The console represents a sizeable boost in power from Xbox One X, with 6DDR6 RAM, 12 TFLOPS of GPU power, an NVMe SSD, and support for 8K resolution. At the Wall Street Journal's Tech Live conference Wednesday (and cataloged by our sister site, The Verge ), head of Xbox Phil Spencer revealed that Microsoft may eventually raise the prices. The now-former head of Microsoft Studios will consolidate and oversee the Xbox and Xbox Live creative teams, as well as Xbox Music, Xbox Video, and Microsoft Studios. All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards. [7] Spencer lives in the Seattle area with his wife and two daughters. Twitter: @RyanFlemingPDX Phil Spencer, former head of Xbox, will now lead this team as it focuses on gaming across Xbox, PC, mobile, and the cloud. Theyre expanding that economic opportunity, too. You can change the pitch of the audio cues, and the narrator customizations that we have are the best in any game that Ive seen.. Now, the brand is set to reimagine itself yet again when the Xbox Series X releases this holiday season. / Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily. Head of Xbox: Phil Spencer's History at Xbox - YouTube Larry Hryb, Xbox Live's Major Nelson, chats with Phil about his history at Microsoft and what led him to his new role as. It also enabled the Xbox to outsell the just-released Nintendo GameCube in the years that followed, further establishing the Xbox as a force to be reckoned with in the console wars. The system resembles a PC tower, but can still be placed on its side, and features a large number of vents in order to keep itself cool. Heres the thing when I think about it. I had to learn to slow down when going into a turn. The company made nearly all of its first-party games cross-platform compatible, enabling friends on PC and Xbox One to play together and even allowing players to switch between the two platforms without losing progress. [21], Spencer attended Ridgefield High School in Ridgefield, Washington, and then earned a bachelor's degree in technical and scientific communication from the University of Washington. Regardless of the preferred platform, the creation of Blind Driving Assists is indicative of the growth of blind/low vision accessibility. Today, Spencer revealed that PC Game Pass is expanding to forty new markets with a quick clip on YouTube. Digital Trends Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites. Eagle-eyed fans. Ahead of Xbox's 20th anniversary, we sat down with him and Microsoft's gaming A-Team to discuss their wildly ambitious future. "In the long run, to me, it's a question about the viability of the television,". This is going to be fun.. Phil Spencer: Im thrilled to be joined by Satya Nadella to talk about how Microsoft broadly can drive gaming forward. I believe we will need that virtuous cycle between content consumption, commerce driven by communities for everything we build. Creating an extensive feature set for blind/low vision individuals required not only the right engines and technology, but also disabled users and consultants who could provide their lived experiences. Spencer will report to Terry Myerson, executive vice president of the company's Operating Systems Group, which covers Windows, Windows Phone and the Xbox One operating system. Xbox Wire. With plans to release the 360 in November, the company clearly hoped that an early debut almost a full year before the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii were scheduled to arrive would put the 360 in a good position to dominate the market. Many still remained skeptical of what they saw, seeing nothing more than a fancy PC dressed up as a gaming console. [5], "Introducing Forza Motorsport 7's December Bounty Hunter: Phil Spencer - Xbox Wire", "Head Of Xbox Phil Spencer Celebrates His 55th Birthday Today", "Welcoming the Incredible Teams and Legendary Franchises of Activision Blizzard to Microsoft Gaming", "Kinect Accelerator Mentor: Phil Spencer", "Microsoft's Videogame Boss and the Long Battle to Reinvent the Company", "Welcome Phil Spencer, Microsoft's New Xbox-Everything Honcho", "E3 2012: Phil Spencer Post-Conference Interview", "E3 2013: Phil Spencer Talks Xbox One Lineup", "Satya Nadella email to employees on tuning our organization", "Microsoft Xbox boss Phil Spencer just got a big promotion, and will now report directly to CEO Satya Nadella", "The DeanBeat: Microsoft's Phil Spencer steps up as a diversity leader", "Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo get up on stage at The Game Awards", "Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion", "Read Microsoft Gaming CEO's email to staff about the Activision Blizzard acquisition", "Phil Spencer Is Exactly Who You Think He Is", "Phil Spencer to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at 25th Annual DICE Awards", "New York Game Awards 2023: Elden Ring Wins Two Awards as Phil Spencer Is Honored", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phil_Spencer_(business_executive)&oldid=1148728494, This page was last edited on 7 April 2023, at 22:55. Obviously, todays agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard is incredibly exciting. Coming together, we can accelerate our mission to extend the joy and community of gaming to everyone. Our oldest currently supported software franchise is in fact our game Microsoft Flight Simulator, which we released three years before the first version of Windows, even. More games are also on the way. Sales of Halo shattered all previous records, with more than 1 million copies of the game sold in the first few months of its release. The cloud will allow us to completely remove these barriers to play worldwide. If you buy something from a Polygon link, Vox Media may earn a commission. A weekly roundup of the best things from Polygon. Not everybody is built the same and we wanted to make sure we were accounting for that, he said. I thought that its a racing game, so shouldnt you go as fast as possible all the time? Family We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment. Were very excited about what creators can do going forward with the platform shifts that we are going to have in the next 10 years. A few weeks ago, Xbox Chief Product Officer Marc Whitten said he was leaving Microsoft (after helming the division for some 14 years) for a similar position with Sonos. The Gaming Leadership Team and I look forward to answering as many as we can at our next Monthly Gaming Update on Jan. 26. Gaming has been key to Microsoft from our earliest of days. In 2022, Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox and CEO of Microsoft's gaming division, made clear the company's intention to place Activision Blizzard's franchises in the Xbox Game Pass catalog. Find Ryan online at: The head of Xbox has no immediate plans to leave the company, but he is. We expect this acquisition to close in FY23, pending regulatory approvals. [9][10][11][12], In late March 2014, Satya Nadella announced in a corporate e-mail that Spencer was to "lead the Xbox, Xbox Live, Groove Music and Movies & TV teams, and Microsoft Studios" as part of the Windows and Devices division. The much-anticipated sequels $125 million in sales made it the most successful launch of any entertainment product whether game, movie, or music album in consumer history up to that point. And that cost and those requirements have always severely limited who can play, where they can play and who they can play with. As Spencer notes, the games industry wants to support disabled players. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Yet, he encourages blind/low vision individuals to listen to others in the community and trust these settings. Creators pushing us to improve, asking "what if" questions, players finding new innovative games from amazing teams etc. The directional pad has also be changed to more closely resemble the Xbox Elite controller, but the face buttons, sticks, triggers, and shoulder buttons remain very similar to the Xbox One design. While Microsoft was been hit with criticism for the Xbox Series X's slow-growing exclusive lineup-- several highly anticipated titles like Bethesda's Starfieldand co-op shooter Redfall have been pushed to later in 2023 -- the company is still delivering one of the best deals in gaming: Xbox Game Pass. [19], Spencer received the Lifetime Achievement award at the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. And one of the things Im most excited about is how we are enabling game developers to do just that with AzurePlayFab, which now holds more than 2.5 billion player accounts. We talk about Xbox Series X price, whether coronavir. Spencers new role officially, Head of Xbox sees him reporting directly to Myerson, who oversees the development teams on Microsofts operating systems (including Windows and Window Phone, in addition to Xbox). Eventually, the team chose varying beeps and boops to help teach blind/low vision players how to interact with the game. The systems lineup of exclusive games has been extremely limited, with Microsofts first-party development teams unable to compete with the much larger collection of Sony studios, and many of the Xbox Ones best games were also released on PC. "It's been a remarkable year for Xbox and I am honored to lead the team at this incredible time for Microsoft and the games industry.". Phil Spencer on the Meeting That Almost Ended the Xbox Division at Microsoft. Im looking forward to how we continue to invest in Game Pass to add more content and bring the service to even more geographies as we make progress. Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Microsoft is now willing to spend billions on acquisitions to bolster its gaming efforts after acquiring Bethesda last year for $7.5 billion. Additional Crew: Conker: Live and Reloaded. Some of the best Xbox One games are first-party titles, but you'll find loads of other quality games from the likes of Electronic Arts, Bethesda, and Ubisoft that compose a huge library of games worth playing. We're looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard.". However, it comes with some extras that might make that price tag sound more reasonable. This includes. Ive been in many cars, but Ive never been behind the wheel of one. CNN's Richard Quest plays video games with the head of Xbox Phil Spencer who talks about the future of the company as they celebrate the console's 20th anniversary. acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, head of Microsofts Xbox division in 2014, acquiring Bethesda last year for $7.5 billion, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition, Microsoft details how it could get Call of Duty: Warzone running on Switch, Microsofts Activision acquisition in peril after UK regulator warns of harm to gamers, FTC wont appeal court decision permitting Meta to buy Within, The EU has reportedly issued a formal warning to Microsoft over the Activision Blizzard deal. Its being used as the backend for more than 5,000 games, so a lot of exciting things that the cloud can enable. For blind/low vision players, each feature within Blind Driving Assists attempts to translate that knowledge through different means. In his email, Spencer stated, "Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players. Arguably the most important event in the evolution of the Xbox and the growth of Microsofts place in the gaming industry occurred on the consoles first birthday with the launch of Xbox Live. And as you know, Phil, were also seeing tremendous traction when it comes to game development on Azure with companies like Pearl Abyss scaling their gaming, using the power of our cloud. Games are a source of joy, inspiration, and social connection. Games like The Last of Us Part 1s 2022 remake and The Last of Us Part 2, every NetherRealm Studios title since 2013, and The Vale: Shadow of the Crown are examples of games that are accessible to blind/low vision individuals within a vast industry of iconic series and genres. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. It was there that the Xbox developer first connected with Bungie Studios, the creators of a third-person shooter Halo: Combat Evolved. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. would change course regarding online connection requirements, The best upcoming Xbox Series X games: 2023 and beyond, You cant share Xbox screenshots or videos directly to Twitter anymore, All Xbox One games with mouse and keyboard support, The best Xbox One games to play right now. And for many players, this can be an investment that limits their ability to play. Today, its the largest and fastest-growing form of entertainment, and as the digital and physical worlds come together, it will play a critical role in the development of metaverse platforms. Spencer is also currently the head of the Xbox brand and since being in charge, Phil has pushed for cross-platform play and pioneered backwards compatibility within the Xbox line of consoles. Following Mattricks departure, the role was briefly filled by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, but soon after the company announced a major restructuring that split the Xbox division. Thats why Im so excited that so many games are evolving into these metaverse economies and societies, just like Minecraft, right? The xCloud initiative and new Game Pass cloud gaming feature are those efforts to compete with services like Stadia directly. Ryan is a diehard gamer and follower of the gaming industry, an avid filmgoer, and a passionate supporter of his alma mater, the University of Kansas. Phil Spencer. Spencer has been with Microsoft for 25 years, working in various departments. First is our leadership in cloud computing; second, the resources we have to build out the subscription value with Xbox Game Pass; and third is our overall focus on empowering creators. First, the motion- and voice-control peripheral that would eventually become Kinect was announced in June 2009 at that years E3 convention. Where the vehicle is, when and how to turn, and even how much cars should decelerate are just some examples of information that blind/low vision individuals can receive via audio cue with these features activated. As technologies advance and as more disabled individuals offer their skills to developers, the design practices and features that disabled people use will eliminate even more unintentional barriers. Once the Activision Blizzard deal is finally completed, the company's leadership will also report directly to Spencer moving forward. We start solving for one specific scenario, and then think about how we can extend that [solution] to many. 28 Apr 2023 06:18:01 Given the ray-tracing capabilities of the PS5 and its own support for 8K resolution, that would be quite a feat. Its about more players and more creators. These games can be played on Xbox consoles, PC, mobile, and even Steam Deck. The former head of . With Stadia, a cloud-based gaming service, becoming incredibly popular with gamers, Microsoft had to step up so they could stay in the competition. We're big fans of the latest Xbox consoles here at Underscored. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. His official title is Head of Xbox. And theres no better example of this than gaming. Xbox is a significant section of Microsoft, and it'll only continue to grow as time goes on. 468 likes, 3 comments - BitMe (@tvbitme) on Instagram: "Adems de eso, a finales de ao pasado, Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox, confirm que tambin los ." In fact, one of the things we have learned from all of the work you all have done is in some sense, it starts after the game is launched because you want to be able to experiment, learn through analytics and continuously change gameplay. Phil Spencer is taking over as the head of Microsoft's Xbox branch, the company announced today. This was the move that helped make history. In many ways, when we look at these opportunities, we start solving for one specific scenario, or even personal situations, and then think about how we can extend that [solution] to many.. I recall trying . Marc Whitten, who had served as chief product officer for Xbox, departed earlier this month for audio equipment manufacturer Sonos. There's no shortage of games to play on either console thanks to Xbox Game Pass, which gives players immediate access to a library of titles old and new. For Turn 10 Studios, this meant conducting numerous user research surveys, as well as bringing on Brandon Cole, a blind consultant with credits on games like The Last of Us Part 2, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Vale: Shadow of the Crown. His lived experiences as a disabled individual afford him the opportunity to provide insight that is not only beneficial for developers, but also the blind/low vision community itself. To get a deeper dive, I spoke to Cole as well as Turn 10 Studios' gameplay & accessibility producer Neha Chintala and head of Xbox Phil Spencer about bringing these features to life and why . This news was followed a month later by the debut of Xbox Music and Xbox Video, Microsofts new media services that not only replaced the existing services on the Xbox but also offered an attractive, Apple-style integration across all devices running Windows software. It is capable of native 4K gaming, something no other game console can do on a regular basis, and the use of vapor cooling allowed the console to be even smaller than the Xbox One S. Despite the sales struggles of the Xbox One, Xbox fans have reason to be excited about the future. Turn 10 Studios developers, an accessibility consultant, and Xbox head Phil Spencer discuss the development process behind Blind Driving Assists, the importance of community involvement, and Xbox . Accessibility features for blind/low vision players need to offer as much information as possible for them to be able to play without any form of sighted assistance. The high cost of manufacturing the Xbox didnt do its creator any favors, making the next big event in the systems timeline even more surprising. We couldnt have done it without them.. Before we even started diving into the full design, implementation, and execution of any of these features, we brought Brandon on from the start, Chintala said. Blind/low vision individuals use transportation every day. A keyboard and mouse will give you better precision than your standard Xbox One controller so you can keep up in cross-platform games without shelling out money for a top gaming PC. New York, Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox since 2014, is known to players as the guy who. Phil Spencer on the future of Xbox: we still want to take risks with games While developing traditional narrative games is harder than it has ever been, Microsoft's Xbox chief sees an. Please also refresh on our corporate social media guidelines. Nadella describes gaming as playing a critical role in the development of metaverse platforms, that the company is looking to develop for Xbox, Microsoft Teams, and beyond. Microsoft has announced Phil Spencer is the new Head of Xbox, taking over from the recently departed Marc Whitten, who served as Xbox corporate VP. It wil retail for $85, which is significantly more than a standard Xbox controller. Game Tapes Raw: Xbox - Bill Gates/The Rock (01/06/2001), Project xCloud: Gaming with you at the center, Xboxs Earth Day controller is made from recycled water jugs and CDs, Former PS5 exclusive Ghostwire: Tokyo Comes to Xbox Game Pass in April. Ahead of the first-ever Xbox & Bethesda Showcase on Sunday, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer hosted a series of conversations with Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, and members of Microsoft's Gaming Leadership team on the future of gaming at Microsoft.We've shared some highlights from the day in another article, but we also wanted to share one of the day's biggest moments on its own. Teasing the systems vastly improved specs and the potential for both online play and internal storage of downloaded content games and media Gates managed to get the worlds attention. Spencer said . This includes Halo Infinite, which will also be coming to PC. Among the various hardware and software issues that plagued early models of the 360, one particularly nasty problem caused the entire system to encounter a fatal error and give owners a red ring of light around the consoles power button. We also believe that creative success and autonomy go hand-in-hand with treating every person with dignity and respect. Phil Spencer, as CEO of Microsoft Gaming, plays an integral role in executing these visions and continuing to develop the best Xbox games, fostering a culture of inclusivity and. Phil Spencer is an American business executive, who is currently CEO of Gaming at Microsoft. As you said, the recent acquisition of ZeniMax is something Im really proud of, where were bringing an amazing catalogue of games into Game Pass, just like you talked about. Digital Trends Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites. At E3 2018, Phil Spencer confirmed that he had teams working on creating the next generation of Xbox systems, but unlike in the past, it doesn't appear that there will be one console . CEO Satya Nadella stated that the company internally referred to the xCloud endeavor as . Given the ray-tracing capabilities of the PS5 and its own support for 8K resolution, that would be quite a feat. Neha Chintala notes that Coles involvement was crucial for each option within Blind Driving Assists, and his work started during the preproduction phase. Phil Spencer (born January 12, 1968)[3] is an American business executive and the CEO of Microsoft Gaming. Effective today, Phil Spencer will become CEO, Microsoft Gaming. But youre right, we see the health of creators in and around our games as one of the key barometers for our overall business health. You can also access most of these through the Game Pass cloud computing program. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). PSN: IridiumSix. Even on top of all that tuning, we still allow the player to offset some of these values just a little bit to account for reaction time, and thats something that maybe theyll tune it lower when they first start while theyre learning the system, and as they get in there and start to recognize it and move faster and the reaction time becomes better, they can start to turn those values up.. All eyes are on Microsoft on Tuesday, following the company's announcement that it's moving to acquire Activision Blizzard in a monumental $70 billion deal. Ahead of the first-ever Xbox & Bethesda Showcase on Sunday, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer hosted a series of conversations with Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, and members of Microsofts Gaming Leadership team on the future of gaming at Microsoft. Together with Activision Blizzard, we believe we have an incredible opportunity to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet, and we will invest and innovate to create the best content, community and cloud for gamers. This change is a reflection of the incredible work each of you are doing to create the best entertainment ecosystem anywhere. There was no stopping the Internet rumor train once it started chugging along, and before long the new console even had an unofficial code name: Xbox 720.. For sighted individuals, this information is learned over time by trying different cars or courses. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Email (Opens in new window), Microsoft Major Nelson Promotions Official Rules, Will Tuttle (He/Him), Xbox Wire Editor in Chief, Bringing the Joy and Community of Gaming to Everyone, E3 2018: Gaming for Everyone, a Conversation with Phil Spencer. And Cole acknowledges that many disabled players may hesitate to try this game, especially one as in-depth as Forza. Xboxs accessible innovations and developments have benefited disabled players for years. Phil Spencer is taking over as the head of Microsoft's Xbox branch, the company announced today. It was a big, dramatic change for Microsoft . There have been reports of a second, significantly less-powerful machine that will omit a disc drive and be offered at a reduced price. The system would run on Windows 2000, making it easy for traditional PC software developers to work within the consoles architecture, and feature more than twice the processing power of the industry-leading PlayStation 2. As Microsoft gaming head Phil Spencer notes, these partnerships ultimately shift the accessibility movement to continuously refine and innovate, both for studios and players. There's an obvious reason: Microsoft's $69 billion bid to buy the massive, but scandal-ridden Activision Blizzard [6][8] He has participated in Microsoft's E3 conferences since 2010. Gamereactor UK. I got to get this thing onto the boat and head back to--. Phil Spencer is the new boss of all things Xbox, Microsoft confirms. By February 2003, Microsoft had already begun planning for the next generation of Xbox, codenamed Xenon at the time. ", "It's been a remarkable year for Xbox and I am honored to lead the team". Esta es la informacin. The thing that I want to stress here is that we offer a ton of customization, Cole said. Simultaneously, all of Microsoft's gaming leadership now report directly to Spencer, including Jerret West, CMO of Gaming, and his marketing team. I mean, the cloud and Azure have sort of fundamentally allowed us to truly put people at the center of gaming, enabling them to play the games in high fidelity, as you said, wherever, whenever they want on any device. Phil is the right person to lead Xbox forward. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has been very outspoken about the release of the Xbox Series X/S, and has made many comparisons to Sony's PlayStation 5.Now, a week before Microsoft's new consoles . You can also access most of these through the Game Pass cloud computing program. If you've already upgraded to the Xbox Series X, don't worry: The vast majority of Xbox One games work on the Series X and Series S with Microsoft's Smart Delivery program. On the surface, the system looked like it had a chance to compete with the PlayStation 4, which had been announced earlier that year, but rumors swirling about the Xbox One potentially requiring an online connection and limiting the sales of used games overshadowed news of the system itself. initiative, Microsoft recently announced that players would be able to access a cloud gaming service. In an email to all Microsoft Xbox employees (opens in new tab), Phil Spencer announced that he has acquired a brand-new title and heads Microsoft's freshly unified gaming leadership. Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. during The Game Awards 2019. Activision Blizzard wont be a particularly easy acquisition for Microsoft, though. Please enter a valid email and try again. Gamereactor uses cookies to ensure that we give you the best browsing experience on our website. Mini Bio (1) Phil Spencer is executive vice president, Gaming at Microsoft. Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players. The head of Xbox Phil Spencer reportedly addressed the company's staff last week regarding the UK's move to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, aiming to provide reassurance to the employees about the future of the company's gaming division..
head of xbox before phil spencer
head of xbox before phil spencer
head of xbox before phil spencer