In a move that will almost certainly push another batch of holdouts to join the next generation, Microsoft has announced that, starting June 9, a less expensive model of the Xbox One will be available that does away with the bundled Kinect motion sensor. Microsoft’s flagship system currently retails for $500 with the Kinect, and this new option shaves an ample $100 off that price, bringing it down to a much more palatable $400.
The innovative motion sensor has been a fascinating platform for hackers and experimentation since its introduction with the Xbox 360, but in many ways it has failed to gain traction with the general gaming population. Giving consumers the option to skip the Kinect with Xbox One and perhaps buy it seperately makes the system much more appealing to budget-minded buyers who just aren’t sold on the sensor’s utility.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Imagine tapping a Zelda icon on your iPhone and jumping straight into Hyrule. A new open-source project called nxnative makes that possible by repackaging Switch games you’ve bought into apps for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with no emulator in the middle.
Why does this run so well on Apple devices?