Month: August 2024
You can pre-order the all-digital Xbox Series X starting today
Today is the first day to pre-order the new 2024 Xbox consoles. The new batch includes the all-digital Xbox Series X, a Special Edition Xbox Series X with 2TB of storage and a white Xbox Series S. They begin shipping to US customers on October 15.
Announced in June, the all-digital Xbox Series X is the first iteration of that model without a disc drive. Shipping in “robot white,” the new console includes 1TB of storage and costs $450. That’s only a $50 discount over the standard model, so it’s worth thinking about whether the disc-free tradeoff pays off for you. You can sometimes find the standard model on sale for that price, and Microsoft’s refurbished store has it for $450 right now.
In addition, the all-digital Xbox is the same size as the standard version with a disc drive. So, unlike the equivalent PS5, the new disc-less model won’t save space in your entertainment center.
If you’re on the opposite end of the spectrum and are down to spend more on an Xbox, Microsoft is also launching a 2TB special edition of Series X in “galaxy black” with a groovy space design. That variant, retailing for $600, includes the standard disc drive.
Meanwhile, the Xbox Series S has a new white model with 1TB to store more games in a new colorway. It follows the black version with the same storage that arrived in 2023.
Microsoft says the new consoles will arrive in most regions where Xbox hardware is currently supported, except Argentina, Brazil, Chile, India, Israel, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and UAE. The consoles land in the US on October 15, with “select countries” pushed back a couple of weeks to October 29.
New Xbox accessibility options
Microsoft
Xbox continues to impress with its accessibility accommodations for gamers with disabilities. Alongside the console updates, Microsoft unveiled several new controllers on Wednesday to help more people experience the joy of frictionless gaming.
The Xbox Adaptive Joystick fills what Microsoft called a widely expressed “need for an affordable, singular joystick” to use with other Xbox controllers. Designed for people with limited mobility, it has four customizable button inputs on the front, a standard thumbstick and two more mappable bumper and trigger-style buttons.
You can plug the wired stick into the Xbox Adaptive Controller or the console. Alternatively, you can link it with a standard Xbox gamepad using Xbox Controller Assist (solo or couch co-op). The Xbox Adaptive Joystick also has a quarter-inch thread for mounting, adding to its versatility.
The joystick will only cost $30 when it arrives in early 2025.
Microsoft
Microsoft is also rolling out 3D-printable files for adaptive thumbstick toppers, designed for those who have trouble gripping the standard Xbox sticks. You can print adapters in the shapes of a plate, dome, narrow stick, “pull” (a deep, bowl-shaped surface), sphere and a custom base for adding materials like clay or moldable plastic.
Of course, you’ll need to own a 3D printer, use a friend’s or find a professional service to print them. The printable files are free from Xbox Design Lab.
8BitDo / Microsoft
In partnership with 8BitDo, the Lite SE 2.4G Wireless Controller is a gamepad with all inputs on its top surface. It has low-resistance buttons and “highly sensitive” Hall effect joysticks. It even includes a non-slip silicone mat to keep things steady. As a bonus, it includes 8BitDo’s coveted Super Buttons, first packaged with the Nintendo-inspired mechanical keyboard.
The 8BitDo Lite SE 2.4G is available starting today for $60.
ByoWave / Microsoft
Finally, the ByoWave Proteus Controller, revealed earlier this year for Global Accessibility Awareness Day, is now available to order. The innovative, modular gamepad has “snap and play” parts that offer over 100 million combinations tailored to your needs. The Proteus is available for $299 in the US, EU, UK and Canada.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/you-can-pre-order-the-all-digital-xbox-series-x-starting-today-172827418.html?src=rss
Today is the first day to pre-order the new 2024 Xbox consoles. The new batch includes the all-digital Xbox Series X, a Special Edition Xbox Series X with 2TB of storage and a white Xbox Series S. They begin shipping to US customers on October 15.
Announced in June, the all-digital Xbox Series X is the first iteration of that model without a disc drive. Shipping in “robot white,” the new console includes 1TB of storage and costs $450. That’s only a $50 discount over the standard model, so it’s worth thinking about whether the disc-free tradeoff pays off for you. You can sometimes find the standard model on sale for that price, and Microsoft’s refurbished store has it for $450 right now.
In addition, the all-digital Xbox is the same size as the standard version with a disc drive. So, unlike the equivalent PS5, the new disc-less model won’t save space in your entertainment center.
If you’re on the opposite end of the spectrum and are down to spend more on an Xbox, Microsoft is also launching a 2TB special edition of Series X in “galaxy black” with a groovy space design. That variant, retailing for $600, includes the standard disc drive.
Meanwhile, the Xbox Series S has a new white model with 1TB to store more games in a new colorway. It follows the black version with the same storage that arrived in 2023.
Microsoft says the new consoles will arrive in most regions where Xbox hardware is currently supported, except Argentina, Brazil, Chile, India, Israel, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and UAE. The consoles land in the US on October 15, with “select countries” pushed back a couple of weeks to October 29.
New Xbox accessibility options
Xbox continues to impress with its accessibility accommodations for gamers with disabilities. Alongside the console updates, Microsoft unveiled several new controllers on Wednesday to help more people experience the joy of frictionless gaming.
The Xbox Adaptive Joystick fills what Microsoft called a widely expressed “need for an affordable, singular joystick” to use with other Xbox controllers. Designed for people with limited mobility, it has four customizable button inputs on the front, a standard thumbstick and two more mappable bumper and trigger-style buttons.
You can plug the wired stick into the Xbox Adaptive Controller or the console. Alternatively, you can link it with a standard Xbox gamepad using Xbox Controller Assist (solo or couch co-op). The Xbox Adaptive Joystick also has a quarter-inch thread for mounting, adding to its versatility.
The joystick will only cost $30 when it arrives in early 2025.
Microsoft is also rolling out 3D-printable files for adaptive thumbstick toppers, designed for those who have trouble gripping the standard Xbox sticks. You can print adapters in the shapes of a plate, dome, narrow stick, “pull” (a deep, bowl-shaped surface), sphere and a custom base for adding materials like clay or moldable plastic.
Of course, you’ll need to own a 3D printer, use a friend’s or find a professional service to print them. The printable files are free from Xbox Design Lab.
In partnership with 8BitDo, the Lite SE 2.4G Wireless Controller is a gamepad with all inputs on its top surface. It has low-resistance buttons and “highly sensitive” Hall effect joysticks. It even includes a non-slip silicone mat to keep things steady. As a bonus, it includes 8BitDo’s coveted Super Buttons, first packaged with the Nintendo-inspired mechanical keyboard.
The 8BitDo Lite SE 2.4G is available starting today for $60.
Finally, the ByoWave Proteus Controller, revealed earlier this year for Global Accessibility Awareness Day, is now available to order. The innovative, modular gamepad has “snap and play” parts that offer over 100 million combinations tailored to your needs. The Proteus is available for $299 in the US, EU, UK and Canada.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/you-can-pre-order-the-all-digital-xbox-series-x-starting-today-172827418.html?src=rss
Pixel 9 phones: The Gemini AI stuff, reviewed
A newcomer dives into AI with the Pixel 9 Pro.
Enlarge / I asked Gemini to “reimagine” the background of this Pixel 9 group shot (originally on beige paper) as “science fiction moonscape,” and then used “Auto frame” to expand the initially tight shot. Maybe that explains why this moon surface has another moon visible? (credit: Kevin Purdy / Gemini AI)
Google made its AI assistant, Gemini, central to its pitch to reviewers and the public—it’s what makes Pixel phones different from any other Android phone, the company says. In fact, you have to go 24 minutes into Google’s keynote presentation, and cringe through a couple of live AI demo failures, before Pixel hardware details are even mentioned.
I’ve been using a Pixel 9 Pro as my daily phone for about a week. There is almost nothing new about the Pixel 9 that is not linked to Gemini in some way, minus the physical design of the thing. So this review will look at how Gemini performs on the Pixel 9, which is Google’s premier platform for Gemini at the moment. While some of the Pixel 9’s AI-powered features may make it to other Android-powered phones in future Android releases, that’s not a certainty. AI—as a free trial, as a custom Google-designed chip, and as an OS integration—is something Google is using to set Pixels apart.
I wrote a separate review of the three main Pixel 9 devices. But considering the Pixel 9 as a hardware-only product is strange. The short version is that the phones themselves are capable evolutions of the Pixel series and probably the best versions Google has made yet, and they’re sold at prices that reflect that. If you love Pixel phones, are eager to upgrade, and plan to ignore Gemini specifically and AI features generally, that might be all you need to know.