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The Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S in Japan will become more expensive in Japan from August 15, 2024. This change will only affect Japan and it is likely due to the poor economy in that country. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

Here are the new adjusted prices for Xbox consoles in Japan:

• Xbox Series X: 59,978 JPY to 66,978 JPY
• Xbox Series S 1TB (Black): 44,578 JPY to 49,978 JPY
• Xbox Series S 512GB: 37978 JPY to 44,578 JPY

As mentioned earlier, this change is likely due to the weaker yen. According to Windows, it changed the prices as a result of changes in the market. These prices will only go into effect on August 15, 2024. So if you’re in Japan without one of the above Xbox models and you were thinking of getting one, you might want to purchase a model before they become more expensive.

This is not the first time that consoles became more expensive as a result of some sort of economic challenge. Back in 2022, the PS5 became more expensive in various regions and countries. This was, according to Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan, due to “challenging economic conditions” from inflation, as well as “adverse currency trends.” In other words, Sony raised the prices of the PS5 for the exact same reasons Microsoft is making Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles more expensive.

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles in Japan will see a price adjustment in August 15, 2024, and they will become more expensive.

The post Some Xbox Consoles to Become More Expensive in Japan appeared first on Siliconera.

The English language voice actors for Wild Hearts have been revealed. The new monster hunting game from Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force team and published by EA Originals is releasing soon, and the cast has now been officially confirmed by the voice of Ujishige, Yuki Matsuzaki.

Here is the cast of Wild Hearts voice actors:

• Ujishige Daidouji: Yuki Matsuzaki
• Natsume: Miracle Veil Magic
• Suzuran: Crystal Kay
• Seren: Yurie Collins
• Mujina: Yuta Koga
• Nobumitsu Tsumori: Kane Kosugi
• Yataro: Mai Nakazato
• Kogyoku: Marika Dandoy
• Tamakazura: Takayuki Yanagi
• Toga-Hime: Asia Grace Sawane

More details on some of these characters were recently revealed in the official story trailer for the game. That released earlier in February 2023. Natsume is the blacksmith for the game’s main town, Ujishige is a former soldier, and Suzuran is a scientist studying the ancient tech used throughout the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_grFGQ2oWUQ

Wild Hearts is a game similar to Monster Hunter, set in a land tormented by fierce beasts known as Kemono. The people of this land utilize ancient technology known as Karakuri to allow them to take down these beasts, turning the tech into traps, weapons, and other devices to help turn the tide in their favor.

Wild Hearts is set to release on February 17, 2023 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC via the EA app, Steam and Epic Games Store.

The post Wild Hearts English Voice Actors Announced appeared first on Siliconera.

The week of May 9 to 15, 2022 saw a first in the console hardware sales race: Microsoft's Xbox Series console sales sured those of Sony's PlayStation 5 for the first time. Since their releases, both the PS5 and Xbox Series X and S have maintained 2nd and 3rd place, respectively, in Japanese hardware sales charts. [Thanks, Famitsu.]

According to Famitsu's weekly sales figures, the combined Xbox Series console sales numbered 6,225 units sold. This outstrips the 2,693 PS5 units moved in the same period. The figures cover the combined sales of both variants of each console, the Series X and Series S for Xbox, and the Disc and Digital editions of the PS5. Nintendo maintained its commanding lead, with buyers picking up 65,322 Switches across the original, OLED, and Lite versions. The PS4 moved a mere 22 units.

Nintendo also virtually locked out the software sales charts in Japan, with the top ten best-selling games of the week all belonging to the Switch. In the lead was Nintendo Switch Sports, followed by Kirby and the Forgotten Land in 2nd place. The only games not also on Switch to chart in the top 30 spots for the week were Elden Ring and Gran Turismo 7, both on PS4.

The Xbox Series sales figures also provide a more detailed picture of Microsoft's milestone. Of the 6,225 units sold last week, 98% (6,120) were of the Xbox Series S model. There are significant hardware differences between the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. The Xbox Series S has a less powerful GPU, less RAM, and about half the built-in storage of the X model. These differences generally bear out in graphical features (like ray-tracing) and resolution capabilities such as achieving 4k resolution, as well as performance in certain titles. The S model is also considerably cheaper and smaller, potentially appealing to Japanese customers with limited space for hardware. By comparison, the PS5's Disc and Digital editions are identical, save for the presence of a Blu-ray disc drive. In any case, regardless of their sales ranking, the Xbox Series consoles are doing much better in Japan than the Xbox One. Some credit the improved performance to Microsoft's popular Xbox Game service, which grants access to many first-party exclusive titles as well as cloud-based game streaming to mobile devices and PCs.

As for the reason behind last week's milestone, supply constraints on Sony's side may play more of a role than a surge in performance for Xbox Series sales. After the PS5 ed 19.7 million units sold, Sony warned that despite a higher sales forecast for the coming fiscal year, it expected supply shortages to continue into 2023. Hardware shipments are also down across the board compared to the previous week. For example, over the week of April 25 to May 8, 2022, Microsoft moved 14,118 Xbox Series consoles. Sony moved 49,798 PS5s, and Nintendo sold 76,592 Switches.

The PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series consoles are sold worldwide, where supplies are available.

The post Xbox Series Sales Sur PS5 for First Time in Japan appeared first on Siliconera.

Microsoft’s issued an update designed to help make it easier for people who want to call dibs on a new Xbox Series X model and not have to worry about supply issues. Xbox UK Marketing Lead Samuel Bateman confirmed on Twitter that the Xbox Series X pre-order date is September 22, 2020 at 8am BST/9am CET. Which means it is the same day pre-orders open in North America.

Bateman also offered purchasing details, so people would have a better idea of which storefronts will definitely have the systems and what possible plans will be available. While not a complete list, he confirmed Amazon, AO.com, Argos, Currys PC World, GAME, John Lewis & Partners, Microsoft Store, Smyths Toys, and Very.co.uk will all be among the stores accepting pre-orders. However, if people want to go for an Xbox All Access installment plan, where they pay a monthly fee for a set period of time for a system and Xbox Game Ultimate, only GAME and Smyths Toys will have it. Microsoft Store will also have a 24-hour period before purchasing and shipping out a system.

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S models will launch on November 10, 2020 worldwide. The pre-order date for both North America and the UK will be September 22, 2020. While we don't know about all of its launch games yet, a few were announced.

The post Xbox Series X UK Pre-orders Open September 22, 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

The Xbox Series X will be compatible with all Xbox One controllers across all games. The news came shortly after Sony announced a recent statement about compatibility for the PlayStation 5 in relation to third and first party devices. Microsoft has now confirmed that the Xbox Series X will allow consumers to use any and all first party Xbox One controllers with the console.

Additionally, third party headsets and controllers will be ed as well. Other controllers mentioned are the Xbox Adaptive Controller and the Xbox Wireless Controller. However, it doesn't stop there. The new Xbox Series controller will not only be compatible with previous Xbox consoles, but it can also be used for PC gaming through Windows, Android and iOS, and for Project xCloud and Xbox Game games.

[embed]https://twitter.com/Xbox/status/1290410039241408513[/embed]

That's quite the amount of different ways for consumers to use the Xbox Series controller. However, consumers are probably more pleased with the fact that their current controllers will be compatible for use with the Xbox Series X.

During the Xbox Games Showcase July 2020, Microsoft teased titles for the next console generation. This included Microsoft franchises like Fable, though new original titles were teased like Obsidian's RPG.

There is still no information on what the Xbox Series X will cost on release.

The post Xbox Series X Will Be Compatible With All Xbox One Controllers Across All Games appeared first on Siliconera.

The Xbox website was updated with a new blog post from Xbox head Phil Spencer. It's essentially a Xbox Series X rundown, comprising a list of information about the next-generation platform and a list of promises from the Xbox team. Most of the information is centered around the services Microsoft's Xbox division is offering, which third parties have to choose to opt into. The post also includes a new announcement concerning the Project xCloud streaming service and its inclusion with Xbox Game Ultimate, which is good news for anyone planning to look into that.

Spencer started off the post by stating, "You Are the Future of Gaming." What that means, if you sift through the friendly marketing language, is that Microsoft is showing its hand with a focus (at least initially) on being as consumer-friendly as possible considering the impending debut of new hardware. This will include making additions to the Xbox Game service, making an effort to have more accessory compatibility, and Smart Delivery improvements.

The big news here is that in September 2020, Project xCloud will be rolled out as an included part of Xbox Game Ultimate, which already combines Game with Xbox Live Gold. Spencer also confirmed accessories like the Elite Controller or Adaptive Controller will work with Series X out of the box, and backwards compatibility will include any Xbox One game that doesn't require Kinect on day one. That's the plan, and the plan is also for older games from previous gens to look, run, and play better on Xbox Series X.

There's a lot of information in the post and a lot of it serves as a Xbox Series X rundown of information that isn't necessarily news, but the above seem to be the major highlights.

Xbox Series X will launch later in 2020.

The post Xbox Game Ultimate Will Include Project xCloud appeared first on Siliconera.

On May 7, 2020, Microsoft showed off several third-party games that will be optimized for Xbox Series X during the first Xbox 20/20 presentation. But what we didn't know was that we were also being treated to the first look at the Xbox Series X boot screen animation and sound as well.

The news was officially confirmed after the stream by Larry Hryb, the Director of Programming for Xbox Live. Here's the start-up screen and sound again, via Hryb's tweet:

I am happy to confirm that this is the boot up animation & sound for Xbox Series X. We debut it on #InsideXbox earlier today - but I wanted to call it out in case you missed it. pic.twitter.com/A26WB3zGwz

— Larry Hryb (@majornelson) May 7, 2020

The Xbox Series X boot screen takes a step away from the console series' green-colored aesthetic used with past start-up screens, although black has been a featured color as well since the very first Xbox. For nostalgia's sake, here's a look back at the start-up screen for the first Xbox:

Apart from the Xbox Series X boot screen, yesterday's Inside Xbox stream also revealed that Yakuza: Like a Dragon will be released on Xbox, PC and PlayStation 4 in the West, while Bandai Namco revealed a new action game called Scarlet Nexus, which is being developed by former Tales of series team .

The post Here’s What Xbox Series X Boot Screen Will Look and Sound Like appeared first on Siliconera.

Bandai Namco has revealed the next effort in its ongoing bid to dominate action games with an anime-style aesthetic with its newest original title, Scarlet Nexus. Revealed in a trailer during Microsoft's May 2020 Inside Xbox livestream, the game promises "Brain Punk" action antics and a story from staff involved with Tales of Vesperia. The main character appears to be a young man named Yuito Sumeragi. He's a member of the OSF, an elite group of psychic soldiers charged with destroying the "Others," monsters that can't be harmed through normal means.

Here's a trailer for Scarlet Nexus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyCdiZ10Tgc

As a teaser, this doesn't show much in the way of actual Scarlet Nexus gameplay, but emphasizes a lot of flashy finishing moves as Yuito uses his powers to weaponize debris, form energy blades, and chop up baddies. Visually, the game appears to have a sci-fi, cyberpunk aesthetic going for it, with lots of neon, urban wear, and holographic doo-dads. It's a departure from the gothic stylings of Code Vein and the apocalyptic fashion of God Eater, two other Bandai Namco anime-style action titles.

Scarlet Nexus is due out on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X. It'll be compatible with 4K resolutions on the Xbox Series X, but not the Xbox One or Xbox One S. The game will use Microsoft's "Smart Delivery" system, an upgrade program of sorts similar to PlayStation's "cross-buy" functionality. Smart Delivery will automatically upgrade Xbox One copies of Scarlet Nexus to the Xbox Series X version, if the owner decides to purchase the new console, and vice versa. Other Smart Delivery-compatible games include Yakuza: Like A Dragon and Assassin's Creed: Valhalla.

The post Scarlet Nexus Brings Telekinetic Anime Action to the Xbox Series X appeared first on Siliconera.

At The Game Awards today, Xbox head Phil Spencer presented Xbox Series X, the official name for the Xbox console set to release Holiday 2020.

Check out a trailer below:

Introducing the new Xbox Series X*. Power Your Dreams. Coming Holiday 2020.

Originally, the Xbox Series X was revealed as Project Scarlett at E3 2019, and is already being used by Phil Spencer.

Xbox Series X releases Holiday 2020.

The post The New Xbox Is Officially Named Xbox Series X appeared first on Siliconera.