Xbox, Gears of War Esports, and The Coalition are proud to announce Season 2 of the Gears Pro Circuit for Gears of War 4. Gears players from around the world can compete in marquee live open events for a starting $1,000,000 in cash prizes. With the addition of new regional events and grassroots tournaments, plus crowdfunding through Esports Supporter Packs, the total prize pool for Season 2 is expected to reach $2,000,000.

Players in North America, Latin America, and Europe can earn “Gears Pro Points” by competing in regional MLG GameBattles.com online ladders and in weekly tournaments. Players can also earn Gears Pro Points through grassroots and community-run approved tournaments and Microsoft Store LAN events. Gears Pro Points qualify teams for seeding and travel coverage to the international open LAN events taking place every 2 months between December 2017 and December 2018.

This season’s exciting Gears Pro Circuit features both major and minor open LAN events in the following locations, open to all players around the world:

Date	Location	Partner	Prize Pool (USD)
Winter 2017	USA	MLG	$250,000 minimum
January 26-28	Mexico City, Mexico	Gamelta	$150,000 minimum
Spring 2018	North America	TBD	$150,000 minimum
Spring/Summer 2018	North America	MLG	$250,000 minimum
Summer/Fall 2018	Mexico	Gamelta	$150,000 minimum
Summer/Fall 2018	North America	TBD	$150,000 minimum
Fall/Winter 2018	North America	MLG	$250,000 minimum

*All locations and dates subject to change.

With the postponement of the Mexico City event to January (from the original date of October), the Gears Esports team is proud to present an additional series of sanctioned events in the Fall for Gears Pro Points and cash prizes.

Gears Esports Fall Regionals – 24 Team 5000 Series Pro Point Events
Date	Location	Partner	Prize Pool (USD)
November 11-12	New York, NY, USA	Microsoft Store	$20,000
November 11-12	Corona, CA, USA	CMG	$20,000
November 11-12	London, UK	EGL	$20,000
November 11-12	Mexico City, MX	Gamelta	$20,000

 

In addition, we are proud to announce several new community tournaments with some in new cities and regions:

Date	Location	Partner	Starting Prize Pool (USD)
October 20-22	Madrid, Spain	Xbox Spain Fan Fest	$5,000
November 25-26	Sydney, Australia	ESL	$10,000 AUD + Winning Team Travel to MLG Fall/Winter 2017 Major
Spring 2018	Birmingham, UK	Insomnia Festival	$10,000 minimum
TBD	Brazil	Gamelta	TBD
TBD	Italy	Xbox Italy	TBD
TBD	France	Xbox France	TBD

*All locations and dates subject to change.

More community and regional tournaments will be announced and funded through to December 2018.

We are also excited to announce significant funding increases for travel coverage for this season’s Gears Pro Circuit based on Gears Pro Points rankings. Latin America events will see a big increase to the Top 8 North American teams, Top 8 Latin American teams, and Top 3 European teams all receiving travel coverage. North American Minor events cover the Top 8 North American teams, Top 3 Latin American teams, and Top 3 European teams. MLG Major events will cover the Top 8 North American teams, Top 4 Latin American teams and Top 4 European teams.

Season 2 will also see the return of Gears Esports Supporter Packs that help provide prize pool crowdfunding to events and support the expansion of the regional community events. Gears Esports will continue to collaborate with popular esports team organizations to bring their brands into cosmetic digital in-game content that fans can wear and equip. This season also sees the addition of a Preferred Partner program for major esports organizations. Organizations can qualify for financial incentives based on audience size, participation, and regional representation. Organizations can also work with the Gears Esports team to raise the visibility of their brands in additional content planned for Season 2 such as our new reality series, event content and profile features, in-game promotions and on social media.

Weekly Gears Fight Nights broadcasts will return live from the MLG Studios in New York, featuring weekly Pro Circuit online tournament finals with teams from around the world. These weekly broadcasts will continue to feature both pro and amateur teams and special prizes for viewers.

Season 2 of the Gears Pro Circuit has already officially kicked off in September with Gears Pro Points activity via MLG online tournaments and ladders. For more information on how to participate in Season 2, check out this information page here.

For more detailed information on the Gears Pro Circuit and Gears Esports, please visit www.gears.gg. You can also follow us on Twitter @EsportsGears and @GearsofWar and on Facebook at /GearsofWar.

We’re proud to present the largest ever Gears of War Esports program and can’t wait to see all the pro and amateur teams from around the world compete in Season 2!

 

See the rest of the story on Xbox Wire

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Assassin’s Creed Origins: Using All of Bayek’s Tricks in the Nile Delta
New Xbox One S Assassin’s Creed Origins Bundles Launch October 27
Next Week on Xbox: New Games for October 2 – 8

Source: Xbox Blog
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Like no other game in the series so far, Assassin’s Creed Origins will push you to use every tool and tactic at your disposal as you hunt for the secret society known as the Order of the Ancients. In our case, this was something we realized during a quest in the latest preview demo, set in the Giza Plateau and in the Nile Delta — both of which looked beautiful running on Xbox One X, with huge sweeping vistas and intricately detailed architecture that was mesmerizing in 4K. Our task was to free an old man named Ghupa, who’d been kidnapped by a handful of guards and caged at the center of a hilltop camp. Not too complicated, right?

The twist was that our Bayek wasn’t quite up to the task in his current state, as all the guards were at a significantly higher level and could kill him easily. Nevertheless, we plowed into the camp and started attacking, only to suffer a quick death. On the second try, we perched nearby and used the unlockable Enhanced Predator Bow ability to fire remote-controlled arrows into the guards’ heads, which weren’t quite strong enough to do the job. We crept in and smashed open the cages of several lions the guards were keeping, only to have them turn on us instead. We’d even tried to stealth-kill the guards, although given that we hadn’t gathered enough resources to upgrade Bayek’s Hidden Blade – the iconic, wrist-mounted retracting dagger that he’ll carry throughout the adventure – the weapon was only strong enough to injure one guard before the rest descended on us.

All our attempts had been in broad daylight, so we tried a new tactic: we made Bayek pass time until nightfall. With half of the guards asleep and visibility limited by darkness, we crept in, threw a couple of sleep darts at the watchers, and fled with the old man before they could wake up. At no point had the game pushed or even suggested a stealth approach, but pulling it off flawlessly felt amazing. And as it turns out, Assassin’s Creed Origins is full of these little moments, which give you a tool set and a set of objectives, and let you decide on your preferred path to victory.

If you’re strong enough, you can draw a weapon and hold your own against any number of bandits, soldiers, or angry hippos, and Assassin’s Creed Origins offers plenty of options for going toe-to-toe with enemies, each suited to different tactics. Swinging a spear in a wide arc can fend off multiple enemies and create some distance between you and your opponents, for example, while the quick strikes of a blunt scepter are perfect for dealing damage before your enemies can react.

Even if you’re underpowered for the task in front of you, though, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s time to put the mission on hold and go pursue some side quests. Unless the objective is to eliminate every enemy, there’s usually another way. Sneaking around at night, or sniping enemies with arrows from a safe spot can get what you need and earn a pile of XP in the process.

That openness also extends to the game’s design and the structure of its missions, many of which can be found just by wandering around the open world. Anything out of the ordinary – a woman banging on a locked door, a farmer sitting by a broken cart – is usually a sign that someone needs help, and these tasks can be surprisingly involved. For example, our wandering took us past a weeping couple by the side of the road, who begged us to enter a hippo-infested field and retrieve the bodies of several workers the rampaging animals had slain after being upset by some local bandits. When we failed to find the body of their protector, Meketre, among the dead, we paid the bandits a visit in their canyon hideout and found the missing man in chains. After clearing the camp and dramatically shoving their captain off a cliff to his death (using Attack & Push, an unlockable ability that lets Bayek chain a light attack into a push attack combo), we learned that some of the bandits had ridden out to raid Meketre’s village. We then followed him home on horseback and waded into a pitched battle between the bandits and the villagers, after which we smashed a statue of the pharoah Ptolemy just to make our views on the subject clear.

The high point of the session, however, came when the story directed us to ride into the desert and investigate Letopolis, a lost city being exhumed from the sands as part of a grand public works project. At the head of these efforts was Taharqa, a powerful local leader (and son-in-law of Ghupa) who seemed to hold the key to finding the Scarab, a prominent Order of the Ancients member infamous not only for taxing the locals into poverty, but for burying people up to their necks in the desert and leaving them to die.

Our meeting with Taharqa was cut short when raiders attacked the city, forcing us to run outdoors and fight alongside our new friend and his men while a fierce sandstorm raged through the streets. This dramatic climax was followed up immediately by a counter-raid on the raiders’ watery cave hideout, which ended shortly after we snuck around to a rooftop opening and dropped down to kill the raiders’ captain with a quick stab of Bayek’s Hidden Blade. Even with an expansive bag of tricks, sometimes the familiar methods are the most satisfying. And you’ll be able to start exploring and experimenting for yourself starting October 27, when Assassin’s Creed Origins launches on Xbox One and will be Xbox One X Enhanced when the Xbox One X launches on November 7.

See the rest of the story on Xbox Wire

Related:
Gears of War Pro Circuit Season 2 Announced with new expected prize pool of $2,000,000!
New Xbox One S Assassin’s Creed Origins Bundles Launch October 27
Next Week on Xbox: New Games for October 2 – 8

Source: Xbox Blog
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Step back in time and discover the beginning of the Assassin’s brotherhood with two new Xbox One S Assassin’s Creed Origins Bundles (1TB and 500GB) launching October 27. Experience a new way to fight by using powerful weapons to protect Egypt from epic enemies, while exploring the Great Pyramids and uncovering lost tombs across a vast and unpredictable land.

There’s never been a better time to game with Xbox One, and to further showcase its best value in games and entertainment, the Xbox One S Assassin’s Creed Origins Bonus Bundle (1TB) also includes Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. Prepare to master the art of destruction in intense close-quarters confrontations and dive into the explosive, tactical combat of this exciting first-person shooter. Bundles include:

• Xbox One S with either a 1TB or 500GB hard drive
• Full game download codes of Assassin’s Creed Origins and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege*
• Xbox Wireless Controller
• 1-month Xbox Game Pass subscription with unlimited access right out of the box to over 100 highly rated and fun Xbox One games with new games being added all the time
• 14-day Xbox Live Gold trial to experience the most advanced multiplayer gaming network

With Xbox One S, you’ll also enjoy a built-in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player, 4K video streaming with access to all of your favorite entertainment apps like Hulu, Netflix and more, premium audio with Dolby Atmos support and experience the richer, more luminous colors in games and video with High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology. Play with friends near and far on Xbox Live and gain access to your favorite apps like YouTube, HBO GO, Spotify and ESPN.

The 1TB bundle will be available for $349 USD / €349 EUR / £299 GBP, and the 500GB bundle will be available for €279 EUR / £229 GBP. Both bundles are available for pre-order today from participating retailers, including Microsoft Store or Microsoft.com, and will launch October 27. An Xbox One X Enhanced version of Assassin’s Creed Origins will also be available as a free update when Xbox One X launches later this year.

Also, you can be one of the first fans to play Assassin’s Creed Origins and watch a special developer livestream during the launch events at your local Microsoft Store on Thursday, October 26, from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. PT/9 p.m. until midnight ET. Come in to play the game, pick up a few tips and tricks, enjoy food and win exclusive Assassin’s Creed Origins items, all before the game is released on October 27! If you are in New York, Microsoft Store is also hosting a special fan event at the flagship Microsoft Store in New York featuring Major Nelson and game director, Ashraf Ismail, to talk about the game development and share tips and tricks, which will be live streamed out of our Mixer NYC Studio. Attendees will have a chance to win exclusive Assassin’s Creed Origins items and limited-edition Assassin’s Creed posters as a gift with a purchase of Assassin’s Creed Origins for Xbox One, only at the flagship Microsoft Store in New York.

*Included in 1TB only

See the rest of the story on Xbox Wire

Related:
Gears of War Pro Circuit Season 2 Announced with new expected prize pool of $2,000,000!
Assassin’s Creed Origins: Using All of Bayek’s Tricks in the Nile Delta
Next Week on Xbox: New Games for October 2 – 8

Source: Xbox Blog
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	Dell EMC Unity All Flash Storage Supports NASA “NASA relies on Washington University to store planetary data, and we rely on Dell EMC,” Lars Arvidson and Tom Stein of NASA Planetary Data System Geosciences Node at Washington University explain how Dell EMC Unity AF has reliable performance under peak workloads, a small data center footprint, expandable file system, and 2x the processing speed of previous storage products, that all help Washington University support “top notch” service to their NASA user community.
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Source: Dell Blog
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	Dell EMC CloudIQ Optimizes Cloud-based Storage Analytics for Vivacom Dell EMC CloudIQ is a cloud-based storage analytics platform, using machine learning to optimize data storage metrics. “Dell EMC [CloudIQ] has helped us to be more agile,” said Svetoslav Nanchev of the Bulgarian telecom operator, Vivacom Telecommunications Company. The simple interface and “good transparency on [IT] operations” helps Vivacom manage their storage. Check out the CloudIQ page on DellEMC.com to learn more: https://dell.to/2xhnEg1
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Source: Dell Blog
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Will you let other people stop you from pursuing your dreams? For generations, a village of goblins have been trapped inside a mysterious forest; anyone who attempts to leave returns hopeless and defeated. Determined to break new ground, a young goblin named Motus plans to build a series of bridges through the forest. However, his perseverance will soon be tested, as he meets bullies that use their own words to stop him. Will you find a way through life’s forest, or like others be lost in its depths with no will to continue?

Source: XBOX YouTube
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TRY THE FREE DEMO NOW
Try Just Dance 2018 for free now! Turn up the volume and dance your heart out now on “24K Magic” by Bruno Mars.

GET READY TO DANCE WITH JUST DANCE 2018
Just Dance 2018 is coming out on 26th October 2017! Dance to 40 news hits and get access to an ever-growing songlist of 300+ tracks with Just Dance Unlimited*. Dance your heart out to 24K Magic by Bruno Mars, Side to Side by Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj, Chantaje by Shakira ft. Maluma or if K-Pop is your thing get down to Bubble Pop by Hyuna!

Source: XBOX YouTube
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