Xbox Series X – Syndication Server

Microsoft is offering big discounts Xbox Series X|S for the holidays

Black Friday may be over, but Microsoft is still feeling the spirit of bargains, with some big Xbox Series X|S sales going on right now

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Black Friday may be over, but Microsoft is still feeling the spirit of bargains, with some big Xbox Series X|S sales going on right now. Many of Microsoft’s Xbox Black Friday deals are actually sticking around, including a pretty sweet console bundle deal.

If you’re just after a console, you get them at a respectable discount for the time being. Microsoft is offering the Xbox Series X for $399.99, which is $100 off its usual $499.99 price. The console comes with 1TB of memory and one Xbox controller. While it doesn’t come with any games, you can purchase a console Game Pass subscription for $1 for your first month and $9.99 per month after that. Game Pass gives you access to hundreds of games, including Bethesda’s library, a hefty number of Sega games, and some of the best indie games around.

The Series S – a smaller, digital-only, less powerful alternative – is going for $249. It normally costs $299.99. Xbox is running a special on the Series S Starter Bundle as well, which gets you the system and three months of Game Pass Ultimate for $239.99. Game Pass Ultimate includes Game Pass for console and PC, so if you game on Windows 10 or Windows 11, you have a pretty solid selection of games to choose from on your PC as well.

You can also grab a Series X bundled with a digital version of Diablo 4 for $399.99, which is essentially giving you a free copy of the game. There’s a similar bundle that includes Forza Horizon 5 instead, and it’s also going for $399.99.

Other retailers, including Amazon, have similar offers running, though the stock and pricing seem to fluctuate a bit more unreliable. It’s worth checking, but make sure to keep an eye on Microsoft’s store as well.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

The best Black Friday video game deals at GameStop

GameStop Black Friday deals have begun, with discounts on some of the best Switch games, must-have PS5 games, and a handful of Xbox grabs

GameStop Black Friday deals have begun, with discounts site-wide on some of the hottest games of 2023, older classics, and even consoles. You’ll find some of the best Switch games, must-have PS5 games, and a handful of good Xbox deals, including several that have the competition at Amazon beat. We’ve rounded up some of the best deals on all platforms below. These are available for shipping or in-store pickup, though bear in mind they’re physical games. These won’t work if you have a digital-only system.

Resident Evil, Diablo 4 headline October Prime Day deals on Xbox games

Resident Evil 4 Remake and Diablo 4 lead the charge in October Prime Day deals on Xbox games

Resident Evil 4 Remake and Diablo 4 lead the charge in October Prime Day deals on Xbox games. While it looks like Xbox is waiting until Black Friday for steep discounts on first-party games, its third-party studios are filling the gap this Prime Day with discounts on games ranging from Star Wars to One Piece and more. Bear in mind that these are for physical Xbox games, so if you have a Series S, you won’t be able to take advantage of these deals.

Some of the prices have fluctuated throughout the day as well, though we’ve included alternatives where they exist.

Final Fantasy XIV on Xbox is finally happening

Final Fantasy XIV is coming to Xbox at least, 10 years after the MMO game first launched on PC, and it’s coming with an expanded free trial

Final Fantasy XIV is coming to Xbox at last, 10 years after the MMO game first launched on PC and PlayStation. Xbox head Phil Spencer and Final Fantasy XIV producer Naoki Yoshida made the announcement during the 2023 Fanfest and said Final Fantasy XIV on Xbox will launch sometime in spring 2024.

Open beta testing for the Xbox version will begin during patch 6.5x later in 2023.

Final Fantasy XIV will be available on Xbox Series X|S as a digital-only release, and Yoshida said you can go right from the beta into the full release without any interruption. All content and upgrades announced during the 7.0 Dawntrail update will be available in the Xbox version.

You can also get started and play a substantial amount of Final Fantasy XIV for free. Yoshida announced that the FFXIV free trial is expanding to include the end of Heavensward and the entirety of Stormblood, the MMO’s second and third expansions, and you can get pretty much everything the game has to offer outside a few social aspects in the free trial.

Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu said the Xbox version is only possible thanks to Spencer’s extensive support and said Xbox and Square Enix will work to bring their games to Xbox in the future, whenever possible.

Spencer and Kiryu didn’t say what Square Enix games might come to Xbox in the future, though if you’re hoping for Final Fantasy 16 at some point, you’ll probably be waiting for a while. Non-PS5 versions of the game are still a ways out.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Microsoft is raising Xbox Game Pass prices for console and Ultimate

Microsoft announced an increase in the Xbox Game Pass price for console and ultimate subscribers starting in July 2023

Microsoft announced an increase in the Xbox Game Pass price for console and ultimate subscribers (thanks, The Verge). The price change goes into effect on July 6, 2023, for anyone who isn’t a Game Pass subscriber, while current subscribers will start paying more on Aug. 13, 2023.

The console Game Pass price will increase from $9.99 to $10.99, while console ultimate subscribers will be paying $16.99 instead of $14.99. This increase marks the first time Xbox has raised the price of its subscription service since the platform launched in 2017.

“We’ve held on our prices for consoles for many years and have adjusted the prices to reflect the competitive conditions in each market,” Kari Perez, Xbox’s head of communications, told The Verge. “These Game Pass price adjustments are not related to the Activision Blizzard deal, and are intended to match local market conditions.”

The news comes a few months after PlayStation raised the price of its consoles in countries outside the United States, after which Xbox said it wouldn’t be raising the price of its products – for the time being. Console prices are increasing in Europe and elsewhere, though for now, the cost of the Xbox Series X|S remains the same as when the consoles first released.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Obsidian debuts Avowed trailer at Xbox Games Showcase

Years after Xbox teased the new Obsidian RPG Avowed, we finally got to see an Avowed trailer at the XBox Games Showcase

Years after Xbox teased the new Obsidian RPG Avowed, we finally got to see an Avowed trailer at the Xbox Games Showcase. The trailer is a mix of cinematics and gameplay, and it shows off a kind of Skyrim-like world full of magic, monsters, warring factions, and more importantly, it shows an Avowed release date frame: 2024.

That’s admittedly a pretty big time frame, but hopefully, Xbox will have more to show later in 2023.

Avowed follows an outcast of some kind, and while we don’t know why the game’s hero is ostracised from mainstream society, it seems like they aren’t alone. People like them are feared for their abilities, while simultaneously prized for them, and the result is a constant state of tension between the people groups of Avowed.

On the gameplay front, we see fire spells, swordfights, big magic effects, sentient skeletons, big scary bears, and pretty much all the usual fantasy staples, along with some surprises: people made of lava, surreal-looking landscapes, and tombs tucked away deep underground. It all has a colorful twist that’s refreshing to see in a genre often preoccupied with shades of brown.

As with all Xbox first-party games, you can expect to play Avowed on Xbox Game Pass the day it launches, whenever that day is.

If you’re after a more lighthearted take on fantasy, check out the new Fable trailer as well.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

Richard Ayoade features in Fable 4 trailer at Xbox Games Showcase

After months of silence, Playground games finally showed off Fable 4 during the Xbox Games Showcase, but there’s still no Fable release date

After months of silence, Playground and Xbox finally showed off Fable 4 during the Xbox Games Showcase, though despite mention that you can “play it day one on Xbox Game Pass,” there’s still no hint of a Fable 4 release date.

It’s also not really Fable 4. It’s just Fable. Rumors swirled that the Playground team looked to The Witcher for inspiration, there’s no hint of dark fantasy in the new Fable trailer. British comedian Richard Ayoade narrates the trailer as Dave the Vegetable Enthusiast with a lengthy monologue about the annoying habits of heroes, including high cheekbones and a propensity to mess around with mythical creatures.

While Ayoade’s character goes on about how much he detests heroic behavior, we see a hero herself navigating a colorful, gorgeous world and dealing with a few hecklers along the way. There’s dangerous beasts, ye olde villages, and plenty of Fable’s signature quirky humor – and then it turns out the hero is actually in Ayoade’s house. She’s tiny, or he’s massive, and a Jack and the Beanstalk-style chase ensues, before the trailer ends with our hero sitting on a massive pair of glasses.

What’s going on is anyone’s guess, but hopefully we’ll see more about Fable 4 in the coming months – including a release date.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Xbox Games Showcase 2023 time and where to watch

The Xbox Games Showcase is coming up fast, with two hours of trailers, reveals, and more, followed by an in-depth Starfield presentation

The Xbox Games Showcase is coming up fast, with two hours of trailers, reveals, and more, followed by an in-depth Starfield presentation. We don’t know for sure what all Xbox has in store, though marketing executive Aaron Greenberg did say no Xbox first-party games for Series X|S will feature trailers that are entirely computer-generated material. It’ll be a mix of gameplay footage, in-engine footage, and possibly some CGI. Third-party possibilities are anyone’s guess, as Xbox has featured anything from Persona to Bandai Namco’s Tales of series at past showcases.

Whatever the case, it’s a lengthy presentation, clocking in at two hours – and that’s even before taking the Starfield Direct into account.

Video game characters who need a New Year’s Resolution

These video game characters really need to make a big change in 2023, and these are the New Year’s Resolutions they should pick.

Video game characters are a fairly hedonistic bunch, honestly. Gluttons for food, money, treasures, power, and combat. You can’t even play a wholesome game like Animal Crossing without coming into close contact with one of the deadly sins, and that’s why, this year, a bunch of famous video game stars need a New Year’s Resolution.

Many of us resolve to change for the better when the New Year rolls around, and why should video game characters be any different? If we could sit down a group of our fave game stars and tell them that they need to make a change, we would pick the characters in this list, and give it to them straight – without hurting their feelings, of course.

These are the top ten video game characters that need to make a New Year’s Resolution, and what it should be.

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Set up tips for your new Xbox Series X/S

Get your new Xbox Series X/S console set up and working as quickly as possible with these essential tips.

It’s the holiday season so we’re all enjoying some brand new consoles and games – but best of all are the consoles, of course. Few things are more exciting than jumping onto a new system and enjoying a new library of games, and the Xbox Series S is the cheapest place to do it – Xbox Series X, meanwhile, is the premier place to play Xbox Game Pass titles.

If you came across a brand new Xbox this holiday season, then make sure to read through the tips in this guide for everything you need to get your console set up smoothly and quickly.

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