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 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.

Xbox To Add Party Chat Transcription And Text-To-Speech

Xbox has announced that it will be introducing more useful accessibility options in its next dashboard update that include Party Chat Speech Transcription and Synthesis.

Announced on the Xbox blog, the Xbox currently already has the ability to transcribe in-game speech to text and reading similar to a screen reader, however, they will be adding this functionality to Party Chats with the next update. This will allow words spoken in Parties to be written on-screen on an adjustable overlay that can be placed in various places to make it more usable during gameplay.

Speech synthesis will allow users to type into Party Text Chat, and have the written text read out to the rest of the party in a synthetic voice. It will also have multiple voices to choose from per language.

As a disabled gamer myself, I get pretty hyped about the addition of new accessibility options and it's something Xbox has been championing over the past few years. I do hope more companies will add more inclusive accessibility options in the future.

Knockout City Is Free At Launch But Only For 10 Days

EA has announced that Knockout City will be going free for ten days from launch as a free trial their calling the Block Party.

the full game will be available on all formats for ten days starting from May 21, allowing players to check out all four of the game's launch modes that include Team KO, Diamond Dash, Party Team KO, and Face-Off. Additionally, every map will be playable and players will be able to start unlocking cosmetics for their character.

if you decide to purchase the game during the Block Party event, you'll get some bonus content and keep everything you've unlocked over the course of the event.

Knockout City Season 1 will launch on May 25, with the theme of "Welcome to Knockout City". It'll add a new location to the game, and a ton of Contracts for both Crew and Weekly Crew list. A new Playlists and League Play will also be unlocked where you can raise your Street Rank and unlock even more cosmetics.

Knockout City will be free for ten days from launch on May 21 until May 30 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Lost Judgment Announced By SEGA

Ryu Ga Gotaku Studio has announced a sequel to Yakuza spin-off Judgment in the form of Lost Judgment coming in September.

The game will follow the main character from the first game detective Takayuki Yagami as he is thrown into a new murder investigation that begins on the streets of Kamarocho but will eventually take him to the Ijincho distrct of Yokohama. (the location of Yakuza Like Dragon)

Players will have to search for clues, chase down criminals and deliver the delicious dish of justice in the form of Tak's Fist.

Investigations return with the usual tailing, chasing and cross-examining suspects, however, Tak gets some additional tricks that include new stealth moves, wiretapping, and acrobatic skills.

On the punching side of things, Tak has gained a brand new fighting style in the form of the Snake, where it's described as using the foes moves against them. Crane and Tiger style also both return but let's be real, we're all gonna use the new fighting style.

In regards to the story, players will go undercover at a local high school, and it looks to be where you'll get to experience the side missions which have formerly been renamed in Lost Judgment to School Stories. They will apparently be just as wacky as prior games with mini-games that range from dancing to controlling battle robots.

Lost Judgment will be launching globally on September 24, 2021, on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4

The Division: Heartland Announced By Ubisoft

Ubisoft has announced a new free-to-play game set in The Division universe called The Division: Heartland.

Red Storm Entertainment who developed the original Division game will be heading up development but the game will be standalone from the main series. The Division: Heartland is currently planned to release on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC in the 2021-2022 release window.

Sadly details are on the slim side but Ubisoft did say that it will be an "all-new perspective on the universe in a new setting", though.

There are some details on more future projects set in the Tom Clancy The Division universe though, a roadmap of what's to come is located in the below image.

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%.

IO Interactive possibly working on a new fantasy IP exclusively for Xbox

Hitman and Project 007 developer IO Interactive are working on a new fantasy IP with Xbox according to some recent rumors.

According to Windows Central, the new project will be a fantasy RPG which is apparently currently under the codename of 'Project Dragon' and will have a medieval setting with dragons. The game could also feature a 'connected world' with multiplayer and will be published by Xbox Game Studios.

Eurogamer has also claimed to have heard of the project but added that the game is still some years away. Lastly, some Job listings were posted on IO's website for a Lead Multiplayer Network Programmer which could be tied to the project but nothing has been confirmed

Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout's Xbox And Switch Versions Delayed

Mediatonic has announced that the upcoming release for Xbox and Nintendo Switch versions of Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout will no longer launch in the Summer.

the announcement came from the game's official website, where the studio discussed its recent purchase by Epic Games by saying it offered "so many new opportunities" but also they said, "We've realized that our previously announced Summer 2021 Switch and Xbox release schedule is unfortunately just too soon for us to include all of the tasty new features we're working on."

on a positive note, the team confirmed that the delay will give them the chance to add additional features, which they promised would include crossplay so that Xbox and Nintendo Switch players can play with those on PlayStation 4 and PC.

Resident Evil Re:Verse Won't Be Available At Launch of Resident Evil Village

Capcom has confirmed that the multiplayer mode for Resident Evil: Village called Resident Evil Re:Verse won't be coming to the game until later in the summer.

No launch window for the mode was confirmed so players assumed it would be launching alongside the game in May similar to Resident Evil 3 remake multiplayer mode called Resident Evil: Resistance.

However, it currently states on the official website that Resident Evil Re:Verse is scheduled for launch in "Summer 2021" although those who purchase Resident Evil: Village will still get the game for free when it eventually goes live.

Knockout City coming to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate And EA Play

EA has confirmed that the upcoming dodgeball game Knockout City will be available via EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at launch in May.

in a post where EA celebrates the beta hitting one million downloads for the recent open beta weekend. They confirmed the game will be coming to EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier subscription, this also means it'll be available for players on PlayStation and PC via a standard EA Play membership as well.

I played the recent demo and I came away from it lukewarm, I enjoyed aspects of the game but I also found the matchmaking overly frustrating. Every match I played over the course of the beta weekend had one team with fewer players than the other which made it extremely one-sided.

Knockout City will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC on May 21.

Additionally, the game will have access to cross-play across all platforms.

Xbox Games With Gold Games For May Announced

Microsoft has revealed the upcoming games Games with Gold lineup of games for May but they're just okay again.

The games go as followed:

Starting May 1st

Armello (Xbox One)

Lego Batman (Xbox 360)

Then on May 16

Dungeons 3 (Xbox One)

Tropico 4 (Xbox 360)

If you haven't redeemed the games from April, they'll still be available until April 30th but then will be replaced on the 1st with the May games.