Hello, Xbox Insiders! Today we want to talk about two of the most important elements of the Xbox Insider Program: games and your feedback. You, as Xbox Insiders, help make this program and the games in it a huge success, so firstly, thank you for all you do. Secondly, we frequently receive sentiment from you asking if we are listening, and wondering if the feedback you report is looked at or even matters.

The answer is yes: we are listening, it does get looked at, and it absolutely matters. The problem is we often receive feedback missing important information that would allow us to better take action. We’re going to give you a few simple tips for reporting game problems, so you’ll be sure the reports you spend valuable time filling out can lead to action on our end.

1. Feedback and problems (bugs) are different.

We love all your feedback! However, “Report a problem” should be used for the purpose of just that, reporting a problem. You are welcome to include a suggestion with your bug report; however, the main purpose should be to tell us in detail that there’s a problem. Please provide general feedback and ideas through Xbox Insider Hub Quests, Surveys, game-specific forums, and xbox.uservoice.com.

2. The smallest details make the biggest difference.

As little as a few extra words can mean the world to us. We aren’t sitting in your living room, so unless you tell us specifically, there’s no way for us to know exactly what you experienced. Some of the most important and easiest details to include are:

• Which game mode you were playing (campaign, multiplayer, 5v5, etc.)
• Crashes: If the game crashed when you tried to launch it (failed to launch) or crashed while you were playing or in a menu
• Tell us what “it” is that isn’t working correctly in the game: a particular game mode, character, skill, weapon, item you are supposed to interact with, vehicle, door, mount, anything

3. Help us take a walk in your footsteps.

Games these days are so enormous. We need you to leave us some breadcrumbs that will lead us home. Walk us through your experience step by step, so we can identify the root of the problem by reproducing it ourselves.

4. Bonus: How often does this happen?

Sometimes, you run into the same problem over and over. Sometimes, it only happens once, then never again. If you can tell us how many times you’ve run into the problem, it will be a great help!

Help us help you. We want the games we all play to be as epic and flawless as possible, and as mentioned before, your contributions are a huge help in making that happen. We hope you agree that spending an extra minute entering details that will help us nail down your problem and squash that bug is worth it. That extra minute could be a game changer. Keep that feedback coming!

– Ashley

See the rest of the story on Xbox Wire

Related:
New Preview Alpha System Update – 1/25/18
New Preview Beta System Update – 1/25/18
Roguevania Dead Cells Coming Soon to Xbox One

Source: Xbox Blog
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Preview Alpha Insiders can expect another new update today, complete with brand new fixes. This update (1802.180122-1917) will begin rolling out at 6 p.m. PST and will become mandatory shortly after that. Read on to learn more about the fixes and known issues related to this build.

Fixes:

Game Chat

• Fixes to improve game chat reliability.

Language Packs

• Users will no longer see incorrect language codes for certain language packs installed.

Known Issues:

Profile

• Some users are seeing a new issue that can cause the incorrect Profile color to display after powering on the console.

Pseudo-Localization

• You may notice strange characters which replace normal translated text on the dashboard, Guide, and other areas. Please use Report a problem when you encounter these issues.

Games Installation

• Games that are installed fail to launch. Workaround: If the games are installed to an external drive please copy the game to the internal drive or attempt to delete the title and redownload to fix the launch error.

Display 

• We are investigating the inaccurate RGB colors that have been reported when displaying in 4K HDR mode when playing a UHD disc.

Tournaments

• The left and right navigation for selecting date and time during Tournament creation is currently reversed when the console language is set to Arabic or Hebrew.
• Left and right navigation in Tournament twists is reversed when the console language is set to Arabic or Hebrew.
• Left and right navigation in the bracket view of Tournaments is reversed when the console language is set to Arabic or Hebrew.

Avatars on Home

• Users wishing to represent themselves as an avatar can do so by changing their settings under My profile > Customize profile > Show my avatar.

See the rest of the story on Xbox Wire

Related:
Games: “Report a problem” like a Rockstar
New Preview Beta System Update – 1/25/18
Roguevania Dead Cells Coming Soon to Xbox One

Source: Xbox Blog
—

It was just eight months ago when we introduced Mixer. Looking back on 2017, it’s hard to believe that so much has happened in such a short time….and it’s been an amazing feeling getting to bring our vision to life in a service and community unlike any other.

Looking Back at 2017

In 2017, we introduced 4-person co-streaming, enabling streamers to combine their streams and chat on Mixer into a single unified experience, and giving viewers a way to watch the action from multiple perspectives. Several unique Mixer-interactive game experiences were brought to life during 2017, giving streamers and viewers a totally new way to play. These included Minecraft, Hello Neighbor, Death’s Door, Killing Floor 2, and multiple Crowd-Play enabled games from Telltale Games. Also in 2017, Mixer made a big investment in mobile broadcasting with the launch of the Mixer Create app for streamers and a new Mixer app for viewing, both free to download on iOS and Android devices.

We added support for 21 languages, making it easier to enjoy the full Mixer experience around the world. And Mixer HypeZone was born, catering to fans of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) and battle-royale experiences. With HypeZone, you get 24×7, non-stop action with a channel dedicated to watching the final moments of matches in PUBG (high concentration of Chicken Dinners here!). Although still in beta, the HypeZonePUBG channel is closing in fast on one million views.

2017 was also a big growth year for new and existing Mixer Partners. A special shout out to all the new Partners who joined the Mixer community from around the world, as well as the many up-and-coming streamers who have made Mixer the home for their growing communities. We also celebrated a very special milestone for one of our Mixer vets—Siefe reached more than 1 million views on November 16 (a Mixer first). And we’re cheering on several Partners who took the plunge and became full-time streamers on Mixer, including LenaAxios, Covent, LuckyShots and many more!

We’ve been humbled by all of your support and interest, and we’re completely blown away with how quickly the Mixer community has grown. 2017 was also the year where Mixer exceeded more than 10 million active users in a month for the first time —a milestone we’re all super proud of. You all watched and interacted with streams ranging from PUBG to cooking shows…. from Minecraft to Clash Royale…. and everything in between.

Looking Ahead in 2018

But even with all that’s happened in 2017…..we’re just barely getting started.  2018 is already shaping up to be an even bigger year for Mixer.

Last week down in San Antonio at PAX South, our Mixer Partners turned out in force, streaming non-stop from the show floor, showing off built-in Mixer interactivity in the upcoming game, The Darwin Project, and sharing their Mixer love with PAX South attendees throughout the weekend.  We’re already looking forward to seeing even more of you at PAX East in Boston later this Spring and at E3 in June.

On the technology side, we’re continuing to refine and expand the HypeZone experience based on your feedback. You’ll see improvements and new capabilities coming to HypeZone in the coming months. We’re also working with numerous game publishers to bring Mixer interactivity to even more games soon, along with continued investment in new interactive capabilities for streamers to take advantage of!

Supporting Mixer Streamers

For our Mixer Partners, we are investing in new ways for them to connect with their viewers and build successful communities on Mixer. As part of this, we’re excited to share that the Mixer Direct Purchase program is now in testing and will be launching broadly soon! With Mixer Direct Purchase, viewers can purchase digital games and game DLC directly through the Mixer streaming platform. When you’re watching a Mixer Partner playing a game or DLC that you want to own, you can purchase directly from the stream you’re watching. Mixer partners will earn a percentage from all purchases made through their stream, in turn helping them to continue to bring great content to their Mixer community. To start with, Mixer Direct Purchase will be available for all games in the Microsoft digital store, including more than 5,000 games across Xbox and Windows 10! Our aspiration is to make even more content available through Direct Purchase down the road.

Also coming soon is the ability to donate to your favorite content creators directly through Mixer. While streamers can continue using external donation services, we’re adding the option for viewers to donate directly on the platform, without having to leave Mixer. And by popular demand, we are adding the ability to subscribe to specific channels inside the Mixer app on Xbox One (similar to what you can do today on the web and mobile).  Stay tuned, as we’ll have more details to share soon about each of these programs in the coming weeks and months.

Finally, to everyone in the Mixer community: THANK YOU! We appreciate the energy, passion and welcoming attitude that you bring to the Mixer community every day. As a small token of thanks to each of you for being such a big part of Mixer in 2017, we’ve made 3 new global emotes available on Mixer today to celebrate these milestones!

Thank you so much to everyone who supported the Mixer community in 2017, and a huge welcome to Mixer in 2018.

See the rest of the story on Xbox Wire

Related:
Gears Pro Circuit Descends on Mexico City
Celebrating over 4 Million PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Players on Xbox One!
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Passes 3 Million Players on Xbox One

Source: Xbox Blog
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We’ve brought a few new updates to Preview Alpha this week, and now Preview Beta Insiders are getting the chance to try out a new build (1802.180121-1921). Beta Insiders can expect to receive this update starting at 6 p.m. PST today and can learn more about the Fixes and Known Issues involved below.

Fixes:

System Setup – Kinect

• When configuring a Kinect during the initial console set-up experience, the process no longer fails when attempting to tune audio.

Network Transfer

• The network transfer no longer fails when initiated from a console on 1802 (this update).

Known Issues:

Profile

• Some users are seeing a new issue that can cause the incorrect Profile color to display after powering on the console.

Pseudo-Localization

• You may notice strange characters which replace normal translated text on the dashboard, Guide, and other areas. Please use Report a problem when you encounter these issues.

Games Installation

• Games that are installed fail to launch. Workaround: If the games are installed to an external drive please copy the game to the internal drive or attempt to delete the title and redownload to fix the launch error.

Display 

• We are investigating the inaccurate RGB colors that have been reported when displaying in 4K HDR mode when playing a UHD disc.

Tournaments

• The left and right navigation for selecting date and time during Tournament creation is currently reversed when the console language is set to Arabic or Hebrew.
• Left and right navigation in Tournament twists is reversed when the console language is set to Arabic or Hebrew.
• Left and right navigation in the bracket view of Tournaments is reversed when the console language is set to Arabic or Hebrew.

Avatars on Home

• Users wishing to represent themselves as an avatar can do so by changing their settings under My profile > Customize profile > Show my avatar.

See the rest of the story on Xbox Wire

Related:
Games: “Report a problem” like a Rockstar
New Preview Alpha System Update – 1/25/18
Roguevania Dead Cells Coming Soon to Xbox One

Source: Xbox Blog
—

Dead Cells is a mash-up, a veritable Frankenstein’s monster of a game, which pretty much makes me Dr. Frankenstein, which is nice. We’re trying to wed the randomness, replayability, and adrenaline pumping threat of permadeath that you find in a rogue-lite, (think Binding of Isaac, Enter the Gungeon, Rogue Legacy, etc.) with the anticipation of exploration, the thrill of discovering a secret and the progressive unlocking of a world that you find in Metroidvania games (think Ori and the Blind Forest, Guacamelee, Axiom Verge, etc.). The main inspiration for the game is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which you might have noticed from the pixel art…

But wait, there’s more! The feel of the combat was originally close to some kind of a 2D Dark Souls, with an emphasis on planning, meticulously observing the enemies before moving to strike. Since then, we’ve… slightly changed our philosophy to allow the player to blaze through the levels while turning monsters in seemingly perfect health into fine dust without even stopping to say Hi. How rude.

However, don’t worry, your enemies won’t handle you with cotton gloves either. We kept the “tough but fair” mentality as a guideline when designing the game, which means you will always have the means to avoid taking damage, but you won’t be able to take much before going down. Ultimately, even if your character will get more powerful as you play, it’s your skills that decide your fate.

I hope the premise of Dead Cells and our modern take on pixel art will have convinced you to give it a shot, controller in hands, once the game is available on Xbox One! Feel free to ping us on Twitter @MotionTwin to ask us any further questions about the game.

See the rest of the story on Xbox Wire

Related:
Games: “Report a problem” like a Rockstar
New Preview Alpha System Update – 1/25/18
New Preview Beta System Update – 1/25/18

Source: Xbox Blog
—

What have all those in common you ask? Right, all three are essential in Kingdom Come: Deliverance! How will you solve your quests? With clever diplomacy skills or the sharp end of your blade? No matter how, don’t forget to save with a sip of some precious Saviour Schnapps! In the new video Warhorse introduces the main features, skills and strategies you need to survive in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Tell your story on February 13th with Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

Source: XBOX YouTube
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Dead Cells is a rogue-lite, Castlevania inspired action-platformer. You’ll explore a sprawling, ever-changing castle… assuming you’re able to fight your way past its keepers in 2D souls-lite combat. No checkpoints. Kill, die, learn, repeat. Coming to Xbox One later

Source: XBOX YouTube
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