Microsoft news recap is a weekly feature highlighting the top Microsoft news stories of the past week. Sit back, grab some coffee, and enjoy the read!
Xbox head Phil Spencer discusses TV streaming sticks and new Xbox Game Pass tiers
Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox, recently discussed the potential for TV streaming sticks for Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) service. Discussion also took place around an “Xbox Game Pass Platinum” subscription tier, which could include access to new Xbox hardware. You can see what else was discussed in the interview here.
Microsoft Forms survey and quiz tool is now free to use for all users
Microsoft’s new survey and quiz creation tool, Microsoft Forms, is now generally available and free to all users with a Microsoft account. Those with a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription gain additional benefits, such as more design templates.
Microsoft won’t re-open its U.S. offices until at least July 2021
Owing to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, Microsoft has reportedly pushed back its plans to re-open its offices in the United States. Instead of a planned re-opening in January 20201, the company now plans to re-open its offices in July 2021.
Mojang to require Microsoft accounts on all Minecraft titles, citing added security
Microsoft accounts are now required on all Minecraft titles. In an effort to increase security, Mojang announced that Microsoft accounts will be required on Minecraft, not only to increase security through features such as two-factor authentication, but also through increased simplicity, such as linking purchases of multiple Minecraft titles to a single account.
That’s it for this week. We’ll be back next week with more Microsoft news.
