Ramping up to the release of the second Hobbit movie in theaters, the folks at Microsoft have let it be known that they’ll be sending out a file for 3D-printer users that’ll have them creating the mythical Key to Erebor. This oddity means that Microsoft and Warner Bros. UK will be the first in history […]
Microsoft’s Xbox One has begun quietly showing up in stock at retailers, though availability of the strongly-selling console is expected to remain relatively constrained in the run up to the holidays. Stock of the Xbox One is available at Amazon at time of writing, priced at $499.99, following Microsoft’s promise to free up more of […]
If you fit into the piece of the Venn diagram between "Fans of The Hobbit," "Microsoft Users," and "Folks Who Have a 3D Printer," Microsoft and Warner Bros. UK have a treat: On December 13th, when the second Hobbit movie debuts, you’ll be able to download plans to 3D print your own souvenir: the Key to Erebor.
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Xbox One gamers have spent more than 50m hours playing titles and consuming entertainment on their next-gen console, Microsoft has announced, warning that “demand is far exceeding supply” in each of the thirteen countries the PS4 rival has launched in. Taking a different route to Sony, which confirmed 2.1m PlayStation 4 sales since launch earlier […]
Project Spark was announced for the Xbox One back in June. The game is described as being one that offers “an endless adventure where everything is customizable.” Project Spark will allow users to play what other creators have built and also build for others. Basically, the users are the creators and the players. And there […]
Microsoft’s latest gaming console, the Xbox One, comes with a party chat feature that’s actually a standalone app which lets gamers chat with up to seven friends while playing games. As the feature’s description suggests, party chat should simply let users chat with their friends without any hiccups. However things aren’t going that smoothly. A lot of gamers have complained about issues when trying to connect to friends, some even complain that the feature does not work with certain games are being played. Microsoft has its eye on the situation and Larry Hryb a.k.a Major Nelson assures gamers that “things will get better.”
Hryb responded to a complaint about this very issue on Reddit. He said that he had a meeting today about these issues and that he can say things will get better. However, Hryb didn’t give a timeframe in which we can expect the issues to be taken care of, neither did he say which issues will be tackled first. He only assures gamers that Microsoft is aware of the issues and that things will get better over time. So if you have suffered from these issues as well on your new Microsoft console, all you can do right now is wait for Microsoft to gradually improve the party chat feature.
Microsoft Aware Of Xbox One Party Chat Issues original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Microsoft has recognized that people appreciate the chance to make their own stuff, possibly due to the success of PlayStation exclusive LittleBigPlanet, and that’s why it created Project Spark, previewed back in June at E3. Spark is an even more free-form game creation engine with a focus on simultaneous game playing and building, which also encourages sharing among friends and family.
The beta for Project Spark kicks off today on Windows 8.1, which means if you’re one of the still quite small crowd on that latest desktop OS, you can take part – so long as you’ve also signed up for the beta over at the Project Spark website. The closed beta will extend to Xbox One users beginning in the new year, however, and that’s where I expect the software to really start to shine, given Microsoft’s sizeable user pool based on early sales numbers of the next-gen console. Microsoft also says cross-platform support is coming eventually, too.
Microsoft is touting Spark as a way to create collaborative, effectively unending games with your friends and connections, which is an interesting take on gaming as a social medium. Games have always had social aspects, to be sure: alternating turns or watching your friend who was lucky enough to own a PS1 play through Final Fantasy is no doubt an experience common to many of my particular vintage. Then of course came split-screen gaming, culminating the pure joy that was Goldeneye 007 for the N64, and the modern era of shooting and tea-bagging that is the Call of Duty series.
Now, Microsoft wants you to do something even more participatory, creating worlds as you explore them. At its most basic, Spark does most of the heavy lifting for you, with you specifying simply a scenario, setting and character before being thrown into a randomly generated game provided by the engine. But you can get much more granular, building different genres of games, using various different inputs including Kinect and the Xbox One controller, and even incorporating motion capture and voiceover using the Kinect for custom animations and dialogue. The Spark engine seems insanely flexible, so it’ll very interesting to see what a legion of brand new amateur game devs can do with this in their hands.
Grab the Spark beta app from the Windows Store, but you might have to wait a little while to use it if you haven’t yet got a beta key, and it’s not going to be available in all regions immediately. This is potentially the most interesting thing Microsoft has done for a long time, so it’ll be great to watch how this progresses, even if you’re not that interested in becoming an auteur yourself.
We have brought you word about NORAD’s Santa Claus tracker a few years back, and this time around, this software is back yet again – although this time around, it has made the official jump over to the world of tablets. In fact, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) as a defense agency has decided to work with Microsoft on an updated web-based tracker which will specially work best on web browsers that play nice with touchscreen displays, where among them include Internet Explorer 11, of course. This latest site would let you keep tabs on where Santa Claus is headed to, as you get to spin a globe coded with WebGL using nothing but your finger alone.
Apart from that, you will also have the ability to make a call over to NORAD using Skype so that you will be able to gain additional information on the most recent sighting of Santa and his sleigh (not to mention his merry bunch of reindeer, too). Apart from that, there is no need to play the patience card since Microsoft has already promised that you will be treated to games, movies and music on a daily basis using this particular NORAD Santa Tracker. Windows 8 and Windows Phone users are also able to check it out via their respective native tracking apps.
NORAD Tracks Santa Again This Year original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Just like how membership has its privileges, students too, happen to have some privileges of their own in this day and age. For instance, there are restaurants and cafes that offer discounts for students, while they also experience cheaper prices when it comes to watching movies and attending selected courses, depending on which area you live in. Microsoft has a love for students, and they have expressed their affection for this particular consumer group most recently by launching the Student Advantage program.
The Student Advantage program will be made available to students who are enrolled at participating educational institutions so that they are able to gain free access to Office 365. This was first announced in October, where Microsoft’s service was served up to approximately 35,000 schools worldwide, although the catch would be this – it would be compulsory for the participating educational institutions’ paid staff to use Office 365 ProPlus or Office Professional Plus. All eligible students will then gain access to the Office 365 ProPlus version. I see it as a nice way to start them young on your products, and when they enter into the working world, they would have grown up on Microsoft products, but by that time, armed with a degree at least, they will have the money to buy your full fledged products. Smart move! [Press Release]
Student Advantage Program Launched By Microsoft original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Earlier this year, Microsoft’s Xbox corporate VP Marc Whitten stated that that all Xbox One consoles will eventually be able to work for development, something promised to come along but not be available when the console first launched. Despite still not being available, some industrious Redditor has discovered how to access the functionality in the […]
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