The program seeks to bring premium product quality and design as well as bespoke experiences to Xbox fans. It will also boast custom-made feature sets designed for Xbox, Microsoft says.
Devices produced for the program will be marked by a Designed for Xbox Limited Series badge on the lower right-hand corner of the packaging box.
Beoplay Portal headset specifications & price
The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal wireless headphones for Xbox will be available in black anthracite, grey mist and navy brass colours. It will retail for USD$499 with the black anthracite available immediately in select markets. You can pre-order the other colours and they will be available in May. For those in the UK, it will be available on the 29th of April at £449.
The headphone is designed by Jakob Wagner in partnership with Bang & Olufsen’s design team. It is said to be extremely light in weight at 282 grams. It sports lambskin ear cushions with built-in jaw support, calfskin leather on the exterior and aluminium earcups.
The earcups have capacitive touch controls for easy access to volume and game/chat balance. Swipe up or down on the back of the earcup to adjust volume on the right and game/chat balance on the left. A quick double-tap mutes your microphone, and another brings you back to chat. When using Bluetooth, a quick adjustment in the app allows the left ear cup to control ANC and own-voice balance.
The Beoplay Portal supports up to 12 hours of playtime with Xbox wireless, Bluetooth and active noise cancelling. However, it supports up to 24 hours of playtime with Bluetooth and active noise cancelling. It comes with a pre-activated Dolby Atmos for Headphones service. It is compatible with Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, PC, and mobile devices.
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Microsoft will celebrate Black History Month with collections of games, movies, tv shows and community events across Xbox and Windows. The company will be offering gaming experiences that highlight the contributions of Black and African American developers and creators.
Through the curation of collections of games, movies and tv shows by Black communities at Microsoft in the Windows and Xbox digital stores. Titles include, ‘Afterparty, Watch Dogs 2, Apex Legends, The Sims 4, Black Panther, Insecure, Hidden Figures and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’.
Microsoft will also raise awareness of causes that matter to Black communities and allow Xbox gamers to earn and donate Microsoft Rewards to organizations supporting Black communities.
These initiatives aren’t just a celebration of inclusion in gaming says Garron Ballard, Global Games Category Manager for Xbox and Windows Digital Stores. They’re also a chance to challenge assumptions around what a gamer or game developer looks like, he adds.
“I grew up playing video games, I’ve always been really interested in science fiction and fantasy. Growing up in an African American family and going to school in spaces where I was really in the minority … I always felt very abnormal,” “There are a lot of people who have preconceived notions of what a Black person is or what a Black person should like.”
Garron Ballard
Minecraft Education Edition is also offering four lessons as a free demo from now till 28th February to anyone to mark the celebrations. The four lessons cover social justice, identity, and civil rights. They are ‘Good Trouble: Black lives matter, Good Trouble US Civil Rights, The “I”in Identity and Who is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’.
Microsoft notes these initiatives are not limited to Black History Month. It says it is part of the inclusion work happening at Microsoft to make gaming for everyone.
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Microsoft confirms the smallest Xbox console ever to be designed, the Xbox Series S in a twitter post. The next-generation powered gaming console will retail at $299.
The device will be coming to the South Africa market and will retail at R6 999 ($420). The Xbox Series X will also retail at R11 999 ($720).
👀 Let’s make it official!
Xbox Series S | Next-gen performance in the ˢᵐᵃˡˡᵉˢᵗ Xbox ever. $299 (ERP).
Xbox Series S will be the cheaper option to the more powerful Xbox Series X. Both consoles are designed and powered with next-generation specs to make gameplay feel lifelike, immersive and responsive. As Microsoft puts it “where you [the gamer] are at the center of your gaming experience”.
A leaked commercial video of the console shared by WalkingCat on Twitter shows us more about the device. It shows the full design, hardware specifications and when to expect it.
The compact console will be vertical standing, white in colour with a black circular vent on the top or front case. It shows it has no disk drive. Is about 60% smaller in size than the Xbox Series X with frame rates of up to 120fps.
Microsoft is presenting details on Xbox for gamers at E3
2019, the biggest video game industry annual event. You can expect announcement
of new titles, demos and trailers by Microsoft. Microsoft will also use the
event to talk about what gamers should expect in the coming year from Xbox.
E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2019 will also host
developers, publishers and manufactures of computer, video games and related
products from June 11th to the 13th.
Microsoft’s Xbox E3 2019 briefing will take place at 8 pm
GMT, 11 pm EAT, 10 PM SAT, 4 pm EST and 1 pm PDT. You can follow the event
right on this page.
Watch Xbox E3 2019 live
Or watch the whole E3 event with other announcements
The Xbox team will be giving in-depth looks to new and previously announced games.
Microsoft says “we are bringing Inside Xbox back to E3 this year! Inside Xbox will air Monday, June 10 at 3 p.m. PDT (10 pm GMT) and will feature a livestream full of exclusive announcements, game demos, interviews, giveaways and more“.
Microsoft renames its game development division to Xbox Game Studios
Xbox Game Studios will replace Microsoft studios in name moving forward. Microsoft shares this as it continues to bring its gaming platform across all devices. This means all Microsoft Studios game divisons will come under Xbox Game Studios. Microsoft Studios is Microsoft’s video game development division of 13 teams[studios].
Xbox Game Studios’ Corporate Vice President Matt Booty, shared this announcement in a post. He shares;
“At Xbox, we believe when everyone plays, we all win. It’s why we’re passionate about building a portfolio of games for players across console, PC and mobile. As we’ve expanded our focus beyond the console, the Xbox brand has also evolved from its original roots. Today, Xbox is our gaming brand across all devices, no matter how or where you want to play, or who you want to play with. In that spirit, I’m pleased to share that we are changing the name of our game development organization from Microsoft Studios to Xbox Game Studios.”
Microsoft’s game studios produce games such as Forza, Gears of war, Minecraft, Halo, etc. Positioning itself as a gaming organization, Microsoft looks forward to a great 2019 for gamers. It is also looking to bring in more exculsive and big update games.
Xbox E3 2018 briefing will feature in-depth looks, announcements and unannounced titles
E3, Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018 will be coming to Los Angeles from June 12th to 14th. The biggest annual gaming event will see Microsoft host it’s briefing and highlight what is new in the world of Xbox.
You will be able to stream live the Xbox E3 2018 Briefing on the official Xbox Mixer Channelat 1PM PDT (8PM UTC) on June 10th.You can Also watch it on the Mixer app for Xbox One and Windows 10.
This year, Microsoft is airing Inside Xbox at E3. The Inside Xbox show will give you a scope into activities going on at E3. It’ll air a livestream of exclusive announcements, game demos, interviews, giveaways and more says Microsoft. From June 11-13th will also have some streaming’s on Mixer.
