Microsoft’s Xbox has been around since 2001, and over that time the gaming brand has given us huge hits like Halo, Gears of War, Forza, and more. Today, the Xbox brand covers consoles like the Xbox One, PC gaming, and has even expanded to other platforms. You can play Minecraft on everything from a computer to an iPhone to a Nintendo Switch. Along the way, Microsoft has pioneered modern services like Xbox Live and Game Pass, introducing new ways to play games. And with Project Scarlett on the horizon, the Xbox looks to have a bright future.
We knew that Obsidian’s fantasy RPG was getting a major update soon, and during the New Game Plus livestream the studio also confirmed a nice surprise: the game is coming to the PS5 on February 17th. You can check out the full reveal below.
Microsoft is adding Star Wars Outlaws to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on January 13th, followed by Resident Evil Village for Ultimate, Premium, and PC Game Pass subscribers a week later on January 20th. Other titles coming to Game Pass this month include Brews & Bastards, Little Nightmares Enhanced Edition, Final Fantasy, My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery, and Mio: Memories in Orbit.
Microsoft’s first Xbox announcement of 2026 is the launch of Xbox Cloud Gaming on select Hisense and V homeOS-powered smart TVs. The Xbox app first launched on Samsung TVs, followed Amazon Fire TV devices, then select LG TVs, and now Hisense TVs. We don’t have an exact date for when the Xbox app will be available on Hisense and V homeOS-powered TVs, but Microsoft says it’s coming at some point in 2026.
“The newest models of the Fire TV 4-Series and Fire TV Omni QLED Series now feature the Xbox app built right in, with additional models coming in the future,” according to Amazon.
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Last night was the first Xbox Bowl, with Arkansas State taking the trophy, presented by Halo’s Master Chief, over Missouri State. Every player received a free ROG Xbox Ally handheld ahead of the game, but the winning team also received a playable trophy to, presumably, lock away in their case.
According to a new blog post:
...we do not plan to introduce new cars, tracks, features, or regular bug fixes for Forza Motorsport. However, we will continue supporting the game by keeping online servers active, hosting special events and competitions, and reintroducing previously released Featured Tours and reward cars on a monthly basis, until all content is available for you to enjoy anytime.
Developer Turn 10 was hit hard by this summer’s Xbox layoffs.
Ahead of The Game Awards, Compulsion Games has announced that South of Midnight is going multi-platform. The southern gothic action-adventure game, first released on Xbox earlier this year, is coming to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch 2 in spring 2026. Come for the incredibly cool southern folklore inspired narrative, but stay for your adorable companion Crouton and the yarn-spinnin’ Catfish.
Following a Fallout-themed Xbox controller released last year featuring Vault Boy, Microsoft has announced a new version inspired by Pip-Boy. The standard controller is available now for $82.97, but both it and the Elite controller can be further customized through the Xbox Design Lab. Season two of Amazon’s Fallout series debuts on December 17th.
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It’s “Wrapped” season, so it’s fitting that Microsoft shared the top third-party game for Game Pass. It was none other than Sandfall Interactive’s well-paced and overall fantastic Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which had more unique users after 30 days post-launch than others. Y’all have good taste. This is my GOTY.
As the increasingly pricey future of Xbox depends less on an actual box, Microsoft announced the recent launch of Xbox Cloud Gaming in India (just as Nvidia delayed its GeForce Now launch), and some new stats:
Players are streaming their games more than ever — cloud gaming hours from Game Pass subscribers has increased 45% compared to this time last year. And, console players are embracing flexibility, spending 45% more time cloud streaming on console and 24% more on other devices.
Over one year after its release on PS5 and PC, the Silent Hill 2 remake has finally made its way to Xbox Series X | S consoles. To celebrate its release, Konami is making Silent Hill 2 available on Xbox and PS5 for $34.99 instead of $69.99 for a limited time, with a similar discount coming to PC next week.
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[Konami Digital Entertainment]
This year’s Xbox Partner Preview will include 007 First Light, Tides of Annihilation, Reanimal, and other games from Microsoft’s partners. All games featured at Xbox Partner Preview will be Xbox Play Anywhere titles, meaning you can buy a single copy that works across Xbox console and PC. Microsoft’s event starts on November 20th at 10AM PT / 1PM ET / 6PM UK.
Following the Xbox-branded Backbone One controller that launched earlier this year, the Backbone Pro is getting a similar translucent green facelift. The $179.99 Backbone Pro Xbox Edition is available today with the same functionality as the standard Pro including Bluetooth connectivity, but adds Xbox-specific buttons and shortcuts.
Before the original Xbox’s design was finalized, Microsoft created a massive X-shaped prototype back in 2000 made from machined aluminum that cost $18,000 to manufacture. Tito Perez from YouTube’s Macho Nacho Productions and a few other modders built a functional replica with the guts of an original Xbox and a few upgrades.
The team at Obsidian talks about returning to the RPG series after becoming part of a giant corporation.
When you’re actively using Gaming Copilot in Game Bar, it can use screenshots of your gameplay to get a better understanding of what’s happening in your game and provide you with more helpful responses. These screenshots are not used to train AI models, and Gaming Copilot is an optional feature that only has access to gameplay when you’re playing a game and actively using it.
The words “will never” do not appear in Microsoft’s statement.
Halo Studios has rebuilt Combat Evolved for a new generation of players.
That was fast! I slapped down my $29 the day we wrote about Hallmark’s new ornament and it’s already here. Watch when I press the power button — and see how it compares to my Sega Genesis one Hallmark released in 2022! There’s an NES, SNES and OG Xbox too.
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