Yesterday, Xbox announced a number of new features for the Xbox One, such as backwards compatibility for Xbox 360 games, a new Elite Wireless Controller and more. The Xbox team also introduced a new feature that has been growing in popularity among PC gamers, the ability to preview unfinished games while they are still in development.
And the very next day Major Nelson announced the first two games for the preview program, “Elite: Dangerous” and “The Long Dark,” are both available for Xbox One owners to try out.
“Elite: Dangerous” is an open ended MMO in a sci fi universe where the player starts out with a small starship and a few credits to their name to build up their own ship and find their way in the galaxy. The third sequel in a series dating back to 1984, boasts that:
“In an age of galactic superpowers and interstellar war, every player’s story influences the unique connected gaming experience and evolving narrative. Governments fall, battles are lost and won, and humanity’s frontier is reshaped, all by players’ actions.”
“The Long Dark” is the second game available today in the Xbox One Game Preview program. This game is a first person open world survival simulation where the player is challenged to battle the elements in an expansive frozen wilderness. There are no gimmicks of zombies or other players fighting you for survival. This game is more about the player being forced to cleverly find ways to stay alive by relying on what you can find and think up in this open world sandbox. The game description reads:
The Long Dark is a thoughtful, exploration-survival experience that challenges solo players to think for themselves as they explore an expansive frozen wilderness. Monitor your Condition, search for life-saving supplies, and master survival skills like fire-building, maintaining your gear, hunting, fishing, and landmark-based navigation.
The new Xbox One Game Preview programs gives players the choice to play a game during its earlier stages , when there are still bound to be bugs and unfinished content, and be apart of the process and community that contributes to a game’s development.
A great feature of the Xbox One Game Preview program is that for every preview game there is a free trial period. This way players can first have a little experience with the unfinished product before deciding if they want to purchase full access to the game’s early preview program. But don’t get too excited you’ll get in a ton of free gaming as the preview period can be as short as 60 minutes for example with “The Long Dark.”
If you are interested in the first two games for Xbox One Game Preview, head over to today’s announcement and check the games availability in your region. Once you do that you can click through to the Xbox Store and sign up for the free previews to download the next time you turn on your Xbox One.
Before you head over to the Xbox Store on your console or browser, keep in mind that all of the games do come with the following disclaimer:
Game Preview 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 unfinished game.
Are you planning to try out the first games for the Xbox Game Preview program? Let us know what you think of these first two titles in comment section.
