Back in E3 of 2014, No Man’s Sky captured the worlds attention. Unlike traditional games, the science fiction title came across as different, as it featured no narrative. The focus was instead on uncovering, interacting, and learning different languages from alien races across the game’s 18 billion planets. It’s been two years since then, but the game is now finally seeing a June 21st release date.

No Man’s Sky will be a PS4 timed exclusive on consoles, but it will also release on Windows through Steam at the same time. While Sony has plans to make retail and limited edition copies of the game, according to the developer’s website, the pre-order price for the Steam version is $59.99.

In the game you will be able to record a planet’s lifeforms and then upload them to earn an in game currency. If you’re not in the mood to record the lifeforms, you also can hunt them down and cause mayhem, with consequences of course.

If you’re interested in the title, it is best to sign up for the developer’s newsletter or pre-order by visiting their website. Once the game does launch, we will bring you more coverage, so stay tuned!

 

Sometimes when you have your Windows devices connected to a Wi-Fi network, it is good to track connection problems as well as reposition access points to improve your signal. Wi-Fi in mind, we have just discovered a new program that lets you get that, and more, done.

The makers of NetSpot, a professional grade network survey program for Mac, have just launched NetSpot Windows, free edition. The program features two major Wi-FI troubleshooting modes which help control and visualize the areas with multiple Wi-Fi networks.  Using NetSpot, you can track connection problems and choose the best channels for networks or even re-position access points to improve your Wi-Fi reception.

The Discover mode of the program collects all information about surrounding Wi-Fi networks and puts it in a real time interactive table to help you troubleshoot and improve on your coverage. On the other hand, NetSpot’s Wi-Fi Survey mode creates interactive heat maps with detailed information on all surveyed wireless networks in every point on the map.  This feature is available in the free initial release, and brings lots of data for any one with any level of experience.

NetSpot for Windows is currently free, and is designed for both home and business users. It is compatible with any non hidden 802.11 Wi-Fi network, all Wi-Fi adapters, and Windows 7, 8 and 10. The program previously won a MacWorld Editor’s Choice award in 2012.

You can download the program for yourself by clicking here. Once you do download the program, let us know how it is going in the comments below!

Canadian game studio Thunder Lotus Games just announced the upcoming release of Jotun: Valhalla Edition on the Xbox One in summer 2016. This is the studio’s first game, and it’s already been available on PCs since september 2015 following a successful Kickstarter campaign in summer 2014.

Jotun is a hand-drawn action-exploration game set in Norse mythology where you play Thora, a Viking warrior who died an inglorious death and must prove herself to the Gods to enter Valhalla. Thunder Lotus Creative Director William Dubé explained the gameplay to Xbox Wire:

Jotun is a game about epic boss fights. The game has five different giants, each one with their own region and levels to explore. Every jotun has different powers and strategy. For example, Isa, the Winter jotun, offers a melee based fights. This fight is about timing and using the environment to help you. Hagalaz, the Storm jotun, summons a “bullet hell” of lightning attacks and dodging is as important as attacking. The most important thing about Jotun’s bosses is scale. They feel impossible to beat, a true David versus Goliath endeavor.

Another key aspect of Jotun is exploration. Each level in Jotun is filled with secrets, so exploring every nook and cranny always pays off. For example, each level hides a rune that must be found in order to unlock the boss fights. Jotun’s levels are really diverse. While some levels (especially in the Winter region) are vast and lonely, some levels are puzzle-based and others have combat. Every level in Jotun is inspired by a story from Norse mythology. From the dwarven city of Brokkr’s Forge to the frozen rivers of Nifheim, every region pays tribute to Viking legends.

The PC version of the game has already been well received by critics, but Jotun: Valhalla Edition will feature the exclusive Valhalla Mode, an even more challenging experience where players have to fight even fiercer versions of the Jotun.

Jotun: Valhalla Edition will be released in summer 2016 on the Xbox One and priced at $14.99 USD. Please tell us in the comments if you’re looking forward to play it on your Xbox One!

Both Gunscape and Prison Architect (Game Preview) are now available to buy and play on the Xbox One in most regions.

Prison Architect (Game Preview) is an early look at Prison Architect before its official release at an unannounced time at a later date. While being used to provide feedback to the developers, this game isn’t an open beta like most other games do. Instead it’s an in-development version of the game being sold at a retail price.

Here’s the official details:

Note: This game is a work in progress. It may or may not change over time and may not release as a final product. Please purchase only if you are comfortable with the current state of the game. Full details on the latest status of the game, how you can give feedback and report issues can be found at https://prisonarchitect.double11.com/

Take control of the building and running of a maximum security prison as the critically acclaimed lock-em-up arrives on Xbox One! Will you build and manage a prison to create social order where it’s failed in the past, offering rehabilitation and peaceful coexistence amongst inmates? Will your prison disregard human rights, impose intentional harshness and be devoid of any notions of wellbeing and freedom? The choice is yours.

Buy Prison Architect (Game Preview) on Xbox One

Gunscape is the full, final, official release of the game on Xbox One. It’s a mix of first-person shooter and world-building genres where gamers can create and share their own maps with other players. It’s definitely an interesting idea.

Here’s the official description:

Gunscape is an FPS world-building hybrid in which gamers create, share and enjoy their own maps; in addition players can discover and play maps created by others. Inspired by classic shooters, Gunscape takes all their most memorable elements and puts them in a toolkit to create single player and co-op campaigns or multiplayer arenas. Don’t like building stuff? Then just blast your way through hordes of monsters or duel with other players online or split-screen! Maps can also be shared, played and voted on by the whole world, so you’ll always have new levels at your fingertips!

Buy Gunscape on Xbox One

Have you played either of these titles? What are your thoughts on developers releasing game previews of their games? Let us know in the comments below.

Two new video games are now available for pre-order and pre-download on Microsoft’s Xbox One console, Trackmania Turbo and Shantae And The Pirate’s Curse.

Shantae And The Pirate’s Curse is due for release on the 16^th of March 2016 and is a modern game half inspired by Japanese animation designs and half by old school 80s platformers.

Here’s the official description:

The third Shantae game is the biggest yet! Beyond Sequin Land lie cursed islands and labyrinths each hiding a new piece of Pirate Gear – Flintlock Pistol, Pirate Hat, Scimitar, Risky’s Boots, and even a Cannon. Upgrade Shantae’s hair and weapons or unlock advanced Fighter’s Moves. Locate maps, return lost Heart Squids, collect rare loot, and laugh out loud at the weird, wild, and wonderfully humorous cast of characters. Incredible high resolution artwork, unlockable Pirate-Mode, multiple endings, and an unforgettable soundtrack make this one game you won’t want to miss!

Shantae And The Pirate’s Curse is currently being sold at a 25% discount in the Xbox Store for a limited time.

Pre-order Shantae And The Pirate’s Curse on Xbox One

Unlike Shantae And The Pirate’s Curse, Trackmania Turbo is a racing game. The game features both online and offline multiplayer and a variety of different racing modes to pad out the content.

Here’s the official description:

Available for the first time on Xbox One, Trackmania offers you the ultimate arcade racing universe. Test your skills in outlandish tracks and challenge your friends at home (offline splitscreen) or online. Features 4 different environments and gameplay modes. The campaign mode includes up to 200 unique tracks in over 5 difficulty levels. The Double Driver mode lets you team up with a friend and control one car with two controllers! Also includes a Track Builder so you can design your own tracks or simply generate random ones. Save and share your best tracks to make the competition last forever.

Trackmania Turbo is also selling at a discounted price for a limited time.

Pre-order Trackmania Turbo on Xbox One

With Microsoft shifting the conversation about its gaming console from the number of units it’s shipped/sold to an arguably more substantive metric of user engagement, many thought the numbers race would soon come to an end.

While Sony will mostly likely continue to herald the numbers of its widely successful gaming console, gaming studios will also look to those numbers to determine whether their development investments will continue to pay off in the future. GameSpot is reporting that during a Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen dredged up the ol’ numbers metric, and his estimates are resoundingly positive for both the Xbox One and the industry as a whole.

According to Jorgensen, there are around 60 million combined Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles in the wild. When last reported, estimates from several industry sources had the market for PS4 and Xbox One gaming consoles hovering around 55 million. The five million increase bodes well for the continued adoption of console gaming, but based on the math, the Xbox One may be doing better than previously thought.

For countless months, the PS4 has managed to control the narrative of this console generation regarding sales figures, and perhaps wisely, Microsoft has chosen to stop fighting an uphill battle in that regard. However, if Jorgensen’s estimates are remotely close to the truth, it seems the Xbox One may be sitting at 24 million devices sold.

Even though Microsoft has chosen to pivot and chart user engagement numbers rather than consoles sold, an estimated 24 million devices sold in a very competitive market isn’t anything to balk at. The Xbox One may never fully catch up to the outstanding sales of the PS4, but continued innovation and implementing user feedback should help it maintain a healthy spot in the industry.

Jorgensen also commented on the digital download trend consumers are exhibiting as of late, and with Microsoft moving more strategically into that avenue with its recent announcement, studios may see further benefit in the Xbox One ecosystem soon.

Microsoft has announced that Dynamics CRM 2016 will be available to online customers in Spring 2016. The new release will bring a number of changes, including new field service capabilities and portal solutions for Microsoft customers.

Most of the changes to Dynamics CRM 2016 are the result of the integration of two new acquisitions by Microsoft, FieldOne and Adxstudio, which will allow Microsoft customers to take advantage of leading field service and portal solutions for community engagement.

Jujhar Singh, general manager of Microsoft Dynamics CRM writes:

“We are also taking this opportunity to further extend our service capabilities with the introduction of project service. Together, our field and project service solutions take the definition of service to a new level in the industry. With our full range of service solutions for self-service, agent-assisted service and onsite service, we are helping our customers transform customer service.”

Here is a short overview video of how Microsoft Dynamics CRM Spring 2016 Wave can help companies.

Dynamics CRM 2016 will allow companies to use their own internal resources to perform customer service, as well as use the resources of third-party resources. IoT Azure technology offers a new option for Microsoft customers to analyze device data, detect issues, and identify solutions for maintenance, repairs, or other issues in real-time.

Singh also reported the launch of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Roadmap website:

“I am also pleased to announce the launch of a new CRM Roadmap site powered by Dynamics CRM Online 2016 and our new portal capabilities. This publically [publicly] accessible site will enable a real time view into our available and planned product capabilities.”

For more information about Microsoft’s Dynamics CRM Spring 2016 Wave, visit the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Roadmap.

If you’re using a Windows 10 device, you’ve probably been through it: you see us writing about new app updates for Microsoft apps on Windows 10 or Windows 10 Mobile, but when you go clicking that “Check for updates” button on the Windows Store you don’t get anything new. For example, some users just received today an update for the People app that we first reported 8 days ago.

If you’re wondering what is happening with these updates for Microsoft native Windows 10 apps, we may now have an explanation as Microsoft redditor @jenmsft shared this explanation on the Windows Phone subreddit:

Just to give some clarification – the People app updates will eventually roll out to everyone on Windows 10. Apps now have Insider rings (just like Windows) so they can get early feedback on some of the work they’re doing before they release it publically, which is why the update isn’t yet available for some people.

It’s still not clear how Microsoft sets up these Insider rings for apps, or if all Windows Insiders are automatically added to these rings and are getting app updates before those still on the Threshold 2 release branch. We’re looking into it and we will share more details with you as soon as we have more information. Please tell us in the comments if you’ve already had to wait to get app updates for Microsoft native apps. 

Cortana is set to receive a few new additions in the upcoming builds of Windows 10 Redstone, with latest internal builds including a new option to enable additional push notifications for your other Windows 10 devices. Cortana will soon be able to alert you when your phone battery is low, a phone call is missed, and when you receive a text or app notification.

This functionality is expanded from what is already possible with todays version of Cortana, which will simply alert you when you miss a phone call. Redstone will introduce the ability to include additional apps and features to be alerted by, which also means notification centers will no longer be out of sync across devices.

This is part of the improvements to “continuum” that we exclusively revealed a few months ago, which will bring all your devices closer together by allowing apps to be continued throughout all your Windows 10 devices. Notifications will also be included with this updated continuum, allowing users to see what’s happening on what devices no matter where they are.

Of course, this feature is completely optional, and can be turned off via Cortana. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know below!

Microsoft invests heavily in research, and has one of the strongest researching arms of any tech company with Microsoft Research. Indeed, the department has been the birthplace of many  innovative technologies like Kinect or HoloLens; beyond that, however, they also work on basic long-term research, and corporate vice president Jeannette M. Wing has taken to the Microsoft Research blog to write about one of the flagship programs for these researches, the Expedition program.

“An Expedition, as its name suggests, is a journey toward a goal, with serendipitous discovery along the way”.

The aim of the Expedition program, according to Wing, is to give researchers the freedom and resource needed to take risk and pursue long-term researches, and to reward those with the commitment to stick to a “far-reaching vision”. The program has its source from a similar project Wing initiated during her time at the National Science Foundation (NSF), which is also successful and continues to this day.

The program has garnered some great successes over the years, and Wing recounts two notable ones among them: Safe Cyber-Physical Systems ( Safe CPS), and Project Premonition. Safe CPS aims to ensure that drones do not fail and crash in carrying out activities. Project Premonition aims to transport mosquitos from remote regions to labs for virus testing, and they are now working on the notorious Zika virus, with a side product of “the world’s most sophisticated mosquito trap” that identifies mosquitoes by their wings batting rhythm.

Apart from past projects, Wing also talks about two new Expeditions. The first, Intelligent Devices, aims to “determine how algorithmically to split models and computation between what can be done locally on the device and what can be done in the cloud.” The second Expedition, from the Everest team focus on cyber-security by working on a replacement for HTTPS.

The Expeditions Program celebrate the big bets in science, for which Wing also reference the two recent scientific breakthrough that are making waves; literally for the first, the detection of gravitational waves by Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO), and also a revolutionary gene editing tool called CRISPR, both credited to funds by the NSF. Wing herself is also creditted with revolutionizing opinions on computational thinking application, and with such great minds at the helm, we can’t help but be excited for the projects that will come out of Microsoft Research in the future.

Back on February 3, 2016, Microsoft announced its acquisition of predictive keyboard developer Swiftkey. The acquisition hints at Microsoft’s ongoing investment in artificial intelligence technology, machine learning, and cross-compatible solutions that provide real productivity advancements on Windows, iOS, and Android. Today, Microsoft updated their original blog post announcing the acquisition with a single sentence:

Update March 1, 2016: Microsoft has completed the acquisition of SwiftKey.

That’s a real dearth of fanfare for an acquisition that is costing Microsoft a cool $250 million. Here’s Microsoft’s rationale for the deal:

This acquisition is a great example of Microsoft’s commitment to bringing its software and services to all platforms. We’ll continue to develop SwiftKey’s market-leading keyboard apps for Android and iOS as well as explore scenarios for the integration of the core technology across the breadth of our product and services portfolio. Moreover, SwiftKey’s predictive technology aligns with Microsoft’s investments and ambition to develop intelligent systems that can work more on the user’s behalf and under their control.

We’re looking forward to hearing more about how Microsoft intends to utilize the predictive technology that Swiftkey is known for. The Redmond company has its own similar technology in its Word Flow keyboard, which is making its way to iOS, and so in all likelihood Microsoft has more in mind than just making a better keyboard. Time will tell, of course, and we’ll be here to keep you up to date.

Microsoft has been making waves recently with its new approach to gaming. From the company’s announcement of Backward Compatibility between its older Xbox 360 console and its latest Xbox One device, to cross-platform purchasing of games through both the Windows 10 and Xbox Store, Microsoft has seemingly overhauled its gaming philosophy.

However, what gets lost in the grandeur of back to back to back announcements regarding Xbox and Windows 10 are the details. For any long-time Windows user and Windows Phone enthusiast, it’s the details that typically trip up Microsoft’s grand visions of the future.

Sitting down with PCWorld, the director of program management for Xbox, Mike Ybarra, fortunately went over the details that pertain to Microsoft’s future in the gaming industry. Ybarra’s discussion covers everything from how long developers can count on DirectX 12 being around to enabling support for multiple GPU’s through explicit M-GPU.

While those details are important in their own right, it’s perhaps Ybarra’s candidness on the recently announced competitor to DX12, the Khronos Group’s release of Vulkan 1.0 graphics API, and where Microsoft stands with mobile gaming, that we find most noteworthy.

When asked about his thoughts on the reveal of Vulkan, Ybarra was admittedly at a loss. Vulkan is in version 1.0 right now, and not much else is known to the general public. Beyond its seeming shroud of mystery, Ybarra sees Vulkan still having to prove itself, just like Unity, DirectX, and Metal before it.

I know little about it, although I know that Ashes of the Singularity is looking at it. They’re trying to figure it out themselves.

You know we work very closely with AMD and the other guys on specific instructions they want. And I hope we don’t live in a world where you if have this graphics card, you get these features, or you get this one when you get that one—Windows is a world where you buy Windows, you buy a graphics card, here’s the benefits for everybody.

We want [hardware vendors] to be more successful, and not have to invest in Vulkan, but at the same time, we totally understand. They have to differentiate themselves.”

While competition arises to challenge the well-established DirectX platform, conversely, Ybarra was asked about the almost non-existence presence of mobile gaming for Microsoft. Thus far, Microsoft’s overhaul of its gaming paradigm has been a two-pronged approach with the Xbox platform and Windows 10 spearheading the charge. Little has been said or mentioned about Microsoft’s view on mobile gaming, or how the company can place a stake in the industry.

However, according to Ybarra, Microsoft’s push with Windows 10 is part of an overall strategy to bolster the company’s mobile gaming presence. When asked specifically about the future of gaming on Windows phones or mobile devices, Ybarra responded with:

Absolutely. I think what it starts with is what we call the Universal Windows Platform. We’re going to start with our strengths—there are millions of Windows devices out there, but it’s not the hundreds of millions of devices that iOS has, and I don’t know how many Android has—but it’s a big number, right?

We can get UWPs on the PC and on the console—by definition the platform developers can very easily get it on the phone. And that’s kind of the vision: Don’t think about where you’re at, build your game, do a couple of tweaks and you’re going to see it run. Will you see Halo 18 run on this phone? No, so you gotta be smart about that. But we’ll invest in the mobile space as well.

And frankly, with Xbox, I want to focus on the gamer. So when I think about bringing Xbox Live to other platforms, we have Xbox Live on iOS and Android right now. Those are areas we want—if our gamers have those devices, we want them to be able to engage with our gaming platform, too.”

Similar to Microsoft’s current strategy of getting top tier apps to its mobile devices, the UWP approach appears to be the same for gaming. Going forward, the Xbox team may start incentivizing developers to make UWP versions of their games that (while making sense in this context) span across PC, Xbox, and mobile into the future.

Microsoft has a shot at inventing the future before its other, buzzier rivals — like Google, Amazon, or Apple — do, thanks to the company’s investments in artificial intelligence and machine learning research.

That’s right: After years of missteps (think Windows Phone or Windows 8), company feuds, and being sidelined behind Apple, Google, and everyone else, Microsoft may actually be about to come out on top.

Nothing is certain, of course, and Microsoft may still screw this one up, but right now the company is in a good place to get ahead, invent, and put itself in the next chapter of computing.

Artificial intelligence (abbreviated to AI) and machine learning are, according to people who should know, the next phase of computing.

Google has thousands of employees working on figuring out how to integrate AI into its products; Facebook is doing the same; Amazon has been working machine learning into its products, which can then better-recommend things to buy; and Apple has been focusing on AI within Siri, the virtual assistant.

But, crucially, Microsoft is also in on the action, thanks to Microsoft Research — the 1,000-strong arm of the company that is dedicated to scientific research — and various initiatives that have seen the technology incorporated into Cortana, Bing, and more.

In fact, one experiment that is being carried out in China, called Xiaoice, has become so advanced that users have told it they are in love with it.

“Xiaoice can exchange views on any topic,” said Yongdong Wang, a Microsoft scientist working on Xiaoice (which is pronounced “Shao-ice” and translates as “Little Bing”). “If it’s something she doesn’t know much about, she will try to cover it up. If that doesn’t work, she might become embarrassed or even angry, just like a human would.”

Other companies, like Google, have also been running tests like Xiaoice, but none are as sophisticated or unilateral as Microsoft’s, which is used by more than 25 million people.

“Xiaoice is teaching us what makes a relationship feel human, and hinting at a new goal for artificial intelligence: not just analyzing databases and driving cars, but making people happier,” says Wang.

In the clip below, you can see Xiaoice reading the morning news in a very natural voice — showing just how powerful deep learning AI can be.

Elsewhere, Microsoft has been buying startups that focus on AI or machine learning, including SwiftKey, a keyboard that predicts the sentences or words a user wants. The acquisition, announced last month, brings on a small team of engineers to further Microsoft’s efforts and put the company ahead.

Microsoft Garage, the part of the company that works on “experimental projects,” has also been churning out apps for the iPhone or Android devices that use AI technology, including an alarm clock, an Android software skin, and an app that automatically identifies, and tags, friends in Facebook photos.

“Microsoft is a pretty serious business with clearly a lot going on in the AI and machine learning space,” said Azeem Azhar, an AI expert, in an email to me. “On the research side, a Microsoft team recently blew away the competition in Imagenet, the global machine vision contest.”

According to Azhar, the team did this by “applying a very extensive deep-learning network” to the problem, which is made up of research conducted by Microsoft over the past years.

While Google, via Deepmind, and Facebook are fighting over a board game (which, don’t get me wrong, is still impressive), Microsoft is developing, deploying, and testing software that could change how we use computers, how we communicate, and how we go about day-to-day tasks.

Microsoft has started working AI and machine learning into its products, including Cortana, the virtual assistant, and Bing, the search engine. Office also has new features, including Delve, that use machine learning to help the user out.

The inclusion of AI and machine learning into Office is, in the near term, one of the ways that Microsoft can pull ahead of both its peers in the consumer and enterprise market.

Office is still one of — if not the most — used business tools in companies big and small and getting ahead by using the knowledge Microsoft has gained by testing AI and machine learning elsewhere would set the company up to continue its dominance.

Combined with a technology like HoloLens, Microsoft’s apps of the future — from Office to Edge — would be smarter, better, and more attractive than those of its rivals.

This future is not a set distance away, but it’s unlikely it will be realised in the near-term because there is still a long way to go with the research that allows technology companies to roll out improvements to software.

In its list of predictions for 2016, Microsoft Research put AI and machine learning at the forefront, implying that the research isn’t over — and won’t be for the next year. However, other technology companies are in the same position, meaning that Microsoft has not missed the boat.

This is important as, in the past, the company has been slow to adopt or develop new technology which has left it compromised in certain markets, such as smartphones and tablets, the former of which is virtually dead.

The benefits in the short-term are also tangible. As I’ve argued before, Microsoft is back in the spotlight after a few years of being in the background and companies and employees actually want to work in Redmond. This advantage, which cannot be quantitatively measured, should help Microsoft get in front.

It’s an exciting time to follow Microsoft as a company and the focus, and progress, of AI and machine learning could make up for its past failures.

If you’ve had dreams of being the next Ken Block or Vaughn Griffin Jr. drifting master, then BBC TV’s latest game for Windows 10 might help you live out those dreams. Called Top Gear: Drift Legends, this new game for Windows 10 lets you play as the Stig drifting through tracks, spread around the world, in iconic vehicles from Top Gear episodes.

Available today in the Windows Store, here are details:

• Two Difficulty Modes: Arcade (Novice) and Expert
• 25 Tracks from 5 Countries
• Season Mode: Play though of all 25 tracks, with leaderboard ranking, high scores and vehicle unlocks
• 5 Vehicles to unlock from iconic Top Gear episodes
• Full-screen support
• Xbox controller support
• Keyboard and mouse support

If that looks and sounds like fun, be sure to head over to the Windows Store to download this new drifting game and lets us know in the comments how you are enjoying the game.

In an Office blog post by Bret Arsenault, chief information security officer for Microsoft, a new security app for Office 365 called Microsoft Cloud App Security was announced. This new app adds additional security management features to Office 365 and is a result of Microsoft’s acquisition of cloud security developer, Adallom. Take a look at the latest security updates for Office 365:

• Advanced Security Alerts: This new feature alerts you of any suspicious activity, allowing you to take action. If a user makes changes from a PC they haven’t logged on to, the system will notify you of this action.

• Cloud App Discovery: Cloud App Discovery allows you to see the different cloud services your users are storing files on, collaborating on and the amount of data being uploaded to services outside of Office 365.

• Office 365 App Permissions: Allows you to revoke or give permission to users for applications accessing Office 365.

Along with these latest security updates to Office 365, Microsoft is updating their SharePoint Online and OneDrive Business applications to utilize a feature called Customer Lockbox. In the event a Microsoft engineer needs access to a customers Office 365 account, they must receive approval from different levels in Microsoft. This new addition allows the customer to be involved in this approval process to allow access, speeding up the approval for the engineer.

With these newest updates coming to Office 365, how do you see organizations benefiting from these security features? Let us know in the comments.

On Wednesday, Microsoft spent between $400 million and $500 million on Xamarin, a company that it was previously rumoured to be interested in as far back as 2014 when the announcement was thought to be imminent.

Xamarin is well-known in the software development world, with over 15,000 customers in 120 countries. The company provides a toolkit for developers, making it easier to build apps for iOS, Android, and Windows.

This conveniently fits in with Microsoft’s goal, which is to attract big-name third-party developers to Windows. The financial incentive, which was briefly leveraged in mid-2013, doesn’t seem to have worked, and the company has since moved on to new ideas.

Windows 10 is a universal platform for developers, meaning that an app made for a desktop can also run on a smartphone, tablet, Internet of Things device, or Xbox by virtue of the fact they run Windows.

This idea, while exciting to journalists and some developers, has not seen broad uptake, especially in the face of declining Windows Phone sales, which removes one part of the incentive.

Microsoft has created the “Bridge” set of projects, with associated codenames, that let developers easily transport apps from iOS, Android (although the future of this bridge is uncertain as Microsoft has today announced the end of Astoria), Windows, and the Web. One developer, to prove a point, transported an app from iOS to Windows in under five minutes.

Xamarin helps give this project some weight, potential enticing serious developers — like those who work at the big companies who make the apps Microsoft wants — onto Windows.

“With today’s acquisition announcement we will be taking this work much further to make our world-class developer tools and services even better with deeper integration and enable seamless mobile app dev experiences,” said Microsoft in a blog post.

“This acquisition is a new beginning for Xamarin,” said Nat Friedman, the CEO and co-founder, in a blog post. “[The acquisition] is an opportunity to help many, many more developers build great apps. Like many of you, I see Microsoft and Xamarin as a perfect fit.”

This is important as Microsoft has struggled to attract big-name developers to Windows, even when building one Windows app opens the door to multiple machines. For this reason, popular apps have never appeared on Windows Phone, cementing its problems and contributing to the fall in market share.

The technology that Xamarin makes allows developers to port apps across to Windows from other platforms using Windows tools. This, in essence, is exactly what Microsoft wants to be encouraging developers into doing.

The theory goes: More apps equal more users and, therefore, more developers. It’s an endless cycle that Apple sits in exactly the right place of (mainly by virtue of being first, with iPhone OS 2). Only time will tell if the acquisition actually yields positive results.

The deal will also help Microsoft onboard new users to Azure and its other services, according to The New York Times. The battle between Microsoft, Amazon, and Google for the cloud services business is heating up, and all three companies are intent on winning.

The basic strengths of the three can be summarised: Amazon is cheap and popular with start-ups, Microsoft has the best relationships with massive (and older) businesses, and Google is for everyone else, with Mail and Docs leading as its most popular products.

The competition is intense — a “street battle,” according to one analyst — and requires cost-cutting, heavy investment, and long stares.

Microsoft has a lot of customers already who bring in a lot of revenue, but there is always potential to add more. In fact, one of Wall Street’s big takeaways from Microsoft’s earnings was its ability to add new services to the deals of old customers.

Office 365, the cloud version of the productivity suite, is one of the big ways Microsoft is wooing its customers into buying more: The old versions of Office were a one-time buy, while 365 recurs every year. The company recently raised the price of the high-end version, creating the potential for another $50 billion in revenue for the company.

“The customers we are working with have a desire to build applications factories,” said Friedman, who will oversee all tools build within Microsoft. “They all want end-to-end service, and this is a way to offer that.”

The two business are interlinked and hard to understand from the outside (and, most likely, the inside at times), but the deal to buy Xamarin was clearly one that Microsoft felt necessary and it would seem like it makes a lot of sense.

Microsoft has been busy bringing new features for all of its various Office apps this month, as we saw nice updates to Office Mobile apps for Windows 10 devices (pinning documents is back!) as well as a new Box integration on the iOS apps. Legacy desktop apps have not been forgotten either as Excel received a new Power BI Integration while Outlook also got an improved connection with Office 365 groups. The office team just published a full recap of all recent updates, and we will share with you the most interesting bits.

On mobile devices

Users of Word, Excel and PowerPoint Mobile on Windows tablets can now use a pen, finger, and the new tools included in the Draw tab to annotate, comment and draw on documents.

It’s also finally possible to pin your Office documents to your Start Menu on Windows 10 PCs and phones. Windows Phone users may remember it and so it’s nice to see the feature come back on Windows 10.

On Windows and Android phones and tablets, you can now use your built-in camera to insert and crop images in PowerPoint for Office Insiders, and the feature will come soon for Word and Excel.

On iOS devices, the Office apps are now integrated with cloud storage service Box. This follows the previous Dropbox integration which was enabled in 2015, and Microsoft is sharing that other cloud storage partners are coming soon.

Updates to Excel and Outlook 2016

Excel received new handy features this month:

• New functions make it easier for you to build common calculations.
• An improved Formula AutoComplete feature lets you quickly find the function you’re looking for.
• A new funnel chart that allows you to display data in progressively decreasing proportions is now available for all Windows and Android devices, see it below.

Excel is also getting an improved integration with Microsoft’s Power BI service (subscription required), as you can now pin your workbook’s rich formatted charts and graphs directly to your Power BI dashboards and interact with them from anywhere.

Outlook 2016 is also being improved for Office 365 customers: the Outlook ribbon just got a new Groups section to easily interact with your Office 365 Groups, and you can also create new Groups right from the ribbon. You’ll also be able to browse a Suggested groups category to join other Office groups based on information in the Office Graph.

Last, a new Archive feature is available today in Outlook on iOS, Android and the web and coming soon for Outlook for Mac. This feature allows you to quickly triage your emails in an experience similar to archiving emails in popular email services.

Updates to Office for Mac

• The team is promising faster updates to Office for Mac users thanks to smaller updates packages for upcoming releases. We also remind you that Mac users can now get Office Insider builds if they choose to join the program.
• Word, Excel and PowerPoint now have a customizable Quick Access Toolbar to pin your favorite commands in the top-left corner.
• Powerpoint presentations can now use the Morph transition effect that allows moving several objects at once across slides.

Office 2016 build now available for commercial customers in Deferred Channel

Commercial customers can now get the first Office 365 Deferred Channel build in the Office 365 User Software Page as well as the Office CDN. This deferred channel will only get cumulative packages of new Office features three times a year instead of in monthly updates, and this first build is actually the September 22, 2015 release of Office 2016 including four additional months of security updates.

As Office is now a multiplatform productivity solution, we’re amazed to see Microsoft being able to bring monthly improvements to all of its Office apps. We’ll continue to follow that consistent support in the coming months, and we remind you that you can still join the Office Insider program to get new features more quickly.

Minecraft’s 1.9 update has been pushed back from February 25 to February 29 for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC. Although Minecraft 1.9 Pre-Release 2 and 3 are now available, Mojang likely decided to push back the Minecraft 1.9 update to make sure all the bugs are squashed.

Mojang plans to release a full list of all the changes made between Minecraft 1.8 and Minecraft 1.9. For those that are interested, here is the full list of bugs fixed in Minecraft 1.9 Pre-Release 3:

• [Bug MC-49888]: World bundled Resources Pack doesn’t work on server
• [Bug MC-91173]: Eyes of Ender not targeting any of the new strongholds
• [Bug MC-92079]: The Loading World GUI Overlay allows users to switch to another world while loading another world.
• [Bug MC-92444]: Certain sounds are missing sound event name
• [Bug MC-92525]: Signs only import first word on each line.
• [Bug MC-94394]: black screen instead of credits [MP only]
• [Bug MC-96004]: Books only import first word written
• [Bug MC-97225]: Subtitle mistakes and typos
• [Bug MC-97235]: Resource pack in minecraft world save file not working
• [Bug MC-97389]: Horses are pushed into the wall on dismount
• [Bug MC-97461]: MalformedJsonException when connecting to a 1.8.9 server with 1.9 pre release
• [Bug MC-97491]: Spawner spawns entities with NBT tags and monster with no Pos tag at wrong position
• [Bug MC-97521]: Missing sound for event: minecraft:entity.snowman.ambient
  entity

If you notice any new bugs, be sure to report them via the Minecraft bug tracker.

Thanks for the tip, Chris!

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has confirmed the coming of Universal Windows Apps (UWA) to Xbox One in front of thousands of developers at a recent conference.

According to the original article, published on Spanish news site Microsoft Insider, Nadella went on stage at Madrid dotNet Conference in Spain, where he reportedly reiterates the Xbox One’s capabilities to run UWA is on the horizon. Details of exactly when, where and how were unfortunately not divulged.

While the information is not exactly new (we even reported about it more than a year ago) nor unpredictable given how tightly Xbox One has been shown to be a part of the Windows ecosystem, the picture now is much clearer compared to then, with Windows 10 already released and grabbed a substantial market share, as well as the influx of Universal Windows Apps.

With multiple UWA in the Store already working splendidly on both mobile and PC, it’s easier than ever to imagine the same apps running comfortably on the big screen via the Xbox One, opening up new worlds of possibilities for Microsoft’s console; Xbox chief Phil Spencer’s recent reconfirmation of oncoming mouse and keyboard support only adds to the imagination. Typing reports beside an ongoing game of Forza might not seem a necessary scenario, but it sure beats not being able to.

With this capability included, the Xbox One will be just one step shy from being a Windows-powered gaming box for your TV (actually, that is also in the works), pushing it far ahead in the technology curve of biggest competitor Playstation 4, and also ahead of fledging players like Steamboxes; a genius move, in other words. The coming shared exclusives between Xbox and Windows may just be part of the grand plan. It’s never been more exciting to see what’s ahead for Microsoft’s gaming console.

Last week we told you about rumors of a new service coming from Microsoft, Outlook.com Premium. The new subscription service was rumored to bring custom domains back to Microsoft services users (you used to be able to get custom domains, with email managed by Hotmail/Outlook.com, from Windows Live Custom Domains) along with some other amenities.

Now, thanks to prolific Twitter “leaker” WalkingCat, we have a first look at just what Outlook.com is all about:

https://twitter.com/h0x0d/status/702885740699496449

By following the link WalkingCat provides, signing in, and clicking through a time or two, you do indeed get to the page he has screenshotted. Here’s a quick summary of what’s offered on the page:

• Five personalized email addresses
• Share contacts, calendars and documents automatically with those 5 users
• No banner ads
• Powered by Outlook.com

In the “disclosure” section at the bottom left of the page, it’s further revealed that the custom domains (subject to availability) will be managed by GoDaddy, and free with Outlook Premium for the first year, then after that you’ll pay GoDaddy’s usual rates for domain registration.

This new service seems to fit between the old Custom Domains and/or ad free Outlook.com (another paid service), and Office 365’s subscriptions, which can provide custom domains for larger groups.

The service appears to be free with an Office 365 subscription, and a FAQ linked at the bottom of the page gives some details on how to set up and use the custom domain, but again doesn’t provide many other details.

The last couple of days have not been fun for Xbox gamers as we’ve been reporting that Xbox Live service has been consistently plagued by various issues. But if you have been struggling these last few days to purchase content or even sign in to the service, you should now be able to fully enjoy your Xbox as the Xbox Live Status page is displaying a fully restored service as of now. However, according to a new report from Newsweek, a group of hackers known as “New World Hackers” is claiming the responsibility for the recent outages of the online gaming network. A member of the hacker group told our colleagues:

“Well, didn’t even take as long as I thought. We attacked Xbox to protest. Major companies like this have massive servers but no real protection. We want Xbox to update the protection they have, which isn’t much.”

It is about time XBOX dies.@XboxSupport @XBOX @KEEMSTAR
Enjoy the outage..
Half of U.S #OFFLINE
All of Europe #OFFLINE#NwHackers

— New World Hackers (@NewWorldHacking) February 22, 2016

The hacker group, which has been previously targeting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and websites associated with ISIS, has also been credited for carrying out the largest distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack ever against all BBC websites in December 2015. Some security experts like Zack Whittaker have been questioning their claims though, and Whittaker told Zdnet that the BBC DDoS attack was “nothing more than a publicity stunt from a faceless group.”

However, New World Hackers are also claiming responsibility for Xbox Live January outages that prompted American rapper Snoop Dogg to lash out at Bill Gates himself. The hackers also told Newsweek that “The Xbox attacks also prove we do have as much power as we say we do, going out to the doubters. We could honestly knock Xbox off the face of the Earth.”

We don’t know if we have to take these threats seriously, but we do know that it’s critical for Microsoft to provide a great Xbox Live experience to gamers as the company is now using its total number of Xbox Live active users to evaluate the health of its Xbox division in its quarterly earnings reports. As a company known for its best-in-class cloud products like Office 365 and Azure, Microsoft really can’t let consumers think that their gaming network is not as reliable as Valve’s Steam or Sony’s Playstation Network.

Anyway, Microsoft really had to get back Xbox Live online as soon as possible as the company is holding today an Xbox and Windows 10 media event in San Francisco, and we’ll probably have more details to share with you in the coming days. For now, we hope you’re as happy as we are to see Xbox Live back online! Please tell us in the comments if you think Microsoft will be able to protect its gaming network from hackers in the future.

JoyBits Mobile, the developers of mobile games Doodle God and Doodle Devil have just released Doodle God: 8-bit Mania Blitz on the Windows Store. If you never played previous Doodle God games, these are puzzle world-building games where players have to mix and match elements like fire, wind, earth and air to build the universe of their dreams. The developer claims that the multiplatform game currently has over 175 million players from all ages worldwide.

This game is actually a free (with in-app purchases) version of the $1.99 Doodle God: 8-bit Mania game (which is a universal purchase for PCs and mobile), but you would better get the free “Blitz” version now! Both titles add a cool 80’s retro touch to the franchise as these games feature a new pixel art style and 8-bit soundtrack, but the familiar and intuitive one-click gameplay is still there. Here is what the developer had to say about its new game:

“The entire game has been beautifully redrawn in pixel graphics with an awesome new 8-bit soundtrack that takes you back to the very beginning of video games.

You’ll have to work your up from a simple microorganism to create animals, tools, storms and even build armies before you have what it takes to build the universe! But beware, the power of creation may have unintended consequences, inventing the wheel might just trigger a zombie plague… Don’t worry, you are not alone on this cosmic journey! Every time you successfully create a new item you’ll be rewarded with the wit and wisdom of some of the greatest philosophers and comedians of all time.”

Doodle God: 8-bit Mania Blitz is only available on PCs with Windows 8 or Windows 10 and phones with Windows 10 Mobile, while Windows Phone 8.1 can still get the paid Doodle God: 8-bit Mania version. Please tell us in the comments if you’re going to try this retro-looking game!

According to the newest quarterly earnings report from HP, Windows 10 hasn’t been as much of a selling point as some people had hoped. The company posted its quarterly earnings a few days ago, and saw a fairly significant drop in earnings as compared to their revenues during in a similar time period last year.

In exact numbers, the first quarter of fiscal 2015 had HP bringing in $13.86 billion and shares of the company’s stock going for 41 cents per share. In FY16 Q1, the company brought in just $12.25 billion, with the company’s stock dropping to as low as 35 cents.

The apparent failure of Windows 10 to promote new computer sales might just be because of the nature of Microsoft’s generous plan to get people onto their new operating system. During the release of Windows 7 and 8, it was a relatively viable option to go out and purchase a new computer with your upgrade to a new operating system.

Simply put, you had to pay a relatively hefty sum to get the operating system, so why not go all-in and get a brand new computer to replace the clunker you were running the obsolete software on? With Windows 10, of course, the upgrade has been free–the average customer has so had no reason to feel like they were making a truly significant financial investment into Microsoft’s shiny new future of computing.

Whether or not Microsoft’s strategy had anything to do with the drop in HP’s numbers, the company doesn’t feel terribly concerned, and assures their partners that they’ve got things under control.  According to Dion Weisler, President and CEO of HP:

We have a clear strategy that leverages our strengths, and we are focused on execution, taking cost out of the business and delivering innovations that will amaze our customers and partners. Although we have some tough quarters ahead, I am confident in the future.

Indeed, this is nothing new. HP has stated in the past that Windows 10 might not make an immediate impact on their PC sales:

We do anticipate a challenging operating system transition to Windows 10 on two dimensions — one was a free upgrade and the the very short transition time, which is normally like three months, which was compressed to under one month.

What that drove was fairly high Windows 8 channel inventory levels. That will take a little time to flush. The good news is that the Windows 10 feedback is pretty good and a great operating system is important for the ecosystem and in the industry. So once Windows 8 flushes, which may take a little time in the industry. We should see some simulation from Windows 10.

HP is currently in the process of splitting the PC and printer business off from the enterprise business, something that Weisler is said to be “accelerating.” We’re looking forward to seeing the new PC business’s performance, particularly as Windows 10 continues to ramp up in audience and hopefully starts convincing those Windows 7 stragglers to finally make the switch.

In six days, this month will come to an end and mark the start of another cycle of Xbox’s Games with Gold promotions. For the month of March, Games with Gold is highlighting another set of quality titles that will be available for FREE to Live members on both the Xbox One and Xbox 360.

The March titles include:

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishment ($29.99 ERP): Available from March 1-31 on Xbox One

Written in the style of Holmes’ creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Crimes and Punishments gives players freedom to choose whether to enforce justice by-the-book or bend the rules to get the results their way – but don’t expect the story to turn out just the way you want it to! No matter what you choose, you’ll face plenty of twists and turns in this excellent, story-rich adventure.

Lords of the Fallen ($39.99 ERP): Available from March 16-April 15 on Xbox One

Lords of the Fallen is a dark fantasy epic, putting players in situations where they must face off against heavy odds, and overcome through a combination of grit, reflexes, cleverness, and properly building and equipping their characters.

Supreme Commander 2 ($29.99 ERP): Available from March 1-15 on Xbox 360

This one puts you in charge of a massive army and logistical structure – your job is to build, expand, maneuver, and destroy your enemy in a huge variety of scenarios. Requiring a combination of strategic thinking, tactical acumen, and some quick moves with the thumb sticks, Supreme Commander 2 is unlike nearly anything you’ll play on a game console.

Borderlands ($19.99 ERP): Available from March 16-31 on Xbox 360

Part shooter, part role-playing game, part insane hilarious story, this raucous romp puts players onto the desert world of Pandora and lets them fend for themselves. Surviving is just part of the fun, though, as you’ll spend time scoring fabulous loot, uncovering the mystery of just how certain mega-galactic corporations came to dominate on Pandora.

Per usual, the games listed above, are only available for a limited time. Anecdotally, if you’re like me, you confirm the purchase of the game, download once and eventually discard. Doing so, puts the game in your Live library for as long as you own an account and can be re-downloaded once the offer expires, basically stockpiling free games to tide players over during long waits for seasonal blockbusters.

However, you game, Games with Gold is a pretty neat addition.

Microsoft released a PSA of sorts on its Malware Protection Center blog about programs that promise to clean up or optimize your system in the hopes of making it run a little smoother. But the post is more than just a PSA, as it also serves to explain why Windows Defender for Windows 10 does, and will continue to, view certain optimization programs as unwanted software and remove them.

Many of us are at least familiar with the pitch of these programs from banner ads, if not regrettably trying them out at one point ourselves. These third party programs claim that for free they will scan your computer and find out how many errors and junk files are slowing down and supposedly cluttering your system. Miraculously, they seem to find dozens if not hundreds of errors they then promise can be fixed once you upgrade to the paid version of the program.

Microsoft is clear that while they do “not endorse the use of these tools with Windows, we do not view them as unwanted or malicious.” However, Microsoft takes issue with some of these programs because their lack of transparency about the errors the software claims to find, leaves consumers with “arbitrary and fear-based” purchasing decisions. Rather than clearly inform consumers about what errors have been found, how the program proposes to fix them, and what kind of performance gains could be expected from such action; these optimizer programs just blindly warn users that errors exist and you need to pay to get rid of them.

On today’s blog post, Microsoft gives an example of when these “optimizer” programs actions are actually detrimental to system performance. Some programs classify Windows system files, called prefetch files (.pf), as errors. These prefetch files are created by the OS to “reduce the load times of programs.” But certain optimizer programs often mark .pf files as erroneous junk and offer to delete them to the detriment of the user.

To deal with these troublesome software programs, Microsoft’s Windows Defender for Windows 10 will classify them as unwanted software, and accordingly detect and remove them. The classification is determined by an objective criteria developed by Microsoft for how malware programs “back up their claims, so that you have the ability to assess what the program found and deems to be errors, and determine if you’d like to take the program’s recommended actions.” Simply put, if programs mess with system files without explaining to the user why in order to extract some money from Windows users, Microsoft will treat them accordingly.

If the Windows 10 privacy critics are Microsoft’s worst nightmares, then ZDNet’s Ed Bott is its Sandman. As an accomplished technology writer and long-time Microsoft watcher, Bott has taken upon himself the nerve-wracking task of finding facts about Microsoft and Windows 10 to contend with the various criticisms thrown at the OS regarding privacy, ever since its introduction last year.

While Bott’s many other pieces have been responsive to sometimes ridiculous unfounded claims by tech bloggers about how Windows 10 collects telemetry data, the man seems to have finally had enough and decided to take the initiative in his newest article on ZDNet. The article provides an in-depth look at how telemetry works in Windows 10 and the data collected, drawn from Bott’s own testing and research. The information is both fascinating, highly technical, and well-arranged into the what, how, where and why.

Telemetry features aren’t unique to Microsoft and there’s nothing particularly secret about them. They’re part of a larger trend in the software industry to collect and analyze event data as part of a shift to data-driven decision making.

First of all, Bott explains how Microsoft defines telemetry, which is “system data that is uploaded by the Connected User Experience and Telemetry component,” or the Universal Telemetry Client (UTC) service, all to know what’s wrong with Windows and makes it continually better. The telemetry data also takes a very small part of the traffic between Windows and many Microsoft servers, to dispute the ridiculous numbers often cited by some network analysis online.

The UTC service that works with telemetry goes under the name DiagTrack and utcsvc, and can easily be found in the Services console of Windows 10.

Watching the service activities for days using its process ID obtained from Windows Task Manager, Bott found that DiagTrack only does an initial performance measurement and checks the content of four log files every 15 minutes; in other words, exactly what’s described in Microsoft’s documentation. Each data transmission is very small (we’re talking single-digit kilobits) and is only run a few times per hour on AC power and non-meter network (once every four hours on battery and none on metered network).

There are four levels of telemetry collections, which Microsoft has provided in a neat diagram along with what is collected. Further information can be found at TechNet’s full description. The gist, however, is that really concerned people totally have the choice to set the level to “Basic”, which disallows even crash dumps from being sent. The only lower level, Security, will actually disable Windows Update, so it’s not recommended unless for organization with special needs and the infrastructure.

The higher telemetry settings, specifically “Enhanced” and “Full”, may make it possible for Microsoft to collect business or personal information, since they allow collection additional information when a problem arise with Windows or an app. However, these possibilities are made very clear in Microsoft’s documentation:

If a device experiences problems that are difficult to identify or repeat using Microsoft’s internal testing, additional info becomes necessary. This info can include any user content that might have triggered the problem and is gathered from a small sample of devices that have both opted into the Full telemetry level and have exhibited the problem.

However, before more info is gathered, Microsoft’s privacy governance team, including privacy and other subject matter experts, must approve the diagnostics request made by a Microsoft engineer. If the request is approved, Microsoft engineers can use the following capabilities to get the information:

• Ability to run a limited, pre-approved list of Microsoft certified diagnostic tools, such as msinfo32.exe, powercfg.exe, and dxdiag.exe.
• Ability to get registry keys.
• Ability to gather user content, such as documents, if they might have been the trigger for the issue.

Telemetry data is stored in a hidden folder that is accessible by users, and all the data are  encrypted locally (due to privacy activists’ demands) and sent over encrypted HTTPS connections (done since Windows 7 for security.) Below are also several quotes from Ed Bott quoting Microsoft about how the company treat the data transmitted to it.

The data is stored “in a separate data store that’s locked down to a small subset of Microsoft employees in the Windows Devices Group.”

“Only those who can demonstrate a valid business need can access the telemetry info.”

Only “aggregated, anonymous telemetry information” is included in reports that are shared with partners.

Microsoft says its goal is to store data only “for as long as it’s needed to provide a service or for analysis.”

“much of the info about how Windows and apps are functioning is deleted within 30 days.”

Ed Bott has done it again with explaining clearly and concisely how telemetry works in Windows 10, and shows that Microsoft has also been pretty clear on the subject. While there will always be opposing opinions, as Bott said, telemetry is now a part of modern software making that helps make software even better, and Microsoft and Windows is just part of it. The importance is to be informed and understand it for what it is, and you can always count on Ed Bott for it. Thanks, Mr. Bott, for your effort and another great information piece.

It seems Microsoft Kinect definitely has interesting entertainment use cases outside of the gaming field, as the high-tech camera has already been used to record music videos and to incorporate interactive music and lighting effects to an art installation. But the Kinect for Windows team just shared how a team of movie makers made a virtual reality short film called Giant using the Kinect technology.

As Serbian Director and co-creator Milica Zec grew up in a war-torn zone, he wanted to use his personal experience to tell the story of an American family trying to survive an attack by hiding in their basement. But fearing an incoming catastrophe as the explosions come closer, the parents tell their frightened daughter that the disturbing noises are actually coming from the footsteps of a giant who would like to play with her.

The short film was introduced to the public as a virtual reality installation during Sundance Film Festival: while viewers were wearing Oculus Rift headsets and installed in specially-designed chairs with integrated subwoofer, they could experience a five-minutes immersive experience that mixed a traditional live-action film with a 3D video-game-engine environment. Reception to the VR film has been very enthusiastic, and Microsoft shares that Mad Men actor Jon Hamm was one of the first person in line to try the emotional experience after having heard the buzz about Giant at the festival. Director Zec added:

“Through virtual reality, the viewer can see, hear, and feel what it’s like to be at the epicenter of a conflict zone. They can also witness the fear and suffering that millions of innocent families around the globe are going through, at this very moment.”

The VR experience was enabled by Kinect for Windows v2 mixed with a technology called DepthKit that can temporally and spatially align depth information with high-res images. In the end, this technology combination allowed the director to “use live action performance as volumetric video assets inside a computer-generated environment rendered live by the Unreal game engine”. Giant’s producer and co-creator Winslow Turner Porter III added:

“Kinect was an immensely affordable and beneficial solution for us. We were able to leverage the low-cost device with sophisticated processing to enable a one-of-kind immersive experience.”

The creative team plans to continue to explore the potential of VR films, and Giant is actually the first part of a planned VR trilogy. Microsoft will also continue to sponsor the experience, and the short film may get potential screenings at the upcoming Games Developers Conference, GPU Technology Conference and the Eyeo Festival.

It’s great to see the Kinect technology being embraced by creative people, and we hope Microsoft will continue to support innovative use cases of its high-tech camera technology. Please let us know in the comments if you think VR films are the future of entertainment!

 

Slack is one of the most popular collaboration platform for teams and companies. People can communicate with their colleagues and co-workers and get details about projects or assignments they’re working on as a team. If you happen to be a regular user of Slack on your Windows desktop, the app has received a significant update bumping it to version 2.0.

The latest update brings a handful of improvements and fixes on board, including improved notifications, the ability to select the folder to save your attachments and shared files instead of the default “Downloads” folder, new animations, and lots more.

Here’s the complete change log for the latest update:

• We now badge the taskbar icon in addition to the tray icon, in our ongoing quest to ensure you never miss a notification. And as a bonus, if you’ve set the window to “Always” flash on notifications, we’ll keep the app in the taskbar even when the window is closed. Always.
• Magic login links, long a boon for mobile users, can now be sent from the desktop app. If you’ve ever strained to remember your password or you just like feeling wizardly, this is for you.
• We’ve added animations when loading, logging into a team, or rearranging teams, for buttery smooth transitions.
• “But I don’t WANT my downloads in the Downloads folder!” No problem. A rush and a push (or: an opening of Slack prefs and a choosing of Advanced Options) and the ability to choose your favored destination of downloaded files is yours.
• In an effort to tidy up, we now clear notifications from the Action Center on Windows 10! Whenever you switch teams, we’ll clear out the notifications for that team. (Love it? Hate it? Let us know!)
• In-app downloads have been re-jigged and should be 41% more reliable.
• If you’re holding on to one too many teams, it’s time to let go. And to sign out from the sidebar, which has a new right-click menu item.
• Rebuilt from the guts up, this release should show performance improvements across the board, and the lag some folks were seeing when typing in the message input has… been… wait for it… banished.
• A few improvements to reduce the number of antivirus vendors falsely detecting the app—no one likes being falsely accused.

Head over to the company’s website to download the updated Slack app for Windows desktop. This isn’t a Windows 10 Universal App, and will work on all versions of Windows from Windows 7 on.

The much-anticipated Far Cry Primal leads the release of several games on Xbox One today, each bringing something different to the growing library of games on Microsoft’s console.

Far Cry Primal is the latest entry in the successful action survival game franchise. While most of its predecessors have been set in the present, Primal leaps back centuries to The Stone Age and lets the player control a caveman who must survive in a wild world without technology while fending off a variety of human and animal predators.

Here’s the official description:

The Far Cry franchise returns in the Stone Age, a time of danger and adventure, when humanity is struggling to survive. Conquer this innovative open world with breathtaking environments and unpredictable savage encounters. The rich setting of the Stone Age provides a new setting filled with unpredictable mayhem, dangerous threats, and incredible stories that Far Cry is known for. Play as Takkar, a seasoned hunter and the last surviving member of your group. There is one goal: survive in a world where you are the prey.

Far Cry Primal is available in both a regular and special “Apex” edition which comes with the regular game and all of its digital content such as the Legend of the Mammoth missions, the Blood Shasti Club weapon, four enhancement packs, and a variety of crafting and item packs.

Buy Far Cry Primal on Xbox One

Buy Far Cry Primal Apex Edition on Xbox One

Also out today is the smaller title, Reagan Gorbachev, a top-down action stealth game which supports local 2 player multiplayer in 32 levels of alternative 1986 history action.

Here’s the official description:

The year is 1986. Cold War leaders Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev have been kidnapped by militant extremists. Once rivals, now they must cooperate… or die. Armed only with their fists and samurai swords and poison darts and pistols and shotguns and fully automatic assault rifles and grenade launchers and miniguns and bazookas some other guns – sneak, slash or shoot your way through an army of mercenaries. Save the world from nuclear apocalypse.

Buy Reagan Gorbachev on Xbox One

Replay: VHS Is Not Dead is a two dimensional platformer that incorporates time manipulation and character combinations to complete levels. With over 70 levels across five worlds, there’s plenty to keep gamers busy for a while.

Here’s the official word on the title:

Replay: VHS Is Not Dead is a platform game in which you control time in a brand new way. Control up to 5 different characters and synchronize their actions to complete each level.

Take on the role of film director and travel through several humorous movies in REPLAY: VHS IS NOT DEAD!

Each level is full of surprises and will have you racking your brains. Are you ready? Then… Silence on the set… Camera… Action!

Buy on Replay: VHS Is Not Dead on Xbox One

The final game out today on Xbox One is The Flame in the Flood, a survival game which tasks the player with ensuring the safety of a young girl and her dog after a massive disaster. The game features an original full length soundtrack by alternative country rocker, Chuck Ragan, and also features The Camaraderie, The Fearless Kin, and other special guest artists.

Here’s the official description for The Flame in the Flood:

The Flame in the Flood is a wilderness survival game in which a girl and her dog travel by foot and by raft down a procedurally-generated river. Scrounge for resources, craft tools, remedy afflictions, evade the vicious wildlife and, most importantly, stay healthy in a dangerous wilderness.

Buy on The Flame in the Flood Xbox One

While not available to play today, Cel Damage HD can now be pre-ordered and pre-downloaded on Xbox One. Cel Damage HD is a remake of Cel Damage: Overdrive which has been upgraded to HD and features several improvements over the original.

Take control of the world’s nuttiest cartoon drivers to demolish your friends with insane weapons and wacky arena hazards!

Cel Damage HD is the definitive local multiplayer game, so just add a couch and have a blast with your friends and family. Master the single-player mode to get a leg up on the competition!

Pre-order Cel Damage HD on Xbox One

Are you going to buy any of these Xbox One games? Let us know what you’re playing in the comments below.

The pre-orders for the modern remake/reboot of Doom have just gone live in the Xbox Store ahead of its May 13^th release date and there are some genuinely good bonuses for those who want to pre-order their copy as soon as possible.

In addition to the main game, pre-orders will also come with the Demon Multiplayer Pack which includes the special Demon-themed armor set with three skin variations, six Hack Modules, six exclusive metallic paint colors, and three id logo patterns that can be used to customize weapons and armor.

The real incentive to pre-order Doom though is the digital copies of the original Doom I and Doom II, both of which can also be played on Xbox One. Within seven to ten days of pre-ordering, special download codes for Doom I and Doom II will be sent to the buyer’s Xbox message center and will have to be manually redeemed. These code giveaways are stated to be only for a limited time and no end date has been given. Those interested in getting free copies of Doom I and Doom II should probably pre-order Doom as soon as possible just to be on the safe side.

Here’s the official description for the new Doom on Xbox One:

Developed by id Software, the studio that pioneered the first-person shooter genre and created multiplayer Deathmatch, DOOM returns as a brutally fun and challenging modern-day shooter experience. Relentless demons, impossibly destructive guns, and fast, fluid movement provide the foundation for intense, first-person combat – whether you’re obliterating demon hordes through the depths of Hell in the single-player campaign, or competing against your friends in numerous multiplayer modes. There is no taking cover or stopping to regenerate health as you beat back Hell’s raging demon hordes. Combine your arsenal of futuristic and iconic guns, upgrades, movement and an advanced melee system to knock-down, slash, stomp, crush, and blow apart demons in creative and violent ways Expand your gameplay experience using the DOOM SnapMap game editor to easily create, play, and share your content with the world.

Will you play the new Doom game or are you fine with the classic version? Let us know your thoughts on the new Xbox One title in the comments below.

Pre-order Doom on Xbox One

Through a combination of several different campaigns on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles this week, the tech giant is discounting over 50 games and game add-ons across both consoles with the majority of the Xbox 360 content being playable on the Xbox One thanks to the backwards compatibility feature that launched in 2015.

Among the more popular titles being discounted are Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, Evolve and the Evolve Digital Deluxe Edition, WWE 2K16 and the WWE 2K16 Digital Deluxe Edition, the first two Bioshock games and Bioshock Infinite, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Dragon Ball Xenoverse, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected & Gat out of Hell, and Metro 2033.

A good selection of these games and add-ons are available at discounted prices for all Xbox Live users regardless of Gold or Silver (i.e. free) status while several are only available at their cheaper prices for Xbox Live Gold members only. There are also quite a few that have been discounted for Silver members and are also offering an additional discount for those with Gold. Spec Ops: The Line for example, has a recommended retail price of US$29.99 and is now selling for US$9 for Silver members and US$6 for Gold.

The majority of these discounts are part of a special campaign called, 2K Sale, which is being used to promoted video games developed by the game developer, 2K, and the Spotlight Sale. Other titles being reduced are part of the weekly Deals with Gold promotion which offers several titles and add-ons for a reduced price for Xbox Live Gold members on a weekly rotation. All discounted games will return to their regular prices on Monday, i.e. at the end of this month.

Are you tempted to buy any of these Xbox One or Xbox 360 games or add-ons? Let us know which ones in the comments below.