I revealed yesterday that the new Xbox Nano controller supports a Wi-Fi connection directly to Xbox Cloud Gaming, and now Microsoft is making it official today. Two new Xbox previews will let players try out using a phone as a controller on smart TVs, as well as cloud connect on the Xbox Nano to connect directly to cloud servers.

"Instead of a Bluetooth connection to your TV, cloud connect uses your Wi-Fi to connect directly to the cloud server running your game," says the Xbox team. "That can help reduce input latency, so gameplay may feel more responsive."

Players in the US will be able to preview the new cloud connect option for the Xbo …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Halo Infinite is offering players a surprising content update that may tempt some gamers back into the most recent installment in the franchise for some exciting action.

Halo Infinite Adds 10 Maps This Week

Things have been quiet on the Halo Infinite beat for quite a while, but the game isn’t dead yet. A surprise update arrived this week and delivers 10 new multiplayer maps to the game.

All 10 new maps were part of the Halo Fest Forge Contest that took place earlier this year, and they’ve specifically been added to a Halo Fest Showcase playlist.

Here is a full list of all the new maps players can access after downloading the latest update:

• Abundance
• Bits and Pieces
• Cascade
• Eulogy
• Hierarch
• Sanctum
• Shade’s Promise
• Sluff
• Sojourn
• Unconveyed

Players can dive into CTF: Arena, King of the Hill: Arena, Oddball: Arena and Slayer: Arena modes if they want to see any of the new maps in action.

Xbox hasn’t announced the next official installment in the Halo franchise yet, but the reorganization did move development of the next project to Activision, which will be responsible for producing the next mainline game for the franchise.

The remaining Halo Studios team has been scaled down and the remaining members are now responsible for community support and multiplayer maintenance on existing games like Halo Infinite.

Leadership at Xbox is trying to develop games for the tentpole franchises more frequently, so it will be very interesting to see how long it takes for Activision to get a Halo title off the ground and how different that project might look from the previous games in the series.

Be sure to check back soon for lots more Halo news and updates.

Halo Infinite is available now on PC and Xbox Series consoles.

The post Halo Infinite Gets A Big Content Update Five Years After Its Launch appeared first on VICE.

November is officially here and Xbox is ready to share the additions that are coming to Xbox Game Pass early this month with the latest wave of titles.

Every Title in Xbox Game Pass November Drop

The next big wave of Xbox Game Pass additions has officially been revealed and, although it’s a long list, there aren’t as many blockbusters, day ones, or exclusives to make the first November wave terribly exciting.

Sports fans may be happy to find Football Manager 27 on the list and there are a few titles that had previously been limited to Ultimate subscribers that are making their way to the Premium tier, as well.

Warhammer Survivors could be an interesting addition and the 1.0 release of Void/Breaker could potentially appeal to fans of roguelites.

Here is the full list of additions…

• Football Manager 27 (PC)
  • Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Pit of Goblin (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC)
  • Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
• Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – November 4
  • Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
• Void/Breaker (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC) – November 4
  • Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
• Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – November 5
  • Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Firefighting Simulator: Ignite (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC) – November 5
  • Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass
• MySims Cozy Bundle (Cloud, Console, and PC) – November 5
  • Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Football Manager 2027 Console (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC) – November 10
  • Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Warhammer Survivors (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – November 10
  • Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Tanuki: Pon’s Summer (Cloud, Console, and PC) – November 10
  • Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Hope in the City (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC) – November 11
  • Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Thronefall (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – November 11
  • Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
• John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC) – November 12
  • Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
• Aphelion (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – November 17
  • Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Paw Patrol: Dino World (Cloud, Console, and PC) – November 17
  • Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Additionally, Game Pass Essential subscribers will find the following additional titles in the Essentials library beginning November 15:

• Banjo Kazooie (Cloud and Console)
• Banjo Tooie (Cloud and Console)
• Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (Cloud and Console)
• Gears of War: Judgement (Cloud and Console)
• Halo: Spartan Assault (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Perfect Dark (Cloud and Console)
• Viva Piñata (Cloud and Console)
• Viva Piñata: TIP (Cloud and Console)

Be sure to check back soon for lots more Xbox Game Pass news and updates.

The post Xbox Game Pass Reveals Huge List of Titles Arriving in Early November appeared first on VICE.

Microsoft is about to launch its new Xbox Nano controller tomorrow, and the tiny device has a little secret. The Nano can connect directly to Xbox Cloud Gaming over Wi-Fi to improve latency. It's a feature Microsoft hasn't officially announced yet, but one I've been anticipating since the Xbox Nano leaked earlier this year.

The Nano will be able to connect directly to Microsoft's cloud servers to reduce latency, much like how Google's Stadia controllers used to work. This new cloud connect feature for the Nano is being privately tested on the new Xbox Cloud Gaming website, and it will require you to pair the controller over Wi-Fi to Microso …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Even though I knew Microsoft's new Xbox Nano controller was tiny, I still gasped when I unboxed it a few days ago. The compact controller is small enough to slip into a pocket unnoticed, and it has been designed specifically for younger people, or for anyone with smaller hands.

I'm not young, but I do have small hands, and I've been surprised at how comfortable the Nano is during gaming sessions. At just over 5 inches long, almost everything on this controller has been shrunk down somehow. The ABXY buttons are ever so slightly smaller than a regular Xbox controller, and the thumbsticks feel like miniature versions. Microsoft hasn't changed …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Bethesda is officially confirming today that the next Elder Scrolls game will be called The Elder Scrolls VI Sentinel. The confirmation came in a less than 10-minute video celebrating 40 years of Bethesda game studios.

It's been more than eight years since Bethesda officially announced the existence of the sixth game in its Elder Scrolls series, and studio chief Todd Howard made the announcement today and called it the "perfect time" to fully name the game.

Bethesda isn't sharing any more details on The Elder Scrolls VI Sentinel today, though. The Xbox Wire press release on the name is literally just a picture of the logo.

I reported in …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Former Xbox COO and Minecraft executive Helen Chiang has responded to reports about her departure from Microsoft, disputing claims that she was fired for violating company policy. In a public statement, the executive pushed back on speculation about her exit and raised concerns about how her situation was handled.

Former Xbox COO Helen Chiang Disputes Policy Violation Claim

Following her recent departure from Microsoft, Helen Chiang has responded to claims that Xbox fired her in a post on LinkedIn titled “Clarity is Kindness.” The former Xbox chief operating officer directly challenged the claim that a policy violation led to her exit of the company.

“There has been some speculation about my abrupt departure from Microsoft, including claims that I was ‘fired for a policy violation’. That’s not accurate and while I won’t turn this into a play-by-play, silence should not be mistaken for agreement. What has been said about my departure, and what has been left unsaid, has created a picture of me that I hardly recognize. It’s important to me to set the record straight.”

For context, Eurogamer previously reported that a source familiar with the situation alleged Chiang had been dismissed over policy violations. However, the outlet explicitly stated that it had not independently verified that allegation. The claim was subsequently covered by other publications, including Windows Central.

In her response, the former Minecraft executive specifically denied leaking confidential information or leaving to work for a competitor. She also denied engaging in discrimination, bullying, harassment, insider trading, embezzlement, or other fraudulent activity.

“I stand by my record: both the results I delivered and the way I have treated people throughout my career. I won’t let speculation define my character or erase that record,” she wrote.

Helen Chiang Says She Intended to Stay at Xbox

According to Chiang, she had wanted to continue her career at Xbox. Addressing speculation that she had left for another company, the former executive emphasized her connection to the business.

“You don’t spend two decades somewhere without developing a deep loyalty to the people, teams, and businesses you’ve helped build. XBOX was never just another stop in my career. My end game was always to keep building here.”

Chiang also rejected suggestions that she had left because she was passed over for a larger role. She said she had not actively pursued greater responsibilities and had been promoted into the COO position in July without requesting it.

“I went where the company believed I was needed and where I could have the greatest impact. I did not ask for my most recent role, either and was promoted into it in July,” she explained. Her departure came just months after that promotion. Before becoming Xbox’s first chief operating officer, Chiang had spent more than two decades at Microsoft, with her previous responsibilities including leadership of Mojang and the Minecraft business.

While Chiang did not disclose the specific reason for her exit, she questioned whether standards of fairness and accountability had been applied consistently in her case. “I have serious concerns about how they were applied in my case, and I believe those concerns deserve to be taken seriously,” she wrote.

For now, the circumstances surrounding her departure remain unresolved publicly. Her statement disputes the reported policy violation explanation, but does not provide a full account of what happened. After thanking those who had contacted her with support, Chiang closed with a final message: “This is not how I ever imagined my story here would end. And it is not the whole story.”

The post Former Xbox and Minecraft Executive Responds to Reports She Was Fired by Microsoft appeared first on VICE.

Xbox's former chief operating officer, Helen Chiang, suddenly left Microsoft less than two weeks ago after being promoted into the role in July. I wrote in my Notepad newsletter last week that it seemed very weird for Chiang to suddenly depart Microsoft after 21 years with a surprisingly short memo from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. Now, Chiang says she has "serious concerns" about how she was treated.

In a lengthy LinkedIn post - entitled "Clarity is Kindness," a reference to Sharma's WSJ profile - Chiang doesn't dispute that she was fired, but she doesn't say why she was let go. Eurogamer reported last month that Chiang had been "terminated for p …

Read the full story at The Verge.

To anyone listening closely to what Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has been saying over the past couple of years, this week felt like the clearest sign yet that AI is about to fundamentally change the size of Microsoft's workforce. Microsoft is now offering voluntary buyouts to around 60,000 employees across the US, UK, Canada, and India.

It's the first time the company has presented such an offer to so many employees, expanding greatly upon the retirement offer that was limited to around 9,000 employees earlier this year. It's all part of an ongoing effort to avoid reducing investment in AI infrastructure by lowering Microsoft's operating cos …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas-New Year Holiday season!On Christmas morn 2025, as I relaxed in the sitting room waiting for the rest of the family to get ready for some holiday festivities, listening to holiday music, I could not help but marvel at the fact that my little Logitech Squeezebox Radio sitting over the fireplace, released back in 2009 continues to go strong all these

I made a Korean dosirak (lunchbox) for my father made up of many traditional sidedishes. Here's a list of them all, plus recipes for each if you want to recreate what I made.