Xbox news recap: Microsoft teases Xbox’s future with Scorpio, new Game Mode coming to Windows 10 and more

Michael Cottuli

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.

Microsoft teases 2017 in Xbox, including Scorpio

Microsoft capped off 2016 for us by giving us a preview of next year, promising a ton of great new content for 2017. On top of the new games that are going to be hitting shelves this coming year, Microsoft also promised people that they will “launch the most powerful console ever in Project Scorpio.” With the console releasing this year, it’s almost guaranteed that we’re going to start getting announcements about the new console in the very near future.

Game Mode coming to Windows 10 PC’s

The Creators Update is going to be bringing a lot of new features to everyone who works on Windows 10 Mobile, but it’s also going to be bringing a new feature for us PC gamers. The newest gaming feature on Windows 10 is “Game Mode,” which is going to be a mode that your PC will be put in when, as you might imagine, you start playing a game. The mode is designed to optimize your Windows 10 experience for gaming – bringing it more in line with Xbox One performance.

Mass Effect Andromeda release date

This one’s short and sweet. Mass Effect Andromeda, which is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated games of all time, finally had its release date revealed. The game, barring any delays, is going to be launching on March 21st. It’s available for pre-order now from whatever retailer you usually get your games from.

New “Kilgore” character in Killer Instinct has fans up in arms

Killer Instinct’s newest playable character, Kilgore, has KI fans pretty upset. The reason for the outrage comes from the character’s pricing – he costs an additional $10. Fans of the game are extraordinarily unhappy about what they view as exploitation, and have been taking to the internet to complain to the developers. To make matters worse, some people who bought Kilgore claim that his kit isn’t functioning as intended – he’s “glitchy.”

PS4 sales beating Xbox One on Amazon

Xbox One has beeing doing pretty well this month, with multiple reports showing that Microsoft’s console was out-selling Sony’s for several months over 2016. Unfortunately for Microsoft, Amazon’s numbers show Sony pulling ahead just fine. As it stands, however, this isn’t a huge deal for Microsoft. It still remains that the numbers of the Xbox One have improved considerably, and a bit of healthy competition never hurt anyone.

Activision pulling games off of online stores

This week, Activision pulled several games from online retailers for no apparent reason. Platinum’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle games and several Spider-Man games were taken away, leaving places like the Xbox Store and the Playstation Store entirely. People who own these games can still play them, however, and they’re still available on store shelves if you want a physical copy.

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.