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Microsoft is giving the Xbox Series S a much-needed storage upgrade with a new higher-priced model.

Today at the Xbox showcase, Microsoft announced a new Xbox Series S model that effectively doubles the onboard SSD capacity and sports a new paint job that matches its much more powerful older sibling. The updated Xbox Series S Carbon Black SKU retails for $349, meaning gamers are spending about $50 extra on 500GB or so of PCIe 4.0 SSD tech. Also remember that 1TB isn't the full capacity and the SSD will typically drop to around 931GB after formatting.

The new edition is exactly the same in terms of specifications, though, with the limited 4TFLOPs of GPU power on the 7nm+ SoC and a much more limited 20 CUs of RDNA Navi 2.0 power, coupled with 10GB of GDDR6 RAM that runs at a slower rate. These lower-end chips see the Series S targeting a range of 1080p - 1440p resolution at 60-120FPS with variable dynamic performance.

The 10-year licensing agreement between Microsoft and NVIDIA may extend to Xbox Game Pass and allow users to stream PC Game Pass Ultimate titles on GeForce Now-enabled devices, including PCs and NVIDIA's Shield TV set top boxes.

Microsoft has announced that consumers will soon be able to play games available on PC Game Pass Ultimate through NVIDIA's GeForce Now game streaming service. This effectively extends the Game Pass subscription to one of the most powerful PC-oriented game streaming services on the planet, with NVIDIA's GeForce Now servers able to tap RTX 4080 GPUs to deliver high-end 4K gaming performance remotely to subscribers.

In an Xbox Wire blog post the company says that only select games from the PC Game Pass service will be streamable on NVIDIA's GeForce Now service:

In a closed-door meeting with journalists and analysts, Microsoft gaming CEO Phil Spencer says that the Xbox gaming brand is expected to make over $1 billion from PC throughout 2023.

Microsoft's expansion efforts onto PC will pay off big this year--at least that's what Xbox's Phil Spencer has told the media. In a private on-stage meeting with press and games industry experts, Spencer had some very interesting things to say about the state of modern Xbox gaming.

According to Spencer, PC's influence in the Xbox games business is growing, and is forecasted to make over $1 billion in revenues throughout 2023. We've known for a while now that Xbox is doing very well, having achieved a record-breaking $16.22 billion in Fiscal Year 2022. So far in FY23, which ends at the end of this month in June 2023, Xbox has generated $11.977 billion revenues.

Bethesda Game Studios unveiled a ton of new Starfield details during its special direct showcase today, including confirmation of a photo mode on day one.

It's official: Starfield is set to launch on September 6, 2023 exclusively on Xbox Series X/S and PC, and it'll include a photo mode at launch. Bethesda has put an incredible amount of work into their new upgraded Creation Engine tech, including global illumination for planet-wide lighting effects that change with suns in real-time. It's only natural that the studio would want to offer every opportunity to show off those effects with a fully-fledged photo mode so that all spacefarers could share their favorite shots.

In the Starfield Direct, the developers confirmed the game will have over 1,000 planets and worlds, complete with their own unique biomes, lighting effects based on proximity to the nearest sun, as well as gravitational properties that will alter traversal, exploration, and gameplay. There's also a mix of eclectic and bizarre wildlife to capture throughout the environments.

It's completely official this time: Starfield is set to launch this year on September 6, 2023 exclusively on Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Bethesda Game Studios has officially re-confirmed that Starfield will release in 2023. For real this time. Bethesda and Xbox have set a firm September 6 release date for the space sim while also showcasing new gameplay sequences and a massive amount of updates in the official Starfield Direct showcase.

The studio promises that Starfield is their biggest game yet, complete with new overhauled lighting systems, a procedural generation system that makes all planets and worlds unique, and tons of customization options for ships, weapons, and much more.

Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment today announced Star Wars Outlaws, its new game within the iconic franchise.

Star Wars Outlaws features a Han Solo-esque scoundrel adventure where you take the role of Kay, an outlaw trying to survive while being hunted down. Kay is a wanted criminal and Outlaws will deliver a kind of Wild West-in-Space journey where players have to rely on their wits to survive, complete with cinematic sequences befit of a Star Wars film.

Ubisoft has not revealed very many details about the game, but we did see what appears to be Han Solo in carbonite, so expect this to take place between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. There's distinct overtones of Star Wars 1313 in this game--the cancelled Boba Fett bounty hunter game--but with a fast-talking, smart-aleck outlaw instead of a quiet and stoic hunter.

The Microsoft-Activision merger may not ultimately be allowed to close, a key securities analyst tells investors.

In a recent note, Jefferies analyst Andrew Uerkwitz outlines the firm's thoughts on the Microsoft-Activision merger to investors. Uerkwitz believes that the $68.7 billion mega-merger between Microsoft and Activision has a less than 50% chance in being approved by key worldwide regulators like the FTC and CMA on a final basis.

"There is likely still a less than half probability this deal ultimately gets approved, but it's definitely more than zero which is where we believe the stock is pricing in," Uerkwitz writes, as detailed by Seeking Alpha.

Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider has revealed some exciting news on a recent episode of The Hot Mic podcast.

Sneider states that Universal Pictures is about to close a "big deal" that is soon about to be made public. After the recent global success of Universals The Super Mario Bros. Movie, It may come as no surprise that fellow video game giant The Legend of Zelda is now reportedly getting its time on the big screen.

Universal Pictures and Illumination are said to be spending a "pretty penny" on this upcoming blockbuster following the substantial box office revenue generated by the Super Mario Bros movie.

Tomorrow's Xbox showcase could help turn the tide in Microsoft's favor and help course-correct some of the controversy surrounding the gaming brand.

Following the big Redfall kerfuffle, Xbox needs a win right now. Tomorrow's gaming show could be a big touchdown moment that helps turn the tide of Xbox's public image in the enthusiast gaming sector. Here's a few things that I personally hope to see at the showcase alongside some predictions.

The Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct show begin tomorrow, Sunday, June 11 at 10am PST / 1pm EST, and can be live streamed on Twitch, Facebook, and YouTube.

Activision-Blizzard's investor relations VP Chris Hickey updates shareholders on its current negotiations with unions formed by company employees.

In a recent SEC filing, Activision management outlines how bargaining talks are going with the unions inside of its games business. The billion-dollar publisher has recognized two unionized groups: a team of quality assurance testers at Raven Software, and developers at Blizzard Albany, formerly Vicarious Visions, a team that worked on Diablo II Resurrected and Tony Hawk games. Collectively these groups form the Game Workers Alliance.

In the filing, Activision is advising shareholders to vote against a specific proposal that would require it to create a pro-union policy and continually update shareholders on its progress.

10 years ago at E3 2013, Microsoft delivered a significant blow to its Xbox gaming brand and cleared the runway for PlayStation's success.

In 2013, Microsoft tried to introduce an a video games console that restricted used game sales and required daily online check-ins. It was called the Xbox One, and the reveal presentation focused strongly on the console being the center of an all-in-one living room experience rather than just a game-playing machine. Microsoft's E3 2013 Xbox One reveal was a PR disaster that significantly impacted the Xbox brand for the last decade, forcing Microsoft to disrupt the entire video games market--and its core business--with the introduction of its Game Pass subscription.

Sony, on the other hand, swiftly capitalized on Microsoft's fumble. Sony took the stage at E3 2013 to basically announce it was doing the complete opposite of Microsoft with its PlayStation 4 console. The PS4 could be played offline, and Sony's marketing team even created one of the most powerful promotional clips in the entire history of the games industry: The famous How to Share PS4 Games clip.

More AAA games are expected to become digital-only releases as publishers and developers aim to aggressively cut costs and maximize profits.

Alan Wake II's controversial digital-only launch has caused a stir in the games industry, but the trend isn't all that surprising. In this particular case, the business decision makes sense. Remedy Entertainment is a smaller developer, and Epic Games, a billion-dollar powerhouse, is almost entirely focused on digital. Epic also fronted the entire development and marketing budget for Alan Wake II and probably didn't also want to spend the extra millions on producing and shipping game discs. Going digital-only also reduced Alan Wake II's price tag to $59.99 on consoles and $49.99 on PC. That won't be the case for other companies, including Sony Interactive Entertainment, who have made it clear that revenues are the biggest priority.

According to Circana (formerly NPD Group) analyst Mat Piscatella, more publishers, developers, and even platform-holders are set to embrace digital-only releases over the next two years. By 2028, digital-only AAA games may become the norm. That's on top of the new $69.99 price point that was introduced in 2020 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S games, and perpetuated by new adopters like Nintendo and Microsoft, whose first price increases were for games like Redfall and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Everyone seems to love Fallout: New Vegas, including Tim Cain, the father of the atomic sim franchise.

If you ask anyone what Fallout game you should start with as a new player, they'll probably say New Vegas. While I personally like Fallout 4's mechanics the best, there's no arguing that New Vegas has the most compelling storyline, setting, and characters that capture the overall distinct Fallout style. Tim Cain, who created, designed, and help ship the first Fallout PC game back in the 1990s at Interplay, has similar feelings.

In a recent FAQ video on his YouTube channel, Cain delivered high praise for Obsidian's post-apocalyptic Western that echoes the sentiments from millions of players worldwide.

Fallout creator Tim Cain takes us back to the past to discuss the influences that helped shape the first game into one of the most iconic video game franchises of all time.

There's nothing quite like a Fallout game. The retro-futurism style of the atomic age brings a striking visual design that you really don't see very much any more. A good portion of the game was based on satire grounded in reality, really tapping into the nuclear and communist scares that defined the era.

One not-so-surprising influence was the 1988 Apple II classic Wasteland. Cain clarifies that Wasteland wasn't as much of an influence as everyone thinks. "The biggest influence, outside of the post-apocalyptic world and things like Rangers, was the idea that there could be quests that have a moral dilemma in them."

Universal's next big video game adaptation will be based on The Legend of Zelda, sources have told renowned film critic and reporter Jeff Sneider.

Following the billion-dollar success of the Super Mario Bros. Movie, reports indicate that Nintendo is currently working out a mega-deal with Universal on a film adaptation of its popular Zelda franchise series. Illumination, the production studio that animated the Mario film, is likewise expected to bring Link's grand fantasy adventure to the big screen.

"I got this tip last week from a great source. I didn't want to just blurt it out, and I did call yesterday but I never heard back. So we're just going to put it out there. Again, not a big shocker, but from what I'm told it's getting close to official," Sneider said in a recent episode of The Hot Mic video series.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is a phone that we've seen conflicting rumors about over the last few months. Some believe that it's real and on the way, others suggested that there will be no FE, or Fan Edition, version of the latest Galaxy S lineup. Now, a new leak claims to have pictorial proof of the battery that will power the phone when it is eventually made official.

Whether this finally confirms that there is really going to be a Galaxy S23 FE or not remains to be seen, but some people seem pretty convinced that we will finally see this new phone sooner rather than later.

The battery itself was spotted by Galaxy Club in a certification listing from Safety Korea. The battery carries the model number EB-BS711ABY which matches the SM-S711 model number that is thought to be for the Galaxy S23 FE. However, the certification doesn't confirm what capacity the battery has which means that we can't have a guess at how well the Galaxy S23 FE will fare in the battery life stakes.

If you live in Germany and were planning on picking up a new phone, you're going to have one fewer company to look into. That's after Vivo followed the lead of OnePlus and Oppo by pulling out of the country, halting sales of its phones in the process.

The move follows a ruling over a patent battle with Nokia that saw Vivo and the other two companies lose. As a result, Vivo says that it's no longer selling its phones in Germany. However, those who already have a phone will continue to receive customer support when required while future software updates have also been secured, the company says.

Interestingly, WinFuture notes that Vivo could license the WLAN patents required to continue selling its phones in the country but appears to have chosen not to. The retailer does note that Germans who really do want to get their hands-on a Vivo phone can still do so via other European countries, although that is perhaps an extra layer to the purchase process that most people are unlikely to want to go through.

When Apple announced the Vision Pro headset during the WWDC 2023 event on June 5 it confirmed that the external battery pack will offer just two hours of power when the headset isn't connected to a power outlet. But that could change if there's a way to install a larger, more capable battery pack further down the line.

And it turns out that there might actually be a way to do that, although Apple is yet to confirm as much. Instead, it's been left to leaker DuanRui to posit that a hole on the Apple battery pack might allow users to eject the cable, meaning that it can then later be plugged into a different battery if required.

The cable does appear to be in a state that suggests it can be removed, and it's possible that putting something long and thin like a SIM ejector tool into the hole beside it will see the cable easily removed. There are two holes in fact, but one is likely to be an LED indicator that shows when the battery is either being charged or is in use.

Apple announced that its Apple TV devices will soon be able to make and accept FaceTime calls for the first time when tvOS 17 ships later this year, but that's nothing. Now, it appears that Google is already working on allowing devices running its Android TV software to accept actual telephone calls as well.

That's according to a new report based on the Android TV 14 beta that is now available, with leaker Mishaal Rahman taking to Twitter to share the details.

According to that leak, there are already references to an option to enable call notifications as well as receive calls on an Android TV device. The text related to those options suggests that, when enabled, users will be able to receive calls from supported apps. It isn't clear what those supported apps will be, or what developers might need to do in order to make the feature work.

Microsoft and Xbox are celebrating 75 years of Porsche by launching a special edition version of the Xbox Series X console, but there's one big catch - you can't actually buy it.

The new console is instead only going to be available via a sweepstake, with people able to enter between now and midnight on October 1. After that, you'll just have to hope that one of these things pops up on eBay and even if it does, it's likely to cost a small fortune. As for the sweepstake, that's available to anyone who is 18 or over and happens to live in the United States, the UK, or Germany.

The sweapstake website says that Porsche has been fueled by a relentless pursuit of bringing dreams to life for its 75 years of existence, so Xbox has decided to celebrate by making 75 of these special consoles available. They're covered in a custom design that is inspired by Porsche racing colors, we're told, and they look pretty stunning. There is even a custom Xbox controller included in the package as well.