Good evening readers! The team over at Xbox has started a new program to further engage with their customers called Inside Xbox. Their inaugural broadcast was on March 10th and tonight is episode 2. I watched this live on by Xbox One Mixer, and now I will relay all the tasty details here.
Coming Up ...
Teasing at a backward compatibility update, they instead roll into an overview of what is in store for us tonight!
Xbox Backwards Compatibility
Bill Stillwell takes the stage and announces new original Xbox games that will be available to play on Xbox One in April. These games are actually improved automatically when they are played on Xbox One; smother framerates, increased resolution, just a fuller experience with the realization of the assets originally used.
The list comes up on the screen with two; The Elder Scrolls II: Morrowind, and Breakdown. Both awesome games. But then the screen zooms out a little from those 2 games, and now there are 3 (added Conker Live & Reloaded). Then it zooms out again and there is a 4th (Jade Empire). I am starting to see a pattern now... we are being teased with just a few games at a time, then just when we think we have seen them all they toss in a few more. 4 becomes 5, then 10, then 15, then 19!!!! 19 new original Xbox games are coming to Xbox One!
Here are some screens to show them how the original game looks, and how the game looks when played on the Xbox One. I am really impressed with how much improved the games look on Xbox One! Please understand that my pictures don't do the quality justice because of the glare and screen motion.
If that wasn't enough, now they are announcing that 6 Xbox 360 games now have enhanced graphics on Xbox One X, out today!
- Star Wars The Force Unleashed
- Red Dead Redemption
- Darksiders
- Gears of War 2
- Portal 2
- Sonic Generations
Next up and Rod Fergusson talking about his Gears of War 2 game and how exciting it is to see in 4K on the Xbox One X. Also in celebration of this version of the game (available now on Xbox Game Pass), we can get all the DLC for free.
In other news, Forza Racing Championship 2018 goes live tomorrow (see www.forzarc.com). MineCon Earth advertisement. The event is set for September 29th, 2018.
Tom Clancy Ghost Recon Wildlands
Now some news about Wildlands, and additional DLC that includes Sam Fisher (from Splinter Cell games). Sam Fisher was voiced by Michael Ironside, and tonight we are treated to a live interview. In the interview, he explains that initially, he rejected the role to play Sam Fisher because "there are no organics to him". Later he accepted the role and worked with the team to create a storyline, backstory, family, and drive for Sam Fisher. So when he says "I am Sam Fisher", it means more than just being the sole voice for Sam for the last 19 years.
"I am Sam Fisher"
Incoming news about new content for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands. Year 2 for content and DLC has been confirmed, with Splinter Cell content. Adding in Sam Fisher, some splinter cell equipment, new PVP class, and more. When adding in Sam Fisher to Wildlands, it was important to them ensure that it feels like you are playing Sam Fisher. The new content for Wildlands will also include AI teammate customization.
One question for the dev team on the Sam Fisher PVE content; "We hear it's a tough mission. Any tips?" The answer is stealth, strategy, and use the tools you have (diversions, drones). Pull in help during fights (rebels, air strike, etc.).
Tips for getting a season 2 pass: It will include 1-week early access to content. The game will get 4 title updates during "Year 2" support. This weekend will be a free play weekend (April 12-15). They also confirmed that the Predator challenge is coming back!
PAX East
Now its time to look at some great images from PAX East which just wrapped up last week. For PUBG it was announced that Miramar map will be out in May. Also for all Xbox Live Gold members, PUBG will have Free to Play Days starting April 17th.
Xbox One Feature Update
The Xbox One family is getting a feature update with tons of new enhancements. Larry Hryb takes us through the list of enhancements. They are pretty extensive.
- Scheduled themes, such as Light and Dark. Users can set them to switch according to day and night in your location.
- AMD FreeSync can be turned on for supported monitors (a form of variable refresh rate). The entire Xbox family will support this, and on Xbox One S & X HDR is also supported.
- Auto Low-Latency Mode (ALLM or Game Mode as some TVs call it) allows your Xbox One to notify supported TVs to use this mode to reduce latency.
Scheduled Themes
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AMD FreeSync
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Auto Low-Latency Mode
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- Share Pictures to Twitter directly.
- Broadcasting Mixer is easier, and now can be done from anywhere in Xbox One.
- Mixer Share Controller feature will be added to Mixer this month. This allows the broadcaster to let the viewers share control of the game.
Share Pics to Twitter
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Broadcast Mixer anywhere
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Mixer Share Controller 
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- High Contrast mode available.
- 2560x1440 Resolution Supported (fills the gap between 1080p and 4K)
- Narrator volume that is independent of the main volume.
High Contrast Mode
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2560x1440 Resolution
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- Narrator "Input learning mode" so that buttons on attached devices will say the name of the function.
- Edge Browser has several enhancements including improved favorites, history, muted tabs, read aloud, auto fill, download and upload music, pictures, and video.
- Tournaments can now be created easier from the Game Hub.
Narrator Input Learning
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Easier Tournaments
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- Club administrators can now filter content based on several criteria.
- Users can sort their club feed in several ways.
- Disable comments on feed posts, clubs, and community.
Club Admin Filters
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Sorting Club Feed
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DIsable Comments
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- Balance background music can be done selectively now, prioritizing it or your game audio.
- Spatial audio has been added to al guide sounds in Xbox family
Balance Background Music
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Spatial Audio
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Robocraft Infinity
"Build, Drive, Fight!" is the slogan is this new Xbox One game. Its been around for years on PC, but now this new polished Infinity version is set to hit Xbox One tomorrow (Xbox Game Pass members get it today).
This looks like a pretty interesting game. My nephew Jonathan played a ton of it on PC and said he was really looking forward to this Xbox One version.
Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass is only $9.99 a month! Some new games coming to this great deal are Portal Nights, and Bomberman Live.
Completing the current Xbox Quest will enter you into a drawing for a Gold Plated Xbox One X.
Then something completely unexpected happened. The Xbox Team had apparently set up a real live scavenger hunt in Malta, which is a large island south of Italy. They invited a group of Sea of Thieves players to participate, including exploring towns, the ocean in boats and yachts (yes, I know that a yacht is a boat), and even personal submarines!
At the end the players were treated with a real treasure chest, and Xbox One, and then a row a canons were fired in celebration. That would have been a blast!
Mia Trailer
Next topic is the "Mia Trailer" for a coop survival game, based on The Walking Dead. Characters are set to fill a role and perform certain tasks better than others. Release Date? They will let us know.
Xbox FanFest 2018
Now, this is the part I was most excited for. I have never been to E3, and I am planning on going this year. I already have my Gamers pass for E3, the road trip planned, and the apartment rented. I will be down there for the full week, so if I happen to get into Xbox FanFest 2018, I would already be in town for that! Man wouldn't that just be so epic!
This year they are setting up 400 fans for the full weekend package called Xbox FanFest 2018. This will include a backpack of swag, and several events spanning the Saturday and Sunday before E3. The difference is that this year if you get a ticket, you can take someone else with you. In addition, there is a $45 fee for the Xbox Fanfest tickets. This will be donated to a Charity that will be announced soon.
On top of that, 1000 fans can win an entrance to the Xbox Briefing taking place Sunday, June 10 at 10:00pm PT at the Microsoft Theater in L.A. The Xbox Fanfest winners will be there too.
To win Xbox Fanfest 2018 tickets, or Xbox Briefing tickets, anyone can register online for free, at a website to be released sometime in the future. Please stay tuned to #XboxFanFest or #XboxWire for new information.
Speaking of the Xbox Fanfest swag again, they do give out two of the secret items in the backpack that each winner will get:
- Xbox Fanfest 2018 Jersey
- Glow in the dark Sea of Thieves styled 2TB external Hard drive
Teaser for Inside Xbox - Episode 3
We are given a short teaser on topics for the episode 3 in May; State of Decay 2.
The list comes up on the screen with two; The Elder Scrolls II: Morrowind, and Breakdown. Both awesome games. But then the screen zooms out a little from those 2 games, and now there are 3 (added Conker Live & Reloaded). Then it zooms out again and there is a 4th (Jade Empire). I am starting to see a pattern now... we are being teased with just a few games at a time, then just when we think we have seen them all they toss in a few more. 4 becomes 5, then 10, then 15, then 19!!!! 19 new original Xbox games are coming to Xbox One!
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