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Tag: xbox

  • Microsoft brings its Xbox Cloud Gaming service to Amazon Fire TV

    Microsoft brings its Xbox Cloud Gaming service to Amazon Fire TV

    he best deals in the gaming industry, Xbox Game Pass, will soon be available on Amazon Fire TV. Microsoft has just announced it has teamed up with Amazon to bring its Xbox Cloud Gaming service to over 25 countries where Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is available.

    This will allow Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to play games directly from the Xbox app on select Fire TV devices via cloud gaming. Obviously, you’ll need an exceptional internet connection, but you won’t have to pay for a console or download anything on your Fire TV device.

    Basically, you’ll only need a Fire TV Stick, a Bluetooth-enabled wireless controller, and an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription to gain access to hundreds of high-quality games, including Forza Horizon 5, Starfield, and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.

    Microsoft announced that the Xbox app will be released on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023) and Fire TV Stick 4K very soon. Here is what you’ll have to do to start playing games:

    • Install and launch the Xbox app from your Fire TV device.
    • Sign in with your Microsoft account to play.
    • If you haven’t already, you can join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for one low monthly price.
    • Connect a Bluetooth-enabled wireless controller (i.e Xbox Wireless Controller, Xbox Adaptive Controller, PlayStation DualSense, DualShock 4)
    • Start playing!

    It’s worth mentioning that even if you don’t have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership, you’ll still be able to play some games that are free such as Fortnite.

    For those who just want to see how smooth the cloud gaming experience is and if it’s worth paying for it, can pay $1 for 14 days. Subscription continues automatically if not canceled during the 14-day trial. The cost of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is $16.99 per month, but it covers all platforms (PC, console, and cloud gaming).

  • Microsoft tells regulators that it wants to create an Xbox mobile app store

    Microsoft tells regulators that it wants to create an Xbox mobile app store

    When it comes to the smartphone business, Microsoft could have been a contender. Windows Mobile was the operating system on many popular pre-iPhone handsets like the Motorola Q. It also ran some post-iPhone touchscreen models like the HTC Touch Diamond, the HTC Touch Pro, and the HTC HD2, to name a few.
    Many consumers favored Microsoft’s Windows Phone over iOS and Android due to its buttery smooth scrolling. But the Lumia handsets running the software, whether made by Nokia or Microsoft, never caught on, and as a result, developers never felt compelled to develop apps for the platform. Eventually, Microsoft put the kibosh on its plans to challenge iOS and Android, and when Microsoft launched the Surface Duo dual-screened handset in 2020, it was powered by Android.
    Microsoft does have ownership of a vast amount of intellectual property related to Android, and it made much more money each year with the success of Google’s mobile operating system than it did having ownership of Microsoft’s Windows Mobile and Windows Phone.
    The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is doing its due diligence in investigating Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of game maker Activision Blizzard. In responding to questions posed by the regulatory agency, Microsoft mentioned that the acquisition would allow it to take on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

    Microsoft’s response included these comments: “Building on Activision Blizzard’s existing communities of gamers, Xbox will seek to scale the Xbox Store to mobile, attracting gamers to a new Xbox Mobile Platform. Shifting consumers away from the Google Play Store and App Store on mobile devices will, however, require a major shift in consumer behavior. Microsoft hopes that by offering well-known and popular content, gamers will be more inclined to try something new.”

    The report names two popular video games, Activision’s Call of Duty: Mobile and King’s Candy Crush Saga that Microsoft could use to help it build a mobile app storefront that could compete with the Play Store and App Store. Microsoft, noting the popularity of mobile games and the revenue it drives of in-app purchases, sees Apple and Google making a fortune and wants a piece of the action.
    Discussing the proposed purchase of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft explains to the CMA that “The transaction gives Microsoft a meaningful presence in mobile gaming. Mobile gaming revenues from the King division and titles such as Call of Duty: Mobile, as well as ancillary revenue, represented more than half of Activision Blizzard’s … revenues in the first half of 2022.”

    Microsoft adds that it “currently has no meaningful presence in mobile gaming and the Transaction will bring much-needed expertise in mobile game development, marketing, and advertising. Activision Blizzard will be able to contribute its learnings from developing and publishing mobile games to Xbox gaming studios.”

    The software giant has put up a website for its Activision Blizzard acquisition and has posted a giant graph showing the history of the gaming industry. The graph shows a valuation for the entire gaming business of $165 billion in 2020 with consoles valued at $33 billion (20% of the market), PCs worth $40 billion (24%), and mobile gaming valued at $85 billion (51% of the market).
    The CMA happens to be focused on how Microsoft’s proposed acquisition would impact the console market. The smallest tier of the industry, the purchase would represent a larger chunk of this market which could make the regulatory agency concerned enough to block the deal. Microsoft would prefer that the CMA look at how a possible purchase of Activision Blizzard would be a small drop in the mobile gaming market.
    Even if Microsoft gets the green light to close on the purchase of Activision Blizzard, becoming a challenger to the App Store and Play Store is going to be tough. On Android, games found on an Xbox mobile app store could be sideloaded on a mobile device. But that still won’t work on iOS where Apple’s walled garden prevents users from sideloading apps in the name of security.
  • HKT Payment adds marketplace to mobile wallet

    HKT Payment adds marketplace to mobile wallet

    HKT Payment has launched a new virtual store within its Tap & Go mobile wallet to allow customers to purchase online game virtual gift cards.

    The new Tap & Go Marketplace will offer a wide range of gift cards including Google Pay Gift Codes, PlayStation Network, Xbox and hvmod cards.

    Once payment is complete, a PIN will be instantly installed within the Tap & Go marketplace that can be easily redeemed on the respective online marketplace.

    “We are excited to launch the Tap & Go Marketplace and extend the service to better meet the needs of the game-savvy segment,” HKT Financial Services head Monita Leung said.

    “Not only does online purchase via Tap & Go Marketplace give customers full control over their spending and peace of mind with secure payments, but it also offers gamers greater convenience and a seamless experience.”

    The launch follows the introduction of the Faster Payment System in September that allows customers to instantly top up their mobile wallet.

    Leung said HKT Payment plans to continuously expand the gift card categories available over Marketplace to cover music, videos and software.

    HKT Payment secured Hong Kong’s second ever stored value facilities license in 2016.

  • Courts Singapore getting serious with flagship store

    Courts Singapore getting serious with flagship store

    Courts Singapore has redesigned its flagship megastore in Tampines, offering a new immersive experience for customers.

    For the upgrade, the retailer of home electronics, IT and furniture products has put a particular focus on the needs of modern apartment living.

    With its official grand opening on Saturday, the store offers 136,000sqft (12,600sqm) over three floors, with experiential areas making up most of the space.

    In conjunction with the makeover, Courts has also unveiled its relaunched online store which now seamlessly unifies the offline/online shopping experience. The webstore is the largest in its network, offering more than 17,000 SKUs as well as introducing intuitive navigation, search and a faster check-out experience. There is also the option to collect purchases in its physical stores.

    Courts Singapore - Tampines flagship - The newly redesigned Level 1 atrium at COURTS Megastore Tampines

    “We are making good living and great in-store experiences accessible and affordable to all Singapore homeowners – a vision we’ve stayed true to since we first opened 43 years ago,” says group CEO Dr Terry O’Connor.

    Courts Singapore - Tampines flagship - 50 per cent of COURTS online shoppers choose to buy online and collect in-store, at convenient Click and Collect counters

    $10 million investment

    The flagship upgrade is part of Courts Singapore’s S$10 million (US$7.3 million) investment into a series of store refurbishments for the financial year with a focus on new retail concepts and experiential areas. Courts has also launched a new brand slogan, “Better Living, Better Prices”.

    “The Courts Megastore transformation is the result of a year of planning and two months of renovation work, combining the expertise of the commercial, visual merchandising and store operations teams,” says Courts Singapore country CEO Ben Tan.

    Courts Singapore - Tampines flagship - Four new chef demonstration areas bring culinary delights and in-store theatre to shoppers

    “We’ve curated every aspect of the shopping journey,” he says. This includes online integration, a new range for lifestyle and smart technology trends, complementary furniture customisation and three-week delivery.

    Courts Singapore - Tampines flagship -Smart home link-up is demonstrated at Design Studio by COURTS, and available for purchase at COURTS' one-stop solutions provider GURU

    Courts Singapore - Tampines flagship -Customising your sofa is as easy as 1-2-3 with over 2,500 COURTS-exclusive fabrics and over 150 leather and half-leather options to pick from

    With every furniture consultation customers are offered a free cup of artisanal coffee. Bespoke options are available for every furnishing need from sofas, curtains and blinds to wardrobes, bedding and dining tables.

    In its bedding department Courts offers more than 1000 types of mattresses from 23 brands. Shoppers can customise their bed frames and headboards. The revamped bedding area has 11 galleries including new brand for healthy living.

    Courts Singapore - Tampines flagship- A wide array of dining tables in various materials, finishes and bases are offered on the floor

    Design services

    For new homeowners, the Courts Design Studio offers services covering interior design, renovation, furnishing, flexible finance and smart-home connectivity. Consultants are on hand from two award-winning interior-design firms. The studio houses a full-size four-room HDB apartment and studio apartment showroom, integrated with smart-home automation.

    Courts Singapore - Tampines flagship - COURTS is the largest bedding retailer with over 1,000 mattresses from 23 brands

    On the same level, the new Home Gallery is an adaptable showroom space that will be regularly refreshed with room settings and also doubles up as a furniture photoshoot studio. The showroom has two movable walls.

    There is also a Dulux Paint Experience area where shoppers can experiment with colours.

    Four new interactive cooking demonstration stations will feature chefs and cooking hosts. Hungry shoppers have the new Mo Cafe for single-origin coffee and cakes, and a Subway with a window overlooking the third level.

    Samsung Open House 2.0 is an experiential retail concept offering an interactive and connected smart-home experience. It showcases the brand’s range of digital appliances on a 85in. UHD display, allowing shoppers to visualise how each appliance might look in their home. The neighbouring LG Home Entertainment area showcases a range of setups.

    Hands-on gaming

    Courts Singapore - Tampines flagship - The new Gaming Zone at COURTS is a space hosting multiplayer gaming tournaments and a key experiential zone in the store

    Courts has also expanded its gaming zone with such brands as Acer Predator, Alienware, Asus Republic of Gamers, Lenovo Legion, MSI and Razer. shoppers can try out the latest PC games, and there is a space designed to host multiplayer gaming tournaments.

    Also launched at the megastore is Guru, which offers more than 100 repair and maintenance services for more than 20 home-product categories. It will be open 365 days a year with its own in-store service counter as well as a phone hotline, and will also offer home cleaning, painting and fix-it services with warranties.

    COURTS has expanded its gaming retail area with nine PC, console and augmented reality gaming brands

    To mark the flagship’s official opening, a four-week celebration will offer discounts of up to 90 per cent, and deals such as a free Xbox One, worth $499, with the purchase of any gaming laptop computer.

    There will also be a celebrity line-up including Arsenal and Liverpool football stars, singer Joanna Dong, Running Man star Kim Jong Kook and Singapore’s first boxing champion, Muhamad Ridhwan.

    Free public Wi-Fi as well as complimentary parking are also available.

  • Nintendo Delays Rising Market Console in Favor of Smartphones

    Nintendo Delays Rising Market Console in Favor of Smartphones

    Nintendo will delay the introduction of a brand new recreation participant designed for rising markets, preferring as an alternative to check the waters with smartphone choices.

    President Satoru Iwata stated on Thursday that increasing the smartphone video games enterprise will improve its possibilities for fulfillment in rising markets. Titles for cellular units could also be launched as quickly as this yr.

    A yr in the past, Iwata stated the Kyoto-based firm would develop utterly new hardware in 2015 for rising markets moderately than promote cheaper variations of present units such because the Wii U console. Since then, the corporate introduced plans to make use of its iconic characters in smartphone video games, giving it a less expensive method to discover new markets.

    “Launching a brand new console in an rising market and risking failure just isn’t one thing buyers would welcome now,” stated Yasuaki Kogure, chief funding officer at SBI Asset Administration in Tokyo. “Cellular not solely gives an present platform in creating counties, but in addition a low-cost means of testing the market.”

    Nintendo’s shares surged probably the most in seven weeks on Friday after the corporate stated its transfer into cellular gaming will assist double revenue this fiscal yr. The inventory rose as a lot as 9.5 % as of 11:25 a.m. in Tokyo.

    China final yr ended its 14-year ban on online game consoles, spurring Microsoft and Sony to launch their Xbox One and PlayStation four out there. Nintendo has but to announce plans for entry into the world’s largest market.

    “Sensible units have lowered the barrier for individuals all over the world to get to know our video games and characters like Mario,” Iwata stated Thursday. The corporate will say extra about its rising markets plans at a enterprise technique briefing later this yr, he stated.