Xbox Chat - ID@Xbox Digital Showcase details.

[Monkey Man]

twitter.com/supstarf/status/1753493918417629494

[Monkey Man]

The Xbox February Update is Starting to Roll Out

Summary

Touch controls enabled in Xbox remote play.
New thumbstick calibration tool for Xbox Wireless Controllers.
Improved filtering and sorting – My games & apps, and more.

Team Xbox continues to bring new ways to make Xbox better, with players at the center, as we refine the experience and deliver brand-new features based on player feedback. This month’s update offers touch controls enabled in Xbox remote play, and improved filtering and sorting in My games & apps. There’s a new thumbstick calibration tool for Xbox Wireless Controllers, and a new access restriction option to make it easier for many players to play on shared consoles in places like hospitals.

Touch controls enabled in Xbox remote play



Want to play games when away from your console, but don’t have your Xbox Wireless Controller handy? No problem! Xbox remote play now supports custom touch control layouts on more than a hundred games when using the Xbox app on iOS, Android, and Windows devices. The same custom touch layouts available through Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) will now be available when remotely playing games from your personal console. This includes games like Minecraft Dungeons, Psychonauts 2, Sea of Thieves, and many more. Additionally, a basic touch control layout can now be used for most other games.

New thumbstick recalibration tool for Xbox Wireless Controllers



We’re excited to release a user-guided, self-calibration tool on the Xbox Accessories app that helps you to recalibrate thumbsticks for Xbox Wireless Controllers. This is part of Xbox’s continued investment in improving the repairability experience of controllers. To address minor thumbstick issues such as inconsistent responses, use the self-calibration tool in the Xbox Accessories app on console or PC to resolve issues without the need for support calls, controller repairs, or returns.

Xbox enables owners of Xbox Wireless Controllers to self-repair their devices by selling official replacement parts in the Microsoft Store. If you’re self-repairing your controller, the thumbstick recalibration tool should be used after you have replaced the controller’s base and circuit board, as that will likely disrupt thumbstick calibration values. Not all thumbstick issues can be resolved with this recalibration tool, including drift due to normal wear and tear.

Improved filtering and sorting – My games & apps



We’ve added new filters and sorts to My games & apps to help you find exactly what you’re looking for on your Xbox. You can now filter games by accessibility, supported languages, and technical features. For example, if you want to see which games are touch-enabled for remote play, you can filter by Technical features > Touch enabled and find your next game to play.

Additionally, subscription tabs in your full library have been updated to sort by Recently added, making it easier to see what’s new in subscriptions like Xbox Game Pass and EA Play. You can always adjust the sorting to find games to play in your library. Just head to My games & apps > Full library, and you’ll find all the new filtering and sorting options.

Automatic profile sign-out



A new access restriction option has been created to make it easier to play on shared consoles in places like hospitals. Some children’s hospitals have programs to provide consoles that can be wheeled into a patient’s room and give them time to play and connect with friends. The new option makes it easier for player’s profiles to be deleted when they sign out, and it removes the need to check if patients have signed out of the consoles when the gaming cart gets moved between patients.

To view and adjust the new options, navigate to Settings > System > Access restrictions to allow use of the Edge web browser, set a Home console, and to delete profiles on sign-out.

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2024/02/14/ ... -out-2024/

[Monkey Man]

In an official Xbox podcast today, Xbox president Sarah Bond teased that Microsoft will deliver "the largest technical leap" with the next-generation Xbox:

"We've got more to come. There's some exciting stuff coming out in hardware that we're going to share this holiday. We're also invested in the next-generation roadmap. What we're really focused on there is delivering the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation, which makes it better for players and better for creators and the visions that they're building."

Speaking to The Verge, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer went a step further, teasing that the Xbox hardware teams are thinking about building different kinds of hardware. "I'm very proud of the work that the hardware team is doing, not only for this year, but also into the future," says Spencer. "[We're] really thinking about creating hardware that sells to gamers because of the unique aspects of the hardware. It's kind of an unleashing of the creative capability of our hardware team that I'm really excited about."

There have been persistent rumors of an Xbox handheld, and Spencer has been liking posts on X that mention the possibility of this hardware. "I'm a big fan of handhelds," says Spencer. "I'm a big fan, but nothing to announce." He does admit that there's still a lot of work to do on the Windows side for handheld gaming PCs. "One of the weak points in the experience on a ROG or the Lenovo [Legion Go] is Windows," says Spencer. "How Windows works on controller input only on that kind of DPI, on a smaller eight- or seven-inch screen. That's a real design point that our platform team is working with Windows to make sure that the experience is even better."

https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/15/2407 ... r-handheld

cc Peter Crisp

[Sprouty]

'Largest technical leap' is an interesting claim, especially when Microsoft are rumoured to be launching early next generation.

Could cloud gaming be an integral part of their plans for next gen? A huge leap in tech is probably the only thing which would get me interested in next gen. This generation feels less of a leap than we've seen in the past, but I don't see how that's achievable in an affordable way, unless a different approach is used.

[Marvin Morris]

Less of a leap this gen maybe but it feels like the games are barely making use of the hardware.

Add to that the ever increasing development times. Nobody really needs the next-gen even being discussed right now.

The line of "largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation" seems like a soundbite and one thrown out there as a carrot for Xbox fans.

[Photek]

It is a sound bite but the only reason I’m taking notice at all is it wasn’t an off the cuff remark. Sarah Bond is just starting out as head of Xbox and I’m intrigued, mostly because this entire podcast was choreographed.

They would have changed what she stated. Now all these people are prone to spin but lets see what happens.

[Samuel_1]

Less of a leap this gen maybe but it feels like the games are barely making use of the hardware.

Add to that the ever increasing development times. Nobody really needs the next-gen even being discussed right now.

The line of "largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation" seems like a soundbite and one thrown out there as a carrot for Xbox fans.

Absolutely, neither manufacturer has utilised this gens' hardware, as far as I can see. I definitely care less about power these days, related to that, I'd like to see studios making more mid tear games, not everything has to be AAA or 'indie'. Kena, for example has been one of my favourite experiences this gen.

[ITSMILNER]

I wonder if the Xbox handheld will end up just being a ROG Ally or something that is Xbox branded and runs a new Xbox OS? It

[Photek]

I wonder if the Xbox handheld will end up just being a ROG Ally or something that is Xbox branded and runs a new Xbox OS? It

They already support the ROG ally and will help update its Windows functionality but this Xbox Handheld will be all in house.

I wonder if they go €500 for the handheld and differentiate itself from PS5/6 with an €800 home console that’s extremely powerful.

[Parksey]

I don't know why MS are bothering with a dedicated handheld. It'll cost money to develop and produced, and they make a loss on their console hardware anyway. They sell fewer consoles then their two competitors, and the biggest problem levelled at Xbox is software-based anyway.

They could get around this by developing a hybrid for their next console, like a Switch, as this approach really took off for Nintendo. Saying that, I'm still not seeing it a market for a handheld Xbox. Sony struggled with it.

Didn't MS say "every screen is an Xbox"? For me, given where the future is going, this is the more viable strategy. MS are ahead of the other two in terms of streaming and going digital. They don't need to make hardware to get a handheld Xbox in people's hands. They don't need to tie the Xbox to the Series consoles or a PC.

[ITSMILNER]

I don't know why MS are bothering with a dedicated handheld. It'll cost money to develop and produced, and they make a loss on their console hardware anyway. They sell fewer consoles then their two competitors, and the biggest problem levelled at Xbox is software-based anyway.

They could get around this by developing a hybrid for their next console, like a Switch, as this approach really took off for Nintendo. Saying that, I'm still not seeing it a market for a handheld Xbox. Sony struggled with it.

Didn't MS say "every screen is an Xbox"? For me, given where the future is going, this is the more viable strategy. MS are ahead of the other two in terms of streaming and going digital. They don't need to make hardware to get a handheld Xbox in people's hands. They don't need to tie the Xbox to the Series consoles or a PC.

I’m guessing they’ll market it as a ‘portable Game Pass machine’ and it would probably get more main stream appeal than the current handheld PC’s do.

I buy all my Xbox games on Steam Deck these days, I’m still hoping they bring more of the older games over (Halo 5, Rare Replay, Gears 1-4 etc..)

[Photek]

They don't really need to do anything if you boil it all down. Their hardware division isn't actually in a bad place. The MS Surface is making a tidy profit and the Series X is actually more powerful than the PS5, DF have already stated that multi platform devs simply aren't putting enough effort into Xbox ports to take advantage so going head to head with the more powerful console hasn't worked, the Series S has worked better for them but still not enough, Gamepass wasn't enough but if they give up that gives Sony carte blanche to do what they want, more than they already are.

Why did Sony 'bother' with the PSVR2 or the Playstation Portal? These companies have R&D departments for a reason. A Handheld Xbox would set it apart from Sony and Nintendo, it would be up against the SteamDeck and the Rog Ally (both not huge sellers) plus it will be dockable if the rumours are to be believed. They need to get away from head to head console launches with Sony and also win the power narrative of their home console so it'll be interesting to see what they reveal later this year.

[Parksey]

Why don't they just make anything with a screen " aportabel Gamepass machine". For me, that's the best way of success for Ms going forward, as they are ahead of the game compared to Sony and Nintendo (on previous form, Nintendo are probably going to embrace streaming in about 2082).

They push streaming on to any device going, and keep the Xbox consoles for under the TV.

Creating a dedicated handheld is just baffling. Feels like something MS would come up with in 2004 rather than 2024.

[rinks]

“Every screen is an Xbox” does seem at odds with a dedicated handheld. Maybe the handheld will be a pure streaming machine, with 5G and fastest Wi-Fi. No real processing power, but with an insane battery life.

Hey, how about an Xbox controller that has the streaming technology built-in? And it can wirelessly cast to phones, tablets and TVs. (Obviously not a handheld, but there could be a market for it.)

[Photek]

The Xbox Series controller can already wirelessly use phones. Unless you saying cast streaming… I mean… it’s certainly a novel idea.

I don't think cloud technology is ready for an only streaming device.

[rinks]

Yeah, the controller itself takes the place of a streaming box, giving you the freedom to cast to any screen instead of being tied to a TV.

[Peter Crisp]

If they are going for pure power what could they be looking at?
Shoving a 4090 into a console would just be insanely expensive even if they got a whopping discount for a bulk order.
Could they be thinking of something like an old physics chip to make it super efficient?
The XSX is already pretty decent and everything on pc with much more power is way out of a console price range isn't it?

[jawa_]

I'm not sure that I like how consoles are gradually being turned into PCs; the whole idea of a console is being a simple-to-use, efficient, single performance, affordable bit of kit that avoids the tech changes and setup associated with PCs. Of course, this isn't to put PCs down, but consoles are - or should be - different to that.

This idea of expensive, super-powerful systems with quickly updated revisions is now where consoles seem to be heading.

[Peter Crisp]

I'm not sure that I like how consoles are gradually being turned into PCs; the whole idea of a console is being a simple-to-use, efficient, single performance, affordable bit of kit that avoids the tech changes and setup associated with PCs. Of course, this isn't to put PCs down, but consoles are - or should be - different to that.

This idea of expensive, super-powerful systems with quickly updated revisions is now where consoles seem to be heading.

If they are going to go down that road they could at least also give people the option of having old fashioned upgrade kits rather than having to buy whole new machines.
Something similar to the PSVR breakout box would be fine and cut the cost massively.

[jawa_]

If they are going to go down that road they could at least also give people the option of having old fashioned upgrade kits rather than having to buy whole new machines.
Something similar to the PSVR breakout box would be fine and cut the cost massively.

Peter, maybe it's time for a new Mega CD and 32X .