big story that everyone's talking about is that this system [the PS4] is the only one where you can still play used games." To … Read more

Late Night host Jimmy Fallon got his chance to play with the Xbox One on his show Monday night.

Microsoft's upcoming new console made its late night appearance courtesy of Phil Spencer, vice president of Microsoft Studios. Spencer touted the Xbox One as an all-in-one entertainment center with games, live TV, a new Kinect camera, and a revamped Xbox Live service coming in the fall.

Fallon, a known technology geek, seemed like a kid in a candy store as he checked out the new console, proclaiming that "the future is here." But the real action took place … Read more

Microsoft has cut a deal to open Windows stores within 500 Best Buy locations in the United States and 100 more Best Buy and Future Shop locations in Canada.

The store-within-a-store sites, which will be 1,500 square feet to 2,200 square feet, will offer a wide selection of Windows tablets and PCs, Windows Phones, Microsoft Office, and Xbox consoles. There will also be space set aside specifically for Microsoft's Surface tablet computers.

The deal, announced Thursday, also calls for more than 1,200 Best Buy sales staff to receive Microsoft training, in addition to the Microsoft specialists … Read more

Bummed out because the Xbox One requires an Internet connection? Microsoft has some advice for you: stick with an Xbox 360.

In an interview with Spike TV at the E3 show Tuesday, Xbox executive Don Mattrick responded to the complaints about the Xbox One's demand for an Internet connection. Mattrick described the $499 Xbox One, coming in November, as "a future-proof choice," saying that a console designed to be used online offers certain advantages, such as the ability to link games and entertainment.

And for those people without Internet access?

"Fortunately we have a product for … Read more

Microsoft's Xbox One might be making a splash at the E3 Gaming expo this week, but it won't be making a splash in Asia until later next year.

The Xbox One won't launch in Asia until late 2014, Microsoft confirmed to The Wall Street Journal in an article published Tuesday. Microsoft's regional vice president of sales and marketing in Asia told the Journal that his company is following a "staged approach," noting that Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and India will be first ones in Asia to get the console next year.

Interestingly, … Read more