Minecraft was the UK's best-selling new IP of the decade

January 29th, 2020, 21:33 Posted By: wraggster

Minecraft is the biggest new games IP of the past ten years, based on UK retail sales.


That's according to GfK Entertainment, which tracks UK retail sales, and factors in the various console versions (published by their respective platform holders), plus the Telltale-developed Story Mode.


Minecraft appeared third in the overall best-selling games of the decade. The rest of the top ten was taken up by Grand Theft Auto V, three Call of Duty titles and no less than five FIFAs -- something we discussed at length last week.


In that article, we lamented the lack of new ideas and properties in the upper echelons of the chart. There were, of course, plenty of innovations and new franchises launched over the past ten years, including the toys-to-life genre (which rose and fell within the same decade) and the arrival of virtual reality, but these were overshadowed by the usual AAA blockbusters.


Curious as to how well any of these emerging franchises fared, GamesIndustry.biz reached out to GfK Entertainment to gauge which new IP had been the most successful. For the sake of clarity, we defined new IP as a property that debuted in the last decade, unconnected to any previous existing brand (e.g. Forza Horizon, while a new series, is still part of the Forza IP).

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...-of-the-decade

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Cxbx Reloaded Git (2020/01/28)

January 28th, 2020, 19:39 Posted By: wraggster

Cxbx Reloaded Git (2020/01/28) is compiled. Cxbx-Reloaded is an emulator for running Microsoft Xbox (and eventually, Chihiro) games on Microsoft Windows. The project began life as a fork of Cxbx with added 64-bit support. Work is currently underway to backport some of the improvements from Dxbx. Cxbx-Reloaded is still pretty unstable, don't expect it to run much at this point.

Cxbx Reloaded Git Changelog:
* Merge pull request #1823 from RadWolfie/fix-audio-stream-flush
* fix audio stream flush functions

http://www.emucr.com/2020/01/cxbx-re...-20200128.html

https://github.com/Cxbx-Reloaded/Cxbx-Reloaded

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Xenia Git (2020/01/28)

January 28th, 2020, 19:39 Posted By: wraggster

Xenia Git (2020/01/28) is compiled. Xenia is an experimental emulator for the Xbox 360. It does not run games (yet).

Xenia Status:
Some real games run. Most don't. See the Game compatibility list for currently tracked games and feel free to contribute your own updates, screenshots, and information there following the existing conventions.

Xenia Git Changelog:
* [Kernel] Make XexUnloadImage fully release the image
* [Kernel] (Partially) fix module refcounting
* [Kernel] Fix SHA1 and SHA256 state endianness

https://github.com/benvanik/xenia

http://www.emucr.com/2020/01/xenia-git-20200128.html

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DS4Windows v2.0.6

January 27th, 2020, 21:44 Posted By: wraggster

DS4Windows v2.0.6 is released. DS4Windows is a portable program that allows you to get the best experience while using a DualShock 4 on your PC. By emulating a Xbox 360 controller, many more games are accessible.

DS4Windows Requirements
* Microsoft .NET 4.5 or higher (needed to unzip the driver and for macros to work
* DS4 Driver (Downloaded & Installed with
* Microsoft 360 Driver (link inside DS4Windows, already installed on Windows 7 SP1 and higher or if you've used a 360 controller
* Sony DualShock 4 (This should be
* Micro USB
* (Optional)Bluetooth 2.1+, via adapter or built in pc (My recommendation) (Toshiba's bluetooth & Bluetooth adapters using CSR currently does not

DS4Windows changelog:
Created Max Output setting for some axes. Replacement for negative deadzone functionality from Jays2Kings build
Increased stick mouse offset
Increased virtual controller change delay time
Fixed saving of Custom Steam Folder setting

https://github.com/Ryochan7/DS4Windows

http://www.emucr.com/2020/01/ds4windows-v206.html

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A quick look at Cxbx-Reloaded’s December 2019 progress report

January 19th, 2020, 15:21 Posted By: wraggster

Now, the emulator has matured quite a bit and monthly progress reports published on Patreon are a testament to that with December 2019’s report being shared on Monday. In a nutshell, the report which is a rather long and interesting read comes with the following main points:

• As of right now, there are 59 titles considered playable and 184 others are In-Game
• HLSL (High Level Shader Language) vertex shaders are now used which replace older vertex shader conversion code
  • This change results in increased accuracy and improved rendering although it might result in slower performance while shaders are being compiled. However, HLSL shaders seem to provide slightly better performance after being fully compiled!
• A fix relating to large vertex shaders which allows DoA 3 to work again together with other internal improvements spanning from trampoline optimisation, an improvement to the emulated kernel and a fix relating to Half-Life 2

• Improvements in numerous games including:
  • Rayman Arena is now playable
  • Totaled is playable
  • Ghost Recon Island Thunder is playable
  • Backyard Wrestling 2 is now in-game
  • Mortal Kombat Deception is in-game
  • Robocop is in-game
  • Soldier Of Fortune II – Double Helix is in-game
  • Hot Wheels Stunt Track Challenge is in-game
  • Many other titles, including Crash N Burn, are now in-game or playable. You can check these out by following the link below

To read the full progress report and see what games improved with developments in December, follow this link which also allows you to donate towards the emulator’s development. An Excel spreadsheet is available at the bottom of the list detailing game compatibility status.

http://wololo.net/2020/01/16/news-n-...layable-games/

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Microsoft announces plans to be "carbon negative" by 2030

January 19th, 2020, 10:59 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft has announced today that in order to combat the escalating threat of global warming due to excessive carbon emissions, it plans to become "carbon negative" by 2030, and to remove as much carbon from the atmosphere as it has produced since its founding by 2050.
In an official blog post, Microsoft emphasized the need for the world to reach 'net zero' emissions as soon as possible, effectively seeing humanity remove as much carbon as it emits each year. It adds that "those of us who can afford to move faster and go further should do so," announcing its plan for a new one billion dollar climate innovation fund to help accelerate global development of carbon reduction, capture, and removal tech.
"We are launching today an aggressive program to cut our carbon emissions by more than half by 2030, both for our direct emissions and for our entire supply and value chain. We will fund this in part by expanding our internal carbon fee, in place since 2012 and increased last year, to start charging not only our direct emissions, but those from our supply and value chains."

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...gative-by-2030

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Microsoft goes all-in on the 'evergreen platform'

January 19th, 2020, 10:53 Posted By: wraggster

It's a far cry from the widespread opprobrium that greeted the bizarre live TV focus of the original Xbox One, but it would be fair to say that Microsoft's announcement that it won't be releasing any exclusive titles for the Xbox Series X at launch has not exactly been popular.
At best, it's got fans of the platform cautiously welcoming the decision as a sign of continued strong support for the Xbox One consoles -- albeit with an undercurrent of concern that no doubt stems from the fact that the last time Microsoft messed with the tried-and-tested formula for console launches it did not exactly go well. At worst, it's making a lot of consumers wonder what, exactly, the argument for buying a Series X will be this winter, expressing a not unjustified sense that the case for the Series X just got a lot harder when it'll be competing against both cheaper Xbox One consoles that play the same games and the PlayStation 5 (which will have exclusive games).
These are reasonable stances because, beyond a doubt, Microsoft's decision on exclusives is going to make life more difficult for the Xbox Series X in the early months and perhaps even years of its existence. It's not something that the console can't possibly overcome, but it's going to be playing the game on a tougher difficulty setting than would have been the case otherwise. After the unforced errors on Microsoft's part which helped to hand such a commanding lead to Sony in the previous generation, it's easy to understand why Xbox fans conscious of history's inclination to form rhyming verse would feel a bit uneasy with this latest announcement.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...green-platform

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DS4Windows v2.0.4

January 15th, 2020, 21:32 Posted By: wraggster

DS4Windows v2.0.4 is released. DS4Windows is a portable program that allows you to get the best experience while using a DualShock 4 on your PC. By emulating a Xbox 360 controller, many more games are accessible.

DS4Windows Requirements
* Microsoft .NET 4.5 or higher (needed to unzip the driver and for macros to work
* DS4 Driver (Downloaded & Installed with
* Microsoft 360 Driver (link inside DS4Windows, already installed on Windows 7 SP1 and higher or if you've used a 360 controller
* Sony DualShock 4 (This should be
* Micro USB
* (Optional)Bluetooth 2.1+, via adapter or built in pc (My recommendation) (Toshiba's bluetooth & Bluetooth adapters using CSR currently does not

DS4Windows changelog:
Changed macro recorder to handle special case of capturing Alt keys
Fixed values used for controller button presses in macro recorder
Changed to now force some tabs to not be accessible while Profile Editor is open
Improved Japanese translation. Change provided by jeek-midford
Added "Revert to default profile on unknown process" option to auto-profile screen. Change provided by mika-n
Added user configurable (profile) max time for rumble watchdog timer. Defaults to a disabled timer (0 value). Should help with games that hold a rumble effect for a long period of time with no update (GTA 5?). Change provided by mika-n
Added Italian translation. Provided by RaydenX93
Fixed invalid cast bug for Shift Action key binding in Binding window. Crash happened when updating window with current binding
Added SuppressUnmanagedCodeSecurity to some classes that deal with COM interopt calls
Fixed default button mapping display for TouchUpper and TouchMulti touchpad buttons
Corrected trigger slider labels in Controller Readings tab
Fixed auto-profile "Turn DS4Win temporarily off" functionality. Changed provided by mika-n

http://www.emucr.com/2020/01/ds4windows-v204.html

https://github.com/Ryochan7/DS4Windows

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Cxbx Reloaded Git (2020/01/13)

January 15th, 2020, 20:47 Posted By: wraggster

Cxbx Reloaded Git (2020/01/13) is compiled. Cxbx-Reloaded is an emulator for running Microsoft Xbox (and eventually, Chihiro) games on Microsoft Windows. The project began life as a fork of Cxbx with added 64-bit support. Work is currently underway to backport some of the improvements from Dxbx. Cxbx-Reloaded is still pretty unstable, don't expect it to run much at this point.

Cxbx Reloaded Git Changelog:
* Merge pull request #1815 from RadWolfie/fix-default-audio-frequency
* fix audio frequency by set only given frequency value instead of from host function

https://github.com/Cxbx-Reloaded/Cxbx-Reloaded

http://www.emucr.com/2020/01/cxbx-re...-20200113.html

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Marvel's Avengers game release date pushed back by a few months

January 14th, 2020, 19:05 Posted By: wraggster

• Square Enix is on a roll today, when it comes to delaying games. Crystal Dynamic's Avengers game, which was originally slated for a May 15th release, has been delayed by four months. Just like the Final Fantasy VII Remake delay, the slight push back is due to the development team wanting to polish the game for its final release, and ensure that the game is truly ready for fans on launch day. You'll be able to try Avengers out on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia, when the game comes out on its new release day, September 4th.
  
  Source
  
  
  
  
  

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Microsoft first-party titles to be cross-compatible between Xbox One, Xbox Series X

January 14th, 2020, 17:39 Posted By: wraggster

With the Xbox Series X's launch on the horizon this year, Microsoft is gearing up for a slightly different kind of console launch than we might be used to.
Though past console launches from Microsoft and others have seen an emphasis on big, console-exclusive software, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty told MCV in an interview that it intends to keep its first-party titles compatible across all Microsoft hardware, including Xbox One, Windows PC, and future consoles.
"As our content comes out over the next year, two years, all of our games, sort of like PC, will play up and down that family of devices," Booty said. "We want to make sure that if someone invests in Xbox between now and [Series X] that they feel that they made a good investment and that we're committed to them with content."
That doesn't mean the console won't be launching without big games. Microsoft has already announced Halo Infinite timed alongside the launch of the Xbox Series X, with Booty adding that the console maker would be focusing on "one or two IP" that would take advantage of all the console's new features.
Booty's confirmation of the full Xbox first-party library's compatibility with Xbox Series X isn't the end of cross-compatibility. The Xbox Series X has also been revealed to be compatible with Xbox One gaming accessories, and allow users to bring cross-generation achievements, saves, Xbox Game Pass titles, and "thousands of games across four generations of gaming", indicating that some degree of backward compatibility to Xbox and Xbox 360 games will likely be available too.
Booty also made a point to emphasize the importance of a steady slate of games (helped by its numerous studio acquisitions over the last few years), offering a ballpark "every three or four months" for the frequency with which games out to release. Also important: delivering on promises. "If we say a game is going to ship at a certain time, we've got to get that done, we just need to get better at executing," he said.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...-xbox-series-x

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Phil Spencer confirms Xbox will be at E3 2020

January 14th, 2020, 17:33 Posted By: wraggster

PlayStation 5 may not be heading to Los Angeles this June, but Xbox Series X certainly will.
In the wake of Sony's revelation to GamesIndustry.biz that it will not be attending E3 for the second year in a row, Xbox boss Phil Spencer took to Twitter to assure that his company would still be present.
"Our team is hard at work on E3, and we look forward to sharing with all who love to play what's ahead of us," he wrote. "Our artform has consistently been propelled by the cross-section of creativity and technical progress. 2020 is a milestone year in that journey for Team Xbox."
Both Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 are due on shelves this Christmas. While the two platform holders will almost certainly host their own reveal events prior to E3, as they have in past generations, the LA-based showcase has historically been a crucial event in building up hype ahead of a new machine.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...-be-at-e3-2020

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XQEMU Git (2019/12/26)

January 2nd, 2020, 23:01 Posted By: wraggster

XQEMU Git (2019/12/26) is compiled. XQEMU is a open source, cross-platform emulator for the original Xbox (and Sega Chihiro). It is currently in very early stages of development. XQEMU is built on-top of QEMU.

XQEMU Git Changelog
* build: Disable some unnecessary features
* ci: Auto-confirm update to MSYS2 environment
* README: Update CI badges
* ci: Use ccache to reduce build time
* ci: Add GitHub Actions build workflows
* ci: Remove AppVeyor config
* .travis.yml: Restore Travis-CI config to QEMU upstream
* build: Narrow `make` scope to i386-softmmu target
* build: Disable source fortification for Windows builds
* configure: Add option to disable source fortification
* osdep: Define __USE_MINGW_ANSI_STDIO before includes

https://github.com/xqemu/xqemu

http://www.emucr.com/2019/12/xqemu-git-20191226.html

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DS4Windows v2.0.3

January 2nd, 2020, 22:51 Posted By: wraggster

DS4Windows v2.0.3 is released. DS4Windows is a portable program that allows you to get the best experience while using a DualShock 4 on your PC. By emulating a Xbox 360 controller, many more games are accessible.

DS4Windows Requirements
* Microsoft .NET 4.5 or higher (needed to unzip the driver and for macros to work
* DS4 Driver (Downloaded & Installed with
* Microsoft 360 Driver (link inside DS4Windows, already installed on Windows 7 SP1 and higher or if you've used a 360 controller
* Sony DualShock 4 (This should be
* Micro USB
* (Optional)Bluetooth 2.1+, via adapter or built in pc (My recommendation) (Toshiba's bluetooth & Bluetooth adapters using CSR currently does not

DS4Windows changelog:
Added hooks for Swipe Control buttons
Added fix for Load Profile Special Action save crash
Bundled HidGuardHelper version 0.1.2. Added process check for stale whitelist key removal

https://github.com/Ryochan7/DS4Windows

http://www.emucr.com/2020/01/ds4windows-v203.html

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Cxbx Reloaded Git (2020/01/02)

January 2nd, 2020, 22:41 Posted By: wraggster

Cxbx Reloaded Git (2020/01/02) is compiled. Cxbx-Reloaded is an emulator for running Microsoft Xbox (and eventually, Chihiro) games on Microsoft Windows. The project began life as a fork of Cxbx with added 64-bit support. Work is currently underway to backport some of the improvements from Dxbx. Cxbx-Reloaded is still pretty unstable, don't expect it to run much at this point.

Cxbx Reloaded Git Changelog:
* Merge pull request #1813 from LukeUsher/fix-hlsl-stack-overflow
* Fix a crash when converting certain, large vertex shaders

https://github.com/Cxbx-Reloaded/Cxbx-Reloaded

http://www.emucr.com/2020/01/cxbx-re...-20200102.html

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Microsoft returning to simpler "Xbox" branding for next gen hardware

January 1st, 2020, 11:37 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft has suggested that the Xbox Series X will only be the first console in its new generation of hardware -- and that generation will simply be branded "Xbox."
The point was made in response to inquiries from Business Insider, which noticed a quirk in the way the Xbox Series X name was presented at The Game Awards -- specifically that the word "Xbox" was heavily foregrounded, with "New" and "Series X" much smaller above and below it.
"The name we're carrying forward to the next generation is simply Xbox," a Microsoft representative told Business Insider, "And at The Game Awards you saw that name come to life through the Xbox Series X."
The current generation of hardware was named Xbox One, with both S and X models released. The hardware released in the generation before was all under the Xbox 360 brand.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...t-gen-hardware

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Xbox Series X officially revealed at The Game Awards

December 16th, 2019, 22:01 Posted By: wraggster

At The Game Awards this evening, Xbox head Phil Spencer took the stage to reveal the name and a more official look at the next Xbox console: the Xbox Series X.
Though no major new technical details were shown, we did get our first proper look at the new console and a reaffirmed release window of holiday 2020.
Alongside the reveal of the Xbox Series X, Spencer also announced one of the games being developed specifically to take "full advantage" of its capabilities. Ninja Theory, which was acquired by Microsoft back in 2018, is working on a sequel to Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice entitled Senua's Saga: Hellblade II.
Other details about the Xbox Series X come from its announcement at E3 2019 as Project Scarlett. There, it was said to be four times more powerful than the Xbox One X, with framerates of 60fps and up to 120fps, 8K, next-gen ray tracing, variable refresh rate support, and an SSD being used as "virtual RAM." At the time, Spencer said that it would be "100% focused on games," and Halo Infinite would be a launch title.
In a press release following the announcement, other tidbits that were revealed included that the new Xbox Wireless Controller would include a new Share button, would be compatible with Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, and would be included with all Xbox Series X consoles. It was also mentioned that the console is "designed for a future in the cloud."

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...he-game-awards

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Phil Spencer: "Nobody's asking for VR" on Xbox

December 4th, 2019, 21:45 Posted By: wraggster

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has squashed the idea that virtual reality will have a role to play in the company's next console -- in simple terms, "nobody's asking for VR."
Speaking to Stevivor at X019 in London, Spencer was questioned on a statement he made in 2016, which suggested that VR would arrive on the Xbox platform when the medium moved past "demos and experiments."
Spencer made it clear that he was "not trying to demean the work that people are doing in VR." However, he also made it clear that the market has not progressed to a point where there is enough demand within the Xbox audience.
"I have some issues with VR," Spencer said. "It's isolating, and I think of games as a communal, kind of together experience. We're responding to what our customers are asking for and... nobody's asking for VR."

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Xbox One was the UK No.1 games console over Black Friday

December 4th, 2019, 21:36 Posted By: wraggster

The Xbox family of consoles were the best-selling machines over Black Friday in the UK.
Microsoft's device was heavily discounted during the Black Friday sales period, with the Xbox One S All-Digital consoles cut to £110 in Tesco, with £129.99 offers at other retailers. The machine bundled in digital versions of Sea of Thieves, Minecraft and Fortnite, which is why all of those games charted so well in the software charts.
More than 100,000 Xbox One machines were sold last week, according to retailers, which is just slightly behind what the console managed during Black Friday 2018. The All-Digital version was the most successful edition of them all.
Xbox One very narrowly beat Nintendo Switch by "just a handful of consoles". Nintendo's machine also featured some big discounts during Black Friday, with the new 'Lite' version down to £179.99. Retailers also did some bundling around products such as Nintendo Labo, Mario Kart 8: Deluxe and Pokemon Sword and Shield.
The Neon Switch with the longer battery life was the biggest selling version of the machine. Nintendo sold more Switch consoles during this Black Friday than it managed over the same period in 2018.
In terms of revenue, Nintendo Switch was actually the No.1 console due to the higher price of the machine compared to Xbox One.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...r-black-friday

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Microsoft's cheaper, discless next-gen Xbox reportedly still in the works

December 4th, 2019, 21:28 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft's next-gen console plans, code-named Project Scarlett, have been the butt of speculation for several years now and still are after its official announcement at E3 2019. Now, one rumor has resurfaced: Project Scarlett may be not one console, but two.
If this song sounds familiar, it's because we've heard it before. In late 2018, reports circulated that Project Scarlett consisted of a higher-powered "Anaconda" version and a cheaper, discless "Lockhart." Though these rumors faded and other reports even indicated they were false following the official reveal of Scarlett, a new Kotaku report says Lockhart is very much alive.
According to sources speaking to Kotaku, Lockhart is still in development. For comparison, Anaconda could be seen as a successor to the Xbox One X and Lockhart as a successor to the Xbox One S in terms of performance differences, with one developer comparing Lockhart to the PS4 Pro for raw graphical power. Developers would be expected to support both consoles simultaneously for next-gen Xbox releases.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...l-in-the-works

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