The past seven days saw the release of Microsoft’s Series X|S consoles, the arrival of a bunch of patches for Windows, and EOL dates for Surface devices. Be sure to catch up via our handy overview.
The last seven days saw the release of the Xbox Series X| S consoles, the end of support for Home and Pro versions of Windows 10 v1809, as well as the arrival of updated end of support dates for a number of Surface devices. You can find info about that, as well as much more below, in your Microsoft digest for the week of November 8 – 14. On Tuesday, Microsoft at long last launched its next-generation of consoles, the tower of power that is Xbox Series X, alongside the significantly smaller, digital-only Series S. According to Microsoft, this was the most successful Xbox launch ever, with the company selling more units than any other previous launch, though specifics were not provided. Additionally, the software giant confirmed that 70% of the new devices (meaning either Series S or X) are attached to a Game Pass subscription, and that 3,594 games were played at launch, more than any other previous Xbox launch. This is of course due in no small part to the cross-generational backwards compatibility going back to the original Xbox. In case you want to buy any of the two consoles, here’s a list of five things you need to know about the Xbox Series X| S. If you did get either device, do be aware that there are some known issues, especially around 4K60FPS / 4K120FPS and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). This specifically concerns folks with LG, Samsung or Vizio TVs, and the issues could very well be mitigated with a firmware update. Moving on to entertainment in general, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers get a free 30 day trial of Disney+, but that’s not all they can look forward to. Subscribers on this tier of Game Pass already have access to over 60 EA-published games, including Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Additionally, thanks to cloud gaming support, they can also play Dragon Age: Inquisition, Madden NFL 20, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2, The Sims 4, and Unravel 2 on your Android device. Starting with titles already available, you can now play Gears Tactics, Destiny 2: Beyond Light, as well as Planet Coaster: Console Edition on Android and console.
