Dolby Vision For Gaming Available On Xbox Series X|S Now

Microsoft continues to break ground when it comes to incorporating new technology into its platforms with the addition of Dolby Vision on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series, It's also the first console this tech has come to.

The new feature will be available for over 100 next-gen titles, with it boosting visual enhancements on thousands of classic HDR10 and Auto HDR games.

Players will see an improvement with "incredible brightness, color, contrast, and detail" for applicable TVs. It will also work in unison with current Xbox Series X|S features, such as "DirectX raytracing, automatic low-latency mode, variable refresh rate, and up to 120FPS".

Here's a quote regarding the addition:

"Starting today, gamers with compatible Dolby Vision-enabled TVs will be able to enjoy full-spectrum visuals with the rollout of Dolby Vision gaming on Xbox Series X|S. With Dolby Vision, epic worlds – such as lush rainforests or neon futuristic cities – are brought to life in more vivid color.

Dolby Vision deepens your immersion into the experience by enabling you to see an enemy hiding in the shadows or spot hidden clues through expanded contrast and better clarity in both bright and dark scenes."

The easiest way to check if your setup is compatible is by doing the following steps on your Xbox:

Go to Settings

Select General

Select TV & Display Options

Select 4K TV Details.

From there, you'll be able to see if you can tick the option to enable Dolby Vision on your console.

This isn't something I've personally experienced myself but i don't have a huge infinity for Dolby products, specifically, I'm not a fan of Dolby Atmos for gaming. I personally prefer Stereo for competitive games such as Apex Legends or Halo Infinite but i know that's more down to a preference rather than the software not being very good.

Xbox Cloud Gaming Is Now Available on PC and Apple devices

Xbox has confirmed that Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available on PC and Apple devices via web browser for all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.

Announced via the Xbox Wire, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers in 22 countries can now access the service by going to Xbox.com/play on the compatible browsers that include Microsoft Edge, Safari, and Chrome with a connected controller. Then you'll be able to access the library of cloud-compatible games like Yakuza Like A Dragon, Minecraft Dungeons, and much more.

Lastly, the company has also confirmed it’s made improvements to the Xbox Cloud Gaming servers which are now powered by custom Xbox Series X hardware. Sadly due to bandwidth constraints, streaming-only goes up to 1080p and 60FPS. However, Xbox promise “going forward we’ll continue to innovate and add more features to enhance your cloud gaming experience.”

I've yet to use the service but plan to in the near future when it's possible to travel, I spend a lot of time at home as of late and i own an Xbox Series X. So it's not something I currently use but it'll definitely will bea service i'll use eventually.

Xbox And Bethesda Announce Joint E3 Games Showcase

Xbox and Bethesda have finally confirmed their plans for E3 2021, where they'll be holding a joint Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase on Sunday, June 13.

The announcement from Xbox Wire revealed that the broadcast will kick off at 6 PM GMT and promises a 90-minute show "packed with everything you want to know about the epic gaming lineup coming out of this partnership, the incredible games coming to Xbox this holiday, upcoming releases on Xbox Game Pass and more."

What we'll see at the show is currently unknown but Halo characters, Starfield, and some numbers were shown on the image announcing the date.

We can always speculate what will show up, which I'd assume a release date and multiplayer gameplay for Halo Infinite, Starfield finally showing some gameplay and I'd guess a new Forza of some sorts. (most likely the rumored Forza Horizon 5 set in Mexico)

I also think it's a safe bet to say that Psychonauts 2 will show up and might get a release date. There's a possibility we'll get some updates on Fable and Perfect Dark but I think that's dependent on how far those games are in development.

Lastly there’s a ton of studios that have been quiet for some time like Complusion games, Machine Games etc so we could get some surpise announcements like Wolfenstein 3.

I'm pretty excited for the show and think this is the time for Xbox to finally take their shot, i'm worried that they may miss the mark though.

Xbox And Bethesda Possibly Holding A Joint Conference Soon

Xbox and Bethesda Softworks are reportedly holding a joint conference in a few weeks to reveal its current slate of upcoming games.

This report comes from French publication Le Figaro, who apparently spoke to Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty who supposedly said the event would take place in a few weeks.

A joint conference would make sense if Xbox is lacking on titles to show, however, I believe that isn't the case. I think the company will be launching a new Forza game, Halo Infinite, Psychonauts 2, and the possibility of smaller titles like The Gunk showing up in between. They could have a pretty massive E3 this year and adding Bethesda games to that would be absolutely insane.

Xbox Will Celebrate 20 Year Anniversary With Virtual Fanfest Event

Xbox is celebrating its 20th anniversary and has announced it will be hosting a virtual Fanfest.

Announced via the Xbox Wire, the original Xbox was launched on November 15, 2001, in North America, so Xbox will be celebrating with the community via social media with the hashtag #Xbox20 and also launching a themed merch line.

Xbox Fanfest makes a return and will run between now and November but sadly details are a little slim. It'll probably include similar events and sweepstakes like last year which had chats with key Xbox members and developers, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S competitions and so much more.

In addition to this, Xbox has some Halo anniversary-themed wallpapers to download, a special 20 Year gamerpic, an Original Xbox Gamertag background, and The Original Xbox dynamic theme available in the Personalisation menu of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Lastly there's a curated list of Xbox games called ‘20 Year Collection’ currently on the Xbox Store.

Halo Infinite confirms multiplayer cross-play

Xbox has announced that the upcoming Halo Infinite will have multiplayer cross-play and cross-progression on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

in a post on the Xbox Wire which is titled 'Continuing Our PC Gaming in 2021 and Beyond', they announced that cross-progression will allow players to have access to their unlocks/customization regardless if you're playing on a console or on the PC. The PC version of Halo Infinite will also include support for ultrawide and super ultrawide screens, triple keyboards, a "wide variety of advanced graphics options" and more.

Later on in the post, Xbox's Matt Booty also confirmed that the company plans to bring several Xbox Series X|S enhancements to the PC, including DirectStorage technology which means games can load faster, and even the console's Auto HDR feature which has given developers the ability to bring graphical upgrades that weren't possible for "1000s" of older DirectX based titles.

Lastly, Microsoft announced it will be making changes to the developer revenue share for games sold in the Microsoft Store, and from August 1, the net revenue developers will earn from sales will increase from 70% to 88%.