The Federal Trade Commission Just announced that Microsoft was fined $20 million “for unlawfully collecting personal information from children who signed up for its Xbox gaming system without parental consent.”

The decision follows a larger decision from December 2022, when Epic Games, developers of Fortnite, fined $550 million for using “privacy-intrusive default settings and deceptive interfaces that misled Fortnite users, including teenagers and children.”

In this case, the FTC says the issue centered around creating accounts for children on an Xbox console, a process that until the end of 2021 would allow a child to enter a number of personal details before asking. the help and permission of a parent. Microsoft kept this data (sometimes for “years”) even though the account had not been created, which is a violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Shield (COPPA) rule.

Microsoft has already responded to the ruling with a job on the official Xbox blog, with Dave McCarthy, CVP Xbox Player Services, saying the breach was the result of a “problem”, and that Microsoft will “continue to improve” in the future:

We recently reached a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to update our account creation process and resolve a data retention issue found in our system. Unfortunately, we have not met customer expectations and we are committed to complying with the order to continue improving our security measures. We believe we can and should do more, and we will stay true to our commitment to the safety, privacy, and security of our community.

McCarthy goes on to explain the details of this “problem”, and how it led to the children’s data being retained despite it being “inconsistent with our policy of saving this information for only 14 days”:

During the investigation, we identified a technical issue where our systems were not deleting account creation data for child accounts where the account creation process had started but was not completed. This was not in line with our policy of retaining this information for only 14 days to make it easier for players to pick up where they left off to complete the process. Our engineering team took immediate action: we fixed the issue, deleted the data, and implemented practices to prevent the error from happening again. The data has never been used, shared or monetized.

The FTC statementas for him, says:

Microsoft will pay $20 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting personal information from children who signed up for its Xbox gaming system without informing their parents or obtaining their parents’ consent, and unlawfully keeping children’s personal information.

“Our proposed order makes it easier for parents to protect their children’s privacy on Xbox and limits the information Microsoft can collect and maintain about children,” said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Consumer Protection Bureau. . “This action should also make it very clear that avatars, biometrics and children’s health information are not exempt from COPPA.”

As part of a proposed order filed by the Department of Justice on behalf of the FTC, Microsoft will have to take several steps to strengthen the privacy protections of children using its Xbox system. For example, the order will extend COPPA protections to third-party game publishers with whom Microsoft shares children’s data. Additionally, the order clarifies that avatars generated from a child’s image and biometric and health information are covered by the COPPA rule when collected with other personal data. The order must be approved by a federal court before it can take effect.

I’ve woken from my sliced ​​ham and prosecco-induced holiday slumber and am ready to acknowledge (with only a little tremor) that we’re in a new year. New year new me? No. The spiral ham and prosecco remind me that it’s okay for some things to always stay the same. New year, new set of video game release dates? You bet.

Last year’s game announcements helped me collect an ocean of dates and titles to share in a comprehensive list, but since it’s so early in 2023 – and more forever, as even careful plans are delayed – you will notice that some exact dates or titles are missing, or even might end up changing.

This list will be updated as we go through the year and learn more about exact dates and I learn more about iPads, as a separate side project. Studios can email announcements to me at abardhan@kotaku.com for possible inclusion in this list, too. In the meantime, here are all the games you should expect in 2023.

What games will be released in 2023?

A lot.

January

Scrap Riders – January 9 (PC, Switch)

Fears in Fathom – January 9 (PC)

Glow in the Mirror – January 10 (PC)

Children of Silentown – January 11 (PC)

Drago Noka – January 11 (PC)

RAW – January 11 (PC)

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot – January 13 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S)

One Piece Odyssey – January 13 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

A Space for the Unbound – January 19 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Persona 3 Portable – January 19 (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)

Persona 4 Golden – January 19 (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)

Colossal Cave – January 19 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)

Fire Emblem Engage – January 20 (Switch)

Monster Hunter Rise – January 20 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)

Forspoken – January 24 (PS5, PC)

OddBallers – January 26 (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Amazon Luna)

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life – January 26 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)

Dead Space — January 27 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition — January 31 (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)

Inkulinati — January 31 (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC, Mac)

Raiden 4 x Mikado Remix — January 31 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Season: A Letter to the Future — January 31 (PS4, PS5, PC)

February

Cuddly Forest Friends — February 2 (Switch)

Deliver Us Mars — February 2 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Hogwarts Legacy — February 10 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Blanc — February 14 (Switch, PC)

Wanted: Dead — February 14 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line — February 16 (Switch, PC)

Tales of Symphonia Remastered — February 17 (Switch)

A Weekend in Puzzleburg — February 17 (PC)

Wild Hearts — February 17 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Birth — February 17 (PC)

Atomic Heart — February 21 (Atomic Heart, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Like a Dragon: Ishin! — February 21 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Digimon World: Next Order — February 22 (Switch, PC)

Horizon Call of the Mountain — February 22 (PSVR2)

Resident Evil Village — February 22 (PSVR2)

Blood Bowl 3 — February 23 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)

Company of Heroes 3 — February 23 (PC)

Sons of the Forest — February 23 (PC)

Kirby’s Return To Dreamland Deluxe — February 24 (Switch)

Octopath Traveler 2 — February 24 (PS4, PS5, Switch, PC)

Destiny 2: Lightfall — February 28 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Scars Above — February 28 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

March

The Last of Us Part 1 — March 3 (PC)

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty — March 3 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories — March 7 (PC)

Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse — March 9 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)

Valheim — March 14 (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure — March 14 (U.S.) (PS4, Switch, PC)

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon — March 17 (Switch)

Have a Nice Death — March 22 (Switch, PC)

Resident Evil 4 — March 24 (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Bat Boy — March 30 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)

April

Meet Your Maker — April 4 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Pupperazzi — April 6 (Switch)

Tron Identity — April 11 (Switch, PC)

Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection — April 14 (PS4, Switch, PC)

Star Trek: Resurgence — April 15 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

God of Rock — April 18 (PC)

Disney Speedstorm (Early Access) — April 18 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)

Minecraft Legends — April 18 (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores — April 19 (PS5)

Dead Island 2 — April 21 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly — April 20 (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp — April 21 (Switch)

Afterimage — April 25 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)

Roots of Pacha — April 25 (PC)

Mail Time — April 27 (PC)

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor — April 28 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

May

Redfall — May 2 (Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Midautumn — May 9 (PC)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — May 12 (Switch)

The Outlast Trials (Early Access) — May 18 (PC)

Amnesia: The Bunker — May 23 (PS4, , Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC)

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League — May 26 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

System Shock — May 30 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Decarnation — May TBA (PC)

June

Esophaguys — June 1 (PC)

Street Fighter VI — June 2 (PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Diablo IV — June 6 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Goodbye Volcano High — June 15 (PS4, PS5, PC)

Aliens: Dark Descent — June 20 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Final Fantasy XVI — June 22 (PS5)

Layers of Fear — June TBA (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Blazing Strike — June TBA (PS4, PS5, Switch, PC)

July

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie — July 7 (PS4, PS5, Switch, PC)

Immortals of Aveum — July 20 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Pikmin 4 — July 21 (Switch)

Disney Illusion Island — July 28 (Switch)

August

Atlas Fallen — August 10 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre — August 18 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Sea of Stars — August 29 (PS4, PS5, PC)

Baldur’s Gate 3 — August 31 (PS5, PC)

Lies of P — August TBA (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

September

Starfield — September 6 (Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 — September TBA (PS5)

RoboCop: Rogue City — September TBA (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)

TBA 2023

Alan Wake II (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Ark 2 (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Assassin’s Creed Mirage (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Amazon Luna)

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandors (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Blue Protocol (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

BOSSGAME: The Final Boss Is My Heart (PC)

Chicken Journey (PC)

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Dune: Awakening (PC)

Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (PS5)

Forza Motorsport (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Gord (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Gunbrella (Switch, PC)

Hades II (PC, TBA)

Hellboy: Web of Wyrd (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)

Hollow Knight Silksong (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC, Mac, Linux)

Homeworld 3 (PC)

Hyenas (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Hyper Light Breaker (PC)

Infinity Nikki (PS4, PS5, PC, iOS, Android)

Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Lightyear Frontier (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Lollipop Chainsaw (TBA)

The Lords of the Fallen (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Nightingale (PC)

Palworld (PC)

Planet of Lana (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Pragmata (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Remnant II (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Risk of Rain Returns (Switch, PC)

SCHiM (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Mac, Linux)

Silent Hill 2 (PS5, PC)

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Skull and Bones (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Suikoden I & Suikoden II Remaster (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)

Tekken 8 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Thirsty Suitors (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)

Venba (Switch, PC)

Where Winds Meet (PC)

Witchfire (PC)

What are you most looking forward to playing this year?

 

Things haven’t been going well for Xbox lately. Microsoft faces strong resistance in its bid to acquire Activision Blizzard. He hardly released any big exclusive blockbusters last year. And he just cut over 10,000 jobs last week, including many senior developers at the Halo Infinite 343 Industries studio. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer tried to stay optimistic and damage-limiting on each of these and more in a new interview with IGN.

“Every year is critical,” he said. “I don’t find this year more or less critical. I feel good in our momentum. Obviously we’re going through some adjustments right now which are painful, but I think it’s necessary, but it’s really to set us and the teams up for long-term success.

This week has captured both the peril and the promise Xbox faces right now. On Tuesday, Microsoft announced a decrease in net income of 12% for the last fiscal quarter compared to the previous year. Xbox gaming hardware and software have fallen by similar percentages, and Microsoft hasn’t said anything about how many new subscribers its Game Pass service has gained since hitting the 25 million mark exactly one year ago. year.

Then, on Wednesday, Microsoft provided a sleek, streamlined preview of its upcoming games in a Developer Direct livestream copied directly from Nintendo’s playbook. Forza Motorsport has apparently been quietly delayed to the second half of the year, but looked like a beautiful and impressive showpiece of racing sim. Arkane’s Sandbox co-op vampire shooter Redfall has had a May 2 release date. Real-time strategy spin-off Minecraft Legends will arrive in April. And to top it off, Tango Gameworks, creator of The Evil Within, has lost the shadow Hi-Fi Rush on Game Pass, a colorful left-field rhythm-action game that has already become the undisputed top gaming hit of 2023.

“2022 was too light on games,” Spencer confessed in his IGN interview. 2023 shouldn’t be thanks to Redfall and Starfield, Bethesda’s much-anticipated answer to the question, “What if Skyrim but space?” But both of those games were technically supposed to come out last year. Meanwhile, Hi-Fi Rush, like Obsidian’s Pentiment before that, is shaping up to be a critically acclaimed Game Pass release that might still be too small to move the needle on Xbox’s biggest fortunes.

Spencer remained vague when asked about the success of these games or their impact on Game Pass, whose growth would have stalled on console. “I think creative diversity grows for us when we have different ways for people to pay for the games they’re playing, and the subscription certainly helps there,” he said.

Hi-Fi Rush, Redfall, Starfield and a new The Elder Scrolls Online expansion coming out in June are also all from Bethesdawhich Microsoft finished acquiring in 2021. Microsoft’s former first-party game studios have been relatively silent in recent years while working on their next big projects, or, in the case of 343 Industries, have recently been hit by a number surprising layoffs. .

Following the news of the cuts last week, rumors and speculation began circulating that 343 Industries – which launched a well-received Halo Infinite single-player campaign in 2021 but struggled with seasonal updates of the multiplayer component in the months that followed – was benched. The released studio a brief statement over the weekend saying that Halo was here to stay and would continue to develop it.

Spencer doubled down on that in his interview with IGN, but offered little information about the reasoning behind the layoffs or his plans for the future of the franchise. “What we’re doing now is we want to make sure the leadership team is set up with the flexibility to come up with the plan they need to build,” he said. “And Halo will remain critically important to what Xbox does, and 343 is critically important to the success of Halo.”

Where Halo Infinite has been touted before 10-year plan fits into this, however, remains unclear. “They have other things, some rumored, some announced, that they will be working on,” Spencer said. And on the future of the series as a whole, he simply said, “I expect that we will continue to support and grow Halo for as long as Xbox is a platform for people to play. ” It’s hard to imagine Nintendo talking about Mario with a similar lack of conviction.

Microsoft’s ongoing difficulties with some of its internal projects may be part of the reason it’s so focused on seeking help outside of the company. Currently, that means trying to acquire Activision Blizzard for $69 billion and fighting an antitrust lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission in the process. Microsoft originally promised that the deal to get Call of Duty, Diablo, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush would be done before the end of summer 2023. That deadline is fast approaching, even as the company continues to offer compromises, as would have given Sony the option to continue paying for Activision’s games on its rival Game Pass subscription service, PS Plus.

Spencer told IGN that he remains optimistic about closing the deal, even though he claims to know nothing about the logistics of doing so when he started a year ago. “Given that a year ago, for me, I knew nothing about the process of making an acquisition like this,” he said. “The fact that I have more insight, more knowledge about what it means to work with the various regulators, I’m more confident now than I was a year ago, just based on the information I have. and discussions we had.

After two years on the market, you’d probably think picking up a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X would be easier now.

Of course, there is the shortage of semiconductors that the world still faces and a supply chain bottleneck that is expected to last until 2023 (otherwise 2024 according to some estimates). But, as Sony Interactive Entertainment President Jim Ryan said at the annual PlayStation Partner Awards ceremony in Japan on December 2, the company apparently “fixed PlayStation 5 long term supply issuein Asian markets.

Oh yeah? So why, when Kotaku called several physical stores a few days before Christmas this year, were we told that inventory for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles was either very limited or completely sold out?

The truth is, while it’s gotten a little easier to get your hands on next-gen consoles, it still requires diligence and patience, unless you want the smaller, more S-Series cute, or you can wait for shipment. Otherwise, a bit like last yearif you were hoping to walk in and out of a store with a brand new console in your hand, you’re probably out of luck.

Inventory in physical stores is unreliable

You might be tempted to call your local brick-and-mortar retailer like Best Buy or GameStop in an attempt to purchase a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X from the store. It’s definitely a possibility, although it depends on the console you’re looking for.

A GameStop associate at a store in Manhattan, New York, told Kotaku by phone that Sony’s system was “rarely” in stock and sold out within a week. The Xbox Series X is “a little more mainstream,” the associate said, but the same inventory issue arises: when available, it sells out in just a few days. This situation is repeated at other physical stores, including Best Buy and Walmart, with associates from both retailers telling Kotaku in brief phone interviews that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are “occasionally” in stock but are selling out. rapidly.

Surprisingly, things are a little different at Target. A Manhattan store employee said the PlayStation 5 was actually on the shelves “right now,” but people looking to buy one couldn’t just walk in, bring one to the counter, and check it out. Instead, you have to make an in-store pickup via the company’s website and, if inventory was available, you can then walk in with cash and walk away with a PlayStation 5. In a jaw-dropping twist, the Xbox Series X was immediately available. The employee said that if I really wanted to, I could go and buy the console from Microsoft right away. They were quick to point out, however, that all system purchases, especially the PlayStation 5, were limited to one per person due to “security concerns”. Yeah.

Online retailers are a bit better, but not much

If physical stores are unreliable in terms of physical inventory, you may be more likely to buy a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X online and ship it to your doorstep. All major retailers usually have both consoles in stock and if they’re not available on their own, you can usually get them with a game or subscription. There are some exceptions here, of course. GameStopfor example, is completely sold out individual playstation5 and Xbox Series X online now. As if best buy to Playstation 5although you can order Xbox Series X if you have an account.

It’s always difficult to order something from Walmart, as the company tends to partner with third-party sellers to complete transactions. But, as I’m looking at the company’s website right now, playstation5 and Xbox Series X are mostly available for purchase online, although prices for these consoles seem to vary wildly. The target is just as strange, with both systems either be “paused for shipping” or relegated to in-store pickup only – if they’re even available at all, of course. A quick note here, though: you can also order the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X directly from sony and Microsoftofficial websites, and they seem to be in stock. Shipping here also appears to be on par with other major retailers, with past orders now arriving just days after Christmas. Not bad.

Hey, you can still get an Xbox Series S

You may have noticed that I skipped an entire console: the Xbox Series S. That’s because, as I wrote earlier, Microsoft’s cheaper, smaller system is almost always available. Several brick-and-mortar store associates told Kotaku over the phone that they have “lots” of Xbox Series S on their shelves right now. And as I browsed several online retailers, including Microsoft’s own website, the thinner sister at the giant shoebox, the Xbox Series X was ready to order.

Of course it’s not the monstrous power plant it’s Xbox Series X. It can’t output native “true 4K” and only has four teraflops of processing power compared to the big sister’s 12. And yes, you only get 512GB of internal storage instead of 1TB. But what the system lacks in power it makes up for in its impressive form factor and accessible price. If you’re willing to make those minor compromises, the Xbox Series S is a great way to get into this current generation of console gaming.

Another year is in the books, y’all. We succeeded. The entertainment and tech industries are still impacted by both the ongoing pandemic and semiconductor shortages, but it looks like things are looking up a bit. Maybe this time next year the forecast for getting a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X will be significantly better. At the very least, we don’t have to worry about bots anymore.

If you need a gamepad with a detachable USB-C cable, two rear buttons, in a standard Xbox form factor, and only want to spend around $40, you should consider the Turtle Beach React- R.

The React-R is a bit hollow and lightweight, which makes it feel like the most “budget” of the “budget” devices here. It also means that this controller is rather noisy. Button presses and controller movements reverberate at a very audible level. The USB-C plug can also pose a problem for larger cables as they may not fit into the case. Use the supplied cable (not shown) or use thin USB-C cables. But don’t dismiss this one just yet.

The buttons and triggers are all responsive enough, if not as quick and snappy as more expensive controllers (or even some on this list, in fact). They have about the same feel and sound similar to each other when squeezed. Vibration can be hit or miss on PC though, as it wouldn’t always work with some games. When he does though, this thing definitely rumbles.

The two rear assignable buttons are sort of shaped like wide upside-down Ls, meaning you can press them by squeezing the grip of your middle finger towards your palms, or you can push your fingers up into the controller to activate them.

The d-pad “satellite dish” that’s standard on modern Xbox controllers is a bit squishy, ​​but it doesn’t float in its slot or anything. The gamepad also has a lot of textured surfaces that seem a bit sharp at first, but these will likely wear down over time. Given its extra features, especially the back buttons, it’s good value for money if you just want that simple backup controller, something you pull out of a drawer several times a month. It also uses a USB-C cable, so you won’t need to follow a different or proprietary cable if most of your peripherals have moved to the new standard.

But really the best part about this controller is the low entry cost to start getting used to pro setups with assignable rear buttons. The back buttons aren’t for everyone, and it’s safe to say they mostly benefit competitive games (especially shooters). But consider the Turtle Beach React-R (and even some of the other controllers on this list) as an affordable way to try out this feature if you haven’t already. Think of it as a “trainer” and develop some muscle memory for the back buttons before switching to an Xbox Elite or Scuf controller a couple of times. You might find that you don’t use them, then you can either stick with that controller, or upgrade to something like a regular Xbox Core gamepad, and save some money on getting a tricked out pro controller when you may not. You do not need or use these features.

Luckily, mapping this controller’s back buttons is a breeze. Double tap the center button, then tap the back button you want to assign, followed by the button you want to assign to it and that’s it. Fast enough to even reset it during a respawn timer if you want to try different setups.

Figuring out how to take advantage of the back buttons may involve some trial and error if you’re new. That’s why it’s sometimes better to time those training hours on something more affordable, than to put mileage on a more expensive device when you’re learning the ropes. Basically, when you’re ready to switch from that controller because it’s running its course or you’re interested in a more premium device, the React-R is going to tell you if you want to prioritize the assignable buttons on the back or nope. For that, I think it’s a safe bet.

The React-R also has a unique feature called “Superhuman Hearing”. You press a button in the central area and, if you have headphones connected to the courage 3.5mm jack at the bottom, game audio will be handled differently. I’m hesitant to call it a gimmick, but honestly I can’t think of a scenario where it would really be useful to me, even in a game where more perceptual hearing is needed like, say, Siege (and I wouldn’t being caught dead playing this game on a controller anyway). So yeah, I think it’s kind of a gimmick.

But what does that even do? Well, I did a quick EQ test on the audio output when this mode is on, and figured out that it needs to pass the game audio through some sort of pass filter -soft low and/or it probably boosts some mids and highs on the EQ spectrum. In layman’s terms, this essentially means the controller cranks up game volume and higher frequencies, so clicky, slamming, and crisp sounds like reloading and footsteps are theoretically louder. It’s about remixing game audio to accentuate the areas where those sounds are most clearly defined. It kind of makes sense, but I don’t see it catching the way the assignable rear buttons have.

Listening to this mode at full volume for a significant period of time is likely to become exhausting and even potentially damaging to your hearing. Turtle Beach wants this to be a quick thing that you activate in the moment to gain a sonic advantage over sneaky opposition, but either I’m not playing the right games or I’m not convinced. It’s a nice feature, but I’ve never used it outside of running audio tests to figure out what it does.

The Turtle Beach React-R also has a slightly more expensive sibling that will sometimes show up in search results when you search for this one: The Recon. Although it often goes on sale below its $60 price tag, its list price puts it in competition with the Xbox Core controller more than anything else on this list. For that reason the Recon will be a topic for another day… but if you can pick one up on sale for around the same price as the React-R, it’s a higher end device and has the same functionality , including silly audition mode. .

Two months ago, Sony reinvented PS Plus, its longstanding membership program for PlayStation owners. Now, that’s a lot like Microsoft’s Game Pass: for roughly the same amount of money, both offer access to a Netflix-style library of on-demand games. Obviously, we had to stack the two services against each other.

Price

Game Pass is available as a subscription for console, PC, or both. The two separate tiers cost $10 per month. Xbox Live Ultimate, which joins the two and provides access to the EA Play Library (a similar on-demand games service) and Xbox Live Gold, costs $15 per month. There’s no way to pay months or a year upfront with tiered markdown (at least officially).

PS Plus is also available for a subscription, but it gets very complicated very quickly. There are two new levels. The extra costs $15 per month, or $100 for the year, and offers free monthly games, online games, and an on-demand games catalog, including some of Ubisoft’s library. Premium costs $18 per month, or $120 per year, and adds access to classic games, game trials, and cloud streaming for most games in the library. That’s a huge difference in price, and while PS Plus Premium is more expensive month-to-month, it’s actually almost 50% cheaper if you sign up for the whole year.

Winner: PS Plus

Diffusion

Game Pass allows cloud streaming, provided you pay for the more expensive Ultimate tier. The streaming feature is technically still “in beta”, but it’s for all intents and purposes operational. Microsoft recommended Internet speeds of at least 10 Mbps for mobile devices and 20 Mbps for consoles and PCs. According to Kotaku’s tests, it’s… good? Despite recent huge advances in cloud gaming, streaming still can’t compete with downloaded games. Latency, even minimal, is unbelievable. As such, cloud gaming is best used for puzzles, relaxing RPGs, light platforming, and other games that don’t require split-second reflexes.

Microsoft says “over 100” games are currently streamable via cloud gaming on Xbox Game Pass, but more games are being added every few weeks. Right now, the Game Pass library currently lists 381 streamable games.

To unlock streaming on PS Plus, you need to purchase the $18 per month tier. And even then, the streaming quality is nothing out of the ordinary. At best, it’s as good as Xbox Cloud Gaming. Sometimes it’s worse. Around 320 games in the Premium library can be streamed on console or PC, and a good chunk of them are PS3 games and classics rather than the full PlayStation 4 library. For example, Marvel’s Avengers and Stray are available on console but not in the streaming library.

Specifically, you cannot stream PS Plus games to your phone. For now, the service relies on Remote Play, which means you need a console to play on mobile and you need to be on the same WiFi network.

Winner: Game Pass

game library

Of course, a game-on-demand service is only as good as the one thing it’s supposed to provide: games.

At present, the Xbox Game Pass library has about 475 games, but that tally includes both tiers’ library, including the 92 games currently part of EA Play. The main appeal, of course, is that Microsoft is putting its entire first-party portfolio on the platform. This also includes major tentpoles, like Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5, as well as upcoming blockbusters like Starfield and Redfall, which become available on release day. Third-party games tend to last a year at most, though some, like Rockstar’s open-world Hold ‘Em simulator Red Dead Redemption 2, become unavailable after a few months. It’s unpredictable.

The library also spins regularly in third-party games and often serves as a launchpad for indie gems. This year alone, the Zelda-like tunic, snowboard sim Shredders, and puzzler-cum-dungeon-crawler Loot River have all launched on Game Pass. (Here is Kotaku’s list of the best under-the-radar games currently available.) The developers acknowledged to Kotaku that debuting on Game Pass reduces initial sales, but is ultimately worth it for the trade-off in advertising.

PS Plus Extra currently includes around 430 PS4 and PS5 games, while Premium adds another 395 from PS1, PS2, PS3 (streaming only) and PSP. While the classics are a nice bonus, by far the biggest draw is PlayStation exclusives like Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Bloodborne. Unlike Microsoft, Sony has pledged not to put its latest releases on the service day and date, and if Returnal arrives a year after release is any indication, it seems like a good bet that gamers will have to wait at least a year. year for 18 months before new things appear.

There are plenty of serious competitors in the third-party department, however. Games like Final Fantasy VII Remake, Prey, Control, Doom and Tetris Effect are all present, as are indies like Celeste, Outer Wilds, Dead Cells and Virginia. The library has a lot of diversity and was bolstered most recently by the same-day addition of Stray, who is already a 2022 GOTY contender. The Ubisoft component, led by Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is also a strong compliment. At the same time, Sony has yet to demonstrate that it is, or will be, as aggressive as Microsoft in courting a steady stream of third-party day-and-date additions. There is also no PC exclusive part of the library.

Winner: PS Plus

Ari: Going into this exercise, I totally imagined it would paint a clear picture of the superiority of Game Pass, but both of these services look fundamentally identical to me – right down to the user interface – with the new version of PS Plus from Sony slightly better in the few aspects that matter. The prices are mostly the same, but the option to pay for a year of PS Plus at a “discount” surpasses Game Pass in this regard. Of course, the big appeal of Game Pass is that it puts Microsoft’s first-party games on the service at launch, but… Microsoft has virtually no first-party games this year! Right now, this perk appears to be little more than a line of marketing.

Ethan: I also thought Game Pass would be the big winner, but now I’m conflicted as well. Not everyone can afford to pay a full year upfront, but that really changes the math in this game. There are other key differences as well, and while I don’t think they make one a clear winner over the other, I think it’s easier to decide which one you want to pay for. Want immediate access to a full catalog of some of the biggest and best games from the last generation? PS Plus wins. Want to stay on top of some of the best new games coming out every month and play them anytime on your phone? Then it’s Game Pass all the way.

For Xbox, a lot hinges on its big non-E3 press conference. Right now, after a number of notable delays, the mega-publisher’s 2022 edition is devoid of any major exclusives. Along with required announcements of games coming to Game Pass and announcements about other devices you can stream those games on, Xbox might actually share news about, you know, real video games.

This article was originally published on June 11, 2022.

where to watch

The event begins at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 12. You can stream it on Xbox Youtube and Tic canals. If you’d rather see it with cuts so heavy it looks like you’re looking through a kaleidoscope, it’ll also stream on Twitter. Bethesda will also co-stream on its Youtube and Tic canals. Xbox’s Aaron Greenberg said it will last 95 minutes.

Xbox will follow the showcase with an “extended” showcase at 1:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 14. This stream will not feature any new announcements but will offer more details on the games featured during the main event.

What to expect

Ahead of Thursday’s Summer Game Fest kick-off event, publishers and developers – in a marketing act for even more marketing – openly stated whether their games would appear during the show; some surprises there. Many of the reveals during Sony’s big State of Play showcase, meanwhile, had been rumored beforehand; some surprises there too. The Xbox event, however, is a bit more of an enigma.

It’s a safe bet that something, anything, involving Halo Infinite will appear. Halo is Xbox’s Mario. And right now the latest iteration is the multiplayer shooter which also happens to be Microsoft’s big live service game, with a host of regular updates and a ton of previously announced additions planned for future releases. up to date. Halo Infinite still lacks multiplayer features, including support for a co-op campaign, as well as level-creating Creative Forge mode, which were in previous games and promised to be released later this year. . Last year, Microsoft trademark “The Endless”, an obvious reference to the events that occur at the end of Infinite’s campaign, heralding a possible expansion. Certain Affinity studio is also working on the game in an incalculable capacity; some fans believe it is developing a battle royale mode.

Fans are also convinced that some sort of Banjo-Kazooie revival is on the way. Via Achievements, some people spotted Xbox chief Phil Spencer play the Xbox 360 version of Banjo-Kazooie earlier this month. (Some say it’s a sign, others say he’s just playing a game he likes.) Yes, it’s the result of about three degrees of hearsay, but a developer claimed that something related to Super Smash Bros. fighters. Ultimate is on its way. spencer previously said Kotaku that any revival of the series is a call to action by original developer Rare, now an Xbox studio.

Speaking of Rare, the venerable studio has another game in the works that’s only been shown in screenshots and brief cinematic trailers: Everwild. Last June, after Everwild was absent from the Xbox presence at E3, VGC reported for the first time that the game had been rebooted internally and was now aiming for a 2024 release. Perhaps this year’s non-E3 show is when we finally learn of its deal?

Xbox’s slate has a bunch of other titles announced in the works. Many have been teased during last year’s Xbox E3 showcase but no information has been revealed in the meantime. A selection:

The Outer Worlds, Obsidian’s first-person sci-fi RPG that resembles Fallout in outer space, is getting a sequel. Obsidian is also developing a first-party fantasy RPG called Avowed. Horror game Scorn, inspired by the works of HR Giger has been repeatedly delayed. It’s currently slated for a wide release in October 2022 on Xbox and PC. The creators of Just Cause are developing Contraband, a cooperative game set in the 70s. Atomic Heart is another game like modern Fallouts, which takes place in an alternate timeline. version of the Soviet Union where the robotics industry proliferated. It looks crazy.Somerville is a Limbo-like game where you run away from aliens while being accompanied by a dog. Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, GSC Game World has delayed its apocalyptic shooter STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl from April 28 to December 8, 2022.

Two long-dormant Xbox series are also resurrected. The Initiative, a new studio, is working on a reboot of Perfect Dark. Playground Games, which just released the gorgeous Forza Horizon 5 in November, has another entry in the Fable series of fantasy RPGs on the horizon. Anyone can guess whether either of these games will show up or not. (For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t be surprised if Playground shared some details about a Forza Horizon 5 expansion. Its predecessor, 2018’s Forza Horizon 4, saw Fortune Island DLC just months after the main game was released.)

But the bigger one, the only Microsoft-owned studio that shares billing for titles with Xbox, is Bethesda. Last month, Bethesda delayed its two biggest upcoming games: vampire shooter Redfall, developed by studio Prey Arkane, and open-world sandwich-hunting RPG Starfield. (Kotaku recently reported that Bethesda is no stranger to crunch and overwork, with development of Fallout 76 being particularly an arduous process.) Originally slated for release on November 11, 2022, Starfield is now slated for release in the first half of 2023. It has been in the works for years, however, and so far Bethesda has only shown…eight whole seconds of gameplay footage.

In fact, you know what? Let’s face it. We don’t see Starfield gameplay. Bethesda will likely announce another Skyrim port instead.