Microsoft – Mattina Technology

Microsoft at E3 2016

Microsoft had their big press conference earlier today. They officially revealed the new Xbox One S. The Xbox One S has 4K Ultra HD, an internal power supply, 2TB of storage and it also has High Dynamic Range. It is definitely a nice upgrade from the original Xbox One. The new Xbox One S is also 40% smaller. It will cost $399 and it will be released this August.

Microsoft also showed off a variety of upcoming games for the Xbox One and PC. They showed off Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3, Halo Wars 2, ReCore, Killer Instinct: Season 3, Sea of Thieves, Scalebound, State of Decay 2 and Crackdown 3. I think ReCore looked like a pretty neat game. ReCore is an action adventure game that pits you against robotic foes. The game comes from the makers of Metroid Prime. Gears of War 4 looked like a sequel that fans of the series will be excited to play. I have never been a big fan of the series, but this one might be worth trying out. Sea of Thieves looked like a very strange game. It is a shared-world adventure game that pits you against your pirate friends.

Microsoft also announced Xbox Play Anywhere. This program allows you to purchase a game on PC and play it on Xbox or vice versa. It is similar to the cross buy that Sony had for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. There were several other cool announcements. One of those announcements was the reveal of Project Scorpio. Project Scorpio is a more powerful version of the Xbox One that is coming out in 2017. Overall I think Microsoft had a decent conference. They showed off some great new games and a powerful upgraded console. I can’t wait to see what Microsoft has in store for the future. What do you think of the new Xbox One S?

Source: Microsoft

-MT

The Oculus Rift Price and Release Date

Yesterday the Oculus Rift price and release date was revealed. It is coming out on March 28 and it will cost 600 dollars. However, you will need a very powerful PC to run the Oculus Rift. The box comes with a headset, a sensor, an Oculus remote and an Xbox controller. I think that the Oculus Rift is a bit overpriced considering that you need an expensive PC to use it. What do you think of the Oculus Rift’s pricing and release date?

Source: IGN

–MT

What I liked at E3 2015

Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony showed off a variety of games at this years E3 Conference. There were several games that stood out to me and I can’t wait to play them.

Microsoft showed off Halo 5: Guardians, and the gameplay looks great. The trailer makes it seem like the player will be hunting Master Chief. It definitely seems like a different take on Halo and I can’t wait to jump into the action. There is also a new multiplayer mode called Warzone. This new mode allows ups to 24 players; in the past Halo games have only supported 16 players.

I also liked what I saw from Starwars Battlefront. The visuals and sound effects are superior to the original Battlefront games. One of the trailers showed multiplayer battles on Hoth and they include AT-AT’s and AT-ST’s. They also include X-Wings, Tie Fighters and Snowspeeders. It is great that vehicles are returning and I can’t wait to get into the action. The game play footage also showed that players can play as Jedi and Sith when they activate a power up. Everything looks really polished and this is my most anticipated game of 2015. However, I am disappointed that there is no campaign mode.

Many Nintendo fans were not impressed by Nintendo’s E3 Direct. However, I liked several of the games that they showed off during their direct. I liked what I saw from Star Fox Zero. It looks like the player can transform their ship into several different vehicles. This new mechanic looks really cool and I think that it will add a lot to the gameplay. It has been a while since Nintendo has released a main series Star Fox game. I also thought Mario Maker looked like a lot of fun. Nintendo is giving the user a ton of different assets and tools to use. It looks like the player can randomly drop Bowser in the middle of any level. This game looks crazy and I can’t wait to see what other people create. I am also pretty excited for the new Mario Tennis game. The player can get a power up that makes them grow huge. I have always enjoyed the Mario Tennis games and hopefully this one delivers.

What was your favorite game at E3 this year and what games are you excited for this year?

-MT

Microsoft is Coming out with a New Web Browser

Microsoft is working on a new web browser to compete with Google and Mozilla. It is code named Spartan and will ship with Windows 10. It is supposed to feel like Chrome and Firefox. It is also supposed to be lighter and faster. It will be interesting to see how this new browser competes. I hope that it is truly lighter and faster than Internet Explorer. I use Google Chrome, but I am interested in trying out the new Microsoft browser. Will you be trying out the new Microsoft browser?

Source: IGN

-MT

Microsoft’s New CEO Satya Nadella

On February 4, 2014 Microsoft appointed Satya Nadella to Chief Executive Officer. Former Chief Executive Steve Ballmer stepped down. Satya Nadella has worked for Microsoft since 1992 and has helped to expand Bing, Xbox, Office and Cloud Services. Nadella has a background in Business and Engineering. He has a Masters degree in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Chicago. It will be interesting to see how he pushes Microsoft forward.

Source: Microsoft

-MT

Microsoft Surface 2 is out

On October 22, 2013 Microsoft released the Surface 2 and the Surface 2 Pro. This is the same day that Apple revealed the new iPad Air. It is interesting to see how Apple and Microsoft have shifted away from computers. They are both focusing on the tablet market right now. The Microsoft Surface 2 has a resolution of 1920 X 1080, it also has 2GB of ram and is running on a 1.7 GHZ Quad Core Processor. The Microsoft Surface 2 comes with Windows RT 8.1 and Microsoft Office 2013 RT. The 32GB Surface 2 costs $449 and the 64GB version costs $549. I also like how the Surface 2 comes with a USB port and a micro SD card reader. It is a feature that all tablets should include. Are you going to get the Microsoft Surface 2?

-MT

Xbox One Release Date

By MT

Microsoft revealed that the Xbox One will come out on November 22, 2013. It comes out seven days after the PS4 comes out. I don’t think this puts Microsoft at a disadvantage. The Xbox One is a really powerful system. It has an 8-core x86 processor, 8GB of ram, a 500GB hard drive and a blue ray player. It is also said to be an all around media player with a variety of applications such as Skype. Some of the games that are coming out on the Xbox One include Forza 5, Titanfall, Halo, Call of Duty Ghosts, Deadrising 3 and Destiny. The PS4 and Xbox One are both very powerful systems. However, they lack a strong lineup of exclusives; it will be interesting to see how both consoles do in the long run. Are you going to pick up an Xbox One on day one?

Source: Xbox One Site