Puzzle game classic Threes gets surprise Steam PC release in February

Puzzle game classic Threes is getting a Steam PC launch to celebrate its 10th anniversary, developer Asher Vollmer has announced. The release date is 6th February, and here’s the Steam page. The new version adds controller and Steam cloud support together with achievements and leaderboards. Given its mobile origins, it should scrub up nicely on Steam Deck.

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Intel’s Core i3 12100F is a value champion CPU for gaming – and it’s down to £88

Intel’s Core i3 12100F is a surprisingly viable gaming CPU, with four Golden Cove P-cores and eight threads with DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support, all for under £100. Don’t be put off by ‘Core i3’ either – this model is similar in speed to the last-gen Core i5 11600K and not too far behind the Core i7 10700K, such is the leap forward Intel made with its 12th-gen CPU architecture. Today this processor is even cheaper than normal too, with prices dropping to £88 at Ebuyer in the UK.

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Arc System Works Brings Library Battle Sim ‘Library Of Ruina’ To Switch This Spring

“It all starts with a book”.

The “library battle simulator” Library of Ruina, which was previously released on the Xbox and PC, will finally be getting a worldwide release on the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 this Spring. Arc System Works will publish the ProjectMoon developed title and it will be available for $39.99 (or your regional equivalent).

In this title, you take control of a library director who welcomes guests, battles them and when they’re defeated are turned into books. According to the trailer description, there are over 100 hours of gameplay as well as music and art collections to enjoy.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Microsoft: ActiBlizz Acquisition Gives Xbox A Chance To Be A “Good Publisher” On All Platforms

“We’re excited about that acquisition closing”.

Following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, there’s been a lot of debate about Xbox published titles on other platforms, so what’s the latest?

Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella has told Bloomberg this week how he feels Xbox has a better chance of being a “good publisher” for all platforms (including Nintendo), now that the deal with Activision and Blizzard has closed.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Dave the Diver Among Game of the Year Finalists for Game Developers Choice Awards 2024

The usual suspects were out in force in the Game Developers Choice Awards 2024 nominees, with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate 3 leading the way with seven nominees apiece. But there were also some big surprises in the Game of the Year category, with Alan Wake 2 missing out in favor of Dave the Diver and Dredge.

Instead, Alan Wake 2 got the nod as an honorable mention in the list of finalists, which are voted on by game developers throughout the industry. Remedy’s sequel wasn’t entirely shut out though, earning nods in categories including Best Narrative and Best Visual Art. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Tears of the Kingdom, COCOON, and Baldur’s Gate 3 rounded out the rest of the Game of the Year nominees.

As for Dave the Diver, it’s won praise for its unique mix of deep sea exploration and shopkeeping. In our review we called it “wholesome, wonderfully complex, and delightfully hard to put down.”

The Game Developers Choice Awards are held every year during the Game Developer’s Conference, which takes place in San Francisco in March. Last year’s awards saw Elden Ring take home the big prize, with God of War Ragnarok also receiving plenty of recognition.

Check out the full list of nominees below. For more, check out the full list of IGN Awards in which we picked our own winners, and stay tuned as awards season continues.

BEST AUDIO

Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

Venba (Visai Games)

Honorable Mentions: COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive), Diablo IV (Blizzard
Entertainment), Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix), Hogwarts Legacy (Avalanche Software / Portkey
Games), Humanity (tha ltd. and Enhance / Enhance)

BEST DEBUT

COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)

Dave the Diver (Mintrocket)

Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)

Venba (Visai Games)

Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios / Thunderful Publishing)

Honorable Mentions: BattleBit Remastered (SgtOkiDoki, Vilaskis, and TheLiquidHorse / SgtOkiDoki),
Party Animals (Recreate Games / Source Technology), Pizza Tower (Tour De Pizza), Planet of Lana
(Wishfully Studios / Thunderful), Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical (Summerfall Studios / Humble
Games)

BEST DESIGN

Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)

Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)

Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

Honorable Mentions: Dave the Diver (Mintrocket), Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio), Street Fighter 6 (Capcom), Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo)

INNOVATION AWARD

Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)

Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

The Making of Karateka (Digital Eclipse)

Honorable Mentions: Dave the Diver (Mintrocket), Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17), Marvel’s
Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios /
Bethesda Softworks), Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios / Thunderful Publishing)

BEST NARRATIVE

Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games)

Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

Venba (Visai Games)

Honorable Mentions: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt), Dredge (Black Salt Games /
Team17), Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP), Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (Guerrilla Games /
Sony Interactive Entertainment), Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)

SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD

A Space for the Unbound (Mojiken Studio / Toge Productions)

Assassin’s Creed Mirage (Ubisoft Bordeaux / Ubisoft)

Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

Terra Nil (Free Lives / Devolver Digital)

Venba (Visai Games)

Honorable Mentions: Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP), Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores
(Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony
Interactive Entertainment), Tchia (Awaceb / Kepler Interactive), Thirsty Suitors (Outerloop Games /
Annapurna Interactive)

BEST TECHNOLOGY

Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games)

Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

Honorable Mentions: COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive), Cyberpunk 2077:
Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt), Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment), Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix),
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

BEST VISUAL ART

Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games)

COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)

Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix)

Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

Honorable Mentions: Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment), Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17),
Lies of P (Neowiz Games and Round8 Studio / Neowiz Games), Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio), Super
Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo)

GAME OF THE YEAR

Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)

Dave the Diver (Mintrocket)

Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

Honorable Mentions: Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games), Diablo IV (Blizzard
Entertainment), Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix), Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio), Starfield (Bethesda
Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks), Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo)

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Palworld Dev Insists That Its ‘Pokémon With Guns’ Survival Game Is ‘Not a Scam’

Pocketpair wants fans to know Palyworld, its new game popularly described as “Pokémon With Guns,” is definitely not a scam.

The assurance is part of a frequently asked questions post put out by developer Pocketpair on the Steam page of their upcoming creature collecting survival game. The slightly unusual inclusion of this section in their FAQ comes in the wake of titles like The Day Before, which has created increased distrust between players and early access developers on Steam.

The question reads: “Is this game a scam? Or is it a money-making MMO or virtual currency game?” to which the developer answers: “It is not a scam and will definitely be released on January 19th. PalWorld is a typical Steam game, you buy it once and it is yours forever. While we may consider expansions after the full release, that is a conversation we will all have together, as a community, when the time comes!”

Pocketpair certainly isn’t kidding that this is a frequently asked question either — when typing “Is Palworld” into Google, “Is Palworld a real game?” came up as one of the top suggestions, so clearly people are wondering if they can count on this creature collecting to deliver.

“PalWorld is a typical Steam game, you buy it once and it is yours forever.”

Though we won’t be able to give our impressions of the game just yet, IGN can indeed confirm that several members of our team have access to and have been playing Palworld, which is a real game and not a scam. In fact, you can already watch our first 15 minutes with it right now:

For the full impressions of our review in progress, check back on IGN.com tomorrow (January 18) at 9:00 AM Pacific Time.

Travis Northup is a freelance writer at IGN.

How Xbox Is Changing the Nature of Exclusivity

Last week, the Xbox community was sent into a tizzy over rumors that Xbox exclusives Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves might soon be exclusive no more.

The rumors remain unproven, but an imminent Xbox Developer Direct has given these reports extra weight. And beneath Xbox console fans’ outcry over the potential loss of more exclusives to other consoles, there is an interesting question rising from the dust of the console war battlefield. For the last console generation, Xbox has been pursuing a markedly different strategy to its competitors: while Nintendo and Sony were busy selling tens of millions of console units on the power of first-party exclusives, Xbox has been trying to build an ecosystem of software that transcends a single box under the TV. Gaming for everyone, Xbox games on every platform where people are playing. Sounds nice, right?

With the Activision Blizzard deal now done and Xbox squarely behind both Sony and Nintendo in terms of console sales this generation, all eyes are on Xbox to do something astonishing that will turn the tide in its favor and maybe transform the industry in the process. What will the trick be? Multiple massive blockbuster first-party releases? Finally making cloud gaming something people actually want to do? Releasing Game Pass on Switch?

Okay, it’s unlikely Xbox has some big 3D chess move prepared this year, and certainly not in time for the Developer Direct. But conversations with a number of industry analysts have convinced me that 2024 is the year we finally start seeing Xbox’s grand ecosystem strategy – and all it entails for exclusivity, multiplatform play, and cloud gaming – finally start to take shape.

The Quest for an Xbox Ecosystem

Xbox has publicly been on the “ecosystem” train since before the current console generation. Way back in 2018, Spencer said at a Barclays conference that Xbox Game Pass was the future, and that future was going to be on “every device.”

“We use the flywheel that we have with customers on an Xbox to start the growth in Xbox Game Pass. But as somebody sitting back and taking a longer-term view of where our business is going, you should look at that as a business model that we think scales to billions of people not hundreds of millions of people like retail does.”

The following year, Spencer told Kotaku that “the consoles are not where the profit in this side of the business is made,” and that instead the focus needed to be “all about how many games are people playing. And how much people are spending playing those games and how often they play.”

But the conversation isn’t just about Game Pass or subscriptions. Since the release of the Series X and S, Spencer and other Xbox spokespeople have reiterated variations on the theme of meeting players wherever they want to play, including conversations about tech and game releases on other platforms. This mantra perhaps fed rumors in 2019 that Xbox Game Pass was coming to Nintendo Switch. While that ended up being one step too far, Xbox did bring previously-exclusive games Cuphead and Ori and the Blind Forest to Nintendo’s platform later that year — an unprecedented move for a company selling its own gaming box.

Xbox has tried to temper fears that it’s not focused on growing its own console, especially amid ongoing criticisms this generation that it doesn’t have enough first-party exclusive hits. In 2020, Spencer made an effort to reconcile his gaming philosophy with the fact that any Switch or PlayStation rendition of GamePass would inevitably come with caveats: “The other competitive platforms really aren’t interested in having a full Xbox experience on their hardware. But for us, we want to be where gamers want to be and that’s the path that we’re on.”

Last summer, he and other Xbox leaders asserted that console was “critical” to the future of Xbox. And then, at the end of last year, Xbox CFO Tim Stuart appeared to reiterate the GamePass everywhere strategy, only for Spencer to seemingly rebuke it not long after.

On a surface level, this series of public comments, official decisions, and rumors can make it a bit tricky to tell how serious Xbox is about the whole “ecosystem” thing. But Circana analyst Mat Piscatella frames the last five years of news headlines differently when I ask him his thoughts on it, noting that Xbox has actually been “pretty consistent” on what’s actually come to market, and that the mish-mash of strategy conversations we’ve seen over the last generation is more emblematic of a company in transition, with all the challenges that come with it.

“They haven’t gone all-in on the strategy, at least not yet,” he says. “Bringing games and services to other platforms in order to drive dollars on the content and services side would surely help, but there’s also the hardware business to support, so I’m sure there’s quite a bit of push and pull happening. And parts of the established base want to cling to the old hardware installed base driven model, and have been quite vocal about it.

“It’s a tough place. They’re trying to expand the audience and drive new ways of playing, but also don’t want to leave the audience that’s been with them from the start behind. It’s a difficult thing to do, with many interests and inputs to balance.”

Xbox’s current strategy is born out of necessity

It’s no wonder Xbox is running into obstacles – what it’s suggesting is a pretty dramatic overhaul of the existing model for how games, consoles, and exclusivity have worked for years. As Superdata co-founder and NYU Stern School of Business professor Joost van Dreunen puts it, “Xbox has redrawn the games industry landscape. Where historically the market was made-up of insular walled gardens, Xbox’ current strategy proposes a device-agnostic, cross-platform roadmap.”

Ampere Analysis’ Piers Harding-Rolls notes that it’s also uniquely positioned to suggest an ecosystem strategy thanks to its “history in the PC gaming space, its key role with Windows and its long list of B2B services targeting the games sector, including Azure and developer tools,” But he acknowledges too that Xbox’s move seems to have been born, at least in part, out of necessity, as Xbox has fallen behind in the so-called “console wars” since the heyday of the Xbox 360.

The Series X and S have not helped it gain much ground. Omdia’s console forecast suggests that Xbox Series X and S hardware sales dropped by 12.7% year over year in 2023, despite it being at phase in its lifecycle that would traditionally be considered a “growth phase” and releasing what should have been a blockbuster exclusive in Starfield.

“To make matters worse, we’re expecting the seven-year-old Switch to have outsold Xbox Series X/S by almost a factor of two in 2023,” says Omdia senior games analyst James McWhirter.

We’re expecting the seven-year-old Switch to have outsold Xbox Series X/S by almost a factor of two in 2023.

Multiple analysts I spoke to pointed out to me that while some might have expected Xbox to rectify this situation somewhat with its recent acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, its pledge to keep major games multiplatform for at least a decade means it won’t be able to capitalize on them as exclusives to bolster those console sales anytime soon. Meanwhile, Xbox’s whole “ecosystem” situation isn’t exactly rocketing them to the moon either.

“We’re seeing slowing adoption of Xbox Game Pass even though Microsoft will claim otherwise thanks to the repositioning of Xbox Live Gold as Xbox Game Pass Core,” McWhirter says. “Our forecast estimates total Xbox Game Pass subscriptions (excluding Core/Live Gold) to be at 33.3 million at the end of 2023, which represents subscriber growth of just 13% – down from 15% in 2022. Notably, over half (55%) are currently on the device-agnostic Ultimate tier.”

Piscatella notes too on X/Twitter that subscription services specifically aren’t growing as fast as they used to. Xbox’s kingdom cannot be built on subscription alone (especially if key developers aren’t sold on its value), nor can it be built overnight. Phil Spencer wasn’t lying last summer when he said that consoles remained “critical” to the success of Xbox, but here’s a new reading of that statement for you: consoles seem to be “critical” to sustain the business while Xbox metamorphosizes. That’s why Spencer is, quietly, still advocating for the big exclusives the Xbox console audience keeps demanding, even as Microsoft president Satya Nadella seems far less interested in the idea. Even if it’s third place in the console market, Xbox needs that bronze medal as a lifeline while it makes inroads into new sectors where it hopes to win gold, such as cloud gaming and this supposed bold new software ecosystem of cloud, subscriptions, exclusives, and mobile games it keeps alluding to.

2024: The Year of the Ecosystem?

So when will we see Xbox finally emerge and make good on its promises of gaming for everyone, everywhere? Will the Developer Direct this week herald a bold new era? Is 2024 the year of Xbox at last?

Well… probably not. These things take time. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t expect to see more inroads built this year. Most analysts I spoke to agreed that while Xbox’s 2024 first-party portfolio will likely be stronger than that of previous years, it isn’t going to rocket the console to the top of the sales charts.

For one, 2024 will almost certainly offer clarity on Xbox’s strategy for Activision Blizzard games, especially with regard to which ones are coming to Game Pass and when, what it plans to do with PC-exclusive World of Warcraft and back catalog games like Starcraft, and what Xbox owning Call of Duty will really mean for how those games are sold, accessed, and played. The acquisition’s ripples on Activision Blizzard development itself won’t be felt for a few more years, but the ecosystem strategy will begin almost immediately.

Which brings us back to all those rumors of Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves coming to Switch or PlayStation. McWhirter says that, despite what naysayers online might suggest, Xbox bringing these current-exclusives to its competitors actually benefits Xbox more than Nintendo or PlayStation. “There are signs that Hi-Fi Rush underperformed relative to Microsoft’s expectations in terms of its impact on Game Pass subscriptions growth and engagement and full game downloads. Releasing a late port to, say, the Switch, makes continued development of titles like it more sustainable while securing timed exclusivity on Xbox while adding value to Game Pass.

“Sea of Thieves has already been on the market for six years and continues to be one of Microsoft’s most successful live service titles after Minecraft, with higher peak and average MAUs compared with Halo Infinite. Putting it on other platforms should help it reach new highs and its age and pre-existence on PC suggests it has long outlived its usefulness in selling Xbox consoles.”

The analysts I spoke to agree that a strategy of curated, timed releases of former-exclusives on Nintendo and PlayStation consoles makes a lot of sense for Xbox, and further bolsters its own philosophy of putting its games wherever players happen to be. And no, vocally pro-exclusive audiences on social media likely won’t deter them if there’s a significant advantage to be had, especially if that audience has already enjoyed a period of exclusivity.

But Game Pass on Switch or PlayStation, analysts say, would be a bridge too far. Rather, both van Dreunen and McWhirter expect Xbox to launch a mobile Game Pass service – McWhirter says it could happen as soon as this year – especially in the wake of the Activision-Blizzard deal:

“Because gaming is increasingly online and based on multiplayer gameplay, I expect platform holders to broker deals that would allow greater circulation of content between devices and ecosystems,” van Dreunen says. “My expectation is that Xbox will try to launch a mobile Game Pass service to reach billions of mobile gamers and deliver on its ambition to reach 100 million subscribers for its Game Pass service. Before ABK/MSFT it had little access to this audience. Even so, there will be specific differentiators between platforms like exclusives, pricing plans, and bundles. But it seems idiotic that I cannot play the same online game on every device in the same way that I can call anyone regardless of what telecom provider they use.”

The Xbox Series X and S might be at a “growth” phase in their life cycles, and 2024 might herald something that looks like growth if even a handful of Xbox’s 23 game development studios are ready to smash exclusives out of the park. But the real growth Xbox seems to be banking on remains its gaming ecosystem, centered around Game Pass and xCloud, reaching as many devices as possible. Xbox is dreaming of a future in which the “Xbox audience” isn’t just the people who own Xbox consoles, but contains Switch owners, PlayStation owners, mobile gamers, and more — all of them playing Xbox games. In the coming year and beyond, we can be on the lookout for mobile Game Pass, Game Pass on smart TVs, a curated selection of former Xbox exclusive games on rival consoles, and several more strands spun into the encompassing gaming web that Xbox has been steadily crafting for nearly a decade now.

It remains to be seen whether or not that ecosystem will, or can succeed, and whether or not that success depends on exclusives. We won’t find out in 2024, but if we’re all playing the latest Halo on a smart fridge in 2040, I’m sure we’ll have something spicy to say on social media about it.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Until Dawn Film Adaptation Is in the Works With Shazam!, Lights Out Director David F. Sandberg

Another well-known horror game is getting the big screen treatment. This time, it’s Supermassive Games’ 2015 release Until Dawn.

Sony Pictures has confirmed to IGN that the movie adaptation of Until Dawn will be directed by filmmaker David F. Sandberg, who previously directed horror hits like Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation, as well as DCEU films Shazam! and its sequel Fury of the Gods. Gary Dauberman, who’s worked on horror series including It, Annabelle, and The Nun, is doing the latest pass on the script written by The Invitation’s Blair Butler.

THR first reported the news. It’ll be developed by Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems as well as PlayStation Productions.

“As our partnership with Sony Pictures continues to grow, we’re thrilled to be working on our first movie with Screen Gems. Until Dawn is a fan favorite PlayStation game that we can’t wait to bring to the big screen,” Head of Product, PlayStation Studios and Head of PlayStation Productions Asad Qizilbash said in a statement.

Released as a PS4 exclusive, Until Dawn is a choose-your-own-adventure horror game developed by Supermassive Games. Set on a snowy mountain, players control eight young adults who must survive the night. Like some of Supermassive’s recent games in The Dark Pictures Anthology or 2022’s The Quarry, who survives and how the story unfolds in Until Dawn is determined entirely based on the player’s choices.

In our review of Until Dawn, we said: “Until Dawn is an inconsistent horror game, but it’s still a heck of a lot of fun.”

Until Dawn is the latest IP from PlayStation’s catalog to get adapted for film or TV. Other PlayStation adaptations include The Last of Us, Twisted Metal, Gran Turismo, and Uncharted. The news also comes one day after it was announced that LKA’s psychological thriller Martha Is Dead is getting adapted into a feature film.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Xbox Insider Release Notes – Alpha Skip-Ahead (2408.240114-2000)

Hey Xbox Insiders! We have a new Xbox Update Preview releasing to the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring today.

It’s important we note that some updates made in these preview OS builds include background improvements that ensure a quality and stable build for Xbox consoles. We will continue to post these release notes, even when the noticeable changes to the UI are minimal or behind the scenes, so you’re aware when updates are coming to your device.

Details can be found below!

Xbox Insider Release Notes

System Update Details:

  • OS Version: RS_XBOX_DEV_FLIGHT26029.1004.240114-2000
  • Available: 2 p.m. PT – January 17, 2024
  • Mandatory: 3 a.m. PT – January 18, 2024

Fixes Included

Thanks to all the great feedback Xbox Insiders provide and the hard work of Xbox engineers, we are happy to announce the following fixes have been implemented with this build:

System

Known Issues

While known issues may have been listed in previous Xbox Insider Release Notes, they are not being ignored! However, it may take Xbox engineers more time to find a solution. If you experience any of these issues, we ask that you please follow any guidance provided and file feedback with Report a Problem.

Audio

  • We have received reports of users experiencing intermittent issues with audio across the dashboard, games, and apps. If you have experienced issues, be sure you have the latest firmware updates for your TV and other equipment. If you’re unsure, you may need to contact the manufacturer for assistance.
    • Note: If you continue to experience issues after applying the latest firmware updates, please submit feedback via Report a Problem immediately with the “Reproduce with advanced diagnostics” option, then select the category “Console experiences” and “Console Audio Output Issues”. Be sure to include as much information as possible:
      • When did the issue start?
      • Did you lose audio just in the game/app or system audio as well?
      • Does changing the audio format resolve the issue? If yes, what was the format before and after?
      • Does rebooting resolve the issue?
      • What does your setup include? Equipment, layout, etc.
      • And any additional information you can provide to reproduce the problem.

Networking

  • We are investigating reports of an issue where the console may not connect to their network as expected on boot. If you experience this, be sure to report the issue via Report a Problem as soon as you’re able.

System – Profiles

  • We are aware recently added profiles may be removed after restarting the console, and a fix is coming in a subsequent update.
  • Workaround: While signed in, open the guide then navigate to Profile & system > Settings > System > Access restrictions > Access restrictions options then disable the Delete profiles on sign out option.

As always, be sure to use Report a problem to keep us informed of any issues you encounter. We may not be able to respond to everyone, but the data we’ll gather is crucial to finding a resolution.

What Happens to Your Feedback

If you’re an Xbox Insider looking for support, please visit the community subreddit. Official Xbox staff, moderators, and fellow Xbox Insiders are there to help with your concerns.

When posting to the subreddit, please look through the most recent posts to see if your issue has already been posted or addressed. We always recommend adding to existing threads with the same issue before posting a new one. This helps us support you the best we can! Also, don’t forget to use “Report a Problem” before posting – the information shared in both places helps us understand your issue better.

Thank you to every Xbox Insider in the subreddit today and welcome to the community if you’re just joining us! We love that it has become such a friendly and community-driven hub of conversation and support.

For more information regarding the Xbox Insider Program follow us on Twitter. Keep an eye on future Xbox Insider Release Notes for more information regarding your Xbox Update Preview ring!

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