Xbox has a new rival in town, and you might be surprised to know that it’s TikTok, as well as movies, that keep the Head of Xbox Game Studios up at night. Not PlayStation, not Nintendo. A social media application available on Android and iOS, and those motion picture films that you used to flock to theaters to see, but can now more easily than ever before watch from the comfort of your own couch.

It’s likely strange hearing that a video game company isn’t considering other video game companies its competitors anymore. That’s understandable. Xbox targeting TikTok and movies as its new rivals probably feels entirely random. As random as it might feel, if PlayStation were to stop competing with other video game companies and start targeting fast food chains. On a surface level, it doesn’t make any sense. But if you dig a little deeper, you can start to see the direction that Xbox is probably taking, in addition to the reason it’s taking it.

Xbox probably sees TikTok and movies as its new rivals because it’s competing for your time

To be clear, this has always been the case. Video games are a form of entertainment, and as long as they’ve been around, they’ve had to compete for your time with any other form of entertainment. So, that’s not an entirely new aspect of things. However, things have changed quite a bit. Now more than ever, entertainment through mediums like movies and TikTok is commanding the time of everyone, from teenagers to full-blown adults.

TikTok consumption is on such a massive scale that it wouldn’t be surprising to learn if some users were avoiding all other forms of entertainment to scroll through new clips. There likely are some users out there who are like this. Microsoft and its Xbox team appear to think so, and this is likely a big reason why it considers TikTok one of its new main rivals.

This is just speculation, of course, but it’s the most reasonable assumption that can be made. TikTok, movies, and streaming video make up a huge chunk of media consumption these days. Naturally, Xbox wants users to spend time playing games as opposed to watching videos. So, it’s setting its sights on those types of services.

The Xbox, as we know it, has changed forever

The days of Xbox being the third console behemoth in the market are long gone. This console platform of the early 2000s and 2010s has transformed into something entirely different. It’s not dead per se, but it’s certainly dead in the sense that the Xbox that fans have loved for two decades isn’t the same. Not only is Microsoft now targeting social media apps as its new rival, but its Xbox consoles won’t be traditional consoles anymore. The next Xbox will reportedly be a Windows gaming PC with an Xbox UI layer on top. It’s a new age for Xbox. For better or worse, this is the path Microsoft has chosen to take.

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Rumors of the next-gen Xbox console powered by Windows, making it a full-fledged gaming PC, began floating to the surface of the news cycle earlier this month. Now, it seems that those rumors actually have weight to them. So much weight that the rumors are reportedly true.

When the rumors first popped up, we said it sounded like the next console would just be an expensive gaming PC. That’s exactly what Microsoft is going for, according to Windows Central. (It is worth noting that this report is based on “trusted sources within Microsoft.” So, Microsoft itself has not publicly announced these details). This probably comes as no surprise to some. The ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally launched on October 16, and both feature a new software experience. It’s called the Xbox Fullscreen Experience, and it’s designed to be more of a console-like user interface than Windows 11.

One of the main complaints that Windows 11 handhelds have had so far is that they don’t feel like handheld consoles, which is essentially what they are. The Xbox Fullscreen Experience takes steps to address that issue. In most ways, it does a fine job at this. All your games are accessible right from one place. This includes games across clients like the Xbox app, Steam, Ubisoft Connect, and more. The next Xbox console is following in these footsteps.

Microsoft’s next Xbox console is a Windows PC, but it will have a console-style UI

The important bit here for console fans is that the new Xbox will have a console-style UI. Similar to, or perhaps exactly like, the Xbox Fullscreen Experience for the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally. The console experience will be layered on top of Windows, just like those handhelds. It will also boot into this experience as soon as you power it on, as opposed to booting into Windows first.

There is a major difference, though. As Windows Central reports, those who prefer this console UI can stay within it indefinitely. With no requirement to ever leave it. That means updates, game installs, etc., will all be doable from this experience. For comparison, with the ROG Xbox Ally X, if you want to update anything, it all has to be done from the Windows side of things. It’s not a great experience, all things considered. The next console is reportedly not going to have this problem. That’s a big step in the right direction if you want a console to be a console.

That being said, gamers will have the option to move to the Windows layout if they want to play games from other clients, such as Steam, or play Windows games that run in their own client and aren’t available on Xbox.

It’s still unclear what the price is going to be. However, Xbox President Sarah Bond did confirm that the next-gen Xbox will be a “very premium, very high-end, curated experience.” So, chances are the next Xbox won’t be as affordable as some people are hoping.

The post The next Xbox console is indeed a gaming PC powered by Windows appeared first on Android Headlines.

Amazon Games is laying off large chunks of its development and publishing teams.

Vampire Survivors just added Balatro content, online co-op, a bunch of new levels and expanded the Castlevania expansion

Xbox Series X

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Developer and publisher DON'T NOD has published its latest financial release which goes over its half-year results for 2025, which includes a few notable updates from the studio, like how its most recent release, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage performed "below expectations," and that the studio signed a deal with Netflix to make a narrative game based on "a major IP." It's definitely a disappointing result for DON'T NOD, particularly considering the fact that its last major releases last year, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden and Jusant, also fell below expectations. The studio's total operating revenue took a 5% dip […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/lost-records-bloom-and-rage-missed-expectations-dont-nod-signs-deal-with-netflix/

A new report from GamesIndustry.Biz, based on data provided by Alinea Analytics, shows that in the lead-up to launch, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 trails "far behind" the numbers that Battlefield 6 was able to pull. Setting the parameters here: this is based on data from Steam pre-order sales for Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, 18 days ahead of their respective launches. Within that 18-day lead-up period, Battlefield 6 was able to sell close to a million copies in pre-orders. Black Ops 7 has only managed 200K pre-order copies sold. These numbers start to look […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-7-far-behind-battlefield-6-pre-order-sales/

With each passing month, artificial intelligence creeps into more industries. That does not exclude the gaming industry, which has long used artificial intelligence to populate its virtual worlds. Still, the generative AI that is taking root everywhere offers much more power, and also much greater risk, compared to what gaming developers were used to. Big companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and EA are already laying off (or thinking about laying off) employees to invest further into artificial intelligence. What do the actual developers think about this artificial intelligence revolution? Their takes, as you would expect, are quite varied. The creator of […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/dayz-creator-says-ai-fears-remind-him-people-worrying-about-google-wikipedia-ai-is-here/

Pathea Games, the studio known for games like My Time at Portia, My Time at Sandrock, and the upcoming My Time at Evershine has just shadow-dropped something you'd be more likely to expect from Velan Studios after its game Knockout City, or even Psyonix as a spin-off from Rocket League with Superball, a new free-to-play 3v3 arcade hero football game that's out now on PC and Xbox Series X/S. Announced during the ID@Xbox and IGN Showcase, Superball is described as a mash between Rocket League, something that's made extremely obvious with its giant ball and arena style, and Overwatch with […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/rocket-league-minus-cars-f2p-superball-pathea-games/

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the biggest physical game launch in the US since the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in 2023.

While we wait for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Activision has announced that Black Ops 6 is now free-to-play for a limited time.

Vladislav Ginzburg, founder and CEO of OneSource, says that blockchain gaming is ready to move past the hype. Once hailed as the future of play, blockchain gaming has spent the last few years in the shadow of its own hype.…

Battlefield: RedSec is the newest free-to-play battle royale mode for Battlefield 6, officially launching today, October 28, 2025.

Battlefield Redsec, the new battle royale mode from Battlefield Studios, launches today with surprisingly modest PC requirements despite its impressive visuals. Built on Battlefield 6’s foundation.

Amazon is laying off more than 14,000 corporate jobs today, and per a report from Bloomberg, the video games division, Amazon Game Studios, is not immune to the cuts. While Amazon doesn't specify exactly how many people from its video games division will be laid off, a statement from Steve Boom, Amazon's head of audio, Twitch, and games, does call the cut "significant," and says that the cuts are happening despite Amazon being "proud" of the success it has had. While the studio's MMO, New World, isn't mentioned by name, the statement does say that Amazon is halting its game […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/amazon-video-game-division-hit-significant-cuts-amid-mass-14000-layoff/

Zack Fair's gameplay in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is set to be significantly expanded by a new mod introducing new mechanics and skill for an overhauled combat experience. This Zack gameplay overhaul mod is being developed by NSK, the modder behind the Zack and Sephiroth Combat Fix mod whichaddressed some issues for the two characters and expanded their possibilities when added to the regular combat party outside their small playable segments. Judging from the video showcase shared a few days ago on YouTube, the changes being made to Zack's gameplay are going to be significant, leveraging his unique Charge mechanics […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-zack-gameplay-mod/

It's a big day for Battlefield 6, with both its Season 1 update now live for players to jump into, and its new free-to-play battle royale mode, Battlefield REDSEC, also now available. EA and Battlefield Studios confirmed yesterday what was already rumored, that REDSEC would be revealed and launched today, and now it's here for all players on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Once the gameplay trailer that was teased yesterday was over, the mode and the new season was officially live for all players to jump into, and we got our first major question of the day answered. […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/battlefield-6-season-1-battlefield-redsec-out-now-pc-ps5-xbox-series-x-s/

Wrekcreation, the sandbox open-world arcade racing game from Three Fields Entertainment, a studio founded by former Criterion developers who worked on the Burnout series, is out now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Published by THQ Nordic, Wreckreation gives players the freedom to create whatever kinds of tracks they want, from the kinds of things you'd only expect to see in Hot Wheels Unleashed to something super realistic if that's more your speed, and race the wide variety of vehicles on them to your heart's content. With more than 400 square kilometres of space to create tracks in and […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/sandbox-racer-wreckreation-out-now-pc-ps5-xbox-series/

Developer ArenaNet has launched the sixth major expansion for Guild Wars 2 today, with Visions of Eternity now available to players on PC. Visions of Eternity adds a new island to explore called Castora, with two new maps to explore, a new storyline, and plenty more. The new storyline kicks off with whispers and rumors of the island of Castora, with the Tyrian Alliance stepping in to uncover more about the magical island once they discover that the Inquest has begun sniffing around for Castora. Alongside two new maps included with the new expansion, Shipwreck Strand and Starlit Weald, players […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/guild-wars-2-visions-of-eternity-expansion-out-now-pc/

Here's how to download the Battlefield 6 REDSEC battle royale mode.

Looking for NYT Connections answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, plus my commentary on the puzzles.

Gaming accessory brand KontrolFreek has unveiled its brand new Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 thumbsticks.

Firaxis has shared its plans for Civilization 7's post-launch content, which includes an update that has been highly requested since the game's release.

Don't get scared now...

Perfect for PS5, Xbox, or Switch 2, the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are our favorite gaming earbuds and are down to their lowest-ever price right now.

Second day of TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 at San Francisco's Moscone West. Here's the rundown on what to expect, including the 50% discount on passes for remainder of the event.

Will you need to buy Battlefield 6 in order to play its new battle royale mode, Redsec? The answer lies within.

Newegg is offering a special 71% discount for the first game in The Outer Worlds series, giving players an affordable means to experience this grim yet funny Sci-fi universe, in case they want to experience what the original game is like before diving into The Outer Worlds 2, or can't afford it.

Speaking with Halo Studios, the developers working on Halo: Campaign Evolved confirmed that the game's new prequel missions are entirely new.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach now supports the PlayStation 5's power saver mode, and its implementation is among the most interesting to date, according to a new technical analysis. In the latest episode of their weekly podcast, the tech experts at Digital Foundry examined how the two entries in the Kojima Productions series support Power Saver Mode, a newly introduced operating mode for the PlayStation 5 console that cuts CPU resources in half, halves the memory bandwidth, and reduces CPU and GPU clocks to reduce the system's power consumption. While the implementation in Death Stranding: Director's Cut was not […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/death-stranding-2-on-the-beach-most-interesting-power-saver-mode/

EA is pushing its employees to use AI for basically every task, but the results can be flawed, resulting in more work for developers. Business Insider recently talked with current EA staff, who confirmed that the company's leadership has spent the past year or so pushing its 15,000 employees to use AI for virtually every task, from producing code and concept art for games to advising managers how to speak to staff about a certain number of topics, including pay or promotions. The AI tools used to produce code are among those creating the most issues for developers. It is […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/ea-is-pushing-employees-to-use-ai-for-everything-including-producing-code-requiring-manual-fixing/

These stunning Xbox Wireless Controller designs are enjoying their best discount yet at Amazon.

You can currently grab a top rated pair of gaming headphones at a massive discount at Best Buy, proving that you don't need to wait until Black Friday for good deals.

These three DualSense Edge competitors really offer a wide range of premium features. Definitely ones to look for in the upcoming Black Friday sales.

The rumors were true! Epic Games has confirmed that The Simpsons is officially coming to Fortnite for the very first time as the game's annual Fortnitemares Halloween event draws to a close.

Here's our live coverage of the launch of Battlefield 6 Season One and Battlefield REDSEC release time. This includes the start time, what's being added, as well as info on the new Battlefield battle royale mode.

There's little doubt that The Matrix franchise is criminally underserved when it comes to videogame adaptations, despite being theoretically a perfect fit for the medium. In the 26 years since the original movie's theatrical debut, we only got two decent games: 2003's single player action/adventure game Enter the Matrix and 2005's MMORPG The Matrix Online. More recently, the interactive experience The Matrix Awakens was released in late 2021, but it was really just a tech demo for Unreal Engine 5 and a tease at the level of quality that gaming fans of the IP never really got to fully experience. […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/the-matrix-creators-wanted-kojima-make-a-game-on-the-ip-konami-refused/

A team of modders is working on Bully Online, a modification for the PC version of Bully: Scholarship Edition that promises to allow players to roam the grounds of Bullworth Academy and the nearby town with their friends. The Wii and Xbox 360 versions of Scholarship Edition did have a multiplayer mode, but it was limited to two players and only allowed them to face off in the class minigames. According to community creator SWEGTA, Bully Online promises much more, including free roam support, solo and group minigames, and even a role-playing system. They were able to add a 'fully […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/bully-online-mod-promises-let-you-roam-rockstars-classic-with-friends/

This morning, indie Chinese developer ChillyRoom unveiled Loulan: The Cursed Sand, one of the games funded through the PlayStation China Hero Project. The game is a hack 'n' slash action RPG viewed from a Diablo-like camera. The setting is the ancient Silk Road, in China's Western Regions. Loulan: The Cursed Sand tells the tragic love story of an exiled royal guard who returns to the titular fallen kingdom amidst the chaos of war in search of his beloved princess. Players will step into the game as the skeletal warrior known as 'The Cursed Sand', mastering the power of sand as […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/loulan-the-cursed-sand-chinese-hack-n-slash-arpg/

We're going over the differences between two excellent Razer controllers, and why one is the clear winner.

Obsidian's long-awaited Xbox Game Pass RPG The Outer Worlds 2 is almost upon us, but can you run it? Here are the requirements you need to know.

The Resident Evil Remake Trilogy, Resident Evil 7 and Village, and the timeless Resident Evil HD Remaster are all enjoying a special Halloween sale for PC at Loaded.

Halo: Campaign Evolved marked the official confirmation of something that felt like it would never happen just a short few years ago, with Halo officially coming to PlayStation. Following that announcement, GameStop, the retailer that was initially known for selling physical video games that's now more known for turning into a glorified Pop Funko and merch store called the 'Console Wars' over. Of all entities, the White House, which would normally have more important things to post about, responded with an AI-generated image of President Trump in Spartan armor with the caption "Power to the players." GameStop's original post comes […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/gamestop-console-wars-over-halo-on-ps-white-house-trump-ai-spartan-armor/

Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford was recently interviewed by Shacknews alongside a few other colleagues to discuss the making of Borderlands 4, the studio's latest game, which was released on September 12. The video runs for 73 minutes, and right toward the end, Pitchford goes into exactly what is needed to create such a big videogame like Borderlands 4. Interestingly, he then adds that the gaming industry as a whole is just getting started and 'figuring out' videogames, which haven't yet received their 'Citizen Kane' moment yet. To make a game like Borderlands 4 takes a big investment. It's a massive, […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/borderlands-boss-gaming-hasnt-even-produced-single-masterpiece-yet/

I don't understand why the constant crashing was fixed by fiddling with my RAM, but it worked.

The long-rumored Halo CE Remake has finally been revealed, showcasing The Silent Cartographer mission rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5. Fans are split between excitement and concern — praising the visuals, mature tone, and attention to nostalgia, while criticizing modernized mechanics and missing features.

Anchor is a new underwater survival game from developer Fearem, which essentially mashes the kind of harsher survival crafting that players love in Rust with the underwater setting of Subnautica to create a new experience. Set in a dystopian world where a nuclear apocalypse has sent humanity into the ocean to try and find a new way to survive, you'll be able to join up with other players in the 150-player servers or lone shark your underwater journey as you try to survive on your own. It'll also feature PvE modes for those who don't want to deal with the […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/underwater-survival-game-anchor-mashes-subnautica-rust/

A new Unreal Engine 5 feature pushed to the engine's main development branch last week could pave the way for significant Lumen performance improvements across the board and for the lighting technology to be implemented in Nintendo Switch 2 games. As reported by tech artist Dylan Browne on X, Lumen Irradiance Cache, a probe-based Lumen mode for lower-end devices, is now available in the Epic engine. Compared to the default Hardware Lumen, the new mode features less occlusion detail and worse reflections, but it's still a good compromise compared to having no Lumen at all, judging from the comparison video […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/unreal-engine-5s-new-feature-could-bring-big-visual-improvements-on-nintendo-switch-2/

Last Friday, The Pokémon Company announced that Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest entry in the ever-popular monster catching franchise, had sold 5.8 million copies in its debut week. Now, Circana's Senior Director & Video Game Industry Thought Leader, Mat Piscatella, revealed that the game's retail launch was particularly big in the United States, where it registered the best performance of the last two and a half years. Pokémon Legends: Z-A had a massive US launch at retail. Launch week physical unit and dollar sales of Pokémon Legends: Z-A were the biggest for a new physical video game launch since The […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/pokemon-legends-z-a-had-massive-retail-launch-in-the-us/

The Battlefield 6 battle royale mode has finally been revealed and will officially be called Battlefield REDSEC. As rumoured, it'll launch tomorrow, and it'll be free-to-play. EA and Battlefield Studios revealed the mode with a short post on the official Battlefield X (formerly Twitter) account, which included a link to a gameplay trailer that'll go live tomorrow, alongside the mode itself going live. We'll have more official knowledge on the mode tomorrow when the gameplay trailer goes live, which will likely be followed by a blog post on the Battlefield 6 website, though for now we do have other claims […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/battlefield-6-battle-royale-battlefield-redsec-launches-tomorrow/

The current generation of Xbox and PlayStation consoles is now more than five years old, making it well past the time we would start hearing about what the next generation of consoles will look like. We've seen several rumours on what the next-generation Xbox hardware will include, and on top of comments from Xbox president Sarah Bond, a picture of Xbox's next console is starting to form. Now, a new report from Windows Central seems to piece it together a bit more clearly, framing the next Microsoft console as a best of both worlds between the PC and console experience. […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/next-gen-xbox-will-reportedly-be-best-of-both-worlds-between-pc-and-console/

Just as Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 finally arrives on the scene after years of development, another Vampire: The Masquerade game disappears for good. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt, the free-to-play battle royale that initially launched in its 1.0 state on April 27, 2022 (after an early access release on September 7, 2021), is shutting down its servers on April 28, 2026, almost exactly four years since its 1.0 arrival. Developer Sharkmob confirmed the shutdown in a statement on Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt's official website, citing the dwindling player population as "no longer sustainable" to keep the game […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/vampire-the-masquerade-bloohunt-servers-shutdown-2026/

Following several months of rumors about a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, the game that started one of Xbox's most successful franchises, Halo Studios (formerly 343 Interactive) announced Halo: Campaign Evolved during this year's Halo World Championship event. The remake, powered by Unreal Engine 5 visuals (with the original game's code running beneath), will be released next year on PC, Xbox Series S and X, and even PlayStation 5 for the first time in the series. As with all remakes, some fans immediately started dissecting the gameplay footage to see what was changed from the original. Even more interesting, though, […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/halo-combat-evolved-designer-likens-remake-to-dance-remix-classic-song-straight-to-chorus/

Looking for NYT Connections answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, plus my commentary on the puzzles.

The PlayStation Portal has allowed me to chip away at my overgrown gaming backlog in 2025, and I'm really hoping for a discount on the handheld this Black Friday.

The PlayStation Portal still delivers two years on, and now at a better price with this neat discount.

Studio head says Xbox is now competing 'more and more' with your mobile phone.

Xbox is still trucking along, with a partner preview event scheduled for November. Microsoft will also have a presence at The Game Awards in December, and a new Developer_Direct in January.

The new Xbox platform is said to be a "premium" experience, and now we have some details on what it'll look like.

JSAUX has showcased new Slim and Max carrying case accessories for the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally x to keep them safe while traveling. Additionally, JAUX has partnered with Amazon to host exclusive discounts for compatible chargers with limited-time codes to make them even cheaper.

Call of Duty is getting some competition just weeks before its next release.

There are a few new controllers boasting TMR sticks, promising higher precision and zero drift, but what exactly is Tunneling Magnetoresistance, and how is it different from Hall Effect?

Halo: Campaign Evolved, the remake of the first entry in the Halo series announced last week after months of rumors and speculation, is set to introduce significant visual improvements over both the original and the Combat Evolved Anniversary remaster, judging from some early comparison videos shared online. Following the game's announcement at this year's Halo WCC, Cycu1 shared two comparison videos on YouTube, comparing the current available footage of the remake with a recreation of similar sequences in the original and the Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary remaster. Needless to say, the differences are massive between the modern remake and the […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/halo-campaign-evolved-comparison-massive-visual-improvements/

Stray, the cat adventure game developed by BlueTwelve and published by Annapurna Interactive, will reportedly headline the PlayStation Plus Essential games lineup for November 2025. Earlier today, known leaker billbil-kun, who has proven extremely reliable regarding PlayStation Plus game lineup leaks in the past, revealed in a new report posted on Dealabs that the game that made headlines when it was launched in July 2022 for being widely appreciated by cats as much as by their owners will be available to all PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra, and Premium subscribers starting from November 4. Interestingly, Stray's joining the PlayStation Plus library next month […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/stray-playstation-plus-november-2025/

The likelihood of a roleplaying game once again getting most Game of the Year prizes after 2023's Baldur's Gate 3 is very high thanks to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The game has already scored many nominations from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025, with the winners due to be announced in a week from today. Meanwhile, the surprising sleeper hit of the year has received two endorsements from industry figures like Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer and Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy director Naoki Hamaguchi. Speaking to Famitsu, Spencer mentioned various games as his personal 2025 highlights, but ultimately picked Sandfall […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/clair-obscur-expedition-33-gets-goty-votes-phil-spencer-naoki-hamaguchi/

Battlefield 6 leaks reveal the alleged name for the upcoming battle royale mode. Also, here's when it's rumored to be launching.

Phil Spencer talks about Xbox's multiplatform strategy: 'We are making efforts to lower the barrier to entry'.

As promised on Friday, the development teams working on Battlefield 6 (DICE, Ripple Effect, Motive, and Criterion) have released the patch notes for update 1.1.1.0, which is set to go live tomorrow ahead of the debut of Season 1. The update will be released at 9:00 UTC, whereas the new season will be enabled at 15:00 UTC. With this update, the developers aim to address some of the biggest pain points the Battlefield 6 community lamented in the game's first few weeks. For example, the player character's core movement and animations have been refined to provide smoother landings, faster stance […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/battlefield-6-update-1-1-1-0-live-tomorrow-enhancements/

Earlier this year, when Turn 10 Studios lost over 70 members of its development team as part of the latest round of layoffs mandated by Microsoft, a former employee claimed that Turn 10 had effectively been turned into a Forza Horizon support studio. This chain of events had fans fearful about the future of the racing simulation franchise. Now, at last, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer commented on this as part of a Tokyo Game Show 2025 interview with Famitsu. The Japanese magazine asked him whether the Halo and Forza Motorsport franchises were done for. Spencer vehemently denied that for […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/the-forza-motorsport-series-is-resting-for-now-says-phil-spencer/

Last week, a ResetEra user discovered that the new Gaming Copilot AI installed by Microsoft on all Windows 11 PCs (integrated directly into the Game Bar) was training itself by screenshotting every game played by the user and then sending everything back to Microsoft. Gaming Copilot is also enabled by default, so if you want to turn it off, you need to go to the Game Bar, and then to Settings and Privacy Settings, where you will find the option for Gaming Copilot to pull "Model training on text" or not. Needless to say, this discovery sparked a big controversy […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/microsoft-comments-gaming-copilot-ai-controversy/

From Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds 2 hitting Game Pass to Dragon Quest remakes, Virtua Fighter’s return, and a flood of indies, here’s every new Xbox game launching this week.

After a long wait, I had high hopes that Tales of the Shire would flesh out its bland demo with a more enjoyable endgame. Unfortunately, developer Wētā Workshop failed to deliver.

Looking for NYT Connections answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, plus my commentary on the puzzles.

ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, is reportedly creating its own Steam competitor targeted at global markets. Dubbed "GameTop," the new storefront is said to carry social features, AI-assisted creator tools, and the typical publishing/distribution that other stores like Epic Games also have. Recruitment has already begun in China.

The adrenaline-pumping rising intensity of Taito’s arcade classic was not due to genius level coding but an Intel 8080 bottleneck.

The studio behind Call of Duty: Warzone has published a detailed outline of its plans for the year ahead, but the question remains; will it be enough?

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is almost upon us, so the age-old question for PC players is here again. Can my rig run it?

Halo: Campaign Evolved doesn't include multiplayer, and I asked the developers at Halo Studios why that's the case.

Detailed audio and a reasonable price tag make the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS a very compelling wired gaming headset.

Not with the way Xbox has been behaving recently

Warhammer Day is here, and it has brought a tidal wave of announcements for various Warhammer video games like Rogue Trader, Dark Heresy, Boltgun 2, and more.

Newegg has stealth-looted a 55% discount for the Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection, a perfect trip down memory lane for long-time fans or newcomers who want to experience the earlier games after completing Ninja Gaiden 4.

The Battlefield 6 team has offered an update as to the immediate future of its Portal experiences, and it's not going to sit well with a lot of players.

Phil Spencer confirms Forza Motorsport isn’t cancelled, explaining that Turn 10 Studios is being given more time while Xbox shifts focus to other projects. His comments come amid layoffs, rising profit demands, and growing fan concern over Xbox’s current direction.

Perfect Fatal Flash is Ninja Gaiden 4's most effective counter-attack, but also the most difficult maneuver to pull off consistently, as the skill's in-game description is vague on its activation conditions. Here what the game doesn't tell you to use Perfect Fatal Flash consistently after every parry. NOTE: Method and strategy perfected in the over 30 hours the author has spent in the game, completing the main campaign twice in Normal and Hard difficulty and Boss Trials challenges. Screenshots captured from the Steam 1.0.1.0 version. How to Use Perfect Fatal Flash As the name implies, Perfect Fatal Flash is the […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/how-to/how-to-use-perfect-fatal-flash-consistently-in-ninja-gaiden-4-guide/

Looking for NYT Connections answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, plus my commentary on the puzzles.

Microsoft said that the Gaming Copilot in the Game Bar only uses screenshots of your game to understand what's going on, not for training itself.

Battlefield 6 has posted the massive list of patch notes for the Season 1 update, and sadly, it's missing one huge fix everyone was hoping for.

Obsidian Entertainment's latest role-playing game, The Outer Worlds 2, is here, and there's a lot to do in this new space-faring adventure. The planets you visit have bigger maps to run through, there are more weapons to use and modify, people to meet and talk to, and plenty more. But there are five things that you should absolutely do first, right when you get off your ship, the Incognito, and touch down on the planet Eden and on Paradise Island. They'll make your playthrough run a lot smoother, and start you off on the right foot. The Outer Worlds 2 […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/how-to/the-outer-worlds-2-best-starter-skills-perks-guide/

Here is a list of everything new in Halo: Campaign Evolved, Halo Studios' remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved from Bungie.

Halo: Campaign Evolved brings a remake of the original story to Xbox, PC, and even PlayStation. After going hands-on, a lot of my concerns are gone.

The Halo: Combat Evolved remake we've all been anticipating today, as part of the Halo WCC, has finally been announced. Halo: Campaign Evolved is a remake that Halo Studios and Xbox describe as "a faithful yet modernized remake of Halo: Combat Evolved’s campaign." It'll arrive on Xbox Series X/S, PC, and PlayStation 5 sometime in 2026. We've officially seen it all now, with all of Microsoft and Xbox's biggest first-party franchises making their way to PlayStation. It was the inevitable endpoint we all saw when Halo Studios (formerly 343 Studios) confirmed that it would be dropping the Slipspace Engine and […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/halo-remake-halo-campaign-evolved-coming-to-pc-xbox-ps5-2026/

No controllers required.

The companies believe that placing researchers within EA's production teams will improve the latter's ability to create detailed worlds.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will be on console and PC, and in the case of the latter, not just from one source. But can you cross-save your progress between them?

The Outer Worlds 2

It's been a decade-long journey so far, and it'll have been over a decade by the time its finished, but we're nearing the completion of the Final Fantasy VII Remake Trilogy. With Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3 currently in development, we're on the lookout for any bit of information we can get, and in a recent interview with VGC, game director Naoki Hamaguchi provided a little more insight into the game's development. Recently, Hamaguchi spoke about how he's looking to provide "a new gaming experience" for players with Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3, by which he meant Part […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/final-fantasy-vii-remake-part-3-coming-along-well-says-director-very-confident/

The Outer Worlds 2 is finally here, and before you jump into Obsidian Entertainment's new space-faring adventure in its dystopian world, this guide will help give you a leg-up with some tips and tricks to survive and thrive in The Outer Worlds 2. It should go without saying that I won't be delving into any story spoilers, but incase it needed to be said, there it is. If you want to check out more about The Outer Worlds 2, then go look at my full review for the game. The Outer Worlds 2 Tips and Tricks Guide ABL: Always Be […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/how-to/the-outer-worlds-2-tips-and-tricks-guide/

Silver Pines is a Twin Peaks-inspired 2D survival horror metroidvania game (how often does one of those come along) that'll arrive on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5 sometime in 2026 from developer Wych Elm Games and publisher Team17. The game follows Red Walker, a private investigator who has been hired to find Eddie Velvet, a musician who has mysteriously vanished, though, as you might already suspect, while looking for Velvet, Walker begins to uncover a deeper plot and darker mystery behind Velvet's disappearance. Its art style and survival horror gameplay make it seem like […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/twin-peaks-inspired-2d-horror-silver-pines-2026/

Samsung Galaxy XR is expensive, no doubt, but the premium hardware and Android XR's capabilities can help justify that price.

The update of the Counter-Strike 2 skins exchange rules caused chaos. Some of the rare in-game items’ prices plummeted, stripping owners of the potential returns. The CS2 skins market cap dropped from $5.9 billion to $4.2 billion.  The trade-up contract…

This is the most powerful handheld gaming PC yet, and while it offers solutions to some key problems, it's not as alluringly simple as a conventional Xbox.

The Xbox Insider Program isn't robust enough for the absolutely gargantuan effort ahead of Microsoft. Bringing Windows up to par with the Xbox console experience may be the platform team's biggest challenge yet.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 marks the second title in the franchise to launch under Microsoft ownership, but with the recent Xbox Game Pass changes, what's the status of the latest game?

Now that Battlefield 6 has been out and in players' hands for a full two weeks at the time of this writing, EA and Battlefield Studios have begun updating, tweaking, and refining the experience to squash bugs and address player feedback. The latest update, which went live today in preparation for Season 1, includes tweaks to the Custom Search queue option and a fix for a vehicle spawn bug. What's more intriguing about the update is what's still to come, as Battlefield Studios lists changes and refinements to player movement and continued changes to player progression that Battlefield Studios began […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/battlefield-6-update-custom-search-player-movement-progression-to-come/

The October 23 Borderlands 4 patch introduces undocumented performance improvements on PC, according to a new comparison video shared on YouTube. The video shared by MxBenchmarkPC highlights how the latest update for the new entry in the series by Gearbox Software introduces a roughly 10% performance improvement at both 4K and 1440p resolutions. While barely hitting 59 FPS at 4K resolution on a powerful GPU like the RTX 5080 is still a strong indication that more work is needed to improve Borderlands 4, these improvements are a step in the right direction. Besides introducing these undocumented performance improvements on PC, […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/borderlands-4-october-23-patch-performance-improvements/

Retro Games Ltd has lifted the curtain on the upcoming A1200 remake, and pre-orders will be open from November 10. Units will be launching from June 2026

Even the controller's responsiveness was said to be more reliable on Linux.

Phil Spencer has confirmed that Microsoft is developing the next Xbox console, describing it as a first-party device and hinting that it builds on the Xbox Ally’s cross-platform vision. As Xbox faces mounting pressure to hit ambitious profit targets and redefine what “next-gen” means, the company’s future hardware could blend console power with PC flexibility in a pivotal moment for the brand.

News has surfaced for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 in the form of a new gameplay trailer, revealing that one of the dreaded Sisters of Battle is going to be its second playable character.

Football Manager 26 marks the return of the popular management sim, but if you're on Xbox Game Pass, can you play it as part of your subscription?

At the end of the Ninja Gaiden 4 campaign, Yakumo acquires a fifth weapon, the Dark Dragon Blade, which allows him to fight the game's final boss on equal ground. Here's how to permanently unlock this powerful final weapon in less than 30 minutes. NOTE: Method tested in the game's Steam 1.0.1.0 version after the completion of two different playtroughs, which the author played at Normal and Hard difficulty. Screenshots captured from the same version. How to Unlock the Final Weapon, the Dark Dragon Blade The Dark Dragon Blade is the final weapon for Yakumo. It is permanently unlocked by […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/how-to/ninja-gaiden-ultimate-guide-dark-dragon-blade-unlock/

Although the perception of Xbox is at an all-time low, the brand is doing better in Japan, a region that is notoriously one of the worst for Microsoft's video gaming division Speaking with Japanese publication Famitsu during the recent Beyond the Strand event celebrating Kojima Productions' 10th anniversary, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer commented on Xbox's performance in Japan. In the past year, the total playtime across the entire ecosystem has increased by around 20%. Although no exact figure has been confirmed, Spencer specified that the playtime growth is balanced between console, PC, and cloud. However, much of this total […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/xbox-doing-better-japan/

This morning, The Pokémon Company has announced that the latest installment in the monster-catching series, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, has sold 5.8 million units in its debut week, with Nintendo confirming that around half of those sales were on the Nintendo Switch 2. While still a very good sales performance, it lags a bit behind compared to the first Pokémon Legends, Arceus, which launched in early 2022 and sold 6.5 million units in its first week on the market. We recently posted Wccftech's review of the game, penned by Nathan Birch, who rated the game 8.5 out of 10. Here's a […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/pokemon-legends-za-sells-5-8-million-units-debut-week/

Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition is launching in November, and it'll be coming to Nintendo Switch 2 sometime in 2026.

The Outer Worlds 2 is Obsidian's third RPG this year, and it's only a few short days away from release. Here's exactly when you can play at launch time.

Microsoft has revealed the next wave of video games heading to Xbox Game Pass, and it includes titles like The Outer Worlds 2 and Football Manager 26.

Obsidian Entertainment's highly anticipated RPG adventure, The Outer Worlds 2, has had its review embargo lifted, giving players a glimpse into what critics had to say, both good and bad, about this upcoming title before its launch.

Square Enix has just uploaded a new trailer for Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, giving players one final preview of its reimagining of the first two Dragon Quest games before launch.

Kepler Interactive shadow drops cult hit Pacific Drive on Xbox with Play Anywhere support.

Laser Dance is the latest Meta Quest 3 game from the developer of Cubism, and it's finally making a debut after years of teases.

Razer's latest controller isn't for the Xbox crowd, but if you're a PC or PS5 gamer, then it's absolutely glorious. Here's why it might be your new favorite.

Xbox president Sarah Bond says the console will be a "very premium, very high-end curated experience."

Krafton has announced a major shift toward AI-driven game development, investing heavily in automation and “Agentic AI” systems, while Palworld studio Pocketpair takes the opposite approach, refusing to work with generative AI. The contrast highlights a growing split in how studios view the role of AI in gaming’s future.

Various online retailers are holding special discounts reaching over 70% for Atlus' best-selling JRPG, Persona 5: Royal, and its turn-based tactical spin-off, Persona 5: Tactica, for a limited time.

The Outer Worlds 2 delivers more of the same space western RPG formula that worked the first time, now with better combat, exploration, and a darker tone.

The $400 Steam Deck remains a popular and more affordable pick ahead of this holiday season.

Microsoft CFO Amy Hood is forcing Xbox to deliver an industry margin far beyond what is typical for gaming, which will devastate the business if not rectified soon.

Have you found that games are running slower than advertised on your Xbox Ally? For new users, it does a poor job of explaining its power modes. Here's how they work, and what they do.

Helldivers 2 has charted in the Xbox top five for two months straight, proving it is a commercial success beyond PlayStation despite early confusion over sales data. Its strong momentum highlights growing demand for Sony-published games on Xbox, especially with no Game Pass boost, and raises questions about whether Sony will lean further into multiplatform releases as the industry continues to move away from strict console exclusivity.

Obsidian Entertainment is about to launch its third 2025 Xbox RPG with The Outer Worlds 2, but is it available on Xbox Game Pass?

Everything and more is here for the first official Battlefield 6 season, all except one little mode people have been waiting for.

The Xbox Ally X has strong hardware but is held back by Windows. Testing from ETA Prime and Cyber Dopamine show that switching to Bazzite Linux can boost FPS, improve stability, and add instant resume without hurting battery life.

Running Bazzite on your ROG Xbox Ally X can net you some pretty big performance improvements, with some games running up to 32% better on Linux, versus the Windows-based Xbox FSE. Bazzite also reportedly offers better wake-up times from sleep and more stable frame rates all around.

Loaded has swiped a rich 81% discount for Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, a mad looter-shooter spin-off that combines the insanity and violence of Borderlands with the magic and RPG elements of Dungeons and Dragons.

Xbox President Sarah Bond has just hinted at what the next-gen Xbox console might be, and it's looking a lot like a PC hybrid that may run Windows to support multiple storefronts. Sarah says a premium, high-end experience is in the works, which suggests a costly price tag often associated only with PCs.

ASUS' highly anticipated Xbox Ally X has recently launched to the public and quickly sold out in multiple retailers across the United Kingdom. However, we have noticed that the UK store, Currys, has restocked this gaming handheld.

Play all the classics on your modern TV for less than $150.

General Intuition, a spinout from Medal, harnesses 2 billion video clips annually for AI training.

Nintendo began assembling the Switch 2 near the end of 2024 and could adjust production if demand fluctuates during the key holiday season.

Both are expected to hit shelves in 2027.

The Switch 2 is here, but is it really better than the Switch OLED? Let me tell you why you shouldn’t count the Switch OLED out just yet and why, depending on your needs, it might be worth upgrading.

A founding member of the Xbox team just shared a grim prediction for the future of Xbox consoles. Here's what she had to say, and what it means for gamers.

Apple is reportedly developing new wearable tech with advanced features like gesture recognition, audio playback, and environmental sensing.

The game runs smoothly for most players, but others report overheating when lingering on the map screen.

New benchmarks show Steam Deck rivals like the ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go struggle with performance due to Windows 11, while SteamOS delivers smoother gameplay.

The Switch 2's storage needs some help.

The best early Prime Day Nintendo Switch deals from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and other retailers.

Steam's Summer Sale is here, and these are my favorite 15 deals to splash the cash on so far.

Let's take a look at two of the most affordable handheld gaming PCs: The ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Ally.

Let’s talk about why the Switch 2's significantly low response time matters and what it means for the Switch 2’s future.

We break down what you’re actually getting for your $15 per month Humble Choice subscription, and how it compares to services like Game Pass.

Turn your TV into a gaming machine without shelling out hundreds for a console, just get this $39 accessory instead.

It's a sad day for mobile gaming after Netflix announced 22 games are leaving Netflix Gaming next month. Here's the full list, plus some good news.

Today was meant to be the day you threw it all away on dozens of Steam games you'll never get around to playing, but Valve's servers appear to have other plans.

Sony filed a notice of opposition against a trademark application by a small Hong Kong-based app developer, claiming it's too similar to a prized game studio.