Since the release of Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in November 2020, there have been internal revisions to the hardware – but no innovations communicated to the outside world.
Now it’s that time again: As part of the Games Showcase, Phil Spencer announced a black version of the Xbox Series S (that’s the slightly less powerful console) with more storage space for data.
Instead of 512 MB, 1 GB will be installed in the future. The price will be around 350 US dollars – it can probably be had for around 350 euros in this country. The device should be available from September 1, 2023. The previously available white version usually costs just under 300 euros.
There were no other announcements in terms of hardware or ecosystem. Instead, one trailer after the other was shown with chic pictures, but there was little in-depth information about the games.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was a trailer for Star Wars Outlaws, which is being developed by Ubisoft’s development studio Massive Entertainment (The Division) in Sweden. The game should offer an open world, we should learn more in an online presentation by Ubisoft on June 12, 2023.
The game is scheduled for release in 2024 for Windows PC, Xbox Series X/S and Playstation 5. The main character is a crook named Kay Vess who plans a galactic heist.
Video: Star Wars Outlaws – Trailer (Announced June 2023)
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Microsoft has only presented expansions for two titles that have been available for a long time, but they pack a punch: The Legend of Monkey Island brings elements from the adventure classic to the online game Sea of Thieves. The release will take place over three months starting July 20th.
Players will be able to experience a point-and-click pirate adventure in which they will meet Guybrush Threepwood, Elaine and the ghost pirate LeChuck on Melee Island and Monkey Island, among others. Anyone who already has access to Sea of Thieves (e.g. via the Xbox Game Pass game subscription) does not have to pay anything else.
Video: Monkey Island – Sea of Thieves (June 2023)
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There will be a whole range of new missions and tasks for the Flight Simulator in 2024: pilot for parachutists, fire-fighting missions from the air, cargo transport, hot-air balloons and zeppelins and much more.
In addition, there should be an aircraft from the Dune 2 film to fly as an extra – pilots could already climb into a spaceship from Halo in the simulator.
From the long-announced fable, material based on the engine could be seen for the first time, but it didn’t look like real gameplay. Somehow shrinking seems to play a role, at least some figures move through the fantasy world with a size of a few centimeters.
For the first time, Microsoft has shown real gameplay from the role-playing game Avowed, which is being developed by the development studio Obsidian Entertainment and is scheduled for release in 2024. The players are traveling on an island where rumors of a mysterious plague are making the rounds. The game is scheduled for release in 2024.
New footage was also featured from Hellblade 2 – Senua’s Saga, which is set to launch sometime in 2024. Forza Motorsport fans can let their exhaust roar much earlier: The racing game is scheduled to be released on October 10, 2023.