Xbox news recap: Mass Effect Andromeda beta, Xbox Preview rebranding, 15th anniversary preparations and more

Welcome to our weekly Xbox news recap series, where we go over the top stories of the past week in the world of Xbox. Let’s get started.

Mass Effect Andromeda getting a multiplayer beta

If you’re like a huge portion of the gaming community, you’ve been waiting for a very long time to hear more about the future of Mass Effect. The last game in the original trilogy, Mass Effect 3 came out years ago and prompted a serious falling-out with the fanbase because of its lackluster ending. Since then, Bioware and EA have been very careful about how they re-introduced the franchise. On November 7th – known by fans as N7 day, a bit of a holiday where Mass Effect fans celebrate the franchise – a cinematic trailer was finally dropped for Mass Effect Andromeda. The trailer also came with a few other goodies and big news drops about the game. The most relevant news to impatient fans, however, is that Mass Effect Andromeda is going to be getting a multiplayer beta that you can sign up for right now. While we know that multiplayer is going to work similarly to how it did in the previous games, we have no idea when this beta will drop.

Xbox Preview program being rebranded

The Xbox Preview program has been rebranded to the Xbox Insider Program, moving more in line with Microsoft’s Insider branding with Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile. This rebrand doesn’t mean all that much when it comes to how things are handled, although it’ll come with an updated Insider Hub and will likely open the door to some more significant changes further down the line.

Microsoft asks for fan videos to celebrate 15th anniversary

Microsoft is asking for 10-15 second videos detailing some memories from Xbox players, presumably to compile into a video to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Xbox on the 15th. This is a pretty great time for people who have been Xbox loyalists for a while, and Microsoft is trying to capitalize on all of the nostalgia to throw Xbox the birthday party that it most certainly deserves. Regardless of how they’re going to be using those videos – if they use them for anything at all – you should consider sending one in. If for no other reason, do to be a part of a huge celebration.

No, you can’t get the Xbox Onesies anymore

Microsoft offered a limited time onesie to celebrate the launch of the Xbox One S, and it was sort of amazing. On top of looking cool and being an absurdly comfortable article of clothing, the onesie could have your gamertag put onto it so it’s properly personalized for you. If you were looking to get your hands on one of these onesies now, though, you’re out of luck. As it turns out, these were truly limited time – and time has been up for a while now. You’ll have to get a onesie somewhere else, and write your gamertag on it with a marker or something.

Thanks for joining us. To keep up to date with all the latest Xbox news, keep a close eye on our Xbox One news hub.