Watch out for ads, though.
Microsoft's Albert Penello has confirmed that Gold subscribers won't need to take out another subscription to run Xbox Music on Xbox One, though as with other streaming music services, you will have to reckon with the occasional ad.
Cowen & Company discuss reviewer "ennui", new IP.
The winds of news are sluggish this morning, so let me regale you with a fearful account of Call of Duty's future by Doug Creutz of market analyst Cowen & Company. According to Mr Creutz, tepid critical reactions to the recently released Call of Duty: Ghosts won't eat into its sales dramatically. The real threats to Call of Duty's dominance, he claims, are Titanfall and Destiny among other new, next gen IP.
Free money handout will take a day to complete, says Rockstar.
Rockstar has released Grand Theft Auto 5's 1.05 update, a 39 MB file that supposedly fixes problems with progress loss and disappearing vehicles. The firm will release the long-awaited first $250,000 instalment of free GTA Online "Stimulus" money in the next two days, providing there are no further upsets.
"Gripping storytelling"! "Visceral action"! "Corruption, turmoil and depravity"!.
Got five minutes to spare? Why not spend them in the sandals - or at least, very close to the sandals - of Marius Titus, indomitable hero of Ryse: Son of Rome and the star of spin-off liveaction web series "The Fall". The show's first episode is below, in which Marius "must confront the corruption, turmoil and depravity that marked the decline of Rome, and question whether he's fighting for the empire's honour or his own".
Next gen footage breaks cover following current gen review publication.
We can't bring you footage of Call of Duty: Ghosts on Xbox One yet, for reasons of Umbongo (whimsy-free translation: embargo), but Youtube user TmarTn can, apparently. He's published two videos of Infinity Ward's latest, not-quite-greatest shooter in action on Microsoft's new console. Gird your retinas, polish your lenses and take a squint.
"Qualified" developers also get free access to Unity Pro.
Any developer who successfully registers for the ID@Xbox publishing program will receive free access to Unity game creation tools, Microsoft has confirmed, allowing cash-strapped indies to release Unity titles for both Xbox One and Windows 8 devices at minimal expense.
"Everybody just wants to compare the numbers," muses executive producer.
Kinect Sports Rivals runs at 1080p and 30 frames a second on Xbox One, OXM can confirm. According to Rare's executive producer Danny Isaac, earlier versions of Rivals offered a maximum resolution of 720p, but the developer was able to upgrade the game over the months to run at 960 and finally 1080p.
New cloud streaming and processing service will enable better AI, physics with lower latency.
Apparently annoyed at the way Xbox One's Cloud Compute service has stolen the spotlight, Square Enix has unveiled its own bespoke cloud gaming service, Project FLARE. The Final Fantasy publisher is working with Ubisoft's Quebec teams among other partners to deliver what it calls "new, supercomputer-like game experiences", whereby part or all the processing is done remotely and piped down your broadband connection to a supporting device.
Mountain Dew hosts "win an Xbox One every two minutes" competition.
Only yesterday, Xbox One designer Carl Ledbetter promised "plenty of opportunities" for custom-themed Xbox One consoles down the road. Today, Ryse, Dead Rising 3 and Forza 5-themed consoles have surfaced, care of a Mountain Dew competition. Scroll down for snaps.
"There's always a balance that needs to be struck between resolution, frame rate, & graphical fidelity".
There's still a big old hoo-ha brewing online over next gen gaming resolutions, but while Infinity Ward has admitted that Call of Duty: Ghosts runs at 1080p upscaled from 720p on Xbox One, other games will be packing in all the pixels upon launch.
Which side are you on?.
The PS4 versus Xbox One wars have dominated the internet for months, but where does the man on the street stand? And what happens when you repeatedly corner and threaten the man on the street with a sound-capturing electronic apparatus? To find out, the OXM Breakdown's crack team of reporters led by Jon "Bob Woodward" Blyth took to the airy precincts of Trafalgar Square, where they were somehow not arrested.
"First launch, first time at bat at a new console is a challenging one," concedes Infinity Ward.
The resolution rollercoaster rolls on. Infinity Ward's Mark Rubin has broken his silence to Eurogamer about why, exactly, the Xbox One version of Call of Duty: Ghosts won't run in native 1080p, unlike (cough) certain other versions of the game.
Open world stealth title will "introduce key elements" of Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain.
You wait all year for a new Metal Gear Solid game, then two show up at once. Konami has dated Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes for a spring 2014 release, with designer Hideo Kojima describing it as means of "easing players into" the world of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, which currently lacks a release date.
Play what could be the next GRID before it's announced.
Hark, an auspicious metallic rumbling from the depths of the GRID community. Codemasters wants YOU - assuming YOU'RE familiar with the company's earlier work - to help it test out a "super-secret" unannounced project. Whatever could it be, guys? Somehow, the number three comes to mind.
"It was a constant back and forth," says creative director of industrial design.
Xbox One's exterior went through 75 iterations, according to creative director of industrial design Carl Ledbetter, as designers "agonised" over the distribution of the console's all-important vents. Also according to Ledbetter, there will be "plenty of opportunities" for special edition Xbox One designs down the road.
Most Fight Night Champion players preferred lower frame rate with motion blur, says EA man.
EA Sports UFC won't run at 60 frames a second on Xbox One and PS4 because there's "little discernible benefit", according to EA Canada's creative director Brian Hayes.
Feudal Japan and American cowboys? They're on the list, apparently.
Hmm - we're not sure we trust a corporation like Abstergo Entertainment, but the fictional company has dropped the most significant hints yet with regards to real-life publisher Ubisoft's plans for the future of the Assassin's Creed series. The clues are obtainable during the modern day sections of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, so beware: some potential spoilers follow.
Kookabunga!.
Dat skateboarding dinosaur doe. The more I see of Super Time Force, the more I'm convinced that the team at Capy have found a way to venture into my subconscious and build a game out of all my favourite things. I mean really, all that game needs is a cat dressed as a shark whilst riding a roomba and I'm calling witchcraft.
"It's much easier to develop and to deliver on five platforms, which is good for us.".
In news that will surely admit of absolutely no controversy or upset, Battlefield 4's executive producer Patrick Bach has suggested that there's not as much clear blue water between Xbox One and PS4 as between Xbox 360 and PS3. Somebody fetch the fire extinguisher while I board up the office windows, please.
Iconic Le Mans circuits also confirmed for the game.
Turn 10 have seen fit to reveal some more direct feed footage of their upcoming Xbox One launch title Forza Motorsport 5 this week, this time showing the curves of the Sebring International Raceway of Central Florida.
