A Reddit user uncovered details of the upcoming Xbox Elite Controller 3 by examining Microsoft's Xbox Design Lab backend, revealing features like Hall-effect sticks, advanced haptics, and customizable faceplates. The leak suggests a significant upgrade over the previous model, including magnetic sensing technology and enhanced tactile feedback. However, the authenticity of the leak remains uncertain as the source files are no longer accessible.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-06
The Xbox Series X, released in 2020, continues to run current and upcoming major titles like GTA VI despite rising component costs pushing up Xbox hardware prices. Microsoft's new disc-to-digital conversion feature and rumored next-gen console, codenamed Project Helix, raise questions about the console's remaining lifespan and an eventual shift to all-digital gaming.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-05
For more than twenty years, home consoles relied on dedicated, fixed-function graphics chips rather than general-purpose processors. The NES, for instance, used the Ricoh 2C02 Picture Processing Unit, which could not run code but instead converted cartridge tile art and memory lookup tables into a TV signal line by line, with a hard cap of eight sprites per scanline causing visible flicker in games like Super Mario Bros. This era ended in November 2001 when Microsoft released the original Xbox, built around an Intel Pentium III CPU and an NVIDIA graphics chip derived from the GeForce 3, the first GPU to support programmable pixel and vertex shaders.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-05
The U.S. Navy has begun fielding anti-drone laser weapons controlled with Xbox-style game controllers aboard warships, according to Interesting Engineering. The systems have reportedly been used against drones and other threats in the Strait of Hormuz, following earlier testing aboard the USS George H.W. Bush.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-10-04
Gears of War: E-Day, a prequel set 14 years before the original Gears of War, follows a younger Marcus Fenix during 'emergence day,' when the Locust Horde first attacks humanity. The game retains the series' close-quarters cover-shooter combat and tasks players with defending strongholds, escorting caravans, and rescuing survivors as the planet Sera is devastated.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-01
In an interview with The New York Times, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma stated plainly that 'Xbox is not for sale,' adding that Microsoft will pursue whatever partnerships or operating model changes are needed for long-term success. The comments follow a summer of heavy layoffs across Xbox, including the closure of Ninja Theory, the divestment of Double Fine, and the shutdown of Halo Studios with the franchise handed to Call of Duty's team.
games.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-30
Sony announced that PlayStation Plus subscribers will get access to three games starting Oct. 6 through Nov. 2: extraction shooter Hunt: Showdown 1896, racing title F1 25, and Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2. The games are included at no extra cost across all PlayStation Plus membership tiers, which start at $11 a month.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-30
Microsoft has made its Disc to Digital feature available to every Xbox Series X and Xbox One owner, letting them convert eligible physical game discs into digital licenses tied to their profile. Players can then install and run those games without inserting the disc, though not all titles qualify and eligibility can shift due to licensing or publishing changes. Microsoft says losing, selling, or giving away the qualifying disc can limit or revoke the digital license.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-30
Microsoft has expanded its disc-to-digital licensing program beyond Xbox Insiders to all users, letting owners of physical Xbox Series X and Xbox One games convert them into digital licenses. Players simply insert a disc while signed in, and a pop-up confirms when a digital license has been created for that title. The feature does not yet support Xbox 360 or original Xbox discs, and Microsoft has not specified how many current-gen titles qualify.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-30
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told the New York Times that Microsoft is not selling Xbox, pushing back on earlier reports that CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood had weighed spinning off the gaming unit. Instead, Sharma says leadership backs her restructuring plan, which includes cutting up to 3,200 jobs by mid-2027, moving Halo and other studios under Activision, and streamlining Xbox Game Studios.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-30
Developer Mitchell Hynes has built a browser-playable version of Halo: Combat Evolved that includes the full single-player campaign and a multiplayer mode supporting up to 128 players. The port maps the original Xbox controller scheme to mouse and keyboard, and early testers say it runs well in Google Chrome, closely matching the original Xbox release. The project follows the recent decompilation of the 2001 game's source code.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-30
Microsoft has launched Mythic Achievements, a new tier awarded when a player completes every original achievement in a game, mirroring Sony's platinum trophy system. The awards are retroactive back to Xbox 360 titles and remain unaffected by later DLC additions, and progress can be tracked through a new Gaming tab on user profiles. The feature is currently limited to Xbox Insiders, the free program that lets users test unreleased updates before public release.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-29
GoKawiil