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Xbox One Game Gifting Now Possible For Some
Microsoft has begun rolling out a digital gifting service to Xbox One Insider members.
WindowsCentral reports that select players who are part of the Xbox Insider Program are now able to purchase games as gifts for their friends.
The feature is available through the Xbox One online store and appears as an alternate option when buying a game, and you can send gifts directly to a friend through their Xbox Live Gamertag or via email address.
The lucky recipient just has to redeem a pre-paid game code and they can begin downloading.
The feature is still being tested as part of the 1710 preview build, but seems fully functional and could be an aspect of the fall OS update.
New Layton Game Coming Next Year
It looks like there are still plenty of mysteries left to solve for the Layton family, with Level-5 confirming that the well-dressed detectives have another game in the works, aiming to release "summer 2018".
As reported by License! Global magazine (via ToonBarn), in addition to the new game release, the developer is also exploring new ways to experience the world of Layton, with animated projects currently in development as well as "experimental live events".
Netflix Makes Deal for New Shaft Film With Samuel L. Jackson
Netflix has reportedly cut a deal for the rights to the Shaft reboot featuring Samuel L. Jackson.
Deadline reports that in order to secure the international rights and allow it to stream the new film outside of the US just two weeks after it hits cinemas, Netflix may be fronting up over half of the film's $30 million budget.
While neither New Line or Netflix have commented on this alleged deal, sources claim that it has been in the works for several weeks and will not affect the American market. Instead, in the US the film will maintain a more traditional release trajectory from cinema to streaming services and physical media to avoid harming theatre chains.
PlayStation Gets New CEO as Andrew House Steps Down
PlayStation President and Global CEO Andrew House is stepping down from his role, with current Deputy President of Sony Interactive Entertainment John (Tsuyoshi) Kodera taking his place effective immediately.
Per the official announcement on Sony's website, House will remain with SIE as Chairman for the year for transitional purposes, and stick with Sony as Director and Chairman of SIE.
"I'm tremendously proud of what we've built with PlayStation and Sony Interactive Entertainment: entertaining millions globally with the best in games and creating a fully fledged digital entertainment company," said House in in a statement. "PlayStation has been a huge part of my life for more than 20 years but with the business having achieved record-breaking success, now seemed to be the right time for me to pursue new challenges. I shall always treasure the friendships and people that have made SIE such a wonderful place to work. I'm also grateful to PlayStation fans and gamers around the world for their loyalty and support. John and the team at SIE are world-class and I know the future of PlayStation is very bright."
Unsung Story Coming to Switch, PS4, Xbox One
The tactical RPG Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians will be released on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Switch.
In a recent update to its Kickstarter campaign, publisher Little Orbit has announced the expansion into the home console market despite not making the stretch goals put in place in 2014.
"For me, I remember playing Final Fantasy Tactics from the couch on my PS1, and that format was quintessential to my experience enjoying that game," CEO of Little Orbit Matthew Scott wrote. "Hopefully this balances some of the cancellations and changes we are making."
The Gifted Actress on Portraying Blink’s Powers
Fox's The Gifted sees the second live-action portrayal of Blink, with the character having previously appeared in X-Men: Days of Future Past. And for Jamie Chung, who portrays the character in Fox's mutant drama, giving life to the character's struggles as a mutant was key in this iteration.
"In terms of her powers, it's trigged when she's scared," Chung explained in an interview to IGN ahead of the show's debut. "For her, it's really straining. So what you'll see in the series is, if you were to do something so physically straining, what would you do in the aftermath?"
Some spoilers for The Gifted's premiere episode follow. Check out our spoiler free review if you have yet to watch.
The Gifted Actor Teases What’s Next for the Struckers
The Gifted's season premiere, "eXposed," leaves the Strucker family in a difficult predicament, and the family's patriarch, Reed Strucker (Stephen Moyer), has a tough road ahead of him.
Spoilers for The Gifted's season premiere follow. Read our spoiler-free review if you haven't seen it.
Reed Strucker's life is thrown for a loop when, after discovering his kids are mutants, he has to abandon his job as a mutant-persecuting district attorney to help them free the country in safety. His efforts, in the episode's climax, get his family to temporary safety on one side of a Blink portal, while he's stuck with the mutant-hunting Sentinel Services and Agent Jace Turner (Coby Bell). But his situation isn't a death sentence just yet, as he proves useful to the government agency.
The Xbox Onesie Is Back, Courtesy of Xbox Australia
To mark the release of Forza Motorsport 7, Xbox Australia has resurrected the Xbox Onesie. Best described as giant toddler’s romper suit for adult humans, the Xbox Onesie proved to be a true hit when it was launched this time last year – presumably amongst people who like their pants attached to all their other clothing and the prospect of getting completely undressed to go to the toilet.
This year’s Forza-themed Xbox Onesie retains several features from the original – including enlarged pockets and personalised Gamertag embroidery – whilst adding a few new ones, like a built-in drinks pouch with mouthpiece. It’s styled like a racing fire suit but maybe listen to your parents for once in a while and don’t sit too close to the heater.
Overwatch Director Talks Impact of Toxic Player Feedback
In light of recent discussion about player feedback, Overwatch Game Director Jeff Kaplan detailed the effect of extreme fan reactions on the game's development team.
In a post on the Blizzard forums, Kaplan wrote in response to a fan post asking if the Overwatch team simply didn't have enough people to handle communication with fans.
Although every member of the Overwatch development team is free to post on the forums and wants to let the community know the team is listening, "very few of us actually do because it's extremely intimidating and/or time consuming," Kaplan explained. That intimidation comes in part because anything a developer is said, Kaplan worries, can be taken as an official announcement without any wiggle room for change.