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Microsoft has begun selling a HoloLens dev kit priced at $3000 that helps companies to develop software, but interestingly enough, Kipman asserts the product itself is consumer-ready, saying, “There’s nothing development kit-ish about it." However, before simply dropping it into the marketplace, he believes the HoloLens needs to be more substantial than just a great piece of hardware, as it also needs solid support with plenty of content, explaining:...

While there is certainly competition in the gaming market, it is nice to see the big three being so courteous and friendly. Xbox head Phil Spencer made a point to address Fils-Aimé’s departure publicly, complimenting him on his leadership and addressing him as a friend. Sony’s Shawn Layden also reached out to Nintendo through social media, expressing his appreciation for Fils-Aimé. These sendoffs are about more than just being professional, it is about saying farewell to a friend and beloved industry staple....

As CVG reports: I do agree that the future of home entertainment is in digital media. However, discs will be the primary source of gaming content for the foreseeable future and, as games continue to push the envelope, Microsoft will need to figure out how to upgrade the capacity of its discs. Blu-Ray will continue to be an advantage for Sony in the eyes of developers, who have 50GB capacity multi-layered Blu-Ray discs to work with....

But yesterday, Microsoft made a change to the wording of that blog post, stating that Play Anywhere only applies to Microsoft Studios games that the company showed on stage at this year’s E3. In other words, Play Anywhere will not necessarily support every Microsoft Studios game that is released in the future. The sudden change to the scope of what had been a pretty popular program with Xbox fans coming out of E3 has not gone over well with the community....

Machine learning is a concept that appears to be given more support by the tech giant recently, as this latest patent comes soon after another for an algorithm that tracks and influences player emotions. Microsoft’s intent with this pattern shows a desire to curate the player experience by regulating hardware and software to fit with the patterns exhibited over time. RELATED: Xbox Game Pass Could Get an Ad-Supported Tier...

Except not quite as in the face of their $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia’s Devices and Services business, they also promised $600 million cost savings in the 18 months following the closure of the deal. The nigh on impossible task that Microsoft has set themselves led to rumors earlier this week that an astonishing amount of job cuts would be made at the company. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has now confirmed the cuts in an email to employees, made public via Microsoft themselves....

Specifically, Microsoft Flight Simulator received a wealth of new content to the game that’s been a long time coming. The anniversary update’s most noteworthy additions are helicopters and gliders, but the game has been upgraded in a number of ways that make the whole experience that much more enticing for players to keep coming back to. Easter eggs are an important element here, too, with one of them being more interesting and intricate than any other....

The highlight of these latest Microsoft Flight Simulator development updates is the big Q&A session that developers held, the summary of which was made available on the game’s official website. For the most part, Asobo Studio has iterated upon its plans for the official introduction of helicopters into the game, as well as the more immediate content releases over the next couple of months. RELATED: Modder Adds Mario Kart Tracks to Microsoft Flight Simulator...

The next year, Microsoft had to defend itself in a full-blown antitrust case, one that dragged on for years and wound up with a judgment against the company, and an eventual settlement. Microsoft still must submit to federal oversight of its practices, a condition recently extended until 2009. The company has also been stung by a series of judgments from the European Union–and has been forced to pay out more than a billion dollars to settle lawsuits from Netscape, Sun Microsystems and Real Networks, as well as many millions more to various states and consumers that joined in the litigation....

Console Deals Of course, it wouldn’t be a real Black Friday sale without some deals on Xbox consoles. While there are similar deals going on at retailers like Walmart, Microsoft is running some pretty hot discounts on Xbox hardware right now. The Xbox One S All-Digital edition is on sale for $149.99, putting the console at a much more compelling price point for a system without a disk drive. The One S and the One X have also been bundled with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, but for those that aren’t interested in the latest entry in the Star Wars Universe will also find other bundles for $199 or $349 on the Microsoft website....

Topping the list of Microsoft’s Sale is, of course, Devil May Cry 5. The game’s standard edition is currently available on the Microsoft Store for $35.99, while the Deluxe Edition is priced at $41.99, which are both 40% off of their respective list prices. Both editions also come with 100,000 Red Orbs. Last August, the game just got its first post-launch content, but Capcom has since confirmed that Devil May Cry 5 won’t be getting any more DLC in the future...

According to recent tweets from the head of Microsoft Studios, Phil Spencer, pushing for new IP is absolutely critical to the success of the Xbox brand. While old favorites like Halo and the newly acquired Gears of War will help keep existing fans happy, expanding upon the pool of accessible (and hopefully popular) franchises will be key going forward, and Spencer is very well aware that this frame of thinking is crucial for the newly launched hardware — teasing unannounced projects in the process....

The slams came over Twitter from the official Microsoft Xbox account, as well as from the head of Xbox One marketing, Aaron Greenberg. Microsoft pointed out the one major flaw of the PS4 Pro in comparison to the Xbox One S and Project Scorpio: its lack of 4K Blu-Ray functionality. Some Sony fans were baffled to learn that while the advanced PS4 consoles will offer 4K functionality for gaming, it won’t support playing 4K Blu-Rays, which the Xbox One S and future Project Scorpio both offer....

Orcs that die on the battlefield in Middle-earth: Shadow of War can come back to life two different ways. The first way is pretty random and players don’t have much control over it at all. Orcs that die either at Talion’s hands or someone else’s have a chance to later reappear and tell a short story about how they narrowly escaped death. Keep in mind, it seems like this cannot happen if the orc was decapitated....

As seen below in the trailer for Middle-earth: Shadow of War, players are introduced to Altariel, an Elven assassin character who likens herself to the identity of “the Blade of Galadriel,” as she discusses the fight against Sauron with the game’s protagonist Talion. Although there seems to be some strategic differences among the warriors, they ultimately decide to forge an alliance in order to defeat the Dark Lord. Those who wish to find out where the scene above is heading still have to wait quite a while before they can get their hands on the title, as Middle-earth: Shadow of War is slated to release this fall....

“There was a sense of: Don’t let that be the highlight,” all-conference guard Derrick Walton said. He meant in basketball terms. MORE: 2017 Big Ten Tournament schedule, bracket Because the highlight of this week for all of these Wolverines, for all of time, is going to be that they survived a plane crash. That is the reality of what occurred. It would have been easy enough, and justifiable, to let that stand as the only highlight, especially after the members of the team spent 35 minutes in the cold and wind outside the plane, then a half-hour hiking to a nearby airplane hangar, then another couple hours in that building sorting it all out....

The House is moving to impeach President Donald Trump, accusing him of inciting the mob that ransacked the Capitol last Wednesday and forced lawmakers to evacuate while they were in the middle of affirming President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Five people died, including a Capitol police officer, and dozens of people have been arrested. But on Monday, Austin Chenge, the first GOP candidate to form his candidacy for Michigan’s next gubernatorial election in 2022, said those who went to the nation’s capital last week had wanted to voice their concerns about the direction of the country, The Detroit News reported....

In a Showtime interview that aired on Sunday, the state leader also said it was “deeply disturbing” to see the top administration official making the comparison at a college talk last week. The Quote The Detroit News reported that Whitmer told Showtime’s The Circus yesterday: “This is another unhinged distraction, and it’s deeply disturbing that our chief law enforcement officer is propagating it.” Appearing on CNN last week, the Michigan governor also said the attorney general’s remarks were “craziness” after a clip of his Hillsdale College talk was played....

Amash, who left the Republican Party last July and became an Independent, made the announcement in a statement shared to Twitter today. “Today, I launched an exploratory committee to seek the [Libertarian Party’s] nomination for president of the United States,” he wrote. “Americans are ready for practical approaches based on humility and trust of the people.” “We’re ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together....