Welcome to our weekly ICYMI for Xbox news!
We'll still be posting major Xbox announcements in the main feed, but I'll be collecting some of the more nuanced news, rumours and talking points into one handy post every weekend!
So without further ado, here's our latest edition of This Week in Xbox One News.
Former Microsoft VP Peter Moore discusses the infamous 'Red Ring of Death' in new podcast
The now-infamous red lights that informed you that your Xbox 360 had melted internally cost Microsoft over a billion dollars, according to former Microsoft executive Peter Moore.
Talking on Podcast Unlocked, Moore described the overheating problems as "sickening", and recalled having to relay the bad news to former Xbox head, Robbie Bach.
..."It was sickening. I took a lot of the abuse because I was the face of it. It was ultimately on me. But this was a thing that we actually couldn't figure out what was going on.""As we started to do the analysis of what was going on, we were getting the defectives in. It was a challenging problem for our engineers. We couldn't quite figure out what it was, we knew it was heat related..."...
Moore went on to describe his encounter with Steve Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft. Moore drew up a plan to spend over a billion dollars to allow Xbox fans to FedEx their consoles to Microsoft for repairs. Ballmer reportedly agreed to the decision with 'no hesitation', following up with the statement that Xbox fans can thank Steve Ballmer for the continued existence of the brand. Thank you, Steve Ballmer. Do you remember when your Xbox 360 RRoD'd? Hit the comments!
Be sure to check out the full podcast here.
Xboss Phil Spencer laments Xbox One's position in Europe
Phil Spencer has acknowledged that the Xbox One needs to do better in Europe in an interview with EDGE magazine. The PS4 has enjoyed a solid lead in most territories thus far but has a particular advantage in Europe. The Xbox One launched far later than PS4 in various European territories to localize Kinect for Europe's diverse array of languages.
..."We need to do better in Europe. "When I look globally, mainland Europe is definitely an area we want to focus on,"....
Spencer is optimistic though, citing Germany's upcoming Gamescom convention as a launching pad for the European offensive.
..."I'm excited about going to Gamescom at the beginning of August, having another press show where we're able to show games that we didn't show [at E3]. So you're going to see brand new games, as well as obviously some repeats, but you're going to see Scalebound, Crackdown, Quantum Break from my friends at Remedy. From a product standpoint, I like where we are. I think the team's doing a great job with the games and building a platform for gamers."...
I think even the most rabid Xbox hater would have a hard time suggesting Microsoft were doing a bad job with the Xbox One. Microsoft are spending ridiculous amounts on exclusives, huge Xbox feature updates and benefits for Xbox Live Gold members - but if all your friends have a PS4, it remains a hard sell. What do you think would help Xbox One make up for lost ground? Hit the comments!
Troy Baker asks Metal Gear fans to reserve judgement of Kiefer Sutherland
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain kicks off the Autumn/Winter game rush on September 1st, but the path to the finish line has been marred by controversy. There are reports that Konami will fire MGS godfather Hideo Kojima once the game is shipped, also to reports that Konami are making life hard for the staff at Kojima Productions. Early on though, many fans were peeved at the announcement long-time Snake voice actor David Hayter had been ditched in favour of Kiefer Sutherland.
Troy Baker has come out in support of Kiefer Sutherland, asking fans to reserve judgement until after they've played the game (via VG247).
..."I love David Hayter, I love David, he's a good dude and he's Snake, but so is Kiefer. And that guy showed up, rolled up his sleeves and got dirty on this game. So reserve judgement until you play it. You only have like two more months left and trust me it'll be worth it."...
Troy Baker is the [veteran voice actor]*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Baker#Video_games) lending his talents to Revolver Ocelot in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V. There are plenty of people out there (myself included) who think the omission of David Hayter as Solid Snake is just another of Kojima's bait-and-switch marketing tactics. If The Phantom Pain were to pick up a sequel, it could retell the story of 1987's Metal Gear on the MSX2 - bringing Solid Snake and Big Boss (Naked Snake) face-to-face. Hayter vs. Sutherland.
Sadly given Konami's treatment of Kojima Productions, we may never know if it was Hideo's intention to round-off the series in this way.
Mass Effect: Andromeda might have a 'happier ending' than Mass Effect 3
Mass Effect 3's ending was, well, divisive, shall we say. The controversy is one of the more memorable drama-bombs of the last generation, with fans feeling that it ended far too abruptly. The backlash was so severe, Bioware issued a DLC to pad the ending and provide the trilogy with a more comforting send-off.
An inquiring Mass Effect fan pinged Mass Effect: Andromeda dev Chris Wynn, asking if the newest game would receive a "happier ending". Wynn replied, "we will do what we can!" - so fans still soured by the events of Mass Effect 3 can probably rest assured that Bioware have heard the feedback.
ICYMI - Some of Windows Central's biggest Xbox articles of the week
- First Minecraft: Story Mode details released, coming to Xbox One and PC later this year
- Xbox chief Phil Spencer says we need to do better in Europe
- Microsoft won't stop selling the Xbox One in Japan, thinks Windows 10 will help sales
- Microsoft's Xbox Ultimate Game Sale will cut prices on over 70 games starting on July 7
- Hidden object adventure Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart coming to Xbox One this fall
- First Minecraft: Story Mode details released, coming to Xbox One and PC later this year
- The latest Trials Fusion DLC for Xbox and PC lets you be a cat riding a Unicorn
- 124 new ID@Xbox trailers show the strength of the Xbox One indie developer community) at E3
New Xbox One game releases for the week ending July 5th, 2015
Scrabble - Card & Board - Ubisoft
"Enjoy the classic word spelling game with your friends either locally or online, and add computer opponents of varying difficulties to make things interesting!"
Quiplash - Family, Puzzle & Trivia, Social - Jackbox Games
"For 3-8 Players and an Audience of thousands! The team behind the hit party games YOU DON'T KNOW JACK, Fibbage, and Drawful presents Quiplash, the laugh-a-minute battle of wits and wittiness!"
BLAZBLUE CHRONOPHANTASMA EXTEND - Action & Adventure, Fighting - Aksys Games
"The most definitive installment of the renowned 2D fighting game franchise, BlazBlue, can finally be taken into your living room. Uncover the secrets, of the Chrono Phantasma Extend."
And that's a wrap!
I'm close to the end of The Witcher 3; I'm not sure what to play next. Rare Replay comes out at the start of next month, followed by Dishonored Definitive Edition, Gears of War Ultimate Edition and Metal Gear Solid V towards the start of September. What will you guys be playing before the holiday rush? Hit the comments!
