Technology

Monday, March 7, 2016

Changes at Microsoft Studios, UK and Denmark

Today, I have some difficult changes to announce that affect some of our Microsoft Studios teams and projects in the UK and Denmark.

After much consideration we have decided to cease development on Fable Legends, and are in discussions with employees about the proposed closure of Lionhead Studios in the UK. Additionally, we will close Press Play Studios in Denmark, and sunset development on Project Knoxville.

These have been tough decisions and we have not made them lightly, nor are they a reflection on these development teams – we are incredibly fortunate to have the talent, creativity and commitment of the people at these studios. The Lionhead Studios team has delighted millions of fans with the Fable series over the past decade. Press Play imbued the industry with a unique creative spirit behind games like Max: The Curse of Brotherhood and Kalimba, which both captured passionate fans. These changes are taking effect as Microsoft Studios continues to focus its investment and development on the games and franchises that fans find most exciting and want to play.

I speak for all of Xbox when I say that despite this news, we remain committed to the development communities in the UK and Europe, and Xbox will continue to support new IP and originality in the games we offer on our platforms, whether they’re AAA blockbusters like Quantum Break from Remedy, adventurous new IPs like Sea of Thieves from Rare, or unique new creations from independent developers like Moon Studios with Ori.

We have nothing but heart-felt thanks for the members of Lionhead and Press Play for their contributions to Xbox and gaming. We are committed to working closely with those affected by today’s news to find them new opportunities at Xbox, or partnering with the broader development community to help place them in jobs elsewhere in the games industry should they desire.

Posted by Editorial Team on 9:23 AM in

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Fiat to Apple: 'Building a car is hard — let us do it for you'

This week I've been kicking the tires of the finest, most exclusive, and most exotic cars at the Geneva Motor Show, and I've spotted two emerging trends: cheap oil is bringing huge gas guzzlers back into fashion, and Google's Android Auto is falling behind Apple's CarPlay. Android Auto isn't a complete absentee from the show, of course, but the headline-grabbing cars, the cream of Geneva's crop, have all gravitated toward Apple's solution and ignored Google's alternative.

Lamborghini's big unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show was the Centenario, a car so exclusive that all 40 units of its production run had already been sold — at a price of €1.75 million each — before company CEO Stephan Winkelmann even took the stage. It was a show of the brand's power and attraction, and it was notable to the tech world for its prominent inclusion of Apple CarPlay in among high-performance specs like 770hp and a 2.8-second 0 to 60 time. Contrast that with the Maserati Levante, which supports Android Auto alongside CarPlay, but makes no big noise about either one. The same is true of the Hyundai Ioniq, the updated Fiat 500S, and the Audi Q2: Android Auto is typically a second option quietly thrown in after CarPlay. Google's software is an afterthought. Apple's software is a major highlight on the car about to grace the cover of the next Forza racing game.

As if the 770hp Centenario wasn't enough, Apple's CarPlay will also figure at the heart of the 1,500hp Koenigsegg Regera. I asked Koenigsegg about Android Auto and was met with a blank stare. The truth is that there is some validity to the cliche of wealthy people all owning iPhones, and that's the thing prompting Lamborghini and Koenigsegg to get on board with Apple's infotainment system. And even though the vast majority of us will never get closer to a Regera or Centenario than a visit to the Geneva Motor Show, the use of CarPlay in those cars will certainly have a positive effect in driving demand for it in more conventional vehicles. You might not be able to afford a carbon fiber monocoque, but you can grab yourself a sporty hatchback with the same CarPlay smarts as within those hypercars.

Like CES, the Geneva Motor Show isn't really an exhibition of practical near-future machines for the mass market. It has many of those, to be sure. But its purpose is to show off the edge cases of human ingenuity and invention, affordable to only the very few, while also sketching out the shape of a future for all the rest of us. Bugatti's president sees his company as "the R&D department of the Volkswagen Group," and everyone watching from the Geneva sidelines looks to the exotic car brands to set an example going forward. This year, the guidance has been to mix the tradition of more power through bigger engines with the modernity provided by Apple CarPlay. Google's Android Auto is here, but the hype for it isn't.

Posted by Editorial Team on 12:17 PM in

"Absolutely Not" True That Microsoft Is Backing Away From Console Gaming, Xbox Exec Says

Following Microsoft's announcement last month that Quantum Break, announced as an Xbox One exclusive, is also coming to PC, some fans wondered if this was signalling a wider shift away from console. That is absolutely not the case, Xbox boss Phil Spencer says in a new interview.

"The fundamental concern that people have is, 'Are we losing focus on the console?' 'Is Microsoft somehow going to back away from our console focus and have us only focus on Windows?' Absolutely not true," he said in an interview with IGNrecently. "We are more committed to our console and the future of that console than we have ever been."

Asked if Microsoft expected there to be blowback around Quantum Break's PC announcement, Spencer said, "Expected is too high of a word, but I know there is a lot of passion around Xbox."

Spencer's comments on Quantum Break's PC version followthose from marketing executive Aaron Greenberg. He stressed that bringing the time-bending action game to PC doesn't mean Microsoft is backing away from console gaming.

"People should know: Xbox is a big priority and a huge commitment," he said. "Please do not let the fact that we are also launching a game on the same day on Windows 10 change your perspective on the importance of the console business [or] our commitment to innovating on console."

Greenberg went on to say that Microsoft will continue to launch new Xbox One exclusives. Bringing a game like Quantum Break to PC is instead an effort to "[grow] the gaming ecosystem," he said.

"From our CEO down at Microsoft, there's tons of commitment and enthusiasm for our [console] business [and] we're having tremendous success," Greenberg added, noting that Xbox One exclusive game sales were strong in holiday 2015 and that overall, "business is good."

In other Xbox PC gaming news, Microsoft recently released Gears of War Ultimate Edition for Windows 10, while the Forza series is making its PC debut this spring with Forza 6 Apex.

Additionally, Spencer recently acknowledged the shortcomings of Games for Windows Live and said Microsoft is "very committed" to making sure Windows 10 is a "great experience" for gamers.

Posted by Editorial Team on 12:14 PM in

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Microsoft’s Outlook.com now has an overhauled look and features

Microsoft started previewing its new Outlook.com interface back in May, but it's now rolling out broadly today. New users who sign up to the service from the US will immediately access the new interface, and existing users are being migrated each week. Microsoft is migrating its Outlook.com email service over to Office 365, and it now includes a new interface and features.

Microsoft is adding 13 new themes to its email service. While the look is familiar, it's now more closely aligned to the look and feel of the desktop and Windows 10 versions of the Outlook app. It also looks a lot more like the Outlook web versions of Microsoft's Office 365 service.

Most of the new features are centered around improving the overall email experience. Clutter is designed to sort messages you ignore into a separate folder to keep your inbox clean. Microsoft says Clutter will automatically learn which emails to filter out over time, and you can manually drag messages in and out of the Clutter folder to help train it. If email filtering isn't your thing, you can turn Clutter off to keep a classic inbox.

Microsoft is also improving the search interface for Outlook.com. Search suggestions will automatically highlight the people you email regularly when you're searching for content, and a Refiners feature lets you filter search results based on sender, folder, date, and attachments. There's even a highlight in search results so you can clearly find what you're looking for. Search was one of the weak points of Outlook.com, so it's encouraging to see Microsoft address this.

ADD-INS ARE THE BIG NEW ADDITION

The biggest addition with the new Outlook.com is add-ins. Microsoft is highlighting some add-ins from Giphy, Yelp, Wunderlist, Uber, PayPal, and Evernote today. The Giphy app will let you easily insert GIFs into emails, a perfect addition to celebrate birthdays appropriately.

Skype integration is also being improved with the new Outlook.com, with an improved interface and the ability to schedule calls soon. Microsoft is also including @ mentions for emails, and the ability to quickly insert emoji in messages. Microsoft says it's upgrading "millions of accounts" each week, so the new interface should arrive for everyone in the coming weeks.