We’ve known for a while that Microsoft’s Xbox Series X is due to release this holiday season (between October and December for all you non-Americans), but it seems that wasn’t always the case.
According to Thurrot’s Brad Sams, who is a known industry insider when it comes to Microsoft news, the original release date for the Xbox Series X was reportedly set for late August, but was ultimately scuppered by the Covid-19 outbreak.
If Microsoft had released the Xbox Series X during the summer, it would have been a markedly different approach for the company and console releases in general. Historically, console hardware tends to release during November, although Nintendo did buck that trend recently by releasing the Nintendo Switch in March.
Covid-19 didn’t just affect the Xbox Series X launch, though. Microsoft’s heavily rumored Xbox Series S (or Project Lockhart) has also been impacted by the pandemic, and was due to release after the Xbox Series X in either October or November. The Xbox Series S will be a cheaper and less powerful version of the Xbox Series X, but Microsoft has yet to confirm its existence despite numerous leaks.
Change of plan
It would have been interesting to see whether getting the march on Sony’s PS5 would have paid off for Microsoft, even if it was just a few months head start. Incidentally, the timing of the Xbox Series S launch suggests Microsoft wanted to combat Sony’s new console with a cheaper model for consumers to consider.
But alas, as Covid-19 continues to out stay its welcome, we won’t be playing the Xbox Series X in August. Instead, we’ll have to wait patiently for Microsoft’s next-gen console and hope that plans don't change again. We should hopefully find out more Xbox Series X information during the Xbox July event where Microsoft will show off first-party titles such as Halo Infinite and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2.
If you've been looking to stream games to your phone using Google Stadia and the Stadia Controller up until now, you've had to pair your devices using a charging cable. Not any more!
The Google Stadia Controller now finally works wirelessly with Android phones, meaning that you can play your titles on the go without the need for a tethering cable between the two.
You'll need the latest version of the Stadia mobile app for this to work, and you'll have to make sure both controller and handset are on the same Wi-Fi connection. But once that's done, you'll be streaming away wirelessly.
Project xCloud: Microsoft's cloud streaming service explained
Stadia improvements
It's a handy update, not least of all because it frees your phone's charging port during play, letting you hook it up to a wall for extended sessions.
Google Stadia is slowly improving as a service, with the breadth of its gaming catalogue growing, its Pro subscription offering improving, and its hardware getting the features that were promised at launch. As well as a wider array of Android phones being fully supported, all new-ish Android handsets can use Stadia in an 'experimental' mode, while the controller's Google Assistant button finally can be used – if not in the 'get-gaming-tips' way that was initially teased.
European retailers are no longer allowed to sell digital download codes for Nintendo first-party titles from today (July 1), which means consumers are at the mercy of the Nintendo Switch eShop’s prices if they want to buy Nintendo’s games digitally.
Previously, retailers could sell digital download codes of first-party Nintendo games such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Super Mario Odyssey, which could then be redeemed on the Nintendo eShop. These digital download codes would often be cheaper than buying a game directly through the Nintendo eShop, which tend to be full price bar the odd 30% discount during a sale.
Historically, Nintendo has been reluctant to discount its games amid fears it reduces the value of its intellectual properties. Similar to Disney's model, which rarely sells its DVDs and Blu-Ray discs for cheap, the company understands that gamers can't find these titles anywhere else, so a price cut is often seen as detrimental long term.
The controversial move was revealed by UK online retailer ShopTo.net, who revealed they were no longer able to offer/sell digital download codes of Nintendo games.
Hi, just to let everyone know, due to a Nintendo decision for all EMEA territories, as from Tomorrow 30/06/20 at 23:00 we are no longer able to offer/sell Nintendo digital full games.We will however, be continuing to offer/sell online membership and add ons, so, with this in… pic.twitter.com/11hrqvEU1mJune 29, 2020
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So why is Nintendo making it more expensive to buy games digitally in Europe? In a statement provided to Nintendo Life, Nintendo said it has ended digital download code sales for its “own-published software” after “careful examination of the evolving European marketplace in recent years.”
But what about if you buy physical Nintendo Switch games? Well, they’ll still be a lot cheaper than buying digitally, but frustratingly, Nintendo first-party games refuse to drop in price, despite often being many years old. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is still £47.99 on Amazon, for example, which was released in 2007.
Thankfully, Nintendo's decision only applies to first-party titles and won't affect games by third-party publishers, Nintendo eShop funds, Nintendo Switch Online memberships, and DLC add-on content.
Sony and Fujifilm are locked in a battle for tape supremacy, with the latter revealing it's preparing for tape media with an areal density of 224Gbit per square inch, which translates to a real life capacity of around 400TB.
Fujifilm - which has just announced its first Tape-as-a-Service offering - is betting on Strontium Ferrite (SrFe) as opposed to the popular Barium Ferrite, which is used in most LTO tapes, the capacity of which currently top 12TB (uncompressed) or 30TB (compressed using an industry ratio of 2.5:1).
LTO-8 will make way for LTO-9 later this year and, with the last four LTO generations shipped over the past six years, one can expect the next four (LTO-10, LTO-11, LTO-12 and LTO-13) to be available by 2026 (depending on market conditions).
At 384TB, a single LTO-13 tape is likely to be the single biggest unit of storage in the world, far outclassing hard disk drives (with capacities stalling, having grown by only 2TB per generation) and solid state drives, which reached 100TB in 2018 and then stopped growing.
It would take a very bold person indeed to bet against LTO being the first media to reach 1PB (that’s one million Gigabyte).
The biggest issue with tape has to do with accessing the right file, which is why it is seen as an archiving media above all. Transfer rates are unlikely to be an issue, with LTO-13 likely to surpass 16Gbps, but that still means you will need at least a day to fill one up, especially if the tape length surpasses 1,000m.
After being targeted by a large scale state-based cyberattack, Australia has announced that it will spend $926.1m over the next 10 years to boost its cybersecurity defenses.
The country's prime minister Scott Morrison said earlier this month that the threats against Australia are not only sophisticated but are directed towards “all levels of government, industry, political organisations, education, health, essential service providers and operators of other critical infrastructure”.
As of yet, Australia has not revealed who it believed was responsible for the recent attacks. However, three sources briefed on the matter informed Reuters that China is believed to be the country responsible though Beijing has rejected these claims. In a statement, Morrison explained why Australia is investing heavily into its cybersecurity defenses, saying:
“The federal government’s top priority is protecting our nation’s economy, national security and sovereignty. Malicious cyber activity undermines that.”
Cybersecurity investment
Of the funds that Australia will invest to improve its cybersecurity posture, $324m will be used to hire an additional 500 security experts to bolster the country's cyber intelligence agency, the Australian Directorate.
According to the country's Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds, the funding is part of a $10bn investment in cyber warfare capabilities and part of plan that was expedited following a cyberattack on Australia's parliament and three of the country's largest political parties last year.
While Australia did not publicly disclose who was responsible for the hack that occurred just months before its election, the country's intelligence agencies were able to determine that China was responsible for the cyberattack. Once again, Beijing denied that it was responsible for the attack.
Cyberattacks and other online threats continue to disrupt businesses as well as governments and it makes a great deal of sense that Australia wants to double down on its cyber defenses before it faces yet another attack.
Keep all of your devices protected online with the best antivirus software
UPDATE:After a bit of a drought on the sales front, some decent Xbox One X bundles have landed on Microsoft's online store which are quite well discounted – you can check out those deals below.
We research the best Xbox One sales to bring you the best value bundle deals every week. We generally find opting for an Xbox One bundle instead of a console-only deal is a smart way to go as you'll most likely get more for your money, with extra games and accessories thrown in to sweeten the deal.
To make finding the best Xbox One bundle deal less tasking, we've scoured the internet for the lowest prices on bundles and best console deals and rounded them up here in one spot for you.
As we stay indoors to self-isolate due to the threat of Covid-19, what better time to pick up a console and get stuck into some games? Below you will find the lowest prices in Australia for both the Xbox One S, Xbox One X and the newly released Xbox One S All-Digital Edition. Admittedly, it's getting tough to find consoles for sale at the moment, let alone great deals. That said, we're committed to bringing you the best Xbox One prices we can find during this difficult time.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Xbox All Access
A fantastic option for those who don't want to buy a new Xbox One console as we approach the upcoming release of the next-generation Xbox Series X, Microsoft's Xbox All Access service offers month-to-month access to an Xbox One console, along with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. This allows users to access the console and over 100 great games for a very reasonable monthly-fee.
Telstra is offering an Xbox One S console with Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass For just AU$22 per month*. That means you can play online with a selection of over 100 games to choose from.
*Min cost AU$528 when you stay connected for 24 months + plan charges. Price after first 24 months: AU$15.95 per month. Early termination charges apply.View Deal
Need a console with a bit more grunt? Telstra is also offering the powerful Xbox One X console with Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass For just AU$34 per month*. You get all the same Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass benefits as the previous deal, along with a download code for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Deluxe Edition.
*Min cost $816 when you stay connected for 24 months + plan charges. Price after first 24 months: $15.95 per month. Early termination charges apply.View Deal
Xbox One S deals
With the unveiling of the Xbox One X, the Xbox One S has seen some impressive price drops and bundle deals with Microsoft going all out to pump up the pressure on its rivals. It was already often the cheapest console of the current generation, but with some of these savings on bundles and even Xbox One controllers, the price seems right.
At this point it's probably wiser to buy a bundle and score some wicked Xbox One games along with the unit, as some of them can come in cheaper than the standalone consoles themselves.
It might be getting on in years, but the Xbox One S is still a great console for new gamers. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of deals around for consoles at the moment, with many retailers across Australia totally out of stock. That said, Microsoft is offering the all-digital version of Xbox One S for only AU$239 – that's well below full RRP and comes with codes to download Sea of Thieves, Fortnite and Minecraft, which is better than nothing.View Deal
At once more elegant and more powerful, the slimmed-down design of the Xbox One S ditches the external power brick and chunky looks of the original Xbox One. More importantly, it comes kitted out with 4K visual support meaning you'll be able to watch specialised Blu-Ray and Netflix content in 4K.
Xbox One X prices are constantly changing from store to store, making it hard to keep up at times. To take the pain out of scoping out the best Xbox One X prices this Black Friday 2019, you should be able to find the best real-time deals listed below, updated live, along with some hand-picked options.
Now AU$120 cheaper than it was last week, this Xbox One X bundle is totally worth it if you're desperate for some entertainment during lockdown. Microsoft's online store is offering the 4K-ready Xbox One X bundled with the utterly splendid Forza Horizon 4 and its expansion LEGO Speed Champions for only AU$429 View Deal
Like the deal above, this bundle from Microsoft's online store quite discounted compared to its previous price of AU$549. You can pick up the 4K-ready Xbox One X bundled with last year's terrific Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order for only AU$429. View Deal
Games and peripherals deals
Resident Evil 3 (Xbox One) | now AU$69
Following on from 2018's stellar Resident Evil 2 remake, Capcom has given a fresh coat of paint to the next title in the classic horror series with a remake of Resident Evil 3. While we've heard the game is shorter than its predecessor, this AU$30 discount on the full RRP should make up for that. Buy the Xbox One version for only AU$69 from Amazon Australia.View Deal
Red Dead Redemption 2 (Xbox One) | now AU$44
If you need a truly fantastic game to keep you occupied for a lengthy period of time, look no further than Rockstar's latest masterpiece, Red Dead Redemption 2. Right now, you can pick up a copy of the award-winning western title for Xbox One for only AU$44 from Amazon Australia.View Deal
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