Microsoft is hosting the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase on Sunday, June 13 at 5 pm GMT. Where the company will talk about the gaming lineup coming out of the partnership with Bethesda. Games coming to Xbox this holiday, upcoming releases on Xbox Game Pass, and more. Interestingly the company has revealed what’s next for Xbox in a conversation on the future of Gaming at Microsoft today.
Amongst what’s next for Xbox; you can play Xbox directly from a TV without a console. Microsoft is opening cloud gaming on browsers to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members. The release of at least one new first-party game into Game Pass every quarter. New subscription offerings for Xbox Game Pass and new low monthly price purchasing models for console and Game Pass. The series of conversations took place between Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, members of Microsoft’s Gaming Leadership team and hosted by Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer.
Gaming is fundamentally aligned with our mission as a company. Gaming is the most dynamic category in the entertainment industry. We believe that Microsoft can play a leading role in democratizing gaming and defining the future of interactive entertainment.
Satya Nadella, MICROSOFT CEO
Here are the details on What’s next for Xbox and Xbox Game Pass
Xbox is working with global TV manufacturers to embed the Xbox experience directly into internet-connected televisions with no extra hardware required except a controller.
In the next few weeks, cloud gaming on the browser will open to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members. With Edge, Chrome, and Safari support, players will be a click away from gaming on almost any device.
Xbox is exploring new subscription offerings for Xbox Game Pass. So more players around the world can experience the most immersive and fun games across devices, geographies, and financial realities.
Later this year, we’ll add cloud gaming directly into the Xbox app on PC and integrate it into our console experience to light up scenarios like try before you download.
Xbox is working with telecommunications providers on new purchasing models like Xbox All Access, which allows consumers to buy both a console and Game Pass for a low monthly price, rather than spending money upfront.
Cloud gaming through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will launch in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Japan later this year.
Xbox is building its own streaming devices for cloud gaming to reach gamers on any TV or monitor without the need for a console at all.
We’re in the final stages of updating our Microsoft datacenters around the world with our latest generation of hardware, the Xbox Series X. This means gamers will see faster load times, improved frame rates, and experience Xbox Series X|S optimized games.
Games, Developers
With more than 23 studios worldwide creating games for Xbox, our goal is to release at least one new, first-party game into Game Pass every quarter. Role-playing games, shooters, strategy titles, adventure games, and more are all being built by our first party teams. To ensure that there is a steady stream of compelling exclusive content to explore.
Our independent developer program ID@Xbox has earned developers over $2B dollars since the program’s inception, with over 2000 titles launched and many more on the way. This model is now being used for ID@Azure, allowing independent devs to build cloud-based experiences. These programs bring new voices from diverse backgrounds into the world of game development.
What Satya Nadella and Phil Spencer’s conversation on why Microsoft is all-in on gaming below.
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Is it Windows 11? Microsoft will unveil what’s next for Windows in a Microsoft event to take place on June 24th. The company will share details on what CEO, Satya Nadella, calls ‘one of the most significant updates to Windows of the past decade‘. The online event will start at these times: 11 am EST, 3 pm GMT, 6 pm EAT, 5 pm SAT and 4 pm WAT.
It has been six years since Windows 10 became generally available to the public and Microsoft will be looking to freshen things up. Based on leaks and rumours, we are likely to see a new app store and user interface. What we do know is that Satya has been keeping a keen eye on the development process. Noting, “I’ve been self-hosting it over the past several months”.
Microsoft has not officially said what the name of the next version of Windows will be. But Windows 11 seems to be high on the rumour list. Should we also use the event invite image Microsoft put out, I am pretty sure you can see the Windows logo and reflection of the Windows logo as 11.
There are two things from a developer perspective that Microsoft will do with the next update in Windows as shared by Satya at Build 2021. The first is using Windows to “unlock greater economic opportunities for developers and creators“. The second is making Windows the “most innovative new open platform to build, distribute and monetize applications“. They might be related and the same but we will be hearing more on these and more at the event.
Stay tuned and we will bring you more updates on this on the day of the event.
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Four computer science final year students of United States International University – Africa (USIS), Kenya, are the winners of the 2021 Microsoft Imagine Cup World Championship. The team wins the competition trophy, USD 125000 and a mentoring session with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Named Team REWEBA, they become the first student team from Africa to lift the prestigious Microsoft Imagine Cup World Championship trophy in its 19-year history. The student team beat three other finalist teams from New Zealand, the United States and Thailand to win the competition.
Their journey began by beating ten thousands of students entries from 163 countries to qualify for the online semifinals round. They then progressed as part of 40 teams to qualify for round one of the World Finals stage. Where two other student teams from Kenya; Cafrilearn and INTELLIVOLT qualified to compete. At the world finals stage, Team REWBA emerged winners of the healthcare category. Advancing to the World Championship which took place during Microsoft Build 2021.
The students showcased an IoT-based early warning system for babies using technologies such as Machine Learning, IoT, Analytics, etc. Their innovation, Remote Well Baby (REWEBA), remotely monitors infant parameters during regular post-natal screening. It then sends measurements to doctors remotely, allowing for immediate interventions saving infants from fatal diseases and reducing infant mortality rates.
The Kenya students; Khushi Gupta, Jeet Gohil, Dharmik Karania and Abdihamid Ali, win USD 75,000 cash, USD 50,000 Microsoft Azure grant and will get a mentoring session with Satya Nadella.
The students are planning to enhance and scale their project. They will also launch a startup in Kenya that provides better access to healthcare especially to those in marginalized areas.
Watch the World Championship below.
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Microsoft Build 2021 is all about developers! Throughout the event, over one hundred new services and updates across various areas of the Microsoft technology stack are going to be announced. But there seems to be one area on the Microsoft CEO’s mind, Windows. During the keynote address, he makes a passionate appeal and call to developers. Satya mentions a significant update is coming to Windows to make it the most innovative new open platform to build and distribute applications.
In the closing stages of his keynote, Satya Nadella talks briefly about Windows and notes “Windows is implicit, it’s never been more important.” He goes on to talk about how developers need to embrace windows as a dev box. By saying, Windows brings together all the developer collaboration tools in one place irrespective of platform or hardware.
No one will want technology that rapidly scales but breaks the world around us.
Satya Nadella
Satya however did not get into the specifics of how the company is going to do this or what the update is about. He said more will be coming soon. But you can get a hint of what is to come from what he shared. Read it below.
Windows as a dev box, the innovative new open platform
No one will want technology that rapidly scales but breaks the world around us. Our ambition is to be the platform for platform creators. We want to help you help the world, that is at the core of our mission.
Across all the opportunities I’ve highlighted today Windows is implicit, it’s never been more important. Windows 10 is used by more than 1.3 billion people to work, learn, connect and play and it all starts with Windows as a dev box. Windows brings together all your developer and collaboration tools in one place. It lets you choose the hardware you want, works with Linux and Windows as one, and has a modern terminal. Soon we will share one of the most significant updates to windows of the past decade to unlock greater economic opportunities for developers and creators. I’ve been self-hosting it over the past several months. Our promise to you is this; we will create more opportunities for every Windows developer today and welcome every creator who is looking for the most innovative new open platform to build, distribute and monetize applications. We look forward to sharing more soon.
Next generation Windows update including developer and creator monetization, Here is what to expect.
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Watch Microsoft developer conference Build 2021 and get all the latest in Microsoft technology announcements. Where CEO, Satya Nadella will highlight how Microsoft is creating new opportunities for developers across the modern tech stack.
The free digital viewing of Build 2021 event starts at these times worldwide 3 PM GMT, 6 PM EAT, 5 PM 8 AM PT, May 25th to 27th 2021. Microsoft says this year the developer event is focused on empowering developers to help solve real-world problems.
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How do you become a software developer? What are the skills necessary and the pathways available to becoming a software developer? If you have these and many other questions like these then keep reading.
It is Microsoft Build this week and Microsoft is hosting free sessions hosted by software engineers, Technical program managers and Principal software engineers working at Microsoft. It means you will learn about the roles, languages and how to get in and thrive from people with experience. Also, learn several programming languages like Python, C#, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Azure, GitHub, Visual Studio Code, etc.
Learn how to contribute to shared projects using MakeCode and Javascript.
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