Xbox One’s February System Update to Add Game Hubs

http://www.ign.com/videos/2014/12/22/25-big-xbox-games-of-2015

Microsoft has revealed its February update for Xbox One includes an option for tile transparency, along with Game Hub pages.

The update is available now to those in the dashboard beta, but will roll out to the masses early next month. In terms of what it’s bringing with it, a new tile transparency option will enable you to decide just how much of your console’s custom backgrounds you want to be able to see.

The biggest addition, however, is that of Game Hubs – new pages where your progression stats, Achievements, DLC details, leaderboards and Twitch videos for a given title are collated from your friends and the wider gaming community.

Other new features include the addition of a trending TV show tab that you can use to see what those with cable TV or the console’s TV Tuner are watching, as well as the option to stream live TV to both Windows Phone and Android if you have one of the Tuners. There’s also said to be improvements to how the console works with newer TV models.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/14/xbox-ones-february-system-update-to-add-game-hubs?utm_campaign=ign+main+twitter&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

Microsoft to end Xbox One price cut on Jan. 3

After a surge in holiday sales, Microsoft is planning to end a price cut on its Xbox One gaming console January 3.

When Microsoft lowered the Xbox One’s price to $349, few expected it to return to the $400-$500 range it had hovered at since its launch last year. That will change on Saturday, when the limited time promotion ends, the company said Monday.

The Xbox One will return to its pre-promotion price of $399 for the non-Kinect bundled version and $499 for the Xbox One bundled with Kinect. Both bundles include the games Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag as well as the new Assassin’s Creed Unity.

Those looking to take advantage before it expires can find some deals before the $50-off promotion ends on Saturday. Best Buy, Amazon, Target, and GameStop will be throwing in an additional $50 gift card to their respective stores with the purchase of either Xbox One bundle, while Newegg will be offering a $20 gift card plus a one-year subscription to Xbox Live Gold.

The promotion has worked well for Microsoft. The Xbox One was the top selling game console on Black Friday and outsold the PlayStation 4 in November.

Follow Eli Blumenthal on Twitter @eliblumenthal

Report: Microsoft working on new Web browser

Is Microsoft preparing for life after Internet Explorer?

ZDNet reports Microsoft is working on a brand new Web browser, codenamed Spartan, which will not serve as an upgrade to the company’s long running software.

Citing unnamed sources, the report says the browser will bear a similar experience to rival browsers Firefox and Google Chrome. The last version of IE launched by Microsoft was Internet Explorer 11 last year.

As many PC owners know, Internet Explorer is bundled with Microsoft’s Windows operating system, but the rise of alternative browsers including Chrome, Firefox and Apple’s Safari have pulled users away. According to research from Adobe, Chrome surpassed IE as the most popular web browser in the U.S., reports The Wall Street Journal.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/