T3 India

Microsoft

Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X launch on November 10

by

For gamers, it’s that time of the year where the wait is painful and exciting at the same time and many wished if time just skipped ahead until the launch of new games and more importantly, the next-gen consoles. Microsoft has dropped the date they’re planning to release the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X. Mark your calendars folks, the date is November 10, 2020! If you haven’t already watched the launch trailer, watch it below.

We’re exactly two months away from the launch and before getting in to the specs and information about the consoles, those who desire owning these consoles should know that pre-orders starts from September 22, and the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are available for Rs. 34,990 and Rs. 49,990, respectively! The prices are a little steeper than what we anticipated.

Starting with Series S, Microsoft claims that the Xbox Series S is the ‘smallest Xbox ever created and was built to easily fit into your home and lifestyle’. The Xbox Series S is designed in Robot White and it includes the Xbox Wireless Controller in Robot White too – which includes the hybrid D-pad, textured grip on the triggers, a new dedicated ‘Share’ button, and bumpers and back. The Xbox Series S will be available for $299 abroad and is much more expensive in India.

The Xbox Series S is similar to the Xbox Series X in CPU and has an identical I/O performance. It’s made for digital-first gamers, which contributes to its compact design. Consisting of 4x the processing power of an Xbox One console, the Series S supports frame rates of 120fps and has a storage of 512GB SSD which, in turn, is powered by the ‘Xbox Velocity Architecture’.

When it comes to the difference between the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X, well, Microsoft has explained it very simply. “The primary difference between Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S is in resolution. Through talking to our customers, we found that many of our fans prioritize framerate over resolution, so we wanted to build a console that didn’t require a 4K TV. Xbox Series S delivers approximately 3x the GPU performance of Xbox One and was designed to play games at 1440p at 60 frames per second, with support for up to 120fps. With the increased efficiency we get from the next generation AMD RDNA 2 graphics architecture combined with the virtual memory multipliers enabled through the Xbox Velocity Architecture, Xbox Series S will deliver performance and experiences well beyond the raw specs”, says Liz Hamren, Head of Platform Engineering and Hardware.

For fans of games by EA, Microsoft also announced that during the holiday season Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC members will have access to more than 60 of EA’s biggest console and PC games at no additional cost, through the EA Play membership, previously known as EA Access/Origin Access.

Members will have access to “games like FIFA 20, Titanfall 2 and Need for Speed Heat, as well as titles from some of EA’s most popular franchises like Battlefield, Mass Effect, Skate, and The Sims. Exclusive in-game challenges and rewards, special member-only content, discounts on EA digital purchases for DLC, games, and more”.

If you want more information, then please visit this page.

Microsoft’s latest Surface line-up is all about efficiency and power

by

Microsoft’s new Surface lineup is now available in India and is now set to outshine and outperform. For supremely lightweight computers, this new lineup, consisting of the Surface Pro X, Surface Pro 7, and Surface Laptop 3, packs a punch and is created for modern workers due to its comfortable and portable design, and its proven capabilities to multitask efficiently.

The 774g Surface Pro X’s starts from Rs. 98,999 and has a 13” edge-to-edge PixelSense Display, providing an aspect ratio of 3:2 – pro photographers would probably love this. Like its predecessors, its beauty lies in its ability to feel like a laptop and through the new Surface Pro X Signature Keyboard, the Surface Arc Mouse and the Surface Slim Pen (the latter two are sold separately), users can get the most out of the Surface Pro X. The Surface Slim Pen is stored and can be recharged in the keyboard itself.

  • Surface Pro X

With a 13-hour battery that can charge to 80% within an hour, the Surface Pro X runs on a 10th Generation Intel quad-core processor, similar to the Surface Pro 7 – whose starting price is Rs. 72,999. The Surface Pro 7 is equipped with a 12.3” PixelSense Display and weighs 775g. It too, like the Surface Pro X, can accommodate the stylish Arc Mouse and Pen and is also available in two colours – Black and Platinum. With a number of ports like USB-A, USB-C and Surface Connect, the Surface Pro 7 can be connected to displays, charging accessories and more, all at once.

The Surface Pro 7 has quite a few variants with processors ranging from the Intel Core i3 to i7, storage ranging from 128GB to 256GB and the RAM specifications ranging from 4GB to 16GB RAM. The top-end model, i.e. the Surface Pro i7/16GB RAM/256GB storage comes at a steep price of Rs. 141,999 which is almost twice the price of the base.

  • Surface Pro 7
  • Surface Pro 7

The Surface Laptop 3 is deemed to be almost twice as fast as its previous iterations and is now available in two sizes: 13.5” and 15”. It is powered by a 10th generation Intel Core Processor and provides a strong GPU built by AMD. The Surface Laptop, not only features several of the qualities of the Surface Pro X and 7 but has integrated Studio Mics, a removable hard drive for data retention and its keyboard has a 20% larger trackpad on the keyboard.

  • Surface Laptop 3

There are 2 models of the Surface Laptop 3 that are on sale, starting from Rs. 98,999. The 13.5” one is powered by a Core i5 processor and comes with 8GB Ram and 128GB storage whereas the 15” laptop comes with an A9 processor, 8GB RAM ad 128GB of storage.

With all said and done, Microsoft’s Surface line-up series is going to be available via commercial retailers, and online outlets such as Amazon, Flipkart and more but with the ongoing pandemic, it’s uncertain as to when orders would be possible shipped. We’ll have to wait and see but until then, stay safe.

Microsoft updates Bing’s COVID-19 tracker with self-assessment tools and more

by

Microsoft’s Bing has now added new features to their online Bing COVID-19 Tracker. Available in 9 different languages so people across India can access it, the Bing Online COVID-19 tracker is also integrated with updates like a bot for self-assessment of users, and a dedicated hub for telemedicine support from some leading healthcare service providers. All of this is available through the Bing app which is freely downloadable on iOS and Android.

Firstly, the Bing COVID-19 tracker not only offers statistics about the affected cases on a global and national scale but particularly for India and some other countries, it also breaks the numbers down to state, district and city level, at least those districts and cities that are majorly affected as of now. Users can get statistics on the number of people infected, recovered and those who died battling the virus.

More importantly, Bing’s online tracker supports languages like Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Malayalam and Marathi, which can be accessed through a simple drop-down menu on the top right of the screen. This is helpful for locals to stay updated with real-time data and not have a heavy reliance on news outlets.

Bing’s COVID-19 Online Tracker also has a Telemedicine support hub where users can get online consultations from leading credible healthcare service providers such as Practo, 1mg, Mfine, Apollo Hospitals and more. Government helpline and toll free numbers are also available on that page.

Fairly similar to Aarogya Setu’s self-assessment bot, the tracker also has an AI-powered Apollo Hospitals bot that enables users to perform a self-assessment of symptoms and their risk of contracting COVID-19. It’s available in 4 different languages. The web version is also available here. It’s advisable to have this tool downloaded in such uncertain times. In the meantime, we hope everyone continues following the social-distancing norms and are safe.

Sony and Microsoft to collaborate on streaming games

by

Video game console rivals Sony and Microsoft will team up for on-demand gaming and AI solutions to provide customers with better experiences. This move seems to have been likely spurred by Google’s announcement of Stadia, their new game streaming service.

The memorandum signed by both parties details how Microsoft and Sony will explore joint development of future cloud solutions in Microsoft Azure to support their game and content streaming services. The two companies will also explore the usage of current Microsoft Azure datacenter based solutions for Sony’s game and content streaming services.

This tie-up aims to deliver building better development platforms for the content creator community and enhanced experience for their worldwide customers. A collaboration will also be explored in the areas of semiconductors and AI that might include potential joint development of new intelligent image sensor solutions.

“Sony has always been a leader in both entertainment and technology, and the collaboration we announced today builds on this history of innovation. Our partnership brings the power of Azure and Azure AI to Sony to deliver new gaming and entertainment experiences for customers.” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft.

“PlayStation® itself came about through the integration of creativity and technology. Our mission is to seamlessly evolve this platform as one that continues to deliver the best and most immersive entertainment experiences, together with a cloud environment that ensures the best possible experience, anytime, anywhere. For many years, Microsoft has been a key business partner for us, though of course the two companies have also been competing in some areas. I believe that our joint development of future cloud solutions will contribute greatly to the advancement of interactive content.” said Kenichiro Yoshida, president and CEO, Sony.

Microsoft launches Xbox One X in India

by

Earlier this month, Microsoft inadvertently confirmed the Xbox One X’s arrival in India and as expected, here it is. The most powerful gaming console is available now across all online and large offline retailers. This is a huge step up from Microsoft’s original strategy of selling the Xbox One online only.

Priced at Rs. 44,990, the console is expensive than Sony’s PS4 Pro but Microsoft’s offering gives native 4K gaming along with support for Xbox 360 backward compatible games. Additionally, the Xbox One X supports HDR for better visuals and Dolby Atmos for audio. It can also play 4K Blu-ray movies, making it superior to the PlayStation that can only stream in 4K.