Microsoft News, Microsoft Features

PlayStation, watch TV

Sony has filed a series of patent applications straight out of its office in California. All six of the patents – submitted by Sony Network Entertainment – refer to the topic of using “movements sensed with a motion sensor or camera, pointer movements and clicks, and touches that involve movements and multiple...

Well, the world doesn't end

It’s a mystery more puzzling than the meaning of life: what happens when you plug a PlayStation 4 directly into an Xbox One? Microsoft admitted earlier in the year that its next generation console’s HDMI input could be used to connect a competing console, and now the embargo has lifted on the Redmond-based firm’s...

Round of applause

As entertaining as the console wars can undeniably be at times, all three major gaming manufacturers rely on each other to succeed. After all, a healthy industry is good for business – and competition is a great thing for consumers. This surprisingly sporting image from Microsoft congratulating Sony on the PlayStation 4 launch...

Stoking the flames

Clearly not content with its own impending South Park: The Stick of Truth, the potty-mouthed animated series has taken it upon itself to tackle the never-ending topic of the console wars. The clip that we've embedded below sees the show's main characters split up after pledging their allegiance to either the PlayStation 4 or Xbox...

In a roundabout way

Microsoft may have shifted the Xbox One’s messaging away from media functionality a touch after the backlash that it received following the format’s unveiling back in May, but that HDMI input still exists on the rear of the device. Mainly designed to allow you to overlay the next generation console’s interface on top of...

The gap's widening

Call of Duty may be considered an Xbox franchise due to Microsoft’s longstanding partnership with Activision, but it seems that the next generation version of the upcoming Call of Duty: Ghosts will look superior on the PlayStation 4. Responding to a slew of previously unsubstantiated online rumours, Infinity Ward’s executive...

Counting pixels

If there’s one thing that we’ve learned from the abundance of animated Ron Paul images being posted around the web today, it’s that it’s most definitely happening. The expiration of Battlefield 4’s next generation review embargo inevitably brought with it more drama than a daytime soap opera overnight, with epic

World War III

Forget the conflict at the heart of Battlefield 4 – and the fact that the first-person shooter is almost certain to sell more copies on current generation formats – because it’s the comparisons between the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of DICE’s latest deployment that are destined to flare up tempers throughout the rest...

Executive recognises Xbox One threat

By all accounts, the PlayStation 4 may be the system to beat this Christmas – but that’s not stopped Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida from recognising the lingering threat of Microsoft and the Xbox One. Speaking with our friends over at Games Industry.biz, the humble executive complimented

Jingle bells

While the PlayStation 3 has never really been a slouch in North America, it’s been consistently outsold by both the Xbox 360 and, for much of the generation, the Nintendo Wii. The tables could be about to turn in Microsoft’s strongest territory, though, as the upcoming PlayStation 4 is currently tracking above the Xbox One in...

A November to remember

It’s taken what feels like an eternity, but Microsoft has finally attached a release date to its next generation console. The under fire Xbox One will deploy on 22nd November in 13 nations around the world, slap bang in the middle of the PlayStation 4’s global rollout. Speaking during its

Quantic Dream pitched the title to Xbox maker

Heavy Rain could very well have soaked the Xbox 360 to its circuits, but Microsoft decided to pass on the project due to its child abduction plotline. Speaking as part of a BAFTA event in London overnight, Quantic Dream’s founder David Cage explained that the French studio actually pitched the...

Lighthearted banter

Remember at E3 when Microsoft executive Phil Spencer kept switching his shirts? He started the company’s press conference donning a State of Decay tee, but went through more costume changes than Lady GaGa during the firm’s hour-long keynote in Los Angeles. Never one to miss an opportunity to turn the knife, Sony’s own

Microsoft committed to cross-platform

Skype may be one of the Xbox One’s most prominent features, but that’s not stopping Microsoft from considering a PlayStation 4 version of the popular application. Chatting with the BBC as part of the video conferencing tool’s tenth anniversary, corporate vice president Mark Gillett explained that the...

Swapping sides?

In an announcement that’s been compared to the introduction of Lionel Messi in the dying minutes of a cup final, Microsoft has revealed that all Xbox One pre-orders will ship with a copy of FIFA 14 in Europe. It’s a game changer for some, as it effectively reduces the p

Windows of opportunity

There will have been one of two reactions to Microsoft’s sizeable Xbox One delay within Sony’s colossal European headquarters today: cheers or mopped brows. At almost every turn, the North American company has been playing into the PlayStation maker’s hands, and this latest setback is just another example of that...

For and against

Console clashes don’t get much more competitive than the upcoming conflict between the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Not since the days of derogatory SEGA commercials has a system showdown promised so much drama. But with two formats vying for your finances this fall, which device is the best choice for you? The following text...

Keeping costs down

Microsoft’s latest Xbox One-Eighty has changed the conversation yet again. Overnight, the firm confirmed that it will allow self-publishing on its next generation platform within the system’s first year on the market. That puts the console in line with the PlayStation 4, but the Redmond-based organisation’s trump card is...

Manufacturer is still clutching at straws

Vision is a word that Microsoft likes to use a lot. "Our vision is that every person can be a creator," said corporate vice president Marc Whitten earlier today, following the platform holder’s second massive Xbox One-Eighty in as many months. After a unanimous panning from pretty much the entirety of...